,,masterpieces ,,in ,,colour    ,,edited
 ,,by--,t4 ,,leman ,,hare      ,,andrea 
,,mantegna    #adca-aejf                
,,masterpieces ,,in ,,colour ,,series   
,,artist4              ,,author4        
,,bellini4             ,,george ,,hay4  
,,botticelli4          ,,henry ,b4      
,,binns4    ,,boucher4             ,c4  
,,haldane ,,macfall4    ,,burne-,,jones4
         ,a4 ,,lys ,,baldry4    ,,carlo 
,,dolci4         ,,george ,,hay4        
,,chardin4             ,,paul ,g4       
,,konody4    ,,constable4           ,c4 
,,lewis ,,hind4    ,,corot4             
,,sidney ,,allnutt4    ,,da ,,vinci4    
,m4 ,w4 ,,brockwell4    ,,delacroix4    
,,paul ,g4 ,,konody4    ,d,,rer4        
,h4 ,e4 ,a4 ,,furst4    ,,fra           
,,angelico4        ,,james ,,mason4     
,,fra ,,filippo ,,lippi4   ,,paul ,g4   
,,konody4    ,,fragonard4           ,c4 
,,haldane ,,macfall4    ,,franz ,,hals4 
,,edgcumbe ,,staley4    ,,gainsborough4 
,,max ,,rothschild4    ,,greuze4        
,,alys ,,eyre ,,macklin4    ,,hogarth4  

,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4    ,,holbein4       
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4    ,,holman ,,hunt4 
,,mary ,e4 ,,coleridge4    ,,ingres4    
,a4 ,j4 ,,finberg4    ,,lawrence4       
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4    ,,le ,,brun      
7,,vig,e74     ,c4 ,,haldane ,,macfall4 
,,leighton4            ,a4 ,,lys        
,,baldry4    ,,luini4                   
,,james ,,mason4    ,,mantegna4         
,,mrs4 ,,arthur ,,bell4    ,,memlinc4   
,w4 ,h4 ,j4  ,j4 ,c4 ,,weals4           
,,millais4             ,a4 ,,lys        
,,baldry4    ,,millet4                  
,,percy ,m4 ,,turner4    ,,murillo4     
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4    ,,perugino4      
,,selwyn ,,brinton4    ,,raeburn4       
,,james ,l4 ,,caw4    ,,raphael4        
,,paul ,g4 ,,konody4    ,,rembrandt4    
,,josef ,,israels4    ,,reynolds4       
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4    ,,romney4        
,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4    ,,rossetti4      
,,lucien ,,pissarro4    ,,rubens4       
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4    ,,sargent4       
,t4 ,,martin ,,wood4    ,,tintoretto4   
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4    ,,titian4        

,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4    ,,turner4        
,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4    ,,van ,,dyck4    
,,percy ,m4 ,,turner4    ,,velazquez4   
,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4    ,,watteau4       
,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4    ,,watts4         
,w4 ,,loftus ,,hare4    ,,whistler4     
,t4 ,,martin ,,wood4    ,others in      
,preparation4            ,illustration3 
,,plate ,i4--,,the ,,madonna ,,della    
,,vittoria4 ,frontispiece      7,in the 
,louvre7      ,this beautiful           
composition1 considered one of          
,mantegna's greatest    masterpieces1   
was painted in #adie-if in commemoration
 of the victory    won at ,fornovo on   
,july #f1 #adid1 by the ,marquis of     
,mantua as    generalissimo of the      
united ,italian forces4 ,it is now in   
the ,louvre1    ,paris1 having been     
carried off by the ,french in #agig4    
,mantegna    ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,arthur ,,bell
    ,,illustrated ,,with ,,eight        
,,reproductions ,,in ,,colour           
,illustration      ,,london3 ,t4 ,c4    
,e4 ,c4 ,,jack    ,,new ,,york3         

,,frederick ,a4 ,,stokes ,,co4          
,,list ,,of ,,illustrations             
,plate         ,i4 ,the ,madonna della  
,vittoria                  ,frontispiece
            ,in the ,louvre             
,page      ,,ii4 ,the ,adoration of the 
,kings                            #ad   
,in the ,uffizi ,gallery1 ,florence     
,,iii4 ,portrait of a ,member of the    
,gonzaga ,family            #bd         
,in the ,pitti ,palace1 ,florence       
,,iv4 ,the ,agony in the ,garden        
#cd            ,in the ,national        
,gallery1 ,london         ,v4 ,the      
,madonna and ,child surrounded by       
,cherubs           #dj            ,in   
the ,brera ,gallery1 ,milan        ,,vi4
 ,the ,madonna and ,child of the ,grotto
                   #ej            ,in   
the ,uffizi ,gallery1 ,florence         
,,vii4 ,parnassus                       
#fj            ,in the ,louvre          
,,viii4 ,the ,triumph of ,scipio        
#gj            ,in the ,national        
,gallery1 ,london          ,illustration

      ,born at a time of exceptional    
intellectual and sthetic activity1 when 
,italian humanism was nearing its       
fullest development1 and the art of     
painting1 after a protracted struggle   
with mechanical difficulties1  had at   
last obtained an almost complete mastery
 over its media1 with a  real grasp of  
the long-neglected science of           
perspective1 ,andrea  ,mantegna may     
justly be said to have been a true      
representative of the  early            
,renaissance in ,italy1 an earnest      
combatant in the arduous  struggle for  
liberty of thought and expression in    
which so many of his  gifted            
fellow-countrymen were engaged4 ,a true 
kindred spirit of his  greater          
contemporary1 ,donatello1 with whom he  
was in closer rapport  than with any    
painter1 the chief characteristic of his
 work being the  plastic rather than the
 pictorial treatment of form1 he was1   
like him1  imbued from the first with a 
reverent love of truth and a            

conscientious desire faithfully to      
interpret it4 ,mantegna has1 indeed1    
been sometimes charged with a too close 
imitation of the famous  sculptor1 but  
this is manifestly unfair1 for1 although
 there can be no  doubt that he owed    
much to ,donatello1 who was the first to
 lead him  into the right path1 by      
showing him how ,nature should be       
studied1 the  secret of the strong      
resemblance between the styles of the   
two masters  is that both went to the   
same source for inspiration3 the best   
existing examples of antique sculpture1 
which appeared to them the  noblest     
extant expression of the ideal in the   
real4    ,according to some authorities1
 ,vicenza was the birthplace of         
,mantegna1 whilst others claim that     
honour for ,padua2 but all agree in     
stating that he was born in #adca4 ,of  
his parents scarcely anything is  known1
 but it is generally supposed that they 
died at ,padua when  ,andrea was still  
quite a child1 and it is certain that   

the orphan boy  was adopted at once by  
the artist ,francesco ,squarcione1 who  
received  him into his own home and     
began his art education4 ,the true      
relations  between him and his          
foster-father are1 however1 very        
obscure1 critics  differing greatly with
 regard to them2 but it is very evident 
that the  tastes and ambitions of the   
two artists were never in real accord1  
though gratitude for kindness received  
when he was left alone in the  world1   
long restrained ,mantegna from an open  
breach with the protector  of his       
childhood4 ,the probability is that     
,squarcione1 whose work1  judging from  
the few specimens that have been        
preserved1 was of a very  mediocre      
character1 was merely the nominal head  
of a bottega1 or  studio1 in which      
painters of far greater eminence than   
himself1  including ,jacopo ,bellini1   
were visiting masters4 ,however that may
  have been1 it is certain that several 
hundred students were at  different     

times under his roof1 and1 whether they 
did or did not learn  much from him1    
they had the advantage of seeing the    
drawings after the  antique that he had 
brought back with him from the trips he 
delighted  in taking to ,greece and the 
,italian towns1 that owned collections  
of  classic sculpture4                  
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ii4--,,the     
,,adoration ,,of ,,the ,,kings      7,in
 the ,uffizi ,gallery1 ,florence7       
,the central composition of a triptych1 
now in the ,uffizi ,gallery1            
,florence1 belonging to ,mantegna's     
second period of art development4       
,supposed to have been painted for the  
chapel of the ,castello at    ,mantua   
about #adfd4    ,that ,andrea early     
showed remarkable talent is proved by   
his having  been made1 when he was but  
ten years old1 a member of the ,guild of
  ,paduan ,artists1 to which belonged   
all the leading painters1 sculptors1    
and craftsmen of the city1 and          
association with them must have done    

