UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELES
'
De Arte Graphica.
THE
Art of Painting,
B Y
CADUFRESNOY.
WITH
REMARKS.
Translated into Englifh,
Together with an Original *Prej*ce containing
A PARALLEL betwixt PAINTING and POETRY
By Mr.
As alfo a Short Account of the mod Eminent POINTERS,
both Ancient and Modern, continu'd down to the
Prtfent Times 9 according to tbe Order of their Succeffion;
another Hand.
Vt Pittura Poefis erit - Hor. dc Arte Poetica.
L N V N y
Printed by J. Heptinftall for CO* EogerJ, at the Sun
againft St. Dttnflans Church in Fteetftreet. MDC XCV.
OF THE
TRANSLATOR,
With a Parallel, '/
Of /tory and Painting.
IT may be reafonably expe&ed, that I (hoif d
fay fomething on my own behalf, in refpect
to my prefent Undertaking. Firft , then ,
the Reader may be pleas'd to know, that it was
not of my own choice that I undertook this
Work. Many of our moft Skillfull Painters,
and other Artifts, were pleasM ro recommend
this Authmr to me, as one who perfectly under-
ftood the Rules of Painting 5 who gave the beft
and moft concife Inftru&ions for Performance,
and the lureft to inform the Judgment of all who
( a ) lov'd
P R EF A C .
lov'd this noble Art. That they who before were
rather fond of it, than knowingly admir'd it,
might defend their Inclination by their Reafon r
that they might underftand thofe Excellencies
which they blindly valu'd, fo as not to be farther
impos'd on by bad Pieces, and to know when
Nature was well imitated by the moft able Ma-
flers. 'Tis true indeed, and they acknowledge
it, that befide the Rules which are given in this
Treatife, or which can be given in any other,
that to make a perfect Judgment of good Pictures,
and to value them more or lefs when compar'd
with one another, there is farther requir'd a long
converfation with the beft Pieces, which are not
very frequent either in prance or England ; yet
fome we have , not onely from the hands of
Hollein, (Rubens, and ramtyck, (one of them ad-
mirable for Hiftory- painting, and the other two
for Portraits,) but of many Htmjb-ltfafters, and
:hofe not inconfiderable, though tor Defign, not
equal to the Italians. And of thefe latter alfo,
we are not unfurnifli'd with fome Pieces of ( S^-
pbael, Tttiax, Correggio, Michael Angdo and ochers
But to return to my own undertaking of this
Tranflation, I freely own 5 that I thought my
ftlf uncapable of performing it, either to their Sa-
tisfaction, or my owa Credit. Not but that I.
under-,
.- PREFACE.
underftood the Original Latine, and the Fm/c/
tbour perhaps as well as moft Englifimen 3 But I
was not fufficiently vers'd in the Terms of Art :
And therefore thought that many of thofe perfons
who put this honourable task on me, were more
able to perform it themfelves, as undoubtedly
they were. But they affuring me of their affi-
ftance, in corre&ing my faults where I fpoke im-
properly, I was encourag'd to attempt it 5 that
I might not be wanting in what I cou'd, to fa-
tisfie the defiresof fo many Gentlemen who were
willing to give the world this ufefull Work. They
have effe&ually perform'd their promife to me ;
and I have been as carefull on my fide, to take
their advice in all things ; fo that the Reader may
aflfure himfelf of a tolerable Tranflation, Not
Elegant, for I proposed not that to my felf : but
familiar, clear and inftructive. In any of which
parts, if I have fail'd, the fault lies wholly at my
door. In this one particular onely I muft beg
the Readers pardon. The <Profe Translation of
the Toem is not free from Poetical Expreflions,
and I dare not promife thatfome of them are noc
fuftian, or at leaft highly metaphoricaj 5 but this
being a fault in the firft digeftion (that is, the
Original Latine) was not to be remedy 'd in the
fecond (v/^.) the Tranflation. And I may confi-
( a 2 ) dently
iv. PREFACE.
dently fay, that whoever had attempted it, muft
have fallen into the fame inconvenience ; or a
much greater, that of a falfe Verfion. When I
undertook this Work, I was already ingag'd in
the Tranflation of Virgil, from whom I have bor-
row'd onely two months, and am now return-
ing to that which I ought to under ftand better.
In the mean time I beg the Readers pardon, for
entertaining him fo long with my felf: 'Tis an u-
fual part of ill manners in all Authours, and al-
moft in all Mankind , to trouble others with
their bufinefs ^ and I was fo fenfible of it before-
hand; that I had not now committed it, unlels
feme concernments of the Readers had been inter-
woven with my own. But I know not, while I
am attoning for one Error , if I am not
falling into another: for I have been importun'd
to fay fomething farther of this Art $ and to make
iome ObferVations on-ir nv relation to the likenefi
and agreement which it has with <Pvetry its Sifter.
But before I proceed, it will not be amifs, ifI
copy from Bellori ( a moft ingenious Authour,
yet living) fome part of his Idea of a fainter ,
which- cannot be unpleafing, at leaft to fuch w ho
are^converfant in the Philofophy of Plato. And
to avoid tedioufnefs, I will not tranllate the whole
Difcourfe, but take and leave as I find occafierk
God
P R E FA C . ..
Almighty, in the Fabrique of tie Urifi>erfe>
firjl contemplated himfelf, and reflected on his own
Excellencies-^ from which be drew , and conjlituted
thofe firft Forms, which are calfd Idea's. So thai
every Species which was afterwards exprefs'd was pro-
due' d from that firft Idea , forming that wonderfull
contexture of all created Beings. But the Coelejtial
Bodies aboVe the Moon being incorruptible, and not fub-
jeft to change, remain d for e'Ver fair, andin perpetu.
al order: On the contrary,, all things which are fublu-
nary are fubjett to change, to deformity^ and to decay.
And though Nature always intends a confummate beau-
ty in her productions, yet through the inequality of the
Matter , the Forms are alter d.-, .and in particular,
Humane Beauty, fuffers alteration for the worfz, as
we fee to our mortification, in the deformities, anddif-
proportions whidi are in us. For which reafon the
Art full (painter and the Sculptour, imitating the VI-
Vine Maker, form to tbemfelves as well as they, are
able, a Model of the Superiour Beauties-, andrefteEling
on them endeavour to correB and amend the common
Nature -, and to refrefent it as it was firft created
without fault, either in Colour or in Lineament.
Tins Idea, which we may call the Goddefs of tpain-
ting and of Sculpture, defcends upon the Marble and the
Cloth, and becomes the Original of thofe Arts j and
being meafurd by the Compafs of the Intellect., is it
fef
vl. 'PREFACE.
felf the Mcafure of the performing Hand*, and being
animated by the Imagination, tnfujcs Life into tbs
Imae. The Idea of the Painrer and the Sculptour,
is undoubtedly that perfect and excellent Example ef
the Mtnd-, by imitation of which imagmd form, all
things are refrefented which fall under humane fight :
S*cb is the Definition which is made by Cicero in his
Book of the Oratour to Brutus. " As therefore in
" Forms and Figures there is fomewhat which is Excel-
" lent and ^PerfecT;, to which imagmd Species all
" things are refer/ d by Imitation which are the Objecls
<c of Sight, in like manner we behold the Species^
cc Eloquence in our Minds, the Effigies y or actual
( Image of which we feck in the Organs of our Hear*
" ing. This is likewife confirm d by Proclus in the
" Dialogue of Plato calFd Timaeus: If, fays he,
" you take a Man, as be is made by Nature, and
" compare him with another who is the effect of Art ;
" the work of Nature will always appear the lefsbeau-
" tifull, becaufe Art is more accurate than Nature.
But Zeuxis, who from the choice which be made of
Five Virgins drew that wonderfull fiSure of He-
lena, which Cicero in his Oratour beforemention d,
fets before us as the moft perfeEl Example of Beauty,
at the fame time admonijkes a fainter, to contemplate
the Idea's of the moft Natural Forms ; and to make a
judicious choice of federal Bodies, all of them the moft
Elegant
F R E F A C E. vij.
Elegant wind: be can find. <By which we may plainly
underfland that he, thought it impojfible to find in any
one Body all thofe (perfections which he fought for the
accomplishment of a Helena, becaufe Nature in any
individual perfon makes nothing, that is perfect in all its
parts. For this reafin Maximus Tyritis alfo fays,
that the Image which is taken by a fainter from feVe-
ral 'Bodies produces a Beauty , winch it is impoffible to
i j ' i *>
find in any jingle Natural Body, approaching to the
perfection of the faireft Statues. Thus Nature on
this account is fo much inferiour to Art , that thofe
drtifts who propofe to themfehes onely the imitation and- .
Itfanef? of fuch or fuch a particular perfon, without
election of thofe Idea'* bef ore-mention d, habe often
leen reproach* d for that omifflon : Demetrius was
taxd for being too Natural - t Dionyfius was alfo
blamd for drawing Men like us y and WM commonly
catfd 'AvSi?vmyz2.?(&, that #, a Paincer of Men,
In our times Michael Angelo da Caravaggio, was
efteemd too Natural. Hedrewperfons a* they were,
and Bambovio, and moft of the Dutch Painters ha\>e
drawn the worft likenefi. Lyfippus of old, upbraided
the common fort of Sculptours, for making Men fuch
ds they were found in Nature ; and boaftedof bimfelf
that he made them as they ought to be : which is a
(precept of Ariftotle, given as well to Poets as to
Painters, Phidias raisd an .admiration even to aflo-
viij. PREFACE.
nijlmicnt, in thofe who beheld bis Statues, with
tiis Forms, which he gave to his Gods and Heroes ;
by imitating the Idea rather than Nature. And Gi-
cero [peaking of him affirms, that figuring Jupiter
&n d Pallas 7 he did not contemplate any Objeft from
whence he took the likenefs, but confider d in his own
mind a great and admirable form of Beauty , and accor-
ding to that Image in his Soul, he directed the operation
of his Hand. Seneca alfo feems to wonder, that
Phidias having never beheld either Jove or Pallas,
yet coud conceive their divine Images in his Mind.
Apollonius Tyanaeus fays the fame in other words,
that the fancy more inftrufts the Painter than the imi-
tation ; for the laft makes onely the things which it fees y
but the firft makes alfo the things which it never
fees.
Leon Battifta Alberti tells us, that we ought not
fo much to loVe the likenefs as the beauty, and to choofe
from the faireft Bodies feVerally the fairejl <Parts.
Leonardo da Vinci inftrufts the fainter to form 'this
Idea to himfelf: And Raphael, the greateji of all
modern Mafters, writes thus to Caftiglione, concer-
ning his Galatea : " To paint a Fair one, 'tis neceffary
"for me to fee many Fair ones ; but becaufe there is fo
<c great a fcarcity ofloVely Women, lam conftraind to
" make ufe of one certain Idea, which I baVeformdto
" my f e lf ^ my own fancy. Guido Reni fending to
Rome
PREFACE ix.
Rome bis S/. Michael which he had fainted for the
Church of the Capuchins, at the fame time wrote to
Monfignor Maffano, who was Maeftro di Cafa
(or Steward of the Houfe) to <Pope Urban the Eighth,
in this manner. Iwifh I had the wings of an Angel,
to have afcended into Paradife, and there to have -be-
held the Forms of thofe beatify d Spirits, from which I
wight haVe copyd my Archangel : not being able
to mount fo high) it was in Vainformetofearchhif
refemblance here below ; fo that I was fore d to make an
Introfpeftion, into my own mind, and into that Idea
of Beauty, *which IhaVeformd in my own imagination.
LhaVe likewife created there the contrary Idea of de-
formity and uglinefs ; but I leave the confederation of
it, till I paint the Devil: and in the mean time fhun
the "Very thought of it as much as fojjihly I can, and
am even endeavouring to blot it wholly out of my re-
membrance. Tliere was not any Lady in att Antiquity,
who was Mtflrefs of Jo much Beauty as was -to be
found in the Venus of Gnidus 7 made by Praxiteles,
or the Minerva of Athens by Phydias j which was
'therefore call'd the Beautifull Form. Neither is there
any Man of the prefent Age, equal in the flrength,
proportion, and knitting of bis Limbs, to the Hercules
of Farnefc, made by Glicon : Or any Woman who -can
juftly becompardwith the Medicean Venus o/Cleo-
nienes. And upon this account, the noblejt poets
( b ) and
x. :"; v P R E FACE.
and the left Oratours, when they defer d to celebrate
any extraordinary Beauty , are fore d to have recourfe
to Statues and Pi&ures, and to draw their terfa*
and Faces into Comparifon. Ovid endeavouring to
exprefs the Beauty of Cillarus, tie falreft of the
Centaures, celebrates him as next in perfection, to the
rnoft admirable Statues.
Gratus in ore vigor, cervix, humeriq; manufqj
Pe<ftoraq; Artificum laudatis <Proxima Signis.
Apleafing Vigour Ins fair Face exprefs'd-,
HisNeck,bis Hands, bis Shoulders, andbisSreaft,
*Did next in Gracefulnefs and Beauty ft and,
To breatbing Figures of tbe Sculftou/s Hand.
In another place be fets Apelles above Venus,.
Si Venerem Cois nunquam pinxiflet Apelles y .
Merfa fub a:qiioris ilia lateret Aquis.
Tims "\>aryd*
One Birth to Seas tbe Cyprian Goddefs ou> 9 d,
A Second 'Birth tbe Painter' s Art beftowd:
Lefs by tbe Seas than by bis poufr wasgiv'n 5
TJ?ey made her foe, but beadyancd to HeaVn.
17;?.
PREFACE. xi.
** " i4
The Idea of this Beauty, is indeed Various, accor-
ding to the feVeral forms which the Painter or Scul-
ptour WQU d defcribe : As one in Strength, another in
Magnanimity , andfometimes it confifts in Chearfulnefs,
and fometimes in Delicacy $ and is always diVerJtfyd by
the Sex and Age.
The 'Beauty of Jove is one, and that of Juno ano-
ther : Hercules, and Cupid are perfect BeautitSy
though of different kinds 5 for Beauty is onely that
which makes all things as they are in their frofer and
perfect Nature; which the beft Painters always choofe
by contemplating the Forms of each. We ought farther
to conjtder, that a <Pilure being the reprefentation of
a humane action, the Painter ought to retain in his
mind, the Examples of all AffeBions, and Vajfionsy as
a Poet preferVes the Idea of an Angry man, of one
who is fearfull, fad or merry, and fo of all the reft.
For 'tis imfojjible to exprefs that with the Hand, which
ne^er enter d into the Imagination. In this manner as
I ha^e rudely and briefly frewn you. Painters and Scul-
ptours, choofing the moft elegant natural 'Beauties, per-
feftionate the Idea, and advance their Art, even aboVe
Nature it felf, in her individual productions, which is
the utmojl maftery of humane performance.
From hence arifes that aftoni^ment, and almofl ado-
ration which is paid by the Rowing to thofe divine YZ-
maindersof Antiquity. From hence Phydias, Ly-
( b 2 ) fippus,
xij. PREFACE.
fippus, and' other nobh Sculptours, a
Veneration ; and Apelles, Zeuxis, Protogenes, and
other admirable Painters, though their Works are pe-
rijtid, are and will be eternally admird$ who all of
them drew after the Idea'* of Perfection ; which are
the Mracles of Nature, the Providence of the Under-
ftanding, the Exemplars of the Mind y the Light of
t)x Fancy ; the Sun which from its rifing, infpirdthe
Statue of Memnon, and the fire which warm'd into
life the Image of Prometheus : 'Tis this which caufes
the Graces, and the Loves to take up- their habitations
in the bar deft Marble, andtofubfift in the emptinefs
of Light, and Shadows, fcutfince the Idea o/Elo-
\ quence 1*5 as far infmour to that of Painting, as tfe
force of Words is to the Sight 5 I muft here break off
abruptly, anha\nng conducted the Rezderasitwere to
afecret Walk, there leaVe him in the midjl of Silence to
contemplate thofe Idea's ; which I haVe onely fketch'd y
and which every man muft finifh for himfelf.
In thefe pompous Expreflions, or fuch as thefe
the Italian has given you his Idea of a fainter 3 and
though I cannot much commend the Style, I
muft needs fay there is fomewhat in the Matter :
Plato himfelf is accuftom'd to write loftily, imi-
tating, as the Critiques tell us, the manner of Ho-
wer 5 but furely that inimitable Poet, had not fo
much of. Smoke in his writing, though. not lefsof
Eire*.
P R FACE.
Fire. But in fliort, this is the prefent Genius of
Italy. What Tbiloftratus tells us in the Troem of his
Figures is fomewhat plainer ; and therefore I will
tranflate it almoft word for word. " He who
" will rightly govern the Art of Painting, ought of
w mcejfity firft to under ftand Humane Nature. He
" ought likewife to be endued with a Genius to exfre/?
" the figns of their Paffions whom he reprefents ; and
" to make the dumb as it were to f peak: He muft'
" yet farther under ft and what is contain d in -the con-
" ftitution of the Cheeks, in the temperament of the
" Eyes, in the naturalnefl (if I may fo call it) of the:
" Eye brows : and in jhort whatfoe'Ver belongs to the
" Mind and Thought. He who throughly pojfejfes alt
" thefe things will obtain the whole. And the Hand
" will exquifitely reprefent the attion- of eVery fartictc-
c< lay- per f on. If it happen that- he he eitfer mad^ or
" an g r y-> wbndxiuptt) or chearfull, a J fright ly Youth,
" or a languishing LoVer-, in one word, he will be able
" to paint whatfoe'Ver is proportionable to any one:
" And even in all this there is afweet errour without
" caujing any fhame. For the Eyes and Minds of
a the beholders being f aft en d< on Objeff* which haVeno
u real Being, as if they were truly Exiftent, and he-
" ing indue' d by them to belieVe them fo, what flea/urt
" is it not capable of giving* Tfie Ancients? and
u other Wife Men, have written many things, concer-
xlv. PREFACE.
" n'mg the Symmetry which is in the Art o/Paint-
" ing ; conftituting as it were fome certain "Laws for
" the proportion of every Member , not tfcwfag it
" poffible for a Painter to undertake the exprejjton of
" tbofe motions which are in the Mind, without a con-
" current Harmony in the natural meafure. For
" that which is out of its own kind and meafure, is
" not receiVd from Nature, wbofe motion is always
" right. On a ferious confederation of this matter it
" will bs found. That the Arc of Painting bos a
" wonderfull affinity with that of Poetry ; and that
c< there is betwixt them a certain common Imagination.
" For as the Poets introduce the Gods and Heroes,
" and all tbofe things which are either Majeftical, Ho-
" neft or Delightfully in like manner the Painters, by
" the Virtue of their Out-lines , Colour s y Lights and
" Shadows, reprefent the fame Things and Perfons
<c in their Pictures.
UM
Thus , as Convoy Ships either accompany , or
fhou'd accompany their Merchants till they may
profecute the reft of their Voyage without danger,
fo (fbiloftratus has brought me thus far on my
way, and I can now fail on without him. He
has begun to fpeak of the great relation betwixt
Wainting and Poetry, and thither the greateft part
of this Difcourfe by my promife was directed.
I have not ingag'd my felf to any perfect Method,
neither
PREFACE: X v.
neither am I loaded with a full Cargo. 'Tis
fufficient if I bring a Sample of fome Goods in
this Yoyage. It will be eafie for others to add
rnqre when the Commerce is fettled. For a Trea*
tife twice as large as this of hunting coti'd not
contain all that might be faid on the Parallel of
thefe two Sifler>Arts. I will take my rife from
Mellon before I proceed to the Autbour of tlif
The bufinefs of his (preface is to prove, that a
learned fainter fliou'd form to himklf an Idea of
perfect Nature. This Image he is to fet before
his Mind in all his Undertakings, and to draw
from thence as from a Store- houfe, the Beauties
which are to enter into his Work 5 thereby cor-
recting Nature from what actually flie is in indi-
viduals, to what fhe ought to be, and what fhe
was created. Now as this Idea of VerfeMion is o
little ufe in (portraits (or the refemblances of par-
ticular perfons) fo neither is it in the Characters
of Comedy, and Tragedy j which are never to be
made perfect, but always to be drawn with fome
fpecks of frailty and deficience 5 fuch as they have
been defcribed to us in Htftory, if they were real>
Characters $ or fuch as the <Poet began to (hew them*
at their firft appearance 7 if they were onely ficti-
tious, (or imaginary.) The perfection of fuch*
x\d. P R E T A C E.
Stage-cbaratters confifts chiefly in their likencfsto
the deficient faulty Nature, which, is their Origi-
nal. Onely, as it is obferv'd more at large here-
after, in fuch cafes jthere will always be found a
better likenefs , and a worfe 5 and the better is
conftantly to be chofen : I mean in Tragedy ,
which reprefents the Figures of the higheft form
amongft Mankind. Thus in Portraits, the Tain*
ter will not take that fide of the Face which has
fome notorious blemifli in it j but either draw it
in profile fas Apelles did Antigonw, who had loft
one of his Eyes) or elfe flhadow the more imper-
fect fide. For an ingenious flattery is to be al-
Jow'd to the ProfefTours of both Arts ; fo long as
the likenefs is not deftroy'd. 'Tis true that all
manner of Imperfections muft not be taken away
from the Charafters, and the reafon is, that there
may be left fome grounds of pity for their mif-
fortunes. We can never be griev'd for their mi-
ferics who are thoroughly wicked, and have -there-
by juftly called their calamities on thetnfelves.
Such Men are the natural Objects of our hatred,
not of our commiferation. If on the other fide
their Characters were wholly perfect, (fuch as for
Example, the Cbaratter of a Saint or Martyr in a
Play, ) his, or her misfortunes, wou'd produce
.impious thoughts in the Beholders ; they wou'd
accufe
, ; PREFACE. xvij.
accufe the Heavens of injuftice, and think of lea-
ving a Religion, where Piety was fo ill requited.
I fay the greater part wou'd be tempted fo to do,
I fay not that they ought : and the confequence is
too dangerous for the practice. In this I have
accus'd my felf for my own St. Catharine, but let
truth prevail. Sophocles has taken the juft medium
in his Oedipus* He is fomewhat arrogant at his
firft entrance ; and is too inquifitive through the
whole Tragedy: Yet thefe Imperfections being ba-
lanc'd by great Vertues, they hinder not our com-
paffion for his miferies 3 neither yet can they de-
ftroy that horrour which the nature of his Crimes
have excited in us. Such in fainting are the Warts
and Moles, which adding a likenefs to the Face,
are not therefore to be omitted. But thefe pro-
duce no loathing in us. But how far to proceed,
and where to ftop, is left to the judgment of the
*Poet and the Painter. In Comedy there is fome-
what more of the worfe likenefs to be taken. Be-
caufe that is often to produce laughter ; which is
occafion'd by the fight of fome deformity : but
for this I referr the Deader to Ariftotle. 'Tis a
fharp manner of Instruction for the Vulgar who
are never well amended, till they are more than
fufficiently expos'd. That I may return to the
beginning of this Remark , concerning perfect
( c ) Ideas,
X Yii> P R E FACE,
Ideas, I have oncly this to fay, that the Parallel!*
often true in Epique-Toetry.
The Heroes of the Poets are to be drawn accor-
ding to this Rule. There is fcarce a frailty to be
left in the beft of them; any more than is to be
found in a Divine Nature. And if jEneat fome-
times weeps, it is not in bemoaning his own mi-
feries, but thofe which his people undergo. If
this be an Imperfe&ion, the Son of God when he
was incarnate died tears of Compaffion over Je-
r.ufalem. And Lentulus defcribes him often weep-
ing, but never laughing 3 fothat Virgil is juftify'd
even from the Holy Scriptures. I have but one
word more , which for once I will anticipate
from the Autbour of this Book- Though itmuft be
an Idea of (perfection, from which both the Efique
$!oet, and the Hiftory Paint er draws; yet all Per-
fe&ions are not fuitable to all Subjects: But eve-
ry one muft be defign'd according to that per-
fe<5t Beauty which is proper to him. An Jpoflo
muft be diftinguifli'd from a Jupiter , a <P allot
from a Venus : and fo in Poetry an jEneas from
any other Heroe. : for *Piety is his chief PtrfefKofc
flower s Achilles is a kind of Exception to this Rule:
but then he is not a perfect Heroe, nor fo intend-
ed by the <Poet. All his Cods had fomewhat of
humane imperfection ; for which he has been
taxd
P R E F A C E. xix.
tax'd by Plato, as an Irnitatour of what was bad.
But Virgil obferv'd his fault, and mended it.
Yet Achilles was perfect in the ftrength of his Bo-
dy, and the vigour of his Mind. Had he been
kfs paffionate, or lefs revengeful!, tht Poet well
forefaw that Hetor had been kilTd, and Troy ta-
ken at the firft aflfauk j which had deftroy'd the
beautifull contrivance of his Iliads, and the moral
of preventing Difcord amongft Confederate
Princes, which was his principal intention. For
the Moral (as <BoJfa obferves) is the firft bufinefs
of the Poet , as being the ground-work of his In-
ftruction. This being form'd, he contrives fuch
a Defign, or Fable, as may be moil fuitable to
the Moral. After this he begins to think of the
Perfons, whom he is to employ in carrying on
his Defign : and gives them the Manners, which
are moft proper to their fe veral Characters. The
thoughts and words are the laft parts, which give
Beauty and Colouring to the Piece. When I fay,
that the Manners of the Heroe ought to be good in
perfection, I contradict not the Marquefs of Nor-
tnantys opinion, in that admirable Verfe, where
fpeaking of a perfect Character, he calls it A Fault-
kfs Monjier, which the World ne'er knew. For jbat
Excellent Critique, intended onely to fpeak of Dra-
rnatique Characters , and not of Efi^ut. Thus at
( c 2 ) Icaft
xx. i P 1TE HC
lead I have fliewn, chat in the moft per
which is that of Firgil, z 'per f eft Idea was required,
and folio w'd. And conlequently that all fuccec-
ding Poets ought rather to imitate him, than even
Homer. I will now proceed as I promis'd, to
the Authour of this Book. He tells you almoftin
the firft lines of it, that the chief end of (Painting if
tofleafe the Eyes : and 'tis one great End of Poetry to
pleafe the Mind. Thus far the Parallel of the Arts
holds true : with this difference, That the principal
end of Painting is to pleafe $ and the chief defign
of Poetry is to inftruft. In this the latter feems to
have the advantage of the former. But if we con-
fider the Artijts themfelves on both fides, certain-
ly their aims are the very fame : they wou'd both
make fure of pleafing, and that in preference to
inftruction. Next, the means of this pleafure is
by Deceipt. One impofes on the Sight, and the
other on the Underftanding. Fittion is of theEf-
fence of- Poetry as well as of Painting ; there is a
rcfemblance in one,of Humane Bodies/Things and
Actions which are not real, and in the other, of
a true Story by a Fiction. And as all Stories are
not proper Subjects for an Efique Poem, or a Tra-
gedy, fo neither are they for a noble Pifture. The
Subjects both of the one, and of the other, ought
to have nothing of immoral, low, or filthy in
them ;
PREFACE xxi.
them 5 but this being treated at large in the Book it
felf y I wave it to avoid repetition. Onely I muft
add, that though Catullut^Ovid and others were of a-
nother opinion, that the Subject of Poland even
their thoughts and expreflions might be loofe, pro-
vided their lives were chart and holy, yet there arc
no fuch licences permitted in tbatdrt any more than*
in Tainting to defign and colour obfcene Nudities.
Vita proba eft, is no excufe, for it will fcarcely be
admitted, that either a <Poet or a Painter can be
chaft, who give us the contrary examples in their
Writings and their Tiftures. We fee nothing of
this kind in Virgil: that which comes the neareft
to it, is the adventure of the CdVe y where Dido and
jEneas were driven by the Storm: Yet even there
the Poet pretends a Marriage before the Confum-
mation ; and Juno her felf was prefent at it. Nei-
ther is there any expreflion in that Story, which a
Gfyman Matron might not reade without 2. bluflu
Befides the Poet pafles it over as haftily as he can,,
as if he were afraid of (laying in the Cave with,
the two Lovers, and of being a witnefs to their
Actions. Now I fuppofe that a Painter wou'd
not be much commended, who fhou'd pick out
this Cavern from the whole Eneids, when there is
not another in the Work. He had better leave
them in their obfcurity , than let in a flafli ofij
Lightning,
xxij. PREFACE.
Lightning to clear the natural darknefs of the
place, by which he m Lift dii cover himfelf as much
as them. The Altar -Pieces, and holy Decorati-
ons of (Painting, (how that Art may be apply'd
to better ufes, as well as Poetry.
And amongft many other inftances, the Far-
nefian Gallery, painted by Hannibal Carracci, is a
fuffkient witnefs yet remaining : the whole Work
being morally inftru&ive, and particularly the
Herculis BiVium, which is a perfect Triumph of
Vertue oVer Vice, as it is wonderfully well de-
fcrib'd by the ingenious Sellori.
Hitherto I have onely told the Deader what
ought not to be the fubject of a PiElure or of a
Poem: what it ought to be on either fide 5 our
Author tells us: it muft in general be great and
noble : and in this, the Parallel is exactly true.
The fubject of a Poet either in Tragedy or in an
Epique Poem is a great action of fome illuftrious
Hero. 'Tis the fame in Painting ; not every a-
dlion, nor every perfon is confiderable enough to
enter into the Cloth. It muft be the Anger of
an Achilles, the Piety of an jEneat, the Sacrifice
of an Iphigenia (for Heroins as well as Heroes are
comprehended in the Rule;) but the Parallel is
more compleat in Tragedy, than in an Epique
Poem. For as a Tragedy may be made out of
'many
P R E F A C R. xxiij.
many particular Epifodes of Homer or ofPirgilj Fo
may a noble Picture be defign'd out of this or
that particular Story in either Author. Hiflory is
alfo fruitfull of defigns both for the fainter and
the Tragique Poet : Curtius throwing himfelf into
a Gulpb, and the two Decii facrificing themfelves
for the fafety of their Country, are fubjects for Tra-
gedy and PicJure. Such is Sclfio reftoring the Spa-
nl(h Bride, whom he either lov d or may be fup-
fos'd to love, by which he gain'd the Hearts of
a great Nation, to interefs themfelves for <%ome
againft Carthage: Thefe are all but particular
Pieces in Lilys Hiftory ; and yet are full com-
pleat Subjects for the Pen and Pencil Now the
reafon of this is evident. Tragedy and QiElure are
more narrowly circumfcnb'd by the Mechanic^
Ovules of Time and Place than the Epique Poet/.
The time of this laft is left indefinite. 'Tis true,
Homer took up onely the fpace of eight and for-
ty days for his Iliads; but whether ffrgifs action
was comprehended in a year or fomewhat more,
is not determined by $ojfu* Homer made the place
of his action Troy, and the Grecian Camp befieging
it. Virgil introduces his &ne&s, fometimes in &'-
cifyy fometimes in Carthage, and other times at Cu-
m*t, before he brings him to Laurentum -, and even
after that, he wanders again to the Kingdom of
Evandee
xxiv. P R F A C E
EVander and fome parts of Tufcany, before he re-
turns to finifh the War by the death of Turnus.
But Tragedy according to the Practice of the Anci-
ents, was always confin'd within the compafs of
2,4 hours, and feldom takes up fo much time.
As for the place of it, it was always one, and
that not in a larger Sence5 as for example, A
whole City or two or three feveral Houfes in it ;
but the Market or fome other publick place, com-
mon to the Chorus and all the Adtours. Which
eftablifli'd Law of theirs, I have not an oppor-
tunity to examine in this place, becaufe I cannot
do it without digreffion from my fubjecl:, though
it feems too ftricl: at the firft appearance becaufe
it excludes all fecret Intrigues, which are the Beau-
ties of the modern Stage : for nothing can be car-
ry'd on with Privacy, when the Chorus is fuppos'd
to be always prefent. But to proceed, I muft
lay this to the advantage of Painting, even above
Tragedy, that what this laft reprefents in the fpace
of many Hours, the former fliows us in one Mo-
ment. The Action, the Paffion, and the man-
ners of fo many Perfons as are contain' d in a
*Pifture, are to be difcern'd at once, in the twink-
ling of an Eye $ at leaft they would be fo, if the
Sight could travel over fo many different Objects
.all at once, or the Mind could digeft them all at
the
PREFACE. xxv.
the fame inftant or point of time. Thus in the
famous Picture of Poujfin, which reprefents the
Inftitution of the Bkjfed Sacrament , you fee our
Saviour and bis twelve Difcifles, all concurring
in the fame action, after different manners, and
in different poftures, onely the manners of Judas
are diftinguifh'd from the reft. Here is but one
indivisible point of time obferv'd : but one acti-
on perform'dby fo many Perfons, in one Room
and at the fame Table : yet the Eye cannot
comprehend at once the whole Object, nor the
Mind follow it fo faftj 'tis confider'd at leifure,
and feen by intervals. Such are the Subjects of
Noble Pittures : and fuch are onely to be un-
dertaken by Nolle Hands. There are other parts
of Nature, which are meaner, and yet are the
Subjects both of Painters, and of Poets.
For to proceed in the Parallel, as Comedy is a
reprefentation of Humane Life, in inferiour per-
fons, and low Subjects, and by that means creeps
into the nature of Poetry, and is a kind of Juni-
per, a Shrub belonging to the fpecies of Cedar, fo
is the painting of Clowns, the reprefentation of a
Dutch Jfyrmis, the brutal fport of Snick or Snee,
and a thoufand other things of this mean inventi-
on, a kind of Pifture, which belongs to Nature,
but of the loweft form. Such is a La^ar in com-
( d ) parifon
PREFACE.
parifon to a Venus, both are drawn in Humane
Figures :, they have Faces alike, though not like
Faces. There is yet a lower fort of (poetry and
Painting, which is out of Nature. For a Farce is
that in poetry, which Grotefque is in a (Pffifftre. The
Perfons, and Action of a Farce are all unnatural,
and the Manners falfe, that is, inconfifting with
the chara&ers of Mankind. Grotefque-jpainting is the
juft refemblance of this ; and Horace begins his
Art of Poetry by defcribing fuch a Figure ; with
a Man's Head, a Horfe's Neck, the Wings of a
Bird, and a Fiflies Tail ; parts of different fpecies
jumbled together, according to the mad imagi-
nation of the Dawber $ and the end of all this, as
he tells you afterward, to caufe Laughter. A ve-
ry Monfter in a (Bartholomew-Fair for the Mob to
gape at for their two-pence. Laughter is indeed
the propriety of a Man, but juft enough to di-
ftinguifh him from his elder Brother, with four
Legs. "Tis a kind of Baftard-pleafure too, ta-
ken in at the Eyes of the vulgar gazers, and at
the Ears of the beaftly Audience. Church-Tain*
ters ufe it to divert the honeft Countryman at Pub-
lick Prayers, and keep his Eyes open at a heavy.
Sermon* And Farce-Scriblers make ufe of the
fame noble invention to entertain Citizens, Country-
Gentlemen, and Cogent-Garden Fops. If they are
merry.
PREFACE *xxvij.
merry, all goes well on the Poet's fide. The bet-
ter fort goe thither too, but in defpair of Senfe,
and the juft Images of Nature, which are the ade-
quate pleafures of the Mind. But the Authour
can give the Stage no better than what was given
him by Nature: and the Attars mud reprefent
fuch things, as they are capable to perform, and
by which both they and the Scribbler may get their
living. After all, 'tis a good thing to laugh at
any rate, and if a ftraw can tickle a man, 'tis an
inftrument of happinefs. Beafts can weep when
they fuffer, but they cannot laugh. And as
Sir William DaVenant obferves in his Preface to Gon-
diberty *Tis the wlfdom of a Government to permit
Plays (he might have added Farces) as 'tis the pru-
dence of a Carter to put Sells upon Us HorfeSy to
make them carry their Burthens chearfully.
I have already fliewn, that one main end of
Poetry and Painting is to pleafe, and have faid
fomething of the kinds of both, and of their Sub-
je&s, in which they bear a great refemblance to
each other. I muft now confider them, as they
are great and noble Arts $ and as they are Arts y
they muft have G(uhsy which may direct them to
their common end.
To all Arts and Sciences, but more particularly
to thefe may be apply' d what Hippocrates fays of
( d 2 . ,) Phyfick,
xviij. PREFACE.
Phyfick, as I find him cited by an eminent French
Critique. " Medicine has long fubfifted in the
" World. Tlie ^Principles of it are certain, and it
cc has a certain way j by both which there has been*
" found in the courfe of many Ages, an infinite num-
" ber of things, the experience of which has confirm' d
" its ufefulnefs and goodnejs. All that is wanting to
" the perfection of this Art, will undoubtedly be found,
" if able Men, andfuch as are inftrufted in the An-
" dent Ovules will make a farther enquiry into it, and
" endeavour to arrive at that, which is hitherto un-
" known, by that which is already known. 'But all
<f ivbo having rejected the Ancient ^ules, and taken
" the oppojite ways, yet boaft themfelves to be Majlers
" of this Art, do but deceive others, and are them-
" fehes deceit d$ for that is abfolutely impojjlble.
This is notorioufly true in thefe two Arts : for
the way to pleafe being to imitate Nature 5 both
the Poets and the Painters, in Ancient times, and
in the beft Ages, have ftudy'd her : and from
the practice of both thefe Arts, the Rules have been
drawn, by which we are inftructed how to pleafe,
and to compafs that end which they obtained, by
following their Example. For Nature is ftill
the fame in all Ages, and can never be contrary
to her felf. Thus from the practice of JEfcbylus,
Sophocles, and Euripides, Ariftotle drew his Rules
for
P R E FA C Bs xxfx.
for Tragedy ; and Pbiloftratus for Painting. Thus
amongft the Moderns, the Italian and French Cri~
O ' v f
tiques by fludying the Precepts of Ariftotle, and
Horace, and having the Example of the Grecian
Poets before their Eyes, have given us the Rules
of Modern Tragedy: and thus the Critiques of ths
fame Countries, in the Art of Painting have given
the Precepts of perfecting that Art, 'Tis true that
Poetry has one advantage over Painting in thefe
laft Ages, that we have ftill the remaining Ex-
amples both of the Greek and LatinePoets : where-
as the Painters have nothing left them from Afel
les, Protogenes, Parrhafiw, Xeuxis and the reft,
but onely the teftimonies whrch arc given of their
incomparable Works. But inftead of this, they
have fome of their beft Statues, Bafs-<I(elieVo*S)
Columnsy Obilifques, Sec. which were fav'd out of
the common mine, and are ftill preferv'd in -It&
ly: and by well diftinguidiing what is proper to
Sculpture, and what to Painting, and what is com*
mon to them both, they have judicioufly repaired
that lots. And the great Gtnius of^fhael, and
others, having fucceeded tothe times of Barbarifra
and Ignorance, the knowledge of Painting is now
arriv'd to a fupreme perfe&ion, though the per*
formance of it is much declined in the prefent Age.
The greatcfl Age for Poetry amongft the tymans >
was.
xxx. PREFACE.
was certainly that of Auguflus C*far$ and yet we
are told that (Painting was then at its loweft Ebb,
o
and perhaps Sculpture was alfo declining at the
fame time. In the Reign oDomitian y and fome
who fucceeded him, Poetry was but meanly cul-
tivated, but Painting eminently flourifli'd. I am
not here to give the Htflory of the two Arts ; how
they were both in a manner extinguifli'd, by the
Irruption of the barbarous Nations, and both rc-
ftor'd about the times of Leo the Tenth, Charles
the Fifth, and Francis the Firft j though I might
obferve, that neither Ariofto, nor any of his Cm-
temporary Poets ever arriv'd at the Excellency of
9(aphaelj Titian, and the reft in Painting. Bat in re-
venge at this time, or lately in many Countries,^-
etry is better practis'd than her Sifler-Art. To what
height the Magnificence and Encouragement of the
prcfentjj^'wg of France may carry Painting and Scul-
pture is uncertain, but by what he has done, before
the War in which he is ingag'd, we may expe&
what he will do after the happy Conclufion of a
Peace, which is the Prayer and Wifli of all thofe
who have not an intereft to prolong the miferies
of Europe. For 'tis moft certain, as our Author
amongft others has obferv'd, That Reward is the
Spur of Vertue, as well in all good Arts, as in all
laudable Attempts : and Emulation which is the
other
P R E F A C / V XXXK
ather Spur, will never be wanting either am ongft
*Poets or (Painters, when particular Rewards and
Prizes are propos'd to the beft defervers. But to
return from this digrefiion, though it was almoft v
neceflaryj all the ^uks of Fainting are methodi-
cally, concifely, and yet clearly delivered in this
prefent Treatife which I have tranfiated. Bo/fa
has not given more exact Q(uks for the Epique ( Po-
em y nor Dacier for Tragedy, in his late excellent
Tranflation of Ariftotle and his notes upon him,
than our Frefnoy has made for fainting ^ with the
Parallel of which I muft refume my DifcourJe, ,
following my Authors Text, though with more
brevity than I intended, becaufe Virgil calls me.
The, principal and moft impor tant farts of fainting) i$
to know what tf >?w/? beautifuliinNatuw, andmoft
proper for that At: that w'hich is the moft beauci-
full is the moft noble Subject : fo in Poetry, Tra-
gedy is more beautifull than Comedy j becaufe, as
I faid, the Perfons are greater whom the (Poet'm-
ftructs, and confequently the inftructions of more
benefit to Mankind : the action is likewife great*
er and more noble, and thenee is deriv'dthe great-
er and more noble Pleafure.
