,,the ,,life      ,,and      ,,writings 
,,of      ,,henry ,,fuseli1 ,,esq4      
,m4,a4 ,r4,a4      ,,keeper1 ,,and      
,,professor ,,of ,,painting ,,to ,,the  
,,royal ,,academy ,,in ,,london2        
,,member ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,class     
,,of ,,the ,,academy ,,of ,,st4 ,,luke  
,,at ,,rome4      ,,the ,,former        
,,written1 ,,and ,,the ,,latter ,,edited
 ,,by      ,,john ,,knowles1 ,f4,r4,s4  
,,corresponding ,,member ,,of ,,the     
,,philosophical ,,society ,,at          
,,rotterdam1      ,,his ,,executor4     
,animo vidit1 ingenio complexus est1    
eloquenti illuminavit4                  
,velleius ,paterculus in ,ciceronem4    
,,in ,,three ,,volumes4      ,,vol4     
,,ii4      ,,london3      ,,henry       
,,colburn ,,and ,,richard ,,bentley1    
,,new ,,burlington ,,street4            
,,mdcccxxxi4         ,,london3          
,,printed ,,by ,,samuel ,,bentley1      
,dorset ,street1 ,fleet ,street4        
,,contents     ,,of     ,,the ,,second  
,,volume4       ,,lectures4      ,i4    

,,ancient ,,art                         
,page #ag      ,,ii4 ,,art ,,of ,,the   
,,moderns                        #gc    
,,iii4 ,,invention4--,,part ,i4         
#aca      ,,iv4 ,,invention4--,,part    
,,ii4                     #ahg      ,v4 
,,composition1 ,,expression             
#bcg      ,,vi4 ,,chiaroscuro           
#bgc      ,,vii4 ,,on ,,design          
#cjc      ,,viii4 ,,colour4--,,in       
,,fresco ,,painting            #cbi     
,,ix4 ,,colour4--,,oil ,,painting       
#cec      ,x4 ,,the ,,method ,,of       
,,fixing ,a ,,standard ,,and            
,,defining ,,the ,,proportions ,,of     
,,the ,,human     ,,frame1 ,,with       
,,directions ,,to ,,the ,,student       
,,in ,,copying ,,the ,,life             
#cga     ,,introduction4   ,it cannot be
 considered as superfluous or assuming  
to present the reader of the following  
lectures with a succinct characteristic 
sketch of the principal technic         
instruction1 ancient and modern1 which  
we possess3 ,i say1 a sketch1 for an    

elaborate and methodical survey1 or a   
plan well digested and strictly         
followed1 would demand a volume4 ,these 
observations1 less written for the man  
of letters and cultivated taste1 than   
for the student who wishes to inform    
himself of the history and progress of  
his art1 are to direct him to the       
sources from which my principles are    
deduced1 to enable him1 by comparing my 
authors with myself1 to judge how far   
the theory which ,i deliver1 may be     
depended on as genuine1 or ought to be  
rejected as erroneous or false4  ,the   
works1 or fragments of works1 which we  
possess1 are either purely elementary1  
critically historical1 biographic1 or   
mixed up of all three4 ,on the books    
purely elementary1 the van of which is  
led by ,lionardo da ,vinci and ,albert  
,durer1 and the rear by ,gherard        
,lairesse1 as the principles which they 
detail must be supposed to be already in
 the student's possession1 or are       
occasionally interwoven with the topics 

of the ,lectures1 ,i shall not          
expatiate1 but immediately proceed to   
the historically critical writers2 who  
consist of all the ancients yet         
remaining1 ,pausanias excepted4  ,we may
 thank ,destiny that1 in the general    
wreck of ancient art1 a sufficient      
number of entire and mutilated monuments
 have escaped the savage rage of        
barbarous conquest1 and the still more  
savage hand of superstition1 not only to
 prove that the principles which we     
deliver1 formed the body of ancient art1
 but to furnish us with their standard  
of style4 ,for if we had nothing to rely
 on to prove its existence than the     
historic and critical information left  
us1 such is the chaos of assertion and  
contradiction1 such the chronologic     
confusion1 and dissonance of dates1 that
 nothing short of a miracle could guide 
us through the labyrinth1 and the whole 
would assume a fabulous aspect4 ,add to 
this the occupation and character of the
 writers1 none of them a professional   

man4 ,for the rules of ,parrhasius1 the 
volumes of ,pamphilus1 ,apelles1        
,metrodorus1 all irrecoverably lost1 we 
must rely on the hasty compilations of a
 warrior1 or the incidental remarks of  
an orator1 ,pliny and ,quintilian4      
,pliny1 authoritative in his verdicts1 a
 ,roman in decision1 was rather desirous
 of knowing much1 than of knowing well2 
the other1 though1 as appears1 a man of 
exquisite taste1 was too much occupied  
by his own art to allow ours more than a
 rapid glance4 ,in ,pliny1 it is        
necessary1 and for an artist not very   
difficult1 to distinguish when he speaks
 from himself and when he delivers an   
extract1 however short2 whenever he does
 the first1 he is seldom able to        
separate the kernel from the husk2 he is
 credulous1 irrelevant1 ludicrous4 ,the 
,jupiter of ,phidias1 the ,doryphorus of
 ,polycletus1 the ,aphrodite of         
,praxiteles1 the ,demos of ,parrhasius1 
the ,venus of ,apelles1 provoke his     
admiration in no greater degree than the

 cord drawn over the horns and muzzle of
 the bull in the group of ,amphion1     
,zetus1 and ,antiope2 the spires and    
windings of the serpents in that of the 
,laocoon1 the effect of the foam from   
the sponge of ,protogenes1 the partridge
 in his ,jalysus1 the grapes that       
imposed on the birds1 and the curtain   
which deceived ,zeuxis4 ,such is ,pliny 
when he speaks from himself1 or perhaps 
from the hints of some ,dilettante2 but 
when he delivers an extract1 his        
information is not only essential and   
important1 but expressed by the most    
appropriate words4 ,such is his account 
of the glazing-method of ,apelles1 in   
which1 as ,reynolds has observed1 he    
speaks the language of an artist2 such  
is what he says of the manner in which  
,protogenes embodied his colours1 though
 it may require the practice of an      
artist to penetrate his meaning4 ,no    
sculptor could describe better in many  
words than he does in one1 the manoeuvre
 by which ,nicias gave the decided line 

of correctness to the models of         
,praxiteles2 the word circumlitio1      
shaping1 rounding the moist clay with   
the finger1 is evidently a term of art4 
,thus when he describes the method of   
,pausias1 who1 in painting a sacrifice1 
foreshortened the bull and threw his    
shade on part of the surrounding crowd1 
he throws before us the depths of the   
scenery and its forcible chiaroscuro2   
nor is he less happy1 at least in my    
opinion1 when he translates the deep    
aphorism by which ,eupompus directed    
,lysippus to recur to ,nature1 and to   
animate the rigid form with the air of  
life4  ,in his dates he seldom errs1 and
 sometimes adjusts or corrects the      
errors of ,greek chronology1 though not 
with equal attention2 for whilst he     
exposes the impropriety of ascribing to 
,polycletus a statue of ,hephestion1 the
 friend of ,alexander1 who lived a      
century after him1 he thinks it worth   
his while to repeat that ,erynna1 the   
contemporary of ,sappho1 who lived      

nearly as many years before him1        
celebrated in her poems a work of his   
friend and fellow-scholar ,myron of     
,eleuther4 ,his text is at the same time
 so deplorably mutilated that it often  
equally defies conjecture and           
interpretation4 ,still1 from what is    
genuine it must be confessed that he    
condenses in a few chapters the contents
 of volumes1 and fills the whole        
atmosphere of art4 ,whatever he tells1  
whether the most puerile legend1 or the 
best attested fact1 he tells with       
dignity4  ,of ,quintilian1 whose        
information is all relative to style1   
the tenth chapter of the twelfth book1 a
 passage on ,expression in the eleventh1
 and scattered fragments of observations
 analogous to the process of his own    
art1 is all that we possess2 but what he
 says1 though comparatively small in    
bulk with what we have of ,pliny1 leaves
 us to wish for more4 ,his review of the
 revolutions of style in painting1 from 
,polygnotus to ,apelles1 and in         

sculpture from ,phidias to ,lysippus1 is
 succinct and rapid2 but though so rapid
 and succinct1 every word is poised by  
characteristic precision1 and can only  
be the result of long and judicious     
inquiry1 and perhaps even minute        
examination4 ,his theory and taste      
savour neither of the antiquary nor the 
mere ,dilettante2 he neither dwells on  
the infancy of art with doating         
fondness1 nor melts its essential and   
solid principles in the crucibles of    
merely curious or voluptuous execution4 
,still less in volume1 and still less   
intentional are the short but important 
observations on the principals of art   
and the epochs of style1 scattered over 
nearly all the works of ,cicero1 but    
chiefly his ,orator and ,rhetoric       
,institutions4 ,some of his             
introductions to these books might      
furnish the classic scenery of ,poussin 
with figures2 and though he seems to    
have had little native taste for        
painting and sculpture1 and even less   

than he had taste for poetry1 he had a  
conception of nature2 and1 with his     
usual acumen1 comparing the principles  
of one art with those of another1       
frequently scattered useful hints1 or   
made pertinent observations4 ,for many  
of these he might probably be indebted  
to ,hortensius1 with whom1 though his   
rival in eloquence1 he lived on terms of
 familiarity1 and who was a man of      
declared taste and one of the first     
collectors of the time4  ,pausanias1 the
 ,cappadocian1 was certainly no critic1 
and his credulity is at least equal to  
his curiosity2 he is often little more  
than a nomenclator1 and the             
indiscriminate chronicler of legitimate 
tradition and legendary trash2 but the  
minute and scrupulous diligence with    
which he examined what fell under his   
own eye1 amply makes up for what he may 
want of method or of judgment4 ,his     
description of the pictures of          
,polygnotus at ,delphi1 and of the      
,jupiter of ,phidias at ,olympia1 are   

perhaps superior to all that might have 
been given by men of more assuming      
powers1 mines of information1 and       
inestimable legacies to our arts4  ,the 
,heroics of the elder1 and the ,eicones1
 or ,picture ,galleries of the elder and
 younger ,philostratus1 though perhaps  
not expressly written for the artist1   
and rather to amuse than to instruct1   
cannot be sufficiently consulted by the 
epic or dramatic artist4 ,the ,heroics  
furnish the standard of form and habits 
for the ,grecian and ,troic warriors1   
from ,protesilaus to ,paris and         
,euphorbus2 and he who wishes to        
acquaint himself with the limits the    
ancients prescribed to invention1 and   
the latitude they allowed to expression1
 will find no better guide than an      
attentive survey of the subjects        
displayed in their galleries4  ,such are
 the most prominent features of ancient 
criticism1 and those which we wish the  
artist to be familiar with2 the         
innumerable hints1 maxims1 anecdotes1   

descriptions1 scattered over ,lucian1   
,aelian1 ,athenus1 ,achilles1 ,tatius1  
,tatian1 ,pollux1 and many more1 may be 
consulted to advantage by the man of    
taste and letters1 and probably may be  
neglected without much loss by the      
student4  ,of modern writers on art1    
,vasari leads the van2 theorist1 artist1
 critic1 and biographer in one4 ,the    
history of modern art owes no doubt much
 to ,vasari2 he leads us from its       
cradle1 to its maturity1 with the       
anxious diligence of a nurse1 but he    
likewise has her derelictions2 for more 
loquacious than ample1 and less         
discriminating styles than eager to     
accumulate descriptions1 he is at an    
early period exhausted by the           
superlatives lavished on inferior       
claims1 and forced into frigid          
rhapsodies and astrologic nonsense to do
 justice to the greater4 ,he swears by  
the divinity of ,m4 ,agnolo4 ,he tells  
us himself that he copied every figure  
of the ,capella ,sistina and the ,stanze

 of ,raffaello2 yet his memory was      
either so treacherous1#a or his rapidity
 in writing so inconsiderate1 that his  
account of both is a mere heap of errors
 and unpardonable confusion2 and one    
might almost fancy that he had never    
entered the ,vatican4 ,of ,correggio he 
leaves us less informed than of         
,apelles4 ,even ,bottari1 the learned   
editor of his work1 his countryman and  
advocate against the complaints of      
,agostino ,carracci and ,federigo       
,zucchero1 though ever ready to fight   
his battles1 is at a loss to account for
 his mistakes4 ,he has been called the  
,herodotus of our art1 and if the main  
simplicity of his narrative1 and the    
desire of heaping anecdote on anecdote1 
entitle him in some degree to that      
appellation1 we ought not to forget1    
that the information of every day adds  
something to the authenticity of the    
,greek historian1 whilst every day      
furnishes matter to question the        
credibility of the ,tuscan4  ,what we   

find not in ,vasari it is useless to    
search for amid the rubbish of his      
contemporaries or followers1 from       
,condivi to ,ridolfi1 and on to         
,malvasia1 whose criticism on the style 
of ,lodovico ,carracci and his pupils in
 the cloisters of ,st4 ,michele in      
,bosco1 near ,bologna1 amount to little 
more than a sonorous rhapsody of ill    
applied or empty metaphors and          
extravagant praise2 till the appearance 
of ,lanzi1 who in his ',storia          
,pittorica della ,italia1' has availed  
himself of all the information existing 
in his time1 has corrected most of those
 who wrote before him1 and though       
perhaps not possessed of great          
discriminative powers1 has accumulated  
more instructive anecdotes1 rescued more
 deserving names from oblivion1 and     
opened a wider prospect of art than all 
his predecessors4#b  ,the ,french       
critics composed a complete system of   
rules4 ,du ,fresnoy spent his life in   
composing and revising general aphorisms

 in ,latin classic verse2 some on       
granted1 some on disputable1 some on    
false principles4 ,though ,horace was   
his model1 neither the ,poet's language 
nor method have been imitated by him4   
,from ,du ,fresnoy himself1 we learn not
 what is essential1 what accidental1    
what superinduced1 in style2 from his   
text none ever rose practically wiser   
than he sat down to study it3 if he be  
useful1 he owes his usefulness to the   
penetration of his ,english commentator2
 the notes of ,reynolds1 treasures of   
practical observation1 place him among  
those whom we may read with profit4     
,what can be learnt from precept1       
founded on prescriptive authority1 more 
than on the verdicts of nature1 is      
displayed in the volumes of ,de ,piles  
and ,felibien2 a system1 as it has been 
followed by the former students of their
 academy1 and sent out with the         
successful combatants for the premium to
 their academic establishment at ,rome1 
to have its efficiency proved by the    

contemplation of ,italian style and     
execution4 ,the timorous candidates for 
fame1 knowing its rules to be the only  
road to success at their return1        
whatever be their individual bent of    
character1 implicitly adopt them1 and   
the consequence is1 as may be supposed1 
that technical equality1 which borders  
on mediocrity4 ,after an exulting and   
eager survey of the wonders the place   
exhibits1 they all undergo a similar    
course of study4 ,six months are        
allotted to the ,vatican1 and in equal  
portions divided between the ,fiert of  
,m4 ,agnolo1 and the more correct graces
 of ,raffaello2 the next six months are 
in equal intervals devoted to the       
academic powers of ,annibale ,carracci1 
and the purity of the antique4  ,about  
the middle of the last century the      
,german critics1 established at ,rome1  
began to claim the exclusive privilege  
of teaching the art1 and to form a      
complete system of antique style4 ,the  
verdicts of ,mengs and ,winkelmann      

became the oracles of ,antiquaries1     
,dilettanti1 and artists from the       
,pyrenees to the utmost ,north of       
,europe1 have been detailed1 and are not
 without their influence here4          
,winkelmann was the parasite of the     
fragments that fell from the            
conversation or the tablets of ,mengs1 a
 deep scholar1 and better fitted to     
comment a classic than to give lessons  
on art and style1 he reasoned himself   
into frigid reveries and ,platonic      
dreams on beauty4 ,as far as the taste  
or the instructions of his tutor        
directed him1 he is right1 whenever they
 are1 and between his own learning and  
the tuition of the other1 his history of
 art delivers a specious system and a   
prodigious number of useful             
observations4 ,he has not1 however1 in  
his regulation of epochs1 discriminated 
styles1 and masters1 with the precision1
 attention1 and acumen1 which from the  
advantages of his situation and habits  
might have been expected2 and           

disappoints us as often by meagreness1  
neglect1 and confusion1 as he offends by
 laboured and inflated rhapsodies on the
 most celebrated monuments of art4 ,to  
him ,germany owes the shackles of her   
artists1 and the narrow limits of their 
aim2 from him they have learnt to       
substitute the means for the end1 and by
 a hopeless chace after what they call  
beauty1 to lose what alone can make     
beauty interesting1 expression and mind4
 ,the works of ,mengs himself are no    
doubt full of the most useful           
information1 deep observation1 and often
 consummate criticism4 ,he has traced   
and distinguished the principles of the 
moderns from those of the ancients2 and 
in his comparative view of the design1  
colour1 composition1 and expression of  
,raffaello1 ,correggio and ,tiziano1    
with luminous perspicuity and deep      
precision1 pointed out the prerogative  
or inferiority of each4 ,as an artist he
 is an instance of what perseverance1   
study1 experience and encouragement can 

achieve to supply the place of genius4  
,of ,english critics1 whose writings    
preceded the present century1 whether we
 consider solidity of theory or         
practical usefulness1 the last is       
undoubtedly the first4 ,to compare      
,reynolds with his predecessors would   
equally disgrace our judgment and       
impeach our gratitude4 ,his volumes can 
never be consulted without profit1 and  
should never be quitted by the student's
 hand1 but to embody by exercise the    
precepts he gives and the means he      
points out4   ,,footnotes3  #a ,there   
will be an opportunity to notice that   
incredible dereliction of reminiscence  
which prompted him to transfer what he  
had rightly ascribed to ,giorgione1 in  
the ,florentine edition1 #aeej1 to the  
elder ,palma in the subsequent ones4    
,see ,lecture on ,chiaroscuro4  #b ,it  
ought not1 however1 to be disguised1    
that the history of art1 deviating from 
its real object1 has been swelled to a  
diffuse catalogue of individuals1 who1  

being the nurslings of different        
schools1 or picking something from the  
real establishers of art1 have done     
little more than repeat or mimic rather 
than imitate1 at second hand1 what their
 masters or predecessors had found in   
nature1 discriminated and applied to art
 in obedience to its dictates4 ,without 
depreciating the merits of that         
multitude who strenuously passed life in
 following others1 it must be pronounced
 a task below history to allow them more
 than a transitory glance2 neither      
novelty nor selection and combination of
 scattered materials1 are entitled to   
serious attention from him who only     
investigates the real progress of art1  
if novelty is proved to have added      
nothing essential to the system1 and    
selection to have only diluted energy1  
and by a popular amalgama to have been  
content with captivating the vulgar4    
,novelty1 without enlarging the circle  
of fancy1 may delight1 but is nearer    
allied to whim than to invention2 and an

 ,eclectic system without equality of   
parts1 as it originated in want of      
comprehension1 totters on the brink of  
mediocrity1 sinks art1 or splits it into
 crafts decorated with the specious name
 of schools1 whose members1 authorized  
by prescript1 emboldened by dexterity of
 hand1 encouraged by ignorance1 or      
heading a cabal1 subsist on mere        
repetition1 with few more legitimate    
claims to the honours of history than a 
rhapsodist to those of the poem which he
 recites4     ,,first ,,lecture4        
,,ancient ,,art4      ,tauta men oun    
plastn kai graphen kai poitn paides     
ergasontai4     ho de pasin epanthei    
toutois1 h charis1 mallon de hapasai    
hama1     hoposai charites1 kai hoposoi 
ertes perichoreuontes4 tis an           
mimsasthai dynaito8                     
,,loukianou ,sam4 eikones4   ,,argument4
      ,introduction4 ,greece the        
legitimate parent of the ,art4--,summary
     of the local and political causes4 
,conjectures on the mechanic     process

 of the ,art4 ,period of                
preparation--,polygnotus--essential     
style--,apollodorus--characteristic     
style4 ,period of                       
establishment--,zeuxis1 ,parrhasius1    
,timanthes4 ,period of                  
refinement--,eupompus ,apelles1         
,aristides1 ,euphranor4     ,,first     
,,lecture4   ,the difficulties of the   
task prescribed to me1 if they do not   
preponderate are at least equal to the  
honour of the situation4 ,if1 to        
discourse on any topic with truth1      
precision1 and clearness1 before a mixed
 or fortuitous audience1 before men     
neither initiated in the subject1 nor   
rendered minutely attentive by          
expectation1 be no easy task1 how much  
more arduous must it be to speak        
systematically on an art1 before a      
select assembly1 composed of ,professors
 whose life has been divided between    
theory and practice1 of ,critics whose  
taste has been refined by contemplation 
and comparison1 and of ,students1 who1  

bent on the same pursuit1 look for the  
best and always most compendious method 
of mastering the principles1 to arrive  
at its emoluments and honours4 ,your    
lecturer is to instruct them in the     
principles of 'composition2 to form     
their taste for design and colouring2 to
 strengthen their judgment2 to point out
 to them the beauties and imperfections 
of celebrated works of art2 and the     
particular excellencies and defects of  
great masters2 and finally1 to lead them
 into the readiest and most efficacious 
paths of study4'#c ,if1 ,gentlemen1     
these directions presuppose in the      
student a sufficient stock of elementary
 knowledge1 an expertness in the        
rudiments1 not mere wishes but a        
peremptory will of improvement1 and     
judgment with docility2 how much more do
 they imply in the person selected to   
address them--knowledge founded on      
theory1 substantiated and matured by    
practice1 a mass of select and well     
digested materials1 perspicuity of      

method and command of words1 imagination
 to place things in such views as they  
are not commonly seen in1 presence of   
mind1 and that resolution1 the result of
 conscious vigour1 which1 in daring to  
correct errors1 cannot be easily        
discountenanced4--,as conditions like   
these would discourage abilities far    
superior to mine1 my hopes of           
approbation1 moderate as they are1 must 
in a great measure depend on that       
indulgence which may grant to my will   
what it would refuse to my powers4      
,before ,i proceed to the history of    
,style itself1 it seems to be necessary 
that we should agree about the terms    
which denote its object and perpetually 
recur in treating of it2 that my        
vocabulary of technic expression should 
not clash with the dictionary of my     
audience2 mine is nearly that of your   
late president4 ,i shall confine myself 
at present to a few of the most         
important2 the words nature1 beauty1    
grace1 taste1 copy1 imitation1 genius1  

talent4 ,thus1 by nature ,i understand  
the general and permanent principles of 
visible objects1 not disfigured by      
accident1 or distempered by disease1 not
 modified by fashion or local habits4   
,nature is a collective idea1 and1      
though its essence exist in each        
individual of the species1 can never in 
its perfection inhabit a single object4 
,on beauty ,i do not mean to perplex you
 or myself with abstract ideas1 and the 
romantic reveries of platonic           
philosophy1 or to inquire whether it be 
the result of a simple or complex       
principle4 ,as a local idea1 beauty is a
 despotic princess1 and subject to the  
anarchies of despotism1 enthroned       
to-day1 dethroned to-morrow4 ,the beauty
 we acknowledge is that harmonious whole
 of the human frame1 that unison of     
parts to one end1 which enchants us2 the
 result of the standard set by the great
 masters of our art1 the ancients1 and  
confirmed by the submissive verdict of  
modern imitation4 ,by grace ,i mean that

 artless balance of motion and repose   
sprung from character1 founded on       
propriety1 which neither falls short of 
the demands nor overleaps the modesty of
 nature4 ,applied to execution1 it means
 that dexterous power which hides the   
means by which it was attained1 the     
difficulties it has conquered4 ,when we 
say taste1 we mean not crudely the      
knowledge of what is right in art3 taste
 estimates the degrees of excellence1   
and by comparison proceeds from justness
 to refinement4 ,our language1 or rather
 those who use it1 generally confound1  
when speaking of the art1 copy with     
imitation1 though essentially different 
in operation and meaning4 ,precision of 
eye and obedience of hand are the       
requisites of the former1 without the   
least pretence to choice1 what to       
select1 what to reject2 whilst choice   
directed by judgment or taste           
constitutes the essence of imitation1   
and alone can raise the most dexterous  
copyist to the noble rank of an artist4 

,the imitation of the ancients was1     
essential1 characteristic1 ideal4 ,the  
first cleared nature of accident1       
defect1 excrescence2 the second found   
the stamen which connects character with
 the central form2 the third raised the 
whole and the parts to the highest      
degree of unison4 ,of genius ,i shall   
speak with reserve1 for no word has been
 more indiscriminately confounded2 by   
genius ,i mean that power which enlarges
 the circle of human knowledge1 which   
discovers new materials of nature1 or   
combines the known with novelty1 whilst 
talent arranges1 cultivates1 polishes   
the discoveries of genius4  ,guided by  
these preliminaries we now approach that
 happy coast1 where1 from an arbitrary  
hieroglyph1 the palliative of ignorance1
 from a tool of despotism1 or a         
ponderous monument of eternal sleep1 art
 emerged into life1 motion1 and liberty2
 where situation1 climate1 national     
character1 religion1 manners and        
government conspired to raise it on that

 permanent basis1 which after the ruins 
of the fabric itself1 still subsists and
 bids defiance to the ravages of time2  
as uniform in the principle as various  
in its applications1 the art of the     
,greeks possessed in itself and         
propagated1 like its chief object ,man1 
the germs of immortality4  ,i shall not 
detail here the reasons and the         
coincidence of fortunate circumstances  
which raised the ,greeks to be the      
arbiters of form4#d ,the standard they  
erected1 the cannon they framed1 fell   
not from ,heaven3 but as they fancied   
themselves of divine origin1 and        
,religion was the first mover of their  
art1 it followed that they should       
endeavour to invest their authors with  
the most perfect form2 and as ,man      
possesses that exclusively1 they were   
led to a complete and intellectual study
 of its elements and constitution2 this1
 with their climate1 which allowed that 
form to grow1 and to show itself to the 
greatest advantage2 with their civil and

 political institutions1 which          
established and encouraged exercises and
 manners best calculated to develope its
 powers2 and above all that simplicity  
of their end1 that uniformity of pursuit
 which in all its derivations retraced  
the great principle from which it       
sprang1 and like a central stamen drew  
it out into one immense connected web of
 congenial imitation2 these1 ,i say1 are
 the reasons why the ,greeks carried the
 art to a height which no subsequent    
time or race has been able to rival or  
even to approach4  ,great as these      
advantages were1 it is not to be        
supposed that ,nature deviated from her 
gradual progress in the developement of 
human faculties1 in favour of the       
,greeks4 ,greek ,art had her infancy1   
but the ,graces rocked the cradle1 and  
,love taught her to speak4 ,if ever     
legend deserved our belief1 the amorous 
tale of the ,corinthian maid1 who traced
 the shade of her departing lover by the
 secret lamp1 appeals to our sympathy1  

to grant it2 and leads us at the same   
time to some observations on the first  
mechanical essays of ,painting1 and that
 linear method which1 though passed     
nearly unnoticed by ,winkelmann1 seems  
to have continued as the basis of       
execution1 even when the instrument for 
which it was chiefly adapted had long   
been laid aside4  ,the etymology of the 
word used by the ,greeks to express     
,painting being the same with that which
 they employ for ,writing1 makes the    
similarity of tool1 materials1 method1  
almost certain4 ,the tool was a style or
 pen of wood or metal2 the materials a  
board1 or a levigated plane of wood1    
metal1 stone1 or some prepared compound2
 the method1 letters or lines4  ,the    
first essays of the art were ,skiagrams1
 simple outlines of a shade1 similar to 
those which have been introduced to     
vulgar use by the students and parasites
 of ,physiognomy1 under the name of     
,silhouettes2 without any other addition
 of character or feature but what the   

profile of the object1 thus delineated  
could afford4  ,the next step of the art
 was the ,monogram1 outlines of figures 
without light or shade1 but with some   
addition of the parts within the        
outline1 and from that to the           
,monochrom1 or paintings of a single    
colour on a plane or tablet1 primed with
 white1 and then covered with what they 
called punic wax1 first amalgamated with
 a tough resinous pigment1 generally of 
a red1 sometimes dark brown1 or black   
colour4 ,in1 or rather through this thin
 inky ground1 the outlines were traced  
with a firm but pliant style1 which they
 called ,cestrum2 if the traced line    
happened to be incorrect or wrong1 it   
was gently effaced with the finger or   
with a sponge1 and easily replaced by a 
fresh one4 ,when the whole design was   
settled1 and no farther alteration      
intended1 it was suffered to dry1 was   
covered1 to make it permanent1 with a   
brown encaustic varnish1 the lights were
 worked over again1 and rendered more   

brilliant with a point still more       
delicate1 according to the gradual      
advance from mere outlines to some      
indications1 and at last to masses of   
light and shade1 and from those to the  
superinduction of different colours1 or 
the invention of the ,polychrom1 which  
by the addition of the pencil to the    
style1 raised the mezzotinto or stained 
drawing to a legitimate picture1 and at 
length produced that vaunted harmony1   
the magic scale of ,grecian colour4#e   
,if this conjecture1 for it is not more1
 on the process of linear painting1     
formed on the evidence and comparison of
 passages always unconnected1 and       
frequently contradictory1 be founded in 
fact1 the rapturous astonishment at the 
supposed momentaneous production of the 
,herculanean dancers and the figures on 
the earthern vases of the ancients1 will
 cease2 or rather1 we shall no longer   
suffer ourselves to be deluded by       
palpable impossibility of execution3 on 
a ground of levigated lime or on potters

 ware1 no velocity or certainty         
attainable by human hands can conduct a 
full pencil with that degree of evenness
 equal from beginning to end with which 
we see those figures executed1 or if it 
could1 would ever be able to fix the    
line on the glassy surface without its  
flowing3 to make the appearances we see1
 possible1 we must have recourse to the 
linear process that has been described1 
and transfer our admiration1 to the     
perseverance1 the correctness of        
principle1 the elegance of taste that   
conducted the artist's hand1 without    
presuming to arm it with contradictory  
powers3 the figures he drew and we      
admire1 are not the magic produce of a  
winged pencil1 they are the result of   
gradual improvement1 exquisitely        
finished monochroms4  ,how long the     
pencil continued only to assist1 when it
 began to engross and when it at last   
entirely supplanted the cestrum1 cannot 
in the perplexity of accidental report  
be ascertained4 ,apollodorus in the     

#ic;d ,olymp4 and ,zeuxis in the #idth1 
are said to have used it with freedom   
and with power4 ,the battle of the      
,lapith and the ,centaurs1 which        
according to ,pausanias1 ,parrhasius    
painted on the shield of the ,minerva of
 ,phidias1 to be chased by ,mys1 could  
be nothing but a monochrom1 and was     
probably designed with the cestrum1 as  
an instrument of greater accuracy4#f    
,apelles and ,protogenes1 nearly a      
century afterwards1 drew their contested
 lines with the pencil2 and that alone1 
as delicacy and evanescent subtlety were
 the characteristic of those lines1 may 
give an idea of their mechanic          
excellence4 ,and yet in their time the  
diagraphic process1#g which is the very 
same with the linear one we have        
described1 made a part of liberal       
education4 ,and ,pausias of ,sicyon1 the
 contemporary of ,apelles1 and perhaps  
the greatest master of composition      
amongst the ancients1 when employed to  
repair the decayed pictures of          

,polygnotus at ,thespi1 was adjudged by 
general opinion to have egregiously     
failed in the attempt1 because he had   
substituted the pencil to the cestrum1  
and entered a contest of superiority    
with weapons not his own4  ,here it     
might seem in its place to say something
 on the ,encaustic method used by the   
ancients2 were it not a subject by      
ambiguity of expression and conjectural 
dispute so involved in obscurity that a 
true account of its process must be     
despaired of3 the most probable idea we 
can form of it is1 that it bore some    
resemblance to our oil-painting1 and    
that the name was adopted to denote the 
use of materials1 inflammable or        
prepared by fire1 the supposed          
durability of which1 whether applied hot
 or cold1 authorised the terms enekause 
and inussit4  ,the first great name of  
that epoch of the preparatory period    
when facts appear to overbalance        
conjecture1 is that of ,polygnotus of   
,thasos1 who painted the poecile at     

,athens1 and the lesche or public hall  
at ,delphi4 ,of these works1 but chiefly
 of the two large pictures at ,delphi1  
which represented scenes subsequent to  
the eversion of ,troy1 and ,ulysses     
consulting the spirit of ,tiresias in   
,hades1 ,pausanias#h gives a minute and 
circumstantial detail2 by which we are  
led to surmise1 that what is now called 
composition was totally wanting in them 
as a whole3 for he begins his           
description at one end of the picture1  
and finishes it at the opposite         
extremity1 a senseless method if we     
suppose that a central group1 or a      
principal figure to which the rest were 
in a certain degree subordinate1        
attracted the eye2 it appears as plain  
that they had no perspective1 the series
 of figures on the second or middle     
ground being described as placed above  
those on the foreground1 and the figures
 in the distance above the whole3 the   
honest method too which the painter     
chose of annexing to many of his        

figures1 their names in writing1 savours
 much of the infancy of painting4--,we  
should however be cautious to impute    
solely to ignorance or imbecility1 what 
might rest on the firm base of permanent
 principle4 ,the genius of ,polygnotus  
was more than that of any other artist  
before or after1 ,phidias perhaps alone 
excepted1 a public genius1 his works    
monumental works1 and these very        
pictures the votive offerings of the    
,gnidians4 ,the art at that summit1 when
 exerting its powers to record the      
feats1 consecrate the acts1 perpetuate  
the rites1 propagate the religion1 or to
 disseminate the peculiar doctrines of a
 nation1 heedless of the rules          
prescribed to inferior excellence and   
humbler pursuits1 returns to its        
elements1 leaps strict possibility1     
combines remote causes with present     
effects1 connects local distance and    
unites separate moments4--,simplicity1  
parallelism1 apposition1 take place of  
variety1 contrast1 and                  

composition4--,such was the ,lesche     
painted by ,polygnotus2 and if we       
consider the variety of powers that     
distinguished many of the parts1 we must
 incline to ascribe the primitive       
arrangement of the whole rather to the  
artist's choice and lofty simplicity1   
than want of comprehension3 nature had  
endowed him with that rectitude of taste
 which in the individuum discovers the  
stamen of the genus1 hence his style of 
design was essential with glimpses of   
grandeur#i and ideal beauty4            
,polygnotus1 says ,aristotle1 improves  
the model4 ,his invention reached the   
conception of undescribed being1 in the 
dmon ,eurynomus2 filled the chasm of    
description in ,theseus and ,pirithous1 
in ,ariadne and ,phdra2 and improved its
 terrors in the spectre of ,tityus2     
whilst colour to assist it1 became in   
his hand an organ of expression2 such   
was the prophetic glow which still      
crimsoned the cheeks of his ,cassandra  
in the time of ,lucian4#aj ,the         

improvements in painting which ,pliny   
ascribes to him1 of having dressed the  
heads of his females in variegated veils
 and bandeaus1 and robed them in lucid  
drapery1 of having gently opened the    
lips1 given a glimpse of the teeth1 and 
lessened the former monotony of face1   
such improvements1 ,i say1 were surely  
the most trifling part of a power to    
which the age of ,apelles and that of   
,quintilian paid equal homage3 nor can  
it add much to our esteem for him1 to be
 told by ,pliny that there existed1 in  
the portico of ,pompey1 a picture of his
 with the figure of a warrior in an     
attitude so ambiguous as to make it a   
question whether he were ascending or   
descending4 ,such a figure could only be
 the offspring of mental or technic     
imbecility1 even if it resembled the    
celebrated one of a ,diomede carrying   
off the palladium with one and holding a
 sword in the other hand1 on the        
intaglio inscribed1 ,i think1 with the  
name of ,dioscorides4  ,with this       

simplicity of manner and materials the  
art seems to have proceeded from        
,polygnotus1 ,aglaophon1 ,phidias1      
,pannus1 ,colotes1 and ,evenor1 the     
father of ,parrhasius1 during a period  
of more or less disputed ,olympiads1 to 
the appearance of ,apollodorus the      
,athenian1 who applied the essential    
principles of ,polygnotus to the        
delineation of the species1 by          
investigating the leading forms that    
discriminate the various classes of     
human qualities and passions4 ,the      
acuteness of his taste led him to       
discover that as all men were connected 
by one general form1 so they were       
separated each by some predominant      
power1 which fixed character and bound  
them to a class3 that in proportion as  
this specific power partook of          
individual peculiarities1 the farther it
 was removed from a share in that       
harmonious system which constitutes     
nature1 and consists in a due balance of
 all its parts2 thence he drew his line 

of imitation1 and personified the       
central form of the class1 to which his 
object belonged2 and to which the rest  
of its qualities administered without   
being absorbed3 agility was not suffered
 to destroy firmness1 solidity1 or      
weight2 nor strength and weight agility2
 elegance did not degenerate to         
effeminacy1 or grandeur swell to        
hugeness2 such were his principles of   
style3 his expression extended them to  
the mind1 if we may judge from the two  
subjects mentioned by ,pliny1 in which  
he seems to have personified the        
characters of devotion and impiety2     
that1 in the adoring figure of a priest1
 perhaps of ,chryses1 expanding his     
gratitude at the shrine of the ,god     
whose arrows avenged his wrongs and     
restored his daughter3 and this1 in the 
figure of ,ajax wrecked1 and from the   
sea-swept rock hurling defiance unto the
 murky sky4 ,as neither of these        
subjects can present themselves to a    
painter's mind without a contrast of the

 most awful and terrific tones of       
colour1 magic of light and shade1 and   
unlimited command over the tools of art1
 we may with ,pliny and with ,plutarch  
consider ,apollodorus as the first      
assertor of the pencil's honours1 as the
 first colourist of his age1 and the man
 who opened the gates of art which the  
,heracleot ,zeuxis entered4#aa  ,from   
the essential style of ,polygnotus and  
the specific discrimination of          
,apollodorus1 ,zeuxis1 by comparison of 
what belonged to the genus and what to  
the class1 framed at last that ideal    
form1 which in his opinion1 constituted 
the supreme degree of human beauty1 or  
in other words1 embodied possibility1 by
 uniting the various but homogeneous    
powers scattered among many1 in one     
object1 to one end4 ,such a system1 if  
it originated in genius1 was the        
considerate result of taste refined by  
the unremitting perseverance with which 
he observed1 consulted1 compared1       
selected the congenial but scattered    

forms of nature4 ,our ideas are the     
offspring of our senses1 we are not more
 able to create the form of a being1 we 
have not seen1 without retrospect to one
 we know1 than we are able to create a  
new sense4 ,he whose fancy has conceived
 an idea of the most beautiful form must
 have composed it from actual existence1
 and he alone can comprehend what one   
degree of beauty wants to become equal  
to another1 and at last superlative4 ,he
 who thinks the pretty handsome1 will   
think the handsome a beauty1 and fancy  
he has met an ideal form in a merely    
handsome one1 whilst he who has compared
 beauty with beauty1 will at last       
improve form upon form to a perfect     
image2 this was the method of ,zeuxis1  
and this he learnt from ,homer1 whose   
mode of ideal composition1 according to 
,quintilian1 he considered as his model4
 ,each individual of ,homer forms a     
class1 expresses and is circumscribed by
 one quality of heroic power2 ,achilles 
alone unites their various but congenial

 energies4 ,the grace of ,nireus1 the   
dignity of ,agamemnon1 the impetuosity  
of ,hector1 the magnitude1 the steady   
prowess of the great1 the velocity of   
the lesser ,ajax1 the perseverance of   
,ulysses1 the intrepidity of ,diomede1  
are emanations of energy that reunite in
 one splendid centre fixed in ,achilles4
 ,this standard of the unison of        
homogeneous powers exhibited in         
successive action by the poet1 the      
painter1 invigorated no doubt by the    
contemplation of the works of ,phidias1 
transferred to his own art and          
substantiated by form1 when he selected 
the congenial beauties of ,croton to    
compose a perfect female4 ,like ,phidias
 too1 he appears to have been less      
pathetic than sublime1 and even in his  
female forms more ample and august than 
elegant or captivating3 his principle   
was epic1 and this ,aristotle either    
considered not or did not comprehend1   
when he refuses him the expression of   
character in action and feature3        

,jupiter on his throne encircled by the 
celestial synod1 and ,helen1 the        
arbitress of ,troy1 contained probably  
the principal elements of his style2 but
 he could trace the mother's agitation  
in ,alcmena1 and in ,penelope the pangs 
of wedded love4  ,on those powers of his
 invention which ,lucian relates in the 
memoir inscribed with the name of       
,zeuxis1 ,i shall reserve my            
observations for a fitter moment4 ,of   
his colour we know little1 but it is not
 unreasonable to suppose that it        
emulated the beauties and the grandeur  
of his design2 and that he extended     
light and shade to masses1 may be       
implied from his peculiar method of     
painting monochroms on a black ground1  
adding the lights in white4#ab  ,the    
correctness of ,parrhasius succeeded to 
the genius of ,zeuxis4 ,he circumscribed
 his ample style1 and by subtle         
examination of outline established that 
standard of divine and heroic form which
 raised him to the authority of a       

legislator from whose decisions there   
was no appeal4 ,he gave to the divine   
and heroic character in painting1 what  
,polycletus had given to the human in   
sculpture1 by his ,doryphorus1 a canon  
of proportion4 ,phidias had discovered  
in the nod of the ,homeric ,jupiter the 
characteristic of majesty1 inclination  
of the head3 this hinted to him a higher
 elevation of the neck behind1 a bolder 
protrusion of the front1 and the        
increased perpendicular of the profile4 
,to this conception ,parrhasius fixed a 
maximum2 that point from which descends 
the ultimate line of celestial beauty1  
the angle within which moves what is    
inferior1 beyond which what is          
portentous4 ,from the head conclude to  
the proportions of the neck1 the limbs1 
the extremities2 from the father to the 
race of gods2 all1 the sons of one1     
,zeus2 derived from one source of       
tradition1 ,homer2 formed by one artist1
 ,phidias3 on him measured and decided  
by ,parrhasius4 ,in the simplicity of   

this principle1 adhered to by the       
succeeding periods1 lies the            
uninterrupted progress and the          
unattainable superiority of ,grecian    
art4 ,with this prerogative1 which      
evidently implies a profound as well as 
general knowledge of the parts1 how are 
we to reconcile the criticism passed on 
the intermediate parts of his forms as  
inferior to their outline8 or how could 
,winkelmann1 in contradiction with his  
own principles1 explain it1 by a want of
 anatomic knowledge8#ac how is it       
possible to suppose that he who decided 
his outline with such intelligence that 
it appeared ambient1 and pronounced the 
parts that escaped the eye1 should have 
been uninformed of its contents8 let us 
rather suppose that the defect ascribed 
to the intermediate forms of his bodies1
 if such a fault there was1 consisted in
 an affectation of smoothness bordering 
on insipidity1 in something effeminately
 voluptuous1 which absorbed their       
character and the idea of elastic       

vigour2 and this ,euphranor seems to    
have hinted at1 when in comparing his   
own ,theseus with that of ,parrhasius1  
he pronounced the ,ionian's to have fed 
on roses1 his own on flesh3#ad          
emasculate softness was not1 in his     
opinion1 the proper companion of the    
contour1 or flowery freshness of colour 
an adequate substitute for the sterner  
tints of heroic form4  ,none of the     
ancients seem to have united or wished  
to combine as man and artist1 more      
qualities seemingly incompatible than   
,parrhasius4--,the volubility and       
ostentatious insolence of an ,asiatic   
with ,athenian simplicity and urbanity  
of manners2 punctilious correctness with
 blandishments of handling and luxurious
 colour1 and with sublime and pathetic  
conception1 a fancy libidinously        
sportive4#ae ,if he was not the         
inventor1 he surely was the greatest    
master of allegory1 supposing that he   
really embodied by signs universally    
comprehended that image of the ,athenian

 ,d,,mos or people1 which was to combine
 and to express at once its             
contradictory qualities4 ,perhaps he    
traced the jarring branches to their    
source1 the aboriginal moral principle  
of the ,athenian character1 which he    
made intuitive4 ,this supposition alone 
can shed a dawn of possibility on what  
else appears impossible4 ,we know that  
the personification of the ,athenian    
,dmos was an object of sculpture and    
that its images by ,lyson and           
,leochares#af were publicly set up2 but 
there is no clue to decide whether they 
preceded or followed the conceit of     
,parrhasius4 ,it was repeated by        
,aristolaus1 the son of ,pausias4  ,the 
decided forms of ,parrhasius1 ,timanthes
 the ,cythnian1 his competitor for fame1
 attempted to inspire with mind and to  
animate with passions4 ,no picture of   
antiquity is more celebrated than his   
immolation of ,iphigenia in ,aulis1     
painted1 as ,quintilian informs us1 in  
contest with ,colotes of ,teos1 a       

painter and sculptor from the school of 
,phidias2 crowned with victory at its   
rival exhibition1 and since1 the theme  
of unlimited praise from the orators and
 historians of antiquity1 though the    
solidity or justice of their praise     
relatively to our art1 has been         
questioned by modern criticism4 ,on this
 subject1 which not only contains the   
gradations of affection from the most   
remote to the closest link of humanity1 
but appears to me to offer the fairest  
specimen of the limits which the theory 
of the ancients had prescribed to the   
expression of pathos1 ,i think it my    
duty the more circumstantially to       
expatiate1 as the censure passed on the 
method of ,timanthes1 has been          
sanctioned by the highest authority in  
matters of art1 that of your late       
,president1 in his eighth discourse at  
the delivery of the academic prize for  
the best picture painted from this very 
subject4  ,how did ,timanthes treat it8 
,iphigenia1 the victim ordained by the  

oracle to be offered for the success of 
the ,greek expedition against ,troy1 was
 represented standing ready for         
immolation at the altar1 the priest1 the
 instruments of death at her side2 and  
around her1 an assembly of the most     
important agents or witnesses of the    
terrible solemnity1 from ,ulysses1 who  
had disengaged her from the embraces of 
her mother at ,mycen1 to her nearest    
male relations1 her uncle ,menelaus1 and
 her own father1 ,agamemnon4 ,timanthes1
 say ,pliny and ,quintilian with        
surprising similarity of phrase1 when1  
in gradation he had consumed every image
 of grief within the reach of art1 from 
the unhappy priest1 to the deeper grief 
of ,ulysses1 and from that to the pangs 
of kindred sympathy in ,menelaus1 unable
 to express with dignity the father's   
woe1 threw a veil1 or if you will1 a    
mantle over his face4----,this mantle1  
the pivot of objection1 indiscriminately
 borrowed1 as might easily be supposed1 
by all the concurrents for the prize1   

gave rise to the following series of    
criticisms3  ,before ,i conclude1 ,i    
cannot avoid making one observation on  
the pictures now before us4 ,i have     
observed1 that every candidate has      
copied the celebrated invention of      
,timanthes in hiding the face of        
,agamemnon in his mantle2 indeed such   
lavish encomiums have been bestowed on  
this thought1 and that too by men of the
 highest character in critical          
knowledge1--,cicero1 ,quintilian1       
,valerius ,maximus1 and ,pliny1--and    
have been since re-echoed by almost     
every modern that has written on the    
,arts1 that your adopting it can neither
 be wondered at1 nor blamed4 ,it appears
 now to be so much connected with the   
subject1 that the spectator would       
perhaps be disappointed in not finding  
united in the picture what he always    
united in his mind1 and considered as   
indispensably belonging to the subject4 
,but it may be observed1 that those who 
praise this circumstance were not       

painters4 ,they use it as an            
illustration only of their own art2 it  
served their purpose1 and it was        
certainly not their business to enter   
into the objections that lie against it 
in another ,art4 ,i fear we have but    
very scanty means of exciting those     
powers over the imagination1 which make 
so very considerable and refined a part 
of poetry4 ,it is a doubt with me1      
whether we should even make the attempt4
 ,the chief1 if not the only occasion   
which the painter has for this artifice1
 is1 when the subject is improper to be 
more fully represented1 either for the  
sake of decency1 or to avoid what would 
be disagreeable to be seen2 and this is 
not to raise or increase the passions1  
which is the reason that is given for   
this practice1 but on the contrary to   
diminish their effect4  ,mr4 ,falconet  
has observed1 in a note on this passage 
in his translation of ,pliny1 that the  
circumstance of covering the face of    
,agamemnon was probably not in          

consequence of any fine imagination of  
the painter1--which he considers as a   
discovery of the critics1--but merely   
copied from the description of the      
sacrifice1 as it is found in ,euripides4
  ,the words from which the picture is  
supposed to be taken1 are these3        
,agamemnon saw ,iphigenia advance       
towards the fatal altar2 he groaned1 he 
turned aside his head1 he shed tears1   
and covered his face with his robe4     
,falconet does not at all acquiesce in  
the praise that is bestowed on          
,timanthes2 not only because it is not  
his invention1 but because he thinks    
meanly of this trick of concealing1     
except in instances of blood1 where the 
objects would be too horrible to be     
seen2 but1 says he1 'in an afflicted    
,father1 in a ,king1 in ,agamemnon1 you1
 who are a painter1 conceal from me the 
most interesting circumstance1 and then 
put me off with sophistry and a veil4   
,you are 7he adds7 a feeble painter1    
without resources3 you do not know even 

those of your ,art4 ,i care not what    
veil it is1 whether closed hands1 arms  
raised1 or any other action that        
conceals from me the countenance of the 
,hero4 ,you think of veiling ,agamemnon2
 you have unveiled your own ignorance4' 
,to what ,falconet has said1 we may add1
 that supposing this method of leaving  
the expression of grief to the          
imagination1 to be1 as it was thought to
 be1 the invention of the painter1 and  
that it deserves all the praise that has
 been given it1 still it is a trick that
 will serve but once2 whoever does it a 
second time1 will not only want novelty1
 but be justly suspected of using       
artifice to evade difficulties4  ,if    
difficulties overcome make a great part 
of the merit of ,art1 difficulties      
evaded can deserve but little           
commendation4  ,to this string of       
animadversions1 ,i subjoin with         
diffidence the following observations3  
,the subject of ,timanthes was the      
immolation of ,iphigenia2 ,iphigenia was

 the principal figure1 and her form1 her
 resignation1 or her anguish the        
painter's principal task2 the figure of 
,agamemnon1 however important1 is merely
 accessory1 and no more necessary to    
make the subject a completely tragic    
one1 than that of ,clytemnestra the     
mother1 no more than that of ,priam1 to 
impress us with sympathy at the death of
 ,polyxena4 ,it is therefore a misnomer 
of the ,french critic1 to call          
,agamemnon 'the hero' of the subject4   
,neither the ,french nor the ,english   
critic appears to me to have            
comprehended the real motive of         
,timanthes1 as contained in the words1  
'decere1 pro dignitate1 and digne1' in  
the passages of ,tully1 ,quintilian1 and
 ,pliny2#ag they ascribe to impotence   
what was the forbearance of judgment2   
,timanthes felt like a father3 he did   
not hide the face of ,agamemnon1 because
 it was beyond the power of his art1 not
 because it was beyond the possibility1 
but because it was beyond the dignity of

 expression1 because the inspiring      
feature of paternal affection at that   
moment1 and the action which of         
necessity must have accompanied it1     
would either have destroyed the grandeur
 of the character and the solemnity of  
the scene1 or subjected the painter with
 the majority of his judges to the      
imputation of insensibility4 ,he must   
either have represented him in tears1 or
 convulsed at the flash of the raised   
dagger1 forgetting the chief in the     
father1 or shown him absorbed by        
despair1 and in that state of           
stupefaction1 which levels all features 
and deadens expression2 he might indeed 
have chosen a fourth mode1 he might have
 exhibited him fainting and palsied in  
the arms of his attendants1 and by this 
confusion of male and female character1 
merited the applause of every theatre at
 ,paris4 ,but ,timanthes had too true a 
sense of nature to expose a father's    
feelings or to tear a passion to rags2  
nor had the ,greeks yet learnt of ,rome 

to steel the face4 ,if he made          
,agamemnon bear his calamity as a man1  
he made him also feel it as a man4 ,it  
became the leader of ,greece to sanction
 the ceremony with his presence1 it did 
not become the father to see his        
daughter beneath the dagger's point3 the
 same nature that threw a real mantle   
over the face of ,timoleon1 when he     
assisted at the punishment of his       
brother1 taught ,timanthes to throw an  
imaginary one over the face of          
,agamemnon2 neither height nor depth1   
propriety of expression was his aim4    
,the critic grants that the expedient of
 ,timanthes may be allowed in 'instances
 of blood1' the supported aspect of     
which would change a scene of           
commiseration and terror into one of    
abomination and horror1 which ought for 
ever to be excluded from the province of
 art1 of poetry as well as painting3 and
 would not the face of ,agamemnon1      
uncovered1 have had this effect8 was not
 the scene he must have witnessed a     

scene of blood8 and whose blood was to  
be shed8 that of his own daughter--and  
what daughter8 young1 beautiful1        
helpless1 innocent1 resigned1--the very 
idea of resignation in such a victim1   
must either have acted irresistibly to  
procure her relief1 or thrown a veil    
over a father's face4 ,a man who is     
determined to sport wit at the expence  
of heart alone could call such an       
expedient ridiculous--'as ridiculous1'  
,mr4 ,falconet continues1 'as a poet    
would be1 who in a pathetic situation1  
instead of satisfying my expectation1 to
 rid himself of the business1 should    
say1 that the sentiments of his hero are
 so far above whatever can be said on   
the occasion1 that he shall say         
nothing4' ,and has not ,homer1 though he
 does not tell us this1 acted upon a    
similar principle8 has he not1 when     
,ulysses addresses ,ajax in ,hades1 in  
the most pathetic and conciliatory      
manner1 instead of furnishing him with  
an answer1 made him remain in indignant 

silence during the address1 then turn   
his step and stalk away8 has not the    
universal voice of genuine criticism    
with ,longinus told us1 and if it had   
not1 would not ,nature's own voice tell 
us1 that that silence was               
characteristic1 that it precluded1      
included1 and soaring above all answer1 
consigned ,ulysses for ever to a sense  
of inferiority8 ,nor is it necessary to 
render such criticism contemptible to   
mention the silence of ,dido in ,virgil1
 or the ,niobe of schylus1 who was      
introduced veiled1 and continued mute   
during her presence on the stage4  ,but 
in hiding ,agamemnon's face1 ,timanthes 
loses the honour of invention1 as he is 
merely the imitator of ,euripides1 who  
did it before him8#ah ,i am not prepared
 with chronologic proofs to decide      
whether ,euripides or ,timanthes1 who   
were contemporaries1 about the period of
 the ,peloponnesian war1 fell first on  
this expedient2 though the silence of   
,pliny and ,quintilian on that head1    

seems to be in favour of the painter1   
neither of whom could be ignorant of the
 celebrated drama of ,euripides1 and    
would not willingly have suffered the   
honour of this master-stroke of an art  
they were so much better acquainted with
 than painting1 to be transferred to    
another from its real author1 had the   
poet's claim been prior3 nor shall ,i   
urge that the picture of ,timanthes was 
crowned with victory by those who were  
in daily habits of assisting at the     
dramas of ,euripides1 without having    
their verdict impeached by ,colotes or  
his friends1 who would not have failed  
to avail themselves of so flagrant a    
proof of inferiority as the want of     
invention1 in the work of his rival3--,i
 shall only ask1 what is invention8 if  
it be the combination of the most       
important moment of a fact with the most
 varied effects of the reigning passion 
on the characters introduced--the       
invention of ,timanthes consisted in    
showing1 by the gradation of that       

passion in the faces of the assistant   
mourners1 the reason why that of the    
principal one1 was hid4 ,this he        
performed1 and this the poet1 whether   
prior or subsequent1 did not and could  
not do1 but left it with a silent appeal
 to our own mind and fancy4  ,in        
presuming to differ on the propriety of 
this mode of expression in the picture  
of ,timanthes from the respectable      
authority ,i have quoted1 ,i am far from
 a wish to invalidate the equally       
pertinent and acute remarks made on the 
danger of its imitation1 though ,i am   
decidedly of opinion that it is strictly
 within the limits of our art4 ,if it be
 a 'trick1' it is certainly one that    
'has served more than once4' ,we find it
 adopted to express the grief of a      
beautiful female figure on a            
basso-relievo formerly in the palace    
,valle at ,rome1 and preserved in the   
,admiranda of ,s4 ,bartoli2 it is used1 
though with his own originality1 by     
,michael ,angelo in the figure of       