much to aid his art-development4 ,he    
was1 indeed1 from the very first        
surrounded by inspiring influences1 for 
,padua1 with its noble  ,university1    
founded in #abbb1 had long been a leader
 in antiquarian  research1 and was      
already beginning to rival even         
,florence and ,venice  as a centre of   
literary and artistic activity4 ,the    
quaint medival  ,palace1 with its       
magnificent fifteenth-century roof1 the 
fine ,basilica  of ,s4 ,antonio and the 
,cappella di ,s4 ,giorgio both adorned  
with the  frescoes of ,altichiero and   
,alvanzo1 and1 above all1 the ,cappella 
di  ,sta4 ,maria dell' ,arena1 enriched 
with the wonderful creations of         
,giotto1 must have been to the          
enthusiastic young painter a source of  
continual delight as well as a spur to  
emulation2 although as yet  ,donatello1 
destined to give to him the final       
impulse in the right  direction1 had not
 come to ,padua to put in hand the      
glorious  bas-reliefs of the high altar 

of ,s4 ,antonio1 and the even more      
remarkable bronze equestrian statue of  
,gattamelata1 that was to  inaugurate a 
new departure in modern realistic       
sculpture4    ,of the first meeting     
between the veteran sculptor1 who1 on   
his arrival  in ,padua in #addc1 was in 
his fifty-eighth year1 and the youthful 
painter there is no record2 but there is
 no doubt that the latter was           
privileged to watch the growth of the   
,s4 ,antonio sculptures1 and to  listen 
to the discussions concerning them and  
their author that took  place amongst   
the masters and students in the bottega 
of ,squarcione4  ,from his first        
appearance on the scene ,donatello      
dominated the art  world of the         
,university city1 his personality as    
well as his work  everywhere arousing   
the greatest enthusiasm4 ,so            
overwhelming indeed  were the attentions
 heaped upon him that he resisted all   
invitations  to remain after he had     
completed the work he had actually      

promised to  do1 and1 even before his   
monumental piece of sculpture was set   
up1 he  fled from the atmosphere of     
adulation in which he lived back to his 
native ,florence1 where1 to quote his   
own words1 he got censured  continually4
 ,he was still1 however1 at ,padua when1
 in #addf1 ,mantegna  completed his     
first independent commission1 a ,madonna
 in ,glory for  ,s4 ,sofia1 now lost1   
but which is said to have been a        
wonderful  production for a boy still in
 his teens1 clearly betraying the       
influence both of ,donatello and ,jacopo
 ,bellini1 yet with a marked            
individuality of its own4    ,the       
,madonna in ,glory is supposed to have  
been succeeded by other  compositions of
 a similar kind2 but the earliest signed
 work from  ,andrea's hand is a fresco1 
dated #adeb1 above the central door of  
,s4  ,antonio1 representing ,saints     
,antony and ,bernardino holding up a    
wreath  bearing the monogram of ,christ4
 ,in it1 as well as in the polyptych of 

,st4 ,luke1 now in the ,brera ,gallery1 
,milan1--that betrays a slight  affinity
 with the ,vivarini1--the ,presentation 
in the ,temple1 of the  ,berlin ,museum1
 and the ,adoration of the ,magi1 in the
 collection of  ,lady ,ashburton--all   
painted between #adeb and #adee--;are   
already  noticeable the naturalistic    
treatment of form1 plasticity of        
modelling1 and sombre colouring1 that   
were from first to last  characteristic 
of ,mantegna1 with a suggestion of the  
dignified  restraint and solemn rhythm  
of movement1 which were later further to
  distinguish his style4 ,it is1        
moreover1 noticeable that in the two    
last named1 as well as in other early   
representations of the ,virgin  and the 
,holy ,child1 such as that in the       
,poldi-,pezzoli ,museum1 ,milan1  it is 
the purely human relationship between   
the loving mother and her  helpless     
little one which is most forcibly       
brought out1 there being  absolutely no 
suggestion of the supernatural4 ,in the 

,presentation in  the ,temple ,mary     
clings to the ,babe as if unwilling to  
let ,him leave  her arms for a moment1  
and in the ,adoration her face expresses
 a  tender yearning that is infinitely  
touching2 whereas in later ,holy        
,families from the same hand the ,infant
 ,jesus becomes ever more and  more     
aloof and dignified1 until at last ,he  
appears like a young ,god  conscious of 
,his power to save and bless1 whilst    
,his mother withdraws  into the         
background4    ,more important1 perhaps1
 from a technical point of view1 than   
these  independent oil-paintings are the
 series of frescoes in the ,eremitani   
,chapel1 in which can be clearly traced 
the gradual development of  ,mantegna's 
style4 ,in them he for the first time   
proved himself able  successfully to    
carry out a vast and elaborate scheme of
 decoration1  each composition with its 
appropriate setting1 though complete in 
itself1 contributing to the general     
effect of the whole4 ,exactly when  the 

great undertaking was begun is not      
known1 but it is supposed that  the     
commission for it was given to          
,squarcione about #adeb1 and its        
execution entrusted by him to ,mantegna1
 who in #addh had signed an  agreement  
binding him to the service of his       
foster-father for a long  term of years4
 ,in a will dated ,january #e1 #addc1   
the ,chapel of the  ,eremitani was      
bequeathed by its then owner1 ,antonio  
degli ,ovetari1 to  ,jacopo ,leone1 on  
condition that after the testator's     
death seven  hundred golden ducats      
should be expended on its decoration    
with scenes  from the lives of ,saints  
,james and ,christopher4 ,the subjects1 
and  possibly also the positions they   
were to occupy1 were thus determined    
beforehand2 and it is evident from      
internal evidence that not all the      
frescoes are from ,mantegna's own hand1 
but his spirit dominates them  all1 and 
those for which he is entirely          
responsible1 especially the  ,st4 ,james

 led to ,execution1 the ,martyrdom and  
the ,burial of ,st4  ,christopher1 mark 
a great advance1 alike in design and in 
technical  execution1 on anything       
hitherto produced by their author4 ,in  
the  first1 ,mantegna approached more   
nearly to ,donatello in the expression  
of movement than he had previously done1
 and displayed very great  skill in     
concentrating the attention upon the    
figure of the martyr1  who pauses to    
bless and heal a lame man kneeling at   
his feet1 the  soldiers halting to look 
on1 and the spectators turning back to  
see  what delays the procession4 ,the   
,martyrdom and ,burial of ,st4          
,christopher are also strikingly        
dramatic1 giving very vivid             
presentments of the final scenes in the 
long-protracted agony of the            
twice-martyred victim1 who was found to 
be still living after he was  supposed  
to have been shot to death2 but1        
unfortunately1 both  compositions are so
 much defaced that it is difficult to   

form a true  idea of what they          
originally were4    ,the years during   
which ,mantegna was at work on the      
,eremitani frescoes1  supposed to have  
been completed in #adee1 coincided with 
the most  interesting period of the     
artist's life from a personal point of  
view4  ,in #adec he became engaged to   
the only daughter of ,jacopo ,bellini1  
,nicolasia1 whom he had known since she 
was a child1 and to whom he had  long   
been attached4 ,he was married to her in
 #adee1 and the young  couple evidently 
started life together under very happy  
auspices2 but  little is really known   
either of their courtship or their later
  experiences4 ,neither1 unfortunately1 
is it possible to call up with  any     
semblance of reality the personality of 
the bride1 for although  she certainly  
often posed for her father1 husband1 and
 brothers1 her  portrait cannot be      
identified in any of their compositions4
 ,that she  was beautiful and charming  
is generally taken for granted1 that she

  shared the sthetic faculty with which 
the other members of her family  were so
 richly endowed is more than probable1  
and that she was a good  wife to        
,mantegna is incidentally proved by the 
fact that his money  difficulties did   
not begin till after her death2 but that
 is all that  can be gathered concerning
 her4 ,it is far easier to realise what 
the  bridegroom was like1 for ,andrea   
has introduced himself among the        
spectators in the ,martyrdom of ,st4    
,christopher and in the later  ,meeting 
between ,lodovico ,gonzaga and his son1 
,cardinal ,francesco1 of  the ,camera   
degli ,sposi at ,mantua1 in both of     
which the painter  appears as a         
handsome1 distinguished-looking man     
whose somewhat stern  features1 in      
which1 however1 there is no suggestion  
of the irritable  temper with which some
 of his contemporaries charged him1     
greatly  resemble those of the fine     
bronze bust1 of uncertain authorship1   
that  was set up in #aefj outside his   