To imitate Nature well in whatfoever Subject, \
is the perfection of both Arts^ and that Ttfture -
and that <Poem which comes neareft to the refem-
blancer
xxxij. PREFACE.
blance of Nature isthebeft. But it follows not,
that what pleafes moft in cither kind is therefore
good 3 but what ought to pleafe. Our deprav'd
Appetites, and ignorance of the Arts, miflead our
Judgments, and caufe us often to take that for
*- ^/ '
true imitation of Nature, which has no refem-
blance of Nature in it. To inform our Judgments,
and to reform our Tafts , <%uks were invented,
rfiat by them we might difcern when Nature was
imitated, and how nearly. 1 have been forc'd
to recapitulate thefe things, bccaufe Mankind is
not more liable to deceit, than it is willing to con-
tinue in a plealing error ftrengthen'd by a long
habitude. The imitation of nature is therefore
juftly conftituted as the general, and indeed the
onely $(uk of plcafing both in Poetry and Paint-
ing. Ariflotle tells us, that imitation pleafes, be-
caufe it affords matter for a Reafoner to enquire
into the truth or falfliood of Imitation, by com-
paring its likenefs or unlikenefs with the Original.
But by this Rule, every Speculation in Nature,
\vhofe truth falls under the enquiry of a Pbilofo-
fher, muft produce the fame delight which is not
true 5 Ifliould rather aflign another reafon. Truth
is the Object of our Underftanding as Good is
of our Will: And the Underftanding can no
* more be delighted w ith a Lye, than the Will can
choofe
P R E F A C E. xxxiij.
choofe an apparent Evil. As Truth is the end
of all our Speculations, fo the difcovery of it is
the pleafure of them. And fince a true know-
ledge of Nature gives us pleafure, a lively imita- :
tion of it, either in Poetry or Painting rauft of
neceffity produce a much greater. For iotb thefe
Arts as I faid before, are not onely true imitati-
ons of Nature, but of the bed Nature,, of that
which is wrought up to a nobler pitch. They pre-
fent us with Images more perfect than the Life in
any individual : and we have the pleafure to fee
all the fcatter'd Beauties of Nature united by a
happy Chymiftry, without its deformities or faults.
They are imitations of the paflions which always
move , and therefore confequently pleafe : for
without motion there can be no delight 5 which
cannot be confider'd, but as an active paflion.
When we view thefe Elevated Ideas of Nature,
the refult of that view is Admiration, which is
always the caufe of Pleafure.
This foregoing Remark, which gives the rea-
fon why imitation pleafes5 was fent me by Mr.
Walter Moyle, a m oft ingenious young Gentleman,
converfant in all the Studies of Humanity, much
above his years. He had alfo furnifli'd me (ac-
cording to my requeft) with all the particular
paflages in Arijlotk and Horace, which are us'd
( e ) by
xxxiv. , i;i: ;#R FACE:
by them to explain the Art of Poetry by that of
falniittg : which if ever I have time to retouch
this Effay, fhall be inferred in their places. Having
thus flhewn that Imitation pleafes, and why IE
pleafes in loth tbefe Arts, it follows that fome
(Rules of Imitation are neceflary to obtain the
end : for without <%uhs there can be no Art ; any
more than there can be a .Hbw/^wkhoLit a Door to
conduct you into it. The principal parts of
Painting and Poetry next follow.
Invention is the firft part, and abfolutely nece
fary to them both : yet no <I(ule ever was or ever
can be given how to compafs it. A happy Ge-
nius is the gift of Nature : it depends on the in-
fluence of the Stars fay the Aftrologers, on the Or-
gans of the Body fay theNaturalifts ; 'tis the par-
ocular gift of Heaven fay the Divines, both Cbri*
ftlans and Heathens. How to improve it many
Books can teach us ; how to obtain it none ; that
nothing can be done without it all agree.
Tu mlnliritita dices facie foe MinerVa.
Without Indention a Painter is but a Copier, ai>d a
Poet but a Plagiary of others. $htb are allow'd
fometimes to copy and tranflate ; but as our Au-
tbour tells you that is not the beft part of their Re,-
putation,.
PREFACE. xxxv.
putation. Imitatours are but a Servile kind of Cattle,
fays the Poet ; or at beft, the Keepers of Cattle
for other men ; they have nothing which is pro-
perly their own ; that is a fufficient mortification
for me while I am tranflating Virgil. But to co-
py the bed Authour is a kind of praife, if I per-
form it as I ought. As a Copy after Raphael is
.more to be commended, than an Original of any
indifferent fainter.
Under this head of Indention is plac'd the Diffo-
fltion of the Work, to put all things in a beautifuR
order and harmony ; that the whole may be of a
piece. The Compositions of the fainter fhou'd be
conformable to the Text of Ancient Autbours, to
the Cuftoms, and the Times. And this is exact-
ly the fame in Poetry ; Homer, and Virgil, are to
be our guides in the Epique$ Sophocles, and Eu-
ripides, in Tragedy : in all things we are to imi-
tate the Cuftoms, and the Times of thofe Perfons
and Things which we reprefent. Not to make
new Q(ules of the Drama, as Lope^ de Vega has
attempted unfuccefsfully to do 5 but to be con-
tent to follow our Matters, who understood Na-
ture better than we. But if the Story which we
treat be modern, we are to vary the Cuftoms,
according to the Time and the Country where
Scene of Action lies : for this is ftill to imitate
( e 2 ) Nature,
xxxvi. PREFACE
Nature, which is always the fame, though in *.
different drefs.
As in the Composition of a <Piflitre, the(P^m-
ter is to take care that nothing enter into it, which"
is not proper, or convenient to the Subject ; fo
likewife is the Poet to reject all incidents which
are foreign to his Poem, and are naturally no parts
of it: they are Wenns, and other Excrefcences ,,
which belong not to the Body, but deform it.
no perfon, no incident in the Piece, or in the
Play, but muft be of ufe to carry on the main-'
Defign. All things elfe are like fix fingers to the
hand 3 when Nature which is fuperfluous in no-
thing, can do her work with five. A fainter muft
reject all trifling Ornaments, fo muft a Poet re-
fufe all tedious , and unneceffary Defcriptions.,
A Robe which is too heavy, is lefs an Ornament
than a Burthen.
In Poetry Horace calls thefe things, Verftu ino*
pes rerun, nug&qm conor*-, thefe are alfo the
Incw & ara Dian<e, which he mentions in the
fame Art of Poetry. But fince there muft be Or-
naments both in Painting, and Poetry ^ if they are
not neceffary, they muft at leaft be decent : that
is, in their due place, and but moderately us'd,
1-he Painter is not to take fo much pains about
thie Drapery as about the Face, where the princi-
PREFACE. xxxvij.
pal rcfemblance lies : neither is the <Poet who is
working up a paffion, to makefimiles which will
certainly make it languiflh. My Monte^uma dies-
with a fine one in his mouth : but it is ambitious
and out of feafon. When there are more Figures
in a Pi&ure than are neceffary, or at leaft orna-
mental, our Att-thour calls them Figures to lelett:
becaufe the Pifture has no ufe of them. So I have
leen in fome modern Plays above twenty Amours,
when the Adlion has not required half the num-
ber. In the principal Figures of a (pifture, the
(fainter is to employ the fine ws of his Art, for in -
them confifts the principal beauty of his Work.
Our Authow faves me the comparison with Tragedy r
for he fays that herein he is to imitate the Tragique
(Poet, who em ploys his utmoft force in thofe pla-
ces wherein confifts the height and beauty of the
A<5tion. Du Frefnoy, whom I follow, makes De-
jign or Drawing the fecond part of fainting : But
the Rules which he gives concerning the <Poftureof/
the Figures, are almoft wholly proper to that Art$.
and admit not any co;/wj/<w that I know with
(poetry. The (Pofture of a (Poetique Figure is as I*
conceive, the Defcriftion of his Heroes in the per-
formance of fuch orfuch an Action: as of Achilles
juft in the ad of killing Hettor: or of jEnew who
has Turnus under him. Both the (poet and the
PREFACE.
<Painter vary the Toftures according to the Aftion,
or Paflion which they reprefenc of the fame per-
fon. But all muft be great and gracefull in them.
The fame dim AS muft be drawn a Suppliant
to Dido with refpecl: in his Geftures, and humility
in his Eyes : But when he is forc'd in his own de-
fence to kill Laufus, the Poet fhows him compaf-
fionate, and tempering the feverity of his looks
with a reluctance to the Action, which he is go- .
ing to perform. He has pity on his Beauty, and
his Youth 3 and is loath to deftroy fuch a Mafter-
piece of 'Nature. He confiders Laufus refcuing
his Father at the hazard of his own life ; as an
Image of himfelf when he took Andrifa on his
Shoulders, and bore him fafe through the rage of
the Fire, and N the opposition of his Enemies. And
therefore in the pofture of a retiring Man, who
avoids the Combat, he ftretches out his Arm in
fign of peace, with his right Foot drawn a little
back, and his Breaft bending inward, more like
an Oratour than a Souldier ; and feems to diffwade
the Young man from pulling on his deftiny, by
attempting more than he was able to perform :
take the paflage as I have thus tranflated it.
'Shouts of Applaufe ran ringing through the Field,
To fee the Son, the Vanquifh'd Father (hield :
AU
PR E.FAC .. xxxix.
All, fir d with noble Emulation, ftr'fw:,
And with a florin of Darts to dijlance drive
The Trojan Chief -, who held at Bay, from far
On bisVulcznunOrb, fuftain d the War.
^Eneas thus o'erwbebnd on eVeryfide,
Tlmr firft A/fault undaunted did abide -, (cry'd, '
And thus to Laufus, loud with friendly tbreatning
Why wilt thou rufh to certain, death, and rage
In raJJ? attempts beyond tby tender Age,
Betray* d ly r pious h^e*
And afterwards.
Uegnrf'Q he wept, tbe Sight an Image brought
Of his own Filial LoVe ; a Jadly pleafing thought.
But befide the Outlines of the Poflure, the
*\
of the tpiSuret comprehends in the next place the.
forms of Faces which are. to be different : and fo
in a Poem, or a flay, muft the feveral Cbarafters
of the Perfons be diftinguifli'd from each other.
I knew a <Poet, whom out of refpect I will not
name, who being too witty himfelf, cou'd draw
nothing but Wits in a Comedy of his : even his
Pools were infected with the Difeafe. of their AH-
tbottr. They overflow'd with fmart Reperties^
and were only diftinguifli'd from the intended
Wits by being call'd Coxcombs j though they de-
fcry'd not fo fcandalous a Name. Another, who
PREFACE.
had a great Genius for Tragedy, following the fury
of his natural temper, made every Man and Wo-
man too in his Plays dark raging mad : there was
not a fober perfon to be had for love or money.
All was tempeftuous and bluftering $ Heaven and
Earth were coming together at every word ; a
meer Hurrican from the beginning to the end,
and every A6lour feem'd to be haftning on the
Day of Judgment.
Let every Member be made for its own Head, fays
our dutbour, not a wither d Hand to a young
Face. So in the Perfons of a Play, whatfoever is
faid or done by any of them, muft be confident
with the manners which the Poet has given them
diftinftly : and even the Habits muft be proper
to the degrees, and humours of the Perfons as
well as in a Pitture. He who enter d in the firft
Adt, a Young man like Pericles Prince of Tyre,
muft not be in danger in the fifth Aft, of com-
mitting Inceft with his Daughter: noranllfurer,
without great probability and caufes of Repen-
tance, be turn'd into a Cutting Moorcraft.
I am not fatisfy'd that the companion betwixt
the two Arts in the laft Paragraph is altogether fo
juft as it might have been j but I am fure of this
which follows.
The
.PREFACE. xli.
The principal Figure of the Subject muft appear ih
the midft of the Pifture, under the principal Light to
diftinguijb it from the reft which are onely its at ten*
dants. Thus in a Tragedy or an Epique Poem, the
Hero of the Piece muft be advanced foremoft to
the view of the Deader or Spectator ; He muft
out-fliine the reft of all the Characters ; He muft
appear the Prince of them, like the Sun in the Co-
pernican Syftem, encompafs'd with the lefs noble
Planets. Becaufe the Hero is the Centre of the
main Adion ; all the Lines from the Circumfe-
rence tend to him alone : He is the chief object of
Pity in the Drama, and of Admiration in the E-
pique Poem.
As in a Picture, befides the principal Figures
which compofe it, and are plac'd in the midft
of it 5 there are lefs Grouppes or Knots of Figures
difpos'd at proper diftances, which are parts of
the Piece, and feem to carry on the fame Defign
in a more inferiour manner. So in Epique Poe-
try, there are Epifodes, and a Chorus in Tragedy,
which are Members of the A6lion, as growing
out of it, not inferted into it. Such in the ninth
Book of the Eneids is the Epifode of Nifus and Eu-
ryalus : the adventure belongs to them alone ; they
alone are the Objects of Compailiion and Admi-
ration 5 but their bufinefs which they carry on,
(O is
xtij. ; PREFACE
is the general Concernment of the Trojan Camp,
then beleaguer'd by Turnus and the Lalines, as
the Chrijtians were lately by the Turks. They
were to advertife the chief Hero of the Diftrefles
of his Subjects occafion'd by his Abfence, to crave
his Succour, and follicite him to haften his Re-
turn.
The Grecian Tragedy was at firft nothing buc
a Chorus of Singers, afterwards one Attor was in-
troduc'd, which was the (Porthimfelf, who enter-
tain' d the people with a difcourfe in Verfc, betwixt
the Paufes of the Singing. This fucceeding with
the People , more Aftors were added to make the
variety the greater 5 and in procefs of time, the
Chorus onely fung betwixt the ABs $ and the Co-
ripbdus, or Chief of them fpokefor the reft, as an
Attor concerned in the bufinefs of the <Play.
Thus Tragedy was perfected by degrees, and be-
ing arriVd at that Perfection, the Painters might
probably take the hint from thence, of adding
Grouppes to their <PiElures. But as a good '?/-
Sure may be without a Grouppe; fo a good Tra-
gedy may fubfift without a Chorus : notwithftand-
ing any reafons which have been given by Dader
to the contrary.
Monfkur Racine has indeed us'd it in his Efiher^
feut not that he found any neceffity of it, as
the
PREFACE. xliij.
the French Critique would infinuate. The Chorus
at St. Cyr, was onely to give the young Ladies an
occafion of entertaining the S^ing with vocal Mu-
fick, and of commending their own Voices. The
*Play it felf was never intended for the publick
Stage, nor without difparagement to the learned
Author, could poffibly have fucceeded there, and
much lefs the Translation of it here. Mr. Wi-
therly, when we read it together was of my opini-
on in this, or rather I of his ; for it becomes me
fo to fpeak of ib excellent a !Poef, and fo great a
Judge. But fince I am in this place, as Virgil fays,
Sfatiis exclufus iniquis$ that is, fhorten'd in my
time, I will give no other reafon, than that it is
impracticable on our Stage. A new Theatre
much more ample and much deeper muft be
made for that purpofe, befides the coft of fome-
times forty or fifty Habits, which is an expence
too large, to be fupply'd by a Comfany of ABors.
'Tis true, I (hould not be forry to fee a Chorus
on a Theatre, more than as large and as deep a-
gain as ours, built and adorn* d at a f\jng's
Charges, and on that condition , and another ,
which is, That my Hands were not bound be-
hind me, as now they are 5 I (hould not defpair
of making fuch a Tragedy* as might be both in-
O & / ' J2
urudive and delightfujl, according to the man-
ner of the Grecians. ( f 2 To
xliv. PREFACE.
To make a Sketchy or a more perfect Model of
a Pitture, is in the Language of Poets, to draw
up the Scenary of a (P/djy, and the reafon is the
fame for both ; to guide the Undertaking, and
to preferve the Remembrance of fuch things,
whofe Natures are difficult to retain.
To avoid Abfurdities and Incongruities, is the
fame Law eftablifli'd for both Arts. The Painter is
not to paint a Cloud at the Bottom of a Piflure,
but in the uppermoft parts : nor the Poet to place
what is proper to the end or middle in the begin-
ning of a Poem. I might enlarge on this, but
there arc few Poets or Painters, who can be fup-
pos'd to fin fo grofly againft the Laws of Nature,
and of Art. I remember onely one flay, and
for once I will call it by its name, The Slighted
Maid: where there is nothing in the Firji AEi, but
what might have been faid or done in the Fifth 5
nor any thing in the Midfl, which might not have
been plac'd as well in the Beginning or the End. To
exprefs the Paflions which are feated in the Heart
by outward Signs, is one great Precept of the
Painters, and very difficult to perform. In Poe-
try, the fame Paffions and Motions of the Mind
arc to be exprefs'd -, and in this confifts the prin-
cipal Difficulty, as well as the Excellency of that
Art* This, fays my Author, is the Gift of Jupi-
ter :
PREFACE. ' xlv.
ff r : and to fpeak in the fame Heathen Language,.
we call it the Gift of our A 'polio : not to be obtained
by Pains or Study, if we are not born to it. For.
the Motions which are ftudied are never fo natu-
ral, as thofe which breakout in the height of a re-
al Paffion. Mr. Otway poflefs'd this part as tho-
roughly as any of the Ancients or Moderns. I wiji
not defend every thing in his Venice prefenfd; but
I muft bear this teftimony to his Memory, That
the Paffions are truly touched in it, though perhaps
there is fomewhat to be defir'd both in the Grounds
of them,and in the Height and Elegance ofExpreffi*
on 5 but Nature is there,which is the greateft Beauty.
In the (Papons, fays our Author, we muft have
a Very great regard to the quality of f the (Perfons who
are actually poffefs'd with them. The Joy of a Mbr
narcb for the news of a Victory, muft not be ex>-
prefs'd like the Ecftafy of a Harlequin on, the Re-
ceipt of a Letter from his Miftrefsj this is Ib
much the fame in both the Arts, that it is no longer
a Comparifon. What he fays of Face painting, or
the Protrait of any one particular Perfon ; con-
cerning the likenefs is alfo as applicable to <Poetry*
In the character of an Hero, as well as in an inferi-
or Figure, there is a better or worfe likenefs to
be taken 3 the better is a ( Panegyrickif it be not
falli, and the worfe is a Libel : Sophocles, fays A?
riftotk
xlv;. ," PREFACE
riftotle always drew men as they ought to be, that
'is better than they were j another, whofe name I
have forgotten, drew them worfe than naturally
they were. Euripides altered nothing in the Cha-
racter, but made them fuch as they were reprc-
fented by Hiflory, Epique Toetry or Tradition. Of
the three, the draught of Sophocles is moft com-
mended by Ariftotle. I have followed it in that
part of Oedipus, which I writ, though perhaps I
have made him too good a man. But my Cha-
racters of Anthony and Cleopatra, though they are
favourable to them, have nothing of outrageous
*Panegyrick, their Pa/lions were their own, and
fuch as were given them by Hiflory, onely the de-
formities of them were caft into Shadows, that they
might be Objects of Companion j whereas if
I had chofen zNoon-day Light for them, fomewhat
muft have been difcoverd, which would rather
have mov'd our Hatred than our Pity.
The Gothique manner, and the barbarous Orna-
ments, which are to be avoided in a Tifturey are
juft the fame with thofe in an ill ordered ( P/^/. For
example, our Englifb Tragicomedy muft be confefs'd
to be wholly Gotlrique, notwithftanding the Succefs
which it has found upon our Theatre, and in the
Paftor Fido.of Guarini j even though Corifca and
the Satyr contribute fomewhat to the main Aclion.
Neither
PREFACE xlvij.
Neither can I defend my Spanifi Fryar, as fond *
as otherwife I am of it from this Imputation : for
though the comical parts are diverting, and the fe-
rious moving, yet they are of an unnatural min-
gle. For Mirth and Gravky deftroy each other,
and are no more to be allow'd for decent, than
a gay Widow laughing in a mourning Habit.
I had almoft forgotten one confiderable refcm-
llance. Du Frefnoy tells us, That the Figures of the
Grouppes, mujl not be all on a fide, that is, with
their Face and Bodies all tunid the fame way 5 ut
mujl contraft each other by their federal portions. Thus
in a (P/djy, fome characters muft be raised to op-
pofe others $ and to fet them off the better, ac-
cording to the old Maxim, Contraria juxta fe po-
flta y magis elucefcunt. Thus in the Scornful! Lady>
the Ufurer is fet to confront the Prodigal. Thus
in my Tyrannicque LoVe, the Atheift Maximin is og-
pos'd to the character of St. Catharine.
I am now come, though with the omi/fion of
many Likenejfes, to the third Part ofTamtingj
which is calFd the Cromatique or Colouring, E&
preffion, and all that belongs to words, is that in-
a Poem, which Colouring is in a (Pitture. The
Colours well chofen in their proper places, toge-
ther with the Lights and Shadows which belong;
to them, lighten the Defign, and make it pleafing
to
P R E F A C -E.
to the Eye. The Words, the Expreffions, the
Tropes and Figures, the Verfification, and all
-the other Elegancies of Sound, as Cadences,
Turns of Words upon the Thought, and many
other things which are all parts of expreffion,
perform exactly the fame Office both in Dra-
watijue and Epique Poetry. Our Author calls Co-
louring, Lena Sororis, in plain Englifli, The Bawd
of her Sifter the Defign or Drawing : die cloaths,
flie drefles her up, fhe paints her, fhe makes her
appear more lovely than naturally flie is, (he pro-
cures for the Dejign, and makes Lovers for her.
For the Dejign of it felf, is onely fo many naked
lines. Thus in Poetry , the Exprejfflon is that
\vhich charms the Q(eader, and beautifies the De-
fign which is onely the Out-lines of the Fables.
iTis true, the Dejtgn muft of it felf be good j if
it be vicious or (in one word) unpleafing, the
coft of Colouring is thrown away upon it. 'Tis
an ugly woman in a rich Habit fet out with Jew-
els, nothing can become her : but granting the
Dejtgn to be moderately good, 'tis like an ex-
cellent- Complexion with indifferent Features j the
white and red well mingled on the Face, make
what was before but. pauable, appear beautifulL
fiperum Colores is the very word which Horace ufes,
to fignify Words and elegant Expreffions, of which
he
PREFACE. xlix.
he himfelf was fo great a Mafter in his Odes. A-
mongft the Ancients, Zeuxis was moft famous
for his Colouring. Amongft the 'Moderns, Titian
and Correggio. Of the two Ancient Epique Poets,
who have fo far excell'd all the Moderns, the In-
dention and Defign were the particular Talents of
Homer. Virgil muft yield to him in both, for
the Defan of the Latine was borrowed from the
J o
Grecians But the dittio Virgiliana, the expreffion
of Virgil '; his Colouring was incomparably the bet-
ter, and in that I have always endeavour' d to
copy him. Moft of the Pedants I know main-
tain the contrary, and will have Homer excell e-
ven in this part. But of all people, as they are
the moft ill mannerd, fo they are the worft
Judges ; even of words which are their Province,
they feldom know more than the Grammatical
conftruction , unlefs they are born with a Poetical
Geniw-j which is a rare Portion amongftthem.
Yet fome I know may ftand excepted ; and fuch
I honour. Virgil is fo exact in every word, that
none can be chang'd but for a worfe : nor any
one remov'd from its place, but the banfiohy will
be alter'd. He pretends fometimes to trip ; but
'tis oncly to make you think him in danger of a
fall , when he is moft fecure. Like a skilfull
dancer on the Ropes (if you will pardon the
( g ) meannefs
PREFACE:
meannefs of the fimilitude) who flips willingly
and makes a feeming ftumble, that you may
think him in great hazard of breaking his neck $
while at the fame time he is onely giving you a
proof of his dexterity. My 1'ate Lord Gfyfcomon was
often pleas'd with this reflexion, and with the
examples of it in this admirable Author.
I have not leifure to run through the whole
Compart fon of Lights and Shadows with Tropes and
Figures; yet I cannot but take notice of Metaphors,
which like them have power to leflen or greaten
any thing. Strong and Rowing Colours are the juft
refemblances of bold Metaphors, but both muft be
judicioufly apply 5 d 5 for there is a difference be-
twixt daring and fool-hardinefs. Lucan and Sta-
tins often ventur'd them too far, our Virgil never.
But the great defect of the Thar/alia and the The-
lais was hi the Defegn ; if that had been more per-
feel", we might have forgiven many of their bold
ftrokes in the Colouring j or at leaft excused them :
yet fome of them are fuch as Dcmoftbcnes or Cice-
ro could not have defended, ffrgily if he could
have feen the firft Vcrfes of the Sylv*, would have,
thought Statins mad in his fuftian Defcription of
the Statue on the brazen Horfe. But that Toet was al-
ways in a Foam at his fetting out, even before the.
Motion of the Race had warrn'd him. The fa-
berne-s
PREFACE. II
bernefs of Virgil, whom he read it feems to little
purpofe, might have fliown him the difference be-
twixt, Armd virumfo cano, and Magnanimum ja-
cidem, formidatamfc tonanti frogeniem. But Virgil
knew how to rife by degrees in his expreffions :
Statins was in his towring heights at the firft ftretch
of his Pinions. The defcription of his running
Horfe juft ftarting in the Funeral Games for Ar-
chemoruf, though the Verfes are wonderfully fine,
are the true Image of their Author.
Stare adeo nefdt, fereunt Veftigia mille
Ante fugam; abfentemfyferitgraVis ungula camfum.
Which would coft me an hour, if I had the lei-
furetotranflatethem, there is fo much of Beauty
in the Original. Virgil, as he better knew his
Colours, fo he knew better how and where to place
them. In as much haft as I am, I cannot for-
bear giving one example. 'Tis faid of him,
That he read the Second, Fourth and Sixth (Books
of his jEneids to Auguftus Cxfar. In the Sixth,
(which we are fure he read, becaufe we know
Ottavia was prefent, who rewarded him fo boun-
tifully for the twenty Verfes which were made in
honour of her deceased Son Marcellus) in this fixth
Book I fay, the <Poet fpeaking of Mifenus the
Trumpeter, fays, ( g ^ )
lij, PREFACE
.... ..... Quo non prtftantior alter,
JEn ciere
And broke off in the Hemyftick or midft of the*
Verfe : but in the very reading fiez'd as it were
with a divine Fury y he made up the latter part of
the Hemyftick) with thefe following words $
.-. ..... Jtfartemq; accendere cantn.
How warm, nay how glowing a Colouring is this !
In the beginning of the Verfe, the word Ms^ or
Brafs, was taken for a Trumpet, becaufe the In-
ftument was made of that Metal, which of it felf
was fine 5 but in the latter end, which was made
ex tempor&, you lee three Metaphors, Martemque,
- accendere, ..... cantu. Good Heavens ! how the
plain fence is rate'd by the Beauty of the words.
But this was Happinefs, the former might be on-
ly Judgment : this was the curiofa felidtas, which
Qetroniits attributes to Horace, 'tis the Pencil thrown
luckily full upon the Horfes mouth to exprefs the
Foam which the fainter with all his. skill could
not perform without it. Thefe hits of words a
true <Poet often finds, as I may fay, without
feeking : but he knows their value when he finds
them, and is infinitely pleas'd. AiW!P0#may
fome-
P RE FA C E.
Ibmetimes light on them, but he difcerns not a
Diamond from a Bnftolftone 5 and would have
been of the Coch mind in y/0/>, a Grain of Bar-
ley would have pleas' d him better than the JeweL
The Lights and Shadows which belong to Colouring^
put me in mind of that Verfe in Horace, Hoc a-
mat ohfcurum, ^ult hoc fub luce Yiderl : fome parts
of a Foem require to be amply written,, and with,
all the force and elegance of Words : others muft.
be caft into Shadows; that is, pafs'd over in fi-
lence , or but faintly touch'd. This belongs
wholly to the. Judgment of the (poet and the Wain*
ter. . The moft beautifull parts of the fifture and
the (poem muft be the moft finifli'd, the Colours
and Words moft chofen ; many things in both
which are not deferving of this care, muft be fhif
ted off; content with vulgar expreflions and thofe
very fhort, and left as inafhadow to the imagi-
nation of the Deader.
We have the Proverb, manum de tabula, from,
the Painters 5 which fignifies, to know when to
give over, and to lay by the Pencil. Both Ho-
mer and Virgil practised this (Preceft wonderfully
well, but Virgil the better of the two. Homer-
knew that when Heftor was flain, Troy was as
good as already taken ; therefore he concludes his
Aftion there. For what, follows in the Funerals
liv. PREFACE
of Tatroclus, and the redemption of He&or's Bo-
dy, is not (properly fpeaking) a part of the main
Action. But Virgil concludes with the death of
Turnus: for after that difficulty was removed, JE-
neas might marry and eftablifli the Trojans when
he pleas'd. Tins Q(uk I had before my Eyes in the
conclufion of theS/?dw/ Fryar, when the difcove-
ry was made, that the King was living, which
was the knot of the Tlay unty'd, the reft is (hut
up in thecompafs of fome few lines, becaufe no-
thing then hinder'd the Happinefs ofTorifmondand
Leonora. The faults of that Drama are in the
kind of it, which is Tragicomedy. But it was
given to the people ; and I never writ any thing
for my felf but Anthony and Cleopatra.
This Remark I muft acknowledge is not fo pro-
per for the Colouring as the 'Dejign; but it will hold
for both. As the words, &r. are evidently (hown
to be the cloathing of the Thought, in the fame
fenfe as Colours are the cloathing of the Defign,
fo the (fainter and the <Poet ought to judge ex-
a&ly, when the Colouring and Expreflions are
perfeft, and then to think their work is truly
finifli'd. Apelles faid of Vrotogems , Tliat he
knew not when to give over. A work may be over-
wrought as well as under-wrought : too much
Labour often takes away the Spirit by adding to
the
P R E FAC E. lv.
the polifliing $ fo chat there remains nothing but a
dull corre&nefs, a piece without any confiderable
Faults, but with few Beauties ; for when the Spi-
rits are drawn off, there is nothing but a caput mor-
tunm. Statins never thought an expreffion could
be bold enough ; and if a bolder could be found
he rejected the firft. Virgil had Judgment enough
to know daring was neceflary ; but he knew the
difference betwixt a gloving. Colour and a glaring ;
as when he compared the fliocking of the Fleets
at Aftium to the juftling of I/lands rent from their
Foundations, and meeting in the Ocean. He knew
the comparifon was forc'd beyond Nature anck
rais'd too high : he therefore foftens the Metaphor
with a Credos. You would aimoft believe, that
Mountains or Iflands rufKd againft each
Credos innare reVulfas
Cydadds: aut montes concumre montibus
But here I muft break off without finifliing the
Difcourfe.
Cyntkius aurem Vellit O* admonuit, <&c. the things
which are behind are of too nice a confideration
for an Etfay, begun and ended in twelve Morn-
JJ . ' O
ings, and perhaps the Judges of 'Pdmfwg.and <Poe<
fry, when I tell them, how ihort a time it coft 4 .
Ivi. : PREFACE.
me, may make me the fame anfwer, which my
late Lord <%ocbefter made to one, who to com-
mend a Tragedy , faid it was written in three weeks^
How the Devil could he be io long about it ? For
that *Poem was infamoufly bad ; and I doubt this
Parallel is little better j and then the fliortnefs of
the time is fo far from being a Commendation,
that it is fcarcely an Excuie. But if I have really
drawn a Portrait to the Knees, or an half length
with a tolerable Likenefs, then I may plead with
fome Juftice for my felf, that the reft is left to
the Imagination. Let fome better Artift pro-
vide himfelf of a deeper Canvas, and taking thefe
hints which I have given , fet the Figure on its
Legs, and finifh it in the Invention, Defign and
Colouring.
Ivij,
PREFACE
O F T H E
French Author.
AMong all the beautiful and delightful
Arts, that of Painting has always
found the mofl Lovers 5 the number
of them almoft including rf# Mankind.
Of whom great multitudes are daily found \ who
value tbemfelves on the kiiowledge of it\ either
becaufe they keep company with Painters, or that
they have feen good Pieces 3 or laftly, becaufe
their Gufto is naturally good. Which notwith-
ftanding, that Knowledge of theirs (if we may
fo call it) is fo very fuperficial, and fo ill ground-
ed > that it K impoffible for them to defer ibe in
what confifts the beauty cfthofe Works which they
admire, or the faults which are in the. greateft
{ h ) fart
MT. PREFACE
fart cftbofe which they condemn: and truly V/5
net hard to find, that this proceeds from no other
caufe, than that they are not furnffi d with Rules
by which to judge, nor have any folid Foundati-
ons, which are as fo many Lights fet up to clear
their unJerftanding and lead them to an entire
and certain faow/edge. I think, it fuperfluous
to prove that this it nece/ary to the knowledge of
Painting. *Tis fufficient, that Painting be ac-
knowledgd for an Art 5 for that being granted
it follows without difpute, that no Arts are with-
out their Precepts. Ifhatt fatisfy my felf with
telling you, that this little Treatife witt furnijh
you with infallible Rules of judging truly : fince
they are not o?iely founded upon right Reafon
but upon thebeft Piece5 of the be ft Matters* which
our Author hath carefully examin d during the
fpaceof 'more than thirty years ; and on which he
has made all the reflections which are necejfary to
render thi& Treatife worthy of Pofterity : which
though little in bult^ yet contains mo ft judicious
Remar^s^ and fuffers nothing to efcape that is ef-
fential to the Subject which it handles. If you
will pleafe to reatf it with attention, you will
find it capable of giving the moft nice and deli-
cate fort ^/Knowledge, not onely to the Lovers,
but even to the- Profeflors of, that Art.
PREFACE:
It would be too long to tell you the particular
advantages which it has above all the Books
which, hath affeard before it in this kjnd: you
need onely to read it, and that mil convince you
of this truth. All that I mil allow my fe/f to fay,
/5 onely this, That there is not a word in it, which
carries not its weight-, whereas in all others,
there are two confiderable faults which lie cj>en
to the fight, (viz.) That faying too much, they
always fay too little- / a/ure myfelf, that the
Reader will own 'tis a wor\ of general profit , to
the Lovers of Painting, for their inftruffion how
to judge exaftly 5 and with Knowledge of the Caufe,
which they are to judge. And to tk Painters
themfelvcs, by removing their difficulties, that
they may worJ^ with fleafure ; becaufe they may
be in fome manner certain that their Productions
are good. *Ti& to be ufed like Spirits and preci-
ous Liquours, thelefsyou cfrinl^of it at a time
'tis with the greater fleafure: read it often, and
but little at once, that you may digefl it better 5
and dwell farticularly on thofe pa/ages which
you find marled with an Afterifm*. For the
obfervations which follow fuch a Note, will give
you a clearer Light, on the matter which is there
treated. Tou will find them by the Numbers
which are on the fide of the Tranflation, from five
( h 2 ) , ft
1
P REFA C E.
to five Vcr fcs ; by fearching for the likf Number
in the Remarb which are at the end of it, and
which are diftinguijtid from each other by this
note T- Tou will fin Jin the latter Pages of this
Book, the Judgment of the Author on thofe
Painters, who have acquire/ the grcateft Repu-
tation in the World. Among/I whom, he was not
willing to comprehend tbofe who are now living:
They are undoubtedly his, as being found among
his Papers written in his own hand.
As for the Profe Tranflation which you will
find on the other fide of the Latine Poem, Imuft
inform you on whatoccafion, and in what manner
it was perform d. The Love which I had for Pain-
ting, and the pleafure which I found in the Ex-
ercife of that noble Art, at my lei fare hours, gave
me the defire of being acquainted with the late
Mr. du FRESNO Y 5 who was generally reputed
to have a through knowledge of it. Our Ac-
quaintance at length proceeded to that degree of
Intimacy 5 that he intrufled me with his Poem,
wbitb he believd me capable both of underftan-
ding, and tranflating $ and accordingly defird
me to undertake it- The truth is y that we bad
confers d fo often on that Subje<5t, and he had
communicated his Thoughts of it fo full) to me $ .
that t Lhadnot the leafl remaining difficulty con-
cerning
PREFACE. Ixi
eerning it- 1 undertook therefore to tranflate />,
and imployd my felf in it with Pleafure, Care,
and Affiduby j after which ^ I put it into his
hands, and he alter d in it what he pleas' d, till
at loft it was wholly to his Mind- And then he
gave his Confent that it jhould be publijh'd:
but his Death preventing that Defign, I bought
it a wrong to his Memory, to deprive Mankind
any longer of this Tranflation, whichlmayfafe-
ly affirm to be done according to the true fence of
the Author, and to his liking: Since he him*
felf has given great Teftimomes of his Approba-
tion to many of his Friend i, and they who were
acquainted with him^ know his humour* tabe fitch,,
that he woud?iever con/train himfelf fo far, at to
commend what he did not really approve. /
thought my felf obligd to fay thus much, invinr
die at ion of the faithfulnefs of my Work, to thofe
who under ft and not the Latine : for as to thofe*
who are conversant in both the tongues, Heave
them to make their own judgment of it.
The Remarks which I have added to his worlc,
are alfo wholly co?iformable to hi* opinions 5 and'
lam certain that he woud not have difapprovd'
them. I have endeavour d in them to explain-
feme of the mo ft obfcure palTages , and thofe
which aremojlncccffwy to be underflood ; and'
Ixij. PREFACE.
I bow done this according to the manner wherein
he usdto exfrefs himfelfjn many Converfations
which we had together. I have confine/ them
a/fo to the ?iarroweft compafs I was able^ that I
might not tire the patience of the Reader, and
that they might be read by all perfons. But if it
happens, that they are not to the taft of fome
Readers (as doubt lefs it will fo fall out) Heave
them entirely to their own discretion, and fb all
not be difpleasd that another hand jlouJ fuc-
ceed better. Ijhall onely beg this favour from
them, that in reading what I have written, they
will bring no particular gufto along with them,
or any prevention of mind, and that whatfoever
judgment they make, it may be -purely their own,
whether it be in my favour, or in my condem-
nation.
i
A TABLE of the Precepts
Contain'd in this T R EA TISE.
. - '
F what is Beautiful, p. 7
Of Theory and PratticeS
Concerning the Suljefl. 1 1
Invention the firfl part of
Painting. 1 1
The Difpofition of the whole
Work. ib.
The Faithfulness of the Sul-
jett. ib.
Whatfoever palls the Suljeft
to be re jetted. 1 5*
Defign, or Drawing the fe-
cond part of Painting. \ 6
Variety in the Figures. 1 9
The Members and Drapery of
every Figure to &e fuita*
lie to it. ib.
The Aftions of Mutes to le
imitated. ib.
Of the principal Figure of
the Suljett. ib.
Qrouppes of Figures. 10
The Diverfity of Poflures in
the Grouppes. ib.
Equality of the Piece. ib.
Of the number of Figures. 13
Of the Joints and Feet. ib.
The Motions of the Hands
and Head muft agree, ib.
What mufl le avoided in the di-
Jlrilution of the Figures^.
That we mufl not tie our fellies
to Nature, lut accommo-
date her to our Genius. X4
Ancient Figures the Rules of
imitating Nature. x/
A Jingle Figure how to le
treated. ib.
Of the Draperies. ib.
What things contribute to a-
dorn the Pifture. 3 1
Of precious Stones and Pearls
for Ornament. ib.
The Model. ib.
The Scene of the Pitture. ib.
The Graces and thetfoHenefs.
ib.
Let every thing le fet in its
proper place. ib.
Of the Paffions. 32-
Gothique Ornamns to le a-
voided. ib.
Colouring the third part of
Painting. 3 5-
The.
Ixlv.
INDEX.
The Conduct of the Tones of
.Light and Shadows. 3 9
Of dark Bodies on light
grounds. 40
That there nwft not le two e-
qual Lights in a Pifturc. 43
OfWhite and Black. 44
fbe Reflection of Colours. 4 7
The Vnion of Colours. ib.
Of the Jnterpofition of Air. ib.
The relation of D /fiances. 48
Of Bodies which are diftancd.
ib.
Of Bodies which are contigu-
ous , and of thofe which are
federated. ib.
Contrary 'extremities to le a-
voided. ib.
Diverpty of Tones and Co-
lours, ib.
The Choice of Light. 5-1
Of certain thing? relating to
the practical part, ib.
The Field, or Ground of the
Picture, ib.
Of the Vivacity of Colours. $z
Of Shadows. ib.
The Pifture to&e of one Piece.
ib
The Looking-glafs ?he Pain-
ters left Mafler. ib.
An half Figure, or a whole one
before others. ib.
i Portrait. 55
The place of the Piclure. ib.
Large Lights. ^6
What Lights are requipte. ib.
Things which are vicious in
Painting to le avoided, ib.
The prudential part of a Pain-
ter, ib.
The Idea of a beautiful Piece.
**
Advice to a young Paint er\b.
Art muft le fubfervicnt to
the Painter. 60
Diverfity and Facility are
pleajing. ib.
The Original muft le in the
Head, and the Copy on the
Cloth. ib.
The Compafs to le in the
Eyes. ib.
Pride an Enemy to good
Painting. 63
Knon> yourjelf. ib.
Praftife perpetually. 64
The Morning moft proper for
Work. ib.
Every day dofomcthing. ib.
The Pajfions which are true
and natural ib.