,abijam1 to mark unutterable woe2       
,raphael1 to show that he thought it the
 best possible mode of expressing       
remorse and the deepest sense of        
repentance1 borrowed it in the expulsion
 from ,paradise1 without any alteration1
 from ,masaccio2 and like him1 turned   
,adam out with both his hands before his
 face4 ,and how has he represented      
,moses at the burning bush1 to express  
the astonished awe of human in the      
visible presence of divine nature8 by a 
double repetition of the same expedient2
 once in the ceiling of a ,stanza1 and  
again in the loggia of the ,vatican1    
with both his hands before his face1 or 
rather with his face immersed in his    
hands4 ,as we cannot suspect in the     
master of expression the unworthy motive
 of making use of this mode merely to   
avoid a difficulty1 or to denote the    
insupportable splendour of the vision1  
which was so far from being the case1   
that1 according to the sacred record1   
,moses stepped out of his way to examine

 the ineffectual blaze3 we must conclude
 that ,nature herself dictated to him   
this method as superior to all he could 
express by features2 and that he        
recognized the same dictate in          
,masaccio1 who can no more be supposed  
to have been acquainted with the        
precedent of ,timanthes1 than           
,shakspeare with that of ,euripides1    
when he made ,macduff draw his hat over 
his face4  ,masaccio and ,raphael       
proceeded on the principle1 ,gherard    
,lairesse copied only the image of      
,timanthes1 and has perhaps incurred by 
it the charge of what ,longinus calls   
parenthyrsos1 in the ill-timed          
application of supreme pathos1 to an    
inadequate call4 ,agamemnon is          
introduced covering his face with his   
mantle1 at the death of ,polyxena1 the  
captive daughter of ,priam1 sacrificed  
to the manes of ,achilles1 her betrothed
 lover1 treacherously slain in the midst
 of the nuptial ceremony1 by her brother
 ,paris4 ,the death of ,polyxena1 whose 

charms had been productive of the       
greatest disaster that could befall the 
,grecian army1 could not perhaps provoke
 in its leader emotions similar to those
 which he felt at that of his own       
daughter3 it must however be owned that 
the figure of the chief is equally      
dignified and pathetic2 and that1 by the
 introduction of the spectre of         
,achilles at the immolation of the      
damsel to his manes1 the artist's fancy 
has in some degree atoned for the want  
of discrimination in the professor4     
,such were the artists1 who1 according  
to the most corresponding data1 formed  
the style of that second period1 which  
fixed the end and established the limits
 of art1 on whose firm basis arose the  
luxuriant fabric of the third or the    
period of refinement1 which added grace 
and polish to the forms it could not    
surpass2 amenity or truth to the tones  
it could not invigorate2 magic and      
imperceptible transition to the abrupt  
division of masses2 gave depth and      

roundness to composition2 at the breast 
of ,nature herself caught the passions  
as they rose1 and familiarized          
expression3 ,the period of ,apelles1    
,protogenes1 ,aristides1 ,euphranor1    
,pausias1 the pupils of ,pamphilus and  
his master ,eupompus1 whose authority   
obtained what had not been granted to   
his great predecessor and countryman    
,polycletus1 the new establishment of   
the school of ,sicyon4#ai  ,the leading 
principle of ,eupompus may be traced in 
the advice which he gave to ,lysippus   
7as preserved by ,pliny71 whom1 when    
consulted on a standard of imitation1 he
 directed to the contemplation of human 
variety in the multitude of the         
characters that were passing by1 with   
the axiom1 'that ,nature herself was to 
be imitated1 not an artist4'            
,excellence1 said ,eupompus1 is thy aim1
 such excellence as that of ,phidias and
 ,polycletus2 but it is not obtained by 
the servile imitation of works1 however 
perfect1 without mounting to the        

principle which raised them to that     
height2 that principle apply to thy     
purpose1 there fix thy aim4 ,he who1    
with the same freedom of access to      
,nature as another man1 contents himself
 to approach her only through his       
medium1 has resigned his birth-right and
 originality together2 his master's     
manner will be his style4 ,if ,phidias  
and ,polycletus have discovered the     
substance and established the permanent 
principle of the human frame1 they have 
not exhausted the variety of human      
appearances and human character2 if they
 have abstracted the forms of majesty   
and those of beauty1 ,nature1 compared  
with their works1 will point out a grace
 that has been left for thee2 if they   
have pre-occupied man as he is1 be thine
 to give him that air with which he     
actually appears4#bj  ,such was the     
advice of ,eupompus3 less lofty1 less   
ambitious than what the departed epoch  
of genius would have dictated1 but      
better suited to the times1 and better  

to his pupil's mind4 ,when the spirit of
 liberty forsook the public1 grandeur   
had left the private mind of ,greece3   
subdued by ,philip1 the gods of ,athens 
and ,olympia had migrated to ,pella1 and
 ,alexander was become the              
representative of ,jupiter2 still those 
who had lost the substance fondled the  
shadow of liberty2 rhetoric mimicked the
 thunders of oratory1 sophistry and     
metaphysic debate that philosophy1 which
 had guided life1 and the grand taste   
that had dictated to art the monumental 
style1 invested gods with human form and
 raised individuals to heroes1 began to 
give way to refinements in appreciating 
the degrees of elegance or of           
resemblance in imitation3 the advice of 
,eupompus however1 far from implying the
 abolition of the old system1 recalled  
his pupil to the examen of the great    
principle on which it had established   
its excellence1 and to the resources    
which its inexhaustible variety offered 
for new combinations4  ,that ,lysippus  

considered it in that light1 his        
devotion to the ,doryphorus of          
,polycletus1 known even to ,tully1      
sufficiently proved4 ,that figure which 
comprised the pure proportions of       
juvenile vigour1 furnished the readiest 
application for those additional        
refinements of variety1 character1 and  
fleshy charms1 that made the base of his
 invention3 its symmetry directing his  
researches amid the insidious play of   
accidental charms1 and the claims of    
inherent grace1 never suffered imitation
 to deviate into incorrectness2 whilst  
its squareness and elemental beauty     
melted in more familiar forms on the    
eye1 and from an object of cold         
admiration became the glowing one of    
sympathy4 ,such was probably the method 
formed by ,lysippus on the advice of    
,eupompus1 more perplexed than explained
 by the superficial extract and the     
rapid phrase of ,pliny4  ,from the      
statuary's we may form our idea of the  
painter's method4 ,the doctrine of      

,eupompus was adopted by ,pamphilus the 
,amphipolitan1 the most scientific      
artist of his time1 and by him          
communicated to ,apelles of ,cos1 or as 
,lucian will have it1 of ,ephesus1#ba   
his pupil2 in whom1 if we believe       
tradition1 ,nature exhibited1 once1 a   
specimen what her union with education  
and circumstances could produce4 ,the   
name of ,apelles in ,pliny is the       
synonyme of unrivalled and unattainable 
excellence1 but the enumeration of his  
works points out the modification which 
we ought to apply to that superiority2  
it neither comprises exclusive sublimity
 of invention1 the most acute           
discrimination of character1 the widest 
sphere of comprehension1 the most       
judicious and best balanced composition1
 nor the deepest pathos of expression3  
his great prerogative consisted more in 
the unison than in the extent of his    
powers2 he knew better what he could do1
 what ought to be done1 at what point he
 could arrive1 and what lay beyond his  

reach1 than any other artist4 ,grace of 
conception and refinement of taste were 
his elements1 and went hand in hand with
 grace of execution and taste in finish2
 powerful and seldom possessed singly1  
irresistible when united3 that he built 
both on the firm basis of the former    
system1 not on its subversion1 his      
well-known contest of lines with        
,protogenes1 not a legendary tale1 but a
 well-attested fact1 irrefragably       
proves3 what those lines were1 drawn    
with nearly miraculous subtlety in      
different colours1 one upon the other or
 rather within each other1 it would be  
equally unavailing and useless to       
inquire2 but the corollaries we may     
deduce from the contest1 are obviously  
these1 that the schools of ,greece      
recognized all one elemental principle3 
that acuteness and fidelity of eye and  
obedience of hand form precision2       
precision1 proportion2 proportion1      
beauty3 that it is the 'little more or  
less1' imperceptible to vulgar eyes1    

which constitutes grace and establishes 
the superiority of one artist over      
another3 that the knowledge of the      
degrees of things1 or taste1 presupposes
 a perfect knowledge of the things      
themselves3 that colour1 grace1 and     
taste are ornaments not substitutes of  
form1 expression and character1 and when
 they usurp that title1 degenerate into 
splendid faults4  ,such were the        
principles on which ,apelles formed his 
,venus1 or rather the personification of
 ,female ,grace1 the wonder of art1 the 
despair of artists3 whose outline       
baffled every attempt at emendation1    
whilst imitation shrunk from the purity1
 the force1 the brilliancy1 the         
evanescent gradations of her tints4#bb  
,the refinements of the art were by     
,aristides of ,thebes applied to the    
mind4 ,the passions which tradition had 
organized for ,timanthes1 ,aristides    
caught as they rose from the breast or  
escaped from the lips of ,nature        
herself2 his volume was man1 his scene  

society3 he drew the subtle             
discriminations of mind in every stage  
of life1 the whispers1 the simple cry of
 passion and its most complex accents4  
,such1 as history informs us1 was the   
suppliant whose voice you seemed to     
hear1 such his sick man's               
half-extinguished eye and labouring     
breast1 such ,byblis expiring in the    
pangs of love1 and above all1 the       
half-slain mother shuddering lest the   
eager babe should suck the blood from   
her palsied nipple4 ,this picture was   
probably at ,thebes when ,alexander     
sacked that town2 what his feelings were
 when he saw it1 we may guess from his  
sending it to ,pella4 ,its expression1  
poised between the anguish of maternal  
affection and the pangs of death1 gives 
to commiseration an image1 which neither
 the infant piteously caressing his     
slain mother in the group of            
,epigonus1#bc nor the absorbed feature  
of the ,niobe1 nor the struggle of the  
,laocoon1 excites4 ,timanthes had marked

 the limits that discriminate terror    
from the excess of horror2 ,aristides   
drew the line that separates it from    
disgust4 ,his subject is one of those   
that touch the ambiguous line of a      
squeamish sense4--,taste and smell1 as  
sources of tragic emotion1 and in       
consequence of their power1 commanding  
gesture1 seem scarcely admissible in art
 or on the theatre1 because their       
extremes are nearer allied to disgust1  
and loathsome or risible ideas1 than to 
terror4 ,the prophetic trance of        
,cassandra1 who scents the prepared     
murder of ,agamemnon at the threshold of
 the ominous hall2 the desperate moan of
 ,macbeth's queen on seeing the         
visionary spot still uneffaced infect   
her hand1--are images snatched from the 
lap of terror1--but soon would cease to 
be so1 were the artist or the actress to
 inforce the dreadful hint with         
indiscreet expression or gesture4 ,this1
 completely understood by ,aristides1   
was as completely missed by his         

imitators1 ,raphael#bd in the ,morbetto1
 and ,poussin in his plague of the      
,philistines4 ,in the group of          
,aristides1 our sympathy is immediately 
interested by the mother1 still alive1  
though mortally wounded1 helpless1      
beautiful1 and forgetting herself in the
 anguish for her child1 whose situation 
still suffers hope to mingle with our   
fears2 he is only approaching the nipple
 of the mother4 ,in the group of        
,raphael1 the mother dead of the plague1
 herself an object of apathy1 becomes   
one of disgust1 by the action of the    
man1 who bending over her1 at his utmost
 reach of arm1 with one hand removes the
 child from the breast1 whilst the      
other1 applied to his nostrils1 bars the
 effluvia of death4 ,our feelings       
alienated from the mother1 come too late
 even for the child1 who1 by his        
languor1 already betrays the mortal     
symptoms of the poison he imbibed at the
 parent corpse4 ,it is curious to       
observe the permutation of ideas which  

takes place1 as imitation is removed    
from the sources of nature3 ,poussin1   
not content with adopting the group of  
,raphael1 once more repeats the         
loathsome attitude in the same scene2 he
 forgot1 in his eagerness to render the 
idea of contagion still more intuitive1 
that he was averting our feelings with  
ideas of disgust4  ,the refinements of  
expression were carried still farther by
 the disciple of ,aristides1 ,euphranor 
the ,isthmian1 who excelled equally as  
painter and statuary1 if we may form our
 judgment from the ,theseus he opposed  
to that of ,parrhasius1 and the bronze  
figure of ,alexander ,paris1 in whom1   
says ,pliny1#be the umpire of the       
goddesses1 the lover of ,helen1 and yet 
the murder of ,achilles might be traced4
 ,this account1 which is evidently a    
quotation of ,pliny's1 and not the      
assumed verdict of a connoisseur1 has   
been translated with an emphasis it does
 not admit of1 to prove that an attempt 
to express different qualities or       

passions at once in the same object1    
must naturally tend to obliterate the   
effect of each4 ',pliny1' says our      
critic1 'observes1 that in a statue of  
,paris by ,euphranor1 you might discover
 at the same time three different       
characters3 the dignity of a judge of   
the goddesses1 the lover of ,helen1 and 
the conqueror of ,achilles4 ,a statue in
 which you endeavour to unite stately   
dignity1 youthful elegance1 and stern   
valour1 must surely possess none of     
these to any eminent degree4' ,the      
paraphrase1 it is first to be observed1 
lends itself the mixtures to ,pliny it  
disapproves of2 we look in vain for the 
coalition of 'stately dignity1 stern    
valour1 and youthful elegance1' in the  
,paris he describes3 the murderer of    
,achilles was not his conqueror4 ,but   
may not dignity1 elegance1 and valour1  
or any other not irreconcilable         
qualities1 be visible at once in a      
figure without destroying the primary   
feature of its character1 or impairing  

its expression8 ,let us appeal to the   
,apollo4 ,is he not a figure of         
character and expression1 and does he   
not possess all three in a supreme      
degree8 ,will it imply mediocrity of    
conception or confusion of character1 if
 we were to say that his countenance1   
attitude1 and form combines divine      
majesty1 enchanting grace1 and lofty    
indignation8 ,yet not all three1 one    
ideal whole irradiated the mind of the  
artist who conceived the divine         
semblance4 ,he gave1 no doubt1 the      
preference of expression to the action  
in which the god is engaged1 or rather1 
from the accomplishment of which he     
recedes with lofty and contemptuous     
ease4--,this was the first impression   
which he meant to make upon us3 but what
 contemplation stops here8 what hinders 
us when we consider the beauty of these 
features1 the harmony of these forms1 to
 find in them the abstract of all his   
other qualities1 to roam over the whole 
history of his atchievements8 we see him

 enter the celestial synod1 and all the 
gods rise at his august appearance2#bf  
we see him sweep the plain after        
,daphne2 precede ,hector with the gis   
and disperse the ,greeks2 strike        
,patroclus with his palm and decide his 
destiny4--,and is the figure frigid     
because its great idea is inexhaustible8
 might we not say the same of the infant
 ,hercules of ,zeuxis or of ,reynolds8  
,did not the idea of the man inspire the
 hand that framed the mighty child8 his 
magnitude1 his crushing grasp1 his      
energy of will1 are only the germ1 the  
prelude of the power that rid the earth 
of monsters1 and which our mind pursues4
 ,such was no doubt the ,paris of       
,euphranor3 he made his character so    
pregnant1 that those who knew his       
history might trace in it the origin of 
all his future feats1 though first      
impressed by the expression allotted to 
the predominant quality and moment4 ,the
 acute inspector1 the elegant umpire of 
female form receiving the contested     

pledge with a dignified pause1 or with  
enamoured eagerness presenting it to the
 arbitress of his destiny1 was probably 
the predominant idea of the figure2     
whilst the deserter of ,oenone1 the     
seducer of ,helen1 the subtle archer1   
that future murderer of ,achilles1      
lurked under the insidious eyebrow1 and 
in the penetrating glance of beauty's   
chosen minion4 ,such appeared to me the 
character and expression of the sitting 
,paris in the voluptuous ,phrygian      
dress1 formerly in the cortile of the   
palace ,altheims1 at ,rome4 ,a figure   
nearly colossal1 which many of you may  
remember1 and a faint idea of whom may  
be gathered from the print among those  
in the collection published of the      
,museum ,clementinum4 ,a work1 in my    
opinion1 of the highest style and worthy
 of ,euphranor1 though ,i shall not     
venture to call it a repetition in      
marble of his bronze4  ,from these      
observations on the collateral and      
unsolicited beauties which must branch  

out from the primary expression of every
 great idea1 it will not1 ,i hope1 be   
suspected1 that ,i mean to invalidate   
the necessity of its unity1 or to be the
 advocate of pedantic subdivision4 ,all 
such division diminishes1 all such      
mixtures impair the simplicity and      
clearness of expression3 in the group of
 the ,laocoon1 the frigid ecstasies of  
,german criticism have discovered pity  
like a vapour swimming on the father's  
eyes2 he is seen to suppress in the     
groan for his children the shriek for   
himself1--his nostrils are drawn upward 
to express indignation at unworthy      
sufferings1 whilst he is said at the    
same time to implore celestial help4 ,to
 these are added the winged effects of  
the serpent-poison1 the writhings of the
 body1 the spasms of the extremities3 to
 the miraculous organization of such    
expression1 ,agesander1 the sculptor of 
the ,laocoon1 was too wise to lay claim4
 ,his figure is a class1 it             
characterizes every beauty of virility  

verging on age2 the prince1 the priest1 
the father are visible1 but1 absorbed in
 the man1 serve only to dignify the     
victim of one great expression2 though  
poised by the artist1 for us to apply   
the compass to the face of the ,laocoon1
 is to measure the wave fluctuating in  
the storm3 this tempestuous front1 this 
contracted nose1 the immersion of these 
eyes1 and above all1 that long-drawn    
mouth1 are separate and united1 seats of
 convulsion1 features of nature         
struggling within the jaws of death4    
,,footnotes3  #c ,abstract of the ,laws 
of the ,royal ,academy1 article         
,professors2 page #ba4  #d ,this has    
been done in a superior manner by ,j4   
,g4 ,herder1 in his ,ideen zur          
,philosophie der geschichte der         
,menschheit1 ,vol4 iii4 ,book #ac2 a    
work translated under the title of      
,outlines of a ,philosophy of the       
,history of ,man1 #dto4  #e ,this       
account is founded on the conjectures of
 ,mr4 ,riem1 in his ,treatise on die    

,malerey der ,alten1 or the ,painting of
 the ,ancients1 #dto4 ,berlin1 #aghg4   
#f ,pausanias ,attic4 c4 xxviii4 ,the   
word used by ,pausanias katagrapsai1    
shows that the figures of ,parrhasius   
were intended for a ,bassorelievo4 ,they
 were in profile4 ,this is the sense of 
the word ,catagrapha in ,pliny1 xxxv4 c4
 #h1 he translates it obliquas imagines4
  #g ,by the authority chiefly of       
,pamphilus the master of ,apelles1 who  
taught at ,sicyon4 ',hujus auctoritate1'
 says ,pliny1 xxxv4 #aj1 'effectum est  
,sicyone primum1 deinde et in tota      
,grcia1 ut pueri ingenui ante omnia     
diagraphicen1 hoc est1 picturam in buxo1
 docerentur1' c4 ,harduin1 contrary to  
the common editions1 reads indeed1 and  
by the authority1 he says1 of all the   
,,mss4 graphicen1 which he translates3  
ars 'delineandi1' desseigner1 but he has
 not proved that graphice means not more
 than design2 and if he had1 what was it
 that ,pamphilus taught8 he was not the 
inventor of what he had been taught     

himself4 ,he established or rather      
renewed a particular method of drawing1 
which contained the rudiments1 and      
facilitated the method of painting4  #h 
,pausan4 ,phocica1 c4 xxv4 seq4  #i     
,this ,i take to be the sense of        
,megethos here1 which distinguished him1
 according to lian1 ,var4 ,hist4 iv4 #c1
 from ,dionysius of ,colophon4 ,the word
 ,teleiois in the same passage3 kai en  
tois teleiois eirgazeto ta athla1 ,i    
translate3 he aimed at1 he sought his   
praise in the representation of         
essential proportion2 which leads to    
ideal beauty4  ,the kreittous1 cheirous1
 homoious2 or the beltionas  kath' hmas1
  kai toioutous1  cheironas1 of         
,aristotle1 ,poetic4 c4 #b1 by which he 
distinguishes ,polygnotus1 ,dionysius1  
,pauson1 confirms the sense given to the
 passage of lian4  #aj ,parein to       
enereuthes1 hoian tn ,kassandran en t   
lesch epoise tois ,delphois4 ,lucian3   
eikones4 ,this1 and what ,pausanias     
tells of the colour of ,eurynomus in the

 same picture1 together with the        
coloured draperies mentioned by ,pliny2 
makes it evident1 that the 'simplex     
color' ascribed by ,quintilian to       
,polygnotus and ,aglaophon1 implies less
 a single colour1 as some have supposed1
 than that simplicity always attendant  
on the infancy of painting1 which leaves
 every colour unmixed and crudely by    
itself4 ,indeed the ,poecile 7h poikil  
stoa7 which obtained its name from his  
pictures1 is alone a sufficient proof of
 variety of colours4  #aa ,hic primus   
species exprimere instituit1 ,pliny     
xxxv4 #cf1 as species in the sense      
,harduin takes it1 'oris et habitus     
venustas1' cannot be refused to         
,polygnotus1 and the artists immediately
 preceding ,apollodorus1 it must mean   
here the subdivisions of generic form2  
the classes4  ,at this period we may    
with probability fix the invention of   
local colour1 and tone2 which1 though   
strictly speaking it be neither the     
light nor the shade1 is regulated by the

 medium which tinges both4 ,this1 ,pliny
 calls 'splendour4' ,to ,apollodorus    
,plutarch ascribes likewise the         
invention of tints1 the mixtures of     
colour and the gradations of shade1 if  
,i conceive the passage rightly3        
,apollodros ho ,zgraphos ,anthrpn prtos 
exeurn phthoran kai apochrsin ,skias1   
7,plutarch1 ,bellone an pace ,ath41 c4  
#cdf47 ,this was the element of the     
ancient ,harmog1 that imperceptible     
transition1 which1 without opacity1     
confusion1 or hardness1 united local    
colour1 demitint1 shade1 and reflexes4  
#ab ',pinxit et monochromata ex albo4'  
,pliny1 xxxv4 #i4 ,this ,aristotle1     
,poet4 c4 #f1 calls leukographein4  #ac 
,in lineis extremis palmam              
adeptus----minor tamen videtur1 sibi    
comparatus1 in mediis corporibus        
exprimendis4 ,pliny1 xxxv4 #aj4 ,here we
 find the inferiority of the middle     
parts merely relative to himself4       
,compared with himself1 ,parrhasius was 
not all equal4  #ad ,theseus1 in quo    

dixit1 eundem apud ,parrhasium rosa     
pastum esse1 suum vero carne4 ,plin4    
xxxv4 #aa4  #ae ,the epithet which he   
gave to himself of ,habrodiaitos1 the   
delicate1 the elegant1 and the epigram  
he is said to have composed on himself1 
are known3 ,see ,athenus1 l4 xii4 ,he   
wore1 says lian1 ,var4 ,hist4 ix4 #aa1 a
 purple robe and a golden garland2 he   
bore a staff wound round with tendrils  
of gold1 and his sandals were tied to   
his feet and ankles with golden straps4 
,of his easy simplicity we may judge    
from his dialogue with ,socrates in     
,xenophon2 apomnmoneuatn1 l4 iii4 ,of   
his libidinous fancy1 besides what      
,pliny says1 from his ,archigallus1 and 
the ,meleager and ,atalanta mentioned by
 ,suetonius in ,tiberio1 c4 #dd4  #af   
,in the portico of the ,pirus by        
,leochares2 in the hall of the          
,five-hundred1 by ,lyson2 in the back   
portico of the ,ceramicus there was a   
picture of ,theseus1 of ,democracy and  
the ,demos1 by ,euphranor4 ,pausan4     

,attic4 i4 #c4 ,aristolaus1 according to
 ,pliny1 was a painter1 ' severissimis4'
  #ag ,cicero ,oratore1 #gc4 seq4--,in  
alioque ponatur1 aliudque totum sit1    
utrum decere an oportere dicas2 oportere
 enim1 perfectionem declarat officii1   
quo et semper utendum est1 et omnibus3  
decere1 quasi aptum esse1               
consentaneumque tempori et person2 quod 
cum in factis spissime1 tum in dictis   
valet1 in vultu denique1 et gestu1 et   
incessu4 ,contraque item dedecere4 ,quod
 si poeta fugit1 ut maximum vitium1 qui 
peccat1 etiam1 cum probam orationem     
affingit improbo1 stultove sapientis3 si
 denique pictor ille vidit1 cum         
immolanda ,iphigenia tristis ,calchas   
esset1 mstior ,ulysses1 mreret          
,menelaus1 obvolvendum caput            
,agamemnonis esse1 quoniam summum illum 
luctum penicillo1 non posset imitari3 si
 denique histrio1 quid deceat qurit3    
quid faciendum oratori putemus8  ,m4 ,f4
 ,quintilianus1 l4 ii4 c4               
#ad4--,operienda sunt qudam1 sive       

ostendi non debent1 sive exprimi pro    
dignitate non possunt3 ut fecit         
,timanthes1 ut opinor1 ,cithnius1 in ea 
tabula qua ,coloten ,tejum vicit4 ,nam  
cum in ,iphigeni immolatione pinxisset  
tristem ,calchantem1 tristiorem         
,ulyssem1 addidisset ,menelao quem      
summum poterat ars efficere mrorem1     
consumptis affectibus1 non reperiens quo
 dign modo ,patris vultum possit        
exprimere1 velavit ejus caput1 et sui   
cuique animo dedit stimandum4  ,it is   
evident to the slightest consideration1 
that both ,cicero and ,quintilian lose  
sight of their premises1 and contradict 
themselves in the motive they ascribe to
 ,timanthes4 ,their want of acquaintance
 with the nature of plastic expression  
made them imagine the face of ,agamemnon
 beyond the power of the artist4 ,they  
were not aware that by making him waste 
expression on inferior actors at the    
expence of a principal one1 they call   
him an improvident spendthrift and not a
 wise oeconomist4  ,from ,valerius      

,maximus1 who calls the subject         
',luctuosum immolat ,iphigeni           
sacrificium' instead of immoland1 little
 can be expected to the purpose4 ,pliny1
 with the dign of ,quintilian has the   
same confusion of motive4  #ah ,it is   
observed by an ingenious ,critic1 that  
in the tragedy of ,euripides1 the       
procession is described1 and upon       
,iphigenia's looking back on her father1
 he groans1 and hides his face to       
conceal his tears2 whilst the picture   
gives the moment that precedes the      
sacrifice1 and the hiding has a         
different object and arises from another
 impression4         ----hs d' eseiden  
,agamemnn anax      epi sphagas         
steichousan eis alsos korn              
anestenaxe4 ,kampalin strepsas kara     
,dakrya progen1 ommatn peplon protheis4 
#ai ,pliny1 l4 xxxv4 c4 #ah4  #bj       
,lysippum ,sicyonium--audendi rationem  
cepisse pictoris ,eupompi responso4 ,eum
 enim interrogatum1 quem sequeretur     
antecedentium1 dixisse demonstrata      

hominum multitudine1 naturam ipsam      
imitandam esse1 non artificem4 ,non     
habet ,latinum nomen symmetria1 quam    
diligentissime custodivit1 nova         
intactaque ratione quadratas veterum    
staturas permutando3 ,vulgoque dicebat1 
ab illis factos1 quales essent1 homines3
  se1 quales viderentur esse4 ,plin4    
xxxiv4 #h4  #ba ,mallon de ,apells ho   
,ephesios palai tautn proulabe tn       
eikona2 ,kai gar au kai houtos          
diabltheis pros ,ptolemaion----         
,loukianou peri tou m4 rh4 ,p4 ,t4 ,d4  
#bb ,apelles was probably the inventor  
of what artists call glazing4 ,see      
,reynolds on ,du ,fresnoy1 note #cg4    
vol4 iii4  #bc ,in matri interfect      
infante miserabiliter blandiente4 ,plin4
 l4 xxxiv4 c4 #i4  #bd ,a design of     
,raphael1 representing the lues of the  
,trojans in ,creta1 known by the print  
of ,marc ,antonio ,raymondi4  #be       
,reynolds' ,disc4 ,v4 vol4 i4 p4 #abj4  
,euphranoris ,alexander ,paris est3 in  
quo laudatur quod omnia simul           

intelligantur1 judex dearum1 amator     
,helen1 et tamen ,achillis interfector4 
,plin4 l4 xxxiv4 #h4  #bf ,see the ,hymn
 7ascribed to ,homer7 on ,apollo4       
,,second ,,lecture4  ,,art ,,of ,,the   
,,moderns4      ,,hoitines ,h,,gemones  
,,kai ,,koiranoi ,,san4     ,,pl,,thyn  
,d' ,,ouk ,,an ,,eg ,,myth,,somai ,,oud'
 ,,onom,n     ,,oud' ,,ei ,,moi ,,deka  
,,men ,,gl,,ssai1 ,,deka ,,de ,,stomat' 
,,eien1     ,,ph,n ,d' ,,arr,,ktos4     
,homer4 ,iliad4 ,b4 #dhg4   ,,argument4 
,introduction--different direction of   
the art4 ,preparative                   
style--,masaccio--,lionardo da ,vinci4  
,style of     establishment--,michael   
,angelo1 ,raphael1 ,titiano1 ,correggio4
     ,style of refinement1 and          
depravation4 ,schools--of ,tuscany1     
,rome1     ,venice1 ,lombardy4 ,the     
,eclectic school--,machinists4 ,the     
,german     school--,albert ,durer4 ,the
 ,flemish school--,rubens4 ,the ,dutch  
school--,rembrant4 ,observations on art 
in ,switzerland4 ,the ,french           

school4 ,the ,spanish school4           
,england--,conclusion4     ,,second     
,,lecture4   ,in the preceding discourse
 ,i have endeavoured to impress you with
 the general features of ancient art in 
its different periods of preparation1   
establishment and refinement4 ,we are   
now arrived at the epoch of its         
restoration in the fifteenth century of 
our ra1 when religion and wealth rousing
 emulation1 reproduced its powers1 but  
gave to their exertion a very different 
direction4 ,the reigning church found   
itself indeed under the necessity of    
giving more splendour to the temples and
 mansions destined to receive its       
votaries1 of subduing their senses with 
the charm of appropriate images and the 
exhibition of events and actions1 which 
might stimulate their zeal and inflame  
their hearts3 but the sacred mysteries  
of ,divine ,being1 the method adopted by
 ,revelation1 the duties its doctrine   
imposed1 the virtues it demanded from   
its followers1 faith1 resignation1      

humility1 sufferings1 substituted a     
medium of art as much inferior to the   
resources of ,paganism in a physical    
sense as incomparably superior in a     
spiritual one4 ,those public customs1   
that perhaps as much tended to spread   
the infections of vice as they          
facilitated the means of art1 were no   
more2 the heroism of the ,christian and 
his beauty were internal1 and powerful  
or exquisite forms allied him no longer 
exclusively to his ,god4 ,the chief     
repertory of the artist1 the sacred     
records1 furnished indeed a sublime     
cosmogony1 scenes of patriarchal        
simplicity and a poetic race1 which left
 nothing to regret in the loss of       
heathen mythology2 but the stem of the  
nation whose history is its exclusive   
theme1 if it abounded in characters and 
powers fit for the exhibition of        
passions1 did not teem with forms       
sufficiently exalted to inform the      
artist and elevate the art4 ,ingredients
 of a baser cast mingled their alloy    

with the materials of grandeur and of   
beauty4 ,monastic legend and the rubric 
of martyrology claimed more than a      
legitimate share from the labours of the
 pencil and the chisel1 made nudity the 
exclusive property of emaciated hermits 
or decrepit age1 and if the breast of   
manhood was allowed to bare its vigour1 
or beauty to expand her bosom1 the      
antidotes of terror and of horror were  
ready at their side to check the        
apprehended infection of their charms4  
,when we add to this the heterogeneous  
stock on which the reviving system of   
arts was grafted1 a race indeed         
inhabiting a genial climate1 but itself 
the fces of barbarity1 the remnants of  
,gothic adventurers1 humanised only by  
the cross1 mouldering amid the ruins of 
the temples they had demolished1 the    
battered fragments of the images their  
rage had crushed1--when we add this1 ,i 
say1 we shall less wonder at the languor
 of modern art in its rise and progress1
 than be astonished at the vigour by    

which it adapted and raised materials   
partly so unfit and defective1 partly so
 contaminated1 to the magnificent system
 which we are to contemplate4           
,sculpture had already produced         
respectable specimens of its reviving   
powers in the basso-relievos of ,lorenzo
 ,ghiberti1 some works of ,donato1 and  
the ,christ of ,philippo                
,brunelleschi1#bg when the first        
symptoms of imitation appeared in the   
frescoes of ,tommaso da ,st4 ,giovanni1 
commonly called ,masaccio1 from the     
total neglect of his appearance and     
person4#bh ,masaccio first conceived    
that parts are to constitute a whole2   
that composition ought to have a centre2
 expression1 truth2 and execution1      
unity3 his line deserves attention1     
though his subjects led him not to      
investigation of form1 and the shortness
 of his life forbade his extending those
 elements which ,raphael1 nearly a      
century afterward1 carried to           
perfection--it is sufficiently glorious 

for him to have been more than once     
copied by that great master of          
expression1 and in some degree to have  
been the herald of his style3 ,masaccio 
lives more in the figure of ,paul       
preaching on the areopgus1 of the       
celebrated cartoon in our possession1   
and in the borrowed figure of ,adam     
expelled from paradise in the loggia of 
the ,vatican1 than in his own mutilated 
or retouched remains4  ,the essays of   
,masaccio in imitation and expression1  
,andrea ,mantegna#bi attempted to unite 
with form2 led by the contemplation of  
the antique1 fragments of which he      
ambitiously scattered over his works3   
though a ,lombard1 and born prior to the
 discovery of the best ancient statues1 
he seems to have been acquainted with a 
variety of characters1 from forms that  
remind us of the ,apollo1 ,mercury or   
,meleager1 down to the fauns and satyrs3
 but his taste was too crude1 his fancy 
too grotesque1 and his comprehension too
 weak to advert from the parts that     

remained to the whole that inspired     
them3 hence in his figures of dignity or
 beauty we see not only the meagre forms
 of common models1 but even their       
defects tacked to ideal ,torsos2 and his
 fauns and satyrs1 instead of native    
luxuriance of growth and the sportive   
appendages of mixed being1 are decorated
 with heraldic excrescences and         
arabesque absurdity4 ,his triumphs are  
known to you all2 they are a copious    
inventory of classic lumber1 swept      
together with more industry than taste1 
but full of valuable materials4 ,of     
expression he was not ignorant3 his     
burial of ,christ furnished ,raphael    
with the composition1 and some of the   
features and attitudes in his picture on
 the same subject in the palace of the  
,borgheses1--the figure of ,st4 ,john1  
however1 left out by ,raphael1 proves   
that ,mantegna sometimes mistook grimace
 for the highest degree of grief4 ,his  
oil-pictures exhibit little more than   
the elaborate anguish of                

missal-painting2 his frescoes1 destroyed
 at the construction of the ,clementine 
museum1 had freshness1 freedom1 and     
imitation4  ,to ,luca ,signorelli1 of   
,cortona1#cj nature more than atoned for
 the want of those advantages which the 
study of the antique had offered to     
,andrea ,mantegna4 ,he seems to have    
been the first who contemplated with a  
discriminating eye his object1 saw what 
was accident and what essential2        
balanced light and shade1 and decided   
the motion of his figures4 ,he          
foreshortened with equal boldness and   
intelligence1 and thence it is1         
probably1 that ,vasari fancies to have  
discovered in the last judgment of      
,michael ,angelo traces of imitation    
from the ,lunetta1 painted by ,luca1 in 
the church of the ,madonna1 at ,orvieto2
 but the powers which animated him      
there1 and before at ,arezzo1 are no    
longer visible in the ,gothic medley    
with which he filled two compartments in
 the chapel of ,sixtus ,,iv4 at ,rome4  

,such was the dawn of modern art1 when  
,lionardo da ,vinci#ca broke forth with 
a splendour which distanced former      
excellence3 made up of all the elements 
that constitute the essence of genius1  
favoured by education and circumstances1
 all ear1 all eye1 all grasp2 painter1  
poet1 sculptor1 anatomist1 architect1   
engineer1 chemist1 machinist1 musician1 
man of science1 and sometimes           
empiric1#cb he laid hold of every beauty
 in the enchanted circle1 but without   
exclusive attachment to one1 dismissed  
in her turn each4 ,fitter to scatter    
hints than to teach by example1 he      
wasted life1 insatiate1 in experiment4  
,to a capacity which at once penetrated 
the principle and real aim of the art1  
he joined an inequality of fancy that at
 one moment lent him wings for the      
pursuit of beauty1 and the next1 flung  
him on the ground to crawl after        
deformity3 we owe him chiaroscuro with  
all its magic1 we owe him caricature    
with all its incongruities4 ,his notions

 of the most elaborate finish and his   
want of perseverance were at least      
equal3--want of perseverance alone could
 make him abandon his cartoon destined  
for the great council-chamber at        
,florence1 of which the celebrated      
contest of horsemen was but one group2  
for to him who could organize that      
composition1 ,michael ,angelo himself   
ought rather to have been an object of  
emulation than of fear3 and that he was 
able to organize it1 we may be certain  
from the remaining imperfect sketch in  
the ',etruria ,pittrice2' but still more
 from the admirable print of it by      
,edelinck1 after a drawing of ,rubens1  
who was ,lionardo's great admirer1 and  
has said much to impress us with the    
beauties of his ,last ,supper in the    
refectory of the ,dominicans at ,milano1
 the only one of his great works which  
he carried to ultimate finish1 through  
all its parts1 from the head of ,christ 
to the least important one3 it perished 
soon after him1 and we can estimate the 

loss only from the copies that survive4 
,bartolomeo della ,porta1 or di ,s4     
,marco1 the last master of this         
period1#cc first gave gradation to      
colour1 form1 and masses to drapery1 and
 a grave dignity1 till then unknown1 to 
execution4 ,if he were not endowed with 
the versatility and comprehension of    
,lionardo1 his principles were less     
mixed with base matter and less apt to  
mislead him4 ,as a member of a religious
 order1 he confined himself to subjects 
and characters of piety2 but the few    
nudities which he allowed himself to    
exhibit1 show sufficient intelligence   
and still more style3 he foreshortened  
with truth and boldness1 and whenever   
the figure did admit of it1 made his    
drapery the vehicle of the limb it      
invests4 ,he was the true master of     
,raphael1 whom his tuition weaned from  
the meanness of ,pietro ,perugino1 and  
prepared for the mighty style of        
,michael ,angelo ,buonarotti4           
,sublimity of conception1 grandeur of   

form1 and breadth of manner are the     
elements of ,michael ,angelo's style4#cd
 ,by these principles he selected or    
rejected the objects of imitation4 ,as  
painter1 as sculptor1 as architect1 he  
attempted1 and above any other man      
succeeded1 to unite magnificence of plan
 and endless variety of subordinate     
parts with the utmost simplicity and    
breadth4 ,his line is uniformly grand3  
character and beauty were admitted only 
as far as they could be made subservient
 to grandeur4 ,the child1 the female1   
meanness1 deformity1 were by him        
indiscriminately stamped with grandeur4 
,a beggar rose from his hand the        
patriarch of poverty2 the hump of his   
dwarf is impressed with dignity2 his    
women are moulds of generation2 his     
infants teem with the man2 his men are a
 race of giants4 ,this is the 'terribil 
via' hinted at by ,agostino ,carracci1  
though perhaps as little understood by  
the ,bolognese as by the blindest of his
 ,tuscan adorers1 with ,vasari at their 

head4 ,to give the appearance of perfect
 ease to the most perplexing difficulty1
 was the exclusive power of ,michael    
,angelo4 ,he is the inventor of epic    
painting1 in that sublime circle of the 
,sistine chapel which exhibits the      
origin1 the progress1 and the final     
dispensations of theocracy4 ,he has     
personified motion in the groups of the 
cartoon of ,pisa2 embodied sentiment on 
the monuments of ,st4 ,lorenzo1         
unravelled the features of meditation in
 the ,prophets and ,sibyls of the       
,sistine chapel2 and in the ,last       
,judgement1 with every attitude that    
varies the human body1 traced the       
master-trait of every passion that sways
 the human heart4 ,though as sculptor1  
he expressed the character of flesh more
 perfectly than all who went before or  
came after him1 yet he never submitted  
to copy an individual2 ,julio the second
 only excepted1 and in him he           
represented the reigning passion rather 
than the man4#ce ,in painting he        

contented himself with a negative       
colour1 and as the painter of mankind1  
rejected all meretricious ornament4#cf  
,the fabric of ,st4 ,peter1 scattered   
into infinity of jarring parts by       
,bramante and his successors1 he        
concentrated2 suspended the cupola1 and 
to the most complex gave the air of the 
most simple of edifices4 ,such1 take him
 all in all1 was ,m4 ,angelo1 the salt  
of art3 sometimes he no doubt had his   
moments of dereliction1 deviated into   
manner1 or perplexed the grandeur of his
 forms with futile and ostentatious     
anatomy3 both met with armies of        
copyists2 and it has been his fate to   
have been censured for their folly4     
,the inspiration of ,michael ,angelo was
 followed by the milder genius of       
,raphael ,sanzio1#cg the father of      
dramatic painting2 the painter of       
humanity2 less elevated1 less vigorous1 
but more insinuating1 more pressing on  
our hearts1 the warm master of our      
sympathies4 ,what effect of human       

connexion1 what feature of the mind1    
from the gentlest emotion to the most   
fervid burst of passion1 has been left  
unobserved1 has not received a          
characteristic stamp from that examiner 
of man8 ,m4 ,angelo came to nature1     
nature came to ,raphael--he transmitted 
her features like a lucid glass1        
unstained1 unmodified4 ,we stand with   
awe before ,m4 ,angelo1 and tremble at  
the height to which he elevates us--we  
embrace ,raphael1 and follow him        
wherever he leads us4 ,energy1 with     
propriety of character and modest grace1
 poise his line and determine his       
correctness4 ,perfect human beauty he   
has not represented2 no face of         
,raphael's is perfectly beautiful2 no   
figure of his1 in the abstract1         
possesses the proportions that could    
raise it to a standard of imitation3    
form to him was only a vehicle of       
character or pathos1 and to those he    
adapted it in a mode and with a truth   
which leaves all attempts at emendation 

hopeless4 ,his invention connects the   
utmost stretch of possibility with the  
most plausible degree of probability1 in
 a manner that equally surprises our    
fancy1 persuades our judgment1 and      
affects our heart4 ,his composition     
always hastens to the most necessary    
point as its centre1 and from that      
disseminates1 to that leads back as     
rays1 all secondary ones4 ,group1 form1 
and contrast are subordinate to the     
event1 and common-place ever excluded4  
,his expression1 in strict unison with  
and decided by character1 whether calm1 
animated1 agitated1 convulsed1 or       
absorbed by the inspiring passion1      
unmixed and pure1 never contradicts its 
cause1 equally remote from tameness and 
grimace3 the moment of his choice never 
suffers the action to stagnate or to    
expire2 it is the moment of transition2 
the crisis big with the past and        
pregnant with the future4--,if1         
separately taken1 the line of ,raphael  
has been excelled in correctness1       

elegance1 and energy2 his colour far    
surpassed in tone1 and truth1 and       
harmony2 his masses in roundness1 and   
his chiaroscuro in effect--considered as
 instruments of pathos1 they have never 
been equalled2 and in composition1      
invention1 expression1 and the power of 
telling a story1 he has never been      
approached4  ,whilst the superior       
principles of the art were receiving the
 homage of ,tuscany and ,rome1 the      
inferior but more alluring charm of     
colour began to spread its fascination  
at ,venice1 from the pallet of          
,giorgione da ,castel ,franco#ch1 and   
irresistibly entranced every eye that   
approached the magic of ,titiano        
,vecelli of ,cador4#ci ,to no colourist 
before or after him1 did ,nature unveil 
herself with that dignified familiarity 
in which she appeared to ,titiano4 ,his 
organ1 universal and equally fit for all
 her exhibitions1 rendered her simplest 
to her most compound appearances with   
equal purity and truth4 ,he penetrated  

the essence and the general principle of
 the substances before him1 and on these
 established his theory of colour4 ,he  
invented that breadth of local tint     
which no imitation has attained2 and    
first expressed the negative nature of  
shade3 his are the charms of glazing1   
and the mystery of reflexes1 by which he
 detached1 rounded1 connected1 or       
enriched his objects4 ,his harmony is   
less indebted to the force of light and 
shade1 or the artifices of contrast1    
than to a due balance of colour1 equally
 remote from monotony and spots4 ,his   
backgrounds seem to be dictated by      
nature4 ,landscape1 whether it be       
considered as the transcript of a spot1 
or the rich combination of congenial    
objects1 or as the scene of a phnomenon1
 dates its origin from him3 he is the   
father of portrait-painting1 of         
resemblance with form1 character with   
dignity1 and costume with subordination4
  ,another charm was yet wanting to     
complete the round of art--harmony3 it  

appeared with ,antonio ,lti1#dj called  
,correggio1 whose works it attended like
 an enchanted spirit4 ,the harmony and  
the grace of ,correggio are proverbial3 
the medium which by breadth of gradation
 unites two opposite principles1 the    
coalition of light and darkness by      
imperceptible transition1 are the       
element of his style4--,this inspires   
his figures with grace1 to this their   
grace is subordinate3 the most          
appropriate1 the most elegant attitudes 
were adopted1 rejected1 perhaps         
sacrificed to the most awkward ones1 in 
compliance with this imperious          
principle3 parts vanished1 were         
absorbed1 or emerged in obedience to it4
 ,this unison of a whole1 predominates  
over all that remains of him1 from the  
vastness of his cupolas to the smallest 
of his oil-pictures4--,the harmony of   
,correggio1 though assisted by exquisite
 hues1 was entirely independent of      
colour3 his great organ was chiaroscuro 
in its most extensive sense2 compared   

with the expanse in which he floats1 the
 effects of ,lionardo da ,vinci are     
little more than the dying ray of       
evening1 and the concentrated flash of  
,giorgione discordant abruptness4 ,the  
bland central light of a globe1         
imperceptibly gliding through lucid     
demitints into rich reflected shades1   
composes the spell of ,correggio1 and   
affects us with the soft emotions of a  
delicious dream4  ,such was the         
ingenuity that prepared1 and such the   
genius that raised to its height the    
fabric of modern art4 ,before we proceed
 to the next epoch1 let us make an      
observation4  ,form not your judgment of
 an artist from the exceptions which his
 conduct may furnish1 from the exertions
 of accidental vigour1 some deviations  
into other walks1 or some unpremeditated
 flights of fancy1 but from the         
predominant rule of his system1 the     
general principle of his works4 ,the    
line and style of ,titian's design1     
sometimes expand themselves like those  

of ,michael ,angelo4 ,his ,abraham      
prevented from sacrificing ,isaac2 his  
,david adoring over the giant-trunk of  
,goliath2 the ,friar escaping from the  
murderer of his companion in the forest1
 equal in loftiness of conception and   
style of design1 their mighty tone of   
colour and daring execution3 the heads  
and groups of ,raphael's frescoes and   
portraits sometimes glow and palpitate  
with the tints of ,titian1 or coalesce  
in masses of harmony1 and undulate with 
graces superior to those of ,correggio2 
who in his turn once reached the highest
 summit of invention1 when he embodied  
silence and personified the mysteries of
 love in the voluptuous group of        
,jupiter and ,io2 and again exceeded all
 competition of expression in the divine
 features of his ,ecce-,homo4 ,but these
 sudden irradiations1 these flashes of  
power are only exceptions from their    
wonted principles2 pathos and character 
own ,raphael for their master1 colour   
remains the domain of ,titian1 and      

harmony the sovereign mistress of       
,correggio4  ,the resemblance which     
marked the two first periods of ancient 
and modern art vanishes altogether as we
 extend our view to the consideration of
 the third1 or that of refinement1 and  
the origin of schools4 ,the pre-eminence
 of ancient art1 as we have observed1   
was less the result of superior powers1 
than of simplicity of aim and uniformity
 of pursuit4 ,the ,helladic and the     
,ionian schools appear to have concurred
 in directing their instruction to the  
grand principles of form and expression3
 this was the stamen which they drew out
 into one immense connected web4 ,the   
talents that succeeded genius1 applied  
and directed their industry and polish  
to decorate the established system1 the 
refinements of taste1 grace1 sentiment1 
colour1 adorned beauty1 grandeur1 and   
expression4 ,the ,tuscan1 the ,roman1   
the ,venetian1 and the ,lombard schools1
 whether from incapacity1 want of       
education1 of adequate or dignified     

encouragement1 meanness of conception1  
or all these together1 separated1 and in
 a short time substituted the medium for
 the end4 ,michael ,angelo lived to see 
the electric shock which his design and 
style had given to art1 propagated by   
the ,tuscan and ,venetian schools1 as   
the ostentatious vehicle of puny        
conceits and emblematic quibbles1 or the
 palliative of empty pomp and degraded  
luxuriance of colour4 ,he had been      
copied but was not imitated by ,andrea  
,vannucchi1 surnamed ,del ,sarto1 who in
 his series of pictures on the life of  
,john the ,baptist1 in preference       
adopted the meager style of ,albert     
,durer4 ,the artist who appears to have 
penetrated deepest to his mind1 was     
,pelegrino ,tibaldi1 of ,bologna2#da    
celebrated as the painter of the        
frescoes in the academic institute of   
that city1 and as the architect of the  
,escurial under ,philip ,,ii4 ,the      
compositions1 groups1 and single figures
 of the institute exhibit a singular    

mixture of extraordinary vigour and     
puerile imbecility of conception1 of    
character and caricature1 of style and  
manner4 ,polypheme groping at the mouth 
of his cave for ,ulysses1 and olus      
granting him favourable winds1 are      
striking instances of both3 than the    
,cyclops1 ,michael ,angelo himself never
 conceived a form of savage energy1 with
 attitude and limbs more in unison2     
whilst the god of winds is degraded to a
 scanty and ludicrous semblance of      
,thersites1 and ,ulysses with his       
companions travestied by the            
semi-barbarous look and costume of the  
age of ,constantine or ,attila2 the     
manner of ,michael ,angelo is the style 
of ,pelegrino ,tibaldi2 from him        
,golzius1 ,hemskerk1 and ,spranger      
borrowed the compendium of the ,tuscan's
 peculiarities4 ,with this mighty       
talent1 however1 ,michael ,angelo seems 
not to have been acquainted1 but by that
 unaccountable weakness incident to the 
greatest powers1 and the severe         

remembrancer of their vanity1 he became 
the superintendant and assistant tutor  
of the ,venetian ,sebastiano#db1 and of 
,daniel ,ricciarelli1 of ,volterra#dc2  
the first of whom1 with an exquisite eye
 for individual1 had no sense for ideal 
colour1 whilst the other rendered great 
diligence and much anatomical erudition1
 useless by meagerness of line and      
sterility of ideas3 how far ,michael    
,angelo succeeded in initiating either  
in his principles1 the far-famed        
pictures of the resuscitation of        
,lazarus1 by the first1 once in the     
cathedral of ,narbonne1 and since       
inspected by us all at the ,lyceum      
here1#dd and the fresco of the descent  
from the cross1 in the church of ,la    
,trinit del ,monte1 at ,rome1 by the    
second1 sufficiently evince3 pictures   
which combine the most heterogeneous    
principles4 ,the group of ,lazarus in   
,sebastian del ,piombo's and that of the
 women1 with the figure of ,christ1 in  
,daniel ,ricciarelli's1 not only breathe

 the sublime conception that inspired1  
but the master-hand that shaped them3   
offsprings of ,michael ,angelo himself1 
models of expression1 style1 and        
breadth1 they cast on all the rest an   
air of inferiority1 and only serve to   
prove the incongruity of partnership    
between unequal powers2 this inferiority
 however is respectable1 when compared  
with the depravations of ,michael       
,angelo's style by the remainder of the 
,tuscan school1 especially those of     
,giorgio ,vasari1#de the most           
superficial artist and the most         
abandoned mannerist of his time1 but the
 most acute observer of men and the most
 dextrous flatterer of princes4 ,he     
overwhelmed the palaces of the ,medici  
and of the popes1 the convents and      
churches of ,italy1 with a deluge of    
mediocrity1 commended by rapidity and   
shameless 'bravura' of hand3 he alone   
did more work than all the artists of   
,tuscany together1 and to him may be    
truly applied1 what he had the insolence