mortuary chapel in ,s4 ,andrea1 ,mantua1
  by one of his grandsons4    ,almost   
the only comment made by the biographers
 of ,mantegna on his  marriage is that  
after it the influence of ,jacopo       
,bellini over his  style became more    
marked1 and nearly all they have to tell
 concerning  him and his wife is that   
they had three boys1 one of whom died in
  infancy1 and two girls4 ,occasionally1
 it is true1 a reference is made  to    
work done in their father's studio by   
one or the other of the  surviving sons1
 whose names were ,francesco and        
,lodovico4 ,the marriages  of the       
daughters1 ,laura and ,taddea1 are      
alluded to en passant1 and  the fact is 
mentioned that in his old age the great 
painter had a  natural son1 to whom he  
gave the names of ,giovanni ,andrea1 and
 whom he  confided on his death-bed to  
the care of the boy's half-brother      
,lodovico2 but scarcely any details can 
be gathered concerning the home  life of
 the master before ,nicolasia passed    

away1 nor has any one been  able to     
ascertain who was the heroine of the    
romance of the master's  closing years4 
,even ,dr4 ,paul ,kristeller in his     
monumental work1 in  which is gathered  
together from an infinite variety of    
sources  everything that can throw light
 on the character1 aims1 and work of    
,mantegna1 is able to do no more than   
suggest that he and his family  were on 
affectionate terms with each other1 that
 he had the best  interests of his      
children at heart1 and that his wife    
shared the  tender poetic sensibility of
 her gifted brother1 ,giovanni ,bellini4
      ,illustration3 ,,plate            
,,iii4--,,portrait ,,of ,a ,,member ,,of
 ,,the ,,gonzaga    ,,family      7,in  
the ,pitti ,palace1 ,florence7          
,this fine portrait1 now in the ,pitti  
,palace1 ,florence1 represents    one of
 the members of the ,gonzaga family who 
were introduced in the    famous        
frescoes by ,mantegna that adorned the  
,camera degli ,sposi and    other       

apartments in the ,castello of ,mantua4 
,to make up for the meagreness of       
intimate personal information with      
which writers on ,mantegna have to      
contend1 they one and all dwell at      
great length on every incident of his   
art career1 describing minutely1  for   
instance1 the strained relations between
 him and ,squarcione1 which  culminated 
in #adef in his bringing an action      
against the latter4 ,it  was decided in 
favour of ,andrea1 who pleaded that he  
had been under  age when he signed the  
agreement already alluded to above1 and 
that  the conditions of the arrangement 
made had been broken by his             
foster-father4 ,it is further related   
that ,squarcione was from the  first    
bitterly hostile to the intimacy between
 ,mantegna and the  ,bellini1 resenting 
the influence ,jacopo exercised over a  
pupil he  looked upon as his own special
 protg4 ,when he heard of the           
engagement between ,andrea and          
,nicolasia1 he vowed he would never     

consent to the match1 and when he found 
that his sanction of the  marriage was  
dispensed with1 his indignation knew no 
bounds4 ,he vented  his annoyance by    
making unreasonable demands upon        
,mantegna's time1 and  by harsh         
criticism of his work on the ,eremitani 
frescoes1 in which he  all too clearly  
betrayed his jealousy of the younger    
artist's superior  talent4 ,there was   
really nothing left for ,mantegna to do 
but to sever  all connection with so    
unreasonable an employer1 but that he   
did so  with regret1 remembering past   
kindnesses1 is proved by his having put 
off the rupture as long as he did4 ,it  
was well for him when he  finally left  
the ,squarcione bottega and became free 
to work out1  unchecked1 his own art    
salvation1 and henceforth he may truly  
be said  to have gone on from strength  
to strength1 until at last1 in such     
masterpieces as the ,triumph of ,csar   
and the ,madonna della  ,vittoria1 he   
reached the very zenith of his powers4  

,the second period of ,mantegna's career
 begins with the painting of the  fine  
triptych for ,s4 ,zeno1 ,verona1        
commissioned by the enlightened  papal  
protonotary1 ,abbot ,gregorio ,correr1  
one of the leading  ecclesiastics of his
 time1 the first of the many            
distinguished patrons  who now began to 
seek to secure the services of the young
 painter of  ,padua4 ,the altar-piece of
 ,s4 ,zeno1 the chief composition of    
which  belongs to the class known as    
sacro conversazione1 in which saints  of
 different periods are grouped about the
 ,virgin and ,child1 marks a  very      
considerable advance in the delineation 
of character4 ,the  personalities of men
 so diverse as ,saints ,peter1 ,john the
 ,evangelist1  ,augustine1 and ,zeno are
 realised with great success1 and the   
concentration of the light on the figure
 of the ,infant ,jesus  foreshadows the 
great change that was ere long to take  
place in the  artist's renderings of the
 ,holy ,family4 ,it is much to be       

regretted  that the complete work can no
 longer be seen as it was when first    
placed in position1 for it was carried  
off by the ,french in #agig2 and        
although after the ,treaty of ,vienna   
the upper portion was restored to  ,s4  
,zeno1 where it now hangs in the choir1 
the three subjects of the  predella1    
that are also of great significance in  
the study of the  development of        
,mantegna's style1 remained in          
,france--the  ,crucifixion1 a noble but 
terribly realistic conception1 occupying
 a  place of honour in the ,louvre1     
whilst the ,agony in the ,garden and    
the ,ascension1 that originally flanked 
it on either side1 are at  ,tours4      
,whilst engaged in his arduous          
undertaking for ,abbot ,correr1         
,mantegna  painted three of his few     
portraits--that1 now at ,berlin1 of     
,cardinal  ,luigi ,mezzarota1 the       
warlike prelate who led the papal troops
 against  the ,turks in #adeg1 defeating
 them with great loss2 that1 in the     

,naples  ,museum1 of ,cardinal          
,francesco ,gonzaga1 who received the   
red hat before  he was seventeen2 and   
the famous double likeness of ,john of  
,czezomicze1 better known as ,janus     
,pannonius1 that is unfortunately  lost1
 but won for its author great renown and
 inspired the beautiful  elegy addressed
 to him by the poet on its completion4  
,between ,cardinal ,francesco and       
,andrea a very strong friendship was    
soon formed1 which may possibly have had
 something to do with the  pressing     
invitations ,mantegna now began to      
receive from the father of  the young   
prelate ,lodovico1 the reigning ,marquis
 of ,mantua1 who  worthily maintained   
the great traditions of his ancestors1  
under whose  auspices the ancient       
fortress that was to become so          
inseparably  associated with the memory 
of the ,paduan master was enlarged and  
strengthened1 and the ,grand ,cathedral 
with the noble ,renaissance  ,church of 
,s4 ,andrea were built4 ,the first of   

,lodovico's invitations  was probably a 
verbal one1 but it was quickly succeeded
 by urgent  written appeals1 some of    
which have been preserved1 in which the 
writer offers to make ,mantegna his     
court painter with a high salary  and to
 accord him certain valuable privileges1
 the letters reflecting  not only the   
high esteem in which painters of        
eminence were then held  and the        
eagerness with which their work was     
competed for1 but also the  great       
sacrifices that were demanded from them1
 and were such as no  modern art patron 
would dream of exacting4    ,again and  
again ,mantegna put off his final reply 
to the ,marquis1 for  he loved ,padua1  
where he found plenty of congenial      
employment1 and was  surrounded with    
appreciative friends2 but at last he    
yielded1  attracted probably partly by  
the material advantages of the position 
offered to him1 and partly by the       
exceptional facilities he would have  in
 ,mantua for the antiquarian research in

 which he delighted4 ,it was  in the    
latter half of #adei that he arrived1   
accompanied by ,nicolasia  and their two
 little children1 in the famous city1   
where he was  eagerly welcomed by the   
,marquis and his wife1 the ,marchesa    
,barbara1  and their two sons1 ,federico
 and ,cardinal ,francesco4 ,from that   
time to  his death1 except for two years
 spent in ,rome1 ,mantegna worked almost
  exclusively for the ,gonzaga family1  
becoming ever more and more  devotedly  
attached to them and their interests4   
,from the first1 the  position of the   
court painter appears to have been a    
very enviable  one1 for1 although it is 
true that the payment of his salary was 
sometimes delayed1 he was evidently on  
terms of the closest intimacy  with his 
patron1 who soon after his arrival      
granted him a coat of arms  embodying   
his own device1 and1 as proved by many a
 still extant  letter1 was ever ready to
 help and advise him1 whether in matters
 so  trivial as the cut of a coat or so 

serious as legal disputes  concerning   
the boundaries of property owned by the 
artist4 ,that the  poverty of which     
,mantegna sometimes complained must have
 been purely  nominal is indeed evident 
from these lawsuits1 as well as from the
  fact that he was able to make a very  
valuable collection of  antiquities and 
to give large dowries to his daughters  
when they  married4    ,the first       
pictures painted at ,mantua were the    
beautiful triptych of  the ,adoration of
 the ,kings1 ,circumcision1 and         
,ascension1 now in  the ,uffizi1        
,florence2 the ,death of the ,virgin1 in
 the ,prado ,gallery2  and the          
remarkable ,piet1 of the ,brera         
,gallery2 the last probably a  study    
only1 as it was still in ,mantegna's    
studio when the artist  passed away1 for
 which reason it has erroneously been   
attributed to a  later period4          
,unpleasing though it is with its       
startling realism1 the  ,dead ,christ is
 of special value as a study in         