OfTable-Books. 6j
The method of Studies for a
young Painter. 7 1
Nature and Experience per-
fetl Art. 7 $
THE
THE ART
O F
r% A f -%. . T T"*
PAINT
DEARTH
/"^ O A Tl TT T <O \
GKAFHICA
LIBER.
UT PICTURA POESIS ERIT ; fimilifque
Sit (PicJura, refert far <tmula qu<tfc /or or em,.
Alternantque Vices ^r nomina j muta tPoefis
TDlcltur b<tc, tPiftura loquensfolet ilia Vocari.
@t*od fuit auditu gratum cecinere *Poet<t,
(hod pulchrum afpefttt tPiElores finger e cur ant :
Qutque (Poetarum numeris indignafuere,
Non eadem Pittorum oferam ftudiumque merentur :.-
Amb<t quippe facros ad fylligionh lonores
1 o. Sydereos fuperant ignes, dulamque Tonantis
bigrefoj Dtium afpeflu, alloquioque fruuntur $
Oraque magna 'Deum w ditta obferVata reportant,
Codeftemque fuorwn operum mortalibus ignem.
bide per kunc orbemftudiiscoeuntibtuerrant,
Carfentes
THE
Art of Painting.
* "W^VAinting and Poefy are two Sifters, which
\J are fo like in all things, chat they mu
tually lend to each other both their
i y-x/r* y-v n i are more aw-
Name and Orhce. One is call d a/>/? txfkutd
dumb Poefy, and the other a fpeaking Pi&ure/*^* **"
The Poets have never faid any thing but what j.
they believ'd would pleafe the Ears. And it has
been the conftant endeavour of the Painters to
give pleafure to the Eyes. In fliort, thofe things
which the Poets have thought unworthy of their
Pens, the Painters have judg'd to be unworthy
of their Pencils. * For both of them, that they
might contribute all within their power to the
facred Honours of Religion, have rais'd them- \ o .
felves to Heaven, and, having found a free ad-
miffion into the Palace of JoVe himfelf, have en-
joy'd the fight and converfation of the Gods 5
whofe Majefty they obferve, and contemplate
the wonders ot their Difcourfej in order to relate
them to Mankind ; whom at the fame time they,
infpire with thofe Cceleftial Flames, which fliine
fo glorioufly in their Works. From Heaven they
B z take
Tbe Art of Fainting.
take their paflage through the World 5 and arc
neither (paring of their pains nor of their ftudy to
jr. colled whatfoever they find worthy of them.
*They dive (as I may fay) into all paft Age*;
and fearch their Hiftories, for Subjects which are
* proper for their ufe : with care avoiding to treat
of any but thofe which, by their noblenefs, or by
fome remarkable accident, have defcrv'd to be
confecrated to Eternity, whether on the Seas, or
20. Earth, or in the Heavens. And by this their
c f ire and ftudy it comes to pafs, that the glory
of Heroes is not extinguish' d with their lives :
and that thofe admirable works, thofe prodigies
of skill, which even, yet are the objects of our ad-
miration, are ftill preferv'd. * So much thefe Di-
vine Arts have been always honour'd : and fuch
^ authority they preferve amongft Mankind. Ic
will not here be necefTary to implore the fuccour
of Apollo, and the Mules : for the g.raceftilnefs of
the Difcourfe^ or for the Cadence of the Verfes :
which containing onely Precepts, have not fa
much need of Ornament, as of Perfpicuity.
o. I pretead not in this Treatife to tye the hands
of Artifts, whofe skill confifts onely in a certain
practice, or manner which they have affe&ed;
and made of it as it were a Common Road.
Neither would I ftifle the Genius by a jumbled
heap
De Arte Graphics
Carpentes qu* dignafui, reVolutaque luflrant
Tempora. Qu^rendis confortibus Argumentis.
'Demcjue qutcumque in codo, terraque, marique
Longius in tempus durare, ut pukbra, merentw>
Nobilitate fua claroque inpgnia cafn y
Dives & amfla manet <Pittores atque <Poetas
Materies, inde aha fonant per facula mundo
in^ magnammw Heroibus inde fuperjtes
a^ perfetuoque aperum miracula reftant :
Tantns ineft divis honor Artibm atque
Now mibi (pieriduw chorus hie, nee Apollo "Vocandits, 25,.
Majus jit eloquium numeris aut gratia fandi
Dogmaticis illuftret opw rationibus horrens :
Cum nitidatantitm&facili digefta loquela., ,
Ornari pr<ecepta negant $ content a doceri.
Nee, mibi mens an'mufoe fuit conftringere nodos J o.
Artifcmm manibiM) quos tantum dirigit ufus 5
Indolis ut Vigor inde potens obftriftus bebefcatj
Nor-
De Arte Graphica.
TSLonnarum numero immani Geniumquc moretur
Sed rerum ut fallens Ars cogmtlone gradatim
Nature fefe mjinuet y Irerique capacem
Tranfeat in Gemum y Geniufque ufu induat Artem.
imprimis Artifyue fotijjima pars eft,
( * m re ^ N atura crearit ad Artem
iPulchritifjidqueModumjuxta, Mentemque Vetuftam,
DePukhro. ^ e ut( * m re ^ N atura crearit ad Artem
40. Q<L fi ne farbaries c<eca & temeraria Pukhrum
fifyfifft* infukans ignota audacior Arti,
Ut curare nequit, qua non modo ncfrerit effe,
Uludapud Fitter esfuit, unde notabile dittum,
Nil Piftore malo fecurius atquc Poeta.
Cogniu
The Art of fainting, f
heap of Rules: nor extinguifli the fire of a veicr
which is lively and abundant. But rather to
make this my bufinefs, that Art being ftrength-
ned by the knowledge of things, may at length
pafs into Nature by flow degrees ; and fo in pro- j j,
cefs of time may be fublim'd into a pure Genius
which is capable of choofing judicioufly what is
true 5 and of diftinguifliing betwixt the beauties
of Nature, and that which is low and mean in
her ; and that this Original Genius by long exer-
ciie and cuftoms, may perfectly poflefs all the
Rules and Secrets of that Art.
* The principal and moft important part of Poepti.
_ . . > r r , j , r , , r Of what is
Painting, is to hnd out and thoroughly to un- e **tifiiU.
derftand what Nature has made moft beautifull,
and moft proper to this Art ; * and that a choice
of it may be made according to the guft and
manner of the Ancients, * without which all is 40.
nothing but a blind, and radi barbarity $ which
rejects what is moft beautifull, and feems with an
audacious infolence to defpife an Art, of which
it is wholly ignorant : which has occafion'd thefe
words of the Ancients : Tliat no man isfo boU, fo
rafh, and fo overweening of bisowniwrh, as an ill
Painter, and a lad *Poet, who are not confciotts to
tlxmf elves of their own Ignorance.
8 the Art of fainting.
4j. -* We love what we underftand j we defire
what we love 3 we purfue the enjoyment of thofe
things which we defire ; and arrive at laft to the
pofleffioh of what we have purfu d, if we con-
ftantly perfift in our Defign. In the mean time,
we ought not to expect that blind Fortune (hould
infallibly throw into our hands thofe Beauties :
For though we may light by chance on fome
which are true and natural, yet they may prove
either not to be decent or not to be ornamental.
5 o. Becaufe is is not fufficient to imitate Nature in
every circumftance, dully, and as it were literally,
and meanly 5 but it becomes a Painter to take
what is mod beautifull, * as being the Soveraign
Judge of his own Art ; and that by the progrefs
which he has made, he may underftand how to
correct his errors, and * permit no tranfient
Beauties to efcape his obfervation.
of 7% * In the fame manner, that bare practice, de-
Prattler, ftitute of the Lights of Art, is always fubject to
fall into a Precipice like a blind Traveller, wich-
5 j. out being able to. produce any thing which con-
tributes toafolid reputation: So the fpeculative
part of Painting, without the affiftance of manual
operation, can never attain to that perfection
which is its object : But floathfully languishes as
in a Prifon : for it was not with his Tongue that
Afdles
De Arte Graphics 9
Cognita amas, & amata cupis, fequerifque cupita .j 45",
Pa/ibus affequeris tandem qu# ferridus urges ;-
Ilia tamen qu<t puldra decent j non omnia cafus
Qualiacumque dabunt, etiamVe fimillima Veris :
Nam quamcumque modo ferVili haudfuffiit iff am
Naturam exprimere ad Wum, fed ut Arbiter Artis j o.
Seliget ex ilia tantttm pukberrima ViElor.
fluodque minus pulcbrum, aut mendofum corriget ipfe
Marte ftto, forma Vemres captando fugaces.
Utque manusgrandi nil nomine praElica dignum
ri purum arcan* quam deficit Artis
Lumen j & in prdceps abitura ut cxca Vagatur 5
Sic nibil Ars opera manuum privata fupremum
Exequatur, fed languet iners uti vintta lacertos ;
>ifpojitumque t)pum non lingua pinxit Apelles.
C
II.
turn.
De Arte Graphics.
60. Ergo licet tot a normam baud pojjimus in Arte
(Ponere, (cum nequeant qu<t funt pulcberrima did)
Nitimur b<ec pancis, Jcrutati fumma magiftrrt
Dogmata Nature, Artifque Exemplaria prima
Altius intuit i j Jlc mcns babihfque facultas
Indolis excolitur, Geniumque fcientia compkt,
Luxurianfque in monftra furor compefcitur Arte : '
Eft modus in rebus, funt certi denique fines,
Quos ultra citraque nequit confiftere rectum..
turn.
OeArgur pfa pofetis, eritoptandum TliemanoKle y pulcbrum,
7 a Quofyue "Venuftatum circa Formam atque Color em
Sponte capax amplam emerit* mox pr&beat Arti
Materiam, retegens aliquidfalis <^ document*.
Tandem i
The Art of Painting. * it
dpelles perform'd his Noble Works. Therefore 60.
though there are many things in Painting, of
\vhich no precife rules are to be given ( * becaufe
the greateft Beauties cannot always be exprefs'd
for want of terms) yet I fhall not omit to give
fome Precepts which I have fele&ed from among
the moft considerable which we have received
from Nature, that exact School- miftrefs, after ha-
ving examin'd her moft fecret recefles, as well as
^ thofe Mafter-pieces of Antiquity, which were
the firft Examples of this Art : And, 'tis by this
means that the mind, and the natural difpofition 65,.
are to be cultivated ; and that Science perfects
Genius, * and alfo moderates that fury of the
fancy, which cannot contain it felf within the
bounds of Reafon 3 but often carries a man into
dangerous extremes : For there is a mean in all
things 3 and a certain meafure, wherein the good and
the heautifull confijl - y and out of which they never
can depart.
This being premised, the next thing is to make ^.
choice of * a Subject beautifull and noble \theSahjei
which being of it ielf capable of all the charms. 70.
and graces, that Colours, and the elegance of
Defigncan poffibly give, fhall afterwards afford,
to a perfect and confummate Art, an ample field
of matter wherein to expatiate it felf5 to exert all
C 2 its
12 The Art of Painting.
its power, and to produce foraewhat to the fight
which is excellent, judicious, * and well fea-
fon'd 5 and at the fame time proper to inftruct,
and to enlighten the Underftanding.
Thus at length I enter into the Subject-matter
of my Difcourfe 5 and at firft find only a bare
ftrain'd Canvafs : * on which the whole Machine
(as it may be call'd) of the Pi&ure is to be dif-
pos'd; and the imagination of a powerfull, and
eafy Genius 5 * which is what we properly call
the Indention.
f * INVENTION is a kind of Mufe,
which being poflefs'd of the other advantages
common to her Sifters 5 and being warm'd by
the fire of JpoBo, is rais'd higher than the reft,
and fhines with a more glorious, and brighter
flame.
iv. * 'Tis the bufinefs of a Painter, in his choice
tionorOfu- of Poftures, to forefee the effect, and harmony of
r ^ e ^ nts an ^ Shadows, with the Colours which
are to enter into the whole ; taking from each of
them, that which will moft conduce to the pro-
duction of a beautifull Effect.
v. * Let your Compofitions be conformable to
fhe tne Text of Ancient Authours, toCuftoms, and
to Times.
*Takr
De Arte Graphica.
^
Tandem opus aggredior, primoque occurrit in Al&o
Difponenda typi concepta potente MinerVa
J t- -'X L I
Macbina, qu# noftris Inventio dicitur oris.
Ilk quidem pnits ingemis inftrufla Sororum
Artitus Amidum-i & <PMi fublimior *
prma
r.e pars.
@u<erendafque inter PofiturM, luwinis,
Atque futurorum jam fr^fentm colorum
far erit harmoniam, captando ab utrifque Venuftm.
IV.
Difpofitio,^
ve opens to-
tius Oeconc-
mia,
80.
Stt Tbematts venuma ac VtVa expreffio mxta V.
T- AS " f ' - FidelitasAir-i
Jextum dntiquorum, proprus cum tempore formis. gumenti.
Nee
J4 ' De Arte Graphica.
VL .. Nee quod inane, nilril facit ad rem, fh& Videtur
Inane rejici- * . . . , J * /
.endum. Improprtum, mmimeque urgent, pottor a tenebit
Ornament a of ens 5 Tragicafed legefororis
Summaubi res agitvr, Vis fumwarequiritur Arth.
Ifta labore gravi, ftudio, monitifque Magiftri
Arduafan necjnlt addifci rariffima: namque
2V* fritis tetbereo rapult quod ab axe (profaetbeu*
Sit jubar infufum menu cumflamine Vite,
Mbrtali baud cuivis diVuu b<tc munera dantur y
Non uti Dasdaleam Ikec omnibus ire Corinthum.
jEgypto informis quondam *Pitura reperta,
Grrtcorum ftudiis & mentis acumine credit:
Egregiis tandem illuftrata <& adult a Magiftris
Naturam vifa eft miro fuperare labor e.
Quos inter Grapbidos gymnajia primafulre,
Portus Athenarum, Sicyon, Gfyodos, atque Corinthus?
Difparia inter fe, modicum rations Laboris-,
lit
' ' Tk Art of Painting. >
* Take care that whatfoever makes nothing
to your Subject, and is improper to it, be not pail* the s*&-
admitted into your Work, or not poflefs the #,2 e
chief place in it. But on this occafion , imi- 85.
tate the Sifter of Painting, Tragedy : which em-
ploys the whole forces of her Art in the main
Action.
* This part of Painting, fo rarely met with,
and fo difficult to be found, is neither to be ac-
quir'd by pains or ftudy, nor by the Precepts or
Counfels of any Mafter. For they alone who
have been infpir'd at their birth with fome por-
tion of that Heavenly fire * which was ftollen
by Prometheus, are capable of receiving fo divine
a prefent. As the Proverb tells us, * that it bap-
fens not to every one to fee Corinth.
Painting firft appear'd in Egypt : but wholly
different from the truth, till having travelled into
Greece , and being cultivated by the Study, and
fublime Genius of that Nation, *it arriv'd at
length to that height of perfection, that it feem'd
to furpafs even Original nature.
Amongft the Academies, which were conv
pos'd by the rare Genius of thofe Great men,
thefe four are reckoned as the principal : namely,
the Athenian School, that of Sicyon, that oftifyodcs,
and that of Corinth. Thefe were little different
from
1 6
100.
4 i o.
The Art of Fainting.
from each other, onely in the manner of their
work; as it may be feen by the Ancient Sta-
tues, which are the <%ule of Beauty, and to which
fucceeding Ages have nothing that is equal :
* Though they are not very much inferiour
either in Science, or in the manner of their Exe-
cuton.
A Pofture therefore muft be chofen accor-
to their gufto : * The Parts of it muft be
great * and large, * unequal in their pofition,
fo that thofe which are before muft contraft ( or
oppofe) thofe others which are hindermoft, and
all of them be equally balanced on their Centre.
* The Parts muft have their out-lines in waves
refernbling flames, or the gliding of a Snake up-
on the ground: They muft be fmooth, they
muft be great, they muft be almoft imperceptible
to the touch, and even, without either Eminen-
ces or Cavities. They muft be drawn from far,
and without breaks, to avoid the multiplicity of
lines. Let the Mufcles be well inferted and
bound together * according to the knowledge of
them which is given us by Anatomy. Let them
be * defign'd after the manner of the Grecians :
and let them appear but little, according to
what we fee in the Ancient Figures. In fine, * let
there be a perfect relation betwixt the parts and
the
De Arte Graphics
patetex Veterum ft atuis, forma atque decoris
ArcbetyfiSy quits pofterior nil protulit rtta*
Condignum, & noninferius longe Arte, Modoque:
Horum igitur Vera ad normam Pofitura legetur^
Grandia y mAcjualis, formofaque (Partibus amplis
Anterior a dabit membra, in contraria motu
Dfterfo Janata, fuo liberataque centre ;
too.
VIE
GRAPHIS
feu Pofitura,
Secunda Pi-
6tur* pars.
I Of.
Membrorumque Sinus ignis flammantis ad inflar
Serpenti undantes flexu, fed Uvia plana
Magnaque figna, quafi fine tubers fubdita tatttt
Ex longo deducia fluant, non fetta minutim y
Infertifyue Torts fat nota ligamina juxta
Compagem Anatbomes, & membrifcatio Gr&o
Deformata Modo, paucifque exprejfa lacertis,
Qualis apud Veteres ; totoque Euritbmia partes
D Componat,
1 10,
1 8 De Arte Graphica,
1 1 j. Componat, genit unique fuo generante fequenti
Sit minus, & punflovideantur amftafub mo
Gfygula certa licet neqtteant (profpettica did)
Ant comflementum Grapbidos j Jed in arte j
Et Modus aecelerans operandi : ut corpora falfo
S u b ^ l f u m m ^ltis referens mendofa labafcit:
Nam Geometralem nunquam [unt corporajuxta
Menjuram defifta oculis, fed qualia "Vifa.
VIII. t Js^bw eadem form* fpecies* non omnibus
Vanetas in _ ,. r .f. r . f ^. .
Figuris. jEquattt, pmiltjque color, crmejque Ftguns :
* <r * J * \^t
125. Nam V arils Velut ort a flagi* Gens difpareVultu.
Figuraftuna Singula membra fuo capiti conformla fiant
cum Mem- Unum idemque tlmul c orpus cum 'Veftibus ipfis :
bris& Vefti-,,^ l r j , ^ / - . /.
bus. Mutorumque Jilens Tojitura imitabitur actus.
Mutorum a-
ftiones imi-
tandae.
XL
Trima Figurarum, feu tprinceps Dramatis ultro
O. *ProJiliat media in Tabula fub lum'me primo
Pulchriw ante alias, reliquis nee oferta Figuris.
The Art of Painting. 19
the whole, that they may be entirely of a piece.
Let the part which produces another part, be 115.
more ftrong than that which it produces ; and
let the whole be feen by one point of Sight.
* Though Perfpe<5tive cannot be call'd a certain
rule or a finifliing of the Picture, yet it is a great
Succour and Relief to Art,and facilitates the means
of Execution 5 yet frequently falling into Errors, no.
and making us behold things under afalfe Afpe<5t$
for Bodies are not always reprefented according
to the Geometrical Plane, but fuch as they ap-
pear to the Sight.
Neither the Shape. of Faces, nor the Age, nor vili.
the Colour ought to be alike in all Figures, any feJS**
^s "^? A*lMYC$
more than the Hair : becaufe Men are as different l 2 r
from each other, as the Regions in which they
are born, are different.
* Let every Member be made for its own
head, and agree with it. And let all together and
compofe but one Body, with the Draperies which
are proper and fuitable to it. And above all, Idktoit.
* let the Figures to which Art cannot give a voice, The
imitate the Mutes in their Actions. f e
* Let the principal Figure of the Subjeft ap- 1 3
pear in the middle of the Piece under the ftrong- XL
eft Light, that it may have fomewhat to make ^ Figure of
it more remarkable than the reft, and that the Fi-
D 2 gures
e *-
The Art of Painting.
gures which accompany it, may not fteal it from?
our Sight.
XIL *Let the Members be combined in the fame
Banner as the Figures are, that is to fay, coupled
and knit together. And let the Grouppes be fe-
parated by a void fpace , to avoid a confus'd
heap j which proceeding from parts that are dif-
*$? P crs 'd without any Regularity, and entangled
one within another, divides the Sight into many
Rays, and caufcs a difagreeable Confufion.
XIIL * The Figures ia the Grouppes, ought not to
be like each other in their Motions, any more
s. than in their Parts : nor to be all on the fame fide,
140. but let them contraft each other: bearing them*-
felvefi on the one fide, in Oppofition to thofe which
are fet againft them on the other.
Amongftmany Figures which (how their fore-
parts let there be fome one whofe hinder parts may
be feen ; oppofing the Shoulders to the Stomach^
and the right fide to the left.
* One fide of the Picture muft not be void,
f -while the other is fill'd to the Borders ^ but let
matters be fo well difpos'd, that if one fide of
the Piece be full, the Painter fhall find fome oc-
i j o. cafion to fill the other ; fo that they fliall appear
in fome fort equal whether there be many Figures
ia it, or but few.
*As
De Arte Graphics
21
Agglomeratafimul fint membra, ipfaque Figure
Stipentur, circumque globos locus ufque Vacabit ;
2N&, male difperfis dum vifus ubique Figuris
Dividitur, cunftifque operis ferVente tumultu
Qartibus implicitit crepitans confufio furgat*.
XIL
Figararutu;
GloblieuCu-
muli.
Zique figurarum cumulis non omnibus idem
Corporis inflexus, nwtufque y Vel artibus omnes
Confer jls fariter non connitantur eodem,
Sed< qu&dam in diverfa trabant contraria membra
Tranfverseque alii s pungent y & cetera frangant.
adverfis aVerfam off one figurant,
e burner os, <& dexter a membra fintftrif)
Sen multis conftabit Opus, paucifve
Alter a pars tabuU Vacuo ne frigida Campo
Aut defertafiety dumjjuribus altera formis
Fertida mokfuafupremamexurgitad omm:;
Sed tibi fie fofitis refpwdeat utraque rebtts,
lit fi aliquid furfumfe parte attollat in ma y
Sic aliquid farte ex.alia confurgat, & ambits
geminat cumukndo ttqualiter oras.
XIIL
Pofiturorum
diAerfitas in
cumulis.
14P.
145.
XIV.
men turn*
22 De Arte Graphica.
XV. (pluribus implidtum ferfonis Drama fupremo
* *" ? n g enere ut rarum e ft > MultlS tfd *fe?2/d Figuris
G(arior eft Tabula excellent 3 Ve/ adhucfere nulla
i 5 j. Prtfftitit in mukis quod v/x tmfrtftat in una :
folet rerum nimio differ fa tumultn
Majeftate carere graVi requieque decora ;
TSLec ffeclofa nitet Vacuo nifi liber a Camfo.
SedfiOptre in magno pluws Tlwnagrande requirat
. EJfefigurarum Cumulos, fpeftabitur una,
Macbina tot a rei, nonfingula qujque feorfim.
XVI.
I nternodia &
Pedes cxhi- <Pr<ecipua extremis raro Intenwdia membris
cendi. / .
XVIL dbditafmt: Jed Jumma Tedum Vefttgia nunquam.
Motusmaiiu-
ummotuica-
pids jungen- Gratia nulla manet, motujque, "Vigor c^ue Figures
S \6* Gfyt aliisfubter major i ex farte latent es,
XVIIL Nil cafitis motum manibus comitmtur agendo.
i^ofSfi 1 Deciles fugito afpeclus, contrattaque Vifu
ane&CovfrMembra fub ingrato, motufque, aftufque coaffos,
**** Quodque
fke Art of Fainting.
* As a Play is very feldom good, in which there -- ?
7 A o r > & r i i r i / the
are too many Actors, io tis very leldom ken and fa of
almoft impoflible to perform,that a Picture fhould^^'
be perfect in which there are too great a number
of Figures. And we cannot wonder that fo few
Painters have fucceeded who have introduced into \ r -.
their works many Figures. Becaufe indeed there
are not many Painters to be found, who have
fucceeded happily, when even they have intro-
duc'd but few. Many difpers'd Objects breed
confufion, and take away from the Pidure
that grave Majefty, that foft fflence and repofe,
which give beauty to the Piece, and fatisfaZtion
to the fight. But if -you are conftrained by the
fubject, to admit of many Figures, you muft then 1 60.
conceive the whole together 3. and the effect of
the work at one view ; and not every thing fepa-
rately and in particular. xvi.
* The extremities of the Joints muft be feldom
hidden, and the extremities or end of the Feet ne-
^.
The nations of
the hands and
* The Figures which are behind others, have mffj * +
neither Grace nor Vigor, unlefs the Motions of
the hands accompany thofe of the Head.
Avoid the views which are difficult to be found,
and are not natural, as alfo forced Actions and
Motions. Show no parts which are ungracious
to
Art of Painting.
to the Sight , as all fore (hortnings , ufually
are.
* Avoid alfo thofe Lines and Out-lines which
are equal $ which make Parallels, or other fliarp
170. pointed and Geometrical Figures; fuch as are
Squares and Triangles.; all which by being too
exacl: give to the Eye a certain difpleafing Sym-
metry, which produces no good effect. But as
I have already told you, the. principal Lines ought
to contraft each other : For which reafon in
thefe out-lines, you ought to have a fpecial regard
17-^ to the whole together: for 'tis from thence that
the Beauty and Force of the parts proceed.
xix. * Be not fo ftrictly ty'd to Nature, that you
mt**ie fallow nothing to ftudy, and the bent of your
{^ S fa?%~ own Genius. But on the other fide, believe not
commodate that your Genius alone, and the Remembrance
xiw. r " of thofe things which you have feen, can afford
you wherewithall to furnifli out a beautifull Piece,
without the Succour of that incomparable School-
miftrefs, Nature; * whom you muft have al-
480. ways prefent as a witnefs to the Truth. We may
make a thoufand Errors of all kinds $ they are
every- where to be found, and as thick fet as
Trees in Forefts, and amongft many ways which
miflead a Traveller, there is but one true one
which conducts him furely to his Journey's end $
De Arte Graphics z 5
Quodque refert fiffiis, reftos quodammodo traffus,
Sive ( Parallelos flures fimul, & 'Vel acutas,
Pel Geomet rales (ut Quadra, Triangula,) forma* :
Ingratamque fan Signorttm ex or dine quandam
Symmetriam : fed fr^clfua in contraria femper
Signa Volunt ducitranfverfa y ut diximus ante.
Summa igitur ratio Stgnorum habeatur in omni
Compofito; dat enim reliquis pretium, atque vigorem.
it a nature aftantifis cuique reVmlw y XIX.
Hanc prater nihilut Genio ftudioque relinquas 5
Nee fine tefle ret natura, Artifque Magiftra danda
Quidlibet ingenio memor ut tantummodo rerum
Pingere pojfe putes 5 errorurn eft plurima fylVa, 1 8
Multiplicejque V/^e, bene agendl terminus untis,
Line a re Eta Velutfola eft, <&* mille recurVd :
Sedjuxta dntiquos naturam imitalere pukbram,
Qualem forma reipropria, objettumque requirit.
E Non
^6 De Arte Graphica.
185. Now te igitur lateant antiquaNumifmata y
xx. Vafa. Ty/?j, Status, ctlataque Marmora Si?nis i
Signa And- ~ J \ Jt \ r - -rr a f i i r
qua Nature Quodque rejert Jpecie Feterum fojt Jdcula Mentem
Si?uunt C n Sflendidior quiff e exillis affurgit imago,
Magnaque fe rerum fades aferit metktanti:,
150. Tune no/in tenuemfadi miferebere fwtem,
Cum ffes nullafeet rediturg <tqualis in <vum..
XXL Exquifit a feet forma dum fola Figura,
quo^odotti 1 ?^^^^ muhis'Variata Coloribus efto.
danda.
Lati ampliquejinus <Pannorum, <& nolilis ordo
tpj. Membra fequens, fuller latitantia Lumine& Umbra
Qufd^in Pan- E x t rmet i ^ e ^ cet tranfoerfus fape feratur,
nis obfervan- Et drcumfujos Tannorum porripat extra
dum. -\f i r rr r-
Membta JiniM, non contiguos, tfjijque rtgura
tPartibus imfrejfos, quafe (pannus adb^reat Hits 3
2 OQ. Sed modice exfrejfos cum Lumine ferret <& Umbris :
The Art of Painting. 17
as alfo there are many feveral forts of crooked
lines 5 but there is one only which is ftraight.
Our bufinefs is to imitate the Beauties of Na-
ture, as the Ancients have done before us, and as
theObjeft and Nature of the thing require from
us. And for this reafon we mud be carefull m
the fearch of Ancient Medals, Statues, p^afes and
Sajfo ([(eUeVo's : * And of all other things which
diicover to us the Thoughts and Inventions of
the Grecians ; becaufe they furnifh us with great I-
deas, and make our Produ<5lions wholly beautifull. 1 90,
And in truth after having well examined them,
we fliall therein find fo many Charms, that we
(hall pity the Deftiny of our prefent Age without
hope of ever arriving at fo high a point of Perfe-
<5tion.
* If you have but one fingle Figure to work , xxi.
i r 0.1 c TL> j A f tn & le Ft ~
upon, you ought to make it periectly hnilh d gure how to
and diverfify'd with many Colours. * treated -
* Let the Draperies be nobly fpread upon the xxir.
Body ; let the Folds be large, '* and let them fol-p/ r/ >/
low the order of the parts, that they may be feen 105.
underneath, by means of the Lights and Shadows,
notwithftanding that the parts fhould be often
traversed (or crofs'd) by the flowing of the Folds
which loofely incompa'fs them, * without fitting
too ftraight upon them, but let them mark the 200.
E 2 pans
28 fbe Art of Tainting.
parts which are under them, fo as in fome man*-
ner to diftinguifli them, by the judicious ordering
of the Lights and Shadows. * And if the parts
be too much diftant from each other, fo that
there be void fpaces, which are deeply fhadow'd,
we are then to take occafion to place in thofe
voids fome Fold to make a joining of the parts.
~* And as the Beauty of the Limbs confifts not in
the quantity and rifing of the Mufcles, but on the
contrary, thofe which are lefs eminent have more
205. of Majefly than the others ; in the fame manner
the beauty of the Draperies, confifts not in the
multitude of the folds, but in their natural or-
der, and plain fimplicicy. The quality of the
perfbns is alfo to be confider'd in the Drapery.
* As fuppofing them to be Magiftrates, their Dra-
peries ought to be large and ample : Jf Country
Clowns or Slaves they ought to be courfe and
fhort : * If Ladies or Damfels, light and foft.
'Tis fometimes requifite to draw out, as it were
from the hollows and deep fliadows, fome Fold^
and give it a Swelling, that receiving the Light,
it may contribute to extend the clearnefs to thofe
places where the Body requires it; and by this
means, we flhall disburthen the piece of thofe hard
Shadowings which are always ungracefull.
De Arte Graphica.
Qutque intermiffts paffimfunt diffita Vanis
Copulety induttis fubterl'e, fuperVe lacemis.
Et membra ut magnh paucijque expreffa lacertis.
Majepate aliis pr<tftant forma atque decore 5
Haud fecus in Pannis CJUQS fupr a opt ayimu* amplos
(Perpaucos finuumflexus, rugafaW) ftriafquej
Membra fuper "Verfu fariles inducere pr<eftat.
Naturae rei propriusfit Vannus, abundant
Patriciisy fuccinftus erit crajfufque Subulcis
Mancipiifquei kvis, temris, gracilifym <Puellis.
Ihque caVts maculifque umbrarum aliquando tumefcet
Lumen ut excipiens operis qua Majfa requirit
Latius extendaty fublatifque aggregetumlris.
Nobiliti
3*0 De Arte Graphlca.
215. Nobtlia Armajirtant virtutum, ornantqne Figure,
Quid 11 ^! QgdiAMufarum, Seffi, Cultufque Deorum:
tumconferat Necflt opus mmitim Gemmif Auroaue refertum >
adTabuIaeor- a\ / i i -i>
namentum. ^\. ara Menim magno m pretio, fed flunma
'
XXIV.
Ornamen-
tum 'Auri &
Gemmarum.
J'rorotypus. 2g* imk ex faro mcpwunt prtfente videri,
220. Prototypum print illorum formare juVabit.
"XXVI. ConVeniat locus atque habitus, ritufque decufyut
^ eni ^5erWr; fit NobilitM, Charitumque Knujla*,
See- (3(arum bomini munus, Ccelo, non Arte petendum.)
X X V 1 1.
Charites &
Nobilitas.
. ^ r r ,. f j
Res quaeque Naturtpt ubtque tenor rattoque Jequenda.
locum fuum
tsneat.
The Art ofVainting.
* The Marks or Enfigns of Vertucs contribute 2 i 5.
not little by their noblenefs to the Ornament tf -??*??
1 What things
the Figures. Such, tor example as are the Deco- contribute to
rations belonging to the Liberal Arts^ to War or ^T
Sacrifices. * But let not the work be too much
1*1 i ^ i i T i i r t n J
enrich d with Gold or Jewels, became the rarelt Stones
are ever the deareft and moft precious 3. and thofe
which ferve only to increafe the number, are of
the common fort, and of little value.
* 'Tis very expedient to make a Model of xxv.
thofe things, which we have not in our Sight, and rhe Model *
whofe Nature is difficult to be retained in the Me- 220.
mory.
* We are to confider the places, where we x* VL ,
i i r r t Tk-rx i *^ i *" e S cene J
lay the icene or the Picture 3 the Countries Wh&t
they were born whom we reprefent 5 the manner
of their A&ions, their Laws and Cuftoms, and
all that is properly belonging to them.
* Let a noblenefs and grace be remarkable
through all your work. But to confefs the truth, and the NO-
this is a moft difficult undertaking 3 and a very ^*
rare Prefent which the Artift receives rather from
the hand of Heaven, than from his own Induftry
and Studies.
In all things you are to follow the order of xxvin.
" Let C'vcj'y
Nature, for which reafon you muft beware G$tkit%l*ftti*
drawing or painting Clouds, Winds and Thun-
der
3 2 The Art of fainting.
22 y. der towards the bottom of your Piece j and Hell,
and Waters, in the uppermost parts of it: You
are not to place a Stone Column on a foundation
of Wood 5 but let every thing be fet in its proper
place.
1 2 o. Befides all this, you are to exprefs the mod-
xxix. ons of the Spirits, and the affe&ions or Paflions
MS . *" whofe Center is the Heart : In a word, to make
the Soul vifible, by the means of fome few Co-
lours; *this is that in which the greateft difficulty
confifts. Few there are whom Jupiter regards
with a favourable eye in this Undertaking. So
that it appertains only to thofe few, who parti-
2 -> c. cipate fomewhat of Divinity it felf, to work thefe
mighty Wonders. 'Tis the bufinefs of Qtyetori-
dans, to treat the characters of the Paflions : and
I ihall content my felf with repeating what an
excellent Mafter has formerly faid on this Subject,
That tie ftudied motions of the Sow/, are never fo na-
tural as tbofe, which are as itwereftruck out of it on
the fudden ly tie beat and "Violence of a real VaJJion.
240. ^ are to have no manner of reliflh for Go-
xxx. thique Ornaments, as being in effect fo many
anentf ar'e Monfters, which barbarous Ages have produced :
* be avoided. J ur i n g which, when Difcord and Ambition caus'd
by the too large extent of the <%oman Empire, had
produc'd Wars, Plagues and Famine through the
World,
De Arte Graphica. ^ 3 3
Iticina pe dum tabulate excel fa t mantis 215*
Aftra domus depitta gerent nubejque notofque ;
Nee mare deprejfum Laquearia fumma Vel orcum - y
Marmoreamqueferet cannis Vaga pergula molem :
Congrm fed proprta femfer ftatione locentur.
H&c prater motus ammorum & corde repoftos 230.
Exprimere Affettus, paucifque coloribus ipfam
ffingere pojfe animam, atque oculis prrtbere videndam,
Hoc opus, hie labor eft : pauci quos aequus amavit
Juppicer, auc ardens evexic ad a^thera vircus :
Dts fimiks pptuere manu miracula tanta.
Hos ego tffyetoribus trattandos defero tantum
Egregti antiquum memorabofopbifma Magiftri,
Verius affe6tus animi vigor exprimit ardens^
Solliciti nimium quam fedula cura laboris.
Ttenique nil fapiat Gottkorum barbara trito 240.
Ornament a modo* Udorum & monftra malorum ; ^ X5 f x *
/\ 7- / 11 r n \^-r v T Gotthorum
yueis ubt beua, famem & pejtem, Dijcordia, Luxus, ornamenta
Et (ftomanorum resgrandior intutit Qri>i y
F Ingenue
Arte Graphica.
Ingenue periere Aries ^ periere fuperb*
2 4 J . Artificum moles y fua tune miracula \ndit
Ignibus alfunn tpittura, latere coafta
FornlclbuSy fortem <6^ reliquam confidere
Marmoribufque diuSculpturajacere fepultis.
Imperium inter ea f celer urn gravitate fatifcens*
2 JO. Horridanoxtotum inVajit y donoque fuperni
Luminis indignum, errorum caligine merfit>
Imfiaque ignaris damnaVit facia tenebris:
ttnde Color atum Gratis hue ufque Magiftris
Nil fup ereft tantorum Hominum quod
Z 5 5 . TSlojlrates juVet Artifices , doceatcjue Labor em $
G ^i r F- A ^ ec y 41 - Cbromatices nobis boc tempore partes
Tertia pars fteftituat, quales Zeuxis trattaVerat olim.
.
The Art of Painting. 55
World, then I fay, the ftately Buildings fell to
Ruin, and the noblenefs of all beautifull Arts was
totally extinguifli'd 3 then it was that the admi- 245.
rable and almoft fupernatural Works of (painting
were made Fuel for the Fire : But that this won-
derfull Art might not wholly perifli, * fome Re-
liques of it took Sanctuary under ground, and
thereby efcap'd the common Deftiny. And in
the fame profane age, the noble Sculpture was for
a long time buried under the fame Ruines, with
all its beautifull Productions and admirable Sta-
tues. The Empire in the mean time under the
weight of its proper Crimes and undeferving to
enjoy the day, was invelop'd with a hideous night, 2 50.
which plung'd it into an Abyfs of errors, and co-
ver'd with a thick darknefs of Ignorance thofe
unhappy Ages, in juft revenge of their Impieties :
From hence it comes to pafs, that the works of
thofe great Grecians are wanting to us $ nothing
of their Painting and Colouring now remains to
affift our modern Artifts, either in the Invention, 255.
or the manner of thofe Ancients; neither is there
any man who is able to reftore * the CH RO Co , lou r 1 ^ fhe f
J third part of
MATIQUE part or COLOURING, or
to renew it to that point of excellency to which it
had been carry'd by Zeuxis : who by this part
which is fo charming, fo magical, and which fo
F 2 admi-
"The Art of Painting.
admirably deceives the fight, made himfelf equal
260. to the great AfeUes, that Prince of Painters; and
deferv'd that height of reputation which he ftill
poflefles in the World.
And as this part which we may call the Soul
of Painting and^its utmoft perfection, is a deceiv-
ing Beauty, but withal foothing and pleafing: So
fhe has been accus'd of procuring Lovers for *
her Sifter, and artfully ingaging us to admire
her. But fo little have this Proftitution, thefe
falfe Colours, and this Deceit, difhonour'd Paint-
265. ing, that on the contrary, they have only ferv'd
to fet forth her Praife, and to make her merit far-
ther known, and therefore it will be profitable to
us, to have a more clear underftanding of what
we call Colouring.
*The light produces all kinds of Colours, and
the Shadow gives us none. The more a Body
is nearer to the Eyes, and the more directly it is
oppos'd to them, the more it is enlightn'd. Be-
caufe the Light languiflies and leffens the farther
ir removes from its proper Sourfe.
170. The nearer the Object is to the Eyes, and the
more directly it is opposed to them, the better it
is {een, becaufethe Sight isweaken'd bydiftance*
'Tis,
De Arte Graphics.
Hujus quando maga Velut Arte aquavit Jpeffent
(piftorum Arcbigrapbum meruitque Coloribus altam
Nominis <eterni famam toto orbe fonantem.
fLecquidem ut in Tabulis fallax fed grata
Et comflementum Grapbidos (mirabile Vifu)
Pulchra Vocabatur, fedfubdola Lena Sororis:
Non tamen hoc knocinium 5 fucufque, dolufque
T)edecori fuit unquam illi fed femper honori^
Laudibus e^ mentis 5 bane ergo nojfe j
Lux "Varlum vivumque dabit, nuttum Umbra Colorem*
Quo magis adverfumeft corf us lucifque propinquitm,
Clarius eft Lumen j nam debilitatur eundo.
Quo magis eft corpus direftumoculifque propinquum 9
Confpicitur meKits j nam Vtfus hebejcit eundo.
Ergp
De Arte Graphica.
xxxi. jj r <y \ n corporibus qua vifa acberfa rotundis
Tonorum, r <* r i r i i r
.Luminum & Integra Jintj extrema abjcedant ferdita Jignis
Umbrarum
ratio.
ConfujiSj non fr^dfiti labentur in Umbram
27 j. Claragradu, nee adumbrata in clara aha repente
<Prorumpant 5 federitfenjlm bine atque inde meatus
Lucis & Umbrarum 5 capitifque unius ad inftar
Totum opus, ex multis quamquam Jit partibus unus
Luminis Umbrar unique globus tantummodo fret,
SiVeduoVeltresadfummum, ubigrandius ejfet
Divifumfegma in partes ftatione remote.