 to say of ,tintoretto1 that he turned  
the art into a boy's toy4  ,whilst      
,michael ,angelo was doomed to lament   
the perversion of his style1 death      
prevented ,raphael from witnessing the  
gradual decay of his4 ,the exuberant    
fertility of ,julio ,pipi called        
,romano1#df and the less extensive but  
classic taste of ,polydoro da ,caravagio
 deserted indeed the standard of their  
master1 but with a dignity and magnitude
 of compass which command respect4 ,it  
is less from his tutored works in the   
,vatican1 than from the colossal        
conceptions1 the pathetic or sublime    
allegories1 and the voluptuous reveries 
which enchant the palace del ,t1 near   
,mantoua1 that we must form our estimate
 of ,julio's powers2 they were of a size
 to challenge all competition1 had he   
united purity of taste and delicacy of  
mind with energy and loftiness of       
thought2 as they are1 they resemble a   
mighty stream1 sometimes flowing in a   
full and limpid vein1 but oftener turbid

 with rubbish4 ,he has left specimens of
 composition from the most sublime to   
the most extravagant2 to a primeval     
simplicity of conception in his         
mythologic subjects1 which transports us
 to the golden age of ,hesiod1 he joined
 a rage for the grotesque2 to uncommon  
powers of expression a decided          
attachment to deformity and grimace1 and
 to the warmest and most genial imagery 
the most ungenial colour4  ,with nearly 
equal1 but still more mixed fertility1  
,francesco ,primaticcio#dg propagated   
the style and the conceptions of his    
master ,julio on the ,gallic side of the
 ,alps1 and with the assistance of      
,nicolo1 commonly called ,dell' ,abbate 
after him1 filled the palaces of        
,francis ,i4 with mythologic and        
allegoric works1 in frescoes of an      
energy and depth of tone till then      
unknown4 ,theirs was the cyclus of      
pictures from the ,odyssea of ,homer at 
,fontainbleau1 a mine of classic and    
picturesque materials3 they are         

destroyed1 and we may estimate their    
loss1 even through the disguise of the  
mannered and feeble etchings of         
,theodore ,van ,tulden4  ,the compact   
style of ,polydoro1#dh formed on the    
antique1 such as it is exhibited in the 
best series of the ,roman military      
bassrelievoes1 is more monumental1 than 
imitative or characteristic4 ,but the   
virility of his taste1 the impassioned  
motion of his groups1 the simplicity1   
breadth1 and never excelled elegance and
 probability of his drapery1 with the   
forcible chiaroscuro of his             
compositions1 make us regret the        
narrowness of the walk to which he      
confined his powers4  ,no painter ever  
painted his own mind so forcibly as     
,michael ,angelo ,amerigi1 surnamed ,il 
,caravaggi4#di ,to none nature ever set 
limits with a more decided hand4        
,darkness gave him light2 into his      
melancholy cell light stole only with a 
pale reluctant ray1 or broke on it1 as  
flashes on a stormy night4 ,the most    

vulgar forms he recommended by ideal    
light and shade1 and a tremendous       
breadth of manner4  ,the aim and style  
of the ,roman school deserve little     
further notice here1 till the appearance
 of ,nicolas ,poussin#ej a ,frenchman1  
but grafted on the ,roman stock4 ,bred  
under ,quintin ,varin1 a ,french painter
 of mediocrity1 he found on his arrival 
in ,italy that he had more to unlearn   
than to follow of his master's          
principles1 renounced the national      
character1 and not only with the utmost 
ardour adopted1 but suffered himself to 
be wholly absorbed by the antique4 ,such
 was his attachment to the ancients1    
that it may be said he less imitated    
their spirit than copied their relics   
and painted sculpture2 the costume1 the 
mythology1 the rites of antiquity were  
his element2 his scenery1 his landscape1
 are pure classic ground4 ,he has left  
specimens to show that he was sometimes 
sublime1 and often in the highest degree
 pathetic1 but history in the strictest 

sense was his property1 and in that he  
ought to be followed4 ,his agents only  
appear1 to tell the fact2 they are      
subordinate to the story4 ,sometimes he 
attempted to tell a story that cannot be
 told3 of his historic dignity the      
celebrated series of ,sacraments2 of his
 sublimity1 the vision he gave to       
,coriolanus2 of his pathetic power1 the 
infant ,pyrrhus2 and of the vain attempt
 to tell by figures what words alone can
 tell1 the testament of ,eudamidas1 are 
striking instances4 ,his eye1 though    
impressed with the tint1 and breadth1   
and imitation of ,titiano1 seldom       
inspired him to charm with colour2      
crudity and patches frequently deform   
his effects4 ,he is unequal in his style
 of design2 sometimes his comprehension 
fails him2 he supplies1 like ,pietro    
,testa1 ideal heads and torsos with     
limbs and extremities transcribed from  
the model4 ,whether from choice or want 
of power he has seldom executed his     
conceptions on a larger scale than that 

which bears his name1 and which has     
perhaps as much contributed to make him 
the darling of this country1 as his     
merit4  ,the wildness of ,salvator      
,rosa#ea opposes a powerful contrast to 
the classic regularity of ,poussin4     
,terrific and grand in his conceptions  
of inanimate nature1 he was reduced to  
attempts of hiding by boldness of hand1 
his inability of exhibiting her         
impassioned1 or in the dignity of       
character3 his line is vulgar3 his magic
 visions1 less founded on principles of 
terror than on mythologic trash and     
caprice1 are to the probable            
combinations of nature1 what the        
paroxysms of a fever are to the flights 
of vigorous fancy4 ,though so much      
extolled and so ambitiously imitated1   
his banditti are a medley made up of    
starveling models1 shreds and bits of   
armour from his lumber-room1 brushed    
into notice by a daring pencil4         
,salvator was a satyrist and a critic1  
but the rod which he had the insolence  

to lift against the nudities of ,michael
 ,angelo1 and the anachronism of        
,raphael1 would have been better        
employed in chastising his own          
misconceptions4  ,the principle of      
,titiano1 less pure in itself and less  
decided in its object of imitation1 did 
not suffer so much from its more or less
 appropriate application by his         
successors1 as the former two4 ,colour  
once in a very high degree attained1    
disdains subordination and engrosses the
 whole4 ,mutual similarity attracts1    
body tends to body1 as mind to mind1 and
 he who has once gained supreme dominion
 over the eye1 will hardly resign it to 
court the more coy approbation of mind1 
of a few opposed to nearly all4 ,add to 
this the character of the place and the 
nature of the encouragement held out to 
the ,venetian artists4 ,venice was the  
centre of commerce1 the repository of   
the riches of the globe1 the splendid   
toy-shop of the time3 its chief         
inhabitants princely merchants1 or a    

patrician race elevated to rank by      
accumulations from trade1 or naval      
prowess2 the bulk of the people1        
mechanics or artisans1 administering the
 means1 and in their turn fed by the    
produce of luxury4 ,of such a system1   
what could the art be more than the     
parasite8 ,religion itself had exchanged
 its gravity for the allurements of ear 
and eye1 and even sanctity disgusted1   
unless arrayed by the gorgeous hand of  
fashion4--,such was1 such will always be
 the birth-place and the theatre of     
colour3 and hence it is more matter of  
wonder that the first and greatest      
colourists should so long have foreborne
 to overstep the modesty of nature in   
the use of that alluring medium1 than   
that they yielded by degrees to its     
golden solicitations4#eb  ,the principle
 of ,correggio vanished with its author1
 though it found numerous imitators of  
its parts4 ,since him1 no eye has       
conceived that expanse of harmony with  
which the voluptuous sensibility of his 

mind arranged and enchanted all visible 
nature4 ,his grace1 so much vaunted and 
so little understood1 was adopted and   
improved to elegance by ,francesco      
,mazzuoli1 called ,il ,parmegiano1#ec   
but instead of making her the measure of
 propriety1 he degraded her to          
affectation3 in ,parmegiano's figures   
action is the adjective of the posture2 
the accident of attitude2 they 'make    
themselves air1 into which they vanish4'
 ,that disengaged play of delicate      
forms1 the ',sueltezza' of the          
,italians1 is the prerogative of        
,parmegiano1 though nearly always       
obtained at the expense of proportion4  
,his grandeur1 as conscious as his      
grace1 sacrifices the motive to the     
mode1 simplicity to contrast3 his ,st4  
,john loses the fervour of the apostle  
in the orator2 his ,moses the dignity of
 the lawgiver in the savage4 ,with      
incredible force of chiaroscuro1 he     
united bland effects and fascinating    
hues1 but their frequent ruins teach the

 important lesson1 that the mixtures    
which anticipate the beauties of time1  
are big with the seeds of premature     
decay4  ,such was the state of the art1 
when1 towards the decline of the        
sixteenth century1 ,lodovico            
,carracci1#ed with his cousins          
,agostino#ee and ,annibale1 founded at  
,bologna that eclectic school1 which by 
selecting the beauties1 correcting the  
faults1 supplying the defects and       
avoiding the extremes of the different  
styles1 attempted to form a perfect     
system4 ,but as the mechanic part was   
their only object1 they did not perceive
 that the projected union was           
incompatible with the leading principle 
of each master4 ,let us hear this plan  
from ,agostino ,carracci himself1 as it 
is laid down in his sonnet#ef on the    
ingredients required to form a perfect  
painter1 if that may be called a sonnet 
which has more the air of medical       
prescription4 ',take1' says ,agostino1  
'the design of ,rome1 ,venetian motion  

and shade1 the dignified tone of        
,lombardy's colour1 the terrible manner 
of ,michael ,angelo1 the just symmetry  
of ,raphael1 ,titiano's truth of nature1
 and the sovereign purity of ,corregio's
 style3 add to these the decorum and    
solidity of ,tibaldi1 the learned       
invention of ,primaticcio1 and a little 
of ,parmegiano's grace3 but to save so  
much study1 such weary labour1 apply    
your imitation to the works which our   
dear ,nicolo has left us here4' ,of such
 advice1 balanced between the tone of   
regular breeding and the cant of an     
empiric1 what could be the result8      
excellence or mediocrity8 who ever      
imagined that a multitude of dissimilar 
threads could compose an uniform        
texture1 that dissemination of spots    
would make masses1 or a little of many  
things produce a legitimate whole8      
indiscriminate imitation must end in the
 extinction of character1 and that in   
mediocrity1--the cipher of art4  ,and   
were the ,carracci such8 separate the   

precept from the practice1 the artist   
from the teacher2 and the ,carracci are 
in possession of my submissive homage4  
,lodovico1 far from implicitly          
subscribing to a master's dictates1 was 
the sworn pupil of nature4 ,to a modest 
style of form1 to a simplicity eminently
 fitted for those subjects of religious 
gravity which his taste preferred1 he   
joined that solemnity of hue1 that sober
 twilight1 the air of cloistered        
meditation1 which you have so often     
heard recommended as the proper tone of 
historic colour4 ,too often content to  
rear the humbler graces of his subject1 
he seldom courted elegance1 but always  
when he did1 with enviable success4     
,even now1 though nearly in a state of  
evanescence1 the three nymphs in the    
garden scene of ,st4 ,michele in ,bosco1
 seem moulded by the hand1 inspired by  
the breath of love4 ,agostino1 with a   
singular modesty which prompted him     
rather to propagate the fame of others  
by his graver1 than by steady exertion  

to rely on his own power for perpetuity 
of name1 combined with some learning a  
cultivated taste1 correctness1 though   
not elegance of form1 and a corregiesque
 colour4 ,annibale1 superior to both in 
power of execution and academic prowess1
 was inferior to either in taste1 and   
sensibility and judgment2 for the most  
striking proof of this inferiority ,i   
appeal to his master-work1 the work on  
which he rests his fame1 the gallery of 
the ,farnese palace3 a work whose       
uniform vigour of execution nothing can 
equal but its imbecility and incongruity
 of conception4 ,if impropriety of      
ornament were to be fixed by definition1
 the subjects of the ,farnese gallery   
might be quoted as the most decisive    
instances4 ,criticism has attempted to  
dismiss ,paolo ,veronese and ,tintoretto
 from the province of legitimate history
 with the contemptuous appellation of   
ornamental painters1 not for having     
painted subjects inapplicable to the    
public and private palaces1 the churches

 and convents1 which they were employed 
to decorate1 but because they treated   
them sometimes without regard to        
costume1 or the simplicity due to       
sacred1 heroic or allegoric subjects3 if
 this be just1 where shall we class him1
 who with the ,capella ,sistina1 and the
 ,vatican before his eye1 fills the     
mansion of religious austerity and      
episcopal dignity with a chaotic series 
of trite fable and bacchanalian revelry1
 without allegory1 void of allusion1    
merely to gratify the puerile           
ostentation of dauntless execution and  
academic vigour8 if the praise given to 
a work be not always transferable to its
 master2 if1 as ,milton says1 'the work 
some praise and some the architect1' let
 us admire the splendour1 the           
exuberance1 the concentration of powers 
displayed in the ,farnese gallery1      
whilst we lament their misapplication by
 ,annibale ,carracci4  ,the             
heterogeneous principle of the eclectic 
school soon operated its own            

dissolution3 the great talents which the
 ,carracci had tutored1 soon found their
 own bias1 and abandoned themselves to  
their own peculiar taste4 ,b4 ,schidone 
died young in #afae4 ,barto4 ,schidone1 
,guido ,reni1#eg ,giovanni ,lanfranco1  
,francesco ,albani1 ,domenico ,zampieri1
 and ,francesco ,barbieri1 called       
,guercino1 differed as much in their    
objects of imitation as their names4    
,schidone1 all of whose mind was in his 
eye1 embraced1 and often to meaner      
subjects applied the harmony and colour 
of ,correggio1 whilst ,lanfranco strove1
 but strove without success1 to follow  
him through the expanse of his creation 
and masses4 ,grace attracted ,guido1 but
 it was the studied grace of theatres3  
his female forms are abstracts of       
antique beauty1 attended by languishing 
attitudes1 arrayed by voluptuous        
fashions4 ,his male forms1 transcripts  
of models1 such as are found in a genial
 climate1 are sometimes highly          
characteristic of dignified manhood or  

apostolic fervour1 like his ,peter and  
,paul1 formerly in the ,zampieri at     
,bologna3 sometimes stately1 courteous1 
insipid1 like his ,paris attending      
,helen1 more with the air of an         
ambassador1 by proxy1 than carrying her 
off with a lover's fervour4 ,his ,aurora
 deserved to precede a more majestic    
sun1 and hours less clumsy--his colour  
varies with his style1 sometimes bland  
and harmonious1 sometimes vigorous and  
stern1 sometimes flat and insipid4      
,albani1 chiefly attracted by soft      
mythologic conceits1 formed nereids and 
oreads on plump ,venetian models1 and   
contrasted their pearly hues with the   
rosy tints of loves1 the juicy brown of 
fauns and satyrs1 and rich marine or    
sylvan scenery4 ,domenichino1 more      
obedient than the rest to his masters1  
aimed at the beauty of the antique1 the 
expression of ,raphael1 the vigour of   
,annibale1 the colour of ,lodovico1 and 
mixing something of each1 fell short of 
all2 whilst ,guercino broke like a      

torrent over all academic rules1 and    
with an ungovernable itch of copying    
whatever lay in his way1 sacrificed     
mind1 form and costume1 to effects of   
colour1 fierceness of chiaroscuro1 and  
intrepidity of hand4  ,such was the     
state of art when the spirit of         
machinery1 in submission to the vanities
 and upstart pride of papal nepotism1   
destroyed what yet was left of meaning2 
when equilibration1 contrast1 grouping1 
engrossed composition1 and poured a     
deluge of gay common-place over the     
platfonds1 panels and cupolas of palaces
 and temples4 ,those who could not      
conceive a figure singly1 scattered     
multitudes2 to count1 was to be poor4   
,the rainbow and the seasons were       
ransacked for their hues1 and every eye 
became the tributary of the great but   
abused talents of ,pietro da ,cortona1  
and the fascinating but debauched and   
empty facility of ,luca ,giordano4#eh   
,the same revolution of mind that had   
organized the arts of ,italy1 spread1   

without visible communication1 to       
,germany1 and towards the decline of the
 fifteenth century1 the uncouth essays  
of ,martin ,schn1 ,michael ,wolgemuth1  
and ,albrecht ,altorfer1 were succeeded 
by the finer polish and the more        
dextrous method of ,albert ,durer4 ,the 
indiscriminate use of the words genius  
and talent has perhaps nowhere caused   
more confusion than in the              
classification of artists4 ,albert      
,durer was in my opinion a man of great 
ingenuity1 without being a genius4 ,he  
studied1 and1 as far as his penetration 
reached1 established certain proportions
 of the human frame1 but he did not     
invent a style3 every work of his is a  
proof that he wanted the power of       
imitation1 of concluding from what he   
saw1 to what he did not see1 that he    
copied rather than selected the forms   
that surrounded him1 and sans remorse   
tacked deformity and meagerness to      
fulness1 and sometimes to beauty4#ei    
,such is his design2 in composition     

copious without taste1 anxiously precise
 in parts1 and unmindful of the whole1  
he has rather shown us what to avoid    
than what to follow4 ,he sometimes had a
 glimpse of the sublime1 but it was only
 a glimpse3 the expanded agony of       
,christ on the mount of ,olives1 and the
 mystic conception of his figure of     
,melancholy1 are thoughts of sublimity1 
though the expression of the last is    
weakened by the rubbish he has thrown   
about her4 ,his ,knight attended by     
,death and the ,fiend1 is more          
capricious than terrible2 and his ,adam 
and ,eve are two common models shut up  
in a rocky dungeon4 ,if he approached   
genius in any part of art1 it was in    
colour4 ,his colour went beyond his age1
 and as far excelled in truth and       
breadth and handling the oil colour of  
,raphael1 as ,raphael excels him in     
every other quality4 ,i speak of        
easel-pictures--his drapery is broad    
though much too angular1 and rather     
snapped than folded4 ,albert is called  

the father of the ,german school1 though
 he neither reared scholars1 nor was    
imitated by the ,german artists of his  
or the succeeding century4 ,that the    
exportation of his works to ,italy      
should have effected a temporary change 
in the principles of some ,tuscans who  
had studied ,michael ,angelo1 of ,andrea
 del ,sarto1 and ,jacopo da ,pontormo1  
is a fact which proves that minds at    
certain periods may be subject to       
epidemic influence as well as bodies4   
,lucas of ,leyden#fj was the ,dutch     
imitator of ,albert2 but the forms of   
,aldegraver1 ,sebald ,beheim1 and       
,george ,pentz1 appear to have been the 
result of careful inspection of ,marc   
,antonio's prints from ,raphael1 of whom
 ,pentz was probably a scholar2 and ere 
long the style of ,michael ,angelo1 as  
adopted by ,pelegrino ,tibaldi1 and     
spread by the graver of ,giorgio        
,mantuano1 provoked those caravans of   
,german1 ,dutch1 and ,flemish students1 
who on their return from ,italy1 at the 

courts of ,prague and ,munich1 in       
,flanders and the ,netherlands1         
introduced that preposterous manner1 the
 bloated excrescence of diseased brains1
 which in the form of man left nothing  
human1 distorted action and gesture with
 insanity of affectation1 and dressed   
the gewgaws of children in colossal     
shapes2 the style of ,golzius and       
,spranger1 ,heynz and ab ,ach3 but      
though content to feed on the husks of  
,tuscan design1 they imbibed the colour 
of ,venice1 and spread the elements of  
that excellence which distinguished the 
succeeding schools of ,flanders and of  
,holland4  ,this frantic pilgrimage to  
,italy ceased at the apparition of the  
two meteors of art1 ,peter ,paul        
,rubens1#fa and ,rembrandt ,van ,rhyn2  
both of whom disdaining to acknowledge  
the usual laws of admission to the      
temple of fame1 boldly forged their own 
keys1 entered and took possession1 each1
 of a most conspicuous place by his own 
power4 ,rubens1 born at ,cologne1 in    

,germany1 but brought up at ,antwerp1   
then the depository of western commerce1
 a school of religious and classic      
learning1 and the pompous seat of       
,austrian and ,spanish superstition1 met
 these advantages with an ardour and    
success of which ordinary minds can form
 no idea1 if we compare the period at   
which he is said to have seriously      
applied himself to painting1 under the  
tuition of ,otho ,van ,veen1 with the   
unbounded power he had acquired over the
 instruments of art when he set out for 
,italy2 where we instantly discover him 
not as the pupil1 but as the successful 
rival of the masters whose works he had 
selected for the objects of his         
emulation4 ,endowed with a full         
comprehension of his own character1 he  
wasted not a moment on the acquisition  
of excellence incompatible with its     
fervour1 but flew to the centre of his  
ambition1 ,venice1 and soon compounded  
from the splendour of ,paolo ,veronese  
and the glow of ,tintoretto1 that florid

 system of mannered magnificence which  
is the element of his art and the       
principle of his school4 ,he first      
spread that ideal pallet1 which reduced 
to its standard the variety of nature1  
and once methodized1 whilst his mind    
tuned the method1 shortened or          
superseded individual imitation4 ,his   
scholars1 however dissimilar in         
themselves1 saw with the eye of their   
master2 the eye of ,rubens was become   
the substitute of nature3 still the mind
 alone that had balanced these tints1   
and weighed their powers1 could apply   
them to their objects1 and determine    
their use in the pompous display of     
historic and allegoric magnificence2 for
 that they were selected1 for that the  
gorgeous nosegay swelled3 but when in   
the progress of depraved practice they  
became the mere palliatives of mental   
impotence1 empty representatives of     
themselves1 the supporters of nothing   
but clumsy forms and clumsier conceits1 
they can only be considered as splendid 

improprieties1 as the substitutes for   
wants which no colour can palliate and  
no tint supply4  ,in this censure ,i am 
under no apprehension of being suspected
 to include either the illustrious name 
of ,vandyck1#fb or that of ,abraham     
,diepenbeck4 ,vandyck1 more elegant1    
more refined1 to graces1 which the      
genius of ,rubens disdained to court1   
joined that exquisite taste which1 in   
following the general principle of his  
master1 moderated1 and adapted its      
application to his own pursuits4 ,his   
sphere was portrait1 and the imitation  
of ,titiano insured him the second place
 in that4 ,the fancy of ,diepenbeck1    
though not so exuberant1 if ,i be not   
mistaken1 excelled in sublimity the     
imagination of ,rubens3 his             
,bellerophon1 ,dioscuri1 ,hippolytus1   
,ixion1 ,sisyphus1 fear no competitor   
among the productions of his master4    
,rembrandt#fc was1 in my opinion1 a     
genius of the first class in whatever   
relates not to form4 ,in spite of the   

most portentous deformity1 and without  
considering the spell of his            
chiaroscuro1 such were his powers of    
nature1 such the grandeur1 pathos1 or   
simplicity of his composition1 from the 
most elevated or extensive arrangement  
to the meanest and most homely1 that the
 best cultivated eye1 the purest        
sensibility1 and the most refined taste 
dwell on them1 equally enthralled4      
,shakspeare alone excepted1 no one      
combined with so much transcendant      
excellence so many1 in all other men    
unpardonable faults--and reconciled us  
to them4 ,he possessed the full empire  
of light and shade1 and of all the tints
 that float between them3 he tinged his 
pencil with equal success in the cool of
 dawn1 in the noon-day ray1 in the livid
 flash1 in evanescent twilight1 and     
rendered darkness visible4 ,though made 
to bend a steadfast eye on the bolder   
phenomena of ,nature1 yet he knew how to
 follow her into her calmest abodes1    
gave interest to insipidity or baldness1

 and plucked a flower in every desert4  
,none ever like ,rembrandt knew to      
improve an accident into a beauty1 or   
give importance to a trifle4 ,if ever he
 had a master1 he had no followers2     
,holland was not made to comprehend his 
power4 ,the succeeding school of        
colourists were content to tip the      
cottage1 the hamlet1 the boor1 the      
ale-pot1 the shambles1 and the haze of  
winter1 with orient hues1 or the glow of
 setting summer suns4  ,in turning our  
eye to ,switzerland we shall find great 
powers without great names1 those of    
,hans ,holbein#fd and ,francis ,mola    
only excepted4 ,but the scrupulous      
precision1 the high finish1 and the     
,tizianesque colour of ,hans ,holbein1  
make the least part of his excellence   
for those who have seen his ,designs of 
the ,passion1 and that series of        
emblematic groups1 known under the name 
of ,holbein's ,dance of ,death4 ,from   
,belinzona to ,basle1 invention appears 
to have been the characteristic of      

,helvetic art3 the works of ,tobias     
,stimmer1 ,christopher ,murer1 ,jost    
,amman1 ,gotthard ,ringgli1 are mines of
 invention1 and exhibit a style of      
design1 equally poised between the      
emaciated dryness of ,albert ,durer and 
the bloated corpulence of ,golzius4     
,the seeds of mediocrity which the      
,carracci had attempted to scatter over 
,italy1 found a more benign soil1 and   
reared an abundant harvest in ,france3  
to mix up a compound from something of  
every excellence in the catalogue of    
art1 was the principle of their theory  
and their aim in execution4 ,it is in   
,france where ,michael ,angelo's right  
to the title of a painter was first     
questioned4 ,the fierceness of his line1
 as they call it1 the purity of the     
antique1 and the characteristic forms of
 ,raphael1 are only the road to the     
academic vigour1 the librated style of  
,annibale ,carracci1 and from that they 
appeal to the model2 in composition they
 consult more the artifice of grouping1 

contrast and richness1 than the subject 
or propriety2 their expression is       
dictated by the theatre4 ,from the      
uniformity of this process1 not to allow
 that the school of ,france offers      
respectable exceptions1 would be unjust2
 without recurring again to the name of 
,nicolas ,poussin1 the works of         
,eustache le ,sueur1#fe ,charles le     
,brun1 ,sebastien ,bourdon1 and         
sometimes ,pierre ,mignard1 contain     
original beauties and rich materials4   
,le ,sueur's series of pictures in the  
,chartreux exhibit the features of      
contemplative piety1 in a purity of     
style and a placid breadth of manner    
that moves the heart4 ,his dignified    
,martyrdom of ,st4 ,laurence1 and the   
,burning of the ,magic ,books at        
,ephesus1 breathe the spirit of         
,raphael4 ,the powerful comprehension of
 a whole1 only equalled by the fire     
which pervades every part of the        
,battles of ,alexander1 by ,charles le  
,brun1 would entitle him to the highest 

rank in history1 had the characters been
 less mannered1 had he not exchanged the
 ,argyraspids and the ,macedonian       
phalanx for the compact legionaries of  
the ,trajan pillar2 had he distinguished
 ,greeks from barbarians1 rather by     
national feature and form than by       
accoutrement and armour4 ,the ,seven    
,works of ,charity by ,seb4 ,bourdon    
teem with surprising pathetic and always
 novel images2 and in the ,plague of    
,david1 by ,pierre ,mignard1 our        
sympathy is roused by energies of terror
 and combinations of woe1 which escaped 
,poussin and ,raphael himself4  ,the    
obstinacy of national pride1#ff perhaps 
more than the neglect of government or  
the frown of superstition1 confined the 
labours of the ,spanish school1 from its
 obscure origin at ,sevilla to its      
brightest period1 within the narrow     
limits of individual imitation4 ,but the
 degree of perfection attained by ,diego
 ,velasquez1 ,joseph ,ribera1 and       
,murillo1 in pursuing the same object by

 means as different as successful1      
impresses us with deep respect for the  
variety of their powers4  ,that the     
great style ever received the homage of 
,spanish genius1 appears not2 neither   
,alfonso ,berruguette1 nor ,pellegrino  
,tibaldi1 left followers3 but that the  
eyes and the taste fed by the substance 
of ,spagnuoletto and ,murillo1 should   
without reluctance have submitted to the
 gay volatility of ,luca ,giordano1 and 
the ostentatious flimsiness of          
,sebastian ,conca1 would be matter of   
surprise1 did we not see the same       
principles successfully pursued in the  
platfonds of ,antonio ,raphael ,mengs1  
the painter of philosophy1 as he is     
styled by his biographer ,d',azara4 ,the
 cartoons of the frescoes painted for   
the royal palace at ,madrid1            
representing the apotheosis of ,trajan  
and the temple of ,renown1 exhibit less 
the style of ,raphael in the nuptials of
 ,cupid and ,psyche at the ,farnesina1  
than the gorgeous but empty bustle of   

,pietro da ,cortona4  ,from this view of
 art on the ,continent1 let us cast a   
glance on its state in this country1    
from the age of ,henry ,,viii4 to our   
own4--,from that period to this1        
,britain never ceased pouring its       
caravans of noble and wealthy pilgrims  
over ,italy1 ,greece1 and ,ionia1 to pay
 their devotions at the shrines of virt 
and taste3 not content with adoring the 
obscure idols1 they have ransacked their
 temples1 and none returned without some
 share in the spoil3 in plaister or in  
marble1 on canvass or in gems1 the arts 
of ,greece and ,italy were transported  
to ,england1 and what ,petronius said of
 ,rome1 that it was easier to meet there
 with a god than a man1 might be said of
 ,london4 ,without inquiring into the   
permanent and accidental causes of the  
inefficacy of these efforts with regard 
to public taste and support of art1 it  
is observable1 that1 whilst ,francis ,i4
 was busied1 not to aggregate a mass of 
painted and chiselled treasures merely  

to gratify his own vanity1 and brood    
over them with sterile avarice1 but to  
scatter the seeds of taste over ,france1
 by calling1 employing1 enriching       
,andrea del ,sarto1 ,rustici1 ,rosso1   
,primaticcio1 ,cellini1 ,niccolo2 in    
,england1 ,holbein and ,torregiano under
 ,henry1 and ,federigo ,zucchero under  
,elizabeth1 were condemned to gothic    
work and portrait painting4 ,charles    
indeed called ,rubens and his scholars  
to provoke the latent ,english spark1   
but the effect was intercepted by his   
destiny4 ,his son1 in possession of the 
cartoons of ,raphael1 and with the      
magnificence of ,whitehall before his   
eyes1 suffered ,verio to contaminate the
 walls of his palaces1 or degraded ,lely
 to paint the ,cymons and ,iphigenias of
 his court2 whilst the manner of        
,kneller swept completely what yet might
 be left of taste under his successors3 
such was the equally contemptible and   
deplorable state of ,english art1 till  
the genius of ,reynolds first rescued   

from the mannered depravation of        
foreigners his own branch1 and soon     
extending his view to the higher        
departments of art1 joined that select  
body of artists who addressed the ever  
open ear1 ever attentive mind of our    
,royal ,founder1 with the first idea of 
this establishment4 ,his beneficence    
soon gave it a place and a name1 his    
august patronage1 sanction1 and         
individual encouragement3 the annually  
increased merits of thirty exhibitions  
in this place1 with the collateral ones 
contrived by the speculations of        
commerce1 have told the surprising      
effects3 a mass of self-taught and      
tutored powers burst upon the general   
eye1 and unequivocally told the world   
what might be expected from the         
concurrence of public encouragement--how
 far this has been or may be granted or 
withheld1 it is not here my province to 
surmise3 the plans lately adopted and   
now organizing within these walls for   
the dignified propagation and support of

 art1 whether fostered by the great1 or 
left to their own energy1 must soon     
decide what may be produced by the      
unison of ,british genius and talent1   
and whether the painters' school of that
 nation which claims the foremost       
honours of modern poetry1 which has     
produced with ,reynolds1 ,hogarth1      
,gainsborough1 and ,wilson1 shall submit
 to content themselves with a           
subordinate place among the schools we  
have enumerated4   ,,footnotes3  #bg    
,see the account of this in ,vasari2    
vita di ,p4 ,brunelleschi1 tom4 ii4     
#aad4 ,it is of wood1 and still exists  
in the chapel of the family ,gondi1 in  
the church of ,s4 ,maria ,novella4 ,i   
know that near a century before ,donato1
 ,giotto is said to have worked in      
marble two basso-relievoes on the       
campanile of the cathedral of ,florence2
 they probably excel the style of his   
pictures as much as the bronze works    
executed by ,andrea ,pisani1 from his   
designs1 at the door of the             

,battisterio4  #bh ,masaccio da ,s4     
,giovanni di ,valdarno born in #adjb1 is
 said to have died in #addc4 ,he was the
 pupil of ,masolino da ,panicale4  #bi  
,andrea ,mantegna died at ,mantoua1     
#aeje4 ,a monument erected to his memory
 in #aeag1 by his sons1 gave rise to the
 mistake of dating his death from that  
period4  #cj ,luca ,signorelli died at  
,cortona #aeba1 aged #hb4  #ca ,lionardo
 da ,vinci is said to have died in      
#aeag1 aged #ge1 at ,paris4  #cb ,the   
flying birds of paste1 the lions filled 
with lilies1 the lizards with dragons'  
wings1 horned and silvered over1 savour 
equally of the boy and the quack4 ,it is
 singular enough that there exists not  
the smallest hint of ,lorenzo de ,medici
 having employed or noticed a man of    
such powers and such early celebrity2   
the legend which makes him go to ,rome  
with ,juliano de ,medici at the access  
of ,leo ,x41 to accept employment in the
 ,vatican1 whether sufficiently         
authentic or not1 furnishes a           

characteristic trait of the man4 ,the   
,pope passing through the room allotted 
for the pictures1 and instead of designs
 and cartoons1 finding nothing but an   
apparatus of distillery1 of oils and    
varnishes1 exclaimed1 ,oim1 costui non  
per far nulla1 da che comincia a pensare
 alla fine innanzi il principio dell'   
opera6 ,from an admirable sonnet of     
,lionardo1 preserved by ,lomazzo1 he    
appears to have been sensible of the    
inconstancy of his own temper1 and full 
of wishes1 at least1 to correct it4     
,much has been said of the honour he    
received by expiring in the arms of     
,francis ,i4 ,it was indeed an honour1  
by which destiny in some degree atoned  
to that monarch for his future disaster 
at ,pavia4  #cc ,fr ,bartolomeo died at 
,florence #aeag1 at the age of #dh4  #cd
 ,michael ,angelo ,buonarotti1 born at  
,castel-,caprese in #adgd1 died at ,rome
 #aefd1 aged #ij4  #ce ,like            
,silanion--',apollodorum fecit1 fictorem
 et ipsum1 sed inter cunctos            

diligentissimum artis et inimicum sui   
judicem1 crebro perfecta signa          
frangentem1 dum satiare cupiditatem     
nequit artis1 et ideo insanum           
cognominatum4 ,hoc in eo expressit1 nec 
hominem ex re fecit sed ,iracundiam4'   
,plin4 l4 xxxiv4 #g4  #cf ,when ,m4     
,angelo pronounced oil-painting to be   
,arte da donna e da huomini agiati e    
infingardi1 a maxim to which the fierce 
,venetian manner has given an air of    
paradox1 he spoke relatively to fresco3 
it was a lash on the short-sighted      
insolence of ,sebastian del ,piombo1 who
 wanted to persuade ,paul ,,iii4 to have
 the ,last ,judgement painted in oil4   
,that he had a sense for the beauties of
 oil-colour1 its glow1 its juice1 its   
richness1 its pulp1 the praises which he
 lavished on ,titiano1 whom he called   
the only painter1 and his patronage of  
,fr ,sebastian himself1 evidently prove4
 ,when young1 ,m4 ,angelo attempted     
oil-painting with success2 the picture  
painted for ,angelo ,doni is an         

instance1 and probably the only entire  
work of the kind that remains4 ,the     
,lazarus1 in the picture destined for   
the cathedral at ,narbonne1 rejects the 
claim of every other hand4 ,the ,leda1  
the cartoon of which1 formerly in the   
palace of the ,vecchietti at ,florence1 
is now in the possession of ,w4 ,lock1  
,esq4 was painted in distemper 7a       
tempera72 all small or large            
oil-pictures shown as his1 are copies   
from his designs or cartoons1 by        
,marcello ,venusti1 ,giacopo da         
,pontormo1 ,battista ,franco1 and       
,sebastian of ,venice4  #cg ,raphael    
,sanzio1 of ,urbino1 died at ,rome      
#aebj1 at the age of #cg4  #ch ,giorgio 
,barbarelli1 from his size and beauty   
called ,giorgione1 was born at ,castel  
,franco1 in the territory of ,venice1   
#adgh1 and died at ,venice1 #aeaa4  #ci 
,titiano ,vecelli1 or1 as the ,venetians
 call him1 ,tizin1 born at ,cador in the
 ,friulese1 died at ,venice1 #aegf1 aged
 #ii4  #dj ,the birth and life of       

,antonio ,allegri1 or1 as he called     
himself1 ,lti1 surnamed ,correggio1 is  
more involved in obscurity than the life
 of ,apelles4 ,whether he was born in   
#adij or #adid is not ascertained2 the  
time of his death in #aecd is more      
certain4 ,the best account of him has   
undoubtedly been given by ,a4 ,r4 ,mengs
 in his ,memorie concernenti la vita e  
le opere di ,antonio ,allegri denominato
 il ,correggio4 ,vol4 ii4 of his works1 
published by the ,spaniard ,d4 ,g4      
,niccola d',azara4  #da ,pelegrino      
,tibaldi died at ,milano in #aeib1 aged 
#gj4  #db ,sebastiano1 afterwards called
 ,del ,piombo from the office of the    
papal signet1 died at ,rome in #aedg1   
aged #fb4  #dc ,daniel ,ricciarelli1 of 
,volterra1 died in #aeff1 aged #eg4  #dd
 ,now the first ornament of the         
exquisite collection of ,j4 ,j4         
,angerstein1 ,esq4--,since purchased for
 the ,national ,gallery4--,,editor4  #de
 ,giorgio ,vasari1 of ,arezzo1 died in  
#aehd1 aged #fh4  #df ,julio ,pipi1     

called ,romano1 died at ,mantoua in     
#aedf1 aged #ed4  #dg ,francesco        
,primaticcio1 made ,abb de ,st4 ,martin 
de ,troyes1 by ,francis1 ,i41 died in   
,france #aegj1 aged #hj4  #dh ,polydoro 
,caldara da ,caravaggio was assassinated
 at ,messina in #aedc1 aged #ea4  #di   
,michael ,angelo ,amerigi1 surnamed ,il 
,caravaggi1 knight of ,malta1 died      
#afji1 aged #dj4  #ej ,nicolas ,poussin1
 of ,andely1 died at ,rome #affe1 aged  
#ga4  #ea ,salvator ,rosa1 surnamed     
,salvatoriello1 died at ,rome #afgc1    
aged #ei4  #eb ,of the portraits which  
,raphael in fresco scattered over the   
compositions of the ,vatican1 we shall  
find an opportunity to speak4 ,but in   
oil the real style of portrait began at 
,venice with ,giorgione1 flourished in  
,sebastian del ,piombo1 and was carried 
to perfection by ,titiano1 who filled   
the masses of the first without         
entangling himself in the minute details
 of the second4 ,tintoretto1 ,bassan1   
and ,paolo of ,verona1 followed the     

principle of ,titiano4 ,after these1 it 
migrated from ,italy to reside with the 
,spaniard ,diego ,velasquez2 from whom  
,rubens and ,vandyck attempted to       
transplant it to ,flanders1 ,france1 and
 ,england1 with unequal success4 ,france
 seized less on the delicacy than on the
 affectation of ,vandyck1 and soon      
turned the art of representing men and  
women into a mere remembrancer of       
fashions and airs4 ,england had         
possessed ,holbein1 but it was reserved 
for the ,german ,lely1 and his successor
 ,kneller1 to lay the foundation of a   
manner1 which1 by pretending to unite   
portrait with history1 gave a retrograde
 direction for near a century to both4  
,a mob of shepherds and shepherdesses in
 flowing wigs and dressed curls1 ruffled
 ,endymions1 humble ,junos1 withered    
,hebes1 surly ,allegroes1 and smirking  
,pensierosas1 usurped the place of      
truth1 propriety and character4 ,even   
the lamented powers of the greatest     
painter whom this country and perhaps   

our age produced1 long vainly struggled1
 and scarcely in the eve of life        
succeeded to emancipate us from this    
dastard taste4  #ec ,francesco          
,mazzuoli1 called ,il ,parmegiano1 died 
at ,casal ,maggiore in #aedj1 at the age
 of #cf4 ,the magnificent picture of the
 ,st4 ,john1 we speak of1 was begun by  
order of the ,lady ,maria ,bufalina1 and
 destined for the church of ,st4        
,salvadore del ,lauro at ,citt di       
,castello4 ,it probably never received  
the last hand of the master1 who fled   
from ,rome1 where he painted it1 at the 
sacking of that city1 under ,charles    
,bourbon1 in #aebg2 it remained in the  
refectory of the convent della ,pace for
 several years1 was carried to ,citt di 
,castello by ,messer ,giulio ,bufalini1 
and is now in ,england4 ,the ,moses1 a  
figure in ,fresco at ,parma1 together   
with ,raphael's figure of ,god in the   
vision of ,ezekiel1 is said1 by ,mr4    
,mason1 to have furnished ,gray with the
 head and action of his bard3 if that   

was the case1 he would have done well to
 acquaint us with the poet's method of  
making ',placidis coire immitia4'  #ed  
,lodovico ,carracci died at ,bologna    
#afai1 aged #fd4  #ee ,agostino         
,carracci died at ,parma in #afjb1 at   
the age of #dd4 ,his is the ,st4        
,girolamo in the ,certosa1 near         
,bologna2 his1 the ,thetis with the     
nereids1 cupids1 and tritons1 in the    
gallery of the palace ,farnese4 ,why1 as
 an engraver1 he should have wasted his 
powers on the large plate from the      
,crucifixion1 painted by ,tintoretto1 in
 the hospitio of the school of ,st4     
,rocco1 a picture1 of which he could not
 express the tone1 its greatest merit1  
is not easily unriddled4 ,annibale      
,carracci died at ,rome in #afji1 at the
 age of #di4  #ef     ,,sonnet ,,of     
,,agostino ,,carracci4       ,chi farsi 
un buon ,pittor cerca1 e desia1      ,il
 disegno di ,roma habbia alla mano1     
,la mossa coll' ombrar ,veneziano1      
,e il degno colorir di ,lombardia1      

,di ,michel' ,angiol la terribil via1   
,il vero natural di ,tiziano1      ,del 
,correggio lo stil puro1 e sovrano1     
,e di un ,rafel la giusta simetria4     
,del ,tibaldi il decoro1 e il           
fondamento1        ,del dotto           
,primaticcio l'inventare1        ,e un  
po di gratia del ,parmigianino4         
,ma senza tanti studi1 e tanto stento1  
,si ponga l'opre solo ad imitare1       
,che qui lasciocci il nostro ,niccolino4
  ,malvasia1 author of the ,felsina     
,pittrice1 has made this sonnet the text
 to his drowsy rhapsody on the frescoes 
of ,lodovico ,carracci and some of his  
scholars1 in the cloisters of ,st4      
,michele in ,bosco1 by ,bologna4 ,he    
circumscribes the ',mossa ,veneziana1'  
of the sonnet1 by ',quel strepitoso     
motivo e quel divincolamento' peculiar  
to ,tintoretto4  #eg ,guido ,reni died  
in #afdb1 aged #fh4 ,giov4 ,lanfranco   
died at ,naples in #afdg1 aged #ff4     
,franc4 ,albani died in #affj1 aged #hb4
 ,domenico ,zampieri1 called ,il        

,domenichino1 died in #afda1 aged #fj4  
,franc4 ,barbieri of ,cento1 called ,il 
,guercino1 from a cast in his eye1 died 
in #affg1 aged #gf4  #eh ,pietro        
,berretini1 of ,cortona1 the painter of 
the ceiling in the ,barberini hall1 and 
of the gallery in the lesser ,pamphili  
palace1 the vernal suavity of whose     
fresco tints no pencil ever equalled1   
died at ,rome in #affi1 aged #gc4 ,luca 
,giordano1 nicknamed ,fa-presto1 or     
,dispatch1 from the rapidity of his     
execution1 the greatest machinist of his
 time1 died in #agje1 aged #gf4  #ei ,we
 are informed by the ,editor of the     
,latin translation of ,albert ,durer's  
book1 on the symmetry of the parts of   
the human frame1 7,parisiis1 in officina
 ,caroli ,perier in vico ,bellovaco1 sub
 ,bellerophonte1 #aeeg1 fol47 that1     
during ,albert's stay at ,venice1 where 
he resided for a short time1 to procure 
redress from the ,signoria for the      
forgery of ,marc ,antonio1 he became    
familiar with ,giovanni ,bellini3 and   

that ,andrea ,mantegna1 who had heard of
 his arrival in ,italy1 and had         
conceived a high opinion of his         
execution and fertility1 sent him a     
message of invitation to ,mantoua1 for  
the express purpose of giving him an    
idea of that form of which he himself   
had obtained a glimpse from the         
contemplation of the antique4 ,andrea   
was then ill1 and expired before        
,albert1 who immediately prepared to set
 out for ,mantoua1 could profit by his  
instructions4 ,this disappointment1 says
 my author1 ,albert never ceased to     
lament during his life4 ,how fit the    
,mantouan was to instruct the ,german1  
is not the question here2 but ,albert's 
regret seems to prove that he felt a    
want which his model could not supply2  
and that he had too just an idea of the 
importance of the art to be proud of    
dexterity of finger or facility of      
execution1 when employed on objects     
essentially defective or comparatively  
trifling4 ,the following personal       

account of ,albert deserves to be given 
in the ,latin ,editor's own words3 ',e  
,pannonia oriundum accepimus--,erat     
caput argutum1 oculi micantes1 nasus    
honestus et quem ,greci ,tetragnon      
vocant2 proceriusculum collum1 pectus   
amplum1 castigatus venter1 femora       
nervosa1 crura stabilia3 sed digitis    
nihil dixisses vidisse elegantius4'     
,albert ,durer was the scholar of       
,martin ,schn and ,michael ,wolgemuth1  
and died at ,nuremberg in #aebh1 aged   
#eg4  #fj ,lucas ,jacob1 called ,lucas  
of ,leyden1 and by the ,italians1 ,luca 
d',ollanda1 died at ,leyden in #aecc4   
#fa ,peter ,paul ,rubens1 of ,cologne1  
the disciple of ,adam ,van ,ort and     
,otho ,venius1 died at or near ,antwerp 
in #afda1 aged #fc4  ,see the admirable 
character given of him by ,sir ,joshua  
,reynolds1 annexed to his journey to    
,flanders1 vol4 ii4 of his ,works4  #fb 
,anthony ,vandyck died in ,london1      
#afda1 at the age of #db4--,the poetic  
conception of ,abraham ,diepenbeck may  

be estimated from the ,temple des ,muses
 of ,mr4 de ,marolles2 re-edited but not
 improved by ,bernard ,picart4  #fc     
,rembrandt died1 at ,amsterdam 8 in     
#afgd1 aged #fh4  #fd ,hans ,holbein1 of
 ,basle1 died in ,london1 #aedd1 at the 
age of #df4 ,peter ,francis ,mola1 the  
scholar of ,giuseppe d',arpino and      
,franc4 ,albani1 was born at the village
 of ,coldre1 of the diocese of ,balerna1
 in the bailliage of ,mendrisio1 in     
#afba1 and died at ,rome in #afff4  #fe 
,eustache le ,sueur1 bred under ,simon  
,voet1 died at ,paris in #afee1 at the  
age of #hh4 ,his fellow-scholar and     
overbearing rival1 ,charles le ,brun1   
died in #afij1 aged #ga4  #ff ,for the  
best account of ,spanish art1 see       
,lettera di ,a4 ,r4 ,mengs a ,don       
,antonio ,ponz4 ,opere di ,mengs1 vol4  
ii4 ,mengs was born at ,ausig1 in       
,bohemia1 in #agbh1 and died at ,rome in
 #aggi4     ,,third ,,lecture4          
,,invention4  ,,part ,i4      ----,,ti  
,t' ,,ar ,,au ,,phthoneeis1 ,,eri,,ron  

,,aoidon     ,,terpein1 ,,opp ,,oi      
,,noos ,,ornytai8 ,,oy ,,ny ,t' ,,aoidoi
     ,,aitioi1 ,,alla ,,pothi ,,zeus    
,,aitios1 ,,hoste ,,did,,sin            
,,andrasin ,,alph,,st,,sin1 ,,op,s      
,,ethel,,sin ,,ekast,i4                 
,homer4 ,odyss4 ,a4 #cdf4   ,,argument4 
,introduction4 ,discrimination of       
,poetry and ,painting4 ,general     idea
 of ,invention--its right to select a   
subject from ,nature     itself4        
,visiones--,theon--,agasias4 ,cartoon of
 ,pisa--,incendio del     ,borgo4       
,specific idea of ,invention3 ,epic     
subjects--,michael     ,angelo4         
,dramatic subjects--,raphael4 ,historic 
subjects--,poussin1     c4 ,invention   
has a right to adopt ideas--examples4   
,duplicity of     subject and moment    
inadmissible4 ,transfiguration of       
,raphael4     ,,third ,,lecture4   ,the 
brilliant antithesis ascribed to        
,simonides1 that 'painting is mute poesy
 and poetry speaking painting1' made1 ,i
 apprehend1 no part of the technic      

systems of antiquity3 for this we may   
depend on the general practice of its   
artists1 and still more safely on the   
philosophic discrimination of           
,plutarch#fg1 who tells us1 that as     
poetry and painting resemble each other 
in their uniform address to the senses1 
for the impression they mean to make on 
our fancy and by that on our mind1 so   
they differ as essentially in their     
materials and their modes of            
application1 which are regulated by the 
diversity of the organs they address1   
ear and eye4 ,successive action         
communicated by sounds1 and time1 are   
the medium of poetry2 form displayed in 
space1 and momentaneous energy1 are the 
element of painting4  ,as if these      
premises be true1 the distinct          
representation of continued action is   
refused to an art which cannot express  
even in a series of subjects1 but by a  
supposed mental effort in the           
spectator's mind1 the regular succession
 of their moments1 it becomes evident1  

that instead of attempting to impress us
 by the indiscriminate usurpation of a  
principle out of its reach1 it ought    
chiefly to rely for its effect on its   
great characteristics space and form1   
singly or in apposition4 ,in forms alone
 the idea of existence can be rendered  
permanent4 ,sounds die1 words perish or 
become obsolete and obscure1 even       
colours fade1 forms alone can neither be
 extinguished nor misconstrued2 by      
application to their standard alone1    
description becomes intelligible and    
distinct4 ,thus the effectual idea of   
corporeal beauty can strictly exist only
 in the plastic arts3 for as the notion 
of beauty arises from the pleasure we   
feel in the harmonious co-operation of  
the various parts of some favourite     
object to one end at once1 it implies   
their immediate co-existence in the mass
 they compose2 and therefore can be     
distinctly perceived and conveyed to the
 mind by the eye alone3 hence the       
representation of form in figure is the 

physical element of the ,art4  ,but as  
bodies exist in time as well as in      
space2 as the pleasure arising from the 
mere symmetry of an object is as        
transient as it is immediate2 as harmony
 of parts1 if the body be the agent of  
an internal power1 depends for its proof
 on their application1 it follows1 that 
the exclusive exhibition of inert and   
unemployed form1 would be a mistake of  
the medium for the end1 and that        
character or action is required to make 
it an interesting object of imitation4  
,and this is the moral element of the   
art4  ,those important moments then     
which exhibit the united exertion of    
form and character in a single object or
 in participation with collateral       
beings1 at once1 and which with equal   
rapidity and pregnancy give us a glimpse
 of the past and lead our eye to what   
follows1 furnish the true materials of  
those technic powers1 that select1      
direct1 and fix the objects of imitation
 to their centre4  ,the most eminent of 

these1 by the explicit acknowledgment of
 all ages1 and the silent testimony of  
every breast1 is invention4 ,he whose   
eye athwart the outward crust of the    
rock penetrates into the composition of 
its materials1 and discovers a gold     
mine1 is surely superior to him who     
afterwards adapts the metal for use4    
,colombo1 when he from astronomic and   
physical inductions concluded to the    
existence of land in the opposite       
hemisphere1 was surely superior to      
,amerigo ,vespucci who took possession  
of its continent2 and when ,newton      
improving accident by meditation1       
discovered and established the laws of  
attraction1 the projectile and          
centrifuge qualities of the system1 he  
gave the clue to all who after him      
applied it to the various branches of   
philosophy1 and was in fact the author  
of all the benefits accruing from their 
application to society4 ,homer1 when he 
means to give the principal feature of  
man1 calls him inventor 7alphsts74      