perspective1 and1 in  the opinion of    
,dr4 ,kristeller1 it was painted with a 
view to its being  seen from below1 for 
he says1 ,it is only as a ceiling       
painting1 with  its perspective point of
 sight coinciding with the central point
 of  the ceiling1 that the figure would 
appear correctly foreshortened4  ,there 
can be no doubt1 he adds1 that it was   
painted as a preliminary  study for the 
nude youth standing inside the          
balustrade on the ceiling  decoration of
 the ,camera degli ,sposi and for other 
figures in  ceiling pictures4 ,however  
that may be1 the strange composition    
stands  alone among its author's works1 
and will probably always remain a       
subject of contention to critics1 so    
variously do its peculiarities  affect  
different temperaments4                 
,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv4--,,the     
,,agony ,,in ,,the ,,garden      7,in   
the ,national ,gallery7      ,this      
beautiful composition1 now in the       
,national ,gallery1 ,london1 is         

supposed to be a replica of the ,mount  
of ,olives that originally    formed    
part of the predella of the great       
altar-piece of ,san ,zeno1    ,verona1  
and to have been painted in #adci for   
,giacomo ,antonio    ,marcello1 then    
,podest of ,padua4    ,in addition to   
the oil-paintings quoted above1         
,mantegna also produced  between #adei  
and #adfj a large number of frescoes for
 the various  residences of the ,marquis
 of ,mantua1 but unfortunately no trace 
of  them remains4 ,the earliest extant  
works of the kind are those of the      
,camera degli ,sposi in the ,castello di
 ,corte1 which were completed in  #adgd1
 and in spite of their melancholy       
condition of decay1 the result  chiefly 
of their having been executed on a dry  
instead of a damp  surface1 are ranked  
amongst the most noteworthy examples of 
fifteenth-century decorative art in     
existence4 ,not only are they  admirably
 executed and thoroughly suitable for   
the position they  occupy1 but they also

 inaugurate a new departure in          
historical  portraiture1 the principal  
subjects being groups of the various    
members of the ,gonzaga family1 the most
 interesting and  characteristic of     
which is1 perhaps1 that representing the
 meeting  between the ,marquis ,lodovico
 and ,cardinal ,francesco1 already      
referred  to as containing a portrait of
 the artist4    ,in the other frescoes  
of the ,camera degli ,sposi the         
,cardinal1 who by  this time had become 
,papal ,legate of ,bologna and ,bishop  
of ,mantua1 is  conspicuous by his      
absence1 his high position in the       
,church making his  visits to his home  
very rare1 and leading to his being     
received with  much pomp and ceremony   
when he did appear4 ,on this occasion he
 and his  father1 who was accompanied by
 his two eldest grandsons1 were each    
attended by a great retinue1 and        
,mantegna has managed with  considerable
 skill1 whilst preserving a certain     
homeliness1 to convey  an impression of 

grandeur1 the noble figures of the      
actors in the  scene standing out       
against a fine landscape background1    
from which  rises up the city of        
,mantua4    ,the decorations of the     
,camera degli ,sposi so delighted the   
,marquis  that he presented their author
 with an estate in the heart of the     
city1 on which ,mantegna at once began  
to build a princely mansion1  part of   
which is now converted into a college4  
,long before it was  finished1 however1 
he was saddened by the death of         
,lodovico1 who  passed away in #adgh1   
soon after he had commissioned what was 
to be his  beloved court painter's      
greatest masterpiece--the series of     
pictures  representing the ,triumph of  
,csar1 that are now at ,hampton ,court1 
having been bought in #afbd from the    
then reigning ,marquis by ,charles  ,i4 
,lodovico was succeeded by his son      
,federico1 who treated ,mantegna  with  
the same affectionate consideration as  
his predecessor had done1  taking a deep

 interest in his welfare and            
sympathising with him in his  domestic  
anxieties4 ,on ,october #be1 #adgh1 he  
wrote to the artist1 who  had been      
unable to complete some work for him    
through illness1 begging  him to try and
 get well as quickly as possible1 but   
not to worry about  the delay1 and later
 he did all in his power for ,mantegna's
 delicate  boy1 inquiring constantly    
after him1 and giving his father a      
letter  of introduction to the famous   
physician1 ,girardo da ,verona1 that is 
of  special interest1 affording1 as it  
does1 an all-too-rare glimpse of  the   
painter as a man as well as an artist1  
trembling for the life of  his suffering
 child4 ,the ,marquis begs the doctor1  
to consult whom  ,mantegna took his son 
to ,venice in #adhj1 to show every      
possible  consideration to our noble and
 well-beloved servant2 and though the   
journey was all in vain1 the patient    
having died soon after the return  to   
,mantua1 the solicitude shown on his    

behalf by the ,marquis must have        
touched the heart of his sorrowing      
parents4      ,illustration3 ,,plate    
,v4--,,the ,,madonna ,,and ,,child      
,,surrounded ,,by    ,,cherubs      7,in
 the ,brera ,gallery1 ,milan7      ,this
 charming composition1 now in the ,brera
 ,gallery1 ,milan1 was    painted in    
#adhe for the young ,marquis of ,mantua1
 ,gian ,francesco    ,gonzaga1 as a gift
 for the ,duchess ,eleanora of ,ferrara1
 mother of    his affianced bride1      
,isabella d',este4 ,it is considered one
 of the    finest of ,mantegna's later  
religious pictures4    ,in #adha the    
court of ,mantua was thrown into        
mourning by the death of  the           
,dowager-,marchesa ,barbara1 who had    
from the first been a very kind  friend 
to ,mantegna1 and two years later her   
son1 ,cardinal ,francesco  ,gonzaga1 to 
whom the artist was devotedly attached1 
also passed  away4 ,when1 in #adhd1     
,federico himself died suddenly1 and his
  eighteen-year-old son1 ,gian          

,francesco--generally referred to by his
  second name only--became ,marquis in  
his stead1 ,mantegna seems to  have     
feared that his position at ,mantua     
would be adversely affected by  all the 
changes that were taking place1 and he  
hastened to offer his  services to      
,lorenzo de' ,medici1 with whom he had  
some slight  acquaintance1 and whose    
liberality as a patron of art and       
literature  was well known4 ,what reply 
was made by the ,florentine duke to his 
suggestion is not known2 but it soon    
became evident that the new ruler  of   
,mantua knew as well if not better than 
his father and grandfather  had done    
before him1 how to value his court      
painter1 and one of the  first acts of  
his reign was to ask ,mantegna to paint 
a picture for him  to present to the    
,duchess ,eleonora of ,mantua1 mother of
 his affianced  bride1 ,isabella        
d',este1 who was then only ten years    
old1 but was later  to become one of the
 artist's most liberal patrons and      

faithful  admirers4    ,the picture in  
question is supposed to have been the   
fine ,madonna and  ,child1 with a       
background of cherubs' heads1 now in the
 ,brera  ,gallery1 ,milan1 considered1  
so far as its colouring is concerned1   
one  of ,mantegna's most brilliant      
achievements4 ,according to some        
authorities1 it had already been ordered
 some months before by the  ,duchess1   
and all ,francesco had to do with it was
 to urge the artist to  finish it       
without further delay2 but1 in any case1
 the young ,marquis  was constantly in  
the studio whilst it was in progress1   
chatting with  the painter now about the
 work1 now about his own private        
affairs4 ,he  was1 it is said1 deeply in
 love with his betrothed1 or rather with
 the  idea he had formed of her1 for it 
is doubtful whether he had yet seen     
her1 the wooing having been done by     
proxy as long previously as #adhj1  when
 the little maiden of six had delighted 
the ,mantuan envoy with her  grace and  

charm4 ,no sooner was the picture       
signed1 before the eager  suitor had it 
packed1 and started with it for         
,ferrara1 where it was  received with   
the greatest enthusiasm1 not only by the
 ,duchess herself  but by the whole     
court1 which1 under the enlightened rule
 of ,duke  ,ercole ,i4 was a centre of  
culture1 to which flocked artists1      
poets1  musicians1 humanists1 and other 
leaders of the sthetic and  intellectual
 life of the day4    ,of the actual     
meeting between the engaged couple no   
record has been  preserved2 but it is   
evident from letters written home by the
 ,marquis  that his expectations were   
more than fulfilled1 ,isabella already  
giving promise of the exceptional       
qualities which were to make her one  of
 the most fascinating and influential   
women of her time1 the memory  of whose 
sweet and gracious presence still       
lingers both in ,ferarra and  ,mantua4  
,it was difficult for her lover to tear 
himself away when the  day came for him 