Sintque it a difcreti inter fe ratione colorum,
Luminis umbrarumque anteorfum ut corpora claw
Obfcura umbrarum requies fpeftanda relinquat- y
Claroque exiliant umbrata atque afpera Campo*
Ac
T&e Art of Fainting:
Tis therefore neceflary that round Bodies,which xxxi.
are feen one over againft the other in a right An-
gle, fliould be of a lively and ftrong Colouring,
, L . . 7 . P ~ 5 '
and that the extremities turn, in loiins; therru
&
felves infenfibly and confufedly, without preci-
pitating the Light all on the fuddeninto the Sha-
dow 5 or the Shadow into the Light. But die
pafTage of one into the other muft be common
and imperceptible, that is by degrees of Lights in-
fco Shadows and of Shadows into Lights.And it is in
conformity to thefe Principles that you ought to
treat a whole Grouppe of Figures 3 though it be
compos'd of feveral parts, in the fame manner as
you would do a fingle Head : or if your Com- 280;.
pofition requires 5 that you fhould have two
Grouppes, or even three ( * which ought to be
the moft) in your Piece, take heed that they may
bedetach'd, that is feparated or diftinguifli'd from
each other by the Colours, the Lights and the
Shadows, which are fo dextroufly to be manag'd,
* that you may make the Bodies appear en*
lightened by the Shadows which bound the fight j
which permit it not fuddenly to go farther 3 and
which caufe it to repofe for fome fpace of time,
and that reciprocally the Shadows may be made
fenfible by enlightning your ground.
The:
fbe Art of Painting.
The raifing and roundnefs of a Body, ought
to be given it* in the fame manner as we behold
ic in a Convex Mirrour, in which we view the Fi-
gures and all other things, which bear out with
2 po. more Life and ftrength than Nature it felf. * And
let thofe which turn, be of broken Colours, as
being lefs diftinguifh'd, and nearer to the borders.
Thus the Painter and the Sculptor, are to work
with one and the fame intention, and with one
and the fame conduct. For what the Sculptor
ftrikes off, and makes round with his inftrument
of Steel, the Painter performs with his pencil ;
cafting behind, that which he makes lefs vifible
2j> $. by the Diminution, and breaking of his Colours 3
and drawing forward by his moft lively Colours
and ftrongeft Shadows, that which is directly op-
pos'd to the Sight, as being more fenfible, and
more diftinguifh'd, and at laft enriching the naked
Canvafs, with fuch Colours as are borrow'd from
300. Nature 5 in the midft of which he feems to fit;
and from thence with one glance of an Eye and
without removing his feat, he takes that part of
her which fhe reprefents to his Sight , and turns as
in a Machine about his work.
X5TXIL When folid Bodies, fenfible to the feeling, and
ofdtrkBo-fafa are pl ac 'cl on Light, and tranfparent
Acs on light ' r >
grounds, as for example, The Heavens, the
Clouds
De Arte Graphica.
AcVeluti infpeculis coriVexis emmet ante
Afperior reipfa Vigor Or Vis autta colorum
tPartibw adverfes ; magis & fuga rupta retrorfum
lllorum eft (ut vifa minus Vergentibu* oris)
Corporibus dabimus format hoc more rotundas,
Mente Modoque igitur *Plaftes & <Pilor eodem
Diffofaum traftabit opus 5 qtt<e Sculptor in oriem
Atterit) h*c rupto procul abfcedente colore
Ajfequitur (pittor, fugicntiaque ilia retrorfnm
Jamjignata minus confufa coloribw aufert :
Anteriora quidem dirette adverfa, colore
Integra, ViVaci, fummo cum Lumine & Umbrt
Antrorfum diftintta refert Velut afpera vifu.
Sicqne fuper planum inducit Leucoma Colores.
Hos "\>elut ex iff a natura immotu* eodem
Intuitu circum Statuas daret inde rotundas.
oo.
Denfa Figurarum folidis qu<e corpora formis xlxxii.
Suiditafunt taBu non tranfluent, fed opaca f^^^opaa
In tranjlucendifpatio ttt fuper Aera, Nubes cum tranau-
G Lympida
Be Arte Graphica.
305. Lympida ftagna Undarum, & inania cetera detent
Afperiora illis prope circumjlantibus ejfe,
lit diftinfla magisfirmo cum Lumine & Umbra,
Et graV'toribus utfuftenta colonbus, inter
jferea* ffecies fubfiftent femper opaca :
Sed contra procul abfcedant perlucida denjts
Corporibus leViora^ utiNubes,
x Now pot erunt d'rterfa kcis duo Lumina eadem:
Non duo ex f A . .
Casio Lumi- In Tabula parta admittt, aut tequalta pmgi :
". Majus at in mediam Lumen cadet ufqe TabeUam
315. Latius infufunij f rinds quafumma Figuris
3{es agitur^ circumque oras minuetur eundo :
Utque in progrejfu Jubar attenuatur ab ortu
Sobs ad occafum paulatim, & cejfat eundo 5
Sic Tabulis Lumen, tota in compare Colorum,
j. i a. *Prim& a fonte, minus fenfim declmat eundo.
The Art of Painting. 4.3
Clouds and Waters, and every other thing which 5 p j.
is in Motion, and void of different Objects, they
ought to be more rough and more diftinguifh-
able than that with which they are incompafs'd,
that being ftrengthen'd by the Lights and Sha-
dows, or by the more fenfible Colours, they
may fubfift and preferve their Solidity amongft
thofe aereal and tranfparent Species, and that on 310.
the contrary thofe grounds which are, as we have
faid, the Sky, the clouds and the Waters being
clearer and more united, may be thrown off from
the Sight to a farther diftance. xxxin
We are never to admit two equal Lights in the Th^t there
fame Piftute ; but the greater Light muft ftrike for-
cibly on the middle; and there extend its greateft jf
clearnefs on thofe places of the Picture, where the * } J
principal Figures of it are, and where the ftrength
of the action is perform'd, diminifliing by degrees
as it comes nearer and nearer to the Borders;
and after the fame manner that the Light of the
Sun languiflies infenfibly in its fpreading from
the Eaft, from whence it begins, towards the
Weft where it decays and vanishes ; fo the Light
of the Picture being diftributed over all the Co-
lours, will become left fenfible the farther it is re- 320
mov'd from its Original.
G ^ The
in a
44 The Art of fainting.
The experience of this is evident in thofe Sta-
tues which we fee fet up in the midft of Publique
Places, whofe upper parts are more enlightened
than the lower 5 and therefore you are to imitate
them in the diftribution of your Lights.
Avoid ftrong Shadows on the middle of the
Limbs; lead the great quantity of black which
compofes thofe Shadows, fliould feem to enter
} 2- J into them and to cut them : Rather take care to
place thofe fliadowings round about them, there-
by to heighten the parts, and take fo advantage-
ous Lights, that after great Lights, great Sha-
dows may fucceed. And therefore Titian faid,
with reafon that he knew no better rule for the
diftribution of the Lights and fliadows, than his
Obfervations drawn from a * Bunch of Grapes.
31 o. * Pure or unmix' d white either draws an ob-
xJ^^Y'jjecl: nearer, or carries it off to farther diftance:
vj rrhitt ana '_ > -1111 11 i
slack. It draws it nearer with black, and throws it back-
ward without it. * But as for pure black, there
is nothing which brings the object nearer to the
Sight.
The light being altered by fome Colour, ne^
ver fails to communicate fomewhat of that Co-
lour to tfie Bodies on which it ftrikes, and the
fame effect is performed by the Medium of Air,
through which it pafles.
The
De Arte Graphics. 45
Majus ut in Statuis fey comfit a ftantibus Urbis
Lumen babent Partes fuperx, minus inferior es,
Idem erlt in talulis, major que nee umbra Vel ater
Membra Figurarum intrabit Color atque fecabit ;
Corpora fed circum Umbra eaVts latitabit oberran* : *
Atqueita quatretur Lux opportuna Figuris,
Ut late infufum Lumen lata Umbra fequatur :
Unde me immerito fertur Titianus ubique
Lucis <& Umbranm Normam appellaffe Racemum.
jt i Jm
Purum Mum effe poteft propiufy magify remotum : J 3 o;
Cum Nigro anteVenit propiits, fugit abfque remotum j
(PurumautemNigrumantrorfumVenit ufypropinquum.
Lux fucata fuo tingit mifcetque Colore
Corpora, ficquefuo, per quern Lux funditur> aer
4$ De Arte Graphica.
33 5. Corpora junBafimul^ circumfufofque Colores
xxxv. Excipiunt, propriwnque aliis radioja refleftunt.
xxxvi. (pluribus in Solidis liamda. fub Luce propinduk
Unio Colo- ~ . . . f r i i rr r i
rum. Tartiapes, mtxtojque Jimul decet ejje iolores.
Hanc Normam Veneti (Piftores rite fequuti,
3 4* (Qurtfuit Anttquis Corruptio difta Colorum)
Cum plures of ere in magno pofutre figurcx^
TSle conjunttajtmul Variorum inimica Colorum
Congeries Formarn implicitam & concifa minutis
Membra daret *Pannis y totam unamquamque Figuram
34J. Affim autunotantum Veftire Color e
Suntfoliti, Variando Toms tunicamque togamque
Carbafeofque Sinus, Vel amicum in Lumine & Umbra
Contiguis arcum lebw fociando Color em.
XXXVII.
ln QH* minus eftfpatii aerei, aut quapurior Aer,
350. Cuntta magis diflintta patent, fpeciefque referVant :
Quaque
The Art of Painting:. 47
The Bodies which are clofe together, receive 335.
ftom each other that Colour which is oppofite to cr/ xx ?^:
i in if The reflection
them; and reflect: on each other that which is na- of Colours.
turally and properly their own.
*Tis alfo confonant to reafon, that the greateft
part of thofe Bodies which are under a Light,which
is extended and diftributed equally through all,
flhould participate of each others Colours. The
Venetian School having a great regard for that Max-
im(which the Ancientscall'd the Breaking of Colours) 340
in the quantity of Figures with which they fill their
Pictures, have always endeavoured the Union of
Colours, for fear that being too different, they
fliould come to incumber the Sight by their con-
fufion with their quantity of Members feparated
by their Folds, which are alfo in great number 5
and for this reafon they have painted their Dra-
peries with. Colours that are nearly related to
each other, and have fcarce diftinguifh'd them
any other way, than by the Diminution of the
Lights and Shadows joining the contiguous Ob-
jects by the Participation of their Colours, and
thereby making a kind of Reconciliation or Friend-
flhip betwixt the Lights and Shadows.
The lefs aereal fpace which there is betwixt us
and the Object, and the more pure the Air is, by fo xxxvn.
much the more the Species arepreferv'd and d
ftinguifli'dj
4 8 Tfe Art of fainting.
ftinguifli'd 5 and on the contrary the more fpacc
of Air there is, and the lefs it is pure, fo much
the more the Object is confus'd and embroyTd.
xxxvin. Thofe objects which are plac'd foremoft to
The relation t ' , } L /* -n* , L
efJDifiances. the view, ought always to be more hniih d, than
thofe which are caft behind $ and ought to have
dominion over thofe things which are confus'd
and tranfient. * But let this be done relatively,
355* 0^<) one thing greater and ftronger, cafting the
lefs behind and rendring it lefs fenfible by its op-
pofition.
xxxix. Thofe things which are remov'd to adiftant
Of Bodies . LI?
which arc di- view, though they are many, yet ought to make
ftanccd.\ fo ut one ^/[^ . as f or example the Leaves on
the Trees, and the Billows in the Sea.
3 "* Let not the Objects which ought to be conti-
of -Bodies guous be feparated, and let thofe which ought
^'uow "Z to ^ e f e P arate d be apparently fo to us ; but let
thofe \hich this be done by a fmall and pleafing difference.
*refep*rated. v T L
XLI. Let two contrary extremities never touch
Contrary ex- eacn otner either in Colour or in Light, but let
tremities to 1-1 r \
4>e avoided, there always be a Medium partaking both ot the
one and of the other.
Dhe"r 1 ' f ^ et c ^ e ^ 0< ^^ S every-where be of different
TonesandCo- Tones and Colours : that thofe which are behind
*
may be ty'd in Friendfliip together, and that thofe
which arc foremoft may be ftrong and lively.
*'Tis
De Arte Graphics. 49
Qudque magis denfus nebulis, aut plurimus Aer
Amptum inter fuerit ffatium porreftits, in aur<M
Confundet rerum ffecies, & ferdet inanes. XXXVIii.
Anterior a magis femfer finita nmotis t um^elatio.
Incertis dominentur & abfcedentibtM, idcjue
More r.elatiVOy ut majora minoribus extant.
CunEia minuta procul Majfam denfantur in unam, xxxix.
Ut foil A arhribmfybarum^ <& in
XL;
/- . f f , ,._ rn Contiguafc
Lontigua inter Je coeant, Jed difflta, diflent y Diffita.
Diftabuntque tamengrato <& difcrimine farVo.
Extrema extremis contraria jungere noli 5 XLI.
Sed medio fint ufquegradufociata Colons. Smaf^?"
enda.
Cor forum erit Tonus atque Color Variatu* ubique XLII.
amicitiam retro, feru* emicet ante.
H Supre-
50 De Arte Graphics
265. Sufremum in Tabulis Lumen captare diet
XLI . I][ ; In/anus labor Artificum r cum attinpere tantum
Lummisde* ~4 /TV J / , r r
us. Kon rigmenta queant 5 auream Jed Vejfere. Lucem,
Sen modicam mane albentem, JtVe Athens attam
Toft Hyemem nimbis transfujo Sole caducam y
270. Sen nebulis fultam acciptent, tonitruque rubentem*
XLIV. L<ftia qu* lucent, "Velutl CbryftciUa, Metatla,
ifc L &*> Jf a & La f ldes y K llo f a > ut K II
Barb<e, aqueique Oculi y Crines, Holoferica,
Et Liquida, ut ftagnans 4qua y reflexoeque fub lindis>
~~ ,. Corpore* ffecies, fjr ACJU'K contermina cunfta,
Subter ad extremum liquidcfint fiEla, fuperque
Luminibus percujfa fuis, fignifque refoftis.
XLV. Area Vel Campus TabuU Vagus efto, kvifqut
laeT 18 Tar dbfcedat latus y tiquideque btne unfits amicis
280. Tota ex mole Coloribus, unajive Patella:
Qu<t(ju.e cadant retro in Campum con/wia Camfo
The Art of Painting. 5 1
* 'Tis labour in vain to paint a High- noon, or 3 65.
Mid-day light in your Picture, becaufe we have T ^ 1 ^ 1 ' f
no Colours which can fufficiently exprefs it, but Light.
'tis better counfel, tochoofe a weaker light; fuch
as is that of the Evening, with which the Fields
are gilded by the Sun ; or a Morning-light ,
whofe whitenefs is allay'd : or that which appears
after a Shower of Rain, which the Sun gives us
through the breaking of a Cloud: or during
Thunder, when the Clouds hide him from our
view, and make the light appear of a fiery colour.
Smooth bodies, fuch as Chryftals , polifh'd XLIV.
Metals, Wood, Bones, and Stones ; thofe which thing* reL-
arecover'd with Hair, as Skins, the Beard, or *"% th ,' ,
i ir 11 practtcatfart
the Hair or the Head; as alio Feathers, Silks,
and the Eyes, which are of a watery nature ; and
thofe which are liquid, as Waters, and thofe cor- 37 j.
poreal fpecies, which we fee reflected by them ;
and in fine, all that which touches them, or is-
near them, ought to be much painted and united-
ly on their lower parts, buttouch'd boldly above
by the light and fliadows which are proper to
them.
* Let the Field, or Ground of the Pi&ure, be XLV.
clean , free , tranfient , light, and well united gr e OU nd
with Colours which are of a friendly nature to *'&*?*
each other j and of fuch a mixture, as there may 380.
Hz be
52 ' The Art of Painting.
be fomething in it of every colour that compofes
your work, as it were the contents of your Pa-
lette; And let the bodies mutually partake of
the colour of their ground.
xLVi. *, L ec y OUr Colours be lively, and yet not
Of the vw*~ J } J 7 J
titj of Co- look (according to the Painter s Proverb J as if
they had been rubb'd or fprinkled with meal :
that is to fay, let them not Be pale.
* Let the parts which are neareft to us, and
moft rais'd, be ftrongly coloured, and as it were
fparkling ; and let thofe parts which are more re-
mote from fighc, and towards the borders, be
more faintly touch'd.
385. * Let there befo much harmony, or confent,
xpj 11 ' in the Mafles of the Picture, that all the fhadow-
Of Shadows. . . r . ,
ings may appear as it they were but one.
r/ X nXF' * Let the whole Picture be made of one piece,
nePitlxre . . _,
to be of one and avoid as much as poilibly you can, to paint
*** drily.
XLIX. ^ The Lookine-glafs will inftruct you in ma-
The Looking- 1-1 \CC ^
U/sthePatn- ny Beauties^ which you may oblerve from Na-
t M(i e ^ tur e : fo will alfo thofe objects which are feen in
Mtfter. ^ . f
an Evening in a large prolpecr.
4* half fi- If you are to paint a half figure or a whole
7^owV ne > wn i n is to be fet before the other figures^
fire others, it muft be plac'd nearer to the view, and next the
* light. And if it is to be painted, in a great place,
and
De Arte Graphics. 53
Pfiridus efto Color nimio ndn pallidus Albo, XLVI.
Ahwfefque locis ingeftus plurimus ardent 5
Sed levitev parceque datus Vergentibus om. me
Cuntta Lahore fimui coeant, Velut Umlra ineadem.
Umbra.
Tota fiet Tabula ex una depitta Patella. ExunaPa^
tellafitTa.
bula.
Multa ex Natura Speculum pr<tclara docebit ;. speculum
frocul Jero fpatiis fpettantur in amplis. MagK?
L."
Dimidia Fi-
gura vel in-
Dimidia Effigies^ qu<t fola, Vel Integra plures Ifus!
Ante alias pofeta ad Lucem, ftet proxima vifu r
Et latis fpettanda hcis, oculifque remota,
Luminis Umbrarumque gradufit pitta fupremo.
Partibm
Arte Graphica.
V- (Partilus in mnimis imitatio jufta j
Effigiem, ahernM referenda tempore eodem
395* Conjimiles *Partes, cum Luminis atque Colons
Comfojttis juftifque Tonis, tune part a Lahore
Si facili <& Vegeto mieat ardens, viva videtur.
LIT. -Fifa loco angufto ttnere p'mgantur,
JuntJa Color e graduejue, procul qua pitta feroci
400. Sint & intfquali lariat a Color e, Tonoque.
Grandiafigna Volunt fpatia ampla ferofque Color es.
Luminct
The Art of Painting. 55
and at a diftance from the Eyes $ be fure on that
occafion not to be fparing of great lights, the
moft lively colours, nor the ftrongeft fliadows.
* As for a Portrait, or Pictures by the Life, . K Lr -
i -ri c XT i **
you are to work preciiely after Nature, and to
exprefs what (he fhows you, working at the
fame time on thofe parts which are refembling
to each other: As for example, the Eyes, the
Cheeks, the Noftrils and the Lips : io that you
arc to touch the one, as foon as you have given
a ftroke of the Pencil to the other, left the inter-
ruption of time caufe you to lofe the Idea of one
part, which Nature has produc'd to refemble the
other : and thus imitating Feature for Feature with
a juft and harmonious Compofition of the lights
and fhadows, and of the colours, and giving to
the Picture that livelinefs which the freedom and
force of the Pencil make appear, it may feem
the living hand of Nature.
The works which are painted to be feen in LII.
little or narrow places, muft be very tender and t
well united with tones, and colours 5 the degrees
of which ought to be more different*, more une-
cjual, and more ftrong and vigorous, as the work
is more diftant : and if you make great figures,
let them be ftrongly col^ur'd, and in very fpaci-
ous places.
* You
5-6 Ibe Art of Painting.
Lin. * You are to paint the mod tenderly thatpof-
f ' fibly you can $ and endeavour to loie infenfibly
the * large lights in the fliadows which fucceed
them, and incompals them about.
r * Ll Y: , If the Picture be fet in a place which is enligh-
Wh at Lights . . i- i 1- i & n
are reqaifa. tend, but with a little light, the colours mult
405. be very clear 5 as on the contrary very brown, if
the place be ftrongly enlightened, or in the open
Air.
LV. Remember to avoid objects which are full of
are'vltiowin hollows, broken in pieces, little, and which are
patatitv to feparated, or in parcels : fliun alfo thofe things
be avoided. \ . . ' t . * _ . . t
which are barbarous, inocking to the Eye and
party-colour'd, and all which is of an equal force
of light and fliadow : as alfo all things which are
410. obfcene, impudent, filthy, unfeemly, cruel, fan-
taftical, poor and wretched; thofe things which
are fliarp and rough to the feeling : In (hort, all
things which corrupt their natural forms, by a
confufion of their parts which are intangled in
each other : For the Eyes babe a borrow for thofe
LVI things which the Hands mil not condefcend to touch,
n- But while.you endeavour to avoid one vice, be
j a cautious left you fall into another : for Vertue is
415. f lac d betwixt two extr earns y which are on both Jides
equally blameable.
Thofe
De Arte Graphica.
Lumina lata unfits Jtmul undique copulet Umbras
Extremus Labor. In Tabula* demtffa feneftris
Si fuerlt Lux parVa, Color clariffimus efto:
at contra obfcurufque in Lurmm aperto.
57
tin.
Lumina lata.
LIV.
Qyantitas
Luminis loci
in quo Tabu-
la eft expo-
nenda.
405.
; Vacuis divifa ca^is vitare memento :
Trita, minuta, fimul qu# noti flipata dtkifcunt ;
Barbara, Cruda oculis, rugisfucata Colorum,
Luminis Umbrarumque Tonis tequalia cuncJa - y
Foeda, cruenta, cruces , obfcoena, ingrata, chimeras,
Sordidaque & mifera, & Vel acuta, Vel afpera ta&u,
Quacjue dabunt form* temere congejla ruinam y
Implicitafque aliis confundent mifeua fartes.
LV.
Errores & vi-
tia
A \ o.
Dumque fugis "Vitioja, caVe in contraria labi
Damnamali, fftium extremis nam femper inb<tret.
I <Pulcbra
LVI.
5 8 De Arte Graphics
LVII. (pukhra gradu fummo Grapbidos ftabilita Vetufta.
JtoTabula- Nobilibus Signisfunt Grandia, Dijfita, <Pura,
Terfa, Velut minime confufa, Lahore Ligata,
(partibus ex magnis paucifque effitta, Color urn
420. Corporibus diftinffaferis, Jed femper amicis.
rum.
Qui bene c&pit, utifaBi jam fertur balere
Dimidium ; (pifturam ita nil fub limine prime.
Tyro. T ,. ' rr r J J r
Ingredient Tuer ojjendit damnojiiis Artt,
Quarn Varia errorum genera ignorante Magijlro
415. Ex praxis libare Typts, mentemque Veneno
fyficere, in toto quod non abjtergitur
Nee Grapbidos rudis Artis, adhuc cito
CorporaVtVa fuperftudium meditabitur ante
lllorum quam Symmetriam, Internodia, Formam
4 j o. TSLo^ent infpettis doftd e^olvente Magiftro
Arcbetypis, dukefque T>olos pr^fenferit Artis.
Manu ante oculos quam Voce docebitur ufus*
vire Piftori,
aon Piftor.
The Art of Painting 59
Thofe things which are beautifull in the at-_, L Y. IL .
n i r T^ r c\< i i * ^* ^ 4 */
molt degree 01 Perfection, according to the Axi- * b**tttiftik
om of ancient Painters, * ought to have fome- *""*'
what of greatnefs in them ; and their out-lines to
be noble: they muft be difintangled, pure and
without alteration, clean and knit together 5 com-
pos'd of great parts, yet thofe but few in num-
ber. In fine, diftingutfh'd by bold Colours 3 but 4 2 -
of fuch as are related, and friendly to each other:
And as it is a common faying, that He who has LVIII.
%un well, b&s already perform' J half bis work ; fo -M
V1 ,. J * J . . J -T you
F there is nothing more pernicious to a Youth, *
who is yet in the Elements of Painting, than to
engage himfelf under the difcipline of an igno-
rant Mafterj who depraves his tafte, by an in-
finite number of miftakes 3 of which his wretched
works are full, and thereby makes him. drink the 4 2 5 r -
poyfon, which infeds him through all his future
life.
Let him who is yet but a Beginner, not make
fo much hafte to ftudy after Nature, every thing
which he intends to imitate ; as not in the mean
time to learn Proportions, the connexion of the
parts, and their out-lines : And let him firft have 43 a.
well examin'd the Excellent Originals, and have
thoroughly ftudied all the fweet deceipts of his
Art, which he muft be rather taught by a know-
I ^ ing
60 The Art of fainting.
ing Mafter, than by pra&ice 5 and by feeing him
perform, without being contented onely to hear
him fpeak.
LIX. * Search whatfoever is aiding to your Art, and
Art m* ft* . 1 1 r i 1-1
fabfcrvicntto convenient, and avoid thole things which are re-
*?? pugnanttoit.
Dherftyand * Bodies of divers natures which are ageroup'd
facility are , . , . , i 1 & i r
f/c*fag. (or combm d) together, are agreeable and plea-
43 ? fant to the fight ^ ^ asalfo thofe things which
appear to be perform' d with cafe. Becaufe they
are ever full of Spirit, and feem animated with a
kind of Cceleftial fire : But we are not able to
compafs thefe things with facility,, till we have
for a long time weigh'd them in our judgment,
and thoroughly confidend them : By this means
the Painter fhall be enabled to conceal the pains,
andftudy which his Art and work have coft him,
under a pleafing fort of deceipt : For the great-
eft fecret which belongs to Art, is to hide it from
the difcovery of Spe&atours.
440. Never give the leaft touch with your Pencil
TheOriinai ^ Y ou ^ ave we ^ exarrnn d Y our Defign, and
*#/?* /;/* have fettled your out-lines, * nor till you have
Cap m-the e p r ^fent in your mind a perfect Idea of your
^ Let the Eye be {atisfy*d- in the firft place,
s even againft and above all other reafons, which
be:
6-1
Qu<ere Artem qutfcumque juVant,fuge qutyie repug-
nant.
Corpora diVerf* nature juntta placebunt - y
Sic ea qurtfacili contempta labore "Vldentur :
^Ethereus cjulppe ignis me ft &fpiritus Mis.
Mente diu Verfata, manu cekranda repenti.
Arfque Laborque Opens grata fie fraude latebit
Maxima, deinde erlt ars y nibil artis inejfe videri.
LX.
Oculps recre-
ant diverfitas
& Operis fit-
cilitas, qu%
fpeciatitn Ars
didtur.
43 J-
fflec prius inducas TabuU Pigmenta Colorum,
Expenji quam figna Typi flabilita mtefcant y
Et mentl pr^fens Operis Jit Qegmafuturi.
440.
LXI.
Archetypus
inmente, A-'
pographum
in tela.
*Pr<eVakat fenfus rationi qu& offc'it Aril LXIL
Confpicu<e, in^ue oculis tantummo^o Circinusefto* S5S. nusm "
Utere
De Arte Graphlca.
445. Utere Doctorum Monitisy nee fperne fuperlux
LXIIJ. Xtifcere qua de te fuent Sententia Vulvi.
Superbiapi- J f - i
aori nocet Eft coccus nam quijque Juts in rebus , C" expers
plunmiim. j U( fo c i^ (prolemque fuam miratur a
amatque.
Aft ubi Confilium deerit Sapientis Armci y
450. Id tempus dabity atcjue mora mtermiffa labori.
Now facilis tamen ad nutus <& inania Vulgi
Ttifta kvis mutabis OfuSy Geniumque relinques :
Nam qui parte fua fperat bene pojfe mereri
Multivaga de <Plebe, nocet fibi, nee placet
455. Cuwque Opere in propriofoleat feflngere Pittar,
iProderit
The Art of Painting.
beget difficulties in your Art, which of it felf fuffers
none j and let the compafs be rather in youi Eyes
than in your Hands.
* Profit your felf by the Counfels of the know- 445'
T "V 1 T T
ing : And do not arrogantly difdain to learn the
opinion of every man concerning your work. - _
All men are blind as to their own productions ;
and no man is capable of judging in his own
caufe; * but if you have no knowing friend, ro
affiftyou with his ad vice, yet length of time will 450..
never fail 5 'tis but letting fome weeks pafs over
your Head, or at lead fome days, without looking
on your work, and that intermiflion will faithful-
ly difcover to you the faults, and beauties 5 yet
fuffer not your felf to be carried away by the opi-
nions of the Vulgar , who often fpcak without
knowledge 5 neither give up your felf altogether
to them, and abandon wholly your own Genius,
fo as lightly to change that which you have made :
For he who has a windy Head, and flatters him-
felf with the empty hope of deferving the praife of
the common people, whofe opinions are inconfi-
derate, and changeable, does but injure himfelf
and pleafes no man.
Since every Painter paints himfelf in his own 457.
works (fo much is Nature accuftom'd to produce v Lxlv
i i c y i Know your
her own. likenels ) tis advantageous to him
know
The Art of fainting.
know himfelf, * to the end that he may cultivate
thofe Talents which make his Genius, and not
unprofitably lofe his time in endeavouring to
gain that which flie has refus'd him. As nei-
460. ther Fruits have the tafte, nor Flowers the beauty
which is natural to them when they are tranfplan-
ted in a foreign foil, and are forc'd to bear be-
fore their feafon by an artificial heat: fo 'tis in
vain for the Painter to fweat over his works in
fpight of Nature and of Genius 3 for without them
'tis impoflible for him to fucceed.
LXV. * While you meditate on thefe truths, and
ife, and obferve them diligently, by making neceflary re-
/ flexions on them 5 let the labour of the Hand
accompany the ftudy of the Brain 5 let the for-
mer fecond and fupport the latter ; yet without
46 5>- blunting the (harpnefs of your Genius ; and aba-
ting of its vigour by too much affiduity.
* The Morning is the beft, and moft proper
part of the day for your bufinefs 5 employ it
LXVII. therefore in the ftudy and exercife of thofe things
f/Xw* * which require the greateft pains and application.
LXVIII. ^ Let no day pafs over you without a line.
kjtb*T Obferve as you walk the Streets, the Airs of
**%!** ** Heads j the natural Poftures and Expreffions 5
which are always the moft free the lefs they feem
to be obferv'd.
*Be
De Arte Graphic*. 6 5
Tnderit imprimis <Pilori y^Jnstxhi*;
Ut data qu<e genio colat, abftineatque negatis.
Fruftibw utque funs nunquam eft fapor atque Venufta*
Floribus infueto in f undo pmcoce fub anni 460.
Temforey quos cultus Violentus & ignis adegit 5
Sic nunquam nimio quttfunt extorta labor e,
Et pitta inVito Genio, nunquam ilia placebunt.
Vera fuper meditando, Manns, Labor improbtts adfit :
Nee tamen obtundat Genium, merit if que vigor em.
LXV.
Quod mente
conceperis
Optima noftrorum pars matutina dierum,
Difficili bane igitur potiorem impende Labori.
Nulla dies abeat quin lineadufta fuperjtt.
tperque via* Vultw hominum, motufque notabis
Libert ate fua proprios, pojitafque Figuras
Ex fefe facile s, ut inobferVatus habebis.
K
LXVT.
Matutinutn
tempus La-
bori aptum.
Lxyn.
Singulis die-
bus aliquid
faciendum*
4/0.
Lxvur.
Aflfe6lus in-
obfervati &
naturales.
66 De Arte Graphic*.
LXIX. fifox auoicumaue Man. Terrif & in Am puldrum<
Non defint * ,
Pugillares. Continent, Ckartts frofera mandare paratis,
Dum fr<efens animofpecies tibi ferret hianti.
47 ? Nw epulis nimis indulget tpiftura, mero^ue
<Parcit, Amicorum quantum ut fermone benigno?
Exhauftum reparet mentem recreata, fedinds
LitibiM & cur is in Coalite liter a Vita
Sectjfusprocul a turta ftrepituque remotos
ViUarum rurifqut teatafilentia quxrit :
Namquerecollefto tota incumtente MtnerVa
Ingenio rerumfpecies pr<efentior extat,
Commodiufque Operis compagem ampleftitur omntm.
Infiimi titi non potion Jit atara pec'nR
Cur a, aurique fames, modica quam forte leafo
Nominis *terni<& laudis pruritus batend*,
Con-
The Art of Painting.
Be ready to put into your Table-book
(which you muft always carry about you) what-
foever you judge worthy of it $ whether it be up.
on the Earth, or in the Air, or upon the Waters,
while the Species of them is yet frefh in your I-
magination.
* Wine and good Cheer are no great Friends 475.
to painting, they fove only to recreate the Mine,
when 'tis opprcft and fpent with Labour 5 then
indeed 'tis proper to renew your Vigour by the
converfation of your Friends : Neither is a true
Painter naturally pleas' d with the fatigue of bufi-
nefs, and particularly of the Law, * but delights
in the liberty which belongs to the Batchelour's
Eftate. * Painting naturally withdraws from
Noife and Tumult, and pleafes k ielf in the en-
joyment of a Country Retirement: becaufe Si- 480*"
lence and Solitude fet an edge upon the Genius,
and caufe a greater Application to work and ftu-
dy, and alfo ferve to produce the Ideas, which,
fo conceiv'd, will be always prefent in the Mind,
even to the finifhing of the work 3 the whole com-
pafs of which, the Painter can at that time more
commodioufly form to himfelf than at any other.
* Let not the covetous defign of growing rich, . g ^
induce you to ruin your reputation, but rather fa-
tisfy your felf with a moderate fortune 5 and let
K z your
8 The Art of Fainting.
your Thoughts be wholly taken up with acqui-
ring to your felf a glorious Name, which can ne-
ver perifh, but with the World, and make that
the recompence of your worthy Labours.
* The qualities requifite to form an excellent
Painter, are, a true difcerning Judgment ; a Mind
which is docible, a noble Heart, a fublime Senfe
490. of things, and Fervour of Soul; after which fol-
low, Health of Body, handfomenefs, a conveni-
ent (hare of Fortune, Youth, Diligence, an affe-
&ion for the Art, and to be bred under the difci-
pline of a knowing Mafter.
And remember,that whatfoeveryour Subjedbe,
whether of your own Choice, or what chance or
good fortune fiiall put into your hand, if you
have not that Genius or natural Inclination, which
your Art requires, you fliall never arrive to per-
fection in it, even with all thofe great advantages
which I have mentioned; for the Wit, and the
manual operation are things vaftly diftant from
each other. 'Tis the Influence of your Stars, and
the happinefs of your Genius, to which you muft
be obliged for the greateft Beauties of your Art.
49 } Nay, even your excellencies fometimes will
not pafs for fuch in the opinion of the learned, but
only as things which have lefs of Error in them,
for no- man fees his own failings j * and Life is fa
De Arte Graphics.
Condign* pukbrorum Operum mercedis in
Judicium, docile Ingenium, Cor nobile, Senfus
Sublimes, fir mum Corpus, florenfque JuVenta,
Commoda (2^5, Labor ^ Artls amor, dottufque Magifter ; 4p o.
Et quamcumque Voles occafio forrigat anfam,
Ni Genius quidam ad/uerit Sydufque benignum,
Dotibus his iantis, nee adhuc Ars tantaparatur
T>iftat ab Ingenio knge Manus. Optima Doffis
Cenfentur qu<e praVa minus $ latet omnibus error > 49 J
Fitaque tarn long<e breVior nonfuffictt Arti;
Vefi
TO De Arte Graphica.
Definimus nam pojfefenes cum fcireperiti
IncipimuSy dottamcjue Manum graVat tegra feneftus,
.Necgelidis ferVet juVenilis in Artubus ardor.
500. Quare agite, oJuVenes, flacido quos Sydere nato*
*Pacifer<e ftudia alleftant tranquilla MimrVte,
Quofque fuo foVet igne, fibique optaVit Alumnos !
Eja agite, atque animis ingentem ingentibus Artem
Exercete alacres, dum flrenua corda JuVentus
505, Vtrilus extimulat Vegetis, patiensque labornm
Dum Vacua errorum nulloque imbuta f afore
*Pura nitet mens, <& mumfitibunda ntiVarum
haurit fpecies, atque humidaferVat.
"LXX.
Ordo Studio^ 7 ^ -. M
rum, 1 Gcometrali frw Arte farumper aduhi
Sign*
"The Art of Fainting.
ffiort, that it is not fufficient for fo long an Art.
Our ftrength fails us in our old Age, when we
begin to know fomewhat : Age opprefles us by
the fame degrees that it inftrucls us, and permits
not that our mortal Members which are frozen
with our years, flhould retain the Vigor and Spi-
rits of our Youth.
* Take courage therefore, O ye Noble Youths ! joo.
you legitimate Off-fpring of frfinerVa, who are
born under the influence of a happy ftlanet, and
warm'd with a Geleftial Fire, which attracts
you to the Love of Science ; exercife while you
are young, your whole forces, and employ them
with delight in an Art which requires a whofa
Painter. Exercife them I fay, while your boyl-
ing Youth fupplies you with Strength, and furni- joy.
fihes you with Quicknefs and with Vigour 3 while
your Mind, yet pure and void of Error, has not
taken any ill habitude to vice, while yet your Spi-
rits are inflam'd with the Thirft of Novelties, and
your Mind isfill'd with the firft Species of things
which prefent themfelves to a young Imaginati-
on, which it gives in keeping to your Memory ;
and which your Memory retains for length of
rime, by reafon of the moifture where with at that LXX.
Age the Brain abounds: * you will do well
* to begin with Geometry, and after having
fbme
72 Ibe Art of Painting.
fome progrefs it it, * fee your felf on defigning
j i o. after the Ancient Greeks, * and ceafe not day or
night from labour, till by your continual practice
you have gain'd an eafy habitude of imitating
them in their invention, and in their manner,
* And when afterwards your judgment {hall
grow ftronger, and come to its maturity with
years, it will be very neceflary to fee and examine
one after the other, and part by part, thofe works
5 1 J which have given fo great a Reputation to the
Matters of the firft form in purfuit of chat Me-
thod, which we have taught you here above,
and according to the Rules which we have given
you 5 fuch are the ^mans, the Venetians, the
Pannefans, and the < Bologntf<s. Amongft thofe
excellent Perfons, Raphael had the Talent of In-
520. Mention for his (hare, by which he made as ma-
ny Miracles as he made Figures. In which is
obferv'd * a certain Grace which was wholly na-
tural and peculiar to him, and which none fince
him have been able to appropriate to themfelves.
Mdael Angelo poflTefs'd powerfully the part of
Dejtgjiy above all others. * Julio Romano (edu-
cated from his childhood among the Mufes) has
open'd to us the Treafures of *Parnaffus : and in the
Poetry of Painting has difcover'd to our Eyes the
525, moftfacred Myfteries of Apollo, and all the rareft
Orna-
De Arte Graphics. , 73
Stgna Antiqua fuper Graiorum addifcite formam j j i o.
TSLec mora nee requies, nottuque diuque labori
Illorum Menti atque Modo, Vos donee agendi
Praxis ab affiduo faciles aJfueVerit U/H.
Mbx ubi Judicium emenfis adokverit annis
Singula CJUA celebrant prim& Exemflana claffis j i j
fftomani, Veneti, Tannenfes, atque Sononi
*Partibus in cunftis fedetentim atque or dine refto,
lit monitum fufra eft Vos exfendijfe juVabit.
Hos apud inVenit Raphael miraculafumm
T)ula modo, Venerefque babuit quas nemo deincefs.
id erat form* fch>it Bonarota potenter.
Julius apuero Mufarum eduftus inAntris
AoriiM referabit opes, Grapbicaque *Poefi
QUA non vifa prius, fed tantum audita <Poetis
Ante ocuhsfp eftanda dedit Sacraria Tbcebi : 5 2
L
13e Arte Graphica.
coronatis comfleVit bella triumphs
Heroum fortuna patens, cafufque decoros
Nobilius reiffa antiqua pinxijfe ridetur.
Clarior ante allos Corrcgius extitity ampla
5 TO. Luce fuperfufa circum coeuntibus limbris,
fingendique Modo grandly & tra&ando Colore
Corpora, dmicitiamque, gradufque, dolofque Colonmij
Compagemque ita difpofuit Ticianus, ut inde
3)tius appellatusy wagwsfit honor thus auclus
5 3 J- Fortun#que boms : QuoifeMus Annibal omnes
Inpropriam mentem atque Modum miraarte coegit.
Tfo -Art 0f Pawtwg. 75-
Ornaments which thatGorfis capable of comrruK
eating to thofe works that he infpires , which
we knew not before, but only by the RecitaL
that the <Poets made of them - y he feems to
have painted thofe famous Wars which He-
roes have wag'd, and ended with Victory ovet
crown'd Heads, whom they have led in tri-
umph; and thofe other glorious Events which*
Fortune has caused in all ages, even with more
Magnificence and Ntfblenefs, than when they
were acted in the World. Correggio has made
his Memory immortal by 'the Strength and Vt 5*302.
gour he has given totris Figures, and by fweet-
ning his Lights and Shadows^ and melting them
itito each other fo hajppily, that they are even im-
perceptible. He is alfo almoft fingle in the great-
manner of his Painting, and the Facility he had^
in the managing of his Colours. And Titian under-
ftood fo well the Union of the 'Mfaffes, and the Bo-
dies of Colours, the Harmony of the Tones, and;
the Difpofition of the whole together, that he has
deferv'd thofe Honours, and that wealth which;
were heap'd upon him, together with that at-
tribute of being furnam'd the DMm Painter..