,from what we have said it is clear that
 the term invention never ought to be so
 far misconstrued as to be confounded   
with that of creation1 incompatible with
 our notions of limited being1 an idea  
of pure astonishment1 and admissible    
only when we mention ,omnipotence3 to   
invent is to find3 to find something1   
presupposes its existence somewhere1    
implicitly or explicitly1 scattered or  
in a mass3 nor should ,i have presumed  
to say so much on a word of a meaning so
 plain1 had it not been1 and were it not
 daily confounded1 and by fashionable   
authorities too1 with the term creation4
  ,form1 in its widest meaning1 the     
visible universe that envelopes our     
senses1 and its counterpart the         
invisible one that agitates our mind    
with visions bred on sense by fancy1 are
 the element and the realm of invention2
 it discovers1 selects1 combines the    
possible1 the probable1 the known1 in a 
mode that strikes with an air of truth  
and novelty1 at once4 ,possible strictly

 means an effect derived from a cause1 a
 body composed of materials1 a coalition
 of forms1 whose union or co-agency     
imply in themselves no absurdity1 no    
contradiction3 applied to our art1 it   
takes a wider latitude2 it means the    
representation of effects derived from  
causes1 or forms compounded from        
materials1 heterogeneous and            
incompatible among themselves1 but      
rendered so plausible to our senses1    
that the transition of one part to      
another seems to be accounted for by an 
air of organization1 and the eye glides 
imperceptibly or with satisfaction from 
one to the other and over the whole3    
that this was the condition on which1   
and the limits within which alone the   
ancients permitted invention to         
represent what was strictly speaking    
impossible1 we may with plausibility    
surmise from the picture of ,zeuxis1    
described by ,lucian in the memoir to   
which he has prefixed that painter's    
name1 who was probably one of the first 

adventurers in this species of          
imagery4--,zeuxis had painted a family  
of centaurs2 the dam a beautiful female 
to the middle1 with the lower parts     
gradually sliding into the most         
exquisite forms of a young ,thessalian  
mare1 half reclined in playful repose   
and gently pawing the velvet ground1    
offered her human nipple to one infant  
centaur1 whilst another greedily sucked 
the ferine udder below1 but both with   
their eyes turned up to a lion-whelp    
held over them by the male centaur their
 father1 rising above the hillock on    
which the female reclined1 a grim       
feature1 but whose ferocity was somewhat
 tempered by a smile4  ,the scenery1 the
 colour1 the chiaroscuro1 the finish of 
the whole was no doubt equal to the     
style and the conception4 ,this picture 
the artist exhibited1 expecting that    
justice from the penetration of the     
public which the genius deserved that   
taught him to give plausibility to a    
compound of heterogeneous forms1 to     

inspire them with suitable soul1 and to 
imitate the laws of existence3 he was   
mistaken4 ,the novelty of the conceit   
eclipsed the art that had embodied it1  
the artist was absorbed in his subject1 
and the unbounded praise bestowed1 was  
that of idle restless curiosity1        
gratified4 ,sick of gods and goddesses1 
of demigods and pure human combinations1
 the ,athenians panted only for what was
 new4 ,the artist1 as haughty as        
irritable1 ordered his picture to be    
withdrawn2 ,cover it1 ,micchio1 said he 
to his attendant1 cover it and carry it 
home1 for this mob stick only to the    
clay of our art4--,such were the limits 
set to invention by the ancients2 secure
 within these1 it defied the ridicule   
thrown on that grotesque conglutination 
which ,horace exposes2 guarded by these1
 their mythology scattered its          
metamorphoses1 made every element its   
tributary1 and transmitted the privilege
 to us1 on equal conditions3 their      
,scylla and the ,portress of ,hell1     

their dmons and our spectres1 the shade 
of ,patroclus and the ghost of ,hamlet1 
their naiads1 nymphs1 and oreads1 and   
our sylphs1 gnomes1 and fairies1 their  
furies and our witches1 differ less in  
essence1 than in local1 temporary1      
social modifications3 their common      
origin was fancy1 operating on the      
materials of nature1 assisted by        
legendary tradition and the curiosity   
implanted in us of diving into the      
invisible2#fh and they are suffered or  
invited to mix with or superintend real 
agency1 in proportion of the analogy    
which we discover between them and      
ourselves4 ,pindar praises ,homer less  
for that 'winged power' which whirls    
incident on incident with such rapidity1
 that absorbed by the whole1 and drawn  
from the impossibility of single parts1 
we swallow a tale too gross to be       
believed in a dream2 than for the       
greater power by which he contrived to  
connect his imaginary creation with the 
realities of nature and human           

passions2#fi without this the fiction of
 the poet and the painter will leave us 
stupified rather by its insolence1 than 
impressed by its power1 it will be      
considered only as a superior kind of   
legerdemain1 an exertion of ingenuity to
 no adequate end4  ,before we proceed to
 the process and the methods of         
invention1 it is not superfluous to     
advert to a question which has often    
been made1 and by some has been answered
 in the negative2 whether it be within  
the artist's province or not1 to find or
 to combine a subject from himself1     
without having recourse to tradition or 
the stores of history and poetry8 ,why  
not1 if the subject be within the limits
 of art and the combinations of nature1 
though it should have escaped           
observation8 ,shall the immediate       
avenues of the mind1 open to all its    
observers1 from the poet to the         
novelist1 be shut only to the artist8   
shall he be reduced to receive as alms  
from them what he has a right to share  

as common property8 ,assertions like    
these1 say in other words1 that the     
,laocoon owes the impression he makes on
 us to his name alone1 and that if      
tradition had not told a story and      
,pliny fixed it to that work1 the       
artist's conception of a father with his
 sons1 surprised and entangled by two   
serpents within the recesses of a cavern
 or lonesome dell1 was inadmissible and 
transgressed the laws of invention4 ,i  
am much mistaken1 if1 so far from losing
 its power over us with its traditional 
sanction1 it would not rouse our        
sympathy more forcibly1 and press the   
subject closer to our breast1 were it   
considered only as the representation of
 an incident common to humanity4 ,the   
ancients were so convinced of their     
right to this disputed prerogative that 
they assigned it its own class1 and     
,theon the ,samian is mentioned by      
,quintilian1 whom none will accuse or   
suspect of confounding the limits of the
 arts1 in his list of primary painters1 

as owing his celebrity to that intuition
 into the sudden movements of nature1   
which the ,greeks called phantasias1 the
 ,romans visiones1 and we might         
circumscribe by the phrase of           
'unpremeditated conceptions' the        
re-production of associated ideas2 he   
explains what he understood by it in the
 following passage adapted to his own   
profession1 rhetoric4#gj ',we give1'    
says he1 'the name of visions to what   
the ,greeks call phantasies2 that power 
by which the images of absent things are
 represented by the mind with the energy
 of objects moving before our eyes3 he  
who conceives these rightly will be a   
master of passions2 his is that         
well-tempered fancy which can imagine   
things1 voices1 acts1 as they really    
exist1 a power perhaps in a great       
measure dependent on our will4 ,for if  
these images so pursue us when our minds
 are in a state of rest1 or fondly fed  
by hope1 or in a kind of waking dream1  
that we seem to travel1 to sail1 to     

fight1 to harangue in public1 or to     
dispose of riches we possess not1 and   
all this with an air of reality1 why    
should we not turn to use this vice of  
the mind8--,suppose ,i am to plead the  
case of a murdered man1 why should not  
every supposable circumstance of the act
 float before my eyes8 ,shall ,i not see
 the murderer unawares rush in upon him8
 in vain he tries to escape--see how    
pale he turns--hear you not his shrieks1
 his entreaties8 do you not see him     
flying1 struck1 falling8 will not his   
blood1 his ashy semblance1 his groans1  
his last expiring gasp1 seize on my     
mind8'  ,permit me to apply this organ  
of the orator for one moment to the     
poet's process3 by this radiant         
recollection of associated ideas1 the   
spontaneous ebullitions of nature1      
selected by observation1 treasured by   
memory1 classed by sensibility and      
judgment1 ,shakspeare became the supreme
 master of passions and the ruler of our
 hearts3 this embodied his ,falstaff and

 his ,shylock1 ,hamlet and ,lear1       
,juliet and ,rosalind4 ,by this power he
 saw ,warwick uncover the corpse of     
,gloster1 and swear to his assassination
 and his tugs for life2 by this he made 
,banquo see the weird sisters bubble up 
from earth1 and in their own air vanish2
 this is the hand that struck upon the  
bell when ,macbeth's drink was ready1   
and from her chamber pushed his dreaming
 wife1 once more to methodize the murder
 of her guest4  ,and this was the power 
of ,theon2#ga such was the              
unpremeditated conception that inspired 
him with the idea of that warrior1 who  
in the words of lian1 seemed to embody  
the terrible graces and the enthusiastic
 furor of the god of war4 ,impetuous he 
rushed onward to oppose the sudden      
incursion of enemies2 with shield thrown
 forward1 and high brandished falchion1 
his step as he swept on1 seemed to      
devour the ground3 his eye flashed      
defiance2 you fancied to hear his voice1
 his look denounced perdition and       

slaughter without mercy4 ,this figure1  
single and without other accompaniments 
of war than what the havock of the      
distance showed1 ,theon deemed          
sufficient to answer the impression he  
intended to make on those whom he had   
selected to inspect it4 ,he kept it     
covered1 till a trumpet1 prepared for   
the purpose1 after a prelude of martial 
symphonies1 at once1 by his command1    
blew with invigorated fierceness a      
signal of attack--the curtain dropped1  
the terrific figure appeared to start   
from the canvass1 and irresistibly      
assailed the astonished eyes of the     
assembly4  ,to prove the relation of    
lian no hyperbolic legend1 ,i need not  
insist on the magic effect which the    
union of two sister powers must produce 
on the senses3 of what our art alone and
 unassisted may perform1 the most       
unequivocal proof exists within these   
walls2 your eyes1 your feelings1 and    
your fancy have long anticipated it3    
whose mind has not now recalled that    

wonder of a figure1 the misnamed        
gladiator of ,agasias1 a figure1 whose  
tremendous energy embodies every element
 of motion1 whilst its pathetic dignity 
of character enforces sympathies1 which 
the undisguised ferocity of ,theon's    
warrior in vain solicits4 ,but the same 
irradiation which showed the soldier to 
,theon1 showed to ,agasias the leader3  
,theon saw the passion1 ,agasias#gb its 
rule4  ,but the most striking instance  
of the eminent place due to this        
intuitive faculty among the principal   
organs of invention1 is that celebrated 
performance1 which by the united        
testimony of contemporary writers1 and  
the evident traces of its imitation1    
scattered over the works of contemporary
 artists1 contributed alone more to the 
restoration of art and the revolution of
 style1 than the united effort of the   
two centuries that preceded it3 ,i mean 
the astonishing design commonly called  
the ,cartoon of ,pisa1 the work of      
,michael ,agnolo ,buonarrotti1 begun in 

competition with ,lionardo da ,vinci1   
and at intervals finished at ,florence4 
,this work1 whose celebrity subjected   
those who had not seen it to the        
supercilious contempt of the luckier    
ones who had2 which was the common      
centre of attraction to all the students
 of ,tuscany and ,romagna1 from ,raphael
 ,sanzio to ,bastian da ,st4 ,gallo1    
called ,aristotile1 from his loquacious 
descants on its beauties2 this          
inestimable work itself is lost1 and its
 destruction is with too much appearance
 of truth fixed on the mean villainy of 
,baccio ,bandinelli1 who1 in possession 
of the key to the apartment where it was
 kept1 during the revolutionary troubles
 of the ,florentine republic1 after     
making what use he thought proper of it1
 is said to have torn it in pieces4     
,still we may form an idea of its       
principal groups from some ancient      
prints and drawings2 and of its         
composition from a small copy now       
existing at ,holkham1 the outlines of   

which have been lately etched4 ,crude1  
disguised1 or feeble1 as these specimens
 are1 they will prove better guides than
 the half-informed rhapsodies of        
,vasari1 the meagre account of ,ascanio 
,condivi1 better than the mere anatomic 
verdict of ,benvenuto ,cellini1 who     
denies that the powers afterward exerted
 in the ,capella ,sistina1 arrive at    
half its excellence4#gc  ,it represents 
an imaginary moment relative to the war 
carried on by the ,florentines against  
,pisa3 and exhibits a numerous group of 
warriors1 roused from their bathing in  
the ,arno1 by the sudden signal of a    
trumpet and rushing to arms4 ,this      
composition may without exaggeration be 
said to personify with unexampled       
variety that motion1 which ,agasias and 
,theon embodied in single figures3 in   
imagining this transient moment from a  
state of relaxation to a state of       
energy1 the ideas of motion1 to use the 
bold figure of ,dante1 seem to have     
showered into the artist's mind4 ,from  

the chief1 nearly placed in the centre1 
who precedes1 and whose voice           
accompanies the trumpet1 every age of   
human agility1 every attitude1 every    
feature of alarm1 haste1 hurry1         
exertion1 eagerness1 burst into so many 
rays1 like sparks flying from the       
hammer4 ,many have reached1 some boldly 
step1 some have leaped on the rocky     
shore2 here two arms emerging from the  
water grapple with the rock1 there two  
hands cry for help1 and their companions
 bend over or rush on to assist them2   
often imitated1 but inimitable is the   
ardent feature of the grim veteran whose
 every sinew labours to force over the  
dripping limbs his clothes1 whilst      
gnashing he pushes the foot through the 
rending garment4 ,he is contrasted by   
the slender elegance of a half averted  
youth1 who1 though eagerly buckling the 
armour to his thigh1 methodizes haste2  
another swings the high-raised hauberk  
on his shoulder1 whilst one who seems a 
leader1 mindless of dress1 ready for    

combat1 and with brandished spear1      
overturns a third1 who crouched to grasp
 a weapon--one naked himself1 buckles on
 the mail of his companion1 and he1     
turned toward the enemy1 seems to stamp 
impatiently the ground4--,experience and
 rage1 old vigour1 young velocity1      
expanded or contracted1 vie in exertions
 of energy4 ,yet in this scene of tumult
 one motive animates the whole1         
eagerness to engage with subordination  
to command2 this preserves the dignity  
of action1 and from a straggling rabble 
changes the figures to men whose        
legitimate contest interests our wishes4
  ,this intuition into the pure         
emanations of nature1 ,raphael ,sanzio  
possessed in the most enviable degree1  
from the utmost conflict of passions1 to
 the enchanting round of gentler        
emotion1 and the nearly silent hints of 
mind and character4 ,to this he devoted 
the tremendous scenery of that          
magnificent fresco1 known to you all    
under the name of the ,incendio del     

,borgo1 in which he sacrificed the      
historic and mystic part of his subject 
to the effusion of the various passions 
roused by the sudden terrors of         
nocturnal conflagration4 ,it is not for 
the faint appearance of the miracle     
which approaches with the pontiff and   
his train in the back-ground1 that      
,raphael invites our eyes2 the          
perturbation1 necessity1 hope1 fear1    
danger1 the pangs and efforts of        
affection grappling with the enraged    
elements of wind and fire1 displayed on 
the foreground1 furnish the pathetic    
motives that press on our hearts4 ,that 
mother1 who but half awake or rather in 
a waking trance1 drives her children    
instinctively before her2 that prostrate
 female half covered by her streaming   
hair1 with elevated arms imploring      
,heaven2 that other who over the flaming
 tenement1 heedless of her own danger1  
absorbed in maternal agony1 boldly      
reaches over to drop the babe into the  
outstretched arms of its father2 that   

common son of nature1 who careless of   
another's woe1 intent only on his own   
safety1 liberates a leap from the       
burning wall2 the vigorous youth who    
followed by an aged mother bears the    
palsied father on his shoulder from the 
rushing wreck2 the nimble grace of those
 helpless females that vainly strive to 
administer relief--these are the real   
objects of the painter's aim1 and leave 
the pontiff and the miracle1 with taper1
 bell and clergy--unheeded in the       
distance4  ,i shall not at present      
expatiate in tracing from this source   
the novel combinations of affection by  
which ,raphael contrived to interest us 
in his numerous repetitions of ,madonnas
 and ,holy ,families1 selected from the 
warmest effusions of domestic           
endearment1 or in ,milton's phrase1 from
 all the charities of father1 son1 and  
mother4 ,nor shall ,i follow it in its  
more contaminated descent1 to those     
representations of local manners and    
national modifications of society1 whose

 characteristic discrimination and      
humorous exuberance1 for instance1 we   
admire in ,hogarth1 but which1 like the 
fleeting passions of the day1 every hour
 contributes something to obliterate1   
which soon become unintelligible by     
time1 or degenerate into caricature1 the
 chronicle of scandal1 the history-book 
of the vulgar4  ,invention in its more  
specific sense receives its subjects    
from poetry or authenticated tradition2 
they are epic or sublime1 dramatic or   
impassioned1 historic or circumscribed  
by truth4 ,the first astonishes2 the    
second moves2 the third informs4  ,the  
aim of the epic painter is to impress   
one general idea1 one great quality of  
nature or mode of society1 some great   
maxim1 without descending to those      
subdivisions1 which the detail of       
character prescribes3 he paints the     
elements with their own simplicity1     
height1 depth1 the vast1 the grand1     
darkness1 light2 life1 death2 the past1 
the future2 man1 pity1 love1 joy1 fear1 

terror1 peace1 war1 religion1           
government3 and the visible agents are  
only engines to force one irresistible  
idea upon the mind and fancy1 as the    
machinery of ,archimedes served only to 
convey destruction1 and the wheels of a 
watch serve only to tell time4  ,such is
 the first and general sense of what is 
called the sublime1 epic1 allegoric1    
lyric substance4 ,homer1 to impress one 
forcible idea of war1 its origin1 its   
progress1 and its end1 set to work      
innumerable engines of various          
magnitude1 yet none but what uniformly  
tends to enforce this and only this     
idea2 gods and demigods are only actors1
 and nature but the scene of war2 no    
character is discriminated but where    
discrimination discovers a new look of  
war2 no passion is raised but what is   
blown up by the breath of war1 and as   
soon absorbed in its universal          
blaze3--,as in a conflagration we see   
turrets1 spires1 and temples illuminated
 only to propagate the horrors of       

destruction1 so through the stormy page 
of ,homer1 we see his heroines and      
heroes but by the light that blasts     
them4  ,this is the principle of that   
divine series of frescoes1 with which   
under the pontificates of ,julius ,,ii4 
and ,paul ,,iii4 ,michael ,angelo       
adorned the lofty compartments of the   
,capella ,sistina1 and from a modesty or
 a pride for ever to be lamented1 only  
not occupied the whole of its ample     
sides4 ,its subject is theocracy or the 
empire of religion1 considered as the   
parent and queen of man2 the origin1 the
 progress1 and final dispensation of    
,providence1 as taught by the sacred    
records4 ,amid this imagery of primeval 
simplicity1 whose sole object is the    
relation of the race to its ,founder1 to
 look for minute discrimination of      
character1 is to invert the principle of
 the artist's invention3 here is only   
,god with man4 ,the veil of eternity is 
rent2 time1 space1 and matter teem in   
the creation of the elements and of     

earth2 life issues from ,god and        
adoration from man1 in the creation of  
,adam and his mate2 transgression of the
 precept at the tree of knowledge proves
 the origin of evil1 and of expulsion   
from the immediate intercourse with     
,god2 the oeconomy of justice and grace 
commences in the revolutions of the     
,deluge1 and the covenant made with     
,noah2 and the germs of social character
 are traced in the subsequent scene     
between him and his sons2 the awful     
synod of prophets and sibyls are the    
heralds of the ,redeemer1 and the host  
of patriarchs the pedigree of the ,son  
of ,man2 the brazen serpent and the fall
 of ,haman1 the giant subdued by the    
stripling in ,goliath and ,david1 and   
the conqueror destroyed by female       
weakness in ,judith1 are types of his   
mysterious progress1 till ,jonah        
pronounces him immortal2 and the        
magnificence of the ,last ,judgment1 by 
showing the ,saviour in the judge of    
man1 sums up the whole1 and reunites the

 ,founder and the race4  ,such is the   
spirit of the ,sistine ,chapel1 and the 
outline of its general invention with   
regard to the cycle of its subjects--as 
in their choice they lead to each other 
without intermediate chasms in the      
transition2 as each preceding one       
prepares and directs the conduct of the 
next1 this the following2 and as the    
intrinsic variety of all1 conspires to  
the simplicity of one great end4 ,the   
specific invention of the pictures      
separate1 as each constitutes an        
independent whole1 deserves our         
consideration next3 each has its centre1
 from which it disseminates1 to which it
 leads back all secondary points2       
arranged1 hid1 or displayed1 as they are
 more or less organs of the inspiring   
plan3 each rigorously is circumscribed  
by its generic character2 no inferior1  
merely conventional1 temporary1 local1  
or disparate beauty1 however in itself  
alluring1 is admitted2 each finally     
turns upon that transient moment1 the   

moment of suspense1 big with the past1  
and pregnant with the future2 the action
 nowhere expires1 for action and        
interest terminate together4 ,thus in   
the ,creation of ,adam1 the ,creator    
borne on a group of attendant spirits1  
the personified powers of ,omnipotence1 
moves on toward his last1 best work1 the
 lord of his creation3 the immortal     
spark1 issuing from his extended arm1   
electrifies the new-formed being1 who   
tremblingly alive1 half raised1 half    
reclined1 hastens to meet his ,maker4   
,in the formation of ,eve1 the          
astonishment of life1 just organised1 is
 absorbed in the sublimer sentiment of  
adoration2 perfect1 though not all      
disengaged from the side of her dreaming
 mate1 she moves with folded hands and  
humble dignity towards the majestic     
,form whose half raised hand attracts   
her--what words can express the equally 
bland and irresistible velocity of that 
mysterious ,being1 who forms the sun and
 moon1 and already past1 leaves the     

earth1 completely formed1 behind him8   
,here apposition is the symbol of       
immensity4#ge  ,from these specimens of 
invention exerted in the more numerous  
compositions of this sublime cycle1 let 
me fix your attention for a few moments 
on the powers it displays in the single 
figures of the ,prophets1 those organs  
of embodied sentiment3 their expression 
and attitude1 whilst it exhibits the    
unequivocal marks of inspired           
contemplation in all1 and with equal    
variety1 energy1 and delicacy1 stamps   
character on each2 exhibits in the      
occupation of the present moment the    
traces of the past and hints of the     
future4 ,esaiah1 the image of           
inspiration1 sublime and lofty1 with an 
attitude expressive of the sacred trance
 in which meditation on the ,messiah had
 immersed him1 starts at the voice of an
 attendant genius1 who seems to         
pronounce the words1 to us a child is   
born1 to us a son is given4 ,daniel1 the
 humbler image of eager diligence1      

transcribes from a volume held by a     
stripling1 with a gesture natural to    
those who1 absorbed in the progress of  
their subject1 are heedless of          
convenience2 his posture shows that he  
had inspected the volume from which now 
he is turned1 and shall return to it    
immediately4 ,zachariah personifies     
consideration2 he has read1 and ponders 
on what he reads4 ,inquiry moves in the 
dignified activity of ,joel1 hastening  
to open a sacred scroll1 and to compare 
the scriptures with each other4         
,ezechiel1 the fervid feature of fancy1 
the seer of resurrection1 represented as
 on the field strewn with bones of the  
dead1 points downward and asks1 can     
these bones live8 the attendant angel1  
borne on the wind that agitates his     
locks and the prophet's vestments1 with 
raised arm and finger1 pronounces1 they 
shall rise3 last1 ,jeremiah1 subdued by 
grief and exhausted by lamentation1     
sinks in silent woe over the ruins of   
,jerusalem4 ,nor are the sibyls1 those  

female oracles1 less expressive1 less   
individually marked--they are the echo1 
the counterpart of the prophets2        
,vigilance1 ,meditation1 ,instruction1  
,divination1 are personified4 ,if the   
artist who1 absorbed by the uniform     
power and magnitude of execution1 saw   
only breadth and nature in their        
figures1 must be told that he has       
discovered the least part of their      
excellence2 the critic who charges them 
with affectation1 can only be dismissed 
with our contempt4  ,on the immense     
plain of the ,last ,judgment1 ,michael  
,angelo has wound up the destiny of man1
 simply considered as the subject of    
religion1 faithful or rebellious2 and in
 one generic manner has distributed     
happiness and misery1 the general       
feature of passions is given1 and no    
more4--,but had ,raphael meditated that 
subject1 he would undoubtedly have      
applied to our sympathies for his choice
 of imagery2 he would have combined all 
possible emotions with the utmost       

variety of probable or real character3 a
 father meeting his son1 a mother torn  
from her daughter1 lovers flying into   
each other's arms1 friends for ever     
separated1 children accusing their      
parents1 enemies reconciled2 tyrants    
dragged before the tribunal by their    
subjects1 conquerors hiding themselves  
from their victims of carnage2 innocence
 declared1 hypocrisy unmasked1 atheism  
confounded1 detected fraud1 triumphant  
resignation2 the most prominent features
 of connubial1 fraternal1 kindred       
connexion4--,in a word1 the heads of    
that infinite variety which ,dante has  
minutely scattered over his poem--all   
domestic1 politic1 religious relations2 
whatever is not local in virtue and in  
vice3 and the sublimity of the greatest 
of all events1 would have been merely   
the minister of sympathies and          
passions4#gf  ,if opinions be divided on
 the respective advantages and          
disadvantages of these two modes2 if to 
some it should appear1 though from      

consideration of the plan which guided  
,michael ,angelo ,i am far from         
subscribing to their notions1 that the  
scenery of the ,last ,judgment might    
have gained more by the dramatic        
introduction of varied pathos1 than it  
would have lost by the dereliction of   
its generic simplicity2 there can1 ,i   
believe1 be but one opinion with regard 
to the methods adopted by him and       
,raphael in the invention of the moment 
that characterises the creation of ,eve3
 both artists applied for it to their   
own minds1 but with very different      
success3 the elevation of ,michael      
,angelo's soul1 inspired by the         
operation of creation itself1 furnished 
him at once with the feature that stamps
 on human nature its most glorious      
prerogative3 whilst the characteristic  
subtilty1 rather than sensibility of    
,raphael's mind1 in this instance1      
offered nothing but a frigid            
succedaneum2 a symptom incident to all1 
when after the subsided astonishment on 

a great and sudden event1 the mind      
recollecting itself1 ponders on it with 
inquisitive surmise4 ,in ,michael       
,angelo1 all self-consideration is      
absorbed in the sublimity of the        
sentiment which issues from the august  
,presence that attracts ,eve2 her       
earthly1 in ,milton's expression1 by his
 heavenly overpowered1 pours itself in  
adoration3 whilst in the inimitable cast
 of ,adam's figure1 we trace the hint of
 that half conscious moment when sleep  
began to give way to the vivacity of the
 dream inspired4 ,in ,raphael1 creation 
is complete--,eve is presented to ,adam1
 now awake3 but neither the new-born    
charms1 the submissive grace and virgin 
purity of the beauteous image3 nor the  
awful presence of her ,introductor1 draw
 him from his mental trance into        
effusions of love or gratitude2 at ease 
reclined1 with fingers pointing at      
himself and his new mate1 he seems to   
methodize the surprising event that took
 place during his sleep1 and to whisper 

the words flesh of my flesh4  ,thus1 but
 far better adapted1 has ,raphael       
personified ,dialogue1 moved the lips of
 ,soliloquy1 unbent or wrinkled the     
features and arranged the limbs and     
gesture of ,meditation1 in the pictures 
of the ,parnassus and of the school of  
,athens1 parts of the immense allegoric 
drama that fills the stanzas1 and       
displays the brightest ornament of the  
,vatican2 the immortal monument of the  
towering ambition1 unlimited patronage1 
and refined taste of ,julius ,,ii4 and  
,leo ,x41 its cycle represents the      
origin1 the progress1 extent1 and final 
triumph of church empire1 or            
ecclesiastic government2 in the first   
subject1 of the ,parnassus1 ,poetry led 
back to its origin and first duty1 the  
herald and interpreter of a first       
,cause1 in the universal language of    
imagery addressed to the senses1 unites 
man1 scattered and savage1 in social and
 religious bands4 ,what was the surmise 
of the eye and the wish of hearts1 is   

gradually made the result of reason1 in 
the characters of the school of ,athens1
 by the researches of philosophy1 which 
from bodies to mind1 from corporeal     
harmony to moral fitness1 and from the  
duties of society1 ascends to the       
doctrine of ,god and hopes of           
immortality4 ,here revelation in its    
stricter sense commences1 and conjecture
 becomes a glorious reality3 in the     
composition of the ,dispute on the      
,sacrament1 the ,saviour after ascension
 seated on his throne1 the attested ,son
 of ,god and ,man1 surrounded by his    
types1 the prophets1 patriarchs1        
apostles and the hosts of heaven1       
institutes the mysteries and initiates  
in his sacrament the heads and          
presbyters of the church militant1 who  
in the awful presence of their ,master  
and the celestial synod1 discuss1       
explain1 propound his doctrine4 ,that   
the sacred mystery shall clear all doubt
 and subdue all heresy1 is taught in the
 miracle of the blood-stained wafer2    

that without arms1 by the arm of ,heaven
 itself1 it shall release its votaries1 
and defeat its enemies1 the deliverance 
of ,peter1 the overthrow of ,heliodorus1
 the flight of ,attila1 the captive     
,saracens1 bear testimony2 that ,nature 
itself shall submit to its power and the
 elements obey its mandates1 the checked
 conflagration of the ,borgo1 declares2 
till hastening to its ultimate triumphs1
 its union with the state1 it is        
proclaimed by the vision of             
,constantine1 confirmed by the rout of  
,maxentius1 established by the imperial 
pupil's receiving baptism1 and          
submitting to accept his crown at the   
feet of the mitred pontiff4  ,such is   
the rapid outline of the cycle painted  
or designed by ,raphael on the          
compartments of the stanzas sacred to   
his name4 ,here is the mass of his      
powers in poetic conception and         
execution2 here is every period of his  
style1 his emancipation from the narrow 
shackles of ,pietro ,perugino1 his      

discriminations of characteristic form1 
on to the heroic grandeur of his line4  
,here is that master-tone of fresco     
painting1 the real instrument of        
history1 which with its silver purity   
and breadth unites the glow of ,titiano 
and ,correggio's tints4 ,everywhere we  
meet the superiority of genius1 but more
 or less impressive1 with more or less  
felicity in proportion as each subject  
was more or less susceptible of dramatic
 treatment4 ,from the bland enthusiasm  
of the ,parnassus1 and the sedate or    
eager features of meditation in the     
,school of ,athens1 to the sterner      
traits of dogmatic controversy in the   
dispute of the sacrament1 and the       
symptoms of religious conviction or     
inflamed zeal at the mass of ,bolsena4  
,not the miracle1 as we have observed1  
the fears and terrors of humanity       
inspire and seize us at the             
conflagration of the ,borgo3 if in the  
,heliodorus the sublimity of the vision 
balances sympathy with astonishment1 we 

follow the rapid ministers of grace to  
their revenge1 less to rescue the temple
 from the gripe of sacrilege1 than      
inspired by the palpitating graces1 the 
helpless innocence1 the defenceless     
beauty of the females and children      
scattered around2 and thus we forget the
 vision of the labarum1 the angels and  
,constantine in the battle1 to plunge in
 the wave with ,maxentius1 or to share  
the agonies of the father who recognizes
 his own son in the enemy he slew4      
,with what propriety ,raphael introduced
 portrait1 though in its most dignified 
and elevated sense1 into some           
compositions of the great work which we 
are contemplating1 ,i shall not now     
discuss2 the allegoric part of the work 
may account for it3 he has1 however1 by 
its admission1 stamped that branch of   
painting at once with its essential     
feature1 character1 and has assigned it 
its place and rank3 ennobled by         
character1 it rises to dramatic dignity2
 destitute of that1 it sinks to mere    

mechanic dexterity1 or floats1 a bubble 
of fashion4 ,portrait is to historic    
painting in art1 what physiognomy is to 
pathognomy in science2 that shows the   
character and powers of the being which 
it delineates1 in its formation and at  
rest3 this shows it in exertion4 ,bembo1
 ,bramante1 ,dante1 ,gonzaga1           
,savonarola1 ,raphael himself may be    
considered in the inferior light of mere
 characteristic ornament2 but ,julius   
the ,second authenticating the miracle  
at the mass of ,bolsena1 or borne into  
the temple1 rather to authorize than to 
witness the punishment inflicted on its 
spoiler2 ,leo with his train calmly     
facing ,attila1 or deciding on his      
tribunal the fate of the captive        
,saracens1 tell us by their presence    
that they are the heroes of the drama1  
that the action has been contrived for  
them1 is subordinate to them1 and has   
been composed to illustrate their       
character4 ,for as in the epic1 act and 
agent are subordinate to the maxim1 and 

in pure history are mere organs of the  
fact2 so the drama subordinates both    
fact and maxim to the agent1 his        
character and passion3 what in them was 
end is but the medium here4  ,such were 
the principles on which he treated the  
beautiful tale of ,amor and ,psyche3 the
 allegory of ,apuleius became a drama   
under the hand of ,raphael1 though it   
must be owned1 that with every charm of 
scenic gradation and lyric imagery1 its 
characters1 as exquisitely chosen as    
acutely discriminated1 exhibit less the 
obstacles and real object of affection1 
and its final triumph over mere appetite
 and sexual instinct1 than the          
voluptuous history of his own favourite 
passion4 ,the faint light of the maxim  
vanishes in the splendour which expands 
before our fancy the enchanted circle of
 wanton dalliance and amorous           
attachment4  ,but the power of          
,raphael's invention exerts itself      
chiefly in subjects where the drama1    
divested of epic or allegoric fiction1  

meets pure history1 and elevates1       
invigorates1 impresses the pregnant     
moment of a real fact1 with character   
and pathos4 ,the summit of these is that
 magnificent series of coloured designs 
commonly called the ,cartoons1 so well  
known to you all1 part of which we      
happily possess2 formerly when complete 
and united1 and now1 in the copies of   
the tapestry annually exhibited in the  
colonnade of the ,vatican1 they         
represent in thirteen compositions the  
origin1 sanction1 economy1 and progress 
of the ,christian religion4 ,in whatever
 light we consider their invention1 as  
parts of one whole relative to each     
other1 or independent each of the rest1 
and as single subjects1 there can be    
scarcely named a beauty or a mystery of 
which the ,cartoons furnish not an      
instance or a clue2 they are poised     
between perspicuity and pregnancy of    
moment2 we shall have opportunities to  
speak of all or the greater part of     
them1 but that of ,paul on the          

,areopagus will furnish us at present   
with conclusions for the remainder4  ,it
 represents the ,apostle announcing his 
,god from the height of the ,areopagus4 
,enthusiasm and curiosity make up the   
subject2 simplicity of attitude invests 
the speaker with sublimity2 the         
parallelism of his action invigorates   
his energy2 situation gives him command 
over the whole2 the light in which he is
 placed1 attracts the first glance2 he  
appears the organ of a superior ,power4 
,the assembly1 though selected with     
characteristic art for the purpose1 are 
the natural offspring of place and      
moment4 ,the involved meditation of the 
,stoic1 the ,cynic's ironic sneer1 the  
incredulous smile of the elegant        
,epicurean1 the eager disputants of the 
,academy1 the elevated attention of     
,plato's school1 the rankling malice of 
the ,rabbi1 the ,magician's mysterious  
glance1 repeat in louder or in lower    
tones the novel doctrine2 but whilst    
curiosity and meditation1 loud debate   

and fixed prejudice1 tell1 ponder on1   
repeat1 reject1 discuss it1 the animated
 gesture of conviction in ,dionysius and
 ,damaris1 announce the power of its    
tenets1 and hint the established belief 
of immortality4  ,but the powers of     
,raphael in combining the drama with    
pure historic fact1 are best estimated  
when compared with those exerted by     
other masters on the same subject4 ,for 
this we select from the series we       
examine that which represented the      
,massacre1 as it is called1 of the      
,innocents1 or of the infants at        
,bethlem2 an original1 precious part of 
which still remains in the possession of
 a friend of art among us4 ,on this     
subject ,baccio ,bandinelli1            
,tintoretto1 ,rubens1 ,le ,brun1 and    
,poussin1 have tried their various      
powers4  ,the ,massacre of the ,infants 
by ,baccio ,bandinelli1 contrived       
chiefly to exhibit his anatomic skill1  
is a complicated tableau of every       
contortion of human attitude and limbs  

that precedes dislocation2 the          
expression floats between a studied     
imagery of frigid horror and loathsome  
abomination4  ,the stormy brush of      
,tintoretto swept individual woe away in
 general masses4 ,two immense wings of  
light and shade divide the composition1 
and hide the want of sentiment in       
tumult4  ,to ,rubens1 magnificence and  
contrast dictated the actors and the    
scene4 ,a loud lamenting dame1 in velvet
 robes1 with golden locks dishevelled1  
and wide extended arms1 meets our first 
glance4 ,behind1 a group of steel-clad  
satellites open their rows of spears to 
admit the nimble1 naked ministers of    
murder1 charged with their infant prey1 
within their ranks1 ready to close again
 against the frantic mothers who pursue 
them3 the pompous gloom of the palace in
 the middle ground is set off by        
cottages and village scenery in the     
distance4  ,le ,brun surrounded the     
allegoric tomb of ,rachel with rapid    
horsemen1 receiving the children whom   

the assassins tore from their parents'  
arms1 and strewed the field with infant 
slaughter4  ,poussin tied in one        
vigorous group what he conceived of     
blood-trained villany and maternal      
frenzy4 ,whilst ,raphael1 in dramatic   
gradation1 disclosed all the mother     
through every image of pity and of      
terror2 through tears1 shrieks1         
resistance1 revenge1 to the stunned look
 of despair2 and traced the villain from
 the palpitations of scarce initiated   
crime to the sedate grin of veteran     
murder4  ,history1 strictly so called1  
follows the drama3 fiction now ceases1  
and invention consists only in selecting
 and fixing with dignity1 precision1 and
 sentiment1 the moments of reality4     
,suppose that the artist choose the     
death of ,germanicus--,he is not to give
 us the highest images of general grief 
which impresses the features of a people
 or a family at the death of a beloved  
chief or father2 for this would be epic 
imagery3 we should have ,achilles1      

,hector1 ,niobe4 ,he is not to mix up   
characters which observation and        
comparison have pointed out to him as   
the fittest to excite the gradations of 
sympathy2 not ,admetus and ,alceste1 not
 ,meleager and ,atalanta2 for this would
 be the drama4 ,he is to give us the    
idea of a ,roman dying amidst ,romans1  
as tradition gave him1 with all the real
 modifications of time and place1 which 
may serve unequivocally to discriminate 
that moment of grief from all others4   
,germanicus1 ,agrippina1 ,caius1        
,vitellius1 the legates1 the centurions 
at ,antioch2 the hero1 the husband1 the 
father1 the friend1 the leader1 the     
struggles of nature and sparks of hope  
must be subjected to the physiognomic   
character and the features of           
,germanicus1 the son of ,drusus1 the    
,csar of ,tiberius4 ,maternal1 female1  
connubial passion1 must be tinged by    
,agrippina1 the woman absorbed in the   
,roman1 less lover than companion of her
 husband's grandeur3 even the bursts of 

friendship1 attachment1 allegiance1 and 
revenge1 must be stamped by the         
military1 ceremonial1 and distinctive   
costume of ,rome4  ,the judicious       
observation of all this does not reduce 
the historic painter to the anxiously   
minute detail of a copyist4 ,firm he    
rests on the true basis of art1         
imitation3 the fixed character of things
 determines all in his choice1 and mere 
floating accident1 transient modes and  
whims of fashion1 are still excluded4   
,if defects1 if deformities are         
represented1 they must be permanent1    
they must be inherent in the character4 
,edward the ,first and ,richard the     
,third must be marked1 but marked1 to   
strengthen rather than to diminish the  
interest we take in the man2 thus the   
deformity of ,richard will add to his   
terror1 and the enormous stride of      
,edward to his dignity4 ,if my limits   
permitted1 your own recollection would  
dispense me from expatiating in examples
 on this more familiar branch of        

invention4 ,the history of our own times
 and of our own country has produced a  
specimen1 in the death of a military    
hero1 as excellent as often imitated1   
which1 though respect forbids me to name
 it1 cannot1 ,i trust1 be absent from   
your mind4  ,such are the stricter      
outlines of general and specific        
invention in the three principal        
branches of our art2 but as their near  
alliance allows not always a strict     
discrimination of their limits2 as the  
mind and fancy of men1 upon the whole1  
consist of mixed qualities1 we seldom   
meet with a human performance           
exclusively made up of epic1 dramatic1  
or pure historic materials4  ,novelty   
and feelings will make the rigid        
historian sometimes launch out into the 
marvellous1 or warm his bosom and extort
 a tear2 the dramatist1 in gazing at    
some tremendous feature1 or the pomp of 
superior agency1 will drop the chain of 
sympathy and be absorbed in the sublime2
 whilst the epic or lyric painter       

forgets his solitary grandeur1 sometimes
 descends and mixes with his agents4    
,thus ,homer gave the feature of the    
drama in ,hector and ,andromache1 in    
,irus and ,ulysses2 the spirit from the 
prison-house stalks like the shade of   
,ajax1 in ,shakspeare2 the daughter of  
,soranus pleading for her father1 and   
,octavia encircled by centurions1 melt  
like ,ophelia and ,alceste1 in ,tacitus2
 thus ,raphael personified the genius of
 the river in ,joshua's passage through 
the ,jordan1 and again at the ceremony  
of ,solomon's inauguration2 and thus    
,poussin raised before the scared eye of
 ,coriolanus1 the frowning vision of    
,rome1 all armed1 with her attendant1   
,fortune4  ,these general excursions    
from one province of the art into those 
of its congenial neighbours1 granted by 
judicious invention to the artist1 let  
me apply to the grant of a more specific
 licence#gg3 ,horace1 the most judicious
 of critics1 when treating on the use of
 poetic words1 tells his pupils1 that   

the adoption of an old word1 rendered   
novel by a skilful construction with    
others1 will entitle the poet to the    
praise of original diction4 ,the same   
will be granted to the judicious        
adoption of figures in art4  ,far from  
impairing the originality of invention1 
the unpremeditated discovery of an      
appropriate attitude or figure in the   
works of antiquity1 or of the great old 
masters after the revival1 and its      
adoption1 or the apt transposition of   
one misplaced in some inferior work1    
will add lustre to a performance of     
commensurate or superior power1 by a    
kind coalition with the rest1           
immediately furnished by nature and the 
subject4 ,in such a case it is easily   
discovered whether a subject have been  
chosen merely to borrow an idea1 an     
attitude or figure1 or whether their    
eminent fitness procured them their     
place4 ,an adopted idea or figure in a  
work of genius is a foil or a companion 
of the rest2 but an idea of genius      

borrowed by mediocrity1 tears all       
associate shreds1 it is the giant's     
thumb by which the pigmy offered the    
measure of his own littleness4 ,we stamp
 the plagiary on the borrower1 who1     
without fit materials or adequate       
conceptions of his own1 seeks to shelter
 impotence under purloined vigour2 we   
leave him with the full praise of       
invention1 who by the harmony of a whole
 proves that what he adopted might have 
been his own offspring though           
anticipated by another4 ,if he take now1
 he soon may give4 ,thus ,michael       
,angelo scattered the ,torso of         
,apollonius in every view1 in every     
direction1 in groups and single figures1
 over the composition of the ,last      
,judgment2 and in the ,lunetta of       
,judith and her ,maid gave an original  
turn to figures adopted from the gem of 
,pier ,maria da ,pescia3 if the figure  
of ,adam dismissed from ,paradise1 by   
,raphael1 still own ,masaccio for its   
inventor1 he can scarcely be said to    

have furnished more than the hint of    
that enthusiasm and energy which we     
admire in ,paul on the ,areopagus3 in   
the picture of the covenant with ,noah1 
the sublimity of the vision1 and the    
graces of the mother entangled by her   
babes1 find their originals in the      
,sistine ,chapel1 but they are equalled 
by the fervour which conceived the      
,patriarch1 who1 with the infant pressed
 to his bosom1 with folded hands1 and   
prostrate on his knees1 adores4 ,what   
figure or what gesture in the ,cartoon  
of ,pisa has not been imitated8         
,raphael1 ,parmegiano1 ,poussin1 are    
equally indebted to it2 in the          
,sacrament of ,baptism1 the last did    
little more than transcribe that knot of
 powers1 the fierce feature of the      
veteran1 who1 eager to pull on his      
clothes1 pushes his foot through the    
rending garment4--,such are the         
indulgences which invention grants to   
fancy1 taste1 and judgment4  ,but a     
limited fragment of observations must   

not presume to exhaust what in itself is
 inexhaustible2 the features of         
invention are multiplied before me as my
 powers decrease3 ,i shall therefore no 
longer trespass on your patience1 than  
by fixing your attention for a few      
moments on one of its boldest flights1  
the transfiguration of ,raphael2 a      
performance equally celebrated and      
censured2 in which the most judicious of
 inventors1 the painter of propriety1 is
 said to have not only wrestled for     
extent of information with the          
historian1 but attempted to leap the    
boundaries1 and1 with a less            
discriminating than daring hand1 to     
remove the established limits of the    
art1 to have arbitrarily combined two   
actions1 and consequently two different 
moments4  ,were this charge founded1 ,i 
might content myself with observing1    
that the ,transfiguration1 more than any
 other of ,raphael's oil-pictures1 was a
 public performance1 destined by ,julio 
de ,medici1 afterward ,clement ,,vii4   

for his archi-episcopal church at       
,narbonne2 that it was painted in       
contest with ,sebastian del ,piombo1    
assisted in his rival picture of        
,lazarus by ,michael ,angelo2 and thus1 
considering it as framed on the simple  
principles of the monumental style1     
established in my first discourse on the
 pictures of ,polygnotus at ,delphi1 ,i 
might frame a plausible excuse for the  
modern artist2 but ,raphael is above the
 assistance of subterfuge1 and it is    
sufficient to examine the picture1 in   
order to prove the futility of the      
charge4 ,raphael has connected with the 
transfiguration not the cure of the     
maniac1 but his presentation for it2 if1
 according to the #gh;,gospel record1   
this happened at the foot of the        
mountain1 whilst the apparition took    
place at the top1 what improbability is 
there in assigning the same moment to   
both8  ,raphael's design was to         
represent ,jesus as the ,son of ,god1   
and at the same time as the reliever of 

human misery1 by an unequivocal fact4   
,the transfiguration on ,tabor1 and the 
miraculous cure which followed the      
descent of ,jesus1 united1 furnished    
that fact4 ,the difficulty was how to   
combine two successive actions in one   
moment3 he overcame it by sacrificing   
the moment of the cure to that of the   
apparition1 by implying the lesser      
miracle in the greater4 ,in             
subordinating the cure to the vision he 
obtained sublimity1 in placing the crowd
 and the patient on the foreground1 he  
gained room for the full exertion of his
 dramatic powers2 it was not necessary  
that the dmoniac should be represented  
in the moment of recovery1 if its       
certainty could be expressed by other   
means3 it is implied1 it is placed      
beyond all doubt by the glorious        
apparition above2 it is made nearly     
intuitive by the uplifted hand and      
finger of the apostle in the centre1 who
 without hesitation1 undismayed by the  
obstinacy of the dmon1 unmoved by the   

clamour of the crowd and the            
pusillanimous scepticism of some of his 
companions1 refers the father of the    
maniac in an authoritative manner for   
certain and speedy help to his master#gi
 on the mountain above1 whom1 though    
unseen1 his attitude at once connects   
with all that passes below2 here is the 
point of contact1 here is that union of 
the two parts of the fact in one moment1
 which ,richardson and ,falconet could  
not discover4   ,,footnotes3  #fg ,hyl  
kai tropois mimses diapherousi4         
,ploutarch ,p4 ,ath4 kata ,p4  kath' e4 
end4  ,see ,lessing's ,laokoon4 ,berlin1
 #agff4 #hvo4  #fh ,all minute detail   
tends to destroy terror1 as all minute  
ornament1 grandeur4 ,the catalogue of   
the cauldron's ingredients in ,macbeth1 
destroys the terror attendant on the    
mysterious darkness of preternatural    
agency2 and the seraglio trappings of   
,rubens1 annihilate his heroes4  #fi ,eg
 de pleon elpomai      ,logon ,odysseos1
  pathen1      ,dia ton hadyep genesth' 

,homron      ,epei pseudeessin hoi      
potana ge machana      ,semnon epesti   
ti4 sophia de      ,kleptei paragoisa   
mythois4                 ,pindar4 ,nem4 
,z4  #gj ,m4 ,f4 ,quintilianus1 l4 xii4 
#aj4--;,concipiendis visionibus 7quas   
,,phantasias vocant7 ,theon ,samius--est
 prstantissimus4  ,at quomodo fiet ut   
afficiamur8 neque enim sunt motus in    
nostra potestate4 ,tentabo etiam de hoc 
dicere4 ,quas phantasias ,grci vocant1  
nos san visiones appellamus2 per quas   
imagines rerum absentium ita            
reprsentantur animo1 ut eas cernere     
oculis ac prsentes habere videamur3 has 
quisquis bene conceperit1 is erit in    
affectibus potentissimus4 ,hunc quidam  
dicunt euphantasiton1 qui sibi res1     
voces1 actus1 secundum verum optume     
finget3 quod quidem nobis volentibus    
facile continget4  ,nam ut inter otia   
animorum et spes inanes1 et velut somnia
 qudam vigilantium1 ita nos h de quibus 
loquimur1 imagines persequuntur1 ut     
peregrinari1 navigare1 proeliari1       

populos alloqui1 divitiarum quas non    
habemus1 usum videamur disponere2 nec   
cogitare1 sed facere3 hoc animi vitium  
ad utilitatem non transferemus8 ut      
hominem occisum querar1 non omnia qu in 
re prsenti accidisse credibile est1 in  
oculis habebo8 non percussor ille       
subitus erumpet8 non expavescet         
circumventus8 exclamabit1 vel rogabit1  
vel fugiet8 non ferientem1 non          
concidentem videbo8 non animo sanguis1  
et pallor et gemitus1 extremus denique  
expirantis hiatus insidebit8            
,idem1 l4 vi4 c4 #aa4  ,theon1 numbered 
with the ',proceres' by ,quintilian1 by 
,pliny with less discrimination is      
placed among the ',primis ,proximos2'   
and in some passage of ,plutarch1       
unaccountably censured for impropriety  
of subject1 atopia1 in representing the 
madness of ,orestes4  #ga ,ailianou     
poik4 histor4 l4 ii4 c4 #dd4 ,thenos tou
 ,zgraphou polla men kai alla homologei 
tn cheirourgian agathn ousan1 atar oun  
kai tode to gramma4----,kai eipes an    

auton enthousian1 hsper ex ,areos       
manenta4----,kai sphattein blepn1 kai   
apeiln di' holou tou schmatos1 hoti     
mdenos pheisetai4  #gb ,the name of     
,agasias1 the scholar or son of         
,dositheos1 the ,ephesian1 occurs not in
 ancient record2 and whether he be the  
,egesias of ,quintilian or of ,pliny1 or
 these the same1 cannot be ascertained2 
though the style of sculpture and the   
form of the letters in the inscription  
are not much at variance with the       
character which the former gives to the 
age and style of ,calon and ,egesias2   
,signa--duriora et ,tuscanicis proxima4 
,the impropriety of calling this figure 
a gladiator has been shown by           
,winkelmann1 and on his remark1 that it 
probably exhibits the attitude of a     
soldier1 who signalized himself in some 
moment of danger1 ,lessing has founded a
 conjecture1 that it is the figure of   
,chabrias1 from the following passage of
 ,corn4 ,nepos3 ,elucet maxime inventum 
ejus in proelio1 quod apud ,thebas      

fecit1 cm ,boetiis subsidio venisset4   
,namque in eo victori fidente summo duce
 ,agesilao1 fugatis jam ab eo           
conductitiis catervis1 reliquam         
phalangem loco vetuit cedere2 obnixoque 
genu scuto1 projectaque hasta1 impetum  
excipere hostium docuit4 ,id novum      
,agesilaus intuens1 progredi non est    
ausus1 suosque jam incurrentes tub      
revocavit4 ,hoc usque eo in ,grcia fam  
celebratum est1 ut illo statu ,chabrias 
sibi statuam fieri voluerit1 qu public  
ei ab ,atheniensibus in foro constituta 
est4 ,ex quo factum est1 ut postea      
athlet1 cterique artifices his statibus 
in statutis ponendis uterentur1 in      
quibus victoriam essent adepti8  ,on    
this passage1 simple and unperplexed1 if
 we except the words cterique artifices1
 where something is evidently dropped or
 changed1 there can1 ,i trust1 be but   
one opinion--that the manoeuvre of      
,chabrias was defensive1 and consisted  
in giving the phalanx a stationary1 and 
at the same time impenetrable posture1  

to check the progress of the enemy2 a   
repulse1 not a victory was obtained2 the
 ,thebans were content to maintain their
 ground1 and not a word is said by the  
historian1 of a pursuit1 when           
,agesilaus1 startled at the contrivance1
 called off his troops3 but the warrior 
of ,agasias rushes forward in an        
assailing attitude1 whilst with his head
 and shield turned upwards he seems to  
guard himself from some attack above    
him4 ,lessing1 aware of this1 to make   
the passage square with his conjecture1 
is reduced to a change of punctuation1  
and accordingly transposes the decisive 
comma after scuto1 to genu1 and reads   
obnixo genu1 scuto projectque           
hast1--docuit4 ,this alone might warrant
 us to dismiss his conjecture as less   
solid than daring and acute4  ,the      
statue erected to ,chabrias in the      
,athenian forum was probably of brass1  
for statua and statuarius1 in ,pliny at 
least1 will1 ,i believe1 always be found
 relative to figures and artists in     

metal2 such were those which at an early
 period the ,athenians dedicated to     
,harmodios and ,aristogiton3 from them  
the custom spread in every direction1   
and iconic figures in metal1 began1 says
 ,pliny1 to be the ornaments of every   
municipal forum4  ,from another passage 
in ,nepos1 ,i was once willing to find  
in our figure an ,alcibiades in         
,phrygia1 rushing from the flames of the
 cottage fired to destroy him1 and      
guarding himself against the javelins   
and arrows which the gang of            
,sysamithres and ,bagoas showered on him
 at a distance4 ,ille1 says the         
historian1 sonitu flamm excitatus1 quod 
gladius ei erat subductus1 familiaris   
sui subalare telum eripuit et--flamm vim
 transit4 ,quem1 ut ,barbari incendium  
effugisse viderunt1 telis eminus missis1
 interfecerunt4 ,sic ,alcibiades annos  
circiter quadraginta natus1 diem obiit  
supremum4  ,such is the age of our      
figure1 and it is to be noticed that the
 right arm and hand1 now armed with a   

lance1 are modern2 if it be objected1   
that the figure is iconic1 and that the 
head of ,alcibiades1 cut off after his  
death1 was carried to ,pharnabazus1 and 
his body burned by his mistress2 it     
might be observed in reply1 that busts  
and figures of ,alcibiades must have    
been frequent in ,greece1 and that the  
expression found its source in the mind 
of ,agasias4 ,on this conjecture1       
however1 ,i shall not insist3 let us    
only observe that the character1 forms  
and attitude1 might be turned to better 
use than what ,poussin made of it4 ,it  
might form an admirable ,ulysses        
bestriding the deck of his ship to      
defend his companions from the          
descending fangs of ,scylla1 or rather1 
with indignation and anguish1 seeing    
them already snatched up and writhing in
 the mysterious gripe3       ,autar eg  
katadys klyta teuchea1 kai dyo doure    
,makr' en chersin heln1 eis ikria nos   
ebainon      ,prrs----ekamon de moi osse
      ,pant paptainonti pros eroeidea   

petrn      ,skepsamenos de----      d tn
 enosa podas kai cheiras hyperthen      
,hypsos aeiromenn4----                  
,odyss4 ,m4 #bch4 seq4  #gc ,sebbene il 
divino ,michel ,agnolo fece la gran     
,cappella di ,papa ,julio1 dappoi non   
arriv a questo segno mai alla met1 la   
sua virt non aggiunse mai alla forza di 
quei primi studi4 ,vita di ,benvenuto   
,cellini1 p4 #ac4--,vasari1 as appears  
from his own account1 never himself saw 
the cartoon3 he talks of an infinity of 
combatants on horseback1#gd of which    
there neither remains nor ever can have 
existed a trace1 if the picture at      
,holkham be the work of ,bastiano da    
,st4 ,gallo4 ,this he saw1 for it was   
painted1 at his own desire1 by that     
master1 from his small cartoon in #aedb1
 and by means of ,monsignor ,jovio      
transmitted to ,francis ,i4 who highly  
esteemed it2 from his collection it     
however disappeared1 and no mention is  
made of it by the ,french writers for   
near two centuries4 ,it was probably    

discovered at ,paris1 bought and carried
 to ,england by the late ,lord          
,leicester4 ,that ,vasari1 on inspecting
 the copy1 should not have corrected the
 confused account he gives of the       
cartoon from hearsay1 can be wondered at
 only by those who are unacquainted with
 his character as a writer4 ,one        
solitary horse and a drummer on the     
imaginary background of the groups      
engraved by ,agostino ,venetiano1 are   
all the cavalry remaining of ,vasari's  
squadrons1 and can as little belong to  
,michel ,agnolo as the spot on which    
they are placed4  #gd ,the following are
 his own words3 ,si vedeva dalle divine 
mani di ,michelagnolo chi affrettare lo 
armarsi per dare ajuto a'compagni1 altri
 affibbiarsi la corazza1 e molti metter 
altre armi indosso1 ed infiniti         
combattendo a cavallo cominciare la     
zuffa4                 ,vasari1 ,vita di
 ,m4 ,a4 ,b4 p4 #ahc4 ed4 ,bottari4  #ge
 ,ho de ps megethynei ta                
,daimonia8----,tn hormn autn kosmik     

diastmati katametrei4                   
,longinus1  #i4  #gf ,much has been said
 of the loss we have suffered in the    
marginal drawings which ,michael ,angelo
 drew in his ,dante4 ,invention may have
 suffered in being deprived of them2    
they can1 however1 have been little more
 than hints of a size too minute to     
admit of much discrimination4 ,the true 
terrors of ,dante depend as much upon   
the medium in which he shows1 or gives  
us a glimpse of his figures1 as on their
 form4 ,the characteristic outlines of  
his fiends1 ,michael ,angelo personified
 in the dmons of the ,last ,judgment1   
and invigorated the undisguised         
appetite1 ferocity or craft of the      
brute1 by traits of human malignity1    
cruelty1 or lust4 ,the ,minos of ,dante1
 in ,messer ,biagio da ,cesena1 and his 
,charon1 have been recognized by all2   
but less the shivering wretch held over 
the barge by a hook1 and evidently taken
 from the following passage in the xxiid
 of the ,inferno3--       ,et           