to return home1 where his presence was  
greatly  needed2 but before he left1 he 
exacted a promise from ,duchess         
,eleonora  that she would bring her     
daughter to ,mantua in the autumn of the
 same  year4    ,it is easy to imagine  
how much ,francesco had to confide to   
his court  painter when he paid his next
 visit to the studio2 how he dwelt on   
the  charms of his beloved ,isabella1   
and lamented over the years that must   
elapse before she could become his wife4
 ,he found ,mantegna eagerly  engaged on
 the preliminary drawings for the       
,triumph of ,csar1 and to  the          
instructions already given by ,lodovico 
,gonzaga he added a wish  that all the  
distinguished guests who were soon to   
meet at his court  should be introduced 
in the processions1 as well as the chief
 members  of his own family4 ,mantegna1 
he may have said1 would have plenty of  
opportunities for making studies of     
them2 and now he must put  everything   
else aside for a time to design the     

decorations in honour  of the visit of  
the bride-elect and her mother1 which   
were to be a  kind of foretaste of those
 in celebration of the wedding4 ,in all 
the  preparations for that great event  
he relied upon the co-operation of      
,mantegna1 who must promise not to      
accept any invitation or commission     
that could interfere with his work on   
them1 and1 premature as this  must have 
appeared to the artist1 he readily gave 
the required  assurance4    ,all passed 
over as happily as ,francesco himself   
could have wished  during the brief stay
 at ,mantua of ,eleonora and ,isabella1 
who won all  hearts by their sympathetic
 appreciation of everything that was    
done  to please them4 ,after they left1 
the work on the ,triumph of ,csar       
proceeded apace1 interrupted only now   
and then for the execution of  minor    
commissions1 such as the designing of   
jewellery1 drinking-cups1  c42 but in   
#adhh came a very unwelcome summons for 
,mantegna to go to  ,rome1 ,pope        

,innocent ,,viii41 who had heard of the 
beauty of the frescoes  at ,padua and   
,mantua1 wishing to have a chapel in the
 ,vatican decorated  by their artist4   
,such an invitation had all the force of
 a command1  and the ,marquis was       
reluctantly compelled to let his beloved
 painter  go2 but before he left1 he    
conferred on him the honour of          
knighthood1  that he might take a better
 position in the papal court1 and once  
more  reminded him of the necessity that
 he should be back at ,mantua in        
,january #adij at the very latest4      
,bearing with him a letter to the       
,pope1 dated ,june #aj1 #adhh1 in which 
,francesco spoke of him in the very     
highest terms1 ,mantegna started for the
 ,holy ,city1 where he was  welcomed    
with the greatest eagerness1 not only by
 his new employer  but by the           
ecclesiastical and secular notabilities1
 who vied with each  other in doing him 
honour4 ,certain letters to the ,marquis
 ,francesco1  however1 betray discontent

 with the payment he received from the  
,pope1  and also with the facilities for
 his work afforded him in the ,vatican1 
a dissatisfaction that would1 indeed1   
have been intensified could he  have    
foreseen that the frescoes for which he 
sacrificed so much were  to be          
ruthlessly destroyed in #aghj1 with the 
chapel containing them1  to make room   
for the ,museo ,pio ,clementina4    ,it 
is only from allusions to them by       
,vasari and descriptions by the  later  
critics1 ,agostino ,taja and ,giovanni  
,pietro ,chattard1 who lived  in the    
second half of the eighteenth century1  
and saw the frescoes  shortly before    
their destruction1 that any idea can be 
obtained of  what they were2 but a      
supposed copy of a portrait of ,innocent
 ,,viii4  included in them1 is in the   
collection of the ,archduke ,ferdinand  
of  ,austria4 ,that they were executed  
by ,mantegna without any assistance is  
proved by a letter from him to the      
,marquis ,francesco1 dated ,june #ae1   

#adhi1 in which he says1 ,the work is   
heavy for a man alone1 intent on        
obtaining honours1 especially in ,rome1 
where opinion is expressed by  so many  
able men1 and as in the races run by    
,barbary horses the first  gets the     
prize1 so ,i too must gain in the end1  
if it please ,god4    ,it is unnecessary
 to dwell long on works of art that have
 completely  disappeared4 ,suffice it to
 say that the frescoes were not finished
 in  ,december #adhi1 but that ,mantegna
 was hoping to get leave of absence     
from the ,pope for ,february #adij1 when
 he was suddenly struck down by  fever1 
just before he would have started for   
,mantua had all been well4  ,the        
long-talked-of wedding took place1      
therefore1 during his absence1  and he  
had1 after all1 absolutely nothing to do
 with the festivities  in honour of the 
marriage1 that were evidently of a      
magnificent  description4 ,it must have 
been1 indeed1 a keen mortification to   
him to  have missed such a golden       

opportunity of proving his devotion to  
his  ,mantuan patron1 and it is easy to 
realise with what mixed feelings he     
heard of the enthusiastic reception of  
the bride in her husband's  native city4
 ,accompanied by ,isabella's parents1   
her uncle ,cardinal  d',este1 and her   
three young brothers1 and escorted by a 
brilliant  suite1 the newly wedded pair 
entered the city on ,february #abth1 the
  one drawback to their happiness1      
contemporary chroniclers report1  having
 been the absence of the court painter1 
whose praises had been  so often sung by
 the bridegroom4      ,illustration3    
,,plate ,,vi4--,,the ,,madonna ,,and    
,,child ,,of ,,the ,,grotto      7,in   
the ,uffizi ,gallery1 ,florence7        
,this severe and dignified group1 now in
 the ,uffizi ,gallery1    ,florence1 is 
supposed by some critics to have been   
painted in    ,mantua about the same    
time as the frescoes of the ,camera     
degli    ,sposi1 whilst others assign it
 to a much later date1 declaring it     

to have been produced between #adhh-adij
 during the artist's    residence in    
,rome4    ,fortunately1 the artist soon 
recovered from his illness1 but it was  
not until ,september that he completed  
his work in ,rome1 and received         
permission from the ,pope to return to  
,mantua4 ,innocent ,,viii4 expressed    
himself in his letter of dismissal fully
 satisfied with the way in  which his   
wishes had been carried out2 but whether
 the artist was  equally pleased with   
the reward for his services is          
questionable4 ,he  was evidently very   
glad to leave ,rome1 where1 strange to  
say1 in spite  of his love for antiquity
 and the opportunities he must have     
enjoyed  for his favourite study1 he    
seems to have felt out of his element4  
,his  correspondence with the ,marquis  
betrays considerable home-sickness1  and
 contains absolutely no allusions to the
 art treasures of the  ,vatican4 ,he    
pleads with his patron for an           
appointment for his son  ,lodovico1     

declares he is longing to be at work    
again on the ,triumph  of ,csar1 and    
retails various items of court gossip1  
telling quaint  stories1 for instance1  
about the ill-fated ,prince ,djem1      
brother of the  reigning ,sultan of     
,turkey1 who was then a prisoner in the 
,vatican1 but  not a word does he say to
 throw light on the political situation1
  which was already causing anxiety to  
the heads of the great ,italian  states4
 ,back again in ,mantua1 ,mantegna      
quickly threw off the  depression       
revealed in his letters1 resuming his   
old place as if he  had never been away1
 his studio becoming once more the      
centre of  artistic activity in the     
ancient town4    ,the court painter was 
as eagerly welcomed by the young        
,marchesa as by  her husband1 and for   
the rest of his life his fortunes were  
very  closely bound up with those of the
 d',este family1 which is equivalent  to
 saying that he was henceforth to be in 
close touch with the history  of his    

native country1 that was even then on   
the eve of the  ,revolution that was    
completely to change her position in the
 polity of  nations4 ,the ,marquis of   
,mantua's bride was the only sister of  
,beatrice  d',este1 who was married on  
,december #bi1 #adij1 to the brilliantly
  gifted but fickle1 cruel1 and crafty  
,lodovico ,sforza1 surnamed ,,ii  ,moro1
 who obtained the dukedom of ,milan     
through treachery1 and was  mainly      
instrumental in bringing about the      
invasion of ,italy by the  ,french1 a   
crime for which he was to pay dearly1   
first with his liberty  and in the end  
with his life1 for he died a prisoner in
 the ,castle of  ,loches in #aejh4      
,no hint of troubles to come saddened   
the first few months of ,isabella       
d',este's life at ,mantua1 her chief    
anxiety having apparently been          
concerning her beloved sister1 whose lot
 was far less happy than her  own4      
,lodovico ,sforza had not been nearly so
 ardent a lover as  ,francesco ,gonzaga1