The laborious and diligent Anmbal t^rracci, has J 3 y;-
taken from all thofe great Perfons already men-
tion'.d, whatfoever excellencies he found in them, ,
L ^~ andt
The Art of Painting.
and, as it were, converted their Nourishment in-
to his own Subftance.
LXXL 'Tis a great means of profiting your felf to co-
py diligently thofe excellent Pieces, and thofe
beautiful! defigns 5 But Nature which is prefent
before your Eyes, is yet a better Miftrejs : For
fhe augments the Force and Vigour of the Geni-
us, and {he it is from whom Art derives her ulti-
5 40. mate perfection by the means of fure Experience ;
*I pafsinfilence many things which will be more
amply treated in the enfuing Commentary.
And now confidering that all things are fub-
ject to the viciflitude of Time, and that they are
liable to Deftruction by feveral ways, I thought
I might reafonably take the boldnefs * to intruft
to the Mufes (thofe lovely and immortal Sifters
of painting) thefe few Precepts which I have here
made and collected of that Art.
545* I employed my time in the ftudy of this work
at Q(ome, while the honour of the 'Bourbon Fami-
ly, and the juft Avenger of his injured Anceftors,
the Victorious Lovis ,was darting his Thunder
on the Alfesy and caufing his Enemies to feel the
force of his unconquerable Arms, while he like
another GaOique Hercules, born for the benefit
and Honour of his Country, was griping the Spa-
549. nijh Geryon by the Throat, and at the point of
ftrangling him. O B-
77
(plurimus inde labor Tabulas imitando juVabit LXXI.
Egregiat, Operumque Typos 5 fedplura docebit Ex^rkmU
Natura ante oculos pr<efens j namfirmat tsr auget 4 rtem P erfi "
Vim Genii, ex illaque Artem Experientia complet.
Multa fuperjileo qua comment ana dicent.
ego, dum memoror fubitura ^olubilis
Cunfta vices, Variifyue olim peritura ruinis,
fiauca Sopbifmatafum Grapbica immortalibus aufus
Credere Fieriis. <l(om<t meditatus; ad Alfes
Dumfuper infant moles inimicaque caftra
BorboniJum decus <& vindex Lodoicus Avorum
Fulminat ardenti dextra, (Patrittque refurgens
Gallicus Alcides, f remit Hifpani or a Leonis. 5 49
OBSERVATIONS
; ON THE
Art of Painting
o F
- /.!, <.. -Y . > . \ - t
'Charles Alphonfe du Frefnoy.
' vf. , .**.*%$ .r* i
P Ainiing and<Poefyare two Sifter s y &c. *Tis gr K
a rfcceiv'd truth, that the Arts have a cer- The
tain relation to each other.' " There is \
" no Art (faid Tertuffian in his Treatife of Idola- VAt l on J ( .
ef t t - - i i y I / ia\ to fi n " '* *" e
try) tt?/^/c/7 w wot either the rather or the near y$e- Text tke far-
c< lation of another; And Cicero in his Oration for ^^ p tf
j JA&C OA Tvnici*
cc Arcbia* the fport, fays, |1W f/;e ^5 which haVe th*obfcrv*ti-
cc reffeB to human life, haVe a kind of Alliance a- 0>
a mong/l themfetves, and hold each other (as we may
" f a y) by the hand. But thofe Arts which are the
neareft related, and claim the moil ancient Kin-
dred with each other, are Tainting and Poetry $
and
8o Obfervations on the
and whofoever fliall throughly examine them, will
find them fo much refembling one another, that
he cannot take them for lefs than Sifters.
They both follow the fame bent,and fuflfer them-
felves rather to be carry'd away, than led by their
fecret Inclinations, which are fo many feeds of
the Divinity. " There is a God within us (fays
cl Ovid in the beginning of his Sixth Book de Fa-
" ftis, there fpeaking of the Poets^ who by his A-
cc gttation warms us. AodSuida* fays, That the fa-
" mous Sculptor Phidias, and Zeuxis that incompa-
" rable Pa'mter, were both of them tranfported by the
a fame Entbufiafm, which ga"Ve life to all their works.
They both of them aim at the fame encf, which
is Imitation. Both of them excite our Paffions $
and we fuffer our felves willingly to be deceived,
boch by the one, and by the other ; our Eyes and
Souls are fo fixt to them, that we are ready to
perfuade our felves that the painted Bodies breath,
and that the Fictions are Truths. Both of them
are fet on fire by the great Actions of Heroes ;
and both endeavour to eternize them : Both of
them in fliort, are fupported by the ftrength of
their Imagination, and avail themfelves of thofe
licences, which Apollo has equally beftow'd on
them, and with which their Genius has infpir'd
them.
Art of Painting. 8 1
atque (poetis
Quidltbet audendi, femfer fuit <cjua potefta*.
Painters and Poets free from fertile awe,
May treat their Subjects, and their Objects draw.
As Horace tells us in his Art of Poetry.
The advantage which Painting poflefles above
Poejie is this 3 That amongft (b great a Diverfi-
ty of Languages, {he makes her felf underftood by
all the Nations of the World; and that (he is necef
fary to all other Arts, becaufe of the need which
they have of demonftrative Figures, which often
give more Light to the Underftanding than the
cleareft difcourfes we can make.
Segniw irritant animos demiffa per aurem,
Quam qud funt oculis commijfa fiddibw.
Hearing excites the Mind by flow degrees,
The Man is warmd at once by what he fees.
Horace in the fame Art of Poetry.
For both of them that they might contribute. Sec.
Poetry by its Hymns and Anthems, and fainting by
its Statues, slltar-pieces, and by all thoje Decorati-
M ons
Obfervations on the
ons which infpire Refpeft and Reverence for our
Sacred Myfteries, have been ferviceable to <I(eligwn.
Gregory of N/ce, after having made a long and
beautifull Defcription ot Abraham facrificing
his Son Ifaac, fays thefe words, " I baVe often
" caft my eyes upon a Picture, which refrefents this
cc moving objefl, and could never withdraw them with-
<c out Tears. So well did the Picture refrefent
" the thing it felf, even as if the Attion were then
24. " p*[fing before my Sight. So much thefe Divine
Arts haVe been always honour d, See. The greateft
Lords, whole Cities and their Magift rates ofOld((siys
<Pliny lib. 35.) took it for an honour to obtain a J*i-
Elure from the hands of thofe great Ancient (painters.
But this Honour is much fallen of late amongft
the French Nobdity : and if you will underftand
thecaufe of it, FitrtiViiis will tell you that it comes
from their Ignorance of the charming Arts. <Pro-
fter ignorantiam Artis, Virtutes obfcurantur : (in the
Preface to his Fifth Book.) Kay more , we
fhould fee this admirable Art fall into the laft de-
gree of Contempt, if our Mighty Monarch, who
yields in nothing to the Magnanimity of Alexan-
der the Great, had not fhown as much Love for
Painting as Valour in the Wars: we daily fee him
encouraging this noble Art, by the confiderable
* Mr. Le Prefents which he makes to his * chief Painter.
Erun,
And
Art of Painting^, * 83
And he has alfo founded an Academy for the
Progrefs and Perfe&ionating of Painting, which
his * firft Minifter honours with his Prote&ion, * M-. Coi-
his care, and frequent Vifits : infomuch that we berfc
might fliortly fee the age of Apelles reviving in our
Country, together with all the beauteous Arts, if
our generous Nobility, who follow our incompa-
rable King with fo much Ardour and Courage in
thofe dangers to which he expofes his Sacred Per-
fbn for the Greatnefs and Glory of his Kingdom,
would imitate him in that wonderfull Affe&ion
which he bears to all who are excellent in this kind.
Thofe Perfons who were the moft confiderable
in Ancient Greece, either for Birth or Merit, took
a moft particular care, for many ages, to be inftru-
<5ted in the Art of Painting : following that lau-
dable and profitable cuftom which was begun
and eftablifh'd by the Great Alexander, which was
to learn how to J)ejign. And Tliny who gives te-
ftimony to this in the tenth Chapter of his ^Jth.
Book tells us farther (fpeaking of fampbilus the
Mafter of Afelles) That it was by the authority of A-
lexander, that firft at Sicyon, and afterwards thro
d# Greece, the young Gentlemen learn d before all o-
ther things to defign upon Tablets of 'Boxen-wood j and
that the firft place among all the Liberal Arts WM gi-
Ven to fainting. And that which makes it evident,
M ^ that
84, Observations on the
that they were very knowing in this Art, is the
love and efteem which they had for Painters.
Demetrius gave high teftimonies of this wherrhe
befieg'd the City of Rhodes : For he was pleas'd
to employ fome part of that time, which he ow'd
to the care of his Arms, invifiting'Profoge/je.y, who
was then drawing the Pi&ure of Jalifus. Tliis Ja-
Irfus, (fays <Pliny) binder d IQng Demetrius from
taking Rhodes, out of fear , left he fhould burn the
( Pilures ; and not being able to fire the Town on any>
other Jide y he was f leas' d rather to ffare the Taint ing,
than to take the Viftory which was already in his bands*
*Protogenes at that time had his Work-houfe in a
Garden out of the Town, and very near the
Camp of the Enemies, where he was daily fi-
nifhing thofe Pieces which he had already begun j
the noife of Soldiers not being capable of inter-
mpting his ftudies. But Demetrius caufing him
to be brought into his Prefence, and asking him
what made him fo bold as to work in the midft
of Enemies : Heanfwer ? d the King, That be un-
derjtood the War which he made, wo* againfttbe Rho-
dians and not againft the Arts. This oblig'd Deme-
trius to appoint him Guards for his Security, be-
ing infinitely pleas'd that he could preferve that
hand, which by this means he fav'd from the
barbarky and infolence of Soldiers. Alexander
had
Art of Painting. 8**
tad no greater pleafure, than when he was in the
painting room of Apdks, where he commonly was
found. And that Painter once received from him a
fenfible Teftimony of Love andEfleem which that
Monarch had for him : for having caus'd him to
paint naked (by reafonofher admirable beauty)
one of his Concubines call'd Campafpe, who had
the greateft fhare in his affe&ions, and perceiving
that Belles was wounded with the fame fatal dart
of Beauty, he made a prefent of her to .him. In
that age fo great a deference was pay'd to Paint,
ing, that they who had any Maftery in that Art,
never painted on any thing but what was porta-
ble from one place to another, and what could
be fecur'dfrorn burning. They took a particu-
lar care, fays Pliny, in the place above-cited, not
to paint any thing againft a Wall, which could
onely belong to one Mafter, and muft always
remain in the fame place $ and for that reafon
could- not be removed in cafe of an accidental
Fire. Men were not fuffer'd to keep a Pidlure,
as it were in Prifon, on the Walls: It dwelt in
common in all Cities, and the Painter himfelf
was refpected, as a Common Good to all the World.
See this Excellent Author, and you (lull find that
the i otb. Chapter of his 5 jf/;. Book is fill'd with
the fraifes of this Art-> and with the Honours tvhicb
mere:
'Olfcrvations on the
wen of crib' d to it. You will there find that it was
not permitted to any but thofe of noble Blood
to profefs it. Francis the Firfl, as Safari tells us,
was in love with Painting to that degree, that he
allur'd out of Italy all the bed Mafters,that this Art
might flourifh in his own Kingdom. Amongft o-
thers Leonardo da Vinci, who after having continu-
ed for fome time in France, died at Fontainbleau,
in the Arms of that great King, who could not
behold his death, without ftiedding Tears over
him. Charles the Fifth has adorn' d Spain with the
nobleft Pictures which are now remaining in the
World. G(idolpbi in his life of Titian, fays, that
Emperor one day took up a Pencil, which fell from the
hand of that Artift, who was then drawing his (piclure,
aud upon the Compliment which Titian made him on
that occafion , be faid thefe words, Titian has de>
ferv'dto be ferv'd by Caefar. And in the fame life
'tis remarkable, That the Emperour Valued himfelf
not fo much in fubjetting IQngdoms and Provinces,
as that he had been thrice made immortal by the hand of
Titian. If you will but take the pains to read this
famous life in^idolphi^you will there fee the relation
of all thofe honours which hereceiv'd horn Charles
the Fifth. It would take up too much time here to
recount all the particulars : I will onely obferve
that thegreateft Lords who compos'd the Court
of
Art of Painting. 87
of that Emperour, not being able to refrain
from fome marks of Jealoufy, upon the preference
which he made of the Perfon, and Converlation
of Titian, to that of all his other Courtiers ; he
freely told them, That be could never want a Court
or Courtier s, but be could not baVe Titian always with
bim. Accordingly he heap'd Riches on him, and
whenfoever he fent him Money, which* ordi-
narily fpeaking, was a great Summ, he always did
it with this obliging Teftimony, That bis defign
was not to fay him the Value of bis Pictures, becaufe
tbey were aboVe any price. After the example of the
Worthies of Antiquity, who bought the rareft
Pi&ures with Bufliels of Gold, without counting
the weight or the number of the pieces, In nummo
aureo, menfura accepit, non numero, fays Pliny, fpeak-
ing of Addles. Quinftilian inferrs from hence ,
tbat there is notbing more noble than the Art of Paint-
ing ; becaufe other things for the mod pare are
Merchandice, and bought at certain Rates 5 moft
things for this very reafon, (fays hej are vile be-
caufe they have a price, Pleraque hoc iffo pojfunt
Videri Vilia y qutd pretium babent : fee the j ^tb. j 5 tb.
and $6th. Books of Pliny. Many great perfons
have lov'd it with an extream Paffion, and have
exercised themfelves in it with delight. Amongft
others, Lelius Fabius y one of thofe famous
88 Observations on the
mans, who, as Cicero relates, after he had carted
painting and had praclis'd it, would be call'd
Fabius fpiftor : as alfo Turpilius a <%oman Knight 5
Labeo (Prdtor s Conful, Qu'mtus <Pedius, the Poets
Ennlus and (pacuVins ; Socrates, (plato, Metrodorus^
<Pirrbo, Commodus, Nero, Veffafian, Alexander SeVe-
rus, Antoninus, and many other Kings and Empe-
rours, who thought it not below their Majefty
to employ fome part of their time in this honou-
rable Art.
3 / Tl?e principal and moft important part of (Painting,
is to find out and thoroughly to under Jland what Nature
bath made moft beautiful! and moft proper to this Art,
Sec. Obferve here the rock on which the greateft
part of the Flemifh Painters, have fplit: moft of
that Nation know how to imitate Nature, at leaft
as well as the Painters of other Countries, but
they make a bad choice in Nature it felf -, whe-
ther it be, that they have not (een the Ancient
pieces to find thofe beauties ; or that a happy
Genius, and the beautifull Nature is not of the
growth of their Country* And to confefs the
truth, that which is naturally beautifull is fo very
rare, that it is difcover'd by few perfons ; 'tis
difficult to make a choice of it, and to form to
our felves fuch an Idea of it, as may ferve us for a
Model.
And
Art of Tainting. 89
And that a choke of it may be made according to ^f 2 p
tie guft and manner of the Ancients, &c. That is
to fay, according to the Statues , the BaJfo<I(elie-
Vo's,and the other Ancient Pieces, as well of the Gre-
cians as of the Romans ; Ancient (or Antique) is that
which has been made from the time of Alexander
the Great, till that of Thocas ; during whofe Em-
pire the Arts were ruin'd by War. Thefe Anci-
ent works from their beginning have been the ruk
of Beauty 3 and in effect, the Authors of them
have been fo carefull to give them that perfecti-
on, which is ftill to be obferv'd in them, that
they made ufe not onely of one fingle Body,where-
4>y they form'd them, but of many, from which
they took the moft regular parts to compofe
from them a beautifull whole. " Tlie Sculptors,
" fays Maximus Tyrius in his ?th. Diflertation,
" with admirable Artifice chofe -out of many Bodies
" thofe farts which appear d to them the moft beauti-
" ///, and out of that diverfity made but one Statue:
" But this mixture is made with fo much prudence
" and propriety, that they feem to haVe taken but one
" onely perfect Beauty. And let us not imagine that
" we can eVer find one natural Beauty which can dif-
" pute with Statues, that Art which has always fome-
" what more perfect than Nature. 'Tis alfo to be
prefum'd, that in the choice which they made of
N thofa
Observations on the
thofc parts, they followed the opinion of the (Py-
Jicians, who at that time were very capable of
inftrufting them in the rules of Beauty : Since
Beauty and Health ordinarily follow each other.
ic For Beauty, fays Galen, is nothing elfe but a jujl
" Accord and mutual Harmony of the Members, a-
" nimated by a healthfull conftitution. And men,
" faid the fame Author, commend a certain Statue
" of Polycletus, which they call the rule, and which
cc deferVes that name for having fo perfect an agree-
" ment in all its parts, and a proportion fo exact, that
" it is not pojfible to find a fault in it. From what
I have quoted, we may conclude, that the Anci-
ent Pieces are truly beautifull, becaufe they rr-
femble the Beauties of Nature 5 and that Nature
will ever be beautifull which refembles thofe Beau-
ties of Antiquity. 'Tis now evident upon what
account none have prefum'd to conteft the pro-
portion of thofe Ancient Pieces, and that on the
contrary, they have always been quoted as Mo-
dels of the moft perfect Beauty. 0V/ Jin the i 2th.
Book of his Metamorphofis, where he defcribes Cyl-
lartit, the moft beautifull of all the Centaures, fays,
That he had fo great a Jfftacity in his Countenance, his
Neck, his Shoulders, his Hands and Stomach were
fo fair, that it is certain the manly part of him W<M
<# beautifull as the moft celebrated Statues. And
Art of "Painting.
tPbiloftratus in his Heroisms, fpeaking of (protefi-
laus and praifing the beauty of his face, fays,
" That the form of bis Nofe WM fyuare, as if it bad
" been of a Statue $ and in another place fpeaking
of Ettphorbus, he fays, " That bis beauty bad gain A,
" the affections of all t be Greeks, and that it refem-
" bled fo nearly the beauty of a Statue, that one might
" baVe taken him for Apollo. Afterwards alfo
fpeaking of the Beauty of Neoptolemus, and of his
likenefs to his Father Achilles, he fays, " That in
*' beauty, his Father bad the fame advantage over
" him, as Statues haVe over the beauty of living
Men.
This ought to be understood of the faireft
Statues, for amongft the multitude of Sculptors
which were in Greece and Italy, 'tis impoffible but
fome of them muft have been bad work-men, or
rather lefs good : for though their works were
much inferiour to the Artifts of the firft form, yet
fomewhat of greatnefs is to be feen in them, and
fome what of harmonious in the diftribution of their
parts, which makes it evident3 that at this time
they wrought on Common Principles, and that
every one of them avail'd himfelf of thofe Princi-
ples according to his Capacity and Genius. Thofc
Statues were the greateft Ornaments of Greece ; we
need onely open the Book of <Paufani4s to find
N 2 the
Observations on the
the prodigious quantity of them, whether within
or without their Temples, or in the crofflng of
Streets, or in the Squares and publique Places, or e-
ven the Fields,or on the Tombs. Statues were ere-
cted to the Mufes, to the Nymphs, to Heroes ,to great
Captains, to Magiftrates, (pbilofopbers and Poets :
In fhort, they were fet up to all thole who had
made themfelves eminent either in defence of their
Country, or for any noble action which deferv'd
a recompence ; for it was the moft ordinary and
moft authentique way, both amongft the Greeks
and Romans, thus to teftifie their gratitude. The
(Romans when they had conquered Grxcia, tran-
fported from thence, not onely their moft admira-
ble Statues, but alfo brought along with them the
moft excellent of their Sculptors, who inftructed
others in their Art, and have left to pofterity the
immortal Examples of their knowledge, which
we fee confirmed by thofe curious Statues, thofe
Fafes, thofe Bajfo-G^lie^o's, and thofe beautifull
Columns call'd by the names of Trajan and Anto-
n'me : They are thofe Beauties which out Author
propofes to us for our Models. And as the true
Fountains of Science, out of which both Painters
and Statuaries are bound to draw for their own
ufe, without amufing themfelves with dipping in
ftreams which are often muddy, at leaft troubled 5
I
of Painting. $3
Pmean the manner of their Mafters, after whom
they creep, and from whom they are unwilling
to depart, either through negligence, or through
the meannefs of their Genius. " It belongs onely to
" heavy minds, fays Cicero, to ffend their time on
a ftreams, without fearching for the Springs from
tt whence their materials flow in all manner of abun-
" dance.
Without which all is nothing, but a blind and rafh ^[ 40*-
barbarity, dec. All that has nothing of the An-
cient guft, is call'd a barbarous or Gothique man-
ner, which is not conducted by any rule, but
onely follows a wretched fancy, which has no-
thing in it that is noble : we are here to obferve,
that (Painters are notoblig'd to follow the Antique
as exactly as the Sculptors, for then their Picture
would favour too ftrongly of the Statue, and ,
would feem to be without Motion. Many Pain-
ters, and fome of the ableft amongft them, be-
lieving they do well, and taking that Precept
in too literal a Sence, have fallen thereby into great
inconveniencies ; it therefore becomes the Painters
to make ufe of thofe Ancient Patterns with difcre-
tion, and to accommodate the Nature to them in
fuch a manner, that their Figures which muft
feem to live, may rather appear to be Models for
the Antique, than the Antique a Model for their figures.: .
Oifervations on the
It appears that Raphael made a perfect ufe of
this conduct, and that, the Lombard School have
not precifely fearch'd into this Precept, any fur-
ther than to learn from thence how to make a
good choice of the Nature, and to give a certain
grace and noblenefs to all their works, by the ge-
neral and confus'd Idea, which they had of what
is beautifull} as for the reft, they are fufficiently
licentious, excepting onely Titian, who, of all
the Lombards has preferv'd the greateft purity in
his works. This barbarous manner of which I
(poke, has been in great vogue from the year 6 1 1
to 1450. They who have reftor'd Painting in
Germany, ("not having feenany of thofe fair Re-
licjues of Antiquity} have retained much of that
barbarous manner. Amongft others Lucas "Van
Leyden, a very laborious man, who with his
Scholars has infected almoft all Europe with his
dejlgns for Tafejiry, which by the ignorant are
call'd Ancient Hangings, ( a greater honour than
they deferve :) thefe I fay are efteem'd beautifull
by the greateft part of the World. I muft acknow-
ledge that I am amaz'd at fo grofs a ftupidity,
and that we of the French Nation (hould have fo
barbarous a Taft, as to take for beautifull thofe
flat, childifli and infipid Tapeftries. Albert Du-
rer, that famous Germany who was contempora-
ry
Art of "Painting.
ry to that Lucas, has had the like misfortune to
fall into that abfurd manner, becaufe he had ne-
ver feen any thing that was beautifull. Obferve
what Vafan tells us in the life of Marc Antonio (Ra-
phael's Graver) having firft commended Albert
for his skill in graving, and his other Talents :
" And in truth, fays he, if this,fo excellent, fo exaft,
" and fo univerfal a Man, bad been born in Tuf-
" cany, as be was in Germany, and bad form d his
" ftudies according to thofe beautifull pieces which are
" feen at Rome, as thereftofus haVedone, be had
" proVdthe beft ^Painter of all Italy, as he was the
" greateft Genius, and the moft accompli ftf d which
" Germany ever bore.
We loVe what we underjland, Sec. This period
informs us, that though our inventions are never
fo good, though we are furnifh'd by Nature with
a noble Genius, and though we follow the impulfe
of it, yet this is not enough, if we learn not to un-
derftand what is perfect and beautiful! inNature,
to the end that having found it, we may be able
to imitate it, and by this inftruclion we may be
capacitated to obferve thofe errors which (he her
felf has made, and to avoid them, fo as not to
copy her in all forts oi fubjects $ fuch as fhe ap-
pears to us without choice or diftin<5tion.
As.
'Observations on the
jo. As being the Sovereign Judge of hi* own Art, Sec.
This word of Sovereign Judge or Arbiter of bis own
Arty prefuppofes a painter to be fully inftructed
in all the parts of Painting ; fo that being fet
as it were above his Art, he may be the Mafter
and Sovereign of it, which is no eafie matter.
Thofe of that profeffion are fo feldom endowed
with that fupreme Capacity, that few of them
arrive to be good Judges of Painting: and I
fhould many times make more account of their
judgment, who are men of Sence, and yet have
never touched a Pencil, than of the opinion which
is given by the greateft part of Painters. All
*P winters therefore may be call'd Arbiters of their
own Art, but to be Sovereign Arbiters belongs one-
ly to knowing Painters.
And permit no tranfient Beauties to e/cape lit
obferVation, &c. Thofe fugitive or tranfient Beau-
ties are no other than fuchas weobferve in Nature
with a (hort and tranfient view, and which remain
not long in their fubjects. Such are the Paflions
of the Soul. There are of thefe fort of Beauties
which laft but for a moment ; as the different
Aires of an AflTenibly, upon the Sight of an un-
expected and uncommon Object, fome particu-
larity of a violent Paffion, feme gracefull Action,
A Smile, a Glance of an Eye, a difdainfull Look,
Art of Painting. 57
a Look of Gravity, and a thoufand other fuch
like things ; we may alfo place in the Catalogue
of thefe flying Beauties, fine Clouds, fuch as or-
dinarily follow Thunder or a Shower of Rain.
In the fame manner that bare praBice deftitute of f
the Lights of Art y &c. We find in Quinttilian,
that Pythagoras faid, " The Tlieory is nothing with-
" out the praftice. And what means (fays the young-
" er Pliny) haVe we to retain what has been taught
" us, if we put it not in prattice : we would not
allow that Man to be an Orator vyho had the
beft thoughts imaginable, and who knew all the
rules of Rhetorique if he had not acquir'd by ex-
ercife the Arc of ufing them, and of compofing
an excellent Difcourfe. Painting is a long Pil-
grimage 3 what avails it to make all the necefla-
ry preparatives for our Voyage, or to inform our
felves of all the difficulties in the rode, if we do
not actually begin the journey, and travel at a
round rate, we fhall never arrive at the end of it.
And as it would be ridiculous to grow old in the
ftudy of every neceflary thing, in an Art which
comprehends fo many feveral parts 5 fo on the
other hand to begin the practice without knowing
the rules, or at leaft with a light Tincture of them
is to expofe our felves to the fcorn of thofe who
can judge of Painting, and to make it apparent
O to
Observations on the
to the World that we have no care of our repu-
tation. Many are of opinion, that we need one-
ly work and mind the practical part to become
skilfull and able Painters 3 and that the Theory
onely incumbers the mind, and tyesthe hand : Such
Men do juft like the $quirrek, vvho is perpetually
turning the Wheel in her Cage ; (lie runs apace
and wearies her felf with her continual Motion,
and yet gets no ground. > Tis?iot enough for doing
weU to walk apace, fays Quin&ilian, but it is enough
for waiting aface to do well. Tis a bad excufe to fay,.
I was but a little while about it: That gracefull
Eafinefs,^ that celeftial Fire which animates the
work, proceeds not fo much from having often
done the like, as from having well underftood
what we have done. See what I fliall farther
fay, in the 5 \ft. <l{ule, which concerns eafinefs.
Others there are who believe the Precepts and Spe-
culation, to be of abfolute neceffity, but as they
were ill inftructed, and what they knew rather en-
tangl'd than cleared their underftanding, fo they
oftentimes ftop fhort ; and if they perform a work,
'tis not without Anxiety and Pain. And in truth,
they are fo much the more worthy of Compaffi-
on becaufc their intentions are rightj and if they
advance not in knowledge as far as others, and
are fometimes caft behind, yet they are ground-
ed
Art of Painting.
ed upon fome fort of reafon $ for 'tis belonging to
good fence, not to go over faft when we appre-
hend our felves to be out of the way, or even
where we doubt which way we ought to take.
Others on the contrary, being well inftrucled in
good Maximes,and in the rules of Art, after having
done fine things yet fpoil them all by endeavou-
ring to make them better, which is a kind of o-
ver-doing, and are fo intoxicated with their work
and with an earneft defire of being above all o-
thers, that they fuffer themfelves to be deceived
with the appearance of an imaginary good. A-
pelles one day admiring the prodigious Labour which pij ny 35 .
he faw in a <PiBur.e of Protogenes, and knowing
how muchfweat it muft have coft him, faid, That Pro-
togenes and himfelf were of equal ftrength ; nay y that
he yielded to him in fome farts of Painting, but in this
he furpafs'd him, that -Protogenes never knew when
he had done well, and could never hold his hand$ he
alfo added in the nature of a Precept, that he wifh'd all
(painters would imprint tins lejfon deeply in their Me-
mory, that ivitb oVer ^ft raining and earneft nefs of finifh-
ing their ^Pieces they often did them more barm than
good. There are fome "(fays Quincl:ilianj who m- J0
Ver fatisfie themfelves, ne'Ver are contented with their
firjl Notions and Exprejjions, but are continually chang-
ing all, till nothing remains of their fir ft Ideas. Others
O ^ there
10.
ioo Otfervatiws on the
there are (continues he ,) who dare never trufl them--
felveSy nor refohe on any thing, and who being as it
were intangl'd in their own Genius, imagine it to le a-
laudable cornBnefs, when they form difficulties to them-
felVes in their own work- <dnd to /peak the truth, 'tis
hard to difcern whether of the two is in thegreatejl Error $
he who is enamour d of alt he does, or he whom no-
thing of his own can pleafe. For it has happen d to-
yottng Men, and of ten \>m ta thofe of the greateji
Wit, to wafte their Spirits, and to consume tbemfelver
with dnxiety and Pain of their own giving, fo far as-
e^en to do%e upon their work with too much eagernefs
of doing well-, I will now tell you how a reafonable man,
ought to carry him f elf on this occajion : 'Tis certain
that we ought to ufe our hefl endeavour to give the
laji (perfeftion to our works -, yet it is always to be un-
derftood, that we attempt no more than what is in the
compafs of our G&nius, and according to our Vein : for
to make a true (Progrefi, I grant that diligence and ft u-
dy are^ both requifete, but this ftudy ought to haVe no-
mi^ure, either of Self -opinion, Qbftinacy, or dnxicty;
fa which reafon, if it blows a happy Gale we muft fet up-
all our Sails, though in fo doing itfometimes happens that-
we follow thofe Motions where? our natural heat is more
powerfull than our care and our correctness, provided
w-e abufe not this licence, andfuffer not our Jelves to*
ke dec%v'& by,, it., for all our productions cannot fail to-
pleafe
Art of Painting. I o I
pleafe us at the moment of their Birth, as being net*
to us.
Becaufe thegreateft Beauties cannot always he exprefs'd gr l v
for want ofterms,&cc. I have learn'dfrom the mouth
of Monfieur du- Frefnoy, that he had oftentimes
heard Guido fay. That no man could give A' rule of
thegreateft Beauties , and that the knowledge of them
was Jo abftrufe, that there was no manner ofjpeaking
which could ex frefs them. This comes juft to what
Quiiiflilian fays, That things* incredible wanted words Dedam. i#.
to ex frefs them : for fome of them are too great and
too much elevated tale comprehended by human difcourfe.
From hence it proceeds that the beft Judges when
they admire a noble Picture, feem to befeften'd
to it 5 and when they come to themfelves- you-
would fay they had loft the ufe of Speech.
(Paufiaca torpes, infam, Tabdla, fays ^ Horace-, * Lib.2.Sat7;
and tSymmachHS fays, that the greatnefs ofaftomfh* tLib.io.Ep,
ment hinders-, men from giving a juft afplaufc* The L
talians fay Of era daftufire, when.a thing is wonder-
fully good.
Thofe. Mafter- pieces of Antiquity ^ which were thefirft ^[ 6 2 .
Examples of this Art, Sec. He means the moft
knowing and beft Painters of Antiquity, that is
to fay, from the lad two Ages to our times*
And alfo moderates that fury of the Fancy, Sec.
There is in the Latine Text, which froduces onely
Monftersy
ioi Observations on tie
'Monfters , that is to fay , things out of all proba-
ble refemblance. Such things as are often found
in the works of Tietro Tefta : It often happens, fays
Dionyfiits Longinus, a grave Author, Thatfome men
imagining themf elves to be pojfefs'd with a divine Fu-
ry ; far from being carry d into the rage of Baccha-
nalians, often fall into toys and trifles winch are only
^Puerilities.
A fubjeSl beautifull and noble, Sec. Painting is
not onely pleafing and divertifing, but is alfo a
kind of Memorial of thofe things which Antiqui-
ty has had the moft beautifull and noble in their*
kinds, re-placing the Hiftory before our Eyes 5
as if the thing at that time were effectually in A-
&ion, even fo far that beholding the Pictures
wherein thofe noble deeds are reprefented, we
find our felves flung with a defire of endeavour-
ing fomewhac which is like that Action there ex-
prefs'd, as if we were reading it in the Hiftory.
The Beauty of the fubject infpires us with Love
and Admiration for the Pictures. As the fair
mixture caufes us to enter into the fubject which
it imitates and imprints it the more deeply into
our Imagination and our Memory : thefe are two
Chains which are interlinked , which contain ,
and are at the fame time contained, and whofe
matter is equally precious and eftimable.
And
Art of Painting.
And mllfeaforidy Sec. Aliquid falls, fomewhat
that is ingenious, fine and picquant^ extraordina-
ry of a high relifli, proper to inftrucl: and to clear
the Under/landing. The ^Painters ought to do
like the Orators, fays Cicero. Let them inftrucl, De
let them divertife, and let them move us ; this is
what is properly meant by the word Salt.
On which the whole Machine (as it maybecairdj
of the (pifture is to he diffosd, dec. 'Tis not with-
out reafon, nor by chance, that our Author ufes
the word Machine. A Machine is a juft aflembling
or Combination of many pieces to produce one
and the fame effect. And the Difpofition in a <Pi-
tture is nothing elfe but an Aflembling of many
parts, of which we are to forefee the agreement
with each other: And the juftnefs to produce a
beautifull effect, as you fliall fee in the fourth
Precept, which is concerning the Oeconomy. This
is alfo call'd the Compofitim, by which is meant
the diftribution and orderly placing of things,
both in general and in particular.
Which is what we froperly call Invention, &c. Our fr
Author eftabliflies three parts of Painting,
the INVENTION, the DESIGN or
DRAWING, and the COLOURING,
which in fome places he alfo calls the C R O-
M AT I QU E. Many Authors who have writ-
ten.
Observations on the
ten of Painting, multiply the parts according to
their pleafure 5 and without giving you or my
felf the trouble of difcuffing this matter, I will
onely tell you, that all the parts of Painting which
others have nam'd, are reducible into thele three
which are mention' d by our Author.
For which reafon, I efteem this divifion to
be the* jufteft: and as thefe three farts are Ejfential
to Painting, fo no man can be truly cali'd a
Painter who does not poffefs them all together : In
the fame manner that we cannot give the name
of Man to any Creature which is not compos'd
of Body, Soul and <I(eafon, which are the three
parts neceflarily conftituent of a Man. How there-
fore can they pretend to the Quality of Painters,
who can onely copy and purloyn the works of
others who therein employ their whole induftry,
and with that onely Talent would pafs for able
Painters. And do not tell me that many great Ar-
tifts have done this ; for I can eafily anfwer you that
it had been their better courfe, to have abftain'd
from/a doing ; that they have not thereby done
themfelves much honour, and that copying was
not the beft part of their reputation. Lee us then
conclude that all Painters ought to acquire this
part of Excellence ; not to do it, is to want cou-
rage and not dare to Chew themfelves. 'T\s to
crfcep
Art of fainting. 105
creep and grovel on the ground, 'tis to defervc
this juft reproach, imitatores ferVnm pecus: 'Tis
with Painters, in reference to their productions,
as it is with Orators. A good beginning is al-
ways coftly to both : much fweat and labour is
required, but 'tis better to expofe our works and
leave them liable to cenfure for fifteen years, than
to blufh for them at the end of fifty. On this *
account 'tis neceflary for a Painter to begin early
to do fomewhat of his own, and to accuftom hirn-
felf to it by continual exercife 3 for fo long as endea-
vouring to raife himfelf, he fears falling, he (hall
be always on the ground. See the following ob-
fervation.
Invention is a kind of Mu/e, which being fojfefs'd
of the other advantages common to her Sifters, &c.
The Attributes of the Mufes are often taken for
the Mufes themfelves ; and it is in this fence, that
Invention is here call'd a Mufe. Authors afcribe
to each of them in particular the Sciences which
they have (fay they} invented ; and in general
the belle lettere y becaufe they contain almoft all the
others. Thefe Sciences are thofe advantages of
which our Author fpeaks, and with which he
would have a Painter furnifli himfelf (ufficiently :
and in truth, there is no man, though his under-
ftanding be very mean who knows not and who
P finds
Observations on the
finds not of himfelf how much Learning is necef-
lary to animate his Genius, and to compleat it~
And the reafon of this is, that they who haveftu-
died, have not onely feen and learn' d many ex-
cellent things in their courfe of ftudies, but that
alfo they have acquk'd by that exercife a great
Facility of profiting themfelves by reading good
Authors. They who will make profeffion of
Painting, muft heap up treafures out of their read-
ing and there will find many wonderfull means
of railing themfelves above others, who can onely
creep upon the ground, or if they elevate them-
fielves, 'tis onely to fall from a higher place, be-
caufe they ferve themfelves of other Men's Wings,
neither underftanding their life norVertue: 'Tis
true that it is not the prefent Mode for a Painter
to be fo knowing : and if any of them in thefe
times be found to have either a great Wit or much
Learning, the multitude would not fail to fay,
that it was great pity, and that the Youth might
have come to fomewhat in the practical parr, or
it may be. in the Exchequer, or in the Families of
fome Noble-men. So wretch' d is the Deftiny o
Painting in thefe later ages. By Learning 'tis
not fo much the knowledge of the Greek and Latin
Tongue, which is here to be understood as the
reading of good Authors, and underftanding thofe
things,
Art of Painting. 1 07
things of which they treat: for Trttnfations being
made of the be ft Authors, there is not any Painter
who is not capable in fome fort of underftand-
ing thqfe Books of Humanity, which are com-
prehended under the name of the belle lettere. In
my opinion the Books which are of the moft ad-
Tantage to thofe of the Profeffion, are thefe which
follow.
The Bitle.
The Hiftory ofjofepbus.
The (Roman Hiftory of Coeffeteau, (for thofe
who underftand the French,) and that of Titus Li-
vius, tranflated by Figenere, with the Notes which ,
are both curious and profitable. They are in two
Volumes.
Homer, whom Pliny calls the Fountain-head of
Invention and noble thoughts.
ffrgil, and in him, particularly his Atneids.
The Ecclefiaftical Hiftory of Godeau, or the
Abridgement of Baronius.
Ov'i/s Met amor fbofes 9 tranflated into French by
Du tfyer, and in Englifh by Sandys.
* The Pictures of (pbiloftratus. * Tableaux.
Plutarch's Lives, tranflated from the Greek by
feveral hands, in 5 Volumes.
Paufania*, though I doubt whether that Author
be tranjlated. He is wonderfull for giving of
P 2 great
io8 Objervations &n tfa
great Ideas \ and chiefly, for fuch as are to be plac'd
at a diftance, (or caft behind) and for the com-
bining of Figures. This Author in conjunction
with Homer ) make a good mingle of what is plea-
fing and what is perfect
The Religion of the Ancient Romans, by T>u
Choul$ and in Englifh y Godwins tyman Antiqui-
ties.
Trajan's Pillar, with the difcourfc which ex-
plains the Figures on it, and inftru&s a Painter
in thofe things with, which he is undifpenfibly
to be acquainted. This is one of the moft prin-
cipal and moft learned Books, which we have for
the Modes, the Cufto?ns, the Arms, and the Q(eli-
gion of the %am*n$.} Julio (Romano made his chief
ftudies on the Marble it felf.
The Books of Medals.
The Bajf-Q^eliefs of <Perrier and others, with
their Explanations at the bottom of the Pages,
which give a perfect underftanding of them.
Horace's Art of Poetry, by the Earl of Ufy/co-
mon, becaufe of the relation which there is betwixt
the Rules of Poetry and thofe of Painting.
And other Books of the like Nature, the read-
ing of which are profitable to warm the Imaginati-
on : fuch as in Englijk, are Spencer s Fairy Queen j
The Paradife loft of Milton ; Tajfo translated by
Fairfax ;
Art of Painting.
Fairfax ; and the Hiftory of tPolybiiM, by Sir Hem
rjf Shere.
Some Romances alfo are very capable of co-
renaming the Genius, and of ftrengthening k by
the noble Ideas which they give of things $ buc
there is this danger in them, that they almoft al-
ways corrupt the truth of Hiftory.
There aie alfo other Books which a Painter
may life upon fome particular occafions and
onely when he wants them : Such are,
The Mythology of the Gods.
The Images of the Gods.
The Iconology.
The Tables of Hygnus.
The practical Perfpective.
And fome others not here mentioned.