,graffiacan1 che gli era pi di contra   
,gli arroncigli l'impegolate chiome2    
,e trasse 'l s1 che mi parve una lontra4
  ,none has noticed as imitations of    
,dante in the xxivth book1 the          
astonishing groups in the ,lunetta of   
the brazen serpent2 none the various    
hints from the ,inferno and ,purgatorio 
scattered over the attitudes and        
expressions of the figures rising from  
their graves4 ,in the ,lunetta of       
,haman1 we owe the sublime conception of
 his figure to the subsequent passage in
 the xviith c4 of ,purgatory3       ,poi
 piobbe dentro al' alta phantasia       
,un ,crucifisso1 dispettoso e fiero     
,nella sua vista1 e lo qual si moria4   
,the basso-relievo on the border of the 
second rock1 in ,purgatory1 furnished   
the idea of the ,annunziata1 painted by 
,marcello ,venusti from his design1 in  
the sacristy of ,st4 ,giov4 ,lateran1 by
 order of ,tommaso de' ,cavalieri1 the  
select friend and favourite of ,michael 
,angelo4  ,we are told that ,michael    

,angelo represented the ,ugolino of     
,dante1 inclosed in the tower of ,pisa3 
if he did1 his own work is lost2 but if1
 as some suppose1 the basso-relievo of  
that subject by ,pierino da ,vinci be   
taken from his idea1 notwithstanding the
 greater latitude1 which the sculptor   
might claim1 in divesting the figures of
 drapery and costume2 he appears to me  
to have erred in the means employed to  
rouse our sympathy4 ,a sullen but       
muscular character1 with groups of      
muscular bodies and forms of strength1  
about him1 with the allegoric figure of 
the ,arno at their feet1 and that of    
famine hovering over their heads1 are   
not the fierce ,gothic chief1 deprived  
of revenge1 brooding over despair in the
 stony cage2 are not the exhausted      
agonies of a father1 petrified by the   
helpless groans of an expiring family1  
offering their own bodies for his food1 
to prolong his life4  #gg ,dixeris      
egregi1 notum si callida verbum         
,reddiderit junctura novum4----         

,q4 ,horat4 ,flacci de ,a4 ,p4 v4 #dg4  
#gh ,matt4 xvii4 #e1 #f4 ,see ,fiorillo1
 geschichte1 c4 #ajd4 seq4  #gi ,the    
vision on ,tabor1 as represented here1  
is the most characteristic produced by  
modern art4 ,whether we consider the    
action of the apostles overpowered by   
the divine effulgence1 and divided      
between adoration and astonishment1 or  
the forms of the prophets ascending like
 flame1 and attracted by the lucid      
centre1 or the majesty of ,jesus        
himself1 whose countenance is the only  
one we know expressive of his superhuman
 nature4 ,that the unison of such powers
 should not1 for once1 have disarmed the
 burlesque of the ,french critic1 rouses
 equal surprise and indignation4        
,,fourth ,,lecture4  ,,invention4       
,,part ,,ii4      ,,phthonera ,d'       
,,allos ,,an,r ,,blep,n1     ,,gn,,man  
,,kenean ,,skot,i ,,kylindei            
,,chamaipetoisan4                       
,,pindar4 ,,nem4 ,,eid4 ,d4             
,,argument4      ,choice of subjects2   

divided into positive1 negative1        
repulsive4--,observations on the        
,parerga1 or ,accessories of            
,invention4     ,,fourth ,,lecture4     
,the imitation of ,nature1 as it        
presents itself in space and figure1    
being the real sphere of plastic        
,invention1 it follows1 that whatever   
can occupy a place and be circumscribed 
by lines1 characterised by form1        
substantiated by colour and light and   
shade1 without provoking incredulity1   
shocking our conception by absurdity1   
averting our eye by loathsomeness or    
horror1 is strictly within its province3
 but though all ,nature seem to teem    
with objects of imitation1 the ,choice  
of subjects is a point of great         
importance to the ,artist2 the          
conception1 the progress1 the finish1   
and the success of his work depend upon 
it4 ,an apt and advantageous subject    
rouses and elevates ,invention1         
invigorates1 promotes1 and adds delight 
to labour2 whilst a dull or repulsive   

one breeds obstacles at every step1     
dejects and wearies--the ,artist loses  
his labour1 the spectator his           
expectation4  ,the first demand on every
 work of art is that it constitute one  
whole1 that it fully pronounce its own  
meaning1 that it tell itself2 it ought  
to be independent2 the essential part of
 its subject ought to be comprehended   
and understood without collateral       
assistance1 without borrowing its       
commentary from the historian or the    
poet2 for as we are soon wearied with a 
poem whose fable and motives reach us   
only by the borrowed light of annexed   
notes1 so we turn our eye discontented  
from a picture or a statue whose meaning
 depends on the charity of a ,cicerone1 
or must be fetched from a book4  ,as the
 condition that each work of art should 
fully and essentially tell its own tale1
 undoubtedly narrows the quantity of    
admissible objects1 singly taken1 to    
remedy this1 to enlarge the range of    
subjects1 ,invention has contrived by a 

,cyclus or series to tell the most      
important moments of a long story1 its  
beginning1 its middle1 and its end3 for 
though some of these may not1 in        
themselves1 admit of distinct           
discrimination1 they may receive and    
impart light by connection4  ,of him who
 undertakes thus to personify a tale1   
the first demand is1 that his ,invention
 dwell on the firm basis of the story1  
on its most important and significant   
moments1 or its principal actors4 ,next1
 as the nature of the art which is      
confined to the apparition of single    
moments forces him to leap many         
intermediate ones1 he cannot be said to 
have invented with propriety1 if he     
neglect imperceptibly to fill the chasm 
occasioned by their omission2 and1      
finally1 that he shall not interrupt or 
lose the leading thread of his plan in  
quest of episodes1 in the display of    
subordinate or adventitious beauties4   
,on the observation of these rules      
depends the perspicuity of his work1 the

 interest we take in it1 and1           
consequently1 all that can be gained by 
the adoption of a historic series4      
,when form1 colour1 with conception and 
execution1 are deducted from a work1 its
 subject1 the unwrought stuff only1 the 
naked materials remain1 and these we    
divide into three classes4  ,the first  
are positive1 advantageous1 commensurate
 with and adapted for the art4 ,the     
whole of the work lies prepared in their
 germ1 and spontaneously meets the      
rearing hand of the ,artist4  ,the      
second class1 composed of subjects      
negative and uninteresting in           
themselves1 depends entirely on the     
manner of treating2 such subjects owe   
what they can be to the genius of the   
,artist4  ,the repulsive1 the subjects  
which cannot pronounce their own        
meaning1 constitute the third class4 ,on
 them genius and talent are equally     
wasted1 because the heart has no medium 
to render them intelligible4 ,taste and 
execution may recommend them to our eye1

 but never can make them generally      
impressive1 or stamp them with          
perspicuity4  ,to begin with            
advantageous subjects1 immediately above
 the scenes of vulgar life1 of animals1 
and common landscape1 the simple        
representation of actions purely human1 
appears to be as nearly related to the  
art as to ourselves2 their effect is    
immediate2 they want no explanation2    
from them1 therefore1 we begin our      
scale4 ,the next step leads us to pure  
historic subjects1 singly or in a       
series2 beyond these the delineation of 
character1 or1 properly speaking1 the   
drama1 invites2 immediately above this  
we place the epic with its mythologic1  
allegoric1 and symbolic branches4  ,on  
these four branches of ,invention1 as ,i
 have treated diffusely in the lecture  
published on this subject1 and since    
successively in these prelections1 ,i   
shall not at present circumstantially   
dwell1 but as succinctly as possible    
remind you only of their specific       

difference and elements4  ,the first    
class1 which1 without much boldness of  
metaphor1 may be said to draw its       
substance immediately from the lap of   
,nature1 to be as elemental as her      
emotions1 and the passions by which she 
sways us1 finds its echo in all hearts1 
and imparts its charm to every eye2 from
 the mutual caresses of maternal        
affection and infant simplicity1 the    
whispers of love or eruptions of        
jealousy and revenge1 to the terrors of 
life1 struggling with danger1 or        
grappling with death4 ,the ,madonnas of 
,raphael2 the ,ugolino1 the ,paolo and  
,frances of ,dante2 the ,conflagration  
of the ,borgo2 the ,niobe protecting her
 daughter2 ,hmon piercing his own       
breast1 with ,antigone hanging dead from
 his arm1#hj owe the sympathies they    
call forth to their assimilating power1 
and not to the names they bear3 without 
names1 without reference to time and    
place1 they would impress with equal    
energy1 because they find their         

counterpart in every breast1 and speak  
the language of mankind4 ,such were the 
,phantasi of the ancients1 which modern 
art1 by indiscriminate laxity of        
application1 in what is called          
,fancy-,pictures1 has more debased than 
imitated4 ,a mother's and a lover's kiss
 acquire their value from the lips they 
press1 and suffering deformity mingles  
disgust with pity4  ,historic ,invention
 administers to truth4 ,history1 as     
contradistinguished from arbitrary or   
poetic narration1 tells us not what     
might be1 but what is or was2           
circumscribes the probable1 the grand1  
and the pathetic1 with truth of time1   
place1 custom2 gives local habitation   
and a name3 its agents are the pure     
organs of a fact4 ,historic plans1 when 
sufficiently distinct to be told1 and   
founded on the basis of human nature1   
have that prerogative over mere natural 
imagery1 that whilst they bespeak our   
sympathy1 they interest our intellect4  
,we were pleased with the former as men1

 we are attracted by this as members of 
society3 bound round with public and    
private connections and duties1 taught  
curiosity by education1 we wish to      
regulate our conduct by comparisons of  
analogous situations and similar modes  
of society3 these ,history furnishes2   
transplants us into other times2 empires
 and revolutions of empires pass before 
us with memorable facts and actors in   
their train--the legislator1 the        
philosopher1 the discoverer1 the        
polishers of life1 the warrior1 the     
divine1 are the principal inhabitants of
 this soil3 it is perhaps unnecessary to
 add1 that nothing trivial1 nothing     
grovelling or mean1 should be suffered  
to approach it4 ,this is the department 
of ,tacitus and ,poussin4 ,the          
exhibition of character in the conflict 
of passions with the rights1 the rules1 
the prejudices of society1 is the       
legitimate sphere of dramatic invention4
 ,it inspires1 it agitates us by        
reflected self-love1 with pity1 terror1 

hope and fear2 whatever makes events1   
and time and place1 the ministers of    
character and pathos1 let fiction or    
reality compose the tissue1 is its      
legitimate claim3 it distinguishes and  
raises itself above historic            
representation by laying the chief      
interest on the actors1 and moulding the
 fact into mere situations contrived for
 their exhibition3 they are the end1    
this the medium4 ,such is the invention 
of ,sophocles and ,shakspeare1 and      
uniformly that of ,raphael4 ,the actors1
 who in ,poussin and the rest of        
historic painters shine by the splendour
 of the fact1 reflect it in ,raphael    
with unborrowed rays3 they are the      
luminous object to which the action     
points4  ,of the epic plan1 the loftiest
 species of human conception1 the aim is
 to astonish whilst it instructs2 it is 
the sublime allegory of a maxim4 ,here  
,invention arranges a plan by general   
ideas1 the selection of the most        
prominent features of ,nature1 or       

favourable modes of society1 visibly to 
substantiate some great maxim4 ,if it   
admits history for its basis1 it hides  
the limits in its grandeur2 if it select
 characters to conduct its plan1 it is  
only in the genus1 their features       
reflect1 their passions are kindled by  
the maxim1 and absorbed in its universal
 blaze3 at this elevation heaven and    
earth mingle their boundaries1 men are  
raised to demigods1 and gods descend4   
,this is the sphere of ,homer1 ,phidias1
 and ,michael ,agnolo4  ,allegory1 or   
the personification of invisible physic 
and metaphysic ideas1 though not        
banished from the regions of ,invention1
 is equally inadmissible in pure epic1  
dramatic1 and historic plans1 because1  
wherever it enters1 it must rule the    
whole4#ha ,it rules with propriety the  
mystic drama of the ,vatican1 where the 
characters displayed are only the varied
 instruments of a mystery by which the  
church was established1 and ,julio and  
,leone are the allegoric image1 the     

representatives of that church2 but the 
epic1 dramatic1 and historic painter    
embellish with poetry or delineate with 
truth what either was or is supposed to 
be real2 they must therefore conduct    
their plans by personal and substantial 
agency1 if they mean to excite that     
credibility1 without which it is not in 
their power to create an interest in the
 spectator or the reader4  ,that great  
principle1 the necessity of a moral     
tendency or of some doctrine useful to  
mankind in the whole of an epic         
performance1 admitted1 are we therefore 
to sacrifice the uniformity of its      
parts1 and thus to lose that credibility
 which alone can impress us with the    
importance of the maxim that dictated to
 the poet narration and to the artist   
imagery8 ,are the agents sometimes to be
 real beings1 and sometimes abstract    
ideas8 ,is the ,zeus of ,homer1 of whose
 almighty will the bard1 at the very    
threshold of his poem1 proclaims himself
 only the herald1 by the purblind       

acuteness of a commentator1 to be turned
 into ther2 and ,juno1 just arriving    
from her celestial toilet1 changed into 
air1 to procure from their mystic       
embraces the allegoric offspring of     
vernal impregnation8 ,when ,minerva1 by 
her weight1 makes the chariot of        
,diomede groan1 and ,mars wounded1 roars
 with the voice of ten thousand1 are    
they nothing but the symbol of military 
discipline1 and the sound of the        
battle's roar8 or ,ate1 seized by her   
hair1 and by ,zeus dashed from the      
battlements of heaven1 is she only a    
metaphysic idea8 ,forbid it1 ,sense6 ,as
 well might we say1 that ,milton1 when  
he called the porteress of hell1        
,satan's daughter1 ,sin1 and his son and
 dread antagonist1 ,death1 meant only to
 impress us with ideas of privation and 
nonentity1 and sacrificed the real      
agents of his poem to an unskilful      
choice of names8 ,yet it is their name  
that has bewildered his commentator and 
biographer in criticisms equally cold1  

repugnant and incongruous1 on the       
admissibility and inadmissibility of    
allegory in poems of supposed reality4  
,what becomes of the interest the poet  
and the artist mean to excite in us1 if1
 in the moment of reading or            
contemplating1 we do not believe what   
the one tells and the other shows8 ,it  
is that magic which places on the same  
basis of existence1 and amalgamates the 
mythic or superhuman1 and the human     
parts of the ,ilias1 of ,paradise ,lost1
 and of the ,sistine ,chapel1 that      
enraptures1 agitates1 and whirls us     
along as readers or spectators4  ,when  
,poussin represented ,coriolanus in the 
,volscian camp1 he placed before him in 
suppliant attitude his mother1 wife1 and
 children1 with a train of ,roman       
matrons kneeling1 and behind them the   
erect and frowning form of an armed     
female1 accompanied by another with     
streaming hair1 recumbent on a wheel4   
,on these two1 unseen to all else1      
,coriolanus1 perplexed in the extreme1  

in an attitude of despair1 his sword    
half drawn1 as if to slay himself1 fixes
 his scared eyes3 who discovers not that
 he is in a trance1 and in the female   
warrior recognises the tutelary genius  
of ,rome1 and her attendant ,fortune1 to
 terrify him into compliance8 ,shall we 
disgrace with the frigid conceit of an  
allegory the powerful invention which   
disclosed to the painter's eye the      
agitation in the ,roman's breast and the
 proper moment for fiction8 ,who is not 
struck by the sublimity of a vision     
which1 without diminishing the          
credibility of the fact1 adds to its    
importance1 and raises the hero1 by     
making him submit not to the impulse of 
private ties1 but to the imperious      
destiny of his country8  ,among the     
paltry subterfuges contrived by dulness 
to palliate the want of invention1 the  
laborious pedantry of emblems ranks     
foremost1 by which arbitrary and        
conventional signs have been substituted
 for character and expression4 ,if the  

assertion of ,s4 ,johnson1 that the     
plastic arts can illustrate1 but cannot 
inform1 be false as a general maxim1 it 
gains an air of truth with regard to    
this hieroglyphic mode of exchanging    
substance for signs2 and the story which
 he adds in proof1 of a young girl's    
mistaking the usual figure of ,justice  
with a steel-yard for a cherry-woman1   
becomes here appropriate4 ,the child had
 seen many stall and market-women1 and  
always with a steel-yard or a pair of   
scales1 but never a figure of ,justice2 
and it might as well be pretended that  
one not initiated in the ,egyptian      
mysteries should discover in the        
,scarabus of an obelisk the summer      
solstice1 as that a child1 a girl1 or a 
man not acquainted with ,csar ,ripa1 or 
some other emblem-coiner1 should find in
 a female holding a balance over her    
eyes1 in another with a bridle in her   
hand1 in a third leaning on a broken    
pillar1 and in a fourth loaded with     
children1 the symbols of ,justice1      

,temperance1 ,fortitude and ,charity4   
,if these signs be at all admissible1   
they ought1 at least1 to receive as much
 light from the form1 the character1 and
 expression of the figures they         
accompany1 as they reflect on them1 else
 they become burlesque1 instead of being
 attributes4 ,though this rage for      
emblem did not become epidemic before   
the lapse of the sixteenth century1 when
 the ,cavalieri of the art1 the         
,zucchari1 ,vasari and ,porta's         
undertook to deliver more work than     
their brains could furnish with thought1
 yet even the philosophers of the art1  
in the classic days of ,julio and ,leo1 
cannot be said to have been entirely    
free from it4 ,what analogy is there    
between an ostrich at the side of a     
female with a balance in her hand1 and  
the idea of ,justice8 ,yet thus has     
,raphael represented her in a stanza of 
the ,vatican4 ,nor has he been constant 
to the same emblem1 as on the ceiling of
 another stanza1 he has introduced her  

with a scale1 and armed with a sword4   
,the ,night of ,m4 ,agnolo1 on the      
,medicean tombs1 might certainly be     
taken for what she professes to be1     
without the assistance of the mask1 the 
poppies1 and the owl at her feet1 for   
the dominion of sleep is personified in 
her expression and posture3 perhaps even
 her beautiful companion1 whose faintly 
stretching attitude and half-opened eyes
 express the symptoms of approaching    
morn1 might be conceived for its        
representative2#hb but no stretch of    
fancy can1 in their male associates1    
reach the symbols of full day and eve1  
or in the females of the monument of    
,julio ,,ii4 the ideas of contemplative 
and active life4  ,to means so          
arbitrary1 confused and precarious1 the 
ancients never descended3 their general 
ideas had an uniform and general typus1 
which invention never presumed to alter 
or to transgress2 but this typus lay    
less in the attributes than in the      
character and form4 ,the inverted torch 

and moon-flower were the accompaniments1
 and not the substitutes1 of ,death and 
,sleep2 neither ,psyche nor ,victory    
depended on her wings4 ,mercury was     
recognized without the caduceus or      
purse1 and ,apollo without his bow or   
lyre2 various and similar1 the branches 
of one family1 their leading lines      
descended from that full type of majesty
 which ,phidias1 the architect of gods1 
had stamped on his ,jupiter4 ,whether we
 ought to consider the son of ,charmidas
 as the inventor or the regulator of    
this supreme and irremovable standard1  
matters not1 from him the ancient       
writers date the epoch of mythic        
invention2 no revolutions of style      
changed the character of his forms1     
talent only polished with more or less  
success what his laws had established4  
,phidias1 says ,quintilian1 was framed  
to form gods2 ,phidias1 says ,pliny1    
gave in his ,jupiter a new motive to    
religion4  ,whether or not1 after the   
restoration of art1 the ,supreme ,being1

 the eternal essence of incomprehensible
 perfection1 ought ever to have been    
approached by the feeble efforts of     
human conception1 it is not my office to
 discuss1 perhaps it ought not--but     
since it has1 as the ,roman ,church has 
embodied divine substance1 and called on
 our arts for an auxiliary1 it was to be
 expected that1 to make assistance      
effectual1 a full type1 a supreme       
standard of form1 should have been      
established for the author and the      
agents of the sacred circle3 but1 be it 
from the tyranny of religious           
barbarians1 or inability1 or to avoid   
the imputation of copying each other1   
painters and sculptors1 widely differing
 among themselves in the conception of  
divine or sainted form and character1   
agree in nothing but attributes and     
symbols3 triangular glories1 angelic    
ministry and minstrelsy1 the colours of 
the drapery2 the cross1 the spear1 the  
stigmata2 the descending dove2 in       
implements of ecclesiastic power or     

instruments of martyrdom4  ,the ,biblic 
expression1 as it is translated1 of the 
,ancient of ,days--which means1 ,he that
 existed before time1 furnished the     
primitive artists1 instead of an image  
of supreme majesty1 only with the hoary 
image of age3 and such a figure borne   
along by a globe of angels1 and crowned 
with a kind of episcopal mitre1 recurs  
on the bronzes of ,lorenzo ,ghiberti4   
,the sublime mind of ,m4 ,agnolo1       
soaring beyond the idea of decrepitude  
and puny formality1 strove to form a    
type in the elemental energy of the     
,creator of ,adam1 and darted life from 
,his extended hand1 but in the ,creator 
of ,eve sunk again to the idea of age4  
,raphael strove to compound a form from 
,m4 ,angelo and his predecessors1 to    
combine energy and rapidity with age3 in
 the ,loggia he follows ,m4 ,agnolo1 in 
the ,stanza the prior artists2 here his 
gods are affable and mild1 there rapid1 
and perhaps more violent than energetic4
 ,after these two great names1 it were  

profanation to name the attempts of     
their successors4  ,the same fluctuation
 perplexes the effigy of the ,saviour4  
,lionardo da ,vinci attempted to unite  
power with calm serenity1 but in the    
,last ,supper alone presses on our      
hearts by humanity of countenance4 ,the 
,infant ,christ of ,m4 ,agnolo is a     
superhuman conception1 but as man and   
,redeemer with his cross1 in the        
,minerva1 he is a figure as mannered in 
form and attitude1 as averting by stern 
severity2 and1 as the ,judge of ,mankind
 in the ,last ,judgment1 he seems to me 
as unworthy of the artist's mind as of  
his master-hand4 ,the ,christs of       
,raphael1 as infants1 are seldom more   
than lovely children2 as a man1 the     
painter has poised ,his form between    
church tradition and the dignified      
mildness of his own character4  ,two    
extremes appear to have co-operated to  
impede the establishment of a type in   
the formation of the ,saviour3 by one   
,he is converted into a character of    

mythology1 the other debases ,him to the
 dregs of mankind4  ,the character      
corresponding with that of ,christ1 says
 ,mengs1#hc ought to be a compound of   
the characters of ,jupiter and of       
,apollo1 allowing only for the          
accidental expression of the moment4    
,what magic shall amalgamate the        
superhuman airs of ,rhea's and ,latona's
 sons1 with patience in suffering and   
resignation8 ,the critic in his         
exultation forgot the leading feature of
 his ,master--condescending humility4   
,in the race of ,jupiter majesty is     
often tempered by emanations of beauty  
and of grace1 but never softened to warm
 humanity4 ,here lies the knot3--  ,the 
,saviour of mankind extending his arm to
 relieve1 without visible means1 the    
afflicted1 the hopeless1 the dying1 the 
dead1 is a subject that visits with awe 
the breast of every one who calls       
himself after ,his name2 the artist is  
in the sphere of adoration4  ,an exalted
 sage descending to every beneficent    

office of humanity1 instructing         
ignorance1 not only forgiving but       
excusing outrage1 pressing his enemy to 
his breast1 commands the sympathy of    
every man1 though he be no believer2 the
 artist is in the sphere of sentiment4  
,but a mean man1 marked with the        
features of a mean race1 surrounded by a
 beggarly1 ill-shaped rabble and stupid 
crowds--may be mistaken for a juggler1  
that claims the attention of no man4 ,of
 this let ,art beware4  ,from these     
observations on positive we now proceed 
to the class of negative subjects4      
,negative we call those which in        
themselves possess little that is       
significant1 historically true or       
attractive1 pathetic or sublime1 which  
leave our heart and fancy listless and  
in apathy1 though by the art with which 
they are executed they allure and retain
 the eye3 here1 if ever1 the artist     
creates his own work1 in raising1 by    
ingenious combination1 that to a        
positive subject which in its parts is  

none1 or merely passive4  ,the first    
rank among these claims that mystic     
class of monumental pictures1 allusive  
to mysteries of religion and religious  
institutions1 asylums1 charities2 or    
votive pictures of those who dedicate   
offerings of gratitude for life saved or
 happiness conferred3 in these the male 
and female patrons of such creeds1      
societies and persons1 prophets1        
apostles1 saints1 warriors and doctors1 
with and without the donor or the       
suppliant1 combine in apposition or     
groups1 and are suffered to flank each  
other without incurring the indignation 
due to anachronism1 as they are always  
placed in the presence of the ,divine   
,being1 before whom the distance of     
epochs1 place and races1 the customs1   
dress and habits of different nations1  
are supposed to vanish2 and the present1
 past and future to exist in the same   
moment4  ,these1 which the simplicity of
 primitive art dismissed without more   
invention than elevating the ,madonna   

with the infant ,saviour1 and arranging 
the saints and suppliants in formal     
parallels beneath1 the genius of greater
 masters often1 though not always1      
transformed to organs of sublimity1 or  
connected in an assemblage of           
interesting and highly pleasing groups1 
by inventing a congruous action or      
scenery1 which spread warmth over a     
subject that1 simply considered1        
threatened to freeze the beholder4 ,let 
us give an instance4  ,the ,madonna1    
called ,dell' ,impannato1 by ,raphael1  
is one of these3 it is so called because
 he introduced in the back-ground the   
old ,italian linen or paper window4     
,maria is represented standing or       
raising herself to offer the ,infant to 
,st4 ,elizabeth1 who stretches out her  
arms to receive him4 ,mary ,magdalen    
behind1 and bending over her1 points to 
,st4 ,john1 and caresses the child2 he  
with infantine joy escapes from her     
touch1 and looking at her1 leaps up to  
his mother's neck4 ,st4 ,john1 as the   

principal figure1 is placed in the      
fore-ground on a leopard's skin1 and    
with raised hand seems to prophesy of   
,christ2 he appears to be eight or ten  
years old1 ,christ scarcely two4 ,at    
this anachronism1 or the much bolder one
 committed in the admission of ,m4      
,magdalen1 who was probably younger than
 ,christ1 those only will be shocked who
 have not considered the nature of a    
votive picture3 this was dedicated to   
,st4 ,john1 as the tutelary saint of    
,florence1 and before it was transferred
 to the ,pitti ,gallery1 was the        
altar-piece in a domestic chapel of the 
,medicean family4#hd  ,the greater part 
of this audience are acquainted1 some   
are familiar1 with the celebrated       
painting of ,correggio1 formerly        
treasured in the ,pilotta of ,parma2    
transported to the ,louvre and again    
replaced4 ,in the invention of this     
work1 which exhibits ,st4 ,jerome1 to   
whom it is dedicated1 presenting his    
translation of the ,scriptures1 by the  

hand of an angel1 to the infant seated  
in the lap of the ,madonna1 the patron  
of the piece is sacrificed in place to  
the female and angelic group which      
occupies the middle4 ,the figure that   
chiefly attracts1 has1 by its suavity1  
for centuries attracted1 and still      
absorbs the general eye1 is that        
charming one of the ,magdalen1 in a half
 kneeling1 half recumbent posture1      
pressing the foot of ,jesus to her lips4
 ,by doing this1 the painter has1       
undoubtedly1 offered to the ,graces the 
boldest and most enamoured sacrifice    
which they ever received from art4 ,he  
has been rewarded1 accordingly1 for the 
impropriety of her usurping the first   
glance1 which ought to fix itself on the
 ,divinity1 and the ,saint vanishes in  
the amorous gaze on her charms4 ,if the 
,magdalen has long possessed the right  
of being present where the ,madonna     
presides1 she ought to assist the       
purpose of the picture in subordinate   
entreaty2 her action should have been   

that of supplication2 as it is1 it is   
the effusion of fondling1 unmixed love4 
,the true medium between dry apposition 
and exuberant contrast1 appears to have 
been kept by ,titian1 in an altar-piece 
of the ,franciscans1 or ,frati1 in spite
 of ,french selection1 still at ,venice2
 and of which the simple grandeur has   
been balanced by ,reynolds against the  
artificial splendour of ,rubens in a    
similar subject4 ,it probably was what  
it represents1 the thanks-offering of a 
noble family1 for some victory obtained1
 or conquest made in the ,morea4 ,the   
heads of the family1 male and female1   
presented by ,st4 ,francis1 occupy the  
two wings of the composition1 kneeling1 
and with hands joined in prayer1 in     
attitudes nearly parallel4 ,elevated in 
the centre1 ,st4 ,peter stands at the   
altar1 between two columns1 his hand in 
the ,gospel-book1 the keys before him1  
addressing the suppliants4 ,above him1  
to the right1 appears the ,madonna1     
holding the infant1 and with benign     

countenance1 seems to sanction the      
ceremony4 ,two stripling cherubs on an  
airy cloud1 right over the centre1 rear 
the cross2 an armed warrior with the    
standard of victory1 and behind him a   
turbaned ,turk or ,moor1 approach from  
the left and round the whole4  ,such is 
the invention of a work1 which1 whilst  
it fills the mind1 refuses utterance to 
words2 of which it is difficult to say1 
whether it subdue more by simplicity1   
command by dignity1 persuade by         
propriety1 assuage by repose1 or charm  
by contrast4 ,a great part of these     
groups consists of portraits in         
habiliments of the time1 deep1 vivid1   
brilliant2 but all are completely       
subject to the tone of gravity that     
emanates from the centre2 a sacred      
silence enwraps the whole2 all gleams   
and nothing flashes4 ,steady to his     
purpose1 and penetrated by his motive1  
though brooding over every part of his  
work1 the artist appears nowhere4#he    
,next to this higher class of negative  

subjects1 though much lower1 may be     
placed the magnificence of ornamental   
painting1 the pompous machinery of      
,paolo ,veronese1 ,pietro da ,cortona1  
and ,rubens4 ,splendour1 contrast1 and  
profusion1 are the springs of its       
invention4 ,the painter1 not the story1 
is the principal subject here4 ,dazzled 
by piles of ,palladian architecture1    
tables set out with regal luxury1       
terrasses of plate1 crowds of ,venetian 
nobles1 pages1 dwarfs1 gold-collared    
,moors1 and choirs of vocal and         
instrumental music1 embrowned and tuned 
by meridian skies1 what eye has time to 
discover1 in the brilliant chaos1 the   
visit of ,christ to ,simon the          
,pharisee1 or the sober nuptials of     
,canah8 but when the charm dissolves1   
though avowedly wonders of disposition1 
colour1 and unlimited powers of         
all-grasping execution1 if considered in
 any other light than as the luxurious  
trappings of ostentatious wealth1       
judgment must pronounce them ominous    

pledges of irreclaimable depravity of   
taste1 glittering masses of portentous  
incongruities and colossal baubles4     
,the next place to representation of    
pomp among negative subjects1 but far   
below1 we assign to ,portrait4 ,not that
 characteristic portrait by which       
,silanion1 in the face of ,apollodorus1 
personified habitual indignation2       
,apelles1 in ,alexander1 superhuman     
ambition2 ,raphael1 in ,julio the       
,i,id41 pontifical fierceness2 ,titian1 
in ,paul ,i,i,id41 testy age with       
priestly subtlety2 and in ,machiavelli  
and ,csar ,borgia1 the wily features of 
conspiracy and treason4--,not that      
portrait by which ,rubens contrasted the
 physiognomy of philosophic and classic 
acuteness with that of genius in the    
conversation-piece of ,grotius1         
,meursius1 ,lipsius1 and himself2 not   
the nice and delicate discriminations of
 ,vandyk1 nor that power which1 in our  
days1 substantiated humour in ,sterne1  
comedy in ,garrick1 and mental and      

corporeal strife1 to use his own words1 
in ,samuel ,johnson4 ,on that broad     
basis1 portrait takes its exalted place 
between history and the drama4 ,the     
portrait ,i mean is that common one1 as 
widely spread as confined in its        
principle2 the remembrancer of          
insignificance1 mere human resemblance1 
in attitude without action1 features    
without meaning1 dress without drapery1 
and situation without propriety4 ,the   
aim of the artist and the sitter's wish 
are confined to external likeness2 that 
deeper1 nobler aim1 the personification 
of character1 is neither required1 nor1 
if obtained1 recognised4 ,the better    
artist1 condemned to this task1 can here
 only distinguish himself from his      
duller brother by execution1 by invoking
 the assistance of back-ground1         
chiaroscuro and picturesque effects1 and
 thus sometimes produces a work which   
delights the eye1 and leaves us1 whilst 
we lament the misapplication1 with a    
strong impression of his power2 him we  

see1 not the insignificant individual   
that usurps the centre1 one we never    
saw1 care not if we never see1 and if we
 do1 remember not1 for his head can     
personify nothing but his opulence or   
his pretence2 it is furniture4  ,if any 
branch of art be once debased to a mere 
article of fashionable furniture1 it    
will seldom elevate itself above the    
taste and the caprice of the owner1 or  
the dictates of fashion2 for its success
 depends on both2 and though there be   
not a bauble thrown by the sportive hand
 of fashion which taste may not catch to
 advantage1 it will seldom be allowed to
 do it1 if fashion dictate the mode4    
,since liberty and commerce have more   
levelled the ranks of society1 and more 
equally diffused opulence1 private      
importance has been increased1 family   
connections and attachments have been   
more numerously formed1 and hence       
portrait painting1 which formerly was   
the exclusive property of princes1 or a 
tribute to beauty1 prowess1 genius1     

talent1 and distinguished character1 is 
now become a kind of family calendar1   
engrossed by the mutual charities of    
parents1 children1 brothers1 nephews1   
cousins1 and relatives of all colours4  
,to portrait painting1 thus             
circumstanced1 we subjoin1 as the last  
branch of uninteresting subjects1 that  
kind of landscape which is entirely     
occupied with the tame delineation of a 
given spot2 an enumeration of hill and  
dale1 clumps of trees1 shrubs1 water1   
meadows1 cottages1 and houses1 what is  
commonly called ,views4 ,these1 if not  
assisted by nature1 dictated by taste1  
or chosen for character1 may delight the
 owner of the acres they enclose1 the   
inhabitants of the spot1 perhaps the    
antiquary or the traveller1 but to every
 other eye they are little more than    
topography4 ,the landscape of ,titian1  
of ,mola1 of ,salvator1 of the          
,poussins1 ,claude1 ,rubens1 ,elzheimer1
 ,rembrandt and ,wilson1 spurns all     
relation with this kind of map-work4 ,to

 them1 nature disclosed her bosom in the
 varied light of rising1 meridian1      
setting suns2 in twilight1 night and    
dawn4 ,height1 depth1 solitude1 strike1 
terrify1 absorb1 bewilder in their      
scenery4 ,we tread on classic or        
romantic ground1 or wander through the  
characteristic groups of rich congenial 
objects4 ,the usual choice of the ,dutch
 school1 which frequently exhibits no   
more than the transcript of a spot1     
borders1 indeed1 nearer on the negative 
kind of landscape2 but imitation will   
not be entitled to the pleasure we      
receive1 or the admiration we bestow1 on
 their genial works1 till it has learnt 
to give an air of choice to necessity1  
to imitate their hues1 spread their     
masses1 and to rival the touch of their 
pencil4  ,subjects which cannot in their
 whole compass be brought before the    
eye1 which appeal for the best part of  
their meaning to the erudition of the   
spectator and the refinements of        
sentimental enthusiasm1 seem equally to 

defy the powers of invention4 ,the      
labour of disentangling the former1     
dissolves the momentary magic of the    
first impression1 and leaves us cold3   
the second evaporates under the grosser 
touch of sensual art4 ,it may be more   
than doubted whether the resignation of 
,alcestis can ever be made intuitive3   
the pathos of the story consists in the 
heroic resolution of ,alcestis to save  
her husband's life by resigning her own4
 ,now the art can show no more than     
,alcestis dying3 the cause of her death1
 her elevation of mind1 the             
disinterested heroism of her resolution 
to die1 are beyond its power4           
,raffaelle's celebrated ,donation of the
 ,keys to ,st4 ,peter in the ,cartoon   
before us1 as ineffectually struggles   
with more than the irremovable          
obscurity1 with the ambiguity of the    
subject3 a numerous group of grave and  
devout characters1 in attitudes of      
anxious debate and eager curiosity1     
press forward to witness the behests of 

a person who1 with one hand1 seems to   
have consigned two massy keys to their  
foremost companion on his knees1 and    
with the other hand points to a flock of
 sheep1 grazing behind4 ,what           
associating power can find the          
connection between those keys and the   
pasturing herd8 or discover in an       
obtrusive allegory the only real motive 
of the emotions that inspire the        
apostolic group8 the artist's most      
determined admirer1 if not the slave of 
pontifical authority1 ready to          
transubstantiate whatever comes before  
him1 must confine his homage to the     
power that interests us in a composition
 without a subject4  ,poussin's extolled
 picture of the ,testament of ,eudamidas
 is another proof of the inefficacy to  
represent the enthusiasm of sentiment by
 the efforts of art4 ,the figures have  
simplicity1 the expression energy1 it is
 well composed1 in short1 it possesses  
every requisite but that which alone    
could make it what it pretends to       

be3--you see an elderly man on his      
death-bed2 a physician1 pensive1 with   
his hand on the man's breast1 his wife  
and daughter desolate at the foot of the
 bed2 one1 who resembles a notary1      
eagerly writing2 a buckler and a lance  
on the wall2 and the simple implements  
of the scene1 tell us the former        
occupation and the circumstances of     
,eudamidas2--but his legacy--the secure 
reliance on the friend to whom he       
bequeaths his daughter--the noble       
acceptance and magnanimity of that      
friend1--these we ought to see1 and seek
 in vain for them2 what is represented  
in the picture may be as well applied to
 any other man who died1 made a will1   
and left a daughter and a wife1 as to   
the ,corinthian ,eudamidas4  ,this is   
not the only instance in which ,poussin 
has mistaken erudition and detail of    
circumstances for evidence4 ,the        
,exposition of ,infant ,moses on the    
,nile1 is a picture as much celebrated  
as the former3 a woman shoves a child   

placed in a basket from the shore4 ,a   
man mournfully pensive walks off        
followed by a boy who turns towards the 
woman and connects the groups2 a girl in
 the back-ground points to a distance1  
where we discover the ,egyptian         
princess1 and thus anticipate the fate  
of the child4 ,the statue of a river god
 recumbent on the sphinx1 a town with   
lofty temples1 pyramids and obelisks1   
tell ,memphis and the ,nile2 and smoking
 brick-kilns still nearer allude to the 
servitude and toil of ,israel in ,egypt3
 not one circumstance is omitted that   
could contribute to explain the meaning 
of the whole2 but the repulsive subject 
completely baffled the painter's        
endeavour to show the real motive of the
 action4 ,we cannot penetrate the cause 
that forces these people to expose the  
child on the river1 and hence our       
sympathy and participation languish1 we 
turn from a subject that gives us danger
 without fear1 to admire the expression 
of the parts1 the classic elegance1 the 

harmony of colours1 the mastery of      
execution4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,the importance of some    
secondary points of invention1 of       
scenery1 back-ground1 drapery1 ornament1
 is frequently such1 that1 independent  
of the want of more essential parts1 if 
possessed in a very eminent degree1 they
 have singly raised from insignificance 
to esteem1 names that had few other     
rights to consideration2 and neglected1 
in spite of superior comprehension1 in  
the choice or conception of a subject1  
in defiance of style and perhaps of     
colour1 of expression1 and sometimes    
composition1 often have left little but 
apathy to the contemplation of works    
produced by men of superior grasp and   
essential excellence4 ,fewer would      
admire ,poussin were he deprived of his 
scenery1 though ,i shall not assert with
 ,mengs1 that in his works the subject  
is more frequently the appendix than the
 principle of the back-ground2 what     
right could the greater part of ,andrea 

del ,sarto's historic compositions claim
 to our attention1 if deprived of the   
parallelism1 the repose and space in    
which his figures are arranged1 or the  
ample draperies that invest them1 and   
hide with solemn simplicity their       
vulgarity of character and limbs3 it    
often requires no inconsiderable degree 
of mental power and technic             
discrimination to separate the sublimity
 of ,michael ,agnolo1 and the pathos of 
,raffaelle from the total neglect or the
 incongruities of scenery and           
back-ground1 which frequently involve or
 clog their conceptions1 to add by fancy
 the place on which their figures ought 
to stand1 the horizon that ought to     
elevate or surround them1 and the masses
 of light and shade indolently neglected
 or sacrificed to higher principles4    
,how deeply the importance of scenery   
and situation1 with their proper degree 
of finish1 were felt by ,tiziano1 before
 and after his emancipation from the    
shackles of ,giov4 ,bellino1 every work 

of his during the course of nearly a    
centenary practice proves3 to select two
 from all1 the ,martyrdom of the        
,dominican ,peter1 that summary of his  
accumulated powers1 and the             
,presentation of the ,virgin1 one of his
 first historic essays1 owe1 if not all1
 their greatest effect1 to scenery3     
loftiness and solitude of site assist   
the sublimity of the descending vision  
to consecrate the actors beyond what    
their characters and style of limbs     
could claim1 and render the first an    
object of submissive admiration1 whilst 
its simple grandeur renders the second  
one of cheerful and indulgent           
acquiescence2 and reconciles us to a    
detail of portrait-painting1 and the    
impropriety of associating domestic and 
vulgar imagery with a consecrated       
subject4  ,it is for these reasons that 
the importance of scenery and           
back-ground has been so much insisted on
 by ,reynolds2 who frequently declared1 
that whatever preparatory assistance he 

might admit in the draperies or other   
parts of his figures1 he always made it 
a point to keep the arrangement of the  
scenery1 the disposition and ultimate   
finish of the back-ground to himself4   
,by the choice and scenery of the       
back-ground we are frequently enabled to
 judge how far a painter entered into   
his subject1 whether he understood its  
nature1 to what class it belonged1 what 
impression it was capable of making1    
what passion it was calculated to rouse3
 the sedate1 the solemn1 the severe1 the
 awful1 the terrible1 the sublime1 the  
placid1 the solitary1 the pleasing1 the 
gay1 are stamped by it4 ,sometimes it   
ought to be negative1 entirely          
subordinate1 receding or shrinking into 
itself2 sometimes more positive1 it     
acts1 invigorates1 assists the subject1 
and claims attention2 sometimes its     
forms1 sometimes its colour ought to    
command4--,a subject in itself bordering
 on the usual or common1 may become     
sublime or pathetic by the back-ground  

alone1 and a sublime or pathetic one may
 become trivial and uninteresting by it3
 a female leaning her head on her hand  
on a rock might easily suggest itself to
 any painter of portrait1 but the means 
of making this figure interesting to    
those who are not concerned in the      
likeness1 were not to be picked from the
 mixtures of the palette3 ,reynolds     
found the secret in contrasting the     
tranquillity and repose of the person by
 a tempestuous sea and a stormy shore in
 the distance2 and in another female    
contemplating a tremulous sea by a      
placid moonlight1 he connected elegance 
with sympathy and desire4  ,whatever    
connects the individual with the        
elements1 whether by abrupt or          
imperceptible means1 is an instrument of
 sublimity1 as1 whatever connects it in 
the same manner with1 or tears it from  
the species1 may become an organ of     
pathos3 in this discrimination lies the 
rule by which our art1 to astonish or   
move1 ought to choose the scenery of its

 subjects4 ,it is not by the            
accumulation of infernal or magic       
machinery1 distinctly seen1 by the      
introduction of ,hecate and a chorus of 
female demons and witches1 by           
surrounding him with successive         
apparitions at once1 and a range of     
shadows moving above or before him1 that
 ,macbeth can be made an object of      
terror1--to render him so you must place
 him on a ridge1 his down-dashed eye    
absorbed by the murky abyss2 surround   
the horrid vision with darkness1 exclude
 its limits1 and shear its light to     
glimpses4  ,this art of giving to the   
principal figure the command of the     
horizon1 is perhaps the only principle  
by which modern art might have gained an
 advantage over that of the ancients1   
and improved the dignity of composition1
 had it been steadily pursued by its    
great restorers1 the painters of ,julio 
,,ii4 and ,leone ,x41 though we find it 
more attended to in the monumental      
imagery of the ,capella ,sistina than in

 the ,stanze and the ,cartoons of       
,raffaello1 which being oftener pathetic
 or intellectual than sublime1 suffered 
less by neglecting it4  ,the same       
principle which has developed in the    
cone1 the form generally most proper for
 composing a single figure or a group1  
contains the reason why the principal   
figure or group should be the most      
elevated object of a composition1 and   
locally command the accidents of scenery
 and place4 ,the ,apollo of ,belvedere1 
singly or in a group1 was surely not    
composed to move at the bottom of a     
valley1 nor the ,zeus of ,phidias to be 
covered with a roof4  ,the improprieties
 attendant on the neglect of this       
principle are1 perhaps1 in no work of   
eminence more offensively evident than  
in the celebrated ,resuscitation of     
,lazarus by ,sebastian del ,piombo1     
whose composition1 if composition it    
deserved to be called1 seems to have    
been dictated by the back-ground4 ,it   
usurps the first glance2 it partly      

buries1 everywhere throngs1 and in the  
most important place squeezes the       
subject into a corner4 ,the horizon is  
at the top1 ,jesus1 ,maria1 and ,lazarus
 at the bottom of the scene4 ,though its
 plan and groups recede in diminished   
forms1 they advance in glaring opaque   
colour1 nor can it avail in excuse of   
the artist1 to say that the multitude of
 figures admitted are characters chosen 
to show in different modes of expression
 the effect of the miracle1 whilst their
 number gives celebrity to it and       
discriminates it from the obscure trick 
of a juggler3 all this1 if it had been  
done1 though perhaps it has not1 for by 
far the greater part are not spectators1
 might have been done with              
subordination3 the most authentic proof 
of the reality of the miracle ought to  
have beamed from the countenance of ,him
 who performed it1 and of the restored  
man's sister4--,in every work something 
must be first1 something last2 that is  
essential1 this optional2 that is       

present by its own right1 this by       
courtesy and convenience4#hf  ,the rival
 picture of the resuscitation of        
,lazarus1 the ,transfiguration of       
,christ by ,raffaello1 avoids the       
inconvenience of indiscriminate         
crowding1 and the impertinent luxuriance
 of scenery which we have censured1 by  
the artifice of escaping from what is   
strictly called back-ground1 and        
excluding it altogether3 the action on  
the fore-ground is the basis and ,christ
 the apex of the cone1 and what they    
might have suffered from diminution of  
size is compensated by elevation and    
splendour4 ,in sacrificing to this      
principle the rules of a perspective    
which he was so well acquainted with1   
,raffaello succeeded to unite the       
beginning1 the middle1 and the end of   
the event which he represented in one   
moment2 he escaped every atom of        
common-place or unnecessary             
embellishment with a simplicity and so  
artless an air1 that few but the dull1  

the petulant1 and the pedant1 can refuse
 him their assent1 admiration and       
sympathy2 if he has not1 strictly       
speaking1 embodied possibility1 he has  
perhaps done more1 he has done what     
,homer did1 by hiding the unmanageable  
but less essential part of his          
materials1 he has transformed it to     
probability4  ,i have said that by the  
choice of scenery alone we may often1 if
 not always1 judge how far an artist has
 penetrated his subject1 what emotion in
 treating it he meant to excite4 ,no    
subjects can elucidate this with so much
 perspicuity as those generally         
distinguished by the name of ,madonnas3 
subjects stamped with a mystery of      
religion1 and originally contrived under
 the bland images of maternal fondness  
to subdue the heart4 ,in examining the  
considerable number of those by         
,raffaello1 we find generally some      
reciprocal feature of filial and        
parental love1 the charities of father1 
son1 and mother1 sometimes varied by    

infant play and female caresses1        
sometimes dignified by celestial        
ministry and homage2 the endearments of 
the nursery selected and embodied by    
forms more charming than exalted1 less  
beautiful than genial--accordingly the  
choice of scenery consists seldom in    
more than a pleasing accompaniment3 the 
flower and the shrub1 the rivulet and   
grove1 enamel the seat or embower the   
repose of the sacred pilgrims under the 
serenity of a placid sky1 expanded or   
breaking through trees1 or sheltering   
ruins2 whilst in those surrounded by    
domestic scenery1 a warm recess veils   
the mother1 now hiding her darling from 
profane aspect1 now pressing him to her 
bosom1 or contemplating in silent       
rapture his charms displayed on her     
lap--accompaniments and actions1 though 
appropriate1 without allusion to the    
mysterious personages they profess to   
exhibit--to discriminate them the chair1
 the window1 the saddle on which ,joseph
 sits in one1 the flowers which he      

kneeling presents in another1 the       
cradle1 the bath1 are called on4        
,raffaello was less penetrated by a     
devout than by an amorous principle2 his
 design was less to stamp maternal      
affection with the seal of religion than
 to consecrate the face he adored2 his  
,holy ,families1 with one exception1 are
 the apotheosis of his ,fornarina4      
,this exception1 as it proves what had  
been advanced of the rest1 so it proves 
likewise that the omission of its       
beauties in them was more a matter of   
choice than want of comprehension4 ,than
 the face and attitude of the ,madonna  
of ,versailles1 known from a print by   
,edelinck1 copied by ,giac4 ,frey1      
nature and art combined never offered to
 the sense and heart a more exalted     
sentiment1 or more correspondent forms4 
,the face still1 indeed1 offers his     
favourite lines1 lines not of supreme   
beauty1 but they have assumed a sanctity
 which is in vain looked for in all its 
sister faces3 serious without severity1 

pure without insipidity1 humble though  
majestic1 charming and modest at once1  
and without affectation graceful3 face  
and figure unite what we can conceive of
 maternal beauty1 equally poised between
 effusion of affection and the          
mysterious sentiment of superiority in  
the awful ,infant1 whom she bends to    
receive from his slumbers4  ,the bland  
imagery of ,raffaello was exalted to a  
type of devotion by ,m4 ,angelo1 and    
place and scenery are adjusted with     
allegoric or prophetic ornament3 thus in
 the picture painted for ,angelo ,doni1 
where the enraptured mother receives the
 ,infant from the hands of ,joseph1 the 
scene behind exhibits the new sacrament 
in varied groups of ,baptists1 immersing
 themselves or issuing from the fount4  
,in another1 representing the           
annunciation1 we discover in the awful  
twilight of a recess1 the figure of     
,moses breaking the tables he received  
on ,sinai1 an allusion to the abolition 
of the old law--an infringement of      