 for he had a mistress1 the lovely and  
learned  ,cecilia ,gallerani1 to whom he
 was devotedly attached1 and who had    
been  for many years treated by him as  
if she were his legal wife4 ,it is      
significant of the indulgent manner in  
which such unions were regarded  that   
his relations with her were not         
considered any bar to his  marriage with
 an innocent young girl1 whose parents  
did all in their  power to hasten her   
engagement with him4 ,it was very       
evident1 however1  that ,beatrice did   
not share their eagerness1 and it was to
 ,isabella1  who had hastened to        
,ferrara as soon as the matter was      
settled1 that  she turned for comfort in
 her shrinking dread of what was before 
her4  ,that the ,marchesa succeeded in  
reassuring her and bracing her up for   
the ordeal is proved by the dignified   
way in which the child-bride  bore      
herself in the long-drawn-out and       
brilliant festivities that  celebrated  
her union with a man more than double   

her own age1 and the  ease with which   
she took up the arduous duties of the   
wife of the  leading and most powerful  
prince of ,italy4 ,it was with a heart  
relieved of its most pressing fears that
 the elder sister returned  home1 and   
the letters written to her by ,beatrice 
in the months  succeeding her departure 
reveal a growing attachment between the 
newly married couple1 on which a seal   
was set in ,january #adic by the  birth 
of their first son4    ,the court of the
 ,gonzagas now became the rendezvous of 
the leading  authors1 artists1 and      
antiquarians of the day1 who vied with  
each  other in their enthusiastic       
admiration for the beautiful young      
,marchesa1 though it is occasionally    
suggested by contemporary writers  that 
as time went on some of them rather     
rebelled against her  increasing        
exactions1 for she would fain have had  
every one give up  everything to obey   
her behests4 ,she is even said to have  
sent  imperious messages to such great  

celebrities as ,perugino1 ,giovanni     
,bellini1 and ,leonardo da ,vinci1      
bidding them come and help ,mantegna to 
decorate her apartments1 describing the 
subjects she wished them to  interpret1 
and expressing herself as greatly       
aggrieved when they  failed to appear4  
,on the other hand1 there is no doubt   
that she proved  herself a most generous
 and considerate patron of her own court
  painter1 and the four years after his 
return from ,rome were probably  among  
the happiest of ,mantegna's life4 ,he   
worked during them almost  exclusively  
at the ,triumph of ,csar1 receiving no  
help from any  other artist1 completing 
the tenth composition in #adid1 and     
making  several sketches for others that
 were never finished4 ,in these         
wonderful creations the artist realised 
the very spirit of antiquity1  yet at   
the same time bequeathed to posterity a 
marvellously true  series of            
presentments of the contemporary life of
 his time1 full of  significant         

incidents and effective contrasts1 the  
various groups  displaying a freedom of 
execution and force of expression such  
as  ,mantegna had never before achieved4
 ,for the first time realism and        
idealism were welded into one1 and the  
past seemed actually to become  the     
present1 waking into new life not merely
 as an intellectual  abstraction1 but as
 a visible pageant of humanity4    ,the 
year of the successful conclusion of the
 ,triumph of ,csar was a  disastrous one
 for ,italy1 for in ,july #adid the     
,duke of ,orleans1 on the  invitation of
 ,lodovico ,sforza1 crossed the ,alps1  
to be followed almost  immediately by   
,charles ,,viii4 ,the ,french ,king and 
the ,duke of ,orleans  were welcomed    
with great enthusiasm by ,il ,moro1     
whose wife wrote  glowing accounts to   
her sister at ,mantua of the rejoicings 
over their  arrival2 but those who      
looked below the surface recognised what
 a  fatal mistake had been made1 and    
sinister rumours soon began to spread   

abroad as to the real motives of        
,lodovico ,sforza4 ,the death of his    
nephew ,giangaleazzo at a most opportune
 moment for him led to  suspicions of   
his having caused him to be poisoned1   
that were  confirmed by the way in which
 he managed to get his claim to the     
succession recognised and the dead man's
 young son ,francesco set aside  in his 
own favour4 ,for all that1 he was       
allowed to assume the supreme  authority
 at ,milan without opposition1 and      
contemporary chroniclers  even comment  
on the kindness shown by him and his    
wife to the widowed  duchess1 to whom   
apartments were assigned in the palace  
that had so  long been her home4        
,meanwhile1 everything had remained     
quiet at  ,mantua1 though all that was  
going on elsewhere was being watched    
with  eager interest by the ,gonzagas   
and ,mantegna4 ,early in #adie ,isabella
  went to ,milan to be with her sister1 
who was expecting her second  child1 and
 on ,february #dth a fine boy was born4 

,in the brilliant  festivities held to  
celebrate the great event the child's   
beautiful  aunt is said to have taken a 
leading part1 now receiving ambassadors 
from foreign courts to save the young   
mother fatigue1 now advising her        
brother-in-law in some difficult        
question of etiquette1 capping verses   
with ,gaspare ,visconti1 criticising the
 work of ,giovanni ,bellini1 or  playing
 with her two-year-old nephew1 ,ercole1 
who simply worshipped  her4             
,suddenly1 in the midst of all this     
light-hearted gaiety1 came the news     
that ,charles ,,viii4 had entered       
,naples and been crowned ,king of       
,sicily1  and though the bells of ,milan
 were ostentatiously rung as if in      
rejoicing1 a council was hastily        
summoned to consult on the best         
measures to save ,italy from the ,french
 invaders4 ,on ,april #abth a  league   
against ,france was signed between      
,venice1 ,urbino1 ,mantua1  ,milan1     
,king ,ferdinand of ,spain and the      

,emperor ,maximilian2 the ,marquis  of  
,mantua was made ,generalissimo of the  
united ,italian forces1 and  after      
taking an affectionate farewell of      
,mantegna1 who1 he said1 would  soon be 
called upon to paint a masterpiece in   
celebration of a  victory1 he set forth 
in high spirits at the head of his army4
 ,his  words turned out to be prophetic1
 for on ,july #fth1 at ,fornovo1 he     
defeated the ,french with great loss1   
fighting himself side by side  with his 
soldiers in the front rank4 ,before he  
went into action he  vowed that if he   
escaped unhurt he would build a church  
in honour of  the ,virgin at ,mantua1   
and as soon as the battle was over he   
sent  instructions to ,mantegna to make 
plans of the building1 and to design  an
 altar-piece for it4      ,illustration3
 ,,plate ,,vii4--,,parnassus      7,in  
the ,louvre7      ,this charmingly      
dramatic interpretation of the          
subjugation of the    ,god of ,war by   
the ,goddess of ,love is one of a series

 of allegorical    pictures painted for 
the ,studio of the ,marchesa ,isabella  
,gonzaga    at ,mantua1 and is a unique 
example of its artist's deep sympathy   
with the spirit of classic legend4      
,the church was finished before the     
painting1 which was not begun until     
,august #cjth1 but it was completed in  
time to be placed in position on  the   
anniversary of the event it             
commemorated1 and is universally        
considered the artist's finest work of  
the kind1 surpassing even the  beautiful
 ,s4 ,zeno triptych4 ,it is now one of  
the chief treasures of  the ,louvre1    
having been taken to ,france in #agig1  
and is known as  the ,madonna della     
,vittoria1 although1 as a matter of     
fact1 it  represents the ,marquis of    
,mantua pleading with the ,virgin for   
the  success of his arms1 not returning 
thanks for victory1 the whole           
composition breathing forth yearning    
aspiration rather than  exultation4 ,in 
it the ,holy ,child occupies the centre 

of the design1  all the light being     
concentrated on ,him and on the face of 
,his mother1  who embraces ,him with one
 hand1 and stretches forth the other    
towards  the kneeling suppliant1        
opposite to whom are ,st4 ,elizabeth and
 the  ,infant ,st4 ,john the ,baptist4  
,the mantle of the ,virgin is held back 
by  ,saints ,george and ,michael1 and   
against the ornate background appear    
the heads of the patrons of ,mantua1    
,saints ,andrew and ,longinus1 the      
whole being admirably proportioned and  
well balanced4    ,during the years that
 succeeded the victory of ,fornovo the  
,marquis of  ,mantua and his wife had to
 contend not only with great political  
anxieties but with one of the greatest  
sorrows of their lives--the  sudden     
death of the ,duchess of ,milan1 who    
passed away on ,january #b1  #adig1     
after giving birth to a still-born son4 
,her end is said to have  been hastened 
by the fact that her husband1 who had   
hitherto seemed  devoted to her1 had    