Thus it is necefiary, that they who are defirou&
of a name in Painting, (hould read at leifure times
thefe Books with diligence, and make their obfer-
vations of fuch things as they find for their pur-
pofe in them, and of which they believe they may
fometime or other have occafion ; let the Imagi-
nation be employed in this reading, and let them
make Sketches and light Touches of thofe Ideas
which that reading forms in their Imagination.
QwnElilian y Tacitus, or whoever was the Author
of that Dialogue which iscalt'd in Latine Xte
no Obfirvations on the
Jts corrupts eloquent^, fays, Tliat fainting refem-
bles Fire which is fed by the Fuel, inflanid by Moti-
on, and gathers ftrength by burning : For the pow-
er of the Genius is onely augmented by the abundance
of matter to fupply it ; and 'tis impofftble to make a
great and magnificent work) if that matter be wanting
or not difpos'd rightly. And therefore a Painter
who has a Genius, gets nothing by long think-
ing and taking all imaginable care to make
a noble Compofition if he be not affifted by
thofe ftudies which I have mentioned. All that
he can gain by it, is onely to weary his Imagina-
tion, and to travel over many vaft Countries
without dwelling on any one thing, which can
give him fatisfaction.
All the Books which I have named may be fer-
viceable to all forts of Perfons as well as to Pain-
ters. As for thofe Books which were of particu-
lar ufe to them, they were unfortunately loft in
thofe Ages which were Ifcfore the Invention of
Printing. Neglecting the Copyers probably out
of ignorance to tranfcribe them, as not finding
*ttat u *>chemfelves capable of making the * demonftrative
Diagrams * $ igures. In the mean time, 'tis evidently known by
tHc reltaion of Authors, that we have loft fifty Vo-
lumes of them at the leaft. See Pliny in his 3 jtb.
Book 5 and Franc. Junius in his $d. Chapter of
the
Art of Painting. in
die id. Book of the Painting of the Ancients. Ma-
ny Moderns have written of it with fmall fuo-
ceis, taking a large compafs without coming di-
rectly to the point, and talking much without
faying any thing : yet fome of them have acquit-
ted themfelves (uccefsfully enough. Amongft o-
thers Leonardo da Vinci (though without method 3)
Paulo Lomazgp, whofe Book is good for the great-
eft part, but whofe difcourfe is too diffufive and
very tirefome. John Baptift /lrmenini y Francifcw
JuniHSy Monfieur de Cambray, to whofe Preface I
rather invite you than-to his Book $ we are not to
forget what Monfieur Felebien has written of the
Picture of Alexander by the hand of Monfieur
Le Brun : befides that the work it felf is very elo-
quent, the Foundations which he eftabliflies for
the making of a good Picture are wonderfully, fo-
lid. Thus I have given you very near the Librar
ry of a Painter, and a Catalogue of fuch Books as
he ought either to read himfelf or have read to
him, at leaft if he will not fatisfie himfelf with
poflefling Painting as the moft fordid of all Trades
and not as the nobleft of all Arts.
'Tis the bufinejs of a fainter in Ks choice of (Pb- ^[ 77
ftures, Sec. See here the moft important Precept of
all thofe which relate to fainting, It belongs pro-
perly to a Painter alone, and all the reft are bor-
row'cL
si % Olfervations on tie
row'd either from Learning, or from Pbyfick, or
from the Mathematich , or in fhort, from other
Arts, for it is fufficient to have a natural Wit and
Learning to make that which we call in Painting
a good Invention, for the defign we muft have
fome infight into Anatomy, to make Buildings, and
other things- in TerfpeftiVe, we muft have know-
ledge in the Mathematichy^nd other Arts, will bring
in their Quotas to furnifli out the matter of a good
Picture} but for the Oeconomy or ordering of the
whole together, none but onely the Painter can
underftand it, becaufe the end of the Artift is plea-
fingly to deceive the Eyes, which he can never
accomplifli if this part be wanting to him. A
Pi&ure may make an ill effect, though the Inven-
tion of it be truly underftood, the Befign of it cor-
rect and the Colours of it the moft beautifull and
fine that can be employed in it. And on the con-
trary we may behold other Pictures ill invented,
ill defign'd and painted with the moft common
Colours, which fhall make a very good effect,
and which (hall more pleafingly deceive ; No-
thing pleafes a manfo much AS order, fays Xenofhon:
And Horace, in his Art of Poetry.
Singula qttAque locum teneantfortit* decenttr.
Set
Art of fainting. 113
Set all things in their own peculiar place.
And know that Order if the greatejl Grace*
This Precept is properly the ufe and applica-
tion of all the reft ; for which reafon it requires
much judgment. You are therefore, in fuch
manner to forefee things, that your Pi&uremay
be painted in your Head : i. e. before it come up-
on the Canvas. When Menander ((ays a cele-
brated Authour) had order d the Scenes of his Co- Comm.vetiis.
medy, he held it to be, in a manner, already made $
though he had not begun the fir ft Verfe of it. 'Tis an
undoubted truth, that they who are enduM with
this forefight, work with incredible pleafure and
facility 3 others on the contrary are perpetually
changing and rechanging their work, which when
it is ended leaves them but anxiety for all their
pains. It feems to me that thefe forts of Pi&ures
remind us of thofe old Gothique Caftles, made at
feveral times, and which hold together onely as
it were by Rags and Patches.
It may be inferred from that which I have faid,
that the Indention and the Difpojition are two feveral
and diftinft parts in effeft, though the laft of
them depends upon the firft, and that common-
ly 'tis comprehended under it : yet we are to
take
Observations on the
take great care that we do not confound them.
ThelnVention fimply finds out the fubjects, and
makes a choice of them fuitable to the Hiftory
which we treat; and the Difpofition diftributes
thofe things which are thus found each to its pro-
per place, and accommodates the Figures and the
Grouppes in particular, and the Tout Enfembk
(or whole together) of the Picture in general :
fo that this Oeconomy produces the fame effect in
relation to the Eyes, as a Confort of Mufick to the
Ears.
There is one thing of great confequence to be
obferv'd in the Oeconomy of the whole work, which
is, that at the firft Sight we may be given to un-
derftand the quality of the fubject : and that the
Picture at the firft Glance of the Eye, may in-
fpire us with the principal paiTIon of it : for Ex-
ample, if the fubject which you have undertaken
to treat be of joy, 'tis neceffary that every thing
which enters into your Picture fhould contribute
to that Paffion, fo that the Beholders fhall im-
mediately be mov'd with it. If the Subject be
mournfull, let every thing in it have a ftroke of
fadnefs 5 and fo of the other Paflions and Quali-
ties of the Subjects.
Let your Compofitions le conformable to the Text of
Ancient Authors, &c. Take care that the Licences
o
Art of Painting. 115
of Painters be ratherlo adorn the Hiftory, than
to corrupt it. And though Horace gives permif-
fion to Painters and Poets to dare every thing, yet drttfpoet
he encourages neither of them, to make things out
of nature or verifimility 5 for he adds immediate-
ly after,
But let the Sounds of Licences he fix'd,
Not things of dif agreeing Natures mix'd $
Not Sweet with Sowre, nor Birds with Serpentsjoynd,
Nor the fierce Lyon with the fear full Hind.
The Thoughts of a Man endued with good
Sence are not of kin to viiionary madnefs;
Men in Feavers are onely capable of fuch Dreams.
Treat then the Subjects of your Pictures with all
poffible faithfulnefs, and ufe your Licences with
a becoming boldnefs, provided they be ingeni-
ous, and not immoderate and extravagant.
Take care that whatfoe'Ver makes nothing to your ^[ 82.
SubjecJ, dec. Nothing deadens fo much the Com-
pofition of a Picture, as Figures which are not
appertaining to the Subject : We may call them
pleafantly enough, Figures to be let.
This fart of Painting fo rarely met with, and fo *j[ 87.
difficult to he found, dec. That is to fay,
Which
^fervatms on the
Which wasftollen by Prometheus, <src. The Po>
cts feign that TrometheM form'd out of Clay, fo
fair a Statue, that MtnerVa one day having long
admir'd it, faid to the workman, that if he
thought there was any thing in Heaven which
could add to its perfection, he might ask it of
her j but he being ignorant of what might be
moft beautifull in the Habitation of the Gods, de-
fir' d leave that he might be carry 'd thither, and
being there to make his choice. The Goddefs
bore him thither upon her Shield, and fo foon
as he had perceiv'd that all Celeftial things were
animated with Fire, he ftole a Parcel of it, which
he carry' d down to Earth, and applying it to
the ftomach of his Statue enliven' d the whole Bo-
92. That it happens not to everyone to fee Corinth,,,
Sec. This is an Ancient Proverb which fignifies,
that every man has not the Genius nor the Difpo-
fition that is neccflary for the Sciences, neither
yet a Capacity fit for the undertaking of things
which are great and difficult. Corinth was hereto-
fore the Centre of all Arts, and the place whither
they fent all thofe whom they would render ca-
*Pro lege pable of any thins. * Cicero calls it the Light
Man. r r r
ot all Gr<taa.
Art of Tainting. 1 1 7
at length to that height of perfection, &c.
This was in the time of Alexander the Great, and
lafted even to Auguftus ; under whofe reign Paint-
ing fell to great decay. But under the Emperors^ .
Domitian, NerVa and Trajan, it appear'd in its
primitive luftre, which lafted to the time of Who-
cos the Emperor, when vices prevailing over the
Arts, and War being kindled through all Europe,
and efpecially in Lombardy, (occafion'd by the
irruption of the Hunns,) Painting was totally ex-
tinguifli'd. And if fome few in the fucceeding
Ages ftrain'd themielves to revive it, it was ra-
ther in finding out the moft glaring, gawdy and
coftly Colours, than in imitating the harmoni-
ous Simplicity of thofe illuftrious Painters who-
preceded them. At length, in the fourteenth
Century, fome there were who began to fet it
again on foot. And it may truly be faid, that
about the end of the fifteenth Age, and the be-
ginning of our Sixteenth it appeared in much
Splendor by means of many knowing Men in all
parts of Italy, who were in perfect poffeffion of k.
Since thofe happy times which were fo fruitfull of
the noble Arts, we have alfo had fome knowing
Painters but very few in number, becaufe of the
little inclination which Sovereign Princes have
had for Painting: but thanks to the zeal of our
Great
ii8 Observations on tie
Great Monarch, and to the care of his firft Mi-
nifter, Monfieur Colbert, we may fhortly behold
it more flourifliing than ever.
~f[ 10 2. Though they are not "Very much inferior, &c. Our
Author means this of Michael dngelo, and other
able Sculptors of that time.
C i o 2 . d (pofture therefore muft be chofen according to their
gnfto, &c. This is the fecond part of Painting,
which is called Defign or Drawing ; as the Ancients
have Tought as much as poffible whatfoever con-
tributes to the making of a perfect Body, fo they
have diligently examin'd in what confifts the beau-
ty of good poftures, as their works fufficiently in-
form, us.
ff 104. The farts of it muft be great, Sec. Yet not fo
great as to exceed a juft proportion. But he means
that in a noble pofture, the greateft parts of the
Body ought to appear foremoft rather than the
lefs, for which reafon in another paffage he vehe-
mently forbids the forefliortnings, becaufe they
make the parts appear little, though of themfelves
they are great.
1 04. Large or ample, &c. To avoid the dry man-
ner, fuch as is moft commonly the Nature which
Lucas T?an Leyden and Albert Durer have imi-
tated.
Unequa
Art of Painting. 1 1 ^
Unequal in their Portion, fo that thofe which are
before muft contraft or opfofe thofe others which are bin-
dermoft, and all of them he equally balam'd on their
Centre, Sec. The Motions are never natural,
when the Members are not equally balanced on
their Centre : and thefe Members cannot be ba-
lanc'd on their Centre in an equality of weight,
but they muft contraft each other. A Man who
dances on the Rope, makes a manifeft Demon-
ftration of this Truth. The Body is a weight
balanced on its Feet, as upon two Pivots. And
though one of the Feet moft commonly bears the
weight, yet we fee that the whole weight refts
Centrally upon it. Infomuch, that if, for Exam-
ple, one Arm is ftretched out, it muft of neceffity
be either that the other Arm^ or the Leg be caft
backward, or the Body fomewhat bow'd on the
oppofite Side, fo as to make an Equilibrium, and
be in a Situation which is unforc'd. It may be,
though feldom (if it be not in old Men) that
the Feet bear equally $ and for that time half the
weight is equally diftributed on each Foot. Yoir
ought to make ufe of the fame Prudence, if one
Foot bears three parts in four of the Burthen, and
that the other Foot bore the remaining part. This
in general is what may be faidof the Balance, and
the Libration of the Body. In. particular, there
may
no Olfervations on the
may many things be faid which are very ufefull
and curious, of which you may facisfie your
felves in Leonardo da Vinci. He has done wonder -
Fully well on chat fubject, and one may truly fay-
that the Ponder ation, is the bed and founded part
of all his Book of Painting. It begins at the i 8 \fl.
Chapter, and concludes at the 27 3 d. I would alfo
advife you to read Paulo Lomazgp in his 6th. Book,
Chapter ^th. Del moto del Corpo humano, that is, the
motion of a human Body. You will there find
many things of great profit ; for what concerns
the Contraft, I will onely fay in general, that no-
thing gives fo much grace and life to Figures. See
the 4%d. Precept, and what I fay upon it in the
Remarks.
107. Tlie parts muft have their out -lines in WaVes re-
fembling Flames, or the gliding of a Snake upon the
ground, &c. The reafon of this proceeds from
the action of the Mufcles, which are as fo many
Well-buckets - y when one of them acts and draws,
'tis neceflary that the other muft obey ; fo that the
Mufcles which act, drawing always towards their
principle, and thofe which obey ftretching in
length and on the fide of their infertion, it muft
needs follow that the parts muft be defign'd in
Waves : but beware left in giving this form to
the parts you do not break the Bones which fu-
ftain
Art of Painting.
ftain them, and which always muft make them
appear firm.
This Maxim is not altogether fo general, but
that actions may be found where the mafles of the
Mufcles are fituate one over againft another* but
this is not very common. The out-lines which
are in waves, give not only a grace to the Parts,
but alfo to the whole Body, when it is only fup-
ported on one Leg. As we fee in the Figures of
Antinous, Meleager, the Vtnu* of Medices, that of
the Vatican, the two others of Borghefe, and'that
of Flora, of the Goddefs Vefta, the two Saab's of
Sorghefe, and that ofLudoVifio, and in fine of the
greateft number of the Ancient Figures, which are
ftanding ? and which always reft more upon one
Foot than the other. Befides, that the Figures and
their Parts, ought almoft always to have a fer-
pentine and flaming form naturally, thefe forts of
out-lines have, I know not what of life and fee-
ming motion in them, which very much refem-
bles the activity of the Flame, and of the Serpent.
According to the knowledge of them, winch is given
us by Anatomy, Sec. This part is nothing known
at prefent amongft our modern Painters. I have
fliewn the profit and even the neceffity of it in the
Preface of a little Epitome which I have made,
and which Monfieur Torrebat has publifli'd. I
R know
1 1 2 Observations on the
know there arefome who think this Science a kind
of Monfter, and believe it to be of no Advan-
tage, either becaufe they are mean fpirited, or
that they have not confider'd the want which they
have of it $ nor reflected as they ought, on its
importance : contenting themfelves with a certain
track, to which they have been us'd. But cer-
tain it is , that whoever is capable of fuch a
thought, will never be capable of becoming a
great Defigner.
\\\. Defignd after the manner of the Grecians , &c.
that is to lay, according to the Ancient Statues^
which for the mod part come from Greece.
1 14. Let there be aferfeEl relation betwixt the farts and
the whole, &c. or let them agree well together,
which is the fame thing. His meaning in this
place, is to fpeak of the juftnefs of proportions j
and of the harmony which they make with one
another. Many famous Authours have thorough-
ly treated this matter. Amongft others Paulo
LomazgOj whofe firft Book fpeaks of nothing elfe :
But there are fo many fubdivifions, that a Reader
muft have a good Brain, not to be turn'd with
them. See thofe which our Author has remarked
in general, on the moft beautifull Statues of th?
Ancients. I belkve them to be fo much the bet-
ter, as they are more conformable to thofe,
which
Art of Painting. 123
which Vitrtivm gives us, in the fir ft Chapter of his
third Book : And which he tells us, that he learn'd
from the Artifts themfelves : becaufe in the Pre-
face to his fe"\>enth Book, he makes his boaft to have
had them from others, and particularly from
'jftdntelh and Painters.
The Meafures of a Humane Body.
The indents have commonly allow'd eight
Heads to their Figures ; though fome of them
have but feven. But we ordinarily divide the Fi-
gure into *ten Faces : that is to fay, from t\\e*This depends
Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot in ^ditfifthe
the following manner. t"f s - ^ e
_ , *> c * _, , - _ , , Apollo and
From the Crown of the Head to the Forehead, venus*/Me-
is the third part of a Face. *
The Face begins, at the root of the loweft
Hairs, which are upon the Forehead j and ends
at the bottom of the Chin.
The Face is divided into three proportionable
parts 5 the firft contains the Forehead, thefecond
theNofe, and the third the Mouth and the Chin.
From the Chin, to the pit betwixt the Collar-
bones are two lengths of a Nofe.
From the pit betwixt the Collar-bones, to the
bottom of the Breaft one Face.
R 2 * From
Obs
ervations on the
*7fo Apollo * From the bottom of the Breafts, totheNa-
kas 4 Nofe -,
more. VCl Otie Face.
*Tkc Apollo * From the Navel to the Genitories, one Face.
Nofe more: From the Genitories to the upper part of the
ff'^flf Knee, two Faces.
half of the Ve- ] . tr
nusdeMedi- The Knee contains hair a tace.
arc f the Knee to the Anckle,.
the Belly, and WJQ FaCC5.
From the Anckle to the Sole of the Foot, half
a Face.
A Man, when his Arms are firetch'd out, is,
from the longeft Finger of his Right hand, to the
longeft of his left, as broad as he is long.
From one fide of the Breads to the other,
two Faces.
The bone of the Arm call'd Humerus is the
length of two Faces, from the Shoulder to the
Elbow.
From the end of the Elbow to the rx)ot of the
little Finger, the bone call'd Cubitus, with part of
the Hand ? contains two Faces.
From the box of the Shoulder-blade, to the
pit betwixt the Collar-bones, one Face.
If you would be fatisfy'd in the Meafures of
breadth, from the extremity of one Finger to the
other ; fo that this breadth fliou'd be equal to the
length of the Body, you muft obferve that the
boxes
Art of Painting.
boxes of the Elbows with the Humerus, and of
the Humerw with the Shoulder-blade, bear the
proportion of half a Face, when the Arms are
ftretch'd out.
The Sole of the Foot is the fixth part of the
Figure.
The Hand is the length of a Face.
The Thumb contains a Nofe.
The infide of the Arm, from the place where
the Mufcle difappears, which makes the Breaft,
caird the Pectoral Mufcle, to the middle of the
Arm, four Nofes.
From the middle of the Arm to the beginning
of the Hand, five Nofes.
The longeft Toe, is a Nofe long.
The two utmoft parts of the Teats, and the
pit betwixt the Collar-bones of a Woman make
an equilateral triangle.
For the breadth of the Limbs no precife mea-
fures can be given 5, becaufe the meafures them*
felves are changeable according to the quality of
the perfons 3 and according to the movement of
the Mufcles.
If you wou'd know the Proportions more par-
ticularly, you may fee them in <Paulo Lomazgp :
'tis good to read them, once at leaft, and to make
Remarks on them 3 every man according to his
own
l^fervations on the
own judgment, and according to the occafion
which he has for them.
1 17. Though tPerfpe&iVe cannot be caff da certaln^ule y
Sec. That is to fay, purely of it felf, without pru-
dence, and difcretion. The greateft part ofthofc,
who underftand it, defiring to pra&ife it too re-
gularly, often make fuch things as (hock the fight,
though they are within the Rules. If all thofe
great Painters, who have left us fuch fair Plat-
forms, had rigoroufly obferv'd it in their Figures,
they had not wholly found their account in it.
They had indeed made things more regularly
true, but withall very unpleafing. There is great
appearance that the Architects, and Statuaries of
former times, have not found it to their purpofe
always 3 nor have followed the Geometrical part
fo exactly as Perfpective ordains. For He who
'wou'd imitate the Frontifpiece of the Rotunda ac-
cording to Perfpective, wou'd be grofly deceiv'd $
fince the Columns which are at the extremities
have more diameter, than thofe which are in the
middle. The Cornifli of the Tala^p Farnefe,
which makes fo beautifull an effect T>elow, when
view'd more nearly, will be found not to have
its juft meafures. In the Pillar of Trajan, we fee
that the higheft Figures are greater than thofe be-
low ; and make an effect quite contrary to Per-
fpeftive,
Art of Painting. 127
fpe&ive, increafing according to the meafure of
their diftance. I know there is a Rule which
teaches a way of making them in that manner $
and which though 'tis to be found in fome Books
of Perfpedrive, yet notwithftanding is no rule of
<Perff>elil>e. Becaufe 'tis never made life of, but
onely when we find it for our purpofej for if
(for example ) the Figures which are at the top of
Trajan s <Pillar, were but as great as thofe which
are at the bottom , they wou'd not be for all
that againft Perfpe&ive : and thus we may fay,
with more reafon, that it is a rule of Decorum in
Perfpeftive to cafe the fight, and to render ob-
jects more agreeable: /Tis on this general obfer-
vation, that we may eftablifli in Perfpe&ive, the
rules of Decorum (or convenience) whenfoever
occafion fhall offer. We may alfo fee another
Example in the bafe of the Farnefian Hercules^
which is not upon the level, but on an eafie de-
clivity on the advanced part, that the feet of the
Figure may not be hidden from the fight, to the
end that it may appear more pleafing : which the
noble Authors of thefe things have done, not in
contempt of Geometry and Perfpedrive, but for
the fatisladion of the Eyes, which was the end
they propos'd to themfelves in all their works.
We.
28 Olfervations on the
We muft therefore underftand ^PerfpeEliVey as
a Science which is abfolutely neceffary; and
which a Painter muft not want : Yet without fub-
je&ing our felves fo wholly to it,as to become flaves
of it. We are to follow it, when it leads us in a
pleafing way, and that it (hows us plcafing things 5
but for fome time to forfake it, if it lead us
through mire, or to a precipice. Endeavour af-
ter that which is aiding to your Art, and conve-
nient, but avoid whatsoever is repugnant to it $
as the j^th rule teaches.
126. Let eVery Member be made for its own Head, Sec.
That is to fay, you ought not to fet the Head of
a Young man on the Body of an Old one; nor
make a white Hand for a withered Body. Not
to habit a Hercules in Taffeta 5 nor an Apollo in
courfe fluff: Queens and perfons of the firft qua-
lity, whom you wou'd make appear Majeftical,
are not to be too negligently drefs'd, or indiflha-
bile, no more than Old men : The Nymphs are
not to be overcharged with drapery : In fine, let
all that which accompanies your Figures, make
them known for what effectively they are.
128. Let the Figures to which Art cannot give a Voice ,
imitate the Mutes in their Attions, Sec.
Mutes having no other way of fpeaking ( or
-expreffing their thoughts) but onely by their ge-
ftures
Art of fainting. 129
flutes and their actions, 'tis certain that they do
it in a manner more expreflive than thofe who
have the ufe of Speech, for which reafon the Pi-
cture which is mute ought to imitate them, fo
as to make it felf underftood.
Let -the principal Figure oftbeSutjett, Sec. 'Tis iT I2 o.
one of the greateft blemiflies of a Picture, not to
give knowledge at the firft Sight of the Subject
which it reprefents. And truly nothing is more
perplexing, than to extinguifli as it were, the prin-
cipal Figure by the oppofition of fome others,
which prefent themfelves to us at the firft view,
and which carry a greater luftre. An Orator, who
had undertaken to make a <Pamgyrkk on Alexan-
der the Great, and who had employ'd the ftrong-
eft Figures of his tftyetorique in thepraife ofSwce-
pbalus, would do quite the contrary to that which
was expected from him ; Becaufe ft would be be-
liev'd that he rather took the Horfe for his Sub-
ject than the Mafter. A Painter is like an Orator
in this. He muft difpofe his matter in fuch fort,
that all things may give place to his principal
Subject. And if the other Figures, which accom-
pany it, and are onely as Acceffaries there, take
up the chief place, and make themfelves mod
remarkable, either by the Beauty of their Colours,
or by the Splendour of the Light,- which ftrikes
upon them, they will catch the Sight, they will
S flop
O&fervations on the
j
^ ftop it fliort, and not fuffer it to go further than
themfelves, till after fome confiderable fpace of
time to find out that which was not difccrn'd at
firft. The principal Figure in a Picture is like
a King among his Courtiers, whom we ought
to know at the firft Glance, and who ought to
dim the Luftre of all his Attendants. Thofe
Painters who proceed otherwife, do juftlike thofe
who in the relation of a ftory ingage themfelves
fo fooliflily in long digreffions, that they areforc'd
to conclude quite another way than they began.
132* Let the Members be comlirid in the fame manner as
the Figures are, Sec. I cannot better compare a
GroHppe of Figures, than to a Confort of Voices,
which fupporting themfelves all together by their
different parts make a Harmony, which pleafing-
ly fills the Ears and flatters them ; but if you
come to feparate them, and that all the parts are
equally heard as loud as one another, they will i
ftun you to that degree, that you would fancy
your Ears were torn in pieces. 'Tis the fame of
Figures ; if you fo affemble them, that fome of
them fuftain the others, and make them appear ;
and that all together they make but one entire
Whole, then your Eyes will be fully fatisfied:
But if on the contrary, you divide them, your
Eyes will fuffer by feeing them all together dif
pers'd,
Art of Painting. 131
pcrs'd, or each of them in f articular. All together,
becaufe the vifual Rays are multiply'd by the
Multiplicity of Objects. Each of them in particular ;
becaufe, if you fix your Sight on one, thofe
which are about it will ftrike you and attrad:
your Eyes to them, which extremely Pains them
in this fort of Separation and Diverfity of Ob-
jefts. The Eye, for example, is fatisfied with
the Sight of one fingle Grape, and is diilrafted, if
it carries it felfatone view, to look upon many fe-
veral Grapes which lie fcatter'd on a Table, we
muft have the fame regard for the Members^
they aggrouppe and contrail each other in the
fame manner as the Figures do. Few Painters
have obferv'd this Precept as they ought, which
is a moft folid Foundation for the Harmony of a
Pifture.
77;? Figures in the Grouffes ought not to he like each gr l * -
other in their Motions, Sec. Take heed in this con-
trail to do nothing that is extravagant, and let
your Poilures be always natural. The Draperies,
and all things that accompany the Figures, may
enter into the contrail with the Members, and
with the Figures themfelves : And this is what our
Poet means in thefe words of his Verfes, Cetera
frangant.
S ^ Om
1 3 2 Observations on tie
145. One fide of tie Picture muft not he^oid, while tit
other isfitfd, Sec. This fort of Symmetry, when
it appears not affe&ed, fills the Pifture pleafing-
ly$ keeps it in a kind of balance 5 and infinitely
delights the Eyes, which thereby contemplate the
Work with more repofe.
l J2. As a flay is feldom good, in which there are too
many ABors, &c. /Innibal Caracci did not be-
lieve that a Picture cou'd be good, in which there
were above twelve Figures. It was Alhano who
told our Authour this, and from his mouth I had
it. The Reafons which he gave were, firft, That
he believ'd there ought not be above three great
Grouppes of Figures in any Picture : And fecond-
ly, That Silence and Majefty were of necc/fity to be
there, to render it beautifull ; and neither the one
nor the other cou'd poflibly be in a multitude and
crowd of Figures. But neverthelefs, if you are
conftrain'd by the Subject 5 (As for Example, If you
painted the Day of Judgment, the Majfacre of the
Innocents, a Mattel, Sec.) On fuch occafions you
are to difpofe things by great mafles of Lights and
Shadows, and union of Colours, without trou-
bling your felf to finifli every thing in particular,
independently one of the other, as is ufual with
Painters of a little Genius ; and whofe Souls are
uncapable of embracing a great Defign, or a great
Compofition.
Art of fainting. f 3 3
jEmylium circa ludum, Paler imw & iinguet
Exprimet, <& molles imitahitur <we capillos-,
Infelix Operis Summa, quid fonere totum
Nefciet.
The meaneft Sculptor in th 9 Emylian Square*,
Can imitate in Srafs, the Nails and Hair $
Expert in Trifles, and a cunning Fool,
Able exprefs the Tarts, tut not difpofe the whole*
Says Horace in his Art of Poetry,
TI?e Extremities of the Joints muft e feldom hidden, ^[ \ 62.
and the Extremities or End of the Feet never, &c.
Thefe Extremities of the Joints are as it were the
Hafts or Handles of the Members. For example^
the Shoulders, the Elbows, the Thighs, and the
Knees. And if a Drapery fliould be found on
thefe ends of the Joints, 'tis the duty of Science
and of Decorum > to mark them by Folds, bue
with great difcretion 3 for what concerns the Feet,
though they fliould be hidden by fome part of
the Drapery 5 neverthelefs^ if they are mark'd by
Folds, and their fhape be diftinguifh'd, they
are fuppos'd to be feen. The word never, is not
here to be taken in the ftri&eft Senfe $ he means
but this, fo rarely, that it may feem.we fliould
avoid
1 34. Observations on the
avoid all occafions of difpenfing with the Rule.
flT i 64. The Figures which are behind others, ha\>e neither
Grace nor Vigour, &c. Raphael and Julio Roma-
no, have perfectly obferv'd this Maxime, and 3(d-
/4*e/efpeciallyin hislaft Works.
1 60. Avoid alfo thofe Lines and Contours which are t-
qual, which make Parallels, &c. He means prin-
cipally to fpeak of the Poftures fo order'd, that
they make together thofe Geometrical Figures
which he condemns.
476. Be not fo ftrlftly tied to Nature, &c. This
Precept is againft two forts of Painters 5 firft a-
gainft thofe who are fo fcrupuloufly tied to Na-
ture, that they can do nothing without her, who
copy her juft as they believe they fee her, without
adding or retrenching any thing, though never fo
little, either for the Nudities or for the Drape-
ries. And fecondly, againft thofe who Paint e-
very thing by Practice, without being able to
fubject themfelves to retouch any thing, or to
examine by the Nature. Thefe laft, properly
fpeaking, arc the Libertines of (Painting, as there
are Libertines of Religion ; who have no other Law
but the vehemence of their Inclinations which they
are refolv'd not to overcome : and in the fame man-
ner the Libertines of Painting, have no other Mo-
-del but a Gtyodomontado Genius, and very irregu-
lar
Art of Painting.
lar, which violently hurries them away. Though
thefe two forts of Painters, are both of them in
Vicious Extremes, yet neverthelefs the former fore
feems to be the more fupportabkj becaufe though
they do not imitate Nature as (he is accompa-
ny'd by all her Beauties, and her Graces, yet at
leaft they imitate that Nature, which we know
and daily fee. Inftead of which the others fhow
us a wild or falvage Nature, which is not of our
acquaintance, and which fcems to be of a quite,
new Creation.
Whom you mujl have always frefent as a witnefs
to the truth) dec. This paflage feems to be won-
derfully well faid. The nearer a Picture ap-
proaches to the truth, the better it is ; and though
the Painter, who is its Author, be the firft Judge of
the Beauties which are ink, he is neverthelefs ob-
lig'd not to pronounce it, till he has firft confult-
ed Nature, who is an irreproachable evidence, ..
and who will frankly, but withall truly tell you
its Defects and Beauties, if you compare it with
her Work.
And of all other things which difco'Ver to us the
Thoughts and Indentions of the Grecians, &c. As
good Books, fuch as are Homer and Taufamas^ ,
the prints which we fee of the Antiquities, may
extremely contribute to form our Genius, and to
give
J jfervations on the
give us great Ideas; in the fame manner as the
Writings of good Authors, are capable of form-
ing a good Style in thofe who are defirous of
writing well.
1 9? If you have but one Jingle Figure to workupon, Sec.
The reafon of this is. That there being nothing to
attract the Sight but this onely Figure, the vifual
Rays will not be too much divided by the Diver-
fity of Colours and Draperies 5 but onely take
heed to put in nothing, which fliall appear too
fharp or too hard ; and be mindfull of the ^tb.
Precept, which fays, that two Extremities are ne-
ver to touch each other either in Colour or in
Light; but that there muft be a mean, partaking
of the one and of the other.
1T i5 Let the Drapery be nobly fpread upon the Body ;
let the Folds be large. Sec. As Raphael practised,
after he had forfaken the. manner of (pietro (perugi-
no y and principally in his latter Wofks.
\$6. And let them follow the order of the parts, &c. As
the faireft pieces of Antiquity will fhow us. And
take heed, that the folds do not only follow the
order of the parts, but that they alfo mark the
moft confiderable Mufcles 3 becaufe that thofe Fi-
gures, where the drapery and the naked part are
feen both together, are much more gracefull than
the other.
Without
Art of Painting. 137
Without fitting too ft r eight upon them, &c. Paint- i^ 2>oo
ers ought not to imitate the Ancients in this cir-
curnftance ; the ancient Statuaries macfc their
Draperies of wet Linen^ on purpofe to make them
fit clofe and ftreight to the parts of their Figures,
for doing which they had great reafon $ and in
following which the Painters would be much in
the wrong : and you fhali fee upon what grounds
thofe great Genius's of Antiquity, finding that it
was impoffible to imitate with Marble the finenefs
of fluffs or garments which is not to be difcern'd
but by the Colours, the Reflexes, and more efpe-
cially by the Lights and Shadows, finding it I
fay out of their power to difpofe of thofe things,
thought they could not do better nor more pru-
dentially, than to make ufe of fuch Draperies as
hinder' d not from feeing through their Folds, the
delicacy of the Flefh, and the purity of the Out-
lines 3 things which truly fpeaking they pofleft in
the laft perfection, and which in all appearance
were the fubjedof their chief ftudy. But Painters,
on the contrary, who are to deceive the Sight,
quite otherwife than Statuaries, are bound to imi-
tate the different forts of Garments, fuch as they
naturally feem ; and fuch as Colours, Reflexes,
Lights and Shadows (of all which they are Ma-
fters) can make them appear : Thus we fee that
T thofe
Observations on the
thofe who have made the ncareft imitations of
Nature, have made ufe of fuch Stuffs (or Gar-
ments) which are familiar to our Sight, and
thefe they have imitated with fo much Art that
in beholding them we are pleased that they de-
ceive us; fuch were Titian, Paul Veromfe, Tin-
toret, Q(ulens, Van T>yck) and the reft of the good
Colourifts, who have come neareft to the truth of
Nature: Inftead of which, others who have fcru-
puloufly tied thernfelves to the pra&ice of the An-
cients, in their Draperies, have made their works
crude and dry ; and by this means have found
out the lamentable fecret how to make their Fi-
gures harder than even the Marble it felf. As An*
drea Mantegna, and fietro (Perugino have done,
and $(afhael alfo had much of that way in his firfl
Works, in which we behold many fmall foldings
often repleited, which look like fo many Whip,
cords. 'Tis true thefe repetitions are feen in the
Jncient Statues y and they are very proper there.
Becaufe they who made ufe of wet Linen, and
clofe Draperies, to make their Figures look more
tender, reafonably forefavv that the Members
would be too naked, if they left not more than
two or three Folds, fcarce appearing fuch as thofe
forts of Draperies afford the Sight, and therefore
have us'd thofe Repetitions of many Folds, yet
in
- ' " N
Art of Painting.
in ftich a manner that the Figures are always
foft and tender, and thereby feem oppofiteto the
4iardnefs of Marble. Add to this, that in Scul-
pture, 'tis almoft impoffible that a Figure cloath'd
with courfe Draperies, can make a good effed: on
all the fides; and that in Painting the Draperies
of what kindfoever they be, are of great advan-
tage, either to unite the Colours and the Grouppes,
or to give fuch a ground as one would wifh to
unite or to feparate, or farther, to produce fuch
teflc&ions as fet off, or for filling void fpaces, or
in ftiort for many other advantages, which help
to deceive the Sight, and which are no ways ne-
ceffary to Sculptors, fince their Work is always
of %eliel>o.
Three things may be inferred from what I have
faid concerning the rule of Draperies. Firft,
that the Ancient Sculptors had reafon to cloath
their Figures as we fee them. Secondly, that
Painters ought to imitate them in the order of cheir
Folds, but not in their quality nor in their nura-
t>er. Thirdly, That Sculptors are oblig'd to
follow them as much as they can, without defi-
ring to imitate unprofitably or improperly the
manners of the Painters, and to make many
ample Folds, which are infufferable hardneffes,
and more like a Rock than a natural Garment.
T z Sec
14,0 Observations on the
See the 11 \th. Remark about the middle of k.
gr 2 o2. And if the parts be too much dijlant from each a-
tber, Sec. *Tis with intent to hinder (as we
have faid in the rule of Grouppes) the vifual
Rays, from being too much divided, and that
the Eyes may not fuffer by looking on fo many
obje&s, which are feparated. Guido was very
exaft in this obfervation. See in the Text the
end of the <I(ule which relates to Draperies.
204. dndattbe Beauty of the Limbs conjifts not intbt
quantity and rijing of the Mufcles, &c. ^afbael in
the beginning of his Painting, has fomewhat too
much mukiply'd the Folds $ becaufe being with
reafon charmed with the graces of the Ancients, he
imitated their Beauties fomewhat too regularly 5
but having afterwards found that this quantity of
Folds glitter' d too much upon the Limbs, arid
took off that Repofe and Silence which in Paint-
ing are fo friendly to the Eyes ; he made ufe of a
contrary conduft in the works which he painted
afterwards, which was at that time when he began
to underftand the effed: of Lights, of Grouppes,
and the oppofitions of the Lights and Shadows,
fo that he wholly chang'd his manner, (this was
about eight years before his death) and though he
always gave a Grace to whatfoever he painted,
yet he made appear in his latter works, a Great-
nefs,
Art of Fainting.
nefs, a Majefty, and a Harmony quite other
than what we fee in his firft manner : And this
he did by leflfening the number of his Folds,
making them more large and more oppofing
them, and by making the Maffes of the Lights
and Shadows, greater and more difentangl'd.
Take the pains to examine thefe his different man-
ners in the Prints which we fee of that Great Man.
As fuppofag them to be Mdgiftrates, their Drape- ^ ^ \ oi
rles ought to be large, Sec. Yet make not your
Draperies fo large that they may be big enough
to cloath four or five Figures, as fome there are
who follow that method. And take heed that
the folding be natural and fodifpos'd,that the Eye
may be directed to difeover the Folds from the
beginning of them to the end. By Magiftrates,
he means all great and grave Perfons, and fuch
as are advanced in age.
If Ladies or Damfels, light and foft, &c. By ^[ 2 1 u
this name of Ladies, Maids, or Damfets, he means
all young 'perfons, (lender, finely fliap'd, aery
and delicate. Such as are Nymphs, and Naiades,
and Fountains. Angels are alfo comprehended
under this head, whofe Drapery ftiould be of
pleafing Colours, and refembling thofe which
are feen in the Heavens-, and chiefly when^ they
are fufpended in the Air. .They are only fuch
forts
*0lfirvations on the'
forts of light .habits as are fubjec"l to be ruffTd by
the Winds, which can bear many Folds; yet fo
that they may be freed from any hardnefles. 'Tis
eafie for every one to judge that betwixt the Dra-
peries of Magift rates, and thofe of young Maids 5
there muft be fome mediocrity of Folds, fuch as
are moft commonly feen and obferv'd, as in the
Draperies of a Chrift, of a Madonna, of a JQng,
a Queen, 01 a Dutchefs, and of other perfons of
Confederation and Majefty j and thofe alfo who
are of a middle age with this diftin<5tion, that the
Habits muft be made more or lefs rich, accor-
ding to the dignity of the Perfons ; and that Cloth
Garments may be diftinguifh'd from thofe of Silk,
Sattin from Fehets, Brocard from Embroideiy, and
that in one word the Eye may be deceived by the
truth and the difference of the Stuffs. Take no-
tice if you pleafe, that the light and tender Drape-
ries having been onely given to the Female Sex,
the Ancient Sculptors have avoided as much as they
jcould to cloath the Figures of Men, becaufe they
thought, (as we have formerly faid) that in Scul-
pture Garments could not be well imitated, and
that great Folds inade a very bad effect. There
are almoft as many examples of this truth, as a-
mongftthe Ancients there are Statues of na-
3ced men. I will name only that of Laocoon, which
accor-
Art of Painting. 14.3
according to all probability ought to have been
eloath'd: And in eflfed: what likelihood can
there be, that the Son of a King, and the Prieft
of Apollo (hould appear naked in the a<5lual Cere-
mony of Sacrifice. For the Serpents pafs'd from
the Ifle of Tenedos to the Trojan Shore, and fur-
priz'd Laocoon and his Sons while they were la-
crificing to Neptune on the Sea Shore, as Virgil
witneiTes in the fecond of his EneiJs. Not with-
fianding which, the * Sculptors who were Au- * Polydorus
thors of this noble work had well confider'd, that rus,*S Age-
they could not give Veftments fuitable to the qua-
lity of the Perfons reprefented, without making
as it were a heap of Stones, whofe Mafs would
rather be like a Rock, than thofe three admirable
x
Figures, which will ever be the Admiration of
all Ages. And for this reafon of two inconveni-
ences, they judg'd that of Draperies to be great-
er, than that which was againft the truth it
felt.