,jewish habits1 for the figure is not an
 apparition1 but a statue1 readily      
forgiven to its allegoric beauty4 ,even 
in those subjects relating to ,christ   
and his family1 where the back-ground is
 destitute of allusive ornament1 it     
appears the seat of meditation or virgin
 purity1 and consecrates the sentiment  
or action of the figures1 as in the     
salutation of ,st4 ,giovanni in         
,laterano1 and in that where ,maria     
contemplates her son spread in her lap1 
and seems to bend under the presentiment
 of the terrible moment which shall     
spread him at her feet1 under the cross2
 but in that monumental image of ,jesus 
expired on the cross1 with the ,madonna 
and ,john on each side1 what is the     
scenery but the echo of the subject8    
,the surrounding element sympathises    
with the woe of the sufferers in the two
 mourning ,genii emerging from the      
air--a sublime conception1 which ,vasari
 fancied to have successfully imitated  
and perhaps improved1 when in a         

repetition of the same subject1 he      
travestied them to ,phoebus and ,diana  
extinguishing their orbs1 as symbols of 
sun and moon eclipsed4#hg  ,what has    
been said of the luxuriance of          
,poussin's scenery1 leads to that       
intemperate abuse which allots it a     
greater space1 a more conspicuous       
situation1 a higher finish and effect   
than the importance of the subject      
itself permits--by which1 unity is      
destroyed1 and it becomes doubtful to   
what class a work belongs1 whether it be
 a mixture of two or more1 or all1 where
 portrait with architecture1 landscape  
with history for mastery striving1 each 
rules a moment4 ,it cannot be denied    
that some of the noblest works of art   
are liable to this imputation1 and that 
the fond admiration of the detailed     
beauties in the scenery of the ,pietro  
,martire of ,titian1 if it does not     
detract from the main purpose for which 
the picture was or ought to have been   
painted1 certainly adds nothing to its  

real interest--nature finishes all1 but 
an attempt to mimic nature's            
universality palsies the hand of art2   
the celebrated ,cene1 or ,supper-,scenes
 of ,paolo ,cagliari can escape this    
imputation only by being classed as     
models of ornamental painting2 and were 
it not known1 that notwithstanding their
 grandeur1 propriety1 and pathos of     
composition1 the ,cartoons of ,raffaello
 had been originally destined still more
 for popular amusement than the poised  
admiration of select judges1 it would be
 difficult to excuse or to account for  
the exuberance1 not seldom the          
impropriety of accompaniment and of     
scenery1 with which some of them are    
loaded3 in the ,cartoon of the          
miraculous draught of fishes1 perhaps   
,giovanni d',udine would not have been  
allowed to treat us with fac-similes of 
the herons of the lake on its           
fore-ground2 in that of ,paul on the    
,areopagus1 there would probably have   
been less agglomeration of finished1    

unfinished1 or half demolished          
buildings2 in the ,miracle of ,peter and
 ,john1 the principal agents would      
scarcely have been hemmed in by a       
barbaric colonnade1 loaded with profane 
ornament2 or in the ,massacre of the    
,infants1 the humble cottages of        
,bethlehem been transformed to piles of 
,ionian architecture1 girt with gods in 
intercolumnar niches1 and the           
metropolitan pomp of ,rome4             
,,footnotes3  #hj ,the group in the     
,ludovisi1 ever since its discovery1    
absurdly misnamed ,ptus and ,arria1     
notwithstanding some dissonance of taste
 and execution1 may with more           
plausibility claim the title of ,hmon   
and ,antigone4  #ha ,the whole of the   
gallery of ,luxemburg by ,rubens is but 
a branch of its magnificence3 general as
 the elements1 universal and permanent  
as the affections of human nature1      
allegory breaks the fetters of time1 it 
unites with boundless sway mythologic1  
feodal1 local incongruities1 fleeting   

modes of society and fugitive fashions3 
thus1 in the picture of ,rubens1        
,minerva1 who instructs1 the ,graces    
that surround the royal maiden at the   
poetic fount1 are not what they are in  
,homer1 the real tutress of ,telemachus1
 the real dressers of ,venus1 they are  
the symbols only of the education which 
the princess received4 ,in that sublime 
design of ,michael ,agnolo1 where a     
figure is roused by a descending genius 
from his repose on a globe1 on which he 
yet reclines1 and with surprise         
discovers the phantoms of the passions  
which he courted1 unmasked in wild      
confusion flitting round him1 ,m4       
,agnolo was less ambitious to express   
the nature of a dream1 or to bespeak our
 attention to its picturesque effect and
 powerful contrasts1 than to impress us 
with the lesson1 that all is vanity and 
life a farce1 unless engaged by virtue  
and the pursuits of mind4  #hb          
,l',aurora ,sonnacchiosa4  #hc ,speaking
 of the figure of ,christ by ,raphael in

 the ,madonna del ,spasimo1 he calls it 
,una ,figura d'un ,carattere fra quel di
 ,giove1 e quello d',apollo2 quale      
effettivamente deve esser quello1 che   
corrisponde a ,cristo1 aggiungendovi    
soltanto l'espressione accidentale della
 passione1 in cui si rappresenta4 ,opere
 #aa4 #hc4  #hd ,it is engraved by      
,villamena4  #he ,the composition1 and  
in some degree the lines1 but neither   
its tone nor effect1 may be found among 
the etchings1 of ,le ,fevre4  #hf ,i    
cannot quit this picture without        
observing1 that it presents the most    
incontrovertible evidence of the        
incongruities arising from the jarring  
coalition of the grand and ornamental   
styles4 ,the group of ,lazarus may be   
said to contain the most valuable relic 
of the classic time of modern1 and      
perhaps the only specimen left of ,m4   
,agnolo's oil-painting2 an opinion which
 will scarcely be disputed by him who   
has examined the manner of the ,sistine 
,chapel1 and in his mind compared it    

with the group of the ,lazarus1 and that
 with the style and treatment of the    
other parts4  #hg ,in a picture which he
 painted at ,rome for ,bindo ,altoviti1 
it represented ,un ,cristo quanto il    
vivo1 levato di croce1 e posto in terra 
a' piedi della ,madre2 e nell' aria     
,febo1 che oscura la faccia del sole1 e 
,diana quella della ,luna4 ,nel paese   
poi1 oscurato da queste ,tenebre1 si    
veggiono spezzarsi alcuni monti di      
pietra1 mossi dal terremoto1 e certi    
corpi morti di santi risorgendo1 uscire 
de sepolcri in vari modi2 il quale      
quadro1 finito che fu1 per sua grazia   
non dispiacque al maggior pittore1      
scultore1 e architetto1 che sia stato a'
 tempi nostri passati8 ,the compliment  
was not paid to ,m4 ,agnolo himself1 for
 the word passati tells that he was no  
more1 but it levied a tribute on        
posterity4                 ,vita di     
,giorgio ,vasari4     ,,fifth ,,lecture4
  ,,composition1 ,,expression4          
,,polla ,d' ,,en     ,,kardiais ,,andr,n

 ,,ebalon     ,h,,rai ,,polyanthemoi    
,,ar     ,,chaia ,,sophismath'4 ,,hapan 
,d' ,,eurontos ,,ergon4                 
,,pindar4 ,,olymp4 ,p4   ,,argument4    
,elements of ,composition2 ,grouping2   
,m4 ,agnolo2 ,correggio2     ,raffaello2
 ,breadth2--,expression2 its ,classes1  
its ,limits4     ,,fifth ,,lecture4     
,invention is followed by ,composition4 
,composition1 in its stricter sense1 is 
the dresser of ,invention1 it           
superintends the disposition of its     
materials4  ,composition has physical   
and moral elements3 those are           
,perspective and ,light with shade2     
these1 ,unity1 ,propriety and           
,perspicuity2 without ,unity it cannot  
span its subject2 without ,propriety it 
cannot tell the story2 without          
,perspicuity it clouds the fact with    
confusion2 destitute of light and shade 
it misses the effect1 and heedless of   
perspective it cannot find a place4     
,composition1 like all other parts of   
style1 had a gradual progress2 it began 

in monotony and apposition1 emerged to  
centre and depth1 established itself on 
harmony and masses1 was debauched by    
contrast and by grouping1 and finally   
supplanted by machinery1 common-place1  
and manner4  ,of sculpture1 as infant   
painting had borrowed its first theory  
of forms1 so it probably borrowed its   
method of arranging them2 and this is   
,apposition1 a collateral arrangement of
 figures necessary for telling a single 
or the scattered moments of a fact4 ,if 
statuary indulged in the combination of 
numerous groups1 such as those of the   
,niobe1 it might dispose them in        
composition1 it might fix a centre and  
its rays1 and so produce an illusion as 
far as colourless form is capable of    
giving it4 ,but sculpture1 when it was  
first consulted by painting1 was not yet
 arrived at that period which allowed   
the display of such magnificence2 a     
single figure or a single group could   
not sufficiently inform the painter2 he 
was reduced to consult basso-relievo1   

and of that1 ,apposition is the element4
  ,and in this light we ought to        
contemplate a great part of the ,capella
 ,sistina4 ,its plan was monumental1 and
 some of its compartments were allotted 
to ,apposition1 not because ,m4 ,agnolo 
was a sculptor1 but because it was a    
more comprehensive medium to exhibit his
 general plan than the narrower scale of
 composition4 ,he admitted and like a   
master treated composition1 whenever his
 subject from the primeval simplicity of
 elemental nature retreated within the  
closer bounds of society3 his           
,patriarchs1 his ,prophets and his      
,sibyls1 singly considered or as groups1
 the scenery of the ,brazen ,serpent1 of
 ,david and of ,judith1 of ,noah and his
 sons1 are models of the roundest and   
grandest composition4 ,what principle of
 composition do we miss in the creation 
of ,adam and of ,eve8 ,can it grasp with
 more unity1 characterise with more     
propriety1 present with brighter        
perspicuity1 give greater truth of place

 or round with more effect8 ,if         
collateral arrangement be the ruling    
plan of the ,last ,judgment1 if point of
 sight and linear and aerial perspective
 in what is elevated1 comes forward or  
recedes1 if artificial masses and       
ostentatious roundness1 on the whole1 be
 absorbed by design or sacrificed to    
higher principles1 what effects has the 
greatest power of machinery ever        
contrived to emulate the conglobation of
 those struggling groups where light and
 shade administered to terror or        
sublimity8 ,what1 to emulate the boat of
 ,charon disemboguing its crew of       
criminals1 flung in a murky mass of     
shade across the pallid concave and     
bleak blast of light that blows it on   
us8 ,a meteor in the realms of          
chiaroscuro which obscures whatever the 
most daring servants of that power      
elsewhere produced4  ,if the plan of ,m4
 ,agnolo must be estimated by other     
principles1 his process must be settled 
by other rules than the plan and process

 of ,correggio at ,parma4 ,though the   
first and greatest1 ,correggio was no   
more than a ,machinist4 ,it was less the
 ,assumption of the ,virgin1 less a     
monument of triumphant ,religion he     
meditated to exhibit by sublimity of    
conception or characteristic            
composition1 than by the ultimate powers
 of linear and aerial perspective at an 
elevation which demanded eccentric and  
violent fore-shortening1 set off and    
tuned by magic light and shade1 to      
embody the medium in which the actors   
were to move2 and to the splendour and  
loftiness of that he accommodated the   
subject and subordinated the agents4    
,hence his work1 though moving in a     
flood of harmony1 is not legitimate     
,composition4 ,the synod that surrounds 
the glory1 the glory itself that        
embosoms the ,virgin and her angelic    
choir1 ,christ who precipitates himself 
to meet the glory1 are equally absorbed 
in the bravura of the vehicle1 they     
radiate1 reflect and mass1 but show us  

little more than limbs4 ,this makes the 
cupola of ,correggio less epic or       
dramatic than ornamental4 ,the technic  
part of ,composition alone1 though      
carried to the highest pitch of         
perfection1 if its ostentation absorb   
the subject1 stamps inferiority on the  
master4 ,take away ,homer's language1   
and you take much1 but you leave the    
epic poet unimpaired2 take it from      
,virgil1 strip him of the majesty1 the  
glow1 the propriety of his diction1 and 
the remainder of his claim to epic      
poetry will nearly be reduced to what he
 borrowed from ,homer's plan4 ,what is  
it we remember when we leave the cupolas
 of ,correggio8 what when we leave the  
,chapel of ,sixtus8 ,there1 a man who   
transferred to a colossal scale the     
dictates of his draped or naked model1  
applied them with a comprehensive eye   
and set them off by magic light and     
shade and wide expanded harmony of tone2
 here an epic plan combined and told in 
simple modes of grandeur4 ,each man gave

 what he had3 ,correggio1 limbs and     
effect2 ,m4 ,agnolo1 being1 form and    
meaning4 ,if the cupola of ,correggio be
 in its kind unequalled by earlier or   
succeeding plans1 if it leave far behind
 the effusions of ,lanfranchi and       
,pietro da ,cortona1 it was not the less
 their model2 the ornamental style of   
machinists dates not the less its origin
 from him4  ,various are the shapes in  
which ,composition embodies its subject 
and presents it to our eye4 ,the cone or
 pyramid1 the globe1 the grape1 flame   
and stream1 the circle and its segments1
 lend their figure to elevate1          
concentrate1 round1 diffuse themselves  
or undulate in its masses4 ,it towers in
 the ,apollo1 it darts its flame forward
 in the warrior of ,agasias1 its lambent
 spires wind upward with the ,laocoon2  
it inverts the cone in the ,hercules of 
,glycon1 it doubles it or undulates in  
,venus and the ,graces4 ,in the bland   
central light of a globe imperceptibly  
gliding through lucid demi-tints into   

rich reflected shades1 it composes the  
spell of ,correggio1 and entrances like 
a delicious dream2 whilst like a torrent
 it rushes from the hand of ,tintorett  
over the trembling canvass in enormous  
wings of light and shade1 and sweeps all
 individual importance in general       
effects4 ,but whether its groups be     
imbrowned on a lucid sky1 or emerge from
 darkness1 whether it break like a      
meridian sun on the reflected object    
with ,rubens1 or from ,rembrandt1 flash 
on it in lightning1 whatever be its form
 or its effect1 if it be more or less   
than what it ought to be--a vehicle1 if 
it branch not out of the subject as the 
produce of its root1 if it do not       
contain all that distinguishes it from  
other subjects1 if it leave out aught   
that is characteristic and exclusively  
its own1 and admit what is superfluous  
or common-place--it is no longer        
composition1 it is grouping only1 an    
ostentatious or useless scaffolding     
about an edifice without a base2 such   

was not the ,composition of ,raffaello4 
,the leading principle of ,raffaello's  
composition is that simple air1 that    
artlessness which persuades us that his 
figures have been less composed by skill
 than grouped by ,nature2 that the fact 
must have happened as we see it         
represented4 ,simplicity taught him to  
grasp his subject1 propriety to give it 
character and form1 and perspicuity to  
give it breadth and place4 ,the ,school 
of ,athens in the ,vatican1 the ,death  
of ,ananias1 and the ,sacrifice at      
,lystra1 among the ,cartoons1 may serve 
as instances4  ,a metaphysical          
composition1 if it be numerous1 will be 
oftener mistaken for dilapidation of    
fragments than regular distribution of  
materials4 ,the ,school of ,athens      
communicates to few more than an        
arbitrary assemblage of speculative     
groups4 ,yet if the subject be the      
dramatic representation of ,philosophy1 
as it prepares for active life1 the     
parts of the building are not connected 

with more regular gradation than those  
groups4 ,archimedes and ,pythagoras1    
,plato and ,socrates1 ,aristotle and    
,democritus1 ,epictetus1 ,diogenes and  
,aristippus1 in different degrees of    
characteristic modes1 tell one great    
doctrine1 that1 fitted by physical and  
intellectual harmony1 man ascends from  
himself to society1 from society to     
,god4 ,for this1 group balances group1  
action is contrasted by repose1 each    
weight has its counterpoise2 unity and  
variety shed harmony over the whole4    
,in the ,cartoon of ,ananias1 at the    
first glance1 and even before we are    
made acquainted with the particulars of 
the subject1 we become partners of the  
scene4 ,the disposition is              
amphitheatric1 the scenery a spacious   
hall1 the heart of the action is the    
centre1 the wings assist1 elucidate1    
connect it with the ends4 ,the          
apoplectic man before us is evidently   
the victim of a supernatural power1     
inspiring the apostolic figures1 who on 

the raised platform with threatening arm
 pronounced1 and with the word enforced 
his doom4 ,the terror occasioned by the 
sudden stroke is best expressed by the  
features of youth and middle age on each
 side of the sufferer2 it is            
instantaneous1 because its shock has not
 yet spread beyond them1 a contrivance  
not to interrupt the dignity due to the 
sacred scene1 and to stamp the character
 of devout attention on the assembly4   
,what preceded and what followed is     
equally implied in their occupation1 and
 in the figure of a matron entering and 
absorbed in counting money1 though she  
approaches the fatal centre1 and whom we
 may suppose to be ,sapphira1 the       
accomplice and the wife of ,ananias1 and
 the devoted partner of his fate4 ,in   
this composition of near thirty figures1
 none can be pointed out as a figure of 
common place or mere convenience2       
legitimate offsprings of one subject1   
they are linked to each other and to the
 centre by one common chain1 all act and

 all have room to act2 repose alternates
 with energy4  ,the ,sacrifice at       
,lystra1 though as a whole it has more  
of collateral arrangement than depth of 
,composition1 as it traces in the moment
 of its choice the motive that produced 
and shows the disappointment that checks
 it1 has collected actors and faces the 
most suitable to express both3 actors   
and features of godlike dignity1        
superstitious devotion and eager        
curiosity3 the scene is the vestibule of
 the temple of ,hermes1 and ,paul1 the  
supposed representative of that deity1  
though not placed in the centre or a    
central light1 by his elevation1        
gesture1 and the whole of the           
composition streaming toward him1       
commands the first glance4 ,at the very 
onset of the ceremony the sacrificer is 
arrested in the act of smiting the      
victim1 by the outstretched arm of a    
young man bursting through the hymning  
throng of priests and victimarii1       
observing ,paul indignant rending his   

garment in horror of the idolatrous     
perversion of his miracle4#hh ,the      
miracle itself is personified in that   
characteristic figure of the healed man1
 who with eyes flashing joy and         
gratitude on the ,apostle1 and hands    
joined in adoration1 rushes in1         
accompanied by an aged man of gravity   
and rank1 who1 lifting up part of the   
garment that covered his thigh1 attests 
him to have been the identic owner of   
those crutches that formerly supported  
him1 though now as useless thrown on the
 pavement4  ,among the ,cartoons which  
we do not possess1 and probably exist   
only in the tapestries of ,rome and     
,madrid1 and engravings copied from     
them1 the ,resurrection of ,christ and  
his ,ascension1 equally mark ,raphael's 
discriminative powers in their          
contrasted compositions4 ,the           
,resurrection derives its interest from 
the convulsive rapidity1 the ,ascension 
from its calmness of motion4 ,in that1  
the hero like a ball of fire shoots up  

from the bursting tomb and sinking      
cerements1 and scatters astonishment and
 dismay4 ,what apprehension dared not to
 suspect1 what fancy could not dream of1
 no eye had ever beheld and no tongue   
ever uttered1 blazes before us3 the     
passions dart in rays resistless from   
the centre4 ,fear1 terror1 conviction1  
wrestle with dignity and courage in the 
centurion2 convulse brutality1 overwhelm
 violence1 enervate resistance1 absorb  
incredulity in the guard4 ,the whole is 
tempestuous4 ,the ,ascension is the     
majestic last of many similar scenes3 no
 longer with the rapidity of a          
conqueror1 but with the calm serenity of
 triumphant power1 the ,hero is borne up
 in splendour1 and gradually vanishes   
from those who by repeated visions had  
been taught to expect whatever was      
amazing4 ,silent and composed1 with eyes
 more absorbed in adoration than wonder1
 they follow the glorious emanation2    
till addressed by the white-robed       
messengers of their departed king1 they 

relapse to the feelings of men4  ,we    
have considered hitherto the mental part
 of ,raffaello's composition1 let us say
 a word of the technic4 ,his excellence 
in this is breadth of masses1 and of    
positive light and shade4  ,breadth1 or 
that quality of execution which makes a 
whole so predominate over the parts as  
to excite the idea of uninterrupted     
unity amid the greatest variety1 modern 
art1 as it appears to me1 owes to ,m4   
,agnolo4 ,the breadth of ,m4 ,agnolo    
resembles the tide and ebb of a mighty  
sea3 waves approach1 arrive1 retreat1   
but in their rise and fall1 emerging or 
absorbed1 impress us only with the image
 of the power that raises1 that directs 
them2 whilst the discrepance of         
obtruding parts in the works of the     
infant ,florentine1 ,venetian and       
,german schools1 distracts our eye like 
the numberless breakers of a shallow    
river1 or as the brambles and creepers  
that entangle the paths of a wood1 and  
instead of showing us our road1 perplex 

us only with themselves4 ,by breadth the
 artist puts us into immediate          
possession of the whole1 and from that1 
gently leads us to the examination of   
the parts according to their relative   
importance3 hence it follows1 that in a 
representation of organized surfaces1   
breadth is the judicious display of     
fullness1 not a substitute of vacuity4  
,breadth might be easily obtained if    
emptiness could give it4 ,yet even in   
that degraded state1 if gratification of
 the eye be a first indispensable duty  
of an art that can impress us only by   
that organ1 it is preferable to the     
laboured display of parts ambitiously   
thronging for admittance at the expense 
of the whole2 to that perplexed         
diligence which wearies us with         
impediment before we can penetrate a    
meaning or arrive at the subject1 whose 
clear idea must be first obtained before
 we can judge of the propriety or       
impropriety of parts4 ,the principle    
which constitutes the breadth of        

,raphael was neither so absolute nor so 
comprehensive as that of ,m4 ,agnolo's4 
,but his perspicacity soon discovered1  
that great1 uninterrupted masses of     
light and shade1 bespeak1 satisfy1      
conduct and give repose to the eye2 that
 opposition of light and shade gives    
perspicuity4 ,convinced of this1 he let 
their mass fall as broad on his figures 
as their importance1 attitude and       
relation to each other permitted1 and as
 seldom as possible1 interrupted it4    
,masses of shade he opposed to light1   
and lucid ones to shade4 ,the strict    
observation of this rule appears to be  
the cause why every figure of           
,raffaello1 however small1 even at a    
considerable distance1 describes itself1
 and strikes the eye with distinctness2 
so that even the comparatively          
diminutive figures of his ,loggia are   
easily discriminated from the ,cortile  
below4 ,to this maxim he remained       
faithful in all his works1 a few        
instances excepted1 when instead of     

light and shade he separated figures by 
reflexes of a different colour2         
exceptions more dictated by necessity   
than choice1 and which serve rather to  
confirm than to impair the rule4  ,it   
cannot be denied that1 if this positive 
opposition gave superior distinctness1  
it occasioned sometimes abruptness4     
,each part is broad1 but separation is  
too visible4 ,reflexes he uniformly     
neglects1 and1 from whatever cause1 is  
often inattentive to transition2 he does
 not sufficiently connect with breadth  
of demi-tint the two extremes of his    
masses2 and1 though much less in fresco 
than in oil1 seems not always to have   
had a distinct idea of the gradations   
required completely to round as well as 
to spread a whole2 to have been more    
anxious to obtain breadth itself than   
its elemental harmony4  ,it does not    
appear that the great masters of        
legitimate composition in the sixteenth 
century attended to or understood the   
advantages which elevation of site and a

 low horizon are capable of giving to a 
subject4 ,they place us in the gallery  
to behold their scenes2 but1 from want  
of keeping1 the horizontal line becomes 
a perpendicular1 and drops the distance 
on the foreground2 the more remote      
groups do not approach1 but fall or     
stand upon the foremost actors4 ,as this
 impedes the principles of unity and    
grandeur in numerous compositions1 so it
 impairs each individual form2 which1 to
 be grand1 ought to rise upward in      
moderate foreshortening1 command the    
horizon1 or be in contact with the sky4 
,reverse this plan in the composition of
 ,pietro ,martyre by ,tizian1 let the   
horizontal line be raised above the     
friar on the fore-ground1 space1        
loftiness1 and unity1 vanish together4  
,what gives sublimity to ,rembrandt's   
,ecce ,homo more than this principle8--a
 composition1 which though complete1    
hides in its grandeur the limits of its 
scenery4 ,its form is as a pyramid whose
 top is lost in the sky1 as its base in 

tumultuous murky waves4 ,from the       
fluctuating crowds who inundate the base
 of the tribunal1 we rise to ,pilate1   
surrounded and perplexed by the varied  
ferocity of the sanguinary synod1 to    
whose remorseless gripe he surrenders   
his wand2 and from him we ascend to the 
sublime resignation of innocence in     
,christ1 and regardless of the roar     
below1 securely repose on his           
countenance4 ,such is the grandeur of a 
conception1 which in its blaze absorbs  
the abominable detail of materials too  
vulgar to be mentioned2 had the         
materials been equal to the conception  
and composition1 the ,ecce ,homo of     
,rembrandt1 even unsupported by the     
magic of its light and shade1 or his    
spell of colours1 would have been an    
assemblage of superhuman powers4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,far1 too far1 from having answered all 
the demands of composition1 my limits   
force me1 and my subject requires1 to   
give a faint sketch of the most         

prominent features of ,expression1 its  
assistant and interpreter4 ,they        
interweave themselves so closely with   
each other1 and both with ,invention1   
that we can scarcely conceive one       
without supposing the presence of the   
rest1 and applying the principles of    
each to all2 still they are separate    
powers1 and may be possessed singly4    
,the figure of ,christ by ,m4 ,agnolo in
 the ,minerva1 embracing his cross and  
the instruments of suffering1 is        
sublimely conceived1 powerfully         
arranged2 but neither his features nor  
expression are those of ,christ4        
,expression is the vivid image of the   
passion that affects the mind2 its      
language1 and the portrait of its       
situation4 ,it animates the features1   
attitudes1 and gestures1 which          
,invention selected1 and ,composition   
arranged2 its principles1 like theirs1  
are simplicity1 propriety1 and energy4  
,it is important to distinguish the     
materials and the spirit of expression4 

,to give this we must be masters of the 
forms and of the hues that embody it4   
,without truth of line no true          
expression is possible2 and the         
passions1 whose inward energy stamped   
form on feature1 equally reside1        
fluctuate1 flash or lower on it in      
colour1 and give it energy by light and 
shade4  ,to make a face speak clearly   
and with propriety1 it must not only be 
well constructed1 but have its own      
exclusive character4 ,though the element
 of the passions be the same in all1    
they neither speak in all with equal    
energy1 nor are circumscribed by equal  
limits4 ,though joy be joy1 and anger   
anger1 the joy of the sanguine is not   
that of the phlegmatic1 nor the anger of
 the melancholy that of the fiery       
character2 and the discriminations      
established by complexion are equally   
conspicuous in those of climate1 habit1 
education1 and rank4 ,expression has its
 classes4 ,decebalus and ,syphax1 though
 both determined to die1 meet death with

 eye as different as hues4 ,the         
tremulous emotion of ,hector's breast   
when he approaches ,ajax1 is not the    
palpitation of ,paris when he discovers 
,menelaus2 the frown of the ,hercynian  
,phantom may repress the ardour1 but    
cannot subdue the dignity of ,drusus2   
the fear of ,marius cannot sink to the  
panic of the ,cimber1 who drops the     
dagger at entering his prison1 nor the  
astonishment of ,hamlet degenerate into 
the fright of vulgar fear4  ,le ,sueur  
was not aware of this when he painted   
his ,alexander4 ,perhaps no picture is1 
in spite of common sense1 oftener quoted
 for its expression than ,alexander sick
 on his bed1 with the cup at his lips1  
observing the calumniated physician4    
,the manner in which he is represented  
is as inconsistent with the story as    
injurious to the character of the       
,macedonian hero4 ,the ,alexander of ,le
 ,sueur has the prying look of a spy4   
,he who was capable of that look would  
no more have ventured on quaffing a     

single drop of the suspected medicine1  
than on the conquest of the ,persian    
empire4 ,if ,alexander1 when he drank   
the cup1 had not the most positive faith
 in the incorruptibility of ,philippus1 
he was more than an idiot1 he was a     
felon against himself and a traitor to  
his army1 whose safety depended on the  
success of the experiment4 ,his         
expression ought to be open and         
unconcerned confidence--as that of his  
physician1 a contemptuous smile1 or     
curiosity suspended by indignation1 or  
the indifference of a mind conscious of 
innocence1 and fully relying on its     
being known to his friend4 ,le ,sueur1  
instead of these1 has given him little  
more than a stupid stare and vulgar     
form4  ,the emanations of the passions1 
which pathognomy has reduced to the four
 principal sources of calm emotion1 joy1
 grief simple1 or with pain1 and        
terror2--may be divided into internal   
and external ones3 those hint their     
action only1 they influence a feature or

 some extremity3 these extend their sway
 over the whole frame--they animate1    
agitate1 depress1 convulse1 absorb form4
 ,the systematic designers of pathognomy
 have given their element1 their        
extremes1 the mask2 the ancients have   
established their technic standard1 and 
their degrees of admissibility in art4  
,the ,apollo is animated2 the ,warrior  
of ,agasias is agitated2 the dying      
,gladiator or herald suffers in         
depression2 the ,laocoon is convulsed2  
the ,niobe is absorbed4 ,the greater the
 mental vigour1 dignity1 or habitual    
self-command of a person1 the less      
perceptible to superficial observation  
or vulgar eyes will be the emotion of   
his mind4 ,the greater the predominance 
of fancy over intellect1 the more       
ungovernable the conceits of            
self-importance1 so much the more will  
passion partake of outward and less     
dignified energy4 ,the ,jupiter of      
,homer manifests his will and power by  
the mere contraction of his eyebrows2   

,socrates in the ,school of ,athens only
 moves his finger1 and ,ovid in the     
,parnassus only lays it over his lips1  
and both say enough2 but ,achilles      
throws himself headlong1 and is         
prevented from slaying himself by the   
grasp of his friend4 ,only then1 when   
passion or suffering become too big for 
utterance1 the wisdom of ancient art has
 borrowed a feature from tranquillity1  
though not its air4 ,for every being    
seized by an enormous passion1 be it joy
 or grief1 or fear sunk to despair1     
loses the character of its own          
individual expression1 and is absorbed  
by the power of the feature that        
attracts it4 ,niobe and her family are  
assimilated by extreme anguish2 ,ugolino
 is petrified by the fate that swept the
 stripling at his foot1 and sweeps in   
pangs the rest4 ,the metamorphoses of   
ancient mythology are founded on this   
principle1 are allegoric4 ,clytia1      
,biblis1 ,salmacis1 ,narcissus1 tell    
only the resistless power of sympathetic

 attraction4  ,similar principles award 
to ,raffaello the palm of expression    
among the moderns3 driven to extremes   
after his demise by ,julio ,romano and a
 long interval of languor1 it seemed to 
revive in ,domenichino2 ,i say seemed1  
for his sensibility was not supported by
 equal comprehension1 elevation of mind1
 or dignity of motion2 his sentiment    
wants propriety1 he is a mannerist in   
feeling1 and tacks the imagery of       
,theocritus to the subjects of ,homer4  
,a detail of petty though amiable       
conceptions1 is rather calculated to    
diminish than to enforce the energy of a
 pathetic whole3 a lovely child taking  
refuge in the lap or bosom of a lovely  
mother1 is an idea of nature1 and       
pleasing in a lowly1 pastoral or        
domestic subject2 but1 perpetually      
recurring1 becomes common-place1 and    
amid the terrors of martyrdom is a shred
 sewed to a purple robe4 ,in touching   
the characteristic circle that surrounds
 the ,ananias of ,raffaello1 you touch  

the electric chain1 a genuine spark     
irresistibly darts from the last as from
 the first1 penetrates1 subdues2 at the 
,martyrdom of ,st4 ,agnes by            
,domenichino1 you saunter among the     
adventitious mob of a lane1 where the   
silly chat of neighbouring gossips      
announces a topic as silly1 till you    
find with indignation1 that instead of a
 broken pot or a petty theft1 you are to
 witness a scene for which heaven opens1
 the angels descend1 and ,jesus rises   
from his throne4  ,it is however but    
justice to observe1 that there is a     
subject in which ,domenichino has not   
unsuccessfully wrestled1 and1 in my     
opinion1 even excelled ,raffaello2 ,i   
mean the demoniac boy among the series  
of frescoes at ,grotto ,ferrata3 that   
inspired figure is evidently the organ  
of an internal1 superior1 preternatural 
agent1 darted upward without contortion1
 and considered as unconnected with the 
story1 never to be confounded with a    
merely tumultuary distorted maniac1     

which is not perhaps the case of the boy
 in the ,transfiguration2 the subject   
too being within the range of           
,domenichino's powers1 domestic1 the    
whole of the persons introduced is      
characteristic3 awe1 with reliance on   
the ,saint who operates the miracle or  
cure1 and terror at the redoubled fury  
of his son1 mark the rustic father2 nor 
could the agonizing female with the     
infant in her arm1 as she is the mother1
 be exchanged to advantage1 and with    
propriety occupies that place which the 
fondling females in the pictures of ,st4
 ,sebastian1 ,st4 ,andrew1 and ,st4     
,agnes only usurp4  ,the ,martyrdom1 or 
rather the brutally ostentatious murder 
of ,st4 ,agnes leads us to the limits of
 expression3 sympathy and disgust are   
the irreconcileable parallels that must 
for ever separate legitimate terror and 
pity from horror and aversion4 ,we      
cannot sympathise with what we detest or
 despise1 nor fully pity what we shudder
 at or loathe4 ,so little were these    

limits understood by the moderns1 ,m4   
,agnolo excepted1 that even the humanity
 and delicacy of ,raffaello did not     
guard him from excursions into the      
realms of horror and loathsomeness3 it  
is difficult to conceive what could     
provoke him to make a finished design of
 the inhumanities that accompany the    
martyrdom of ,st4 ,felicitas at which   
even description shudders2 a design made
 on purpose to be dispersed over        
,europe1 perpetuated and made known to  
all by the graver of ,marc ,antonio3    
,was it to prove to ,albert ,durer and  
the ,germans of his time that they had  
not exhausted the sources of            
abomination8 ,he made an equal mistake  
in the ,morbetto1 where1 though not with
 so lavish a hand as ,poussin after him1
 instead of the moral effects of the    
plague1 he has personified the effluvia 
of putrefaction4 ,what he had not       
penetration to avoid1 could not be      
expected to be shunned by his scholars4 
,julio ,romano delighted in studied     

images of torture as well as of the most
 abandoned licentiousness4 ,among his   
contemporaries1 ,correggio even         
attempted to give a zest to the most    
wanton cruelty by an affectation of     
grace in the picture of the ,saints     
,placido and ,flavia3 but the enamoured 
trance of ,placido with his neck half   
cut1 and the anthem that quivers on the 
lips of ,flavia whilst a sword is       
entering her side1 in vain bespeak our  
sympathy1 for whilst we detest the      
felons who slaughter them1 we loathe to 
inspect the actual process of the crime2
 mangling is contagious1 and spreads    
aversion from the slaughterman to the   
victim4 ,if ,st4 ,bartholomew and ,st4  
,erasmus are subjects for painting1 they
 can only be so before1 and neither     
under nor after the operation of the    
knife or windlass4 ,a decollated martyr 
represented with his head in his hand1  
as ,rubens did1 and a headless corpse   
with the head lying by it1 as           
,correggio1 can only prove the          

brutality1 stupidity1 or bigotry of the 
employer1 and the callus or venality of 
the artist4  ,the gradations of         
expression within1 close to1 and beyond 
its limits cannot perhaps be elucidated 
with greater perspicuity than by        
comparison2 and the different moments   
which ,julio ,romano1 ,vandyke and      
,rembrandt1 have selected to represent  
the subject of ,samson betrayed by      
,delilah1 offers one of the fairest     
specimens furnished by art4 ,considering
 it as a drama1 we may say that ,julio  
forms the plot1 ,vandyke unravels it1   
and ,rembrandt shows the extreme of the 
catastrophe4  ,in the composition of    
,julio1 ,samson1 satiated with pleasure1
 plunged into sleep1 and stretched on   
the ground1 rests his head and presses  
with his arm the thigh of ,delilah on   
one side1 whilst on the other a nimble  
minion busily1 but with timorous        
caution1 fingers and clips his locks2   
such is his fear1 that1 to be firm1 he  
rests one knee on a foot-stool          

tremblingly watching the sleeper1 and   
ready to escape at his least motion4    
,delilah1 seated between both1 fixed by 
the weight of ,samson1 warily turns her 
head toward a troop of warriors in the  
back ground1 with the left arm stretched
 out she beckons their leader1 with the 
finger of the right hand she presses her
 lip to enjoin silence and noiseless    
approach4 ,the ,herculean make and lion 
port of ,samson1 his perturbed though   
ponderous sleep1 the quivering agility  
of the curled favourite employed1 the   
harlot graces and meretricious elegance 
contrasted by equal firmness and sense  
of danger in ,delilah1 the attitude and 
look of the grim veteran who heads the  
ambush1 whilst they give us the clue to 
all that followed1 keep us in anxious   
suspense1 we palpitate in breathless    
expectation2 this is the plot4  ,the    
terrors which ,julio made us forebode1  
,vandyke summons to our eyes4 ,the      
mysterious lock is cut2 the dreaded     
victim is roused from the lap of the    

harlot-priestess4 ,starting unconscious 
of his departed power1 he attempts to   
spring forward1 and with one effort of  
his mighty breast and expanded arms to  
dash his foes to the ground and fling   
the alarmed traitress from him--in vain2
 shorn of his strength he is borne down 
by the weight of the mailed chief that  
throws himself upon him1 and overpowered
 by a throng of infuriate satellites4   
,but though overpowered1 less aghast    
than indignant1 his eye flashes reproach
 on the perfidious female whose         
wheedling caresses drew the fatal secret
 from his breast2 the plot is unfolded1 
and what succeeds1 too horrible for the 
sense1 is left to fancy to brood upon1  
or drop it4  ,this moment of horror the 
gigantic but barbarous genius of        
,rembrandt chose1 and1 without a        
metaphor1 executed a subject1 which     
humanity1 judgment and taste taught his 
rivals1 only to treat2 he displays a    
scene which no eye but that of ,domitian
 or ,nero could wish or bear to see4    

,samson1 stretched on the ground1 is    
held by one ,philistine under him1      
whilst another chains his right arm1 and
 a third clenching his beard with one1  
drives a dagger into his eye with the   
other hand4 ,the pain that blasts him1  
darts expression from the contortions of
 the mouth and his gnashing teeth to the
 crampy convulsions of the leg dashed   
high into the air4 ,some fiend-like     
features glare through the gloomy light 
which discovers ,delilah1 her work now  
done1 sliding off1 the shears in her    
left1 the locks of ,samson in her right 
hand4 ,if her figure1 elegant1          
attractive1 such as ,rembrandt never    
conceived before or after1 deserve our  
wonder rather than our praise1 no words 
can do justice to the expression that   
animates her face1 and shows her less   
shrinking from the horrid scene than    
exulting in being its cause4 ,such is   
the work whose magic of colour1 tone and
 chiaroscuro irresistibly entrap the    
eye1 whilst we detest the brutal choice 

of the moment4#hi  ,let us in conclusion
 contrast the stern pathos of this      
scenery with the placid emotions of a   
milder subject1 in the celebrated       
pictures which represent the ,communion 
or death of ,st4 ,jerome by ,agostino   
,caracci and his scholar                
,domenichino--that an altar-piece in the
 ,certosa near ,bologna1 this in the    
church of ,st4 ,girolamo della ,carit at
 ,rome2 but for some time both exhibited
 in the gallery of the ,louvre at       
,paris4 ,what ,i have to say on the     
,invention1 ,expression1 ,characters1   
,tone and ,colour of either is the      
result of observations lately made on   
both in that gallery1 where then they   
were placed nearly opposite to each     
other4  ,in each picture1 ,st4 ,jerome1 
brought from his cell to receive the    
sacrament1 is represented on his knees1 
supported by devout attendants2 in each 
the officiating priest is in the act of 
administering to the dying saint2 the   
same clerical society fills the portico 

of the temple in both1 in both the scene
 is witnessed from above by infant      
angels4  ,the general opinion is in     
favour of the ,pupil1 but if in the     
economy of the whole ,domenichino       
surpasses his master1 he appears to me  
greatly inferior both in the character  
and expression of the hero4 ,domenichino
 has represented ,piety scarcely        
struggling with decay1 ,agostino        
triumphant over it1 his saint becomes in
 the place where he is1 a superior      
being1 and is inspired by the           
approaching god3 that of ,domenichino   
seems divided between resignation1      
mental and bodily imbecility and desire4
 ,the saint of ,agostino is a lion1 that
 of ,domenichino a lamb4  ,in the       
sacerdotal figure administering the     
viaticum1 ,domenichino has less improved
 than corrected the unworthy choice of  
his master4 ,the priest of ,agostino is 
one of the ,frati ,godenti of ,dante1   
before they received the infernal hood2 
a gross1 fat1 self-conceited terrestrial

 feature1 a countenance equally proof to
 elevation1 pity or thought4 ,the priest
 of ,domenichino is a minister of grace1
 stamped with the sacred humility that  
characterized his master1 and penetrated
 by the function of which he is the     
instrument4  ,we are more impressed with
 the graces of youth than the energies  
of manhood verging on age3 in this      
respect1 as well as that of contrast    
with the decrepitude of ,st4 ,jerome1   
the placid contemplative beauty of the  
young deacon on the foreground of       
,domenichino1 will probably please more 
than the poetic trance of the assistant 
friar with the lighted taper in the     
foreground of ,agostino4 ,this must     
however be observed1 that as            
,domenichino thought proper to introduce
 supernatural witnesses of the ceremony 
in imitation of his master1 their effect
 seems less ornamental1 and more        
interwoven with the plan1 by being      
perceived by the actors themselves4  ,if
 the attendant characters in the picture

 of ,agostino are more numerous1 and    
have on the whole1 furnished the hints  
of admission to those of ,domenichino1  
this1 with one exception1 may be said to
 have used more propriety and judgment  
in the choice4 ,both have introduced a  
man with a turban1 and opened a portico 
to characterize an ,asiatic scene4      
,with regard to composition1            
,domenichino undoubtedly gains the palm4
 ,the disposition on the whole he owes  
to his master1 though he reversed it1   
but he has cleared it of that oppressive
 bustle which rather involves and crowds
 the principal actors in ,agostino than 
attends them4 ,he spreads tranquillity  
with space1 and repose without vacuity4 
,with this corresponds the tone of the  
whole4 ,the evening-freshness of an     
oriental day tinges every part2 the     
medium of ,agostino partakes too much of
 the fumigated inside of a ,catholic    
chapel4  ,the draperies of both are     
characteristic1 and unite subordination 
with dignity1 but their colour is chosen

 with more judgment by ,domenichino2 the
 imbrowned gold and ample folds of the  
robe of the administering priest are    
more genial than the cold blue1 white   
and yellow on the priest of his master2 
in both1 perhaps1 the white draperies on
 the foreground figures have too little 
strength for the central colours1 but it
 is more perceived in ,carracci than in 
,domenichino4  ,the forms of the saint  
in ,carracci are grander and more ideal 
than in the saint of ,domenichino2 some 
have even thought them too vigorous3    
both1 in my opinion1 are in harmony with
 the emotion of the face and expression 
of either4 ,the eagerness that animates 
the countenance of the one may be       
supposed to spread a momentary vigour   
over his frame4 ,the mental dereliction 
of countenance in the other with equal  
propriety relaxes and palsies the limbs 
which depend on it4  ,the colour of     
,carracci's saint is much more          
characteristic of fleshy though nearly  
bloodless substance than that chosen by 

his rival1 which is withered1           
shrivelled1 leathery in the lights1 and 
earthy in the shades2 but the head of   
the officiating priest in ,domenichino1 
whether considered as a specimen of     
colour independent of the rest or as set
 off by it1 for truth1 tone1 freshness1 
energy1 is not only the best            
,domenichino ever painted1 but perhaps  
the best that can be conceived4         
,,footnotes3  #hh ,a miracle means an   
act performed by virtue of an unknown   
law of ,nature4  #hi ,the form1 but not 
the soul1 of ,julio's composition has   
been borrowed by ,rubens1 or the master 
of the well-known picture in the gallery
 of ,dulwich college4 ,few can be       
unacquainted with the work of ,vandyke1 
spread by the best engravers of that    
school4 ,the picture of ,rembrandt is   
the chief ornament of the collection in 
the garden-house of the ,schnborn       
family1 in one of the suburbs of        
,vienna3 has been etched on a large     
scale1 and there is a copy of it in the 

gallery at ,cassel4 ,a circumstantial   
account of it may be found in the       
,eighth ,letter1 vol4 iii4 of ,ktner's  
,travels4     ,,sixth ,,lecture4        
,,chiaroscuro4      ,non fumum ex       
fulgore1 sed ex fumo dare lucem4        
,horat4 de ,arte ,poet4 ,l4 #adc4       
,,argument4      ,definition4--,lionardo
 da ,vinci4--,giorgione4--,antonio da   
,correggio4     ,,sixth ,,lecture4      
,the term ,chiaroscuro1 adopted from the
 ,italian1 in its primary and simplest  
sense means the division of a single    
object into light and shade1 and in its 
widest compass comprises their          
distribution over a whole composition3  
whether the first derive its splendour  
by being exposed to a direct light1 or  
from colours in its nature luminous2 and
 whether the second owe their obscurity 
directly to the privation of light1 or  
be produced by colours in themselves    
opaque4 ,its exclusive power is1 to give
 substance to form1 place to figure1 and
 to create space4 ,it may be considered 

as legitimate or spurious3 it is        
legitimate when1 as the immediate       
offspring of the subject1 its           
disposition1 extent1 strength or        
sweetness are subservient to form1      
expression1 and invigorate or illustrate
 character1 by heightening the primary  
actor or actors1 and subordinating the  
secondary2 it is spurious when from an  
assistant aspiring to the rights of a   
principal1 it becomes a substitute for  
indispensable or more essential demands4
 ,as such1 it has often been employed by
 the machinists of different schools1   
for whom it became the refuge of        
ignorance1 a palliative for an incurable
 disease1 and the asylum of emptiness2  
still1 as even a resource of this kind  
proves a certain vigour of mind1 it     
surprises into something like unwilling 
admiration and forced applause4  ,of    
every subject ,unity is the soul3 unity1
 of course1 is inseparable from         
legitimate chiaroscuro3 hence the       
individual light and shade of every     

figure that makes part of a given or    
chosen subject1 whether natural or      
ideal1 as well as the more compound one 
of the different intermediate groups1   
must act as so many rays emanating from 
one centre and terminate1 blazing1      
evanescent1 or obscured1 in rounding it 
to the eye4  ,truth is the next         
requisite of chiaroscuro1 whatever be   
the subject4 ,some it attends without   
ambition1 content with common effects2  
some it invigorates or inspires3 but in 
either case1 let the effect be that of  
usual expanded day-light1 or artificial 
and condensed1 it ought to be regulated 
by truth in extent1 strength1           
brilliancy1 softness1 and above all1 by 
simplicity in its positive and purity in
 its negative parts4 ,as shade is the   
mere absence of light1 it cannot1 except
 from reflexes1 possess any hue or      
colour of its own1 and acquires all its 
charms from transparency4  ,but to the  
rules which art prescribes to           
,chiaroscuro1 to round each figure of a 

composition with truth1 to connect it   
with the neighbouring groups1 and both  
with the whole--it adds1 that all this  
should be done with strict adherence to 
propriety1 at the least possible expense
 of the subordinate parts1 and with the 
utmost attainable degree of effect and  
harmony--demands which it is not my duty
 to inquire1 whether they entered ever  
with equal evidence the mind of any one 
artist1 ancient or modern3 whether1 if  
it be granted possible that they did1   
they were ever balanced with equal      
impartiality2 and grant this1 whether   
they ever were or could be executed with
 equal felicity4 ,a character of equal  
universal power is not a human          
character--and the nearest approach to  
perfection can only be in carrying to   
excellence one great quality with the   
least alloy of defects4 ,thus in the    
,school of ,athens1 ,raffaello's great  
aim being to embody on the same scene   
the gradations1 varieties and utmost    
point of human culture as it proceeds   

from the individual to society1 and from
 that ascends to ,god2 he suffered      
expression and character to preponderate
 over effect and combination of masses1 
and contriving to unite the opposite    
wings with the centre by entrance and   
exit at each extremity1 as far as       
expression could do it1 succeeded1 to   
make what in itself is little more than 
apposition of single figures or detached
 groups1 one grand whole4--,i say1 as   
far as expression could satisfy a mind  
qualified to contemplate and penetrate  
his principle1 however unsatisfied a    
merely picturesque eye might wander over
 a scattered assemblage of figures      
equally illuminated and unconnected by a
 commanding mass of light and shade4    
,from this deficiency of effect in the  
composition we speak of1 it is evident1 
that mere natural light and shade1      
however separately or individually true1
 is not always legitimate ,chiaroscuro  
in art4 ,nature sheds or withholds her  
ray indiscriminately1 and every object  

has what share it can obtain by place   
and position1 which it is the business  
of art to arrange by fixing a centre and
 distributing the rays according to the 
more or less important claims of the    
subject3 as long as it regulates itself 
by strict observance of that principle1 
it matters not whether its principal    
mass radiate from the middle1 wind in   
undulating shapes1 dart in decided beams
 from the extremities2 emanate from one 
source1 or borrow additional effect from
 subordinate ones3 let it mount like    
flame or descend in lightning2 dash in  
stern tones terror on the eye1 emergent 
from a dark or luminous medium2 through 
twilight immerse itself in impenetrable 
gloom or gradually vanish in voluptuous 
repose1 guided by the subject the most  
daring division of light and shade      
becomes natural and legitimate1 and the 
most regular1 spurious and illegitimate 
without it4  ,to attain in the execution
 the highest possible and widest        
expanded effect of light1 with equal    

depth and transparence in the shade1    
brilliancy of colour is less required   
than unison3 a sovereign tone must      
pervade the whole1 which1 though        
arbitrary and dependent on choice1      
decides all subordinate ones1 as the    
tone of the first instrument in a       
regular concert tunes all the rest2     
their effect entirely depends on being  
in unison with it1 and discord is       
produced whenever they revolt3 by thus  
uniting itself with the whole1 the      
simplest tone well managed may become1  
not only harmonious1 but rich and       
splendid1 it is then the tone of        
,nature3 whilst the most brilliant one1 
if contradicted or disappointed by the  
detail of the inferior1 may become      
heavy1 leathern1 and discordant4        
,though every work of ,correggio is an  
illustration of this principle1 and none
 with brighter evidence than his ,notte1
 in which the central light of the      
infant irradiates the whole2 perhaps the
 most decisive1 because the most        

appropriate proof of it1 is in its      
companion the less known picture of ,st4
 ,sebastian1 at ,dresden2 in which the  
central light of a glory1 not only      
surprises the eye with all the splendour
 of a sun1 though its colour is a yellow
 comparatively faint1 and terminates in 
brown1 but tinges the whole1 perfectly  
transparent1 with its emanation4  ,that 
not before the lapse of two hundred     
years after the resurrection of ,art1   
the discovery of ,chiaroscuro1 as a     
principle of beauty in single figures   
and of effect in composition1 should be 
awarded to ,lionardo da ,vinci1 a       
patriarch of that school which time has 
shown of all others the least inclined  
to appreciate its advantages1 is at once
 a proof of the singularity that marks  
the local distribution of powers1 and of
 the inconceivable slowness which       
attends human perception in the progress
 of study3 but without generally        
admitting what has been said with more  
energy than judgment or regard to truth1

 that modern art literally sprang from  
the loins of ,lionardo1 it must be      
granted that no work anterior or        
contemporary with his essays in         
,chiaroscuro now exists to disprove his 
claim to the first vision of its        
harmony2 its magic lent the charm1 by   
which his females allure1 to forms      
neither ideal nor much varied2 sisters  
of one family1 they attract by the light
 in which they radiate1 by the shade    
that veils them--for the features of    
,giotto's or ,memmi's ,madonnas or      
virgin-saints floating in the same      
medium1 would require little more to be 
their equals4  ,this principle ,lionardo
 seems seldom if ever to have extended  
to relieve or recommend his larger      
compositions and male figures1 if we    
except the group of contending horsemen 
which made or was intended for some part
 of his rival ,cartoon in the ,sala del 
,consiglio3 a knot of supreme powers in 
,composition and ,chiaroscuro3 though1  
as we know it chiefly from a copy of ,p4

 ,p4 ,rubens engraved by ,edelinck1 the 
gross evidence of ,flemish liberties    
taken with the style1 makes it probable 
that the original simplicity of light   
and shade has been invigorated by the   
artificial contrasts of the copyist4    
,lionardo's open scenery1 tinged with   
the glareless evenness of plain         
daylight1 seldom warrants effects so    
concentrated4 ,unostentatious gravity   
marks the characters of his ,last       
,supper1 and in sober evening tones     
marked probably the ,chiaroscuro of the 
groups and scenery1 if we may be allowed
 to form our judgment from the little   
that remains unimpaired by the ravages  
of time and the more barbarous ones of  
renovators4  ,to the discovery of       
central radiance the genius of ,lionardo
 with equal penetration added its       
counterpart1 purity of shade and the    
coalescence of both through             
imperceptible demi-tints4 ,whatever tone
 of light he chose1 he never forgot that
 the shade intended to set it off was   

only its absence1 and not a positive    
colour1 and that both were to be        
harmonized by demi-tints composed of    
both2 a principle of which no school    
anterior to him has left a trace4  ,that
 the discovery of a principle big with  
advantages as obvious as important to   
art should have been reserved for the   
penetration of ,lionardo1 however       
singular1 is less strange than that1    
when discovered and its powers          
demonstrated1 it should1 with the       
exception of one name1 have not only met
 with no imitators1 but with an         
ambiguous and even discouraging         
reception from the pupils of his own    
school1 and some next allied to it4     
,vasari1 his panegyrist rather than     
biographer1 talks of it more as a       
singular phnomenon than as an evident   
principle1 and avowing that he          
introduced a certain depth of shade into
 oil-painting1 which enabled succeeding 
artists to relieve their figures more   
forcibly1#ij persevered to discolour    

walls and pannels with washy flat       
insipidity4 ,bartolomeo della ,porta    
alone appears to have had sufficient    
compass of mind to grasp its energy and 
connect it with colour3 from him1       
through ,andrea del ,sarto down to      
,pietro ,berettini1 who owed his effects
 rather to opposition of tints than to  
legitimate ,chiaroscuro1 the ,tuscan    
school gradually suffered it to dwindle 
into evanescence4 ,unless we were to    
consider its astonishing effects in some
 of ,michael ,angelo's works in the     
light of imitations rather than as      
emanations of his own genius2 which     
perhaps we are the less warranted to    
presume1 as he seems to have paid no    
attention to ,lionardo's discovery in   
its brightest period2 for the groups of 
his celebrated cartoon exhibit little   
more than individual light and shade4   
,what the ,tuscan school treated with   
neglect1 the ,roman appears not to have 
been eager to adopt3 if ,raffaello did  
not remain a stranger to the theories of