recently conceived a passion for a      
lovely girl  named ,lucrezia ,crivelli1 
who had been one of her                 
ladies-in-waiting4  ,however that may   
have been1 ,lodovico's grief at her     
loss1 intensified  perhaps by           
self-reproach1 was extreme1 and the     
letter he wrote to his  brother-in-law  
asking him to break the terrible news to
 ,isabella is  one long cry of anguish4 
,that the young wife had been mercifully
 taken  away from the evil to come soon1
 however1 became apparent1 for before   
she had been dead a year her husband's  
doom was already sealed4 ,heavy  clouds1
 too1 were gathering at ,mantua1 for the
 ,marquis fell under the  suspicion of  
having had underhand dealings with the  
enemy1 and in  ,april #adig he was      
suddenly dismissed from his post as     
,generalissimo of  the ,italian forces4 
,this was a bitter blow to him1 to his  
wife1 and to  all1 including ,mantegna1 
who had his interests at heart1 but     
fortunately the storm quickly blew over1

 and he was soon restored to  his       
command1 which he retained to the end of
 the campaign4    ,the taking of ,milan 
by the ,french in #adii and the         
triumphant entry  into the conquered    
city of ,louis ,,xii4--who1 the little  
dauphin having  died shortly before his 
father1 had become ,king of ,france on  
the death  of ,charles ,,viii4--with all
 the terrible consequences to the       
,sforza  family1 cast a gloom over the  
court of ,mantua for the rest of the    
reign of the ,marquis ,francesco1 and   
both he and ,isabella found their  best 
distraction from their many sorrows in  
watching their court  painter at work4  
,the ,madonna della ,vittoria was       
succeeded by the  ,madonna with ,saints 
and ,angels1 now in the collection of   
,prince  ,trivulzio at ,milan1 painted  
for the monks of ,s4 ,maria in ,organo1 
,verona1 and the ,madonna and ,child    
with ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 now in    
the ,national ,gallery1 with the smaller
 but no less charming ,holy  ,family of 

the ,dresden ,gallery4 ,to about the    
same period are supposed  to belong the 
designs for the frescoes in ,mantegna's 
mortuary chapel  in ,s4 ,andrea1        
,mantua1 of which only two--the ,holy   
,family with ,st4  ,elizabeth1          
,zacharias1 and the ,infant ,st4 ,john  
and the ,baptism of  ,christ1 the latter
 almost defaced--are from the hand of   
the master  himself1 the rest having    
been completed after his death by his   
pupils4    ,in #aejj1 when ,andrea was  
already in his seventieth year1 he was  
commissioned by the ,marchesa to paint a
 series of allegorical subjects  in what
 she called her studio1 in the ,castello
 of ,mantua1 on the  decoration of which
 several other artists1 including       
,perugino and  ,lorenzo da ,costa1 were 
also engaged4 ,mantegna was1            
unfortunately1 the  only one of the     
painters selected who approached the    
task with any  enthusiasm1 or attempted 
to realise the ambition of              
,isabella--that her  sanctum should be a

 kind of epitome of intellectual and    
sensuous life1  symbolising1 as do the  
,trifoni of ,petrarch in literature1 the
 most  ideal aspirations of humanity4   
,the first of the compositions completed
  by ,mantegna was the ,parnassus1 in   
which the conquest of ,mars by  ,venus  
is celebrated1 that is unique amongst   
the master's works1  generally          
characterised as they are by sobriety of
 expression1 as an  interpretation of   
light-hearted gaiety4 ,the figures of   
the  dancing-girls are full of vivacious
 grace1 and that of the ,goddess of     
,love of seductive charm1 contrasting   
well with the virile and heroic  form of
 her suitor1 the stern ,god of ,war1    
whilst the minor actors in  the idyllic 
scene--the neglected husband1 ,vulcan1  
working at his forge  as if indifferent 
to what is going on1 ,apollo1 ,mercury1 
and ,cupid--are  all most happily       
rendered1 the various groups combining  
to give the  impression of a living     
drama1 in which the artist1 in the      

fulness of  his creative power1 for once
 succeeded in giving visible expression 
to  his lifelong dream of the old       
,olympus1 which he had previously seen  
only in his imagination4    ,it was not 
until some years after the execution of 
the ,parnassus  that the second of the  
studio pictures1 the comparatively      
uninteresting ,triumph of ,virtue over  
the ,vices1 was finished4  ,though its  
details were evidently carefully        
studied1 it shows a  lamentable falling 
off in simplicity and effectiveness of  
design1  ,mantegna having been greatly  
hampered by the constant interference of
  ,isabella1 who insisted on the        
introduction of a bewildering number of 
allegorical figures4 ,the third and last
 composition1 an equally  unpromising   
subject1 the ,triumph of ,erotic ,love1 
was only begun by  ,andrea1 and         
completed by ,lorenzo da ,costa1 who    
faithfully endeavoured  to fulfil his   
predecessor's intentions4 ,all three    
paintings are now in  the ,louvre1 where

 the ,parnassus may be usefully compared
 with the  earlier ,madonna della       
,vittoria and the ,crucifixion1 the     
three  works being very typical of the  
various periods of the master's         
development4    ,to #aejf belongs the   
fine and characteristic monochrome      
decorative  picture of the ,triumph of  
,scipio1 now in the ,national ,gallery1 
one  of the very latest of the master's 
works1 commemorating two important      
episodes of the second ,punic ,war--the 
welcome given to the image of  the      
goddess ,cybele brought from ,rome to   
,ostia by ,publius ,scipio1 and  the    
miracle wrought by the ,mother of the   
,gods on her arrival1 which  proved the 
innocence of the ,roman matron1 ,claudia
 ,quinta1 who had been  falsely accused 
of immorality4 ,concerning this fine    
work1 in which the  artist tells the    
well-known classic story with dramatic  
directness1 a  very interesting         
correspondence has been preserved1      
between ,isabella  d',este and the      

famous ,venetian scholar1 ,pietro       
,bembo1 who complained  to the          
,marchioness that ,mantegna had long ago
 pledged himself to paint  certain      
pictures for his friend1 ,francesco     
,cornaro1 who had paid  twenty-five     
ducats on account4 ,he begged the       
master's patroness to  induce him to    
fulfil his engagements1 adding that     
,messer ,cornaro  would not mind about a
 couple of hundred ducats2 he would     
gladly leave  the value of the pictures 
to her1 but he would not allow himself  
to be  jested with1 and meant to stand  
upon his rights4 ,to this the great     
lady appealed to replied that she would 
certainly speak for ,cornaro  to        
,mantegna when opportunity should occur1
 but that the aged artist  was at the   
moment scarcely recovered from a serious
 illness1 so that  it was impossible yet
 to talk to him about business4 ,that   
she did  intervene soon afterwards1 or  
that ,mantegna's own conscience         
reproached him1 is1 however1 proved by  

the fact that the completed  ,triumph of
 ,scipio was found in his studio after  
his death4      ,illustration3 ,,plate  
,,viii4--,,the ,,triumph ,,of ,,scipio  
7,in the ,national ,gallery7            
,painted in #aejf1 this fine decorative 
picture in monochrome1 now    in the    
,national ,gallery1 is one of           
,mantegna's latest works1 and           
represents two incidents of the second  
,punic ,war--the arrival at    ,rome of 
the image of the goddess ,cybele1 and   
the supposed miracle    wrought by it4  
,the picture is referred to by the      
painter's son ,lodovico in a letter  to 
the ,marchioness as that work of ,scipio
 ,cornelio which was  undertaken for    
,messer ,francesco ,cornaro1 and which  
the ,cardinal  ,sigismondo ,gonzaga     
desired to retain for himself4 ,vainly  
did ,andrea's  second son protest       
against this1 begging the ,marquis      
,francesco to let  him have it back1 for
 he wished to keep it as a memorial of  
his  father and for purposes of study1 a

 plea delightfully suggestive of  happy 
relations having existed between the    
writer and the great  master4 ,francesco
 ,mantegna added that he would gladly   
pay back the  twenty-five ducats to     
,cornaro1 and great was his             
disappointment  when1 after a long      
delay1 he received as sole answer to his
 request a  promissory note from the    
,cardinal for one hundred ducats1 which 
in the  end turned out to be no more    
than waste paper1 for as long afterwards
  as ,november #aejg neither he nor his 
brother had been able to get the  money4
 ,in the end1 the descendants of ,messer
 ,cornaro got possession of  the        
picture1 which was bought from one of   
them by ,lord ,george ,vivian1  whose   
son left it to the ,national ,gallery in
 #ahgc4    ,with the ,triumph of ,scipio
 may justly be ranked the ,samson and   
,delilah1 also now in the ,national     
,gallery1 that is evidently entirely    
from the hand of the master himself1 and
 is a very realistic  interpretation of 