This obfervation well confirms what I have
faid in the 2ooth. Remark It feems to me, that it
deferves you flhould make fome reflection on it j-
and to eftablifli it the better in your mind, I will
tell you, that Michael Angelo, following this Ma-
xim, has given the Prophets which he painted in.-,
the Chapfel of the tPofe, fuch Draperies whofe
Folds
144 Observations on the
Fold? arc large, and whofe Garments are courfe,
inftead of which the Mofes, which he has made
in Sculpture, is habited with a Drapery much
more clofe to the parts and holding more of the
Ancients. Neverthelefs he is a Prophet as well as
thofe in theCbappel, a man of the fame quality,
and to whom Michael Angela ought to have given
the fame Draperies, if he had not been hinder' d
by thofe very reafons which have been given
you.
L \ j". The Marks or Enfigns ofVertues, dec. That is
to fay of the Sciences and Arts. The Italians
call a man a Vertuofa who loves the noble Arts,
and is a Critick in them. And amongft our
French Painters, the word'Kerttfewx, is underftood
in the fame Signification.
2 1 7. #f fe* not the work be too mucli enrich 9 d with
Gold or Jewels, &c. Clemens Alexandrinus relates,
Lib.i.Paedag. That Afelles having feen a Helena, which a young
Scholar of bis bad made and adorn' d with a great quan-
tity of Golden Ornaments and Jewels, faid to bim y My
good friend, though thou couldft not make her beauti-
fully at leaft thou baft made her rich. Befides that,
thefe glittering things in Painting, as precious
Stones prodigally ftrew'd over the habits are de-
ftructive to each other, becaufe they draw the
Sight to feveral places at the fame time, and that
they
Art of fainting. 14.5
they hinder round Bodies from turning and ma-
king their due effect 5 'tis the very quantity which
often makes us judge that they are falfe. Andbe-
fides it is to be prefum'd, that precious things are
always rare. Corinna, that learned Tlwban Lady, Plutarch.
reproach 7 d Pindar^ whom flie had five times
overcome in Poetry, that he fcatter'd through
all his works the Flowers of (parnajfus too pro r
digally, faying to him, That men fowd with the
Hand y and not with the Sack : for which reafon
a Painter ought to adorn his Veftments with great
difcretion. And precious Stones look exceed-
ingly well, when they are fet in thofe places which
we would make to come out of the Picture ; as
for example, on a Shoulder, or an Arm to tie
fome Drapery, which of it felf is of no ftrong co-
louring. They do alfo perfectly well with white
and other light Colours, which are us'd in bring-
ing the Parts or Bodies forward, becaufe Jewels
make a fliow and glitter through the oppofition
, of the great Lights in the deep brown, which
meet together.
'Tis Very expedient to make a model of thofe things fT
which we haVe not in our Sight, and whofe nature is
difficult to he retain' d in the Memory, &c. As for
example, the Grouppes of many Figures, the Po-
ftures difficult to be long kept , the Figures in
U
Observations on the
the Air, in Ceilings, or much rais'd above the
Sight 5 and even of Animals, which are not ea-
fily to be difpos'd.
By this rule we plainly fee how neceffary it is
for a Painter to know how to mo'del 9 and to have
many Models of foft Wax. $aul Feronefe had
fo good (lore of them, with fo great a quantity of
different forts, that he would paint a whole hiftori-
cal Compofition on a perfpeclive Plan, how
great and how diverfified Ibever it were. Tmta-
ret practised the fame, and Michael Angela (as
GioVan. Baft. Armenlm relates) made ufe of it,
for all the Figures of his day of Judgment. 'Tis
not that I would advife any one who would
make any very confiderable work, to finifli after
thefe forts of Models, but they will be of van: ufe
and advantage to fee the Maffes of great Lights,
and great Shadows, and the effect of the whole
together. For what remains, you are to have a
* Lay-man almoft as big as the life, for every
* Figure in particular, befides the natural Figure
before you, on which you mud alfo look, and
call it for a wknefs, which muft firft confirm the
thing to you, and afterwards to the Spectators as
it is in reality.
You may make ufe of thefe Models with de-
light, if you fet them on a (Perfpefthe Plan, which
will
Art of Paintmg.
will be in the manner of a Table made on purpofe.
You may either, raife or lee it down according to
your .convenience ; and if-youloolf on your" Fi-
gures through a hole fo contrived, that it may be
mov'd up and down, it will ferve you for a
point of Sight and a point of Diftance, when
you have once fix'd it.
The fame hole will further ferve you to fet
your Figures in the Ceiling and difpos'd upon a
Grate of Iron- wire, or fupported in the Air by
little Strings rais'd at difcretion, or by both ways
together.
You may joyn to your Figures what you fee
fitting, provided that the whole be proportioned
to them ; and in flhort what you your .felf may
judge to be of no greater bignefs than theirs. Thus,
in whatfoever you do there will be more of truth
feen, your work it felf will give you infinite de-
light, and you will avoid many doubts and dif-
ficulties which often hinder you, and chiefly for,
what relates to lineal perfpettftej which you will
there infallibly find, provided that you remember
to proportion all things to the greatnefs of your
Figures and efpecially the points of Sight and of
Diftance ; but for what belongs to aerial ferfpe- .
&'i\>e, that not being found, the judgment muft
fupply it. Tmtoret, as tf^idoljibi tells us in his life,
U 2 had
1 4.8 Obfervations on tkc
had made Chambers of Board and Paft board,
proportion' d to his Models with Doors and Win-
dows, through which he diftributed on his Fi-
gures artificial Lights, as much as he thought
reafonable, and often pafs'd fomepart of the night
to confider and obferve the effect of his Compo-
fitions. His Models were of two Foot high.
221. We are to confider the places where we lay the Scene
of the tpitture, &c. This is what Monfieur de
Chambray, calls, to do things according to Decorum.
See what he fays of it, in the Interpretation of that
word in his Book of the Perfection of fainting. 'Tis
not fufficient that in the Picture there be nothing
found which is contrary to the place, where the
adiion which is reprefented, pafles j but we ought
befides, to mark out the place and make it known
to the Spectator by fome particular Addrels,
that his mind may not be put to the pains of
difcovering it, as whether it be Italy , or Spain, or
Greece, or France $ whether it be near the Sea
fhore, or the Banks of fome River, whether it be
the Gfyine, or the Loyre 5 the <Po, or the Tyler ;
and fo of other things, if they are eflential to the
Hiftory. " Nealces, a man of Wit and an inge-
L&. :5-i2. " nious Painter, as Pliny tells us, faing to paint a
" NaVal Fight letwixt the Egyptians and the Per-
" fians, and Icing willing to make it known that the
" Battle
Art of Painting.
" Battle wa$ given upon the Nile, whofe waters are
" of the fame Colour with the Sea, drew an Afs drink-
" ing on the Banks of the 5^Ver, and a Crocodile en-
" JeaVouring to furpri%e him.
Let a Noblenefs and Grace, dec. It is difficult f 222,
enough to fay what this Grace of Painting is 5 'tis
to be conceived and underftood much more eafi-
ly than to be explained by words. It proceeds
from the illuminations of an excellent Mind,
which cannot be acquir'd, by which we give- a
certain turn to things which makes them pleafing*
A Figure may be defign'd with all its proporti-
ons, and have all its pares regular, which not-
withftanding all this, (hall not be pleafing, if
all thofe parts are not put together in a certain
manner, which attracts the Eye to them, and
holds it fix'd upon them : For which reafon
there is a difference to be made betwixt Grace
and Beauty. And it feems that OVid had a mind
to diftinguifli them, when he faid (fpeaking ot ,
Fenus)
Multaque cum forma, gratia mifta fuifo .
A matchlefs Grace was with her ^Beauty mixd.
And Suetoniiw fpeaking of Nero, fays, he was
rather beautifull than graceful 1. fultu pulchro,
magis
1 50 Olfervations on the
magis quam Venufto. How many fair women do
we fee, who pleafe us much lefs than others, who
have not fuch beautiful! Features ? 'Tis by this
grace that Raphael has .made himfejf the moft re-
nown'd of all the Italians, as .Afelles by the fame
means carry'd it above all the Greeks.
2jj. This is that in which the great eft difficulty confifts,
Sec. For two reafons, both becaufe great ftudy
is to be made as well upon the ancient Beauties and
on noble Pictures, as upon nature it felf : and
alfo becaufe that part depends entirely on the Ge-
nius, and fcems to be purely the gift of Heaven,
which we have receiv'd at our Birth, upon which
account our Author adds, Undoubtedly we fee but
few, whom in this particular, Jupiter has regarded
with a gracious Eye, fo that it belongs only to thofe
elevated Souls, who partah fomewhat of Divinity to
work fuch mighty wonders. Though they who
have not altogether receiv'd from Heaven this pre-
cious Gift, cannot acquire it without great La-
bour, neverthelefs 'tis needfull in my opinion,
that both the one and the other ftiould perfectly
learn the character of every Pa/fion.
All the Actions of the fcnfitive Appetite are in
Painting call'd Tafftons, becaufe the Soul is agi-
tated by them, and becaufe the Body furTers
through them, and is fenfibly altered. They are
* thofe
Art of Painting. \ 51
thofe divers Agitations and different Motions of
the Body in general, and of every one of its parts
in particular, that our excellent Painter ought to
understand, on which he ought to make his ftu-
dy, and to form to himfelfa perfect Idea of them.
But it will be proper for us to know in the firft
place, that the Philofophers admit eleven, LoVe,
Hatred, Dejtre , Shunning, Joy , Sadnefs , Hope,
Defpair, Boldnefs, Fear and Anger. The Painters
have multiply'd them not oneiy by theft different
Degrees, but alfo by their, different Species, for
they will make, for' example, fix perfons in the
fame degree of Fear, who (hall exprefs that Paf-
fion all of them differently. And 'tis that diver-
fity of Species which diftinguiflies thofe Painters
who are alle Artlfls , from thofe whom we
may call Mannerifts, and who repeat five or fix
times over in the fame Picture the fame Hairs
of a Head. There are a vaft number of other
Pa/lions, which are as the Branches of thofe which
we have nam'd : we might for example, under
the Notion of Love, comprehend Grace, Gentle*
nefs and Civility 5 Carejfis, Embraces, and Kjffes,
Tranquillity and Smetmfs 3 and without exami-
ning whether all thefe things which Painters com-
prize under the name of (Pajfions, can be reduc'd
to thofe of the fhilofopbersj I am of opinion that
every
Observations on the
every one may ufethem at his plcafure, andtha*
he may ftudy them after his own manner; the
name makes nothing. One may even 'make Paf-
fionsofMajefty, fiercenefs, Tfiffatisfattion, Care, A-
Varice, Sloathfulneft, EnVy, and many other things
liketbefe. Thefe <Paflions (as I have faid,) ought
to be learnt from the life it fclf, or to be ftudied on
the Ancient Statues and excellent ( Piftures : we ought
to fee, for example, all things which belong to
Sadnefs, or ferve to exprefs it to defign them
carefully, and to imprint in our Memories after
fuch a manner, as we may diftin&ly underftand
feven or eight kinds of them more or lefs, and im-
mediately after draw them upon Paper without
any other Original than the Image which we have
conceived of them. We muft be perfect Matters of
them: but above all, we muft make fure of pof-
feffing them throughly. We are to know that it is
fuch or fuch a ftroke, or fuch a Shadow ftronger
or weaker^ which make fuch or fuch a ^Paffion in
this or that degree. And thus, if any one (hould
ask you, what makes in Painting the Majefty of
a /(/'/{, tne Gravity of a Hero, the LoVe of a
Cbrift, die Grief of a Madonna, the Hope of the
good Tlriefy the Defpair of the bad One, the Grace
and Beauty of a Venu* y and in fine the Character
of any faffton whatfoever, you may anfwer pofi-
tively,
Art of Painting. 153
tively, on the fpot, and with aflurance, chat it is
fu<h a Tofture or fucb lines in the parts of the Face,
formdof fucbot fucb a fafiion, or even the one
and the other both together : for the parts of the
Body feparately, make known the Taffions of
the Soul or elfe conjoyntly one with the other.
But of all the farts the Head is that which gives
the moft of Life, and the mod of Grate to the
Pajfion, and which alone contributes more to it,
than all the reft together. The others feparately
can onely exprefs fome certain (Paffims, but the
Head expreflfes all of them > neverthelefs there are
fome which are more particular to it j as, for ex-
ample, Humility, which it exprefles by the ftoop-
ing or bending of the Plead. Arrogance, when it
is lifted, or as we fay, tofs'd up. Languijhment,
when we hang it on one fide, or lean it upon one
Shoulder. Qbftinacy (or as the French calls it 0-
piniatrete,} with a certain ftubborn, unruly, bar-
barous Humour, when 'tis held upright, {tiff, and
poiz'd betwixt the Shoulders. And of the reft,
there are many marks more eafily conceiv'd than
they canbeexprefs'd; as, <Ba(hfulnefs, Admiration,
Indignation, and Doubt. 'Tis by the Head that
we make known more vifibly our Supplications,
our Threatnings, our Mildnefs, our Haughtinefs,
our LoVe, out Hatred, our Joy, our Sadnejs, our
X Humi-
154. Obfervations on the
Humility $ in fine, 'tis enough to feetheE*re, and
to underftand the Mind at half a word. Blufhing
and <Paknefs fpeak to us, as alfo the mixture of
them both.
The parts of the Face do all of them contri-
bute to expofe the Thoughts of our Hearts 5 but
above the reft, the Eyes, which are as it were the
two Windows through which the Soul looks
out and (hows it felf. The Taffions which they
more particularly exprefs, are Pleafure, Languijh-
went, Difdain, Severity, Sweetnefs, Admiration and
Anger. Joy and Sadnefs may bear their parts, if
they did not more efpecially proceed from the
Eye-trows and the Mouth. And the two parts
laft nam'd agree more particularly in the expref-
fionof thofetwo Vajfions-, neverthelefs if you joyn
the Eyes as a third, you will have the Product of
a wonderfull Harmony for all the <PaJJiom of the
Soul
The No/e has no Paffion which is particular
to it, it onely lends its afliftance to the others
before nam'd, by the ftretching of the Noftrih y
which is as much markM in Joy, as it is in Sad-
nefs. And yet it feerns that Scorn makes us wrin-
kle up the Nofe and ftretch the Noftrils alfo, at
the fame time, drawing up the uffer Lip to the
place which is near the corners of the Mouth. The
indents
Art ef fainting.
Ancknts made the Nofe the feat of Deri/ion ; eum
fubdoU irrijioni dicaVerunt, fays^/my; that is, they
dedicated the Nofe to a cunning fort of Mockery.
We read in the yd. Satyre of Perfidy Difce,fed ira
cadat Nafo, rugofaquefanna ; Learn, but let your
Anger fall from your Nofe and the fneering
Wrinkles be difmounted. And fhiloftratus in
the Pi&ure of Tan whom the Nymphs had bound,
and fcornfully infulted over, fays of that God;
" that before this, he was accuftem'd to fleep with
" a peaceabk Nofe, foftning in his /lumbers the
" Wrinkles of it, and tfa Anger which commonly
<c mounted to that part 5 but now his Noftrils were
" widen d to the laft degree of Fury. For my own
' part, I fhould rather believe that the Nofe was the
feat of Wrath in Beafts than in Mankind, and
that it was unbecoming of any God but onely
fan, who had very much of the Beaft in him,
to wrinkle up his Nofe in Anger, like other Ani-
mals. The moving of the Lips ought to be but
moderate, if it be in ConVerfat ion , becaufe we
fpeak much more by the Tongue than by the Lips :
And if you make the Mouth very open, 'tis one-
ly when you are to exprefs the violence of Pa/ion,
and more properly of Anger.
For what concerns the Hands> they are the Ser-
vants of the Head, they are his Weapons and his
X z Auxili-
Objervations on the
Auxiliaries; without them the a&ion is weak,
languifhing, and half dead, their Motions which
are almoft infinite, make innumerable expreffi-
ons : Is it not by them, that we defire, that we
hafe, that we promife, that we call towards us, and
that we rejeft ? befides, they are the inftruments
of our Tlweats, of our Petitions, of the Horror
which we fhow for things, and of the <Praifes
which we give them : By them we fear, we ask
Queflions, we approve, and we refufe, we fhow
our Joy and our Sadnefs, our Doubts, and our
Lamentations, our Concernments of *Pity, and our
Admirations. In fliort, it may be faid, that they
arc the Language of the Dumb, that they contri-
bute not a little to the (peaking of the univerfal
Tongue, common to all the World, which is that
of (Painting.
Now to tell you how thefe parts are to be dif-
pos'd, fo as to exprefs the different <ajjions, is im-
pofllble; no precife Ovules can be given of it,
both becaufe the task it felf is infinite, and alfo bc-
caufe every one is left to the Conduct of his own
Genius, and to the Fruit of his former Studies ;
onely remember to be carefull, that all the acti-
ons of your Figures muft be natural. " It feemt
" to me, fays Quinttilian, fpeakingof thePaffions,
tf That this fart which is fo noble and fo great, is
" not
Art of Painting. 157
" not altogether unacceffible, and that an eajle way
" may be found to It 5 'tis to confider nature and to
" copy her, for the Spectators are fatisfied, when in
" artificial things they can difcern that nature which
" they are accujlomd to behold. This paflage of
Quinttilian is perfectly explain d by the words of
an excellent Mafter which our Author propofes
to us for a rule: they are thefe which follow. That
the fludied Motions of the Soul, are never fo natural
as thofe which we fee in the tranfport of a true fajpon.
Thefe Motions will better be exprefs'd, and be
much more natural, if we enter into the fame
thoughts, become of the fame piece, and imagine
our felves to be in the fame circumftances with
thofe whom we would reprefent. " For Nature,
" fays Horace in his Art of Poetry, difpofes the in-
" fide of Mankind to all forts of For tunes , fometimes
" (he makes us contented, fometimes fhe drives us in-
<c to Choler, and fometimes Jhe fo off rejfes us with
" Grief, that fhe feems to tread us down and plunge us
<c into mortal Anxieties ; and on all thefe occasions ,
" fhe drives outwards the Motions of the Heart ly
" the Tongue w.hicb if her Interpreter. Now in-
ftead of the Tongue, let the Painter fay by the Atti-
onsy which are her Interpreters. " What means
" have we, (fays Quinttilian,) to give a Colour to
" a thing if we have not the fame Colour ; 'tis m-
cejfary
1 58 Obfervations on the
" cejfary that we our felves frould firft be touch* d
" with a <PaJfion before we endeavour to moVe others
" with it. And how , continues he, can we be
" touch 'd, Jtnce the Vajfions are -not in our power >
" This is the way in my opinion $ We muft form to our
" f elves theVifions and Images of abfent things, as if
" they were in reality before our Eyes ; and he who
" conceives thefe Images with the greatefl flrength of
" Imagination, fhallfoffefs that fart of the (pajjions
" with the moft advantage and the greatest e-afe. But
we muft take care, as I have already faid, that
in thefe vifions, the Motions may be natural, for
there are fome who imagine they have given abun-
dance of Light to their Figures, when they have
made them do Violent and extravagant Attions,
which we may more reafonably call the ConVulfi-
cns or Contorfions of the <Body y than the *Paffions of
the Mind $ and by this means often put themfelves
to much pains, to find a ftrong Paflion, where
no Paflion is requir'd. Add to all that I have
faid concerning the Paffions, that we are to have
a very ferious regard to the quality ofthePerfons
who are to be exprefs'd in <PaJfions. The Joy of a
l(ing ought not to refemble that of a Serving-man.
And the Fiercenefs of a frigate Soldier muft not be
like that of an Officer. In thefe differences con-
fifts all the Fmemfs and Delicacy of the Paffions.
<Paulo
Art of Painting. 1 5 2
Paulo Lomazgp has written at large on every
<Pa/ion in particular, in his fecond Book, but be-
ware you dwell not too long upon it, and endea-
vour not to force your Genius*
Some <!{eliques of it took Sanctuary under ground,
Sec. All the ancient Painting that was in Italy
perifh'd in the Invafion of the Hunns and Goths,
excepting thofe works which were hidden under
ground or there painted, which by reafon they
had not been much expos' d to view , were pre-
ferv'd from the infolence of thofe Barbarians.
The Cromatique fart or Colouring, Sec. The
third and laft part of Painting, is call'd the Cro-
matiqiie of Colouring. Its object is Colour, for
which reafon, Lights and Shadows are therein al-
fo comprehended, which are nothing elfe but
white and brown (or dark,) and by confluence
have their place among the Colours. tphiloftratus
fays in his life ofiApollomiM, " That it may be truly
" catt'd fainting which is made only with two Colours,
" provided the Lights and Shadows be obferV*din it: for
" there we behold the true refemblance of things with
" their Beauties ; we alfo fee the ipajfions, though
" without other Colours : fo much of life may be alfo
" exprefid in it, that we may perceive even the Very
" Bloud: the Colour of the Hair and of the <BearJ,
4t are likew/e tQ be difcernd, and we can diftinguifk
" without
160 Observations on the
** without confujion, tie fair from the black, and the
cc young from the old, the differences betwixt the white
" and the flaxen hair , we diftinguifh witheafe betwixt
" the Moors and the Indians j not onely by the Ca-
" mus Nofes of the Blacks, their woolly Hair and
" their high Jaws, but alfo by that black Colour which
" is natural to them. We may add to what <Pbi-
loftratw has faid, that with two onely Colours,
the Light and the Dark, there is no fort of Stuff
or Habit but may be imitated $ we fay then,
that the colouring makes its obfervations on the
MafTes or Bodies of the Colours, accompany'd
with Lights and Shadows more or lefs evident by
degrees of diminution, according to the Acci-
dents. Firft of a luminous Body 3 as for exam-
ple, the Sun or a Torch. Secondly, of a diapha-
nous or tranfparent Body, which is betwixt us
and the object, as the Air either pure or thick, or
a red Glafs, Sec. Thirdly, of a folid Body illu-
minated, as a Statue of white Marble, a green
Tree, a black Horfe, &c. Fourthly, from his
part, who regards the Body illuminated, as be-
holding it either near or at a diftance, directly
in a right Angle, or afide in an obtufe Angle, from
the top to the bottom, or from the bottom to the
top. This part in the knowledge which it has
of the vertue of Colours, and the Friendfhip
which
Art of Painting. 161
which they have with each other, and alfo their
Antipathies, it comprehends the Strength, the Re-
lievo, the.Brisknefs, and the Delicacy which are ob-
ferv'd in good Pic"tures,the management of Colours,
and the labour depend alfo on this laft part.
Her Sifter, &c. That is to>fay, theD^/gnor gr
.Drawing which is the fecond -fart of (Painting - y
which confiding onely of Lines, ftands altoge-
ther in need of the Colouring to appear. "Tis for
this reafon, that our Author calls this part her Si-
fters Procurer, that is, the Colouring fhows us the
Defign, and makes us fall in love with it.
The Light produces all kinds of Colours, &c. Here ^f 267.
are three Tlxorems fucceilively following, which
our Author propofes to us, that from thence we
may draw fome conclufions. You may like-
wifefind others, which are in the nature of fo ma-
ny Tropojitions to which we ought to agree, that
from thence we may draw the Precepts contained
in the following part of this Treatife ; they are
all founded on the Senfe of Seem?*
o
Which ought to be the moft, &c. See the Remark ^ 280.
of number i ji.
That you may make the 'Bodies appear enlightned ^[ 282..
by the fhadows which hound your Sight, &c. That
is properly to fay, that after the great Lights, there
muft be great Shadows, which we call repofes :
Y becaufe
QffifVAtwM on ttie
becaufe in reality the Sight would be tired, if it
were attracted by a Continuity of glittering ob-
jects. The Lights may ferve for a repofe to the
Darks, and the Darks to the Lights. I have laid in
another place, that a Grouffe of Figures ought to
be confider'd, as a Choir of Mufick, in which the
Safes fupport the Trebles, and make them to be
heard with greater pleafure. Thefe repofes are
made two feveral ways, one of which is Natural,
the other Artificial. The Natural is made by an.
extent of Lights or of Shadows ; which naturally
and neceffarily follow folid Bodies, or the Mafles
of folid Bodies aggroupp'd when the Light ftrikes
upon them. And the Artificial confifts in the Bo-
dies of Colours,, which the Painter gives to cer-
tain things, fuch as pleafes him ; and compofes
them in fiich a manner, that they do no injury
to the objects which are near them. A Drapery,
for example, which is made yellow or red on,
fome certain place, in another place may be
brown, and will be more fuitable to it, to pro*
duce the effect required. We are to takeocca-
fion as much as poffibly we can, to make ufe of
the firft manner, and to find the repofe of which
we fpeak, by the Light and by the Shadow,
which naturally accompany folid Bodies. But
fince the Subjects on which we work are not al-
ways
Art of Painting. 16$
ways favourable to difpofe the Bodies as we de-
fire, a Painter in fuch a cafe may take his ad van-
tage by the Bodies of Colours, and put into fuch
places as ought to be darkened , Draperies or $~
ther things which we may fuppofe to be natural-
ly brown and fully'd, which will produce the
fame effect and give him the fame repofes as the
Shadows would which could not be cans' d by the
difpofition of the objects. . t
Thus, an underftanding Painter will make his
advantages both of the one manner and the other.
And if he makes a d^fign to be grav'd, he is to
remember that the Graders difpofe not their Co-
lours as the Painters do 3 and that by confequencc
he muft take occafion to find the reafon of his
Defign, in the natural Shadows of the Figures,
which he has difpos'd to caufe the effect. <I(u-
lens has given us a full information of this in thofe
prints of his which he caus'd to be engrav'd 3 and
I believe that nothing was ever feen more beau-
tifull in that kind: the whole knowledge of
Grouppes, of the Lights and Shadows, and of
thofe Mafles which Tttian calls a Bunch of Grafet,
is there expos'd fo clearly to the Sight, that the
view of thofe Prints and the carefull obfervation
of them > might very much contribute to the
forming of an able Painter. Thebeftand faireft
Y a of
Observations on the
of them are graven by Vorfterman, Pontius , and
Solfoert, all of them admirable GraVers, whofe
works Rubens himfelf took care to overfee, and
which without doubt you will find to be excel-
lent if you examine them. But expect not there
the Elegance of Defign, nor the Cwreftnejs of the'
Out-lines.
'Tis not but the Gravers can, and ought to
imitate the Bodies of the Colours by the degrees of
the Lights and Shadows, as much as they fliall
judge that this imitation may produce a good ef-'
feet : on the contrary, 'tis impofllble in my opi-
nion to give much ftrength to what they grave,
after the works of the School, and of all thofe
who have had the knowledge of Colours and of
the Contraft of the Lights and Shadows, without
imitating in fome fort the Colour of the Objects,
according to the relation which they have to the
degrees of white and black. We fee certain Prints
of good Gravers different in their kinds, where
thefe things are obierv'd, and which have a won-
derfull ftrength. And there appears in publick
of late* years^ a Gallery of Arch-duke Leopold ,
which though very ill graven, yet fhows fome
part of the Beauty of its Originals, becaufe the
Gravers who have executed it, though other wife
they were fufficiencly ignorant, have obferv'd irr
almoft
Art of Fainting.
almoft the greateft parts of their Prints, the Bo-
dies of Colours in the relation which they have
to the degrees of the Lights and Shadows, I
could wih the Grafters would make fome reflecti-
on upon this whole Remark, 'tis of wonderful!
^onfequence to them 3 for when they have at.
tain'd to the knowledge of thefe repofes, they
will eafily refolve thofe difficulties whkh many
times perplex them : And then chiefly when
they are to engrave after a Picture, where neither
the Lights and Shadows, nor the Bodies of the
Colours are skilfully obferv'd, though in its o-
ther parts the Picture may be well performed.
In the fame manner as we behold it in a Convex ff 2$ 6.
Mirror, Sec. A Convex Mirror alters the objects
which are in the middle, fo that it feems to make
them come out from the Superficies. The Pain-
ter muftdo in the fame manner in refpect of the
Lights and Shadows of his Figures, to give them*
more Relievo and more Strength.
And let thofe which turn be of broken Colours, of IT 296*
king lefs diftinguijh' d and nearer to the borders, Sec.
'Tis the duty of a fainter, even in this alfo, to
imitate the Convex Mirror, and to place nothing
which glares either in Colour or in Light at the
borders of his Picture ; for which, there are two
the firft is, thar the Eye at the firit view
directs
'Observations on tie
.directs it felf to the midft of the object, which
is prefented to it, and by confequence, muft there
neceflarily find the principal object, in order to
its fatisfa&ion. And the other realbn is, that the
fides or borders being overcharged with a ftrong
.and glittering work attract the Eyes thither, which
are in a kind of Pain, not to behold a continuity
of that work, which is on the fudden interrupted,
by the borders of the Picture; inftead of which
the borders being lighten'd and eas'd of fo much
work, the Eye continues fixt on the Center of the
Picture, and beholds it with greater pleafure. 'Tis
for the fame reafon, that in a great compofition
>ef Figures, thofe which coming moft forward,
are cut offby the bottom of the Picture, will al-
ways make an ill effect.
3 2 9* ^ lunch of Grapes, &cc. 'Tis diffidently ma-
nifeft, that Titian by this judicious and familiar
comparifon, means that a Painter ought to col-
lect the objects, and to difpofc them in fuch a
manner, as to compofe one whole ; the feveral
ront^guous parts of which, may -be enlighten'd ;
many fbadow'd and others of broken Colours to
be in the turnings, as on a Bunch of Grapes, ma-
ny Grapes, which are the parts of it, are in the
Light, many in the Shadow, and the reft faintly
.coloured to make them go farther back. Titian
once
Art of Painting.
once told Tintoret y That in bis greateft works, a
Bunch of Grapes bad teen bis principal rule and bis fu-
reft gwdf.
(Pure or unmix d white, either draws an objett V J J o;
nearer or carries it off to farther diftance. It draw*
it nearer with black, and throws it backward without
it, Sec. All agree that white can fubfift on the
fore-ground of the Figure, and there be us'd
without mixture 5 the queftion therefore is to
know, if it can equally fubfift and be plac'd in?
the fame manner, upon that which is backward,,
the Light being univerfal and the Figures fuppos'di
in a Campaign and open Field.
Our Author concludes affirmatively, and tKe
reafon on which he eftablifhes his rule is this, Thar
there being nothing which partakes more of the
Light than Whitenefs, and the Light being capa-
ble of fubfifting well in remotenefs (or at a long
diftance, as we daily fee in the rifing and fetting,
of the Sun) it follows that white may fubfift in >
the fame manner. In Painting^ the Light and a^
white Colour are but one and the fame thing.
Add to this, that we have no Colour, which,
more refembles the Air than white, and by con-
fequence no Colour which is lighter, from tvhence
it comes that we commonly fay, the Air is hea-
vy, when. we fee the Heavens coverd with black
Clouds-y,
1 68 Observations on the
Clouds, or when a thick fog cakes from us that
clearnefs, which makes the Lightnefs or Serenity
of the Air. Titian, Tmtoret, Paul Veromje, and
all thofe who beft underftood Lights, have ob-
feryd jc in this rnanner 3 and no man can go a-
gainft this Precept, ,at leaft without renouncing
any skill in Landtfchape, which is an undoubted
confirmation of this truth. And we fee that all
the great Mafters of Landtfcbape, have followed
Titian in this, who has always employ'd brown
and earthly Colours upon the fore-part, and has
referv'd his greateft Lights for remoteneflfes and
the back parts of his Landtfchapes.
It may be objected againft this opinion, that
white cannot maintain it felf in remotenefles, be-
caufe it is ordinarily us'd to bring the Objects
nearer, on the advanced part. 'Tis true, that fo
it is us'd, and that to very good purpofe, to ren-
der the Objects more fenfible, by the oppofition of
the Dark, which muft accompany it ; and which
retains it, as it were by force, whether the Dark
ferves it for a ground, or whether it be combined
to it. For example, If you wou'd make a white
Horfe "on the fore-ground of your Picture, 'tis
of abfolute N.eceffity, that the ground muft be
of a mixt brown, and large enough, or that the
Furniture muft be of very fenfible Colours 3 or
laftly,
Art of Painting.
laftly, that fome Figure muft be fee upon it,
whofe Shadows and the Colour may bring it for-
ward.
But it feems (fay you) that blue is the moft
flying or tranfient Colour, becaufe the Heavens
and Mountains, which are at the greateft diftance,
are of that Colour. 'Tis very true that blue is one
of the lighted and fweeteft Colours: But it is al-
fo true, that it pofleffcs thefe qualities fo much
the more, becaufe the white is mingled in it, as
the example of the diftances demonftrate to us.
But if the Light of your Picture be not univerfal,
and that you fuppofe your Figures in a Chamber,
then recall to your Memory that Theorem which
tells you that the nearer a Body is to the Light,
and the more directly 'tis oppos'd to us, fo much
the more it is enlightened, becaufe the Light
grows languifliing, the farther it removes from
its original.
You may alfo extinguish your white, if you
fuppofe the Air to be fomewhat thicker, and if
youforefee that this fuppofition will make a good
effecT; in the Oeconomy of the whole work j but
let not this proceed fo far, as to make your Fi-
gures fo brown, that they may feem as it were
in a filthy Fog, or that they may appear to be
part of the ground. Seethe following Remark.
Z But
170 Observations an the
222. *tf M f or f ure blacky there is nothing that brings
the Objeft nearer to the Sight, 'Sec. Becaufe black
is the heavieft of all Colours, the moft earthly,
and the moft fenfible. This is clearly underftood
by the qualities of white which is oppos'd to it,
and which is, as we have faid, the lighted of all
Colours. There are few who are not of this opi-
nion 3 and yet I have known fome, who have
told me, that the black being on the advanc'd
part, makes nothing but holes. To this there
is little elfe to be antwer'd, but that black always
makes a good effect, being fet forward, provi-
ded it be plac'd there with Prudence. You arc
therefore fo to difpofe the Bodies of your Pictures
which you intend to be on the fore- ground, that
thofe forts of holes may not be perceived, and
that the blacks may be there by Maffes, and in-
Jenfibly confus'd. See the 4?th. Rule.
That which gives the Relievo to a Bowl, (may
fome fay to me) is the quick Light, or the white,
which appears to be on the fide, which is near^
eft to us, and the black by confequence diftances
the Object : we are here to beware, not to con-
found the turnings with the diftances: the quefti-
on is onely in refpect of Bodies, which are fepa-
ratcd by fome diftance of a backward Poficion,
and not of round Bodies, which are of the fame
Con-
Art of Painting. 171
Continuity : the brown which is mingled in the
turnings of the Sow?/, makes them go off, rather
in confounding them, as we may fay, than in
blackning them. And do you not fee, that the
reflects are an Artifice of the Painter, to make
the turnings feem more Light, and that by this
means the greateft blacknefs remains towards the
middle of the oW, to fuftain the white, and make
it deceive us with more pleafure.
This <$(ule of White and Black is of fo great con-
fequence, that unlefs it be exactly practised, 'tis
importable for a Picture to make any great effect,
that the Maffes can be difentangf d, and the dif-
ferent diftances may be obferv'd at the firft Glance
of the Eye without trouble.
It may be inferred from this (precept) that the
MafiTes of other Colours, will be fo much the
more fenfible, and approach fo much the nearer
to the Sight the more brown they bear ; provi-
ded this be amongft other Colours which are of
the fame Species. For example, A yellow brown
fliall draw nearer to the Sight, than another
which is lefs yellow. I faid provided it be a-
mongft other Colours, which are of the fame
Species, becaufe there are fimple Colours, which
naturally are ftrong and fenfible, though they
-are clear, zs -yerrnillion , there are others alfo,
Z, 2 \vhich
172 Objervatlons on the
which notwithftanding that they are brown, yet
ceafe not to be foft and faint, as the blue of Ul-
tramat me. The eflFecl: of a picture comes not one-
ly therefore from the Lights and Shadows, but
alfo from the nature of the Colours. I thought
it was not from the purpofe in this place to give
you the qualities of thofe Colours which are mod
in ufe, and which are call'd Capital, becaufe they
ferve to make the compofition of all the reft,
whofe number is almoft infinite.
^ed Oker is one of the moft heavy Colours.
Yellow Oker is not fo heavy, becaufe 'tis clearer.
And the Mafticot is very Light, becaufe it is a
very clear yellow, and very near to white.
Ultramarine or A^ure } IS verv light an ^ a. very
fweet Colour.
Vermillion is wholly oppofite to Ultramarine.
Lake is a middle Colour betwixt Ultramarine
and Fermillion, yet it is rather more fweet than
harfli.
Brown ^ed is one of the moft earthy and moft
fenfible Colours.
Wrick is in its nature an indifferent Colour,
(that is) very fufceptible of the other Colours
by the mixture : if you mix brown-red with it, you
will make it a very earthy Colour j but on the
contrary, if you joyn it with white or blue, you
(hall
Art of fainting. 173
fliall have one of the moft faint and tender Co-
lours.
Terre Verte (or green Earth) is light ; 'tis a mean
betwixt yellow Oker and Ultramarine.
Umbre is very fenfible and earthy 5 there is no-
thing but furs Hack which can difpute with it.
Of all &acfa, that is the moft earthly, which
is moft remote from Slue. According to the
Principle which we have eftablifh'd of white and
black, you will make every one of thefe Colours
before-nam'd more earthy and 'more heavy, the
more black you mingle with them, and they will
be light the more white you joyn with them.
For what concerns broken or compound Colours, we
are to make a judgment of their ftrengch by the
Force of thofe Colours which compofe them. All
who have thoroughly underftood the agreement
of Colours, have not employed them wholly pure
and fimple in their Draperies, unlefs in fome Fi-
gure upon the fore-ground of the Picture j but they
Jiave us'd broken and compound Colours, of which
they made a Harmony for the Eyes, by mixing
thofe which have fome kind of Sympathy with each
other, to make a Whole, which has an Union with
the Colours which are neighbouring to it. The
Painter who perfectly underftands the force and
power of his Colours, will ufe them moft fuitably
to
Observations on the
to his prefent purpofe, and according to his own
Difcretion.
jjj. But let this be done relatively , Sec. One Body
mufl; make another Body fly off in fuch a man-
ner that it felf may be chas'd by thofe Bodies
which are advanced before it. " We are to take
" care and ufe great attention, fays Quin&ilian, not
" ondy of one fe far ate tiring, but of many which fol
cc low each other : and by a certain relation tvhich they
xc haVe with each other, are a* it were continued in the
< c fame manner, <i* if in aftraght Street, we caft our
<c Eyes from one end of it to the other , we dfioVer
cc at once thofe different things which are frefented to
cc the Sight, fo that we not onely fee the laft, but
" whatfoeVer Is relating to the laft.
261. Let two contrary extremities ne^er touch each o-
ther, &c. The Senfe of feeing has this in com-
mon with all the reft of the Senfes, that it ab-
horrs the contrary Extremities. And in the fame
manner as our hands, when they are very cold
feel a grievous pain, when on the fudden we hold
them near the Fire, fo the Eyes which find an
extreme white, next to an extreme black, or a
fair cool Azure next to a hot Vermilhon, cannot
behold thefe extremities without Pain, though
they are always attra&ed by the Glareing of two
contraries.
This
Art of Painting. 175
This rule obliges us to know thofe Colours
which have a Friendfhip with each other, and
thofe which are incompatible, which we may
eafily difcover in mixing together thofe Colours
of which we would make trial.
And if by this mixture, they make a gracious
and fvveet Colour, which is pleafing to the Sight,
'tis a Sign that there is an Union and a Sympathy
betwixt them : but if, on the contrary, that Colour
which is produc'd by the mixture of the two be
harflhto the Sight, we are to conclude, that there
is 'a Contrariety and Antipathy betwixt thefe two
Colours. 'Green, for exam pie, is a pleafing Colour,
which may come from a blue and zyellow mix'd to-
gether, and by confequence blue and yellow are two
Colours which fymfatbi^e : and on the contrary,
the mixture of Slue with farmillion, produces
a (harp, harCh, and unpleafant Colour; con-
clude then that Slue and Vermillion are of a con-
trary Nature. And the fame may be faid of o-
ther Colours of which yqu make the experiment.
And to clear that matter once for all, (fee the
Conclufion of the 5 5 id. ^emarkj where I have
taken occaiion to fpeak of the force and quality of
every Capital Colour,) yet you may negled this
Precept, when your Piece confifts but of one or
two Figures, and when amongft a great number
you;
Observations on the
you would make fome one Figure more remark-
able than the reft. One I fay, which is one of the
moft confiderable of the Subject, which otherwife
you cannot cliftinguifh from the reft. Titian in
his triumph ofBaccbus, having placed Ariadne on
one of the Borders of the Picture, and not being
able for that reafon to make her remarkable by
the brightnefs of Light, which he was to keep in
the middle of his Picture, gave her a Scarf of a
Vermillion Colour, upon a blue Drapery, as well
to loofen her from his gvouiid, which was a blue
Sea, as becaufe flie is one of the principal Figures
of his Subject, upon which he denYd to attract
the Eye. <Paulo Verone/e, in his Marriage of Canaa,
becaufe Cbrtft who is the principal Figure of the
Subject , is carry 'd fomewhat into the depth of
the Picture , and that he cou'd not make him
diftinguifliable by the ftrength of the Lights and
Shadows, has cloath'd him with Vermillion and
Blue, thereby to conduct the Sight to that Fi-
gure.