 ,lionardo and ,fr ,bartolomeo1 he      
suffered the principle to lie dormant2  
for no production of his during his     
intercourse with them is marked by      
concentration of light or purity of     
shade or subordinate masses3 nor is the 
interval between his last departure from
 ,florence and his entrance of the      
,vatican discriminated by any visible   
progress in massing and illuminating a  
whole3 the upper and lower parts of the 
,dispute on the ,sacrament1 cut sheer   
asunder1 as a whole1 are little relieved
 in either2 and if the ,parnassus and   
the ,school of ,athens have the         
beginning1 middle1 and end of legitimate
 composition1 they owe it to expression 
and feeling2 nor can the more vigorous  
display of ,chiaroscuro in the works of 
the second stanza1 the ,deliverance of  
,peter1 the ,fall of ,heliodorus1 the   
,attila1 the ,mass of ,bolsena be       
referred to a principle of imitation1   
when we see it neglected in a subject   
where it might have ruled with absolute 

sway1 in the ,incendio del ,borgo1 and  
on the whole in every ,composition of   
the third and fourth stanza2 a series of
 evidence that ,raffaello considered    
,chiaroscuro as a subordinate vehicle1  
and never suffered its blandishments or 
energies to absorb meaning or to        
supplant expression and form3#ia but the
 harmony which immediately after him    
,giulio ,pipi1 and ,polydoro only       
excepted1 the rest of his pupils had    
sacrificed or consecrated to higher     
beauties1 their successors1 the         
subsequent ,roman school from the       
,zuccari through ,giuseppe ,cesari down 
to ,c4 ,maratta1 if they did not        
entirely lose in a heavy display of     
academic pedantry1 or destroy by the    
remorseless bravura of mannered         
practice1 the uniformly polluted by     
bastard theories and adulterated methods
 of shade4  ,when ,i say that the ,roman
 school uniformly erred in their        
principle of shade1 ,i have not forgot  
,m4 ,angelo da ,caravaggio1 whose darks 

are in such perfect unison with the     
lights of his chiaroscuro1 that ,a4     
,caracci declared he did not grind      
colour but flesh itself for his tints   
7che macinava carne71 and whom for that 
reason and on such authority ,i choose  
rather to consider as the head of his   
own school than as the member of        
another3 in some of his surviving works1
 but far more frequently in those which 
without sufficient authenticity are     
ascribed to him1 an abrupt transition   
from light to darkness1 without an      
intervening demi-tint1 has offended the 
eye and provoked the sarcasm of an      
eminent critic3 but as long as the      
picture of the ,entombing of ,christ in 
the ,chiesa ,nuova at ,rome may be      
appealed to2 as long as the ,pilgrim's  
kneeling before the ,madonna with the   
child in her arms1 of ,st4 ,agostino at 
,rome1 shall retain their tone2 or the  
,infant ,jesus1 once in the ,spada      
palace1 crushing the serpent's head1    
shall resist the ravages of time--it    

will be difficult to produce in similar 
works of any other master or any other  
school1 from ,lionardo down to          
,rembrandt1 a system of chiaroscuro     
which shall equal the severe yet mellow 
energy of the first2 the departing      
evening ray and veiled glow of the      
second2 or1 with unimpaired harmony1 the
 bold decision of masses and stern light
 and shade of the third4  ,the homage   
sparingly granted or callously refused  
to chiaroscuro by the two schools of    
design was with implicit devotion paid  
to it by the nurse of colour1 the school
 of ,venice4 ,whether as tradition1 on  
the authority of ,vasari1 maintains1    
they received it as a principle of      
imitation from the perspicacity1 or as a
 native discovery from the genius of    
,giorgione ,barbarelli1 though from what
 has been advanced on both sides of the 
question1 it would be presumptuous      
positively to decide on either1 it must 
be allowed1 that if the ,venetian       
received a hint from the ,florentine1 he

 extended it through a system1 the      
harmony of which was all his own1 and   
excelled in breadth and amenity the     
light which it could not surpass in     
splendour1 added transparence to purity 
of shade1 rounded by reflexes and       
discovered by the contrast of deep with 
aerial colour1 that energy of effect    
which mere chiaroscuro could not have   
reached1 and which was carried near     
perfection by ,paolo ,cagliari4  ,among 
the varied mischief poured into this    
country by the rapacious sophistry of   
traders and the ambitious cullibility of
 wealthy collectors1 no fraud perhaps   
has been more destructive to the genuine
 appreciation of original styles than   
the baptism of pictures with names not  
their own3 by this prolific method worse
 ones than those of ,luini1 ,aretusi1   
,timoteo della ,vite1 ,bonifacio1 are   
daily graced with the honours due to    
,lionardo1 ,correggio1 ,raffaello1      
,tizian2 though none have suffered more 
by the multiplication than ,giorgione1  

whom shortness of life1 a peculiar      
fatality of circumstances1 and the      
ravages of time1 have conspired to      
render one of the scarcest as well as   
least authenticated artists even in     
,italy3 to whom his earliest and latest 
biographers have been as critically     
unjust as chronologically inattentive2  
,vasari by transferring to another his  
principal work2 ,fiorillo by making him 
paint the portrait of ,calvin the       
,reformer4#ib  ,to form our opinion     
therefore of ,giorgione's chiaroscuro   
from a few portraits or single figures1 
if legitimate1 often restored1 or from  
the crumbling remnants of his decayed   
frescoes1 would be to form an estimate  
of a magnificent fabric from some loose 
fragment or stone3 to do full justice to
 his powers we must have recourse to his
 surprising work in the ,school of ,s4  
,marco at ,venice2 a composition whose  
terrific graces ,vasari descants on with
 a fervour inferior only to the artist's
 own inspiration1 though he             

unaccountably ascribes it to the elder  
,palma4#ic  ,in the ,school of ,s4      
,marco he painted the story of the ship 
which conducts the body of ,st4 ,mark   
through a horrible tempest1 with other  
barges assailed by furious winds2 and   
besides1 groups of arial apparitions1   
and various forms of fiends who vent    
their blasts against the vessels1 that  
by dint of oars and energy of arms      
strive to force their way through the   
mountainous and hostile waves which     
threaten to submerge them4 ,you hear the
 howling blast1 you see the grasp and   
fiery exertion of the men1 the          
fluctuation of the waves1 the lightning 
that bursts the clouds1 the oars bent by
 the flood1 the flood broke by the oars1
 and dashed to spray by the sinews of   
the rowers4 ,what more8 ,in vain ,i     
labour to recollect a picture that      
equals the terrors of this whose design1
 invention1 and colour make the canvass 
tremble6 ,often when he finishes1 an    
artist1 absorbed in the contemplation of

 parts1 forgets the main point of a     
design1 and as the spirits cool1 loses  
the vein of his enthusiasm2 but this    
man1 never losing sight of the subject1 
guided his conceit to perfection4  ,the 
effect of this work1 when it drew such a
 stream of eulogy from lips else so     
frugal in ,venetian praise1 may be      
guessed at from the impression it makes 
in its present decay--for even now1 it  
might defy the competition of the most  
terrific specimens in chiaroscuro1 the  
boat of ,charon in ,m4 ,angelo's ,last  
,judgment1 perhaps1 only excepted4 ,yet 
its master was defrauded of its glory by
 his panegyrist1 whilst it was exciting 
the wonder and curiosity of every       
beholder3 ,lanzi is the only historian  
who notices its remains1 and the real   
author2#id we look in vain for it in    
,ridolfi1 who in his ,life of ,giorgione
 treats us instead of it with a         
delectable account of a night-piece     
which he painted1 exhibiting the        
tragi-comedy of castrating a cat4  ,it  

has been treated as a mistake to confine
 the chiaroscuro of a subject           
exclusively to one source2 nor can it be
 doubted that often it is and has been  
proved to be both necessary and         
advantageous to admit more2 this is     
however a licence to be granted with    
considerable caution1 and it appears to 
be the privilege of superior powers to  
raise a subject1 by the admission of    
subordinate1 sometimes diverging1       
sometimes opposite streams of light1 to 
assist and invigorate the effect of the 
primary one1 without impairing that     
unity which alone can ensure a breadth  
to effect1 without which each part1 for 
mastery striving1 soon would be lost in 
confusion1 or crumble into fragments4   
,the best instances of the advantages   
gained by the superinduction of         
artificial light1 appear to be the      
,pietro ,martire and the ,s4 ,lorenzo of
 ,tiziano3 if selection can be made from
 the works of a master1 where to count  
is to choose4 ,in the first1 the stern  

light of evening far advanced in the    
background1 is commanded by the         
celestial emanation bursting from above1
 wrapping the summit in splendour1 and  
diffusing itself in rays more or less   
devious over the scenery4 ,the subject  
of ,s4 ,lorenzo1 a nocturnal scene1     
admits light from two sources--the fire 
beneath the ,saint1 and a raised torch3 
but receives its principal splendour    
from the arial reflex of the vision on  
high1 which sheds its mitigating ray on 
the martyr4  ,the nocturnal studies of  
,tintoretto from models and artificial  
groups have been celebrated3 these1     
prepared in wax or clay1 he arranged1   
raised1 suspended1 to produce masses1   
foreshortening1 and variety of effect3  
it was thence he acquired that decision 
of chiaroscuro unknown to more expanded 
daylight1 by which he divided his       
bodies1 and those wings of obscurity and
 light by which he separated the groups 
of his composition1 though the          
mellowness of his eye nearly always     

instructed him to connect the two       
extremes by something intermediate that 
partook of both1 as the extremes        
themselves by reflexes with the         
back-ground or the scenery4 ,the general
 rapidity of his process1 by which he   
baffled his competitors and often       
overwhelmed himself1 did not indeed     
always permit him to attend deliberately
 to this principle1 and often hurried   
him into an abuse of practice1 which in 
the lights turned breadth into mannered 
or insipid flatness1 and in the shadows 
into total extinction of parts3 of all  
this1 he has in the schools of ,s4      
,rocco and ,marco given the most        
unquestionable instances2 the           
,resurrection of ,christ and the        
,massacre of the ,innocents1 comprehend 
every charm by which chiaroscuro        
fascinates its votaries3 in the ,vision1
 dewy dawn melts into deep but pellucid 
shade1 itself rent or reflected by      
celestial splendour and angelic hues3   
whilst in the ,infant-massacre at       

,bethlehem alternate sheets of stormy   
light and agitated gloom dash horror on 
the astonished eye4  ,he pursued1       
however1 another method to create1      
without more assistance from chiaroscuro
 than individual light and shade1 an    
effect equivalent and perhaps superior  
to what the utmost stretch of its powers
 could have produced1 in the            
,crucifixion of the ,albergo1 or        
,guest-room of ,s4 ,rocco1 the largest  
and most celebrated of his works4 ,the  
multitudinous rabble dispersed over that
 picture1 7for such1 rather than        
composition1 one group excepted1 that   
assemblage of accidental figures        
deserves to be called17 he connected by 
a sovereign tone1 ingulphing the whole  
in one mass of ominous twilight1 an     
eclipse1 or what precedes a storm1 or   
hurricane1 or earthquake2 nor suffering 
the captive eye to rest on any other    
object than the faint gleam hovering    
over the head of the ,saviour in the    
centre1 and in still fainter tones dying

 on the sainted group gathered beneath  
the ,cross4 ,yet this nearly superhuman 
contrivance1 which raises above         
admiration a work whose incongruous     
parts else must have sunk it beneath    
mediocrity1 ,agostino ,carracci1 in his 
print1 with chalcographic callus1 has   
totally overlooked2 for notwithstanding 
the iron sky that overhangs the whole1  
he has spread1 if not sunshine1 the most
 declared daylight from end to end1 nor 
left the eye uninformed of one motley   
article1 or one blade of grass4  ,with  
,iacopo ,robusti may be named1 though   
adopted by another school1 ,belisario   
,corenzio1 an ,achan ,greek1 his pupil1 
his imitator in the magic of            
chiaroscuro1 and with still less        
compunction his rival in dispatch and   
rapidity of hand3 the immense           
compositions in which he overflowed1 he 
encompassed1 and carried to irresistible
 central splendour by streams of shade1 
and hemmed his glories in with clouds1  
or showery1 or pregnant with thunder4   

,the monasteries and churches of ,naples
 and its dependencies abound in his     
frescoes4  ,the more adscititious       
effects of chiaroscuro produced by the  
opposition of dark to lucid1 opaque to  
transparent bodies1 and cold to warm    
tints1 though fully understood by the   
whole ,venetian school1 were nearly     
carried to perfection by ,paolo         
,cagliari4 ,there is no variety of      
harmonious or powerful combination in   
the empire of colour1 as a substitute of
 light and shade1 which did not emanate 
from his eye1 variegate his canvass1 and
 invigorate his scenery4 ,many of his   
works1 however1 and principally the     
masses scattered over his ,suppers1     
prove that he was master of that        
legitimate chiaroscuro which1           
independent of colour1 animates         
composition3 but the gaiety of his mind1
 which inspired him with subjects of    
magnificence and splendour1 of numerous 
assemblies canopied by serene skies or  
roving lofty palaces1 made him seek his 

effects oftener in opposed tints1 than  
in powerful depths of light and shade4  
,but all preceding1 contemporary1 and   
subsequent schools1 with their united   
powers of chiaroscuro1 were far excelled
 both in compass and magnitude of its   
application by the genius of ,antonio   
,allegri1 from the place of his nativity
 surnamed ,correggio4 ,to them light and
 shade was only necessary as the more or
 less employed1 or obedient attendant on
 design1 composition1 and colour4 ,but  
design1 composition1 and colour1 were no
 more than the submissive vehicles1 or  
enchanted ministers of its charms to    
,correggio4 ,if1 strictly speaking1 he  
was not the inventor of its element1 he 
fully spanned its measure1 and expanded 
the powers of its harmony through       
,heaven and earth2 in his eye and hand  
it became the organ of sublimity2 the   
process of his cupolas made it no longer
 a question whether an art circumscribed
 by lines and figure could convey ideas 
of reality and immensity at once4       

,entranced by his spell1 and lapped in  
his elysium1 we are not aware of the    
wide difference between the conception  
of the medium1 the place1 space1 and    
mode in which certain beings ought1 or  
may be supposed to move1 and that of    
those beings themselves2 and forget1    
though fully adequate to the first1 that
 ,correggio was unequal to the second2  
that though he could build ,heaven1 he  
could not people it4 ,if ,m4 ,agnolo    
found in the depth of his mind and in   
grandeur of line the means of rendering 
the immediate effect of will and power  
intuitive in the ,creation of ,adam1 by 
darting life from the finger of         
,omnipotence1 the coalition of light and
 darkness opened to the entranced eye of
 ,correggio the means of embodying the  
,mosaic ,let there be light1 and created
 light in that stream of glory which1   
issuing from the divine ,infant in his  
,notte1 proclaims a ,god4 ,if ,thought  
be personified in the ,prophets and     
,sibyls of the ,sistine ,chapel1 he has 

made ,silence audible in the slumbering 
twilight that surrounds the ,zingara2   
and filled the gloom which enbosoms     
,jupiter and ,io1 with the whispers of  
,love4  ,and though perhaps we should be
 nearer truth by ascribing the cause of 
,correggio's magic to the happy         
conformation of his organs1 and his calm
 serenity of mind1 than to ,platonic    
ecstasies1 a poet might at least be     
allowed to say that his soul1 absorbed  
by the contemplation of infinity1 soared
 above the sphere of measurable powers1 
knowing that every object whose limits  
can be distinctly perceived by the mind1
 must be within its grasp2 and however  
grand1 magnificent1 beautiful1 or       
terrific1 fall short of the conception  
itself1 and be less than sublime4--,in  
this1 from whatever cause1 consists the 
real spell of ,correggio--which neither 
,parmegiano nor ,annibale ,carracci seem
 to have been able to penetrate3 the    
,bolognese certainly not2 for if we     
believe himself in his letters to       

,ludovico1 expressive of his emotions at
 the first sight of ,correggio's        
cupolas1 he confines his admiration to  
the foreshortening and grace of forms1  
the successful imitation of flesh1 and  
rigorous perspective4  ,of ,correggio's 
numerous pretending imitators ,ludovico 
,carracci appears to be the only one who
 penetrated his principle3 the axiom1   
that the less the traces appear of the  
means by which a work has been produced1
 the more it resembles the operations of
 nature1 is not an axiom likely to      
spring from the infancy of art4 ,the    
even colour1 veiled splendour1 the      
solemn twilight2 that tone of devotion  
and cloistered meditation1 which        
,ludovico ,carracci spread over his     
works1 could arise only from the        
contemplation of some preceding style1  
analogous to his own feelings and its   
comparison with nature2 and where could 
that be met with in a degree equal to   
what he found in the infinite unity and 
variety of ,correggio's effusions8 ,they

 inspired his frescoes in the cloisters 
of ,st4 ,michele in ,bosco3 the         
foreshortenings of the muscular         
,labourers at the ,hermitage1 and of the
 ponderous ,dmon that mocks their toil1 
the warlike splendour in the homage of  
,totila1 the nocturnal conflagration of 
,monte ,cassino1 the wild graces of     
deranged beauty1 and the insidious      
charms of the sister nymphs in the      
garden-scene1 equally proclaim the pupil
 of ,correggio4  ,his triumph in oil is 
the altar-piece of ,st4 ,john preaching1
 in a chapel of the ,certosa at         
,bologna1 whose lights seem embrowned by
 a golden veil1 and the shadowy gleam of
 ,vallombrosa2 though he sometimes      
indulged in tones austere1 pronounced1  
and hardy3 such is the ,flagellation of 
,christ in the same church1 whose       
tremendous depth of flesh-tints         
contrasts the open wide-expanded sky1   
and less conveys than dashes its terrors
 on the astonished sense4  ,the schools 
of ,bologna1 ,parma1 ,milano1 with more 

or less geniality1 imitated their       
predecessors1 but added no new features 
to the theory of light and shade4 ,as to
 its progress on this side of the ,alps1
 it is better to say nothing than little
 on the wide range of ,rubens1 and the  
miracles of ,rembrandt4   ,,footnotes3  
#ij ,nella arte della pittura aggiunse  
costui alla maniera del colorire ad     
olio1 una certa oscurit2 donde hanno    
dato i moderni gran forza e rilievo alle
 loro figure4 ,vasari vita di ,lion4 da 
,vinci1 p4 #eei4 ed4 #aeej4  #ia ,in the
 greater part of the ,cartoons1 it does 
not appear that chiaroscuro had more    
than an ordinary share of attention4    
,in the ,miraculous ,draught plain      
day-light prevails4  ,in the ,miracle at
 the ,temple-gate a more forcible and   
more sublime effect would have been     
obtained from a cupola-light and pillars
 darkened on the foreground4  ,in the   
,excecation of ,elymas1 composition and 
expression owe little of their roundness
 and evidence to chiaroscuro4           

,apposition seems to have arranged the  
,sacrifice at ,lystra4  ,if ,dionysius  
and ,damaris1 in the cartoon of the     
,areopagus1 had more forcibly refracted 
by dark colours or shade1 the light     
against the speaker1 effect and subject 
would have gained4  ,considered         
individually or in masses1 the          
chiaroscuro in the cartoon of ,ananias  
appears to be perfect2 but the ,donation
 of the ,keys owes what impression it   
makes on us in a great measure to the   
skillful distribution of its light and  
shade4  #ib ,in the following absurd    
description of the well-known picture in
 the ,palace ,pitti3 ,it consists of    
three half-figures1 one of which        
represents ,martin ,luther in the habit 
of an ,augustine ,monk1 who plays on a  
harpsichord3 ,calvin stands by him in a 
chorister's dress1 with a violin in his 
hand3 opposite you see a young lively   
girl in a bonnet with a plume of white  
feathers2 by her ,giorgione meant to    
represent the noted ,catharine1         

,luther's mistress and wife1 c4         
,fiorillo1 vol4 ii4 p4 #fc4 ,to expose  
the ignorant credulity which dictated   
this passage1 it is sufficient to       
observe1 that ,giorgione died #aeaa1 and
 that ,calvin was born #aejh4  #ic ,in  
every edition of the ,vite subsequent to
 his own of #aeej4 ,the following       
passage deserves to be given in his own 
words3 ,giorgione di ,castel franco2 il 
quale sfum le sue pitture e dette una   
terribil' movenzia a certe cose come    
una storia nella ,scuola di ,san ,marco 
a ,venezia1 dove  un tempo turbido che  
tuona1 et trema il dipinto1 et le figure
 si muovono  si spiccano da la tavola   
per una certa oscurit di ombre bene     
intese4--,proemio della terza ,parle    
delle ,vite1 p4 #eeh4  #id ,a la ,scuola
 di ,s4 ,marco la ,tempest ,sedata dal  
,santo1 ove fra le altre cose sono tre  
remiganti ignudi1 pregiatissimi pel     
disegno1 e per le attitudini4 ,lanzi    
,storia1 c4 ,tomo ,,ii4 parte prima4    
,scuola ,veneta4     ,,seventh          

,,lecture4  ,,on ,,design4     ,,seventh
 ,,lecture4   ,it is perhaps unnecessary
 to premise1 that by the word ,design ,i
 mean here not what that word denotes in
 a general sense1 the plan of a whole1  
but what it applies in its narrowest and
 most specific sense1 the drawing of the
 figures and component parts of the     
subject4 ,the ,arts of ,design have been
 so denominated from their nearly       
exclusive power of representing ,form1  
the base and principal object of plastic
 in contradistinction to vocal          
imitation4 ,in forms alone the idea of  
existence can be rendered intuitive and 
permanent4 ,languages perish2 words     
succeed each other1 become obsolete and 
die2 even colours1 the dressers and     
ornaments of bodies1 fade2 ,lines alone 
can neither be obliterated nor          
misconstrued2 by application to their   
standard alone1 discrimination takes    
place1 and description becomes          
intelligible4 ,here is the only         
ostensible seat of corporeal ,beauty2   

here only it can strictly exist2 for1 as
 the notion of ,beauty arises from the  
pleasure we feel in the harmonious      
co-operation of the component forms of  
some favourite object towards one end at
 once--it implies their immediate       
co-existence in the mass they compose2  
and as that immediately and at once can 
be perceived and conveyed to the mind by
 the eye alone1--,figure is the         
legitimate vehicle of ,beauty1 and      
,design the physical element of the     
,art4  ,of ,design1 the element is      
correctness and style2 its extinction1  
incorrectness and manner4 ,on the first 
principle of correctness1 or the power  
of copying and drawing with precision   
the proportions of any object singly1 or
 in relation with others1--as it may be 
considered in the light of an elementary
 qualification without which none would 
presume to enter himself a student of   
the ,academy1--,i should perhaps forbear
 to speak1 did ,i not consider it as the
 basis of ,design1 and were ,i not      

apprehensive that from the prevalent    
bend of the reigning taste1 you do not  
lay on it all the stress you ought1 and 
that1 if you neglect the acquisition of 
the power to copy with purity and       
precision any given object1 you will    
never acquire that of imitating what you
 have chosen for your model4  ,our      
language generally confounds1 or rather 
those who use it1 when they speak of the
 art1 the two words copy and imitation1 
though essentially different in their   
operation1 as well as their meaning4 ,an
 eye geometrically just1 with a hand    
implicitly obedient1 is the requisite of
 the former1 without all choice1 without
 selection1 amendment1 or omission2     
whilst choice1 directed by judgment and 
taste1 constitutes the essence of       
imitation1 and raises the humble copyist
 to the noble rank of an artist4  ,those
 who have stopped short at the          
acquisition of the former faculty have  
made a means their end1 have debased the
 designer to the servile though useful  

draughtsman of natural history3 and     
those who have aspired to the second    
without gaining the first1 have         
substituted air for substance1 and      
attempted to raise a splendid fabric on 
a quicksand3 the first have retarded the
 progress of the art2 the second have   
perverted its nature3 each has erred1 to
 prove that the coalition of both is    
indispensable4  ,it has been said by a  
high authority within these walls1 and  
indeed in the whole province of modern  
art1 that as painting is the student's  
ultimate aim1 the sooner you acquire the
 power of using the pencil1 the better2 
but ,i am persuaded that we should      
pervert the meaning of the great artist 
we speak of1 were we to conclude1 that  
by this observation rather than precept1
 he meant to discourage the acquisition 
of correctness4 ,the zealous votary of  
,m4 ,agnolo could never mean this2 he   
was too well acquainted with the process
 of that great man's studies1 who placed
 the compass in the eye1 not to find in 

the precision with which he had traced  
the elements1 the foundation of his     
style4 ,his breadth1 he knew1 was only  
the vehicle of his comprehension1 and   
not vacuity2 for breadth might easily be
 obtained1 if emptiness can give it4    
,all he meant to say was1 that it       
mattered not whether you acquired       
correctness by the pencil1 the crayon1  
or the pen1 and that1 as the sculptor   
models1 the painter may paint his line2 
for though neither he who anxiously     
forms lines without the power of        
embodying them1 nor he who floats       
loosely on masses of colour1 can be said
 to design1 this being merely the slave 
of a brush1 that of a point1 yet both   
tools may serve alternately or          
indiscriminately the purposes of the    
real designer4 ,it is with the same     
intention of emancipating your practice 
from an exclusive and slavish attachment
 to any particular tool1 that you are   
reminded by the same authority of the   
proverbial expression ,io tengo il      

disegno alle punta dei pennelli1 ,my    
design is at the point of my            
brush2--though ,i am afraid the         
expression is dignified with the great  
name of ,correggio through a lapse of   
memory1 as it appears from ,vasari that 
it was the petulant effusion of         
,girolamo da ,trevigi1 an obscure       
painter1 in derision of the elaborate   
cartoon prepared by ,pierino del ,vaga  
for his fresco-painting in the great    
saloon of the ,palace ,doria at ,genoa4 
,the same authority has repeatedly told 
us1 that if we mean to be correct1 we   
must scrutinize the principles on which 
the ancients reared their forms4 ,what  
were those principles8  ,i shall not    
digress in search of them to that       
primitive epoch when the cestrum        
performed the functions of light and    
shade1 and perhaps supplied linear      
painting with the faint hues of a       
stained drawing2 nor yet to the second  
period1 when practice had rendered the  
artist bolder1 and the pencil assisted  

the cestrum2 when ,parrhasius1 on the   
subtile examination of line and outline1
 established the canon of divine and    
heroic form2 we shall find them         
acknowledged with equal submission in   
the brightest ra of ,grecian execution1 
and the honour of exclusively possessing
 them contested by the most eminent     
names of that ra1 ,apelles and          
,protogenes4 ,the name of ,apelles1 in  
ancient record1 is the synonyme of      
unrivalled and unattainable             
excellence--he is the favourite mortal  
in whom1 if we believe tradition1       
,nature exhibited for once a specimen of
 what her union with education and      
circumstances could produce2 though the 
enumeration of his works by ,pliny      
points out the modification which we    
ought to apply to the idea of that      
superiority4 ,it consisted more in the  
union than in the extent of his powers2 
he knew better what he could do1 what   
ought to be done1 at what point he could
 arrive1 and what lay beyond his reach1 

than any other artist4 ,grace of        
conception and refinement of taste were 
his elements1 and went hand in hand with
 grace of execution and taste in finish4
 ,that he built both1 not on the        
precarious and volatile blandishments of
 colour1 or the delusive charms of light
 and shade1 but on the solid foundation 
of form1 acquired by precision and      
obedience of hand--not only the         
confessed inability of succeeding       
artists to finish his ultimate ,venus1  
but his well-known contest of lines with
 ,protogenes 7the correctest finisher of
 his time71 not a legendary tale1 but a 
well attested fact1 irrefragably proves4
 ,the panel on which they were drawn    
made part of the ,imperial collection in
 the ,palatium1 existed in the time of  
,pliny1 and was inspected by him2 their 
evanescent subtilty1 the only trait by  
which he mentions them1 was not1 as it  
appears1 the effect of time1 but of a   
delicacy1 sweep1 and freedom of hand    
nearly miraculous4 ,what they were1     

drawn in different colours1 and with the
 point of a brush1 one upon the other1  
or rather within each other1 it would be
 equally unavailing and useless for our 
purpose to enquire2 but the corollaries 
we may deduce from the contest are      
obviously these3 that all consists of   
elements2 that the schools of ,greece   
concurred in one elemental principle1   
fidelity of eye1 and obedience of hand2 
that these form precision1 precision    
proportion1#ie proportion symmetry1 and 
symmetry ,beauty3 that it is the little 
more or less1 imperceptible to vulgar   
eyes1 which constitutes ,grace1 and     
establishes the superiority of one      
artist over another3 that the knowledge 
of the degrees of things1 or ,taste1    
presupposes a comparative knowledge of  
things themselves3 that colour1 grace1  
and taste are companions1 not           
substitutes of form1 expression1 and    
character1 and1 when they usurp that    
title1 degenerate into splendid faults4 
,this precision of hand and eye         

presupposed1 we now come to its         
application and object1 ,imitation1     
which rests on ,nature4  ,imitation is  
properly divided into ,iconic and       
,ideal4 ,iconic imitation is confined to
 an individuum or model1 whose parts it 
delineates according to their character 
and essence1 already distinguishing the 
native and inherent1 from the accidental
 and adventitious parts4 ,by the first  
it forms its standard1 and either omits 
or subordinates the second to them1 so  
as not to impede or to affect the       
harmony of a whole4 ,this is properly   
the province of the ,portrait and the   
strictly ,historic painter1 whose chief 
object and essential requisite is       
,truth4 ,portrait in general1 content to
 be directed by the rules of            
,physiognomy1 which shows the animal    
being it represents at rest1 seldom     
calls for aid on ,pathognomy1 which     
exhibits that being agitated1 or at     
least animated and in motion2 but when  
it does--and1 though in a gentler manner

 than ,history1 it always ought to do   
it--it differs in nothing from that1 but
 in extent and degree1 and already      
proceeds on the firm permanent basis of 
,,nature4  ,by ,nature1 ,i understand   
the general and permanent principles of 
visible objects1 not disfigured by      
accident or distempered by disease1 not 
modified by fashion or local habits4    
,nature is a collective idea1 and though
 its essence exist in each individual of
 the species1 can never in its          
perfection inhabit a single object3 our 
ideas are the offspring of our senses2  
without a previous knowledge of many    
central forms1 though we may copy1 we   
can no more imitate1 or1 in other words1
 rise to the principle of action and    
penetrate the character of our model1   
than we can hope to create the form of a
 being we have not seen1 without        
retrospect to one we have4 ,meanness of 
manner is the infallible consequence    
that results from the exclusive recourse
 to one model3 why else are those who   

have most closely adhered to1 and most  
devoutly studied the model1 exactly the 
most incorrect1 the most remote from the
 real human form8 ,can there be any     
thing more disgusting to an eye         
accustomed to harmony of frame1 than the
 starveling forms of ,albert ,durer1    
unless it be the swampy excrescences of 
,rembrandt8 the figures of the former1  
proportions without symmetry2 those of  
the ,dutch artist1 uniform abstracts of 
lumpy or meagre deformity3 and yet the  
,german was a scientific man1 had       
measured1 had in his opinion reduced to 
principles1 the human frame2 whilst the 
,dutchman1 form only excepted1 possessed
 every power that constitutes genius in 
art1 seldom excelled in invention and   
composition1 and the creator of that    
magic combination of colour with        
chiaroscuro1 never perhaps before1 and  
surely never since attained4 ,and did   
not the greatest master of colour but   
one1 ,tintoretto1 if we believe his     
biographer ,ridolfi1 declare1 that to   

design from natural bodies1 or what is  
the same1 from the model1 was the task  
of men experienced in art1 inasmuch as  
those bodies were generally destitute of
 grace and a good form4 ,we are informed
 by the ,latin ,editor of ,albert       
,durer's book on the ,symmetry of the   
,human ,body1 that during his stay at   
,venice he was requested by ,andrea     
,mantegna1 who had conceived a high     
opinion of his execution and certainty  
of hand1 to pay him a visit at ,mantoua1
 for the express purpose of giving him  
an idea of that form1 of which he       
himself had had a glimpse from the      
contemplation of the ,antique4 ,andrea  
was then ill1 and expired before ,albert
 could profit by his instructions3#if   
this disappointment1 says the author of 
the anecdote1 ,albert never ceased to   
lament during his life4 ,how fit the    
,mantouan was to instruct the ,german1  
is not the question here2 the fact      
proves that ,albert felt a want which he
 found his model could not supply1 and  

had too just an idea of the importance  
of the art to be proud of dexterity of  
finger or facility of execution1 when   
exerted only to transcribe or perpetuate
 defects--though these defects1 almost  
incredible to tell1 soon after invaded  
,italy1 gave a check to the imitation of
 ,m4 ,agnolo1 supplanted his forms1 and 
produced a temporary revolution of style
 in the ,tuscan ,school1 of which the   
frescoes of ,andrea del ,sarto and      
,franciabigio in ,s4 ,giovanni dei      
,scholchi1 and the latter productions of
 ,jacopo da ,puntormo are indisputable  
proofs4 ,but without recurring to other 
proofs1 the method adopted by the       
,academy in the process of study1       
appears to be founded on the            
insufficiency of the model for attaining
 correctness4 ,why has it decreed that  
the student1 before he be permitted to  
study life1 should devote a certain     
period to the study of the ,antique8 ,if
 you fancy the motive lay in the        
comparative facility of drawing from a  

motionless object1 you lend your own    
misconception to the ,academy2 for1     
though in general it be undoubtedly more
 easy to draw an immoveable object than 
one that1 however imperceptibly1 is in  
perpetual motion1 and always varies its 
points of sight1 it cannot be the case  
when applied to the ,antique2 for where 
is the great name among the moderns that
 ever could reach the line and the      
proportions of the ancients8 ,m4 ,agnolo
 filled part of the ,capella ,sistina   
with imitations1 and sometimes          
transcripts of the ,torso1--will any one
 stand forth and say that he reached it8
 ,compare the ,restoration of           
,montorsoli1 ,giacomo della ,porta and  
,bernini1 or ,baccio ,bandinello's      
,laocoon1 with the rest of the figures1 
or the original1 and deplore the        
palpable inferiority4 ,what was it that 
the ,academy intended by making the     
,antique the basis of your studies8     
what8 but to lead you to the sources of 
,form2 to initiate you in the true      

elements of human essence2 to enable you
 to judge at your transition from the   
marble to life what was substance and   
possession in the individual1 and what  
excrescence and want1 what homogeneous1 
what discordant1 what deformity1 what   
beauty4 ,it intended1 by making you     
acquainted with a variety of figures1 to
 qualify you for classing them according
 to character and function1 what        
exclusively belongs to some or one1 and 
what is the common law of all2 to make  
you sensible that the union of          
simplicity and variety produces harmony1
 and that monotony or confusion         
commences where either is neglected1 or 
each intrudes upon the other2 in short1 
to supply by its stores1 as far as time 
and circumstances permitted1 what the   
public granted to the artists of        
,greece2 what ,zeuxis demanded and      
obtained from the people of ,croton2    
what ,eupompus pointed out to ,lysippus2
 what ,raffaello1 with better will than 
success1 searched in his own mind2 and  

what ,andrea ,mantegna1 however         
unqualified to find himself1 desired to 
impress on the mind of ,albert ,durer--a
 standard of ,,form4#ig  ,i shall not   
here recapitulate the reasons and the   
coincidence of fortunate circumstances  
which raised the ,greeks to the         
legislation of form3 the standard they  
erected1 the canon they set1 fell not   
from heaven2 but as they fancied        
themselves of divine origin1 and        
religion was the first mover of their   
art1 it followed that they should       
endeavour to invest their authors with  
the most perfect forms1 and finding that
 the privilege of man1 they were led to 
a complete and reasoned study of his    
elements and constitution2 this with    
their climate1 which allowed that form  
to grow and to show itself to the       
greatest advantage1 with their civil and
 political institutions1 which          
established and encouraged exercises1   
manners1 and opportunities1 of all      
others best calculated to rear1         

accomplish1 and produce that form1 gave 
in successive periods birth to that     
style which beginning with the essence1 
proportion1 proceeded to character1 and 
rose to its height by uniting both with 
,beauty4 ,of all three classes specimens
 in sufficient numbers have survived the
 ravages of time1 the most considerable 
of which1 accumulated within these      
walls1 form the ample stores of         
information which the ,academy displays 
before its students2 but--,i say it with
 reluctance1 though as teacher my       
office1 as your reader my duty1 demand  
it--displays not always with adequate   
success4 ,too often the precipitation   
with which admission from the ,plaster  
to the ,life-room is solicited2 the     
total neglect of the ,antique after they
 have once invaded the model1 and the   
equally slovenly1 authoritative1 and    
uninformed manner of drawing from it1   
prove the superficial impression of the 
forms previously offered to their       
selection4 ,the reason of all this lies 

perhaps in a too early admission to     
either room4 ,they enter without        
elements1 and proceed without success2  
they are set to arrange and polish      
before they are acquainted with the     
rough materials4 ,to one or both of     
these causes it is probably owing1 that 
some consider it still as an undecided  
question whether the student1 when      
admitted to draw from the living model1 
should confine himself to drawing       
punctiliously what he sees before him1  
or exercise that judgment which his     
course in the ,antique ,academy has     
matured1 and draw forms corresponding   
with each other4 ,to me1 after          
considering carefully what has been     
advanced on either side1 it appears     
demonstrated1 that the student is       
admitted to the life to avail himself of
 the knowledge he acquired from the     
previous study of classic forms4 ,here  
the office and the essential duties of  
the visitor1 ,i speak with deference1   
begin1 to confirm him where he is right1

 to check presumption1 to lend him his  
own eyes1 and1 if it be necessary1 to   
convince him by demonstration and       
example4 ,but the human system cannot be
 comprehended by mere contemplation1 or 
even the copy of the surface4 ,the      
centre of its motion must be fixed1     
justly to mark the emanation of the     
rays4 ,the uninterrupted undulation of  
outward forms1 the waves of life1       
originate within1 and1 without being    
traced to that source1 instruct less    
than confound4 ,the real basis of sight 
is knowledge1 and that knowledge is     
internal2 for though1 to speak with     
,milton1 in ,poetry gods and demigods1  
vital in every part1 all heart1 all eye1
 all ear1 as they please limb           
themselves1 and colour1 shape1 and size 
assume as likes them best2 in ,art their
 substance is built on the brittle      
strength of bones1 they act by human    
elements1 and to descend must rise3     
hence1 though a deep and subtle         
knowledge of anatomy be less necessary  

to the painter than to the physician or 
surgeon2 though the visible be his      
sphere and determine his limits1 a      
precise and accurate acquaintance with  
the skeleton1 the basis of the machine1 
is indispensable2 he must make himself  
master of the muscles1 tendons1 and     
ligaments that knit the bones or cover  
and surround them1 their antagonismus of
 action and reaction1 their issues1     
their insertions1 and the variety of    
shapes which they assume1 when according
 to their relative foreshortenings1     
laxity1 position1 they indicate energy  
or slackness of action or of frame1 its 
greater or less elasticity1 furnish the 
characters of the passions1 and by their
 irritability in louder or fainter tones
 become the echoes of every impression4 
,nor can ,physiognomy1 the companion of 
,anatomy1 which from the measure of the 
solid parts ascertains the precise      
proportion of the moveable1 be dispensed
 with4 ,there have been1 perhaps there  
are1 teachers of art1 who1 whilst they  

admit physiognomy in the mass1 refuse to
 acknowledge it in detail1 or in other  
words1 who admit a language1 and reject 
its elements3 as if the whole harmony of
 every proportionate object did not     
consist in the correspondence of singly 
imperceptible1 or seemingly             
insignificant elements1 and would not   
become a deformed mass without them4    
,let the twelfth part of an inch be     
added to1 or taken from1 the space      
between the upper lip of the ,apollo1   
and the ,god is lost4  ,the want of this
 necessary qualification is one of the  
chief causes of ,,manner1 the capital   
blemish of ,design1 in contradistinction
 to ,style3 ,style pervades and consults
 the subject1 and co-ordinates its means
 to its demands2 ,manner subordinates   
the subject to its means4 ,a ,mannerist 
is the paltry epitomist of ,nature's    
immense volume2 a juggler1 who pretends 
to mimic the infinite variety of her    
materials by the vain display of a few  
fragments of crockery4 ,he produces1 not

 indeed the monster which ,horace       
recommends to the mirth of his friends1 
the offspring of grotesque fancy1 and   
rejected with equal disdain or          
incredulity by the vulgar and refined1  
but others not less disgusting1 though  
perhaps confined to a narrower circle of
 judges4  ,mannerists may be divided    
into three classes3  #ast4 ,those who   
never consult ,nature1 but at second    
hand2 only see her through the medium of
 some prescription1 and fix her to the  
test of a peculiar form4  #bndly4 ,those
 who persevere to look for her or to    
place her on a spot where she cannot be 
found1 some individual one or analogous 
models2 and  #crdly4 ,those who1 without
 ascending to the principle1 content    
themselves with jumbling together an    
aggregate of style and model1 tack      
deformity to beauty1 and meanness to    
grandeur4  ,of all ,taste1 the standard 
lies in the middle between extravagance 
and scantiness2 the best becomes a flaw1
 if carried to an extreme1 or           

indiscriminately applied4 ,the ,apollo1 
the ,hercules of ,glycon1 and the figure
 misnamed ,gladiator1 are each models of
 style in their respective classes2 but 
their excellence would become a flaw if 
indiscriminately applied to the distinct
 demand of different subjects4 ,neither 
the ,apollo1 the ,hercules1 nor the     
,gladiator1 can singly supply the forms 
of a ,theseus1 ,meleager1 or ,achilles1 
any more than the heroes on ,monte      
,cavallo theirs4 ,it must however be    
owned1 that he would commit a more      
venial error1 and come nearer to the    
form we require in the ,achilles of     
,homer1 who should substitute the form  
of the ,apollo or ,hercules with the    
motion of the ,gladiator to the real    
form1 than he who should copy him from  
the best individual he could meet with3 
the reason is clear1 there is a greater 
analogy between their form and action   
and that of ,achilles1 than between him 
and the best model we know alive4 ,from 
the same principle1 he who in a subject 

of pure history would attempt to        
introduce the generic and patriarchal   
forms in the ,capella ,sistina would    
become ludicrous by the excess of       
contrast2 for to him the organic        
characteristics of national proportion  
are little less essential than to the   
draughtsman of natural history or the   
portrait painter4 ,the skull of an      
,european1 though tinged with ,african  
hues1 will not assimilate with the      
legitimate skull of a negro1 nor can the
 foot of ,meleager1 or even of the      
,laocoon1 ever be exchanged for that of 
a ,mongul or ,chinese2 and he has       
probably mistaken his information1 who  
fancies that the expression1 gait1 and  
limbs of the ,apollo can find their     
counterpart on the ,apalachian          
mountains1 or are related to the        
unconquered tribes of ,florida4  ,the   
least pardonable of all ,mannerists     
appears to be he who applies to meanness
 to furnish him with the instruments to 
dignity and grandeur4 ,he who relies for

 all upon his model1 should treat no    
other subject but his model2 and ,i will
 venture to say1 that even the          
extravagant forms1 and1 if you will1    
caricatures of ,goltzius seduced by     
,spranger are preferable to those of    
,albert ,durer or ,caravaggio1 though   
recommended by the precision of the one 
and the chiaroscuro of the other1 when  
applied to a pure heroic or symbolic    
subject2 for though eccentric and       
extreme1 they are eccentricities and    
extremes of the great style1 in which   
meanness of conception is of all other  
blemishes the least excusable4 ,from    
this blemish the mighty genius of       
,raffaello1 before it emerged from the  
dregs of ,pietro ,perugino1 was not     
entirely free2--whether from timidity or
 languor of conception1 the ,christ in  
the ,dispute on the ,sacrament1 though  
the principal figure1 the centre from   
which all the rest like radii emanate   
and ought to emanate in due             
subordination1 is a tame1 mean figure1  

and1 the placidity of the face perhaps  
excepted1 for even that has a tincture  
of meanness1 inferior to all the        
patriarchs and doctors of that numerous 
composition4  ,the third class1 or those
 who mix up a motley assemblage of ideal
 beauty and common nature1 such as was  
pounded together by ,pietro ,testa and  
,gherard ,lairesse1 and from which      
neither ,guido nor ,poussin were        
entirely free--though perhaps not       
strictly chargeable with the absolute   
impropriety of the first and the lowness
 of the second class1 must be content   
with what we can spare of disapprobation
 from either3 they surprise us into     
pleasure by glimpses of character and   
form1 and as often disappoint us by the 
obtrusion of heterogeneous or vulgar    
forms4 ,but this disappointment is not  
so general1 because we want that        
critical acquaintance with the          
principles of ancient art which can     
assign each trunk its head1 each limb   
its counterpart3 a want even now so     

frequent1 notwithstanding the boasted   
refinements of ,roman and ,german       
criticisms1 that a ,mercury1 if he have 
left his caduceus1 may exchange his     
limbs with a ,meleager1 and he with an  
,antinous2 perhaps a ,jupiter on ,ida   
his torso with that of a ,hercules      
anapauomenos1 an ,ariadne be turned into
 the head of a hornless ,bacchus1 and an
 ,isis be substituted for every ideal   
female4   ,,footnotes3  #ie ,analogia4  
,vitruv4 ,commensio8  #if ,if this      
happened at all1 it must have happened  
before #aeje1 at least before the       
expiration of that year3 ,giov4         
,bellino1 with whom the author of the   
preface makes ,albert acquainted too1   
died in #aeab4 ,albert ,durer was born  
in #adga4  #ig ,idealismus4     ,,eighth
 ,,lecture4  ,,colour4--,,in ,,fresco   
,,painting4     ,,eighth ,,lecture4     
,the ,painter's art may be considered in
 a double light1 either as exerting its 
power over the senses to reach the      
intellect and heart1 or merely as their 

handmaid1 teaching its graces to charm  
their organs for their amusement only3  
in the first light1 the senses1 like the
 rest of its materials1 are only a      
vehicle2 in the second1 they are the    
principal object and the ultimate aim of
 its endeavours4  ,i shall not enquire  
here whether the ,arts1 as mere         
ministers of sensual pleasure1 still    
deserve the name of liberal1 or are     
competent exclusively to fill up the    
time of an intellectual being4 ,nature1 
and the masters of ,art1 who pronounce  
the verdicts of ,nature in ,poetry and  
,painting1 have decided1 that they      
neither can attain their highest degree 
of accomplishment1 nor can be considered
 as useful assistants to the happiness  
of society1 unless they subordinate the 
vehicle1 whatever it be1 to the real    
object1 and make sense the minister of  
mind4  ,when this is their object1      
,design1 in its most extensive as in its
 strictest sense1 is their basis2 when  
they stoop to be the mere playthings1 or

 debase themselves to be the debauchers 
of the senses1 they make ,colour their  
insidious foundation4  ,the greatest    
master of ,colour in our time1 the man  
who might have been the rival of the    
first colourists in every age1          
,reynolds1 in his public instruction    
uniformly persisted to treat ,colour as 
a subordinate principle4 ,though fully  
aware that1 without possessing at least 
a competent share of its numberless     
fascinating qualities1 no man1 let his  
style of design or powers of invention  
be what they may1 can either hope for   
professional success1 or can even       
properly be called a painter1 and giving
 it as his opinion1 on the authority of 
tradition1 the excellence of the        
remaining monuments in sculpture1 and   
the discovered though inferior relics of
 ancient painting1 that1 if the coloured
 masterpieces of antiquity had descended
 to us in tolerable preservation1 we    
might expect to see works designed in   
the style of the ,laocoon1 painted in   

that of ,titian2--he still persisted in 
the doctrine that even the colour of    
,titian1 far from adding to the         
sublimity of the ,great style1 would    
only have served to retard1 if not to   
degrade1 its impression4 ,he knew the   
usurping1 the ambitious principle       
inseparable from ,colour1 and therefore 
thought it his duty1 by making it the   
basis of ornamental styles1 not to check
 its legitimate rights1 but to guard    
against its indiscriminate demands4  ,it
 is not for me1 7who have courted and   
still continue to court ,colour as a    
despairing lover courts a disdainful    
mistress17 to presume1 by adding my     
opinion1 to degrade the great one       
delivered2 but the attachments of fancy 
ought not to regulate the motives of a  
teacher1 or direct his plan of art3 it  
becomes me therefore to tell you1 that  
if the principle which animates the art 
gives rights and privilege to ,colour   
not its own2 if from a medium1 it raises
 it to a representative of all2 if what 

is claimed in vain by form and mind1 it 
fondly grants to colour2 if it divert   
the public eye from higher beauties to  
be absorbed by its lures--then the art  
is degraded to a mere vehicle of sensual
 pleasure1 an implement of luxury1 a    
beautiful but trifling bauble1 or a     
splendid fault4  ,to ,colour1 when its  
bland purity tinges the face of         
innocence and sprouting life1 or its    
magic charm traces in imperceptible     
transitions the forms of beauty2 when   
its warm and ensanguined vigour stamps  
the vivid principle that animates       
full-grown youth and the powerful frame 
of manhood1 or in paler gradations marks
 animal decline2 when its varieties give
 truth with character to individual     
imitation1 or its more comprehensive    
tone pervades the scenes of sublimity   
and expression1 and dictates the medium 
in which they ought to move1 to strike  
our eye in harmony2--to ,colour1 the    
florid attendant of form1 the minister  
of the passions1 the herald of energy   

and character1 what eye1 not tinged by  
disease or deserted by ,nature1 refuses 
homage8  ,but of ,colour1 when equally  
it overwhelms the forms of infancy1 the 
milky germ of life1 and the defined     
lines of manhood and of beauty with     
lumpy pulp2 when from the dresser of the
 ,graces it becomes the handmaid of     
deformity1 and with their spoils decks  
her limbs--shakes hands with meanness1  
or haunts the recesses of loathsomeness 
and horror#ih--when it exchanges flesh  
for roses1 and vigour for               
vulgarity--absorbs character and truth  
in hues of flattery1 or changes the tone
 demanded by sublimity and pathos into a
 mannered medium of playful tints2--of  
,colour the slave of fashion and usurper
 of propriety1 if still its charms      
retain our eye1 what mind unseduced by  
prejudice or habit can forbear to lament
 the abuse8  ,the principles of ,colour1
 as varied1 are as immutable as those of
 ,nature4 ,the gradations of the system 
that connects light with shade are      

immense1 but the variety of its         
imitation is regulated by the result of 
their union1 ,simplicity--,clearness if 
obtained by ,harmony6  ,simplicity      
represents of every individual its      
unity1 its whole4 ,light1 and its organ 
the eye1 show us the whole of a being   
before its parts1 and then diffuse      
themselves in visual rays over the      
limbs4 ,light with its own velocity     
fixes a point1 the focus of its power2  
but as no central light can be conceived
 without radiation1 nor a central form  
without extension1 their union produces 
that immutable law of harmony which we  
call breadth4  ,one point is the        
brightest in the eye as on the object2  
this is the point of light3 from it in  
all directions the existent parts       
advance or recede1 by1 before1 behind   
each other2 the two extremes of light   
and shade make a whole1 which the local 
or essential colour defines1--its       
coalition with the demi-tint1 the shade 
and reflexes1 rounds1--and the          

correspondence of each colour with all1 
tunes4  ,the principles that regulate   
the choice of colours are in themselves 
as invariable as the light from which   
they spring1 and as the shade that      
absorbs them4 ,their economy is neither 
arbitrary nor phantastic4 ,of this every
 one may convince himself who can       
contemplate a prism4 ,whatever the      
colours be1 they follow each other in   
regular order2 they emerge from1 they   
flow into each other4 ,no confusion can 
break or thwart their gradations1 from  
blue to yellow1 from yellow to red2 the 
flame of every light1 without a prisma1 
establishes this immutable scale4  ,from
 this theory you will not expect that ,i
 should enter into chemic disquisitions 
on the materials1 or into technic ones  
on the methods of painting4 ,when you   
are told that simplicity and keeping are
 the basis of purity and harmony1 that  
one colour has a greater power than a   
combination of two1 that a mixture of   
three impairs that power still more1 you

 are in possession of the great         
elemental principles necessary for the  
economy of your palette4 ,method1       
handling1 and the modes of execution are
 taught by trial1 comparison1 and       
persevering practice1 but chiefly by the
 nature1 of the object you pursue4 ,the 
lessons of repetition1 disappointment1  
and blunder1 impress more forcibly than 
the lessons of all masters4 ,not that ,i
 mean to depreciate or to level the     
comparative value or inferiority of     
materials1 or that instruction which may
 shorten your road to the essential     
parts of study2 but he is as far from   
,nature who sees her only through the   
medium of his master1 as he from colour 
who fancies it lies in costly1 scarce1  
or fine materials1 in curious           
preparations1 or mouldy secrets1 in     
light1 in dark1 in smooth1 in rough1 or 
in absorbent grounds3 it may be in all1 
but is in none of these4 ,the masters of
 ancient colour had for their basis only
 four1 and this simplicity made         