the much-exploited incident of the      
betrayal of the  strong man by the weak 
but cunning woman4 ,other typical       
drawings are  the ,judgment of ,solomon1
 in the ,louvre1 and the three          
renderings of  ,judith placing the head 
of ,holofernes in a sack that is held   
open by  her handmaiden--one in the     
possession of ,mr4 ,john ,taylor1 one at
  ,dublin1 and the third in the ,uffizi4
 ,the last1 signed by the artist  with  
his full name and dated #adia1 is a     
truly admirable rendering of  its       
subject1 the shrinking horror felt by   
the beautiful and heroic  girl of the   
ghastly trophy she is about to let fall1
 being vividly  reflected in her        
attitude and expression as well as in   
those of her  companion4 ,less          
satisfactory from a technical point of  
view are the  ,mutius ,scvola of the    
,munich collection1 commemorative of the
 noble  deed of the young ,roman who had
 been chosen by lot to slay the         
,etruscan invader1 ,king ,porsenna1 and 

having failed was condemned to be  burnt
 alive2 the group of ,mars1 ,venus1 and 
,diana1 in the ,british  ,museum2 the   
,vestal ,virgin ,tucia1 also known as   
,autumn1 and the  ,greek ,woman drinking
 from a ,cup1 sometimes called ,summer1 
in the  ,national ,gallery4 ,even they1 
however1 as well as the more important  
drawings1 are eminently characteristic  
of their author1 who from first  to last
 was more pictorial in his sketches than
 in his finished  compositions4    ,not 
only as a painter but as an engraver did
 ,mantegna win great renown  during his 
lifetime and abiding fame after his     
death4 ,he and his  gifted contemporary1
 ,antonio ,pollaiuolo1 were the first   
,italians to  employ copperplate        
engravings for original work and the    
reproduction  of their drawings1 and a  
very great impulse was given by them to 
the  useful craft4    ,the closing      
months of ,mantegna's life are involved 
in an obscurity as  great as that       
shrouding his early years4 ,it is not   

even known of what  he died1 some saying
 that he was suddenly carried off by the
 plague  which was raging in ,mantua at 
the time1 others that the end had long  
been expected1 and that old age was his 
only ailment4 ,the sad event  took place
 at seven o'clock in the evening1 on    
,september #ac1 #aejf1 and  the news was
 formally notified to the ,marquis two  
days later by  ,francesco ,mantegna2    
but1 probably because of the great      
anxieties by  which the ,gonzagas were  
then oppressed1 very little notice was  
taken  of what under other circumstances
 would have overwhelmed them with       
grief4    ,andrea ,mantegna was quietly 
buried in the chapel in ,s4 ,andrea1    
,mantua1  that he had long since secured
 as the last resting-place of his       
family1 and which1 except for the       
completion of the unfinished  frescoes1 
remains to the present day very much    
what it was at the time  of his death4  
,it was not until fifty years later that
 the bronze bust1  already referred to1 

was set up outside the chapel by his    
grandson  ,andrea1 son of ,lodovico     
,mantegna1 who also erected within the  
building  a fine memorial to his        
grandfather1 father1 and uncle1 bearing 
the  inscription1 ,ossa ,andre ,mantine 
famosissimi pictoris cum duobus  filiis 
in hoc sepulcro per ,andream ,mantine   
nepotem ex filio  constructo reposita   
,,mdlx4    ,in addition to the          
well-authenticated paintings1 frescoes1 
and  engravings described above1 a very 
great number of other works1  including 
easel pictures1 drawings1 and           
miniatures1 have been  attributed to    
,mantegna1 who is also said to have     
occasionally  practised sculpture4      
,moreover1 literary evidence proves that
 nearly  one hundred compositions       
designed and executed by him have been  
lost1  amongst which are specially to be
 regretted the portraits of his  various
 patrons of the ,gonzaga family and1    
above all1 that of the  ,duchess        
,elizabetta of ,urbino1 who was one of  

the most beautiful and  influential     
women of her time1 beloved by young and 
old1 and for whom  her brilliant        
sister-in-law1 ,isabella d',este1 had a 
most fervent  admiration4 ,even without 
these missing treasures1 however1 the   
court  painter of ,mantua left behind   
him masterpieces enough to secure to him
  a lasting fame as one of the pioneers 
of the ,renaissance of painting  in     
,italy4    ,the fact that ,mantegna     
passed away on the very threshold of the
 ,golden  ,age1 during which ,leonardo  
da ,vinci1 ,michael ,angelo1 ,raphael1  
,titian1  and ,correggio1 each the      
founder of a great school1 produced     
their  world-famous works1 has led to   
his achievements having been            
comparatively neglected2 but of late    
years his claims have gradually  become 
more fully recognised1 and he now takes 
high rank as a  consistent and          
persevering exponent of a high ideal4   
,his intense  individuality was from the
 first hostile to imitation1 but his    

influence was long felt in the art      
world1 and many artists who were        
associated with him in ,padua and       
,mantua later carried on his  traditions
 to some extent in ,verona1 ,ferrara1   
,modena1 ,bologna1 and  ,milan4 ,jacopo 
da ,montagnana was1 perhaps1 the master 
who most closely  resembled him1 some of
 his work having been actually          
attributed to  ,mantegna2 but ,francesco
 ,benaglio1 ,liberate da ,verona1       
,francesco  ,moroni1 ,girolamo dai      
,libri1 ,marco ,zoppo1 ,cosimo ,tura1   
and ,lorenzo da  ,costa owed much to    
their study of his masterpieces--the    
last named1  who succeeded him as court 
painter at ,mantua1 reproducing in his  
later  compositions something of the    
characteristic style of his predecessor 
in that office4    ,it has even been    
claimed that ,correggio1 who1 according 
to a  long-accepted but now discredited 
tradition1 was supposed to have  been   
the actual pupil of ,mantegna1 derived  
much of his inspiration  from the older 

painter4 ,both artists1 says ,dr4       
,kristeller in an able  examination of  
the points of affinity between them1    
penetrate to the  very core of the      
subject1 to the purely human emotion    
latent within  it3 equally sensitive and
 elevated in spirit1 both strive        
enthusiastically after a superhuman     
existence1 full of an enhanced joy  in  
life4444 ,both seek to break through the
 confines of the earthly to  secure1 in 
immeasurable space1 free scope for the  
power and the  magnitude of their       
figures4 ,the voluptuous swinging lines1
 the ideally  beautiful forms of        
,mantegna's figures in his later works1 
their sweet  and thoughtful expression  
of tranquil bliss and spiritual emotion 
is  in ,correggio's creations only      
heightened by the passionate            
sensuousness of his own outlook on the  
world1 by the utmost vivacity  of       
movement1 and by his ardent surrender of
 self to the sensuous as  well as to the
 godlike4 ,but1 adds the ,german critic1

 and here he lays  his finger on the    
essential difference between the art and
 character  of the men compared1        
sensuousness in ,mantegna was neither   
ignored nor  emphasised1 for there was  
no pandering to the love of sensation in
  the work of the sincere and earnest   
master of ,mantua1 who never            
represented passion for its own sake1   
but combined with a true  appreciation  
of the beauty of physical form and the  
poetry of motion a  stern severity of   
expression peculiarly his own4 ,both    
masters pursued  the same ideal of      
beauty1 both penetrated to the very     
heart of their  subjects1 but the       
paintings of ,mantegna are more elevated
 in spirit  than those of the more      
widely admired successor1 whose         
forerunner he  is said to have been4    
,there is1 it must be admitted1 a       
certain want of dramatic unity  marring 
the effect even of the greatest         
compositions of the ,mantuan  painter2  
but it should not be forgotten that his 

aim was not the same  as that of        
,raphael1 ,titian1 ,holbein1 or         
,memlinc4 ,even his severest  critics   
are compelled to admit that he fully    
realised his own  ambition1 a truly     
worthy one1 to bring the past into touch
 with the  present1 and to pave the way 
for those who should come after him4    
,his  best works display not only       
consummate draughtsmanship but a power  
of  interpreting intellectual and       
spiritual emotion1 rare amongst his     
contemporaries1 though it was to be     
bestowed in fullest measure upon  many  
of the masters of the sixteenth century2
 and he will ever remain1  in the       
opinion of those most competent to      
judge1 one of the greatest  of their    
predecessors4      ,the plates are      
printed by ,,bemrose  ,,sons1 ,,ltd41   
,derby and ,london    ,the text at the  
,,ballantyne ,,press1 ,edinburgh