,reynolds conclude that they must have  
been as great in colour as in form4 ,he 
who cannot make use of the worst must   
disgrace the best materials2 and he     
whose palette is set or regulated by    
another's eye1 renounces his own1 and   
must become a mannerist4 ,there is no   
compendious method of becoming great2   
the price of excellence is labour1 and  
time that of immortality4  ,colour1 like
 ,design1 has two essential parts1      
,imitation and ,style4 ,it begins in    
glare1 is caught by deception1 emerges  
to imitation1 is finished by style1 and 
debauched by manner4  ,glare is always  
the first feature of a savage or an     
infant taste4 ,the timid or barbarous   
beginner1 afraid of impairing the       
splendour by diminishing the mass1      
exults in the ,egyptian glare which he  
spreads over a surface unbroken by tint 
and not relieved by shade4 ,such are in 
general the flaming remnants of feudal  
decoration4 ,this is the stage of missal
 painting2 what ,dante called alluminar1

 the art of ,cimabue2 its taste         
continued1 though in degrees less       
shocking1 to the time of ,m4 ,agnolo and
 ,raffaello4 ,gods1 and mothers of      
,gods1 ,apostles and ,martyrs1 attracted
 devotion in proportion to the more or  
less gaudy colours in which they were   
arrayed4 ,it was for this reason that   
,julius the ,second wished ,m4 ,agnolo  
had added to the majesty of the         
,patriarchs and ,sibyls by gold and     
lapis lazuli4  ,deception follows glare2
 attempts to substitute by form or      
colour the image for the thing1 always  
mark the puerility of taste1 though     
sometimes its decrepitude4 ,the         
microscopic precision of ,denner1 and   
even the fastidious1 though broader     
detail of ,gherard ,douw1 were symptoms 
of its dotage4 ,the contest of ,zeuxis  
and ,parrhasius1 if not a frolic1 was an
 effort of puerile dexterity4 ,but      
,deception1 though at its ultimate pitch
 never more than the successful mimicry 
of absent objects1 and for itself below 

the aim of art1 is the mother of        
,imitation4 ,we must penetrate the      
substances of things1 acquaint ourselves
 with their peculiar hue and texture1   
and colour them in detail1 before we can
 hope to seize their principle and give 
their general air4  ,tiziano laboured   
first to make facsimiles of the stuffs  
he copied1 before he changed them into  
drapery1 and gave them local value and a
 place2 he learnt first to distinguish  
tint from tint1 and give the skeleton of
 colour1 before he emboldened himself to
 take the greatest quantity of colour in
 an object for the whole2 to paint flesh
 which abounded in demi-tints1 entirely 
in demi-tints1 and to deprive of all1   
that which had but a few4 ,it was in the
 school of ,deception he learnt the     
difference of diaphanous and opaque1 of 
firm and juicy colour2 that this        
refracts and that absorbs the light1 and
 hence their place2 those that cut and  
come forward1 first1 and those which    
more or less partake of the surrounding 

medium in various degrees of distance4  
,it was here he learnt the contrast of  
the tints1 of what is called warm and   
cold1 and by their balance1 diffusion1  
echo1 to poise a whole4 ,his eye as     
musical1 if ,i may be allowed the       
metaphor1 as his ear1 abstracted here1  
that colour acts1 affects1 delights1    
like sound2 that stern and deep-toned   
tints rouse1 determine1 invigorate the  
eye1 as warlike sound or a deep bass the
 ear2 and that bland1 rosy1 gray1 and   
vernal tints soothe1 charm1 and melt    
like a sweet melody4  ,such were the    
principles whose gradual evolution      
produced that coloured imitation which1 
far beyond the fascination of           
,giorgione1 irresistibly entranced every
 eye that approached the magic of       
,tiziano ,vecelli4 ,to no colourist     
before or after him1 did ,nature unveil 
herself with that dignified familiarity 
in which she appeared to ,tiziano4 ,his 
organ1 universal and equally fit for all
 her exhibitions1 rendered her simplest 

to her most compound appearances with   
equal purity and truth4 ,he penetrated  
the essence and the general principle of
 the substances before him1 and on these
 established his theory of colour4 ,he  
invented that breadth of local tint     
which no imitation has attained1 and    
first expressed the negative nature of  
shade3 his are the charms of glazing1   
and the mystery of reflexes1 by which he
 detached1 rounded1 corrected or        
enriched his objects4 ,his harmony is   
less indebted to the force of light and 
shade1 or the artifices of contrast1    
than to a due balance of colour equally 
remote from monotony and spots4 ,his    
tone springs out of his subject1 solemn1
 grave1 gay1 minacious1 or soothing2 his
 eye tinged ,nature with gold without   
impairing her freshness3 she dictated   
his scenery4 ,landscape1 whether it be  
considered as the transcript of a spot1 
or the rich combination of congenial    
objects1 or as the scene of a           
phenomenon1 as subject and as           

background1 dates its origin from him4  
,he is the father of portrait-painting1 
of resemblance with form1 character with
 dignity1 and costume with              
subordination4  ,colour may be          
considered relatively to the whole or   
the detail of the parts that compose a  
picture4 ,in that point of view it      
depends on the choice of a sovereign    
tone2 in this on the skilful            
disposition1 gradation1 rounding1 and   
variety of the subordinate tones1 their 
principal light1 the local colour1 the  
half tints1 the shades1 and the         
reflexes4  ,the general regulation of   
the primary tone1 and the specific      
arrangement of the subordinate ones for 
the rounding of every figure1 is the    
same4 ,in both1 the attention is to be  
directed to obtain a principal mass of  
light1 and a predominant colour4 ,this  
is to be supported by the mutual        
assistance and reciprocal relief of     
secondary ones1 must be associated with 
the demi-tint and the shades1 and       

recalled and relieved by the reflexes4  
,when treating on ,chiaroscuro1 we have 
observed what may now be applied to     
,colour1 that the primary tone depends  
on choice1 and is arbitrary2 but it     
decides all the rest1 as the tone of the
 first violin in a regular concert tunes
 all the voices and all the instruments4
 ,its effect entirely depends on the    
union of the surrounding tones with it1 
and has no other value but what it      
derives from contrast4 ,by this the     
simplest tone1 well managed1 may become 
rich1 splendid1 and harmonious2 it is   
then the tone of nature2 whilst the most
 brilliant colour1 if contradicted or   
disappointed by the detail of inferior  
ones1 may become heavy1 leathern1 and   
discordant4  ,the best illustration of  
these principles is in the celebrated   
,notte of ,correggio1 where the ,infant 
from the centre tinges the whole with   
his rays2 but perhaps still more in its 
companion at ,dresden1 the less known   
picture of ,st4 ,sebastian2 for to      

produce union and tone in the nearly    
equilateral composition of a votive     
picture1 required a deeper comprehension
 and a steadier eye4 ,like the picture  
of ,raffaello at ,foligno1 it represents
 the ,madonna with the ,infant in her   
arms1 throned on clouds1 in a central   
glory of sunny radiance1 attended by    
angels1 and surrounded by angelic forms3
 below are ,st4 ,geminian with a maiden 
by his side1 ,st4 ,rocco and ,sebastian 
tied to a tree4 ,the first surprise is  
caused by the central light of the      
glory1 which has all the splendour of a 
sun1 though its colour is a yellow      
comparatively faint1 and terminates in  
brown4 ,the ,madonna1 dressed in a robe 
of glowing lake and a dark blue mantle1 
seems to start from this body of light  
as from a sombre ground1 and as the     
,infant from her4 ,the carnation of both
 is of a low tint1 to support the       
keeping of their distance4 ,the two     
angels at her side1 in tints reflected  
from the centre1 address the ,saints    

below1 and connect the upper with the   
lower part of the picture1 which emerges
 from the darksome clouds on which they 
stand1 and gathers its tones of light   
from the emanations of the central one1 
but in subordinate flashes1 vanishing   
from twilight into massy shade4 ,by     
those who have not seen this picture1 a 
faint idea of its tone may be formed    
from the votive one of ,parmegiano1 at  
the ,marquis of ,abercorn's1 which1 had 
it received its last harmony1 would     
probably have emulated the principle of 
that we have described4  ,the tones fit 
for ,poetic painting are like its styles
 of design1 generic or characteristic4  
,the former is called negative1 or      
composed of little more than            
chiaroscuro2 the second admits1 though  
not ambitiously1 a greater variety and  
subdivision of tint4 ,the first is the  
tone of ,m4 ,agnolo1 the second that of 
,raffaello4 ,the sovereign instrument of
 both is undoubtedly the simple1 broad1 
pure1 fresh1 and limpid vehicle of      

,fresco4 ,fresco1 which does not admit  
of that refined variety of tints that   
are the privilege of oil painting1 and  
from the rapidity with which the earths1
 its chief materials1 are absorbed1     
requires nearly immediate termination1  
is for those very reasons the immediate 
minister and the aptest vehicle of a    
great design4 ,its element is purity and
 breadth of tint4 ,in no other style of 
painting could the generic forms of ,m4 
,agnolo have been divided1 like night   
and day1 into that breadth of light and 
shade which stamps their character4 ,the
 silver purity of ,correggio is the     
offspring of ,fresco2 his oil paintings 
are faint and tainted emanations of the 
freshness and limpidezza in his         
,frescoes4 ,oil1 which rounds and       
conglutinates1 spreads less than the    
sheety medium of ,fresco1 and if        
stretched into breadth beyond its       
natural tone1 as the spirits which are  
used to extenuate its glue escape1      
returns upon itself1 and oftener forms  

surfaces of dough1 or wood1 or crust1   
than fleshy fibre4 ,oil impeded the     
breadth even of the elemental colours of
 ,tiziano in the ,salute4 ,the minute   
process inseparable from oil1 is the    
reason why ,m4 ,agnolo declared oil     
painting to be a woman's method1 or of  
idle men4 ,the master of the colour we  
see in the ,sistina could have no other3
 for though colour be the least         
considerable of that constellation of   
powers that blaze in its compartments1  
it is not the last or least             
accomplishment of the work4 ,the flesh  
of the academic figures on the frames of
 the ceiling is a flesh even now        
superior to all the flesh of ,annibale  
,carracci in the ,farnese1 generally    
pale though not cold1 and never bricky  
though sometimes sanguine4 ,the         
,jeremiah among the ,prophets1 glows    
with the glow of ,tiziano1 but in a     
breadth unknown to ,giorgione and to    
him4 ,the ,eve under the ,tree has the  
bland pearly harmony of ,correggio2 and 

some of the bodies in air on the lower  
part of the ,last ,judgement1 less      
impaired by time or accident than the   
rest1 for juice and warmth may still    
defy all competition4 ,his colour       
sometimes even borders on characteristic
 variety1 as in the composition of the  
,brazen ,serpent4 ,that a man who       
mastered his materials with such power1 
did reject the certain impediments and  
the precarious and inferior beauties of 
oil1 which ,sebastian del ,piombo       
proposed for the execution of the ,last 
,judgement1 and who punished him for the
 proposal with his disdain for life1    
cannot be wondered at4 ,if ,i have      
mentioned particular beauties of colour1
 it was more for others than to express 
what strikes me most4 ,the parts1 in the
 process of every man's work1 are always
 marked with more or less felicity2 and 
great as the beauties of those which ,i 
distinguished are1 they would not be    
beauties in my eye1 if obtained by a    
principle discordant from the rest4     

,the object of my admiration in ,m4     
,agnolo's colour is the tone1 that      
comprehensive union of tint and hue     
spread over the whole1 which seems less 
the effect of successive labour than a  
sudden and instantaneous exhalation1 one
 principle of light1 local colour1      
demi-tint and shade4 ,even the colours  
of the draperies1 though perhaps too    
distinct1 and often gayer than the      
gravity of their wearers or the subject 
allowed1 are absorbed by the general    
tone1 and appear so only on repeated    
inspection or separation from the rest4 
,raffaello did not come to his great    
work with the finished system1 the      
absolute power over the materials1 and  
the conscious authority of ,m4 ,agnolo4 
,though the august plan which his mind  
had conceived1 admitted of lyric and    
allegoric ornament1 it was1 upon the    
whole1 a drama and characteristic3 he   
could not therefore apply to its mass   
the generic colour of the ,sistina4     
,hence we see him struggling at the     

onset between the elements of that tone 
which the delineation of subdivided     
character and passions demanded1 and the
 long imbibed habits and shackles of his
 master4 ,but one great picture decided 
the struggle4 ,this is evident from the 
difference of the upper and lower part  
of the ,dispute on the ,sacrament4 ,the 
upper is the summit of ,pietro          
,perugino's style1 dignified and        
enlarged2 the lower is his own4 ,every  
feature1 limb1 motion1 the draperies1   
the lights and shades of the lower part1
 are toned and varied by character4 ,the
 florid bloom of youth tinged with the  
glow of eagerness and impatience to be  
admitted2 the sterner and more vigorous 
tint of long initiated and authoritative
 manhood2 the inflamed suffusion of     
disputative zeal2 the sickly hue of     
cloistered meditation2 the brown and    
sun-tinged hermit1 and the pale decrepit
 elder1 contrast each other2 but        
contrasted as they are1 their whole     
action and colour remain subordinate to 

the general hue diffused by the serene  
solemnity of the surrounding medium1    
which is itself tinctured by the        
effulgence from above4 ,a sufficient    
balance of light and shade maintains the
 whole1 though more attention be paid to
 individual discrimination than masses4 
,in the economy of the detail we find   
the lights no longer so white1 the local
 colour no longer so crude1 the passages
 to the demi-tints not so much spotted  
with red1 nor the demi-tints themselves 
of so green a cast as in the four       
,symbolic ,pictures on golden grounds of
 the ceiling4  ,it appears to me upon   
the whole1 that for a general           
characteristic tone1 ,raffaello has     
never exceeded the purity of this       
picture4 ,if in the ,school of ,athens  
he has excelled it in individual tints1 
in tints that rival less than challenge 
the glow and juice of ,titian1 they are 
scattered more in fragments than in     
masses1 and at the expense or with      
neglect of general unison1 if we except 

the central and connecting figure of    
,epictetus4 ,the predominance of tender 
flesh1 and white or tinted drapery on   
the foreground1 whilst the more distant 
groups are embrowned by masculine tints 
and draperies of deeper hue1 prove1 that
 if ,raffaello could command individual 
colour1 he had not penetrated its       
general principle4  ,the ,parnassus in  
the same room has a ruling tone1 but not
 the tone of a poetic fancy4 ,arial     
freshness was his aim1 and he is only   
frigid4 ,its principal actors are ideals
 of divine nature1 and ought to move in 
a celestial medium1 and ,raffaello had  
no more an adequate colour than adequate
 forms for either4 ,but whatever is     
characteristic1 from the sublimity of   
,homer to the submissive affable        
courtesy of ,horace and the directing   
finger of ,pindar1 is inimitable and in 
tune4  ,the ultimate powers of          
,raffaello1 and1 as far as ,i can judge1
 of ,fresco1 appear to me collected in  
the astonishing picture of the          

,heliodorus4 ,this is not the place to  
dwell on the loftiness of conception1   
the mighty style of design1 the refined 
and appropriate choice of character1 the
 terror1 fears1 hopes1 palpitation of   
expression1 and the far more than       
,corregiesque graces of female forms2   
the ,colour only1 considered as a whole 
or in subordination1 is our object4     
,though by the choice of the composition
 the back-ground1 which is the sanctuary
 of the temple1 embrowned with gold1    
diffuses a warmer gleam than the scenery
 of the foreground1 its open area1 yet  
by the dexterous management of opposing 
to its glazed cast a mass of vigorous   
and cruder flesh tints1 a fiercer       
ebullition of impassioned hues1--the    
flash of steel and iron armour1 and     
draperies of indigo1 deep black and     
glowing crimson1 the foreground         
maintains its place1 and all is harmony4
  ,manifold as the subdivisions of      
character are1 angelic1 devout1         
authoritative1 violent1 brutal1         

vigorous1 helpless1 delicate2 and       
various as the tints of the passions    
that sway them appear1 elevated1 warmed1
 inflamed1 depressed1 appalled1 aghast1 
they are all united by the general tone 
that diffuses itself from the interior  
repose of the sanctuary1 smoothens the  
whirlwind that fluctuates on the        
foreground1 and gives an air of         
temperance to the whole4   ,,footnote3  
#ih ,s4 ,bartolomeo del ,spagnuoletto4  
,s4 ,agatha ,martirizzata nelle poppe di
 ,seb4 del ,piombo4 ,il ,porco          
,sventrato di ,ostade4 ,il ,macello dei 
,carracci4 ,la ,caccia ,pidocchi di     
,murillo4     ,,ninth ,,lecture4        
,,colour4--,,oil ,,painting4     ,,ninth
 ,,lecture4   ,having finished the      
preceding lecture with observations on  
,fresco1 a method of painting almost as 
much out of use as public encouragement1
 and perhaps better fitted for the      
serene ,italian than the moist air of   
more northern climates1 ,i now proceed  
to ,oil ,painting4 ,the general medium  

of paint is ,oil2 and in that1 according
 to the division of our illustrious     
commentator on ,du ,fresnoy1 all the    
modes of harmony1 or of producing that  
effect of colours which is required in a
 picture1 may be reduced to three1 two  
of which belong to the ,grand style1 and
 the other to the ,ornamental4 ,the     
first may be called the ,roman manner1  
where the colours are of a full and     
strong body1 such as are found in the   
,transfiguration4 ,the next is that     
harmony which is produced by what the   
ancients called the corruption#ii of the
 colours1 by mixing and breaking them   
till there is a general union in the    
whole1 without any thing that shall     
bring to your remembrance the painter's 
palette or the original colours3 this   
may be called the ,bolognian style1 and 
it is this hue and effect of colours    
which ,ludovico ,carracci seems to have 
endeavoured to produce1 though he did   
not carry it to that perfection which we
 have seen since his time in the small  

works of the ,dutch school1 particularly
 ,jan ,steen1 where art is completely   
concealed1 and the painter1 like a great
 orator1 never draws the attention from 
the subject on himself4 ,the last manner
 belongs properly to the ornamental     
style1 which we call the ,venetian1     
being first practised at ,venice1 but is
 perhaps better learned from ,rubens3   
here the brightest colours possible are 
admitted1 with the two extremes of warm 
and cold1 and these reconciled by being 
dispersed over the picture1 till the    
whole appears like a bunch of flowers4  
,as ,i perfectly coincide with this     
division1 and the practical corollaries 
deduced from it1 what ,i have to say    
relatively to each of these classes or  
styles will rather be a kind of         
commentary on it than a text containing 
a doctrine of my own4  ,if the ,roman   
style of ,historic colour be the style  
of ,raffaello in the ,transfiguration1  
it died with him2 it is certainly not   
that ,roman style which distinguishes   

that school from ,giulio ,romano to     
,carlo ,maratti4  ,though the           
,transfiguration be more remarkable for 
the characteristic division of its parts
 than for its masses1 yet it has more   
than the breadth1 a closer alliance and 
larger proportion of correspondent      
colours1 and a much purer theory of     
shade than we meet with in the          
subsequent pictures of the same school2 
the picture at ,genoa of the ,lapidation
 of ,st4 ,stephen1 by ,giulio ,romano1  
only excepted1 which was probably soon  
after framed on the principles of the   
,transfiguration4  ,the crudeness of    
colour and asperity of tone observable  
in the ,roman ,school1 though founded on
 simplicity1 is perhaps a greater proof 
of their want of eye and taste than of a
 pure historic principle4 ,harmony of   
colour consists in the due balance of   
all1 equally remote from monotony and   
from spots4 ,though each part of ,roman 
pictures be painted with sufficient     
breadth of manner1 their discordance is 

such that they do not coalesce into one 
whole1 but appear unconnected fragments 
in apposition4 ,their theory of shade is
 so defective1 that the parts deprived  
of light of the same body1 or the same  
piece of drapery1 are not effaced1 but  
coloured4 ,if the positive reds and     
blues of the ,roman school invigorate   
the eye1 they likewise command it1 and  
counteract the grandeur of ,history in a
 degree not much inferior to the bad    
effect produced by the imitation of     
stuffs discriminated according to their 
texture2 their bright asperity1 and     
bleak purity1 equally pervert the       
negative and subordinate character of   
drapery1 and attract a larger share of  
attention from the beholder than they   
deserve4 ,a ,madonna in the hands of    
,carlo ,maratti1 and sometimes even of  
,raffaello1 at least in his earlier     
productions1 is the least visible part  
of herself4 ,the most celebrated        
,madonna of ,andrea del ,sarto1 though  
in ,fresco1 is certainly more indebted  

to her drapery than her face1 perhaps   
still more to the sack on which her     
husband rests1 and from which the       
picture got its name4  ,from this       
censure we ought to except ,m4 ,angelo  
,caravaggi1 and ,andrea ,sacchi1 whose  
works1 though else so dissimilar in     
principle and execution1 coincide in    
reducing colour frequently to little    
more than chiaroscuro2 the one for      
melancholy and forcible1 the other for  
visionary or devotional effects4  ,the  
,pilgrims adoring the ,madonna with the 
,infant in ,st4 ,agostino1 by the       
former1 seem not painted but tinged in  
the last golden ray of departing eve2   
whilst the ,vision of ,st ,romualdo1 by 
the latter1 surrounds us with gray      
twilight and gradual evanescence4  ,a   
general style of colours thus           
amalgamated1 appears to me a principle  
much superior to that of corruption of  
them1 which ,plutarch mentions as the   
invention of ,apollodorus the ,athenian1
 when painting had scarcely emerged from

 the linear process1 and it required    
some courage to wield a brush4 ,if the  
ancients ever possessed the ,bolognese  
corruption of colours1 it must have been
 in periods of refinement4 ,the ,phthora
 of ,apollodorus was probably the       
invention of demi-tints1 the effect of  
which is produced by corrupting or      
lowering the elemental purity of the two
 of which it is composed4 ,the axiom1   
that the less the traces appear of the  
means by which a work has been produced1
 the more it resembles the operations of
 nature1--is not an axiom likely to     
spring from the infancy of ,art4  ,the  
even colour1 veiled splendour1 the      
solemn twilight1 that tone of devotion  
and cloistered meditation which         
,lodovico ,carracci spread over his     
works1 could arise only from the        
contemplation of various preceding      
styles1 or their comparison with nature 
and the object of his choice4  ,the     
ideal of his style is a harmony equally 
remote from affected brilliancy and     

vulgar resemblance of tints4 ,its       
element is gravity1 and whenever this   
inspires not its imitation1 it will be  
less serious than sullen1 flat not even1
 heavy without vigour1 and the          
despatching tool of mediocrity4  ,if    
this be that dignified colour of        
,lombardy1 recommended by ,agostino     
,carracci1 his own picture of the       
,communion of ,st4 ,jerome1 and the     
,dead ,christ among the ,maries by      
,annibale1 7which we have seen here17   
excepted1 its principle was not adopted 
by that third ruler of the ,carracci    
school1 nor any of its pupils4          
,annibale1 from want of feelings1       
changed the mild evening ray of his     
,cousin to the sullen light of a cloudy 
day1 and in the exultation of mechanic  
power swims on his work like oil3 ,guido
 was too gay and affected2 ,guercino too
 cutting and vulgar2 ,albano too airy   
and insubstantial for it4 ,under the    
hand and guided by the sensibility of   
,lodovico1 it communicated itself even  

to the open silvery tone of ,fresco4    
,in the cloisters of ,st4 ,michele in   
,bosco1 it equally moderates the        
deep-toned tints of the muscular        
labourers of the hermitage and of the   
ponderous demon who mocks their toil1   
the warlike splendour in the homage of  
,totila1 the flash of the nocturnal     
conflagration1 and the three insidious  
,nymphs in the garden scene1 who even   
now1 though nearly in a state of        
evanescence1 seem moulded by the hand   
and tinged by the breath of ,love2 all  
are sainted by this solemn tone4  ,its  
triumph in ,oil is the altar-piece of   
,st4 ,john preaching1 in a chapel of the
 ,certosa1 whose lights seem embrowned  
by a golden veil1 and the shadowy gleam 
of ,valombrosa2 but ,lodovico sometimes 
indulged in tones austere1 pronounced1  
and hardy4 ,such is the ,flagellation of
 ,christ in the same church1 of which   
the tremendous depth of flesh-tints     
contrasts the open1 wide-expanded sky1  
and less conveys1 than dashes its       

terrors on the astonished sense4  ,the  
third1 or ,ornamental style1 could      
scarcely arise in any other state of    
,italy than ,venice4 ,venice was the    
centre of commerce1 the repository of   
the riches of the globe1 the splendid   
toy-shop of the time3 its chief         
inhabitants princely merchants1 or a    
patrician race elevated to rank by      
accumulations from trade or naval       
prowess2 the bulk of the people         
mechanics or artisans1 administering the
 means1 and1 in their turn1 fed by the  
produce of luxury4 ,of such a system1   
what could the ,art be more than the    
parasite8 ,religion itself had exchanged
 its gravity for the allurements of ear 
and eye1 and even sanctity disgusted1   
unless arrayed by the gorgeous hand of  
fashion4 ,such was1 such will always be 
the birth-place and the theatre of      
,colour2 and hence it is more matter of 
wonder that the first and greatest      
colourists should so long have foreborne
 to overstep the modesty of ,nature in  

the use of that alluring medium1 than   
that they sacrificed1 in part1 propriety
 to its golden solicitation4  ,i say in 
part1 for ,tiziano perhaps never1 ,paolo
 and ,tintoretto1 though by much too    
often1 yet not always1 spread the       
enchanting nosegay1 which is the        
characteristic of this style1 with      
indiscriminate hand4 ,the style of      
,tiziano may be divided into three      
periods3 when he copied1 when he        
imitated1 when he strove to generalize1 
to elevate1 or invigorate the tones of  
,nature4 ,the first is anxious and      
precise1 the second beautiful and       
voluptuous1 the third sublime4 ,in the  
second the parts lead to the whole1 in  
this the whole to the parts2 it is that 
master-style which in discriminated     
tones imparts to ornament a monumental  
grandeur4 ,it gave that celestial colour
 which consideration like an angel      
spread over the ,salutation in ,st4     
,rocco2 the colour that wafts its wide  
expanse and elemental purity over the   

primitive scenes of his ,abel1 ,abraham1
 and ,david1 in the ,salute2 the colour 
that tinged with artless solemn majesty 
the ,apotheosis of the ,virgin in the   
church de' ,frati1 embodied adoration in
 its portraits1 and changed the robes of
 pomp and warlike glitter to servants of
 simplicity4 ,such is the tone which    
diffuses its terrors and its glories in 
,pietro ,martyre over the martyred      
hermits of the mountain forest1 and     
taught the painter's eye to glance from 
heaven to earth1 from earth to heaven4  
,if this be ornament1 what but the      
,vatican can the schools of ,design     
oppose to its grandeur and propriety6   
,if all ornament be allegoric1 if it    
imply something allusive to the place1  
the person1 or the design for which it  
is contrived1 from that of a public     
building or a temple1 to that of a      
library or the decorations of a         
toilette1 how have the schools of       
,design1 after the demise of ,m4 ,agnolo
 and ,raffaello1 observed its principle8

 ,annibale ,carracci1 with the ,capella 
,sistina and the ,vatican before his    
eye1 has filled the mansion of          
,episcopal dignity with a chaotic series
 of trite fable and bacchanalian        
revelry1 without allegory1 void of      
allusion1 merely to gratify the puerile 
ostentation of dauntless execution and  
academic skill4 ,and if we advert to a  
greater name1 that of ,pellegrino       
,tibaldi1 is it easy to discover what   
relation exists between the adventures  
of ,ulysses and the purposes and        
pursuits of the academical ,institute of
 ,bologna8 and is it sufficient to      
exculpate him from impropriety of choice
 in his plan1 if we say that the ceiling
 of ,pellegrino ,tibaldi is a doctrine  
of style1 and that design and style are 
the principal pursuit of the students8  
,but perhaps it is not to ,tiziano1 but 
to ,tintoretto and ,paolo ,cagliari1    
that the debaucheries of ,colour and    
blind submission to fascinating tints1  
the rage of scattering flowers to no    

purpose1 are ascribed4 ,let us select   
from ,tintoretto's most extensive work  
the ,scola of ,st4 ,rocco1 the most     
extensive composition1 and his          
acknowledged masterpiece1 the           
,crucifixion1 and compare its tone with 
that of ,rubens and of ,rembrandt for   
the same subject4 ,what impression feels
 he1 who for the first time casts a     
glance on the immense scenery of that   
work8 a whole whose numberless parts are
 connected by a lowering1 mournful1     
minacious tone4 ,a general fearful      
silence hushes all around the central   
figure of the ,saviour suspended on the 
cross1 his fainting mother1 and a group 
of male and female mourners at his      
foot3--a group of colours that less     
imitate than rival ,nature1 and tinged  
by grief itself2 a scale of tones for   
which even ,tiziano offers to me no     
parallel3 yet all equally overcast by   
the lurid tone that stains the whole1   
and like a meteor hangs in the sickly   
air4 ,whatever inequality or            

derelictions of feeling1 whatever       
improprieties of common place1 of local 
and antique costume1 the master's       
rapidity admitted to fill his space1 and
 they are great1 all vanish in the power
 which compresses them into a single    
point1 and we do not detect them till we
 recover from our terror4  ,the picture 
of ,rubens1 which we oppose to          
,tintoretto1 was painted for the church 
of ,st4 ,walburgha at ,antwerp1 after   
his return from ,italy1 and has been    
minutely described1 and as exquisitely  
criticised by ,reynolds3 ,christ1 he    
says1 is nailed to the cross1 with a    
number of figures exerting themselves to
 raise it4 ,the invention of throwing   
the cross obliquely from one corner of  
the picture to the other1 is finely     
conceived2 something in the manner of   
,tintoretto3 so far ,reynolds4 ,in      
,tintoretto it is the cross of one of   
the criminals that they attempt to      
raise1 who casts his eye on ,christ     
already raised4 ,the body of ,christ is 

the grandest1 in my opinion1 that       
,rubens ever painted2 it seems to be    
imitated from the ,torso of ,apollonius1
 and that of the ,laocoon4 ,how far it  
be characteristic of ,christ1 or        
correspondent with the situation1 ,i    
shall not here enquire2 my object is the
 ruling tone of the whole1 and of this  
the criticism quoted says not a word1   
though much of local colour and gray and
 ochry balance4 ,would so great a master
 of tone as ,reynolds have forgot this  
master-key1 if he had found it in the   
picture8 ,the fact is1 the picture has  
no other than the painter's usual tone3 
,rubens came to his work with gay       
technic exultation1 and1 by the magic of
 his palette1 changed the terrors of    
,golgotha to an enchanted garden and    
clusters of flowers4 ,rembrandt1 though 
on a smaller scale of size and          
composition1 concentrated the tremendous
 moment in one flash of pallid light4   
,it breaks on the body of ,christ1      
shivers down his limbs1 and vanishes on 

the armour of a crucifix2 the rest is   
gloom4  ,of ,paolo ,veronese1 who was by
 far the most intemperate and florid of 
ornamental masters1 the political       
allegories on the platfonds and         
compartments of the ,ducal ,palace1 and 
the religious legends painted in the    
refectories of the convents1 or as      
altar-pieces in the churches of ,venice1
 differ materially in tone and style4   
,those were painted for the ,senate1    
these for the people2 and the superior  
orders were supposed to be better judges
 of real grandeur and propriety1 than   
monastic ignorance and the bigoted and  
vulgar majority of the crowds that      
thronged the churches4  ,if1 therefore1 
,i were able to dissent in any thing    
relative to ,colour from the great      
,master whose classification ,i comment1
 ,i should probably hesitate on the     
advice of adopting the palette of       
,rubens for the regulation of the tones 
that compose the ,venetian style1 of    
which his flowery tint formed but a     

part4 ,what has been said of ,m4 ,agnolo
 in ,,form1 may be said of ,rubens in   
,,colour3 they had but one4 ,as the one 
came to ,nature1 and moulded her to his 
generic form1 the other came to ,nature 
and tinged her with his colour--the     
colour of gay magnificence4 ,he levelled
 his subject to his style1 but seldom if
 ever his style with his subject2       
whatever be the subject of ,rubens1     
legend1 allegoric1 stem1 mournful1      
martyrdom1 fable1 epic1 dramatic1 lyric1
 grave or gay--the hues that embody1 the
 air that tinges them1 is indiscriminate
 expanse of gay magnificence4 ,if the   
economy of his colours be that of an    
immense nosegay1 he has not always      
connected the ingredients with a        
prismatic eye2 the balance of the iris  
is not arbitrary1 the balance of his    
colour often is4 ,it was not to be      
expected that correctness of form should
 be the object of ,rubens1 though he was
 master of drawing1 and even ambitious  
in the display of anatomic knowledge2   

but there is no mode of incorrectness1  
unless what directly militated against  
his style1 such as meagreness1 of which 
his works do not set an example4 ,his   
male forms1 generally the brawny pulp of
 slaughtermen2 his females1 hillocks of 
roses in overwhelmed muscles1 grotesque 
attitudes1 and distorted joints1 are    
swept along in a gulph of colours1 as   
herbage1 trees and shrubs are whirled1  
tossed1 and absorbed by inundation4     
,but whenever a subject comes genially  
within the vortex of his manner1 such as
 that of the ,gallery of ,luxembourg1 it
 then is not only characteristically    
excellent1 but includes nearly a        
superhuman union of powers4 ,in whatever
 light we consider that astonishing     
work1 whether as a series of the most   
sublime conceptions1 regulated by an    
uniform comprehensive plan1 or as a     
system of colours and tones1 exalting   
the subject1 and seconded by magic      
execution1 whatever may be its ,venetian
 or ,flemish flaws of mythology and     

,christianity1 ideal and contemporary   
costume promiscuously displayed1 it     
leaves all plans of ,venetian allegory  
far behind1 and rivals all their        
execution2 if it be not equal in        
simplicity1 or emulate in characteristic
 dignity1 the plans of ,m4 ,agnolo and  
,raffaello1 it excels them in the       
display of that magnificence which no   
modern eye can separate from the idea of
 ,majesty4   ,,footnote3  #ii ,phthora4 
,,tenth ,,lecture4      ,,the ,,method  
,,of ,,fixing ,a ,,standard ,,and       
,,defining     ,,the ,,proportions ,,of 
,,the ,,human ,,frame1     ,,with       
,,directions ,,to     ,,the ,,student   
,,in ,,copying ,,the ,,life4     ,,tenth
 ,,lecture4   ,the methods of fixing a  
standard and defining the proportions of
 the human frame1 are either analytic or
 synthetic1 from the whole to the parts1
 or from the parts to the whole1 and    
have been promiscuously adopted4 ,the   
human is the measure of perfection in   
,vitruvius2 he applies its rules to     

architecture1 and indeed to every object
 of taste4  ,the length of human        
proportion in ,vitruvius1 measured by a 
perpendicular1 or a horizontal1 from the
 middle finger points of both arms      
extended1 is ten heads1 the head        
measured from the chin to the hair-roots
 of the front2 and eight if the head be 
measured from the extremity of the chin 
to the vertex of the crown4 ,three is   
the favourite number by which the       
theorists of proportion have divided the
 human structure1 as containing a       
beginning1 a middle1 and an end2 and    
,pliny observes that we attain the half 
of our growth in the third year4 ,the   
body1 as well as all its members1       
consists of three main parts1 which     
correspond with each other1 in the same 
proportion as the parts of the          
subordinate members among themselves3   
the head and body are in the same unison
 of measure with the thighs and legs1 as
 the thighs with the legs and feet1 or  
the upper part of the arm to the elbow  

and the hand4 ,thus the face is divided 
into three parts1 or three times the    
length of the nose3 never into four1 as 
some have imagined2 for the upper part  
of the head1 from the hair-roots on the 
front to the top1 measured              
perpendicularly1 has only three-fourths 
of the nose length1 or is in proportion 
to the nose as nine to twelve4  ,the    
rules of proportion originated1         
probably1 with sculpture1 but in the    
progress of art received their final    
determination from the painter3 this is 
the praise of ,parrhasius1 and          
,praxiteles applied to ,nicias for the  
ultimate decision and refinement of his 
forms4 ,the foot was the main medium of 
ancient measurement2 and six feet1      
according to ,vitruvius1 became the     
measured length of proportion for their 
statues4 ,measure is the method of      
ascertaining an unknown quantity from a 
known one2 and the proportion of the    
foot is subject to less variation than  
the head or face4 ,lomazzo1 when he     

makes the foot of ,hercules the seventh 
part of his length1 and fixes ten faces 
as the standard of ancient proportion   
for a ,venus1 nine for a ,juno1 and     
eight for ,neptune1 talked from fancy1  
and relied on the credulity of his      
reader4  ,this relation of the foot to  
the whole fabric1 as established by     
,nature1 the ancients regulated         
according to ideal or divine1 and human 
or characteristic proportions4 ,of the  
,apollo1 whose height is somewhat more  
than seven heads1 the standing foot is  
three inches of a ,roman palm longer    
than the head4 ,the ,medicean ,venus1   
however 'suelt1' however small her head1
 has in length no more than seven heads 
and a half2 and yet her foot measures a 
palm and a half1 and the whole height of
 the figure six palms and a half4  ,of  
such observations on proportion it would
 be easier to continue a long series    
than to make them intelligible or useful
 without actual demonstration or        
figures4 ,from ,vitruvius with his      

commentators1 and ,lionardo da ,vinci1  
to ,albert ,durer1 ,lomazzo1 and ,jerome
 ,cardan1 from the corrected            
measurements of ,du ,fresnoy and ,de    
,piles1 to ,watelet1 ,winkelman1 and    
,lavater1 it would be easy to show that 
the mass of variance1 peculiarity1 and  
contradiction1 greatly overbalances the 
coincidence of experiment and measure4  
,the descriptions of the proportions of 
the human frame1 says ,mengs1 are       
infinite1 but seldom agree among        
themselves4 ,some are too obscure to    
give the artist a clear idea2 some have 
too much limited the combinations which 
might produce1 or are capable of1       
proportions homogeneously uniform3      
others1 on the contrary1 have1 like     
,albert ,durer1 displayed a great       
quantity and variety of proportions1 to 
little purpose for any one who should   
not choose to imitate his taste4 ,the   
ordinary method is that of dividing the 
figure into a fixed number of heads or  
faces2 but this division is of more use 

to the sculptor than the painter1 who   
never can see the just size of the head1
 because perspective hides at least a   
third of the upper fourth2 nor does the 
breadth of the limbs1 in painting1 admit
 of sculpture measure1 as they would    
appear meagre and scanty on a flat      
surface1 in comparison of the mass they 
circumscribe in perspective2 because the
 habit of looking at objects with both  
eyes swells their mass beyond its just  
diameter1 in reality as well as in      
sculpture4 ,this difference of limbs the
 ancients observed in their best        
basso-relievoes2 they exceed in volume  
the limbs of their statues4 ,such are   
the forms of the sacrificing group in   
the gardens of the ,medicean ,villa at  
,rome1 represented in the ,admiranda of 
,santes ,bartoli1 and imitated by       
,raffaello in the ,cartoon of the       
,sacrifice at ,lystra4  ,the painter is 
infinitely more in want of variety than 
the sculptor1 and consequently cannot   
submit to the same restriction of rule4 

,raffaello1 who in a certain sense did  
no more than multiply the antique style 
of the second order1 uniting it with a  
certain air of truth not within the     
reach of sculpture1 whether from rule or
 taste1 made use of every kind of       
proportion without a seeming            
predilection for any4 ,there are figures
 of his which have little more than six 
heads and a half3 such as the ,st4      
,peter in the ,cartoon of the ,temple   
,gate2 a proportion insufferable in any 
other painter but ,raffaello4  ,it is   
reasonable to suppose1 that in          
endeavouring to form a standard or a    
canon of proportion for the human       
figure1 the ,greeks began with the head1
 its form1 its position1 the manner in  
which it is attached to the trunk2 they 
found that man alone carries his head   
erect1 and that thence he derives a face
 and a countenance4 ,of all the brute   
creation1 what is called the head is    
only an extremity of the horizontal     
body1 whose under parts are shoved      

forward to seek food or seize prey2     
front and upper part are driven back1   
are shortened1 and1 in more than one    
genus1 hardly perceivable4 ,the more the
 brute is raised before and erects the  
neck1 the more it gains variety of      
aspect2 still it hangs forward1 an      
appendix to the trunk3 it cannot be     
properly said to have a head2 the       
etymology of the word implies an erect  
position4 ,a head1 strictly speaking1 is
 the prerogative of man1 formed beneath 
a skull which rounds the forehead and   
determines the face4 ,the more the front
 recedes and inclines to the horizontal1
 so much the nearer a head approaches   
the form of a brute2 the more it        
inclines to the perpendicular1 the more 
it gains of man4 ,this observation has  
been demonstrated in the least fallible 
manner by ,camper1 the anatomist1 who1  
by a contrivance equally ingenious and  
unequivocal1 appears to have            
ascertained1 not only the difference of 
the faceal line in animals1 but that    

which discriminates nations4 ,placing   
the skull or head to be measured into a 
kind of sash or frame1 pierced at       
equidistant intervals to admit the      
plummet and horizontal and perpendicular
 threads1 he draws a straight line from 
the aperture of the ear to the under    
part of the nose1 and another from the  
utmost projection of the frontal bone to
 the most prominent part of the upper   
jaw4 ,the whole is divided into ninety  
or even one hundred degrees1 from the   
actual maximum and minimum of ,nature to
 those of ,art4 ,birds describe the     
smallest angles1 which widen in         
proportion as the animal approaches the 
human form3 the heads of apes reach from
 forty-two to fifty degrees1 which last 
approaches man4 ,the ,negro and ,kalmuck
 reach seventy1 the ,european eighty2   
the ancient ,roman artists ascended to  
ninety-five1 the ,greeks raised the     
ideal from ninety to one hundred        
degrees4 ,what goes beyond this line    
becomes portentous2 the head appears    

misshapen1 and assumes the appearance of
 a hydrocephalus4 ,it is the limit set  
by ,art1 and established on this        
physical principle3 that the more the   
form of the head reclines to the        
horizontal or overshoots the given      
perpendicular1 the more the maxill are  
protruded or the more the front1 the    
less it retains of the true human form1 
and degenerates into brute or monster4  
,from a head so determined1 arose an    
harmonious system of features4 ,under a 
front as full as open1 the frontal      
muscles assumed the seat of meaning2 the
 cavity of the eyes became deeper1 and  
took a regular and equal distance from  
the centre of the nose1 a feature of    
which few of the moderns ever had a     
distinct idea2 the mouth and lips were  
shaped for organs of command and        
persuasion1 rather than appetite2 and   
the apodosis of the whole1 resolution   
and support1 was given in the chin4     
,from a head so regulated1 and placed on
 the most beautiful of all columns1 the 

neck1 the thinking artist could not fail
 to conclude to the rest of the body4   
,as the under parts of the head were    
subordinate to the front1 so was the    
lower part of the torso to the breast4  
,the organs of mere nutrition1 or       
appetite1 and secretion1 receded and    
were subjected to the nobler seats of   
action and vigour4 ,such harmony of     
system was not only the result of       
numeric proportion1 of length and       
breadth of parts2 it was the conception 
of one indivisibly connected whole1     
variously uniform3--god1 goddess1 hero1 
heroine1 male1 female1 infancy1 youth1  
virility and age1 majesty1 energy1      
agility1 beauty1 character1 and         
passions1 directed the method of        
treatment1 and formed ,,style4  ,the    
sculptured monuments left by the        
ancients1 that have escaped the wreck of
 time and compose the magnificent       
collections of the ,academy and the     
,museum1 amply prove that these         
assertions are not the visionary brood  

of fancy and sanguine wishes1 whilst    
they offer to the student advantages    
which1 perhaps1 no ancient1 certainly no
 modern schools ever could or can offer 
to theirs1 not even that of formerly the
 real and still the nominal metropolis  
of ,art--,rome4  ,these monuments may be
 aptly divided into three classes3      
#ast4 ,imitations1 not seldom           
transcripts of ,essential ,nature4      
#bnd4 ,homogeneous delineations of      
,character2 and  #crd4 ,the highest and 
last--,ideal ,figures4  ,the first shows
 to advantage what exists or existed2   
the second collects in one individual1  
what is scattered in his class2 the     
third subordinates existence and        
character to beauty and sublimity4  ,the
 astonishing remains of gods1 demigods1 
and heroes treasured in the ,museum1    
from the ,parthenon and the ,temple of  
,phigalia1 constitute the first epoch4  
,they establish the elements of         
proportion1 they show what is essential 
in the composition and construction of  

the human frame4 ,the artist's principle
 remained1 however1 negative2 he        
understood the best he saw1 but did not 
attempt to add1 or conclude from what   
was1 to what might be4 ,these works are 
commonly considered as the produce of   
the school of ,phidias1 and the         
substantiation of his principles3 if    
they are1 and there can be little doubt 
but they are1 it must be owned1 that the
 eulogies lately lavished on them1 as   
presenting1 even on their mutilated and 
battered surfaces1 more of the real     
texture of the human frame1 a better    
discrimination of bone1 muscle1 and     
tendon1 than most of the works ascribed 
to more advanced periods1 little agree  
with the verdict of the ancients1 as    
pronounced by ,pliny1 on the real       
character of ,phidias1 the architect of 
gods1 fitter to frame divinities than   
men1 and leave him little more share in 
the formation of our figures than the   
conception4 ,in beholding them1 we say1 
such is man1 real unsophisticated man1  

man warm from the hand of ,nature1 but  
not yet distinguished by her endless    
variety and difference of character4    
,the ,dioscuri of the ,quirinal1 the    
,lapith in conflict with the ,centaurs  
from the ,parthenon1 and the heroes from
 the fabric of ,ictinus1 are brothers1  
and only differ in size and finish2     
whilst the ,panathenaic processions     
offer the unvaried transcript of        
,athenian youth4  ,delineation of       
character forms the second class of the 
figures in our possession1 and the      
distinguishing feature of its artists4  
,they found that1 as all were connected 
by the genus and a central principle of 
form1 so they were divided into classes1
 and from each other separated by an    
individual stamp1 by character3 to unite
 this with the simplicity of the generic
 principle was their aim2 the symmetry  
prescribed by general proportion was    
modified and adapted1 not sacrificed1 to
 the demands of the peculiar quality    
which distinguished the attribute they  

undertook to personify4 ,thus the       
,hercules of ,glycon1 though the symbol 
of absolute1 irresistible1 and uniform  
strength1 appears to be swift as a stag 
and elastic like a ball2 and thus       
,agasias1 the author of what the        
barbarity of custom still continues to  
misname the ,fighting ,gladiator1 though
 its style1 evidently ,iconic1 be more  
connected with individual than generic  
nature1 has spread over its whole the   
rapidity of lightning1 and substantiated
 in its motion all ,homer says of       
,hector rushing through the shattered   
portals of the ,grecian wall--that1 at  
that instant1 nothing could have stopped
 him but a ,god4  ,the wounded          
,cornicularius1 known by the name of the
 ,dying ,gladiator1 the ,savage whetting
 his knife to excoriate ,marsyas1 the   
enraged ,shepherd ,boy ludicrously      
transformed to a young ,patroclus1 are  
too undisguised portraits to deserve    
being ranked with this higher class of  
characteristic delineation4 ,we with    

more exultation subjoin to it the       
,pathetic ,groups which1 to the historic
 artist1 at once disclose the whole     
extent and limits of dramatic           
composition--the agonies of ,niobe and  
her ,progeny2 the pangs of the ,laocoon2
 ,menelaus raising ,patroclus slain by  
,hector2 the ,warrior who deserves to be
 called ,hmon1 with ,antigone1          
self-slain1 hanging on his arm--the     
softer and more familiar expression of  
thra and ,theseus1 maternal enquiry and 
filial simplicity2 ,orestes and ,pylades
 pouring libations to ,agamemnon's      
shade2 ,venus expostulating with ,amor1 
,amor embracing ,psyche3 works of       
different periods and different styles1 
but true to the same unerring           
principles1--principles not abandoned in
 the lascivious dream of the            
,hermaphrodite1 the gross sonorous      
repose of the ,faun1 and the tottering  
inebriety of ,hercules4  ,the artists of
 the third epoch concluded from         
existence to possibility4 ,the simple   

purity of the first1 and the energetic  
harmonious variety of the second period1
 were its bases2 it amalgamated their   
artless angular line and rigid precision
 with the suavity of undulating         
contours1 elegance of attitude1 the soft
 inflexions of flesh3 and created a     
standard of ideal beauty which regulated
 the whole1 from the most prominent1    
conspicuous1 and interesting1 to the    
most remote and minute parts4 ,the      
,apollo1 the ,venus1 the ,torso1 arose  
to prove that in the same degree as in  
an image of art the idea of simplicity1 
or of one1 predominates1 it will partake
 of grandeur2 and that in the degree as 
the idea of variety prevails1 it will   
partake of beauty3 variety leads to     
simplicity in images of beauty1         
simplicity to variety in images of      
grandeur1 and the union of both produces
 the sublime4  ,such are the splendid1  
and ,i repeat it1 unparalleled          
advantages that surround you2 but lest1 
by their specious display1 ,i should be 

suspected of more enthusiasm than       
becomes the sober office of a teacher1  
and you be led to delusive expectations 
and false conclusions1 remember that1   
though even the best directed labour    
cannot supply what ,nature has refused1 
still it remains an experiment uniformly
 sanctioned by time1 that without       
unwearied toil1 obstinate perseverance1 
and submissive resignation1 neither the 
theory nor the practice of the art can  
be fully acquired1 and that without them
 genius is a bubble and talent a trifle4
  ,and now permit me to finish this     
fragment of observations on ,design with
 a few remarks on our mutual situation1 
as teachers and as pupils of this       
,institution3 if the advancement of art 
be the cause and the ultimate aim of its
 foundation4  ,when in recommending the 
antique as the student's guide in       
copying the life1 ,i comparatively might
 have seemed to depreciate the servile  
adherence to the model1 ,i was perfectly
 aware that the use of life alone can   

supply the artist with the real         
expression1 and consequently the real   
appearances of bones and muscles in     
varied action4 ,it will not be          
suspected1 ,i trust1 that ,i meant to   
recommend the frigid introduction of    
that marble style1 that pedantic        
stiffness1 which1 under the abused name 
of correctness1 frequently disfigures   
the labours of those who1 at too late a 
period for successful attempts at       
changing their manner1 abjure or lose   
the courage to use what they had learnt 
before1 and content themselves with     
being the tame transcribers of the dead 
letter1 instead of the spirit of the    
ancients1 and importers of nothing but  
forms and attitudes of stone4  ,it is to
 life we must recur1--to warm1 fleshy1  
genial life1--for animated forms4 ,to   
,nature and life ,zeuxis applied1 to    
embody the forms of ,polycletus and     
,alcamenes3 and what was the prerogative
 of ,lysippus1 but to give the air1 the 
morbidezza1 the soft transitions1 the   

illusions of palpitating life1 to bronze
 and marble8 ,the pedantry of           
geometrically straight lines is not only
 no idealism1 it is a solecism in       
,nature4 ,organization1 your object1 is 
inseparable from life2 motion from      
organization3 where organization and    
life are1 there is a seat of life1 a    
punctum saliens1 acting through veins   
and branching arteries1 consequently    
with pulsation1 and by that1 undulating 
and rounding the passages of parts to   
parts4 ,of the milliards of commas1 or  
points1 that ,nature mediately or       
immediately produces1 no two are alike3 
how1 then1 could she produce straight   
lines1 which are all similar1 and by    
their nature cut1 divide1 interrupt1    
destroy8  ,the province delegated by the
 ,academy to its teachers must          
be1--where hope promises success and    
sparks of genius appear1 to foster1 to  
encourage2 but where necessity commands1
 rather to deter than to delude1 and    
thus to check the progress of that      

compendiary method1 which1 according to 
your late ,president1 has ruined the    
,arts of every country1 by reducing     
execution to a recip1 substituting      
manner for style1 ornament for          
substance1 and giving admission to      
mediocrity4  ,if the students of this   
,academy must be supposed to have       
overcome the rudiments1 and to be       
arrived at that point from which it may 
be discovered whether ,nature intended  
them for mere craftsmen or real artists1
 near that point1 where1 in the phrase  
of ,reynolds1 genius begins and rules   
end1 it behoves us not to mistake the   
mere children of necessity1 or the      
pledges of vanity1 for the real         
nurselings of public hope1 or the future
 supporters of the beneficent           
establishment that rears them4          
,instruction1 it is true1 may put them  
in possession of every attainable part  
of the ,art in a decent degree2 they may
 learn to draw with tolerable           
correctness1 to colour with tolerable   

effect1 to put their figures together   
tolerably well1 and to furnish their    
faces with a tolerable expression--it   
may not be easy for any one to pick any 
thing intolerably bad out of their      
works2 but when they have done all      
this--and almost all may do all this1   
for all this may be taught--they will   
find themselves exactly at the point    
where all that gives value to ,art      
begins--,genius1 which cannot be        
taught--at the threshold of the ,art1 in
 a state of mediocrity4 ,gods1 men1 and 
fame1 says ,horace1 reject mediocrity in
 poets4 ,why8 ,neither ,poetry nor      
,painting spring from the necessities of
 society1 or furnish necessaries to     
life2 offsprings of fancy1 leisure1 and 
lofty contemplation1 organs of religion 
and government1 ornaments of society1   
and too often mere charms of the senses 
and instruments of luxury1 they derive  
their excellence from novelty1 degree1  
and polish4 ,what none indispensably    
want1 all may wish for1 but few only are

 able to procure1 acquires its value    
from some exclusive quality1 founded on 
intrinsic or some conventional merit1   
and that1 or an equal substitute1       
mediocrity cannot reach3 hence1 by      
suffering it to invade the province of  
genius and talent1 we rob the plough1   
the shop1 the loom1 the school1 perhaps 
the desk and pulpit1 of a thousand      
useful hands4 ,a good mechanic1 a trusty
 labourer1 an honest tradesman1 are     
beings more important1 of greater use to
 society1 and better supporters of the  
state1 than an artist or a poet of      
mediocrity4 ,when ,i therefore say that 
it is the duty of the ,academy to deter 
rather than to delude1 ,i am not afraid 
of having advanced a paradox hostile to 
the progress of real ,art4 ,the         
capacities that time will disclose1     
genius and talents1 cannot be deterred  
by the exposition of difficulties1 and  
it is the interest of society that all  
else should4         ,,end ,,of ,,the   
,,second ,,volume4      ,,london3       

,,printed ,,by ,,samuel ,,bentley1      
,dorset ,street1 ,fleet ,street4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,,transcriber',s ,,notes  ,obvious typos
 have been silently corrected4  ,all    
oe-ligatures have been simplified to oe4
  ,idiosyncratic spellings have been    
left unchanged4 ,this includes          
inconsistent spellings of proper names  
and capitalisation4  ,there are numerous
 ,greek quotations1 which have been     
converted from ,greek to ,romanised     
script4 ,they are marked by equals      
signs1 like this4 ,a few amendments are 
noted below4  ,italicised words and     
phrases are marked like this4   ,the    
following corrections are worth special 
note3  p4 #ai3 ,alcibides changed to    
,alcibiades4  p4 #cc footnote #i3 h     
kath' 7rough breathing7 changed to      
kath' 7smooth breathing71 and kai       
changed to  kai4  p4 #dc footnote #ae3  
,abrodiaitos 7smooth breathing7 changed 
to ,habrodiaitos 7rough breathing74  p4 
#adc3 prliari changed to proeliari4  p4 

#ade footnote #ga3 a tar changed to     
atar4  p4 #aej footnote #gb3 line       
reference corrected from #cbh to #bch4  
p4 #aei3 ,goliah changed to ,goliath4   
p4 #afa footnote #ge3 ,hormn 7capital   
letter7 changed to hormn 7lower case74  
p4 #bhd3 ,fra4 changed to ,fr4