The boftile Colours may be fo much the more
ally'd to each other, the more you mix them
with other Colours, which mutually fympathize 5
and which agree with thofe Colours, which you
xlefire to reconcile.
'T*
Art of Painting. 177
labour in Vain to faint a Higb-noon, &cc.
He faid in another place, Endeavour after that
which aids your Art, and is fuitable to it, and
fhun whatfoever is repugnant: 'tis the jpth. Pre-
cept. If the Painter wou'd arrive to the end he
has proposed, which is to deceive the fight, he
muft make choice of fuch a Nature, as agrees with
the weaknefs of his Colours ; becaufe his Colours
cannot accommodate themfelves to every fort of
Nature. This Rule is particularly to be obferv'd,
and well confider'd , by thofe who paint Landt-
fcbafes.
Let tin Field or Ground of the ViBure, &c. The ^f 378
reafon of it is, that we are to avoid the meeting
of thofe Colours, which have an Jntifatby to
each other, becaufe they offend the Sight, fothat
this Rule is prov'd fufficiently by the 4 \fl. which
tells us, that two contrary Extremities are never
to touch each other, whether it be in Colour, or
in Light, but that there ought to be a mean be-
twixt them, which partakes of both.
Let your Colours be lively, and yet not hok(accor-
Hmg to the ^Painters TroVerb) a* if they bad been
fprinkled with Meal, dec. Donner dans la farine, is
a Phrafe amongft Painters, which perfectly ex-
prefles what it means, which is to paint with
clear, or bright Colours, and dull Colours to-
A 2
178 Offtrvations on the
gether ; for being fo mingled, they give no more
life to the Figures, than if they had been rubbM
with Meal. They who make their flefh Colours
very white, and their Shadows grey or inclining
to green, fall into this inconvenience. Red Co-
lours in the Shadows of the moil delicate or fineft
Flefh, contribute wonderfully to make them live-
ly, fhining and natural ; but they are to be us'd
with the fame difcretion, that Titian, <Paul Vero-
nefe, <I(ubens and Van Dyck, have taught us by their
example.
To preferve the Colours frefh, we muft paint
by putting in more Colours, and not by rubbing
them in, after they are once laid 5 and if it could
be done, they fhould belaid juft in their proper
places, and not be any more touched, when they
are once fo placed ; it tvould be yet better, be-
caufetheFreflinefs of the Colours is tarnifli'd and
loft, by vexing them with the continual Drudge-
ry of Daubing.
All they who have coloured well, have had
yet another Maxim to maintain their Colours
frefli and flouriflhing, which was to make ufe of
white Grounds, upon which they painted, and of-
tentimes at the firft Stroke, without retouching
any thing, and without employing new Colours.
Rubens
Art of Painting.
always us'd this way 5 and I have feen
Pidures from the hand ^of that great Perfon paint-
ed up at once, which were of a wonderfull Viva-
city.
The reafon why they made ufe of thofe kind
of Grounds, is, becatife white as well preferves
a Brightnefs, under the Tranfparency of Colours,
which hinders the Air from altering the white-
nefs of the Ground, as that it likewife repairs
the injuries which they receive from the Air, fo
that the Ground and the Colours affift and pre-
ferve each other. 'Tis for this reafon that glaz'd
Colours have a Vivacity which can never be imi-
tated by the moft lively and moft brillant Co-
lours, becaufe according to the common way,
the different Teints are fimply laid on each in its
place one after another. So true it is, that white
with other ftrong Colours, with which we paint
at once that which we intend to glaze, are as it
were, the Life, the Spirit, and the Luftre of it.
The Ancients moft certainly have, found, that
white Grounds were much the beft, becaufe, not-
withftanding that inconvenience, which their
Eyes receiv'd from that Colour, yet they did not
forbear the ufe of it ; as Galen teftifies in his tenth
Book of the ufe of the parts. " Painters, fays he,
" when they work ufon their white Grounds, flace be-
A a 2- " fore
*.. j
180 Observations on the
" fore them dark Colours, and others mixt with Hue
" and green y to recreate their Eyes, becaufe white if
cc aglareing Colour, which wearies and fains the Sight
" more than any other. I know not the reafon
why the ufe of it is left off at prefent, if it be not
chat in our days there are few Painters who are
curious in their Colouring, or that the firft Strokes
which are begun upon white, are not feen foon
enough, and that a more than French Patience is
requir'd to wait till it be accomplifh'd 5 and the
Ground, which by its whitenefs tarniflies the Lu-
ftre of the other Colours, rnuft be entirely covered
to make the whole work appear pleafingly.
383* Let the parts which are nearefl to u* and moft rais'd,
Sec. The reafon of this is, that upon a flat fu-
perficies, and as much united as a Cloth can be,
when i is ftrain'd, the leaft Body is very appear-
ing, and gives a heightning to the place which it
poiTefles; do not therefore load thofe places with
Colours, which you would make to turn ; buc
let thofe be well loaded, which you would have
come out of die Canvafs.
385. Let there be fo much Harmony or Confent in the
Majfes of the Vittures, that all the fhadowings may
afpear as if -they were but one, Sec. He has faidin
another place, that after great Lights, great Sha-
dows are neceffary, which he calls ^efofes. What
fa*
Art of Painting: 1 8 1
he means by the prefent <$ule is this, That whatfo-
ever is found in thofe great Shadows, fhould par-
take of the Colours of one another, fo that the
different Colours which are well diftinguifti'd in
the Lights feem to be but one in the Shadows,
by their great Union.
Let the whole VMure be made of one <Piece, &c. T
That is- to fay, of one and the fame Continuity
of Work, and as if the Pi&ure had been-painted
up all at once ; the Latin fays all of one Pallet.
Tlie Looking Glafs will inftrutt you, dec. The gr
Painter muft have a principal Refpect to the MaC
ies, and to the Effect of the whole together. The
Looking-GIafs diftances the Objects, and by confc*
quence gives us onely to fee the Mafles, in which
all the little parts are confounded. The Evening,
when the Night approaches, will make you bet->
ter underftand this obfervation , but not fo
commodioufly, for the proper time to make it,
lafts but a quarter of an hour, and the Looking*
Glafs may be ufefuli all the day.
Since the Mirror is the rule and Mafter of all
Painters, as (Lowing them their faults by diftan-
cing the Objects, we may conclude that the Pi-
(Sure which makes not a good effect at a diftance
cannot be well done ; and a Painter muft never
finifli his Picture, before he has examined k ar
Olftrvations on the
fome reafonabie diftance, or with a Looking- Glafs,
whether the Maffes of the Lights and Shadows,
and the Bodies of the Colours be well diftribu-
ted. Giorgione and Cotrcggw have made ufe of
this method.
393- As for a (Portrait^ or Tittures by the Life, dec.
The end of Portraits is not fo precifely as fome
have imagin'd, to give a fmiling and pleafing Air
together with the refemblance; this is indeed
fome what, but not enough. It confifts in expref-
fing the true temper of thofe perfons which it re-
prefents, and to make known their Thyjiognomy.
If the Perfon whom you draw, for example, be na-
turally fad, you are to beware of giving him any
Gayety, which would always be a thing which
is foreign to his Countenance. If he or (he be
merry, you are to make that good Humour appear
by the expreffing of thofe parts where it acl:s, and
where it (hows it felf. If the Perfon be grave
and majeftical, the Smiles or Laughing, which
is too fenfible, will take offfrom that Majefty and
make it look childifli and undecent. In fhort,
the Painter, who has a good Genius mutt, make a
true Difcernment of all thefe things, and if he un-
derftands Pbyfagnomy, it will be more eafie to
him, and he will fucceed better than another,
tells us, Tl?at Apelles made bis Pittures fo
An of Painting*
" Very like, that a certain Qbyfiognomift and Fortune-
u teller, (as it is related by Affion the Gramma-
" rian) foretold by looking on them the Very time of
" their Deaths, whom thofe <Piftures refrefented, or
" at what time their Death happen d, if fuch perfons.
" were already dead.
You are to faint the moft tenderly that foffiUy yon if 40 ?^
can, Sec. Not fo as to make your Colours die
by force of tormenting them, but that you ftiould
mix them as haftily as you can, and not retouch
the fame place, if conveniently you can avoid
ir.
Large Lights, Sec. 'Tis in vain to take pains ^f 407;
if you cannot preferve large Lights, becaufe
without them, your work will never make 2
good effect at a diftance ; and alfo becaufe lit-
tle Lights are confus'd and effaced, proportiona-
lly, as you are at a diftance from the Picture.
This was the perpetual Maxim of Correggio.
Ought to have fomewhat of Greatnefs in them, and ^ 4 1 7^-
their Out-lines to be noble, Sec. As the Pieces of
Antiquity will evidently fhow us.
There is nothing more pernicious to a Youth, &c. ^[ 422*.
Tis common to place our felves under the Dif-
cipline of a Mafter of whom we have a good opi-
nion, and whofe manner we are apt to embrace
with cafe, which takes root more deeply in us,
and
$ 83, Observations on the
and augments the more we fee him work, and
the more we copy after him. This happens of-
tentimes to that degree, and makes fo great an
Impreffion in the Mind of the Scholar, that he can-
not give his approbation to any other manner
whatfoever, and believes there is no man under
the Cope of Heaven, who is fo knowing as hit
Mafter.
But what is mod remarakble in this point is,
that nature appears to us always like that manner
which we love, and in which we have been taught,
which is juft like a Glafs through which we behold
Objects, and which communicates its Colour to
them without our perceiving it. After I have
faid this, you may fee of what confequencc is the
choice of a good Mafter , and of following in our
beginning the manner of thofe who have come
neareft to Nature. And how much injury do
you think have the ill manners which have been
in France , done to the Painters of that Nation, and
what hindrance have they been to the knowledge
of what is well done, or of arriving to what is fo
when once we know it. The Italians fay to thofe
whom they fee infected with an ill manner, which
they are not able to forfake , " If you knew
M juft nothing, you would foon learn fomething.
'Search
Art of Painting. 185
Search whatfoe^er is aiding to your Art and cortve- Cjf 422.
nient, and aVoidthofe things which are repugnant to it,
Sec. This is an admirable $(ule ; a Painter
ought to have it perpetually prefent in his Mind
and Memory. It refolves thofe difficulties which
the <I(ules beget ; it loofens his hands, and affifts
his underfbnding. In flhort, this is the ^uk
which fets the Painter at liberty, becatife it teaches
him that he ought not to fubject himfelf fervilely,
and be bound like an Apprentice to the Ovules of
his Art ; but that the Ovules of his Art ought to be
Subject to him, and not hinder him from follow-
ing the Dictates of his Geniw, which is fuperior
to them.
Bodies of diVerfe Natures which are aggroupp'd or if
comlirid together are agreeable and fleafant to tfe
Sight, dec. As Flowers, Fruits, Animals, Skins,
Sattins, Velvets, beautiful! Flefh, Works of Silver,
Armors, Inftruments of Mufick, Ornaments of Anci-
ent Sacrifices, and many other pleafing Diverfi-
ties which may prefent themfelves to the Painters
imagination. 'Tis mod certain that the diverfi-
ty of Objects recreates the Sight, when they are
without confufion 3 and when they diminifh no-
thing of the Subject on which we work. Expe-
rience teaches us, that the Eye grows weary with
poring perpetually on the fame thing, not one-
Bb ly
i $6 Obfervati'ons $n tfje
ly on Pictures, but even on Nature it felf. For
who is he who would not be tir'd in the Walks
of a long Foreft, or with beholding a large plain
which is naked of Trees, or in the Sight of a Ridge
f Mountains, which inftead of Plealure, give us
onely the view of Heights and Bottoms. Thus
to content and fill the Eye of the Underftanding,
the beft Authors have had the Addrefs to fprin-
kle their Works with pleafing Digreffions, with
which they recreate the Minds of Readers. Dif-
cretion, in this as in all other things is the fureft
Guide: and as tedious Digreffions, which wander
from their Subject, are impertinent, fo the Pain-
ter who under Pretence of diverting the Eyes,
would fill his Picture with fuch varieties as alter
the truth of the Hiftory, would make a ridiculous
Piece of Painting, and a mere Gallimaufry of
his Work.
& alfo thofe things which appear to be perform d:
with ea/e. Sec. This eafe attracts our Eyes, and
Spirits fo much the more, becaufe it is to be pre-
fum'd that a noble work, which appears fo eafie
to us, is the product of a skilfull Hand which is
Mafttr of its Art. k was in this part, that A-
felles found himfelf fuperior to tyrotogemsj when
he blam'd him, for not knowing when to lay
down his Pencil (and as I may almoftfay) to make
an.
Art of Painting. 187
an end of finifhing his Piece. And it was on
this account he plainly faid, " That nothing WM
" more prejudicial to Painters than too much exaft-
" nefs y and that the great eft fart of them knew not
u when they had .done enough : as we have likewife
a Proverb, which fays, An Englishman never knows
when he is well. 'Tis true, that the word enough
is very difficult to underftand. What you have
to do, is to confider your Subject thoroughly,
and in what manner you intend to treat it accor-
ding to your rules, and the Force of your Genius ;
after this you are to work with all the eafe and
all the fpeed you can, without breaking your
iiead fo very much, and being fo very induftri-
ous in flatting Scruples to your felf, and creating
difficulties in your work. But 'tis impoffible to
have this Facility without poflefling perfectly all
the Trecepts of the Art y and to have made it ha-
bitual to you. For eafe confifts in making pre-
cifely that work which you ought to make, and
to fet every thing in its proper place with fpeed
and Readinefs, which cannot be done without
the Rules, for they are the aflur'd means of con-
dulling you to the end that you defign wkh Plea-
fure. 'Tis then mod certain, (though againft
the opinion of many,) that the <$ules give Facility,
Quiet of Mind, and readinefs of Hand to the flow-
Bb i eft
88 Objervations on the
eft Genius, and that the fame ^ules increafe, and
guide that eafe in thofe who have already receiv'd
it at their Birth from the happy influence of their
Stars.
From whence it follows that we may confider
Facility two feveral ways, either fimply, as 'Dili-
gence and a readinefs of Mind and of the Hand)
or as a Difpofition in the Mmd, to remove readily
all thofe difficulties which can arife in the work.
The firft proceeds from an active temper full of
Fire 3 and the fecond from a true knowledge and
full pofle/fion of infallible Rules 5 the firft is plea-
fing, but k is not always without Anxiety, be-
caufe it often leads us aftray, and on the contra-
ry, the laft makes us act with a Repofeof Mind,
and wonderfull Tranquillity j becaufe it afcer-
tains us of the goodnels of our work. 'Tis a
great advantage to poflfefs the firft, but 'tis the
height of perfection to have both in that man-
ner which Rubens and Van T)yck polTefled them,
excepting the part of Defign or Drawing, which
both too much neglected.
Thofe who fay that the Rules are fo far from
giving us this Facility, that on the contrary they
puzzle and perplex the Mind and tie the hand,
are generally fuch people who have pafs'd half
their lives in an ill practice of Painting, the ha-
i
bit
Art of Painting.
bit of which is grown fo inveterate in them, that
to change it by the Rules, is to take as it were
thier Pencils out of their hands, and to put them
out of condition of doing any thing ; in the fame
manner as we make a Country -man dumb whom
we will not allow to fpeak, but by the Rules of
Grammar.
Obferve, if you pleafe, that the Facility and
Diligence of which I fpoke, confifts not in that
which we call bold ftrokes and a free handling of
>the Pencil, if it makes not a great effect at a dir
fiance. That fort of Freedom belongs rather to
a Writing-Mafter than a Painter. I fay yet fur-
ther, that 'tis almoft impoffible that things which
are painted flhould appear true and natural, where
we obferve thefe forts of bold ftrokes. And all
thofe who have come neareft to nature,, have ne^
ver us'd that manner of Painting, thofe tender
Hairs, and thofe hatching ftrokes of the Pencil,
which make a kind of minced meat in Painting,
are very fine I muft confefs, but they are never
able to deceive the Sight.
Nor till yon haVe present in your Mind a perfeft ^ 442-,
Idea of your work, &c. If you will have pleafure
in Painting, you ought to have fo well confi-
der'd the ceconomy of your work, that it may
be entirely made and difpos'd in your head before
it
hfervations on the
it be begun upon the Cloath. You muft I fay,
forefee the effect of the Grouppes, the ground
.and the Lights and Shadows of every thing, the
Harmony of the Colours, and the intelligence of
all the Subject, infuch a manner, that whatfoe-
*ver yoafliall put upon the Cloth, may be onely
a Copy of what is in your Mind. If you make
ufe of this Conduct, you will not be put to the
trouble of fo often changing and rechanging.
44 3 L et the Eye be fatisfied in the fir ft place, e^en a-
gainft and above all other Qfyafons, Sec. This paf-
fage has a refpect to fome particular Licences
which a Painter ought to take : And as I defpair
not to treat this matter more at large; I adjourn
the Deader to the firft opportunity which I can
get for his farther fatisfacltion on this point to the
beft of my Ability : but in general he may hold
for certain, that thofe Licences are good which
contribute to deceive the Sight, without corrup-
ting the truth of the Subject on which the Painter
is to work.
44 j. Profit your f elf by the Counfels of the knowing, Sec.
tParrbaJtjis and Cliton thought rhcmfelves much ob-
lig'd to Socrates for the knowledge which he gave
them of the Tajf/ions. See their Dialogue in Xeno-
20. fhon towards the end of the third (Book of Memoirs :
" Tlxywko tbemoft willingly bear reproof, fays Pliny
" the
Art of Painting.
" tHe Younger, are the Very men in whom we find
" more to commend than in other people. Lyfippu*
was extremely pleas'd when dpelles told him his
pinion 5 and Afelles as much, when Lyjippus told
him his. That which Praxiteles faid of N/'c/W in *,
5 o
fl?/wy, fliowsthe Soul or an accomplifli'd and an
humble man. " Praxiteles being asKd which of all
u his Worh he Valued moft* Thofe, fays he, which
" Nicias has retouch' d. So much account he
made of his Criticifms and his opinions. You
know the common practice of Jpelles, when he
had finifli'd any work, he expos'd it to the Sight
of all Paflengers, and concealed himfelf to hear
the Cenfure of his faults, with the Profpecl: of ma-
king his advantage of the Informations which un-
knowingly they gave him* Being fenfible that
the people would examine his works more rigo-
roufly than himfdf, and would not forgive the:
leaft miftake. .
The Opinions and Gounfels of many together
are always preferable to the advice of one fingle
perfon. And Ckero wonders that any are befot- TufcuI.Iib.'?;-.
ted on their own Productions, and fay to one a-
nother, Very- good, if your works pleafe yon, mine
are not unpleafing to me. In effed: there are many
who through Prefumption or out of Shame to be
reprehended, never let their works be feen. But
there.
Olfervations on the
there is nothing can be of worfe confequence ; for
Georg. 3.1.5. the difeafe is nouriftid and increafes, fays Virgil^ while
it is conceal' J. There are none but Fools, fays.
Horace, who out of Shamefac dnefs hide their Ul-
cers, which if flhown might eafily be heal'd. Stul-
Ep. 16. torum incurata mains pudor ulcera celat : There are
others who have not altogether fo much of this
foolifh Badifulnefs, and who ask every ones opi-
nion with Prayers and Earneftnefs j but if you
freely and ingenuouily give them notice of their
Faults, they never fail to make fome pitiful 1 ex-
cufe for them, or which is worfe, they take in ill
part the Service which you thought you did
them, which they but feemingly defir'd of you,
and out of an eftablifli'd Cuftom amongft the
greateft part of Painters. If you defire to get
your felf any honour, and acquire a Reputation
by your works, there is no furer way than to
fliow them to perfons of good Senfe, and chiefly
to thofe who are Criticks in the Art 3 and to take
their Counfel with the fame Mildnefs and the fame
Sincerity, as you defir'd them to give it you. You
muft alfo be induftrious to difcover the opinion
of your Enemies, which is commonly the trueft,
for you may be afliir'd, that they will give you
ao quarter, and allow nothing to complaifance.
But
Art of fainting.
'But if you ha^e no knowing Friend, Sec. QuinSi- C|f 440,
lian gives the reafon of this, when he fays, u TI?at
" the beft means to correct our faults, if doubtlefs
" this, To remote our dejigns out - of Sight ? for
" fome fface of time, and not to look upon our <Pi-
cc cJures, to the end, that after this internal, we may
" look on them as it were with other Eyes, and as a
" new work ivhich wo* of another band, and not our
" own. Our own Productions do but too much
flatter us 3 they are always too pleafing, and 'tis
impoffible not to be fond of them at the moment
of their Conception. They are Children of a
tender age, which are not capable of drawing
our Hatred on them. 'Tis faid, That Apes, as
foon as they have brought their Young into the
World, keep their Eyes continually faften'd on
them, and are never weary of admiring their
Beauty : fo amorous is Nature of whatfoever (he
produces.
To the end that he may cultivate thofe Talents whkh ^f 458.
make his Genius, Sec.
Qui fua metitur pondera, ferre poteft.
cc That we may undertake nothing beyond our forces, Offic.B. i.
" we muft endeavour to know them. On this Pru-
dence our reputation depends. Cicero calls it a,
Cc
O&firdationi on the
Grace, becaufe it makes a man feen in his
i Off. greateft Luftre. " 'Tis , (fays he) a becoming
" Grace, which we fhall eafely make appear, if we are
" carefull to cultivate that which Nature ha* given us
" in propriety, and made our own, provided it be no
" Vice or Imperfection : we ought to undertake nothing
" which is repugnant to Nature in general; and when
"we haVe paid her this duty, we are bound fo reli-
" gioujly to follow our own Nature, that though many
" things which are more ferious and more important,
" prefent themfelves to us, yet we are always to con-
" form our Studies and our Exercifes to our natural
" Inclinations. It avails nothing to difpute againji
" Nature, and think to obtain what fhe refufes 5 for
" then we eternally follow what we can never reach ; for >
" as tbe'&roVerb Jays, There is nothing canpleafe, no-
" thing can be grace full which we enterprise in fpight
" of Minerva; that is to fay, in fpight of Nature.
" When we haVe confiderd all thefe things attentively,
" it will then be neceffary, that eVery man fhould re-
" gard that in particular, which Nature ha* made
" his portion, and that hefhould cultivate it with care -,
" 'tw not his bufinefs to give himfelfthe trouble of try-
" ing whether it will become him to put on the Nature
" of another man 5 or as one would fay, to att the per-
" fon of another : there is nothing which can more be-
" come w y than what is properly the Gift of Nature.
"Let
An of Painting.
cc Let every one therefore endeavour to under/land bis
" own Talent , and without flattering himfelf, let him
" make a true judgment of his own Ferities, and his
" own Defecls and Vices j that he may not appear to
" have lefs judgment than the Comedians, who do
<c not always chufe the heft flays, but thofe which are
" heft for them ; that is 9 thofe which are moft in the
" compafs of their atting. Thus we are to fix on thofe
" things for which we haVe the ftrongeft Inclination.
" And if it fometimes happen that we are forcd by
u necejjity to apply our fefaes to fuel) other things to
" which we are no ways inclind 5 we muft bring it fo
" about by our Care and Induftry, that if we perform
" them not Very well, at leaft we may not do them fo
" Very ill as to be fham'd by them : we are not fo
" much to flrain our fefaes to make thofe Vertues ap-
<c pear in w which really we haVe not y as to aVoid
<c thofe Imperfections which may dijbonour u*. Thefe
are the Thoughts and the Words of Cicero, which
1 have translated, retrenching onely fuch things as
were of no concernment to my Subject : I was
not of opinion to add any thing, and the Rea-
der I doubt not will find his fatisfaction in them.
Wnk you meditate on thefe Truths, and ohferVe ^ 464.
them diligently, dec. There is a great Connexion
betwixt this Precept and that other, which tells you,
That you are to pafs no day without drawing a line.
c c 2 'TIS
O^fervatlons onihe
*Tis impoflible to become an able Artift, without
making your Art habitual to you : and 'tis im-
poffible to gain an exa<5t Habitude, without an
infinite number of Acts, and without perpetual
Praftice. In all Arts the Rules of them are learn'd
in little time j but the perfection is not acquir'd
without a long Practice and a fevere Diligence.
We never faw that La^inefs produc'd any thing which
34- was excellent, fays Maxima* Tyrius : and Quincli-
lian tells us, That the Arts draw their htgmrimg
from Nature 3 the want we often have of them
caufes us to fearch the means of becoming able in
them, and exercife makes us entirely Mafters of
them.
The morning is the left and moft proper part of the
day, &c. Becaufe then the Imagination is not
clouded with the Vapours of Meat, nor diftracled
by Vifits which are not ufually made in the morn-
ing. And the Mind by the Sleep of the forego-
ing Night, is refrefli'd and recreated from the
Toyls of former Studies. Malherbe fays well tQ
this purpofe^
Le plus leau de nos jours ^ eft dans leur matinee.
The fprightly Morn is the left fan of Day*
Let
Art of fainting.
Let no day pafs over you without drawing a line, &c. ^]" 468.
That is to fay, without working, without giving
fome ftrokes of the Pencil or the Crayon. This
was the Precept of Belles ; and 'tis of fo much the
more neceffity, becaufe Painting is an Art of much
length and time, and is not to be learn' d witri-
out great Practice. Michael Angela at the Age of
fourfcore years, faid, That he learn d fomething
every day.
Be ready to put into your Table-took) Sec. As it ^f 47 j-
was the cuftom of Titian and the Carraches-, there
are yet remaining in the hands of fome who are
curious in Painting ;. many thoughts and obfer-
vations which thole great Men have made on Pam-
per, and in their Table-books which they carryM
continually about them*
Wine andgood Cheer are no great Friends to Taint* gr 47 *
* n > they ferVe onely to recreate tie Mind when it is
opprefs d and /pent with Labour, Sec. " During 35. io*_
" the time, fays CP//'j, that Protogenes was
" drawing the (pitture o/Jalyfus, which was the
" left of all his Works, he took no other- nourijhment
<c than Lupines mix'd with a little water, which ferfd
" him loth for Meat and Drink, for fear of clogging
" his Imagination ly the Luxury of his Food. Mi*
cbael Angela, while he was drawing his day of Judg-
ment, fed oncly on Bread and Wine at Dinnen
And
Obfer vat ions on the
And Vafari obferves in his life, that he was fo fo
ber that he flept but little, and that he often rofe
in the Night to work, as being not difturb'd by
the Vapours of his thin Repafts.
478. But delights in the liberty which belongs to the Sat-
delors Eftate, Sec. We never fee large and beau-
tifull and well-tafted Fruits proceeding from a
Tree which is incompafs'd round, and choak'd
with Thorns and Bryars. Marriage draws a
world of bufinefs on our hands, fubjects us to
Law-fuits, and loads us with multitudes of do-
meftick Cares, which are as fo many Thorns
that encompafs a Painter , and hinder him
from producing his works in that perfection of
which otherwife he is capable. 3{a[>hael, Michael
dngeloy and Hannibal Carracci were never marry'd :
and amongft the Ancient Painters we find none
recorded for being marry'd, but onely Afelles, to
whom Alexander the Great made a prefent of his
own Miftrefs Campafpe; which yet I would have
underftood without offence to the Inftitutioq of
Marriage, for that calls down many Bleffings up-
on Families, by the Carefulnefs of a vertuoiis
Wife. If Marriage be in general a remedy againft
Concupifcence, 'tis doubly fo in refpect of Paint-
ers 5 who are more frequently under the occafi-
ons of Sin than other Men 5 becaufe they are un-
der
Art vf Painting*
dcr a frequent neceflky of feeing Nature bare-fac'd.
Let every one examine his own ftrength upon
this point : but let him preferr the intereft of his
Soul to that of his Art and of his Fortune.
Qamting naturally withdraws from noife and tu- !([" 480.
mult , &c. I have faid at the end of the firft Re-
mark, that both Poetry and Painting were up-
held by the ftrength of Imagination. Now there
is nothing which warms it more than Repofe and
Solitude : Becaufe in that eftate, the Mind being
freed from all forts of bufinefs, and in a kind of San-
ctuary undifturb'd by vexatious Vifits, is more
capable of forming noble Thoughts and of Appli-
cation to its Studies.
Carm'ma fecejfum fcribentis & otia quxrunt*
Good Verje, Q(ecefs and Solitude requires :
And Eafe from Cares, and undifturb'd Defires.
JL
We may properly fay the fame of Painting, by
reafon of its conformity tvith Poetry, as I have
fhown in the firft Remark.
Let not the coVetons defign of growing rich, &c. iT
We read in Pliny, that Nicias refus'd Sixty Ta- 7500
lents from King Attains, and rather chofe to
make a free Gift of his Picture to his Country.
"I
zoo Obftrvations on 'the
Petron. Ar- . / e nquir d of a prudent man, (fays a grave Author)
" i>j what times thofe nolle Tiffures were made which
cc now we fee -, and defer' d him to ey:plain to mefome of
" their Subjects, which I did not well underjland. I
*' asKd him likewlfe the reafon of that great negligence
" -which is noit> vifeble amongjl (Painters : And from
" whence it proceeded, that the moft beautifull Arts
"-were now bury d in Oblivion , and principally Paint-
" ing, a faint Shadow of which is at prefent remaining
" to us. To which he thus reply d, That the immode*
" rate defere of Riches had produc'd this change : For
" of oldy when naked J^ertue had her Charms, the no*
" hie Arts then flourift? din their Rigour: and if there
" was any contejl amongft men, it was onely who
" fhould he the firft Dif cover er of what might be ofad-
<c Vantage to pofterity. Lyfippus and Myron, thofe
renown' d Sculptors, who could give a Soul to 'Srafsy
left no Heirs, no Inheritance behind them, becaufe
they were more carefull of acquiring Fame than Ri-
ches. But as for us of this prefent Age, it feems
" ly the manner of our ConduB, that we upbraid An-
" tiquityfor being as covetous ofVertue as we are of
" Vice : wonder not fo much therefore, if Tainting has
" loft its Strength and Vigour, becaufe many are now of
" opinion, that a heap of Gold is much more beautifull
"than all the Piftures and Statues of Apellcs and
* c Phidias, and all the noble Performances of Greece.
I
cc
cc
cc
<c
Art of Painting. 201
I would not exact fo great an ad of Abfli-
nence from our modern Painters, for I am not
ignorant that the hope of gain is a wonderfull
fliarp fpur in Arts, and that it gives induftry to
the Artift 3 from whence it was that Juvenal faid
even of the Greeks themfelves, who were the In-
ventors of Painting, and who firft underftood all
the Graces of it and its whole perfedionj
Grtculus efuriens, in Coelum, jujferif, Hit.
A hungry Greek, if bidden, fcales the Skies.
But I could heartily wifli, that the fame hope
which flatters them did not alfo corrupt them:
and did not fnatch out of their hands a lame,
imperfect Piece, rudely daub'd over with too lit-
tle Reflection and too much hafte.
The qualities requifite to form an excellent Painter,
&c. 'Tis to be confefs'd that very few Painters
have thofe qualities which are required by our Au-
thor, becaufe there are very few, who are able Pain-
ters. There was a time when onely they who were
of noble Blood,were permitted to exercife this Art 5
becaufe it is to be prefum'd, that all thefe Ingredi-
ents of a good Painter, are not ordinarily found in
men of vulgar Birth. Apd in all appearance,we may
D d hope
2O2 Qtfiw&tiws on the
hope that though there be no Editt in France which
takes away the Liberty of Painting from thofe to
whom Nature has refused the Honour of being
born Gentlemen, yet at lead that.the ^oyal Acade-
my will admit hence-forward onely fuch who being
endu'd with all the good Qualities and the Ta-
lents which are required for Painting, thofc en-
dowments may be to them inftead of an honoura-
ble Birth. 'Tis certain, that which debafes Paint-
ing, and makes it defcend to the vileft and moft
defpicable kind of Trade, is the great multitude
of Painters who have neither noble Souls nor any
Talent for the Art, nor even fo much as com-
mon Sence. The Origin of this great Evil, is
that there have always been admitted into the
Schools of Painting all forts of Children promif-
cuoufly^. without Examination of them, and
without obferving for fome convenient fpace of
rime, if they were conducted to this Art by their
inward Difpofition, and all neceflary Talents,
rather than by a foolifli Inclination of their own,
or by the Avarice of their Relations, w ho put them
$o Painting, as a Trade which they believe to be
fomewhat more gainfull than another. The
qualities properly required , are thefe follow-
ing,
A
Art of Painting. 203
A good Judgment, That they may do nothing a-
gainft Reafon and Verifimility.
A doable Mind, That they may profit by in-
ftructions, and receive without Arrogance the
opinion of every one, and principally of know-
ing Men.
A noble Heart, That they may propofe Glory
to themfelves, and Reputation rather than Ri-
ches.
A Sublimity, and ^each of Thought, To conceive
readily, to produce beautifull Ideas, and to
work on their Subjects nobly and after a lofty
cnanner, wherein we may obferve fomewhat that
is delicate, ingenious and uncommon.
A warm and Vigorous Fancy, To arrive at leaft to
fome degree of Perfection, without being tir'd
with the Pains and Study which are required in
Painting.
Health, To refill the diflipation of Spirits,which
are apt to be confum'd by Pains-taking.
Youth, Becaufe Painting requires a great Expe-
rience and a long Practice.
Beauty or Handfomenefi, Becaufe a Painter paints
himfelf in all his Pictures, and Nature loves to
produce her own Likenefs.
A convenient Fortune, That he may give his
whole time to ftudy, and may work chearfully,
D d 2 without
Obfervations on the
without being haunted with the dreadfull Image
of Poverty, ever prefent to his Mind.
Labour i Becaufe the Speculation is nothing
without the Practice.
A LoVe for bis Art, We fuflfer nothing in the
Labour which is pleafing to us : or if it hap-
pen that we ftifter, we are pleas' d with the Pain.
And to be under the Discipline of a knowing Mafter,
Sec. Becaufe all depends on the Beginnings,
and becaufe commonly they take the manner of
their Mafter, and are form'd according to his
Gufto: See Ferfe 422, and the Remark upon it.
All thefe good qualities are infignificant and un-
profitable to the Painter, if fome outward difpo-
fitions are wanting to him. By which I mean
favourable times, fuch as are times of <Peace,
which is theNurfe of all noble Arts 5 there muft
alfo fome fair occafion offer to make their Skill
manifeft by the performance of fome confidera-
ble Work within their power : and a Protector,
who muft be a Perfon of Authority, one who
takes upon himfelf their care of the Fortune, at
leaft in fome meafure ; and knows how to (peak
well of them in time and place convenient. 'Tis
of much importance, fays the Younger Pliny, in
what times Vertue appears. And there is m Wit, how-
foe^er excellent it may be, which can make it f elf im-
mediately
Art of Painting. 205
mediately known. Time and Opportunity are neceffary
to it, and a per f on who can affijl us with his favour
and be a Maecenas to us.
And Life is fo frorty that it is not fuffi dent for fo long gr 496.
an Art y See. Not onely Painting but all other
Arcs confider'd in riiernfelves require almoft an
infinite time to poffefs them perfectly. 'Tis in
this Senfe that Hippocrates begins his Aphorifms
with this faying, That Art is long and Life is fhort.
But if we confider Arts, as they are in us, and ac-
cording to a certain degree of Perfection, fuffici-
ent enough, to make it known that we poflefs
them above the common fort, and are compara-
tively better than moft others, we fhall not find
that Life is too fhort on that account, provided
our time be well employ 'd. 'Tis true, that Pain-
ting is an Art which is difficult and a great under-
taking. But they who are endu'd with the quali-
ties that are neceffary to it, have no reafon to be
difcourag'd by that apprehenfion. Labour always Veget. de re
appears difficult before 'tis tryd. The paffages by MiklUx ^
Sea, and the Knowledge of the Stars, have been
thought impofiible, which notwithstanding have
been found and compafs'd, and that with eafe by
thole who endeavour'd after them. "Its afhamefull Lib. i.
thing, fays Cicero , to be weary of Enquiry, when
what we fearcb is excellent. That which, caufes
us
2oS Obfervations on the
us to lofe moft of our time, is the repugnance
which we naturally have to Labour, and the Igno-
rance, the Malice, and the Negligence of our
Matters: we wafte much of our time in walking
and talking to no manner of purpofe, in making
and receiving idle Vifits, in Play and other Plea-
fures which we indulge, without- reckoning thofe
hours which we lofe in the too great care of our
Bodies; and in Sleep, which we often lengthen out
till the day is far advanced : and thus we pals
that Life which we reckon to be ihort, becaufe
we count by the years w : hich we have liv'd, ra-
ther than by thofe which we have employed in ftu-
dy. 'Tis evident that they who liv'd before us,
have pafs'd through all thofe difficulties to arrive
at that Perfection which we difcover in their Works,
though they wanted fome of the Advantages
which we poflefs, and that none had laboured for
them as they have done for us. For 'tis certain
that thofe Ancient Mafters, and thofe of the laft
preceding Ages, have left fuch beautifull Patterns
to us, that a better and more happy Age can ne-
ver be than ours ; and chiefly under the Reign of
our prefent King, who encourages all the noble
Arts, and fpares nothing to give them the (hare
of that Felicity of which he is fo bountifull to his
Kingdom : and to conduct them with all man-
ner
Art of Painting. 207
ner of advantages to that fupreme Degree of Ex-
cellence, which may be worthy of fuch a Mafter,
and of that Sovereign Love which he has for them.
Let us therefore put our hands to the work, with-
out being difcourag'd by the length of time, which
is re-cjuifite for our Studies 5 but let us ferioufly
contrive how to proceed with the bed Order, and
to follow a ready, diligent, and well underftood*
Method.
Take Courage therefore, ye noble Youths ! you cr r O
legitimate Offspring of Minerva, who are torn under
the influence of a happy (planet, Sec. Our Author
intends not here to fow in a barren, ungratefull
Ground, where his Precepts can bear no Fruit :
He fpeaks to young Painters, but to fuch onely
who are born under the Influence of a happy
Star; that is to fay, thofe who have receiv'd from
Nature the neceffary difpofitions of becoming
great in the Arc of Painting : and not to thofe
who follow that Study through Caprice or by a
fottifh Inclination, or for Lucre, who are either
incapable of receiving the Precepts, or will make
a bad ufe of them when receiv'd.
You mil do wett y Sec. Our Author fpeaks not r
here of the firft Rudiments ofDefign; as for ex-
ample, The management of the Pencil, the juft
relation which the Copy ought to have to the O-
riginal, .
208 Obfervations OH the
riginal, <&r. He fuppofes, that before he begins
his Studies, one ought to have a Facility of Hand
to imitate the beft Defigns, the nobleft Pictures
and Statues, that in few words he fhould have
made himfelf a Key, wherewith to open the Clo-
fet of MinerVa, and to enter into that Sacred
Place, where thofe fair Treafures are to be found
in all abundance, and even offer themfelves to
us, to make our advantage of them by our Care
and Genius.
J op. fou are to begin with Geometry , Sec. Becaufe
that is the Ground of <Perfp ettiVe, without which
nothing is to be done in Painting : befides, Geome-
try is of great life in Architecture, and in all things
which are of its dependence; 'tis particularly ne-
ceflary for Sculptors.
5 i o. Set yourfelf on dejigning after the Ancient Greeks,
&c. Becaufe they are the Rule of Beauty, and
give us a good Gufto: For which reafon 'tis ve-
ry proper to tie our felves to them, I mean ge-
nerally fpeaking ; but the particular Fruit which
we gather from them, is what follows. To
learn by heart four feveral Ayres of Heads : of a
Man, a Woman, a Child , and an Old Man.
I mean thofe which have the moft general Ap-
probation ; for example thofe of the Apollo, of
the Tenu* de Medices, of the little Nero, (that is,
when
Art of fainting. 209
when he was a Child,) and of the God Tihr. It
would be a good means of learning them, if when
you have defign' d one after the Statue it felf, you
defign it immediately after from your own Ima-
gination, without feeing it ; and afterwards ex-
amine, if your own work be conformable to the
firft Defign. Thus exercifing your felf on the
fame Head, and turning it on ten or twelve fides 5
you muft do the fame to the Feet, to the Hands,
to the whole Figure. But to underftand the
Beauty of thefe Figures, and the juftnefs of their
Outlines, it will be neceffary to learn Anatomy :
when I (peak of four Heads and four Figures, I
pretend not to hinder any one from defigning
many others after this firft Study, but my mean-
ing is onely to {how by this, that a great Varie-
ty of things undertaken at the fame time, diflipates
the Imagination, and hinders all the Profit 5 in
the fame manner as too many forts of Meat are
not eafily digefted, but corrupt in the Stomach
inftead of nourifhing the parts.
An d ceafe not Day or Night from Labour, till ly ^[ 5 1 1
your continual ^PraBke^ &c. In the firft Princi-
ples, the Students have not fo much need of Pre-
cepts as of Pra&ice: And the Antique Statues be-
ing the rule of Beauty, you may exercife your
felves in imitating them without apprehending
E e any
210
Observations &n the
any confequence of ill Habits and bad Ideas,,
which can be form'd in the Soul of a young Be-
ginner. 'Tis not, as in the School of a Mafter,
whofe Manner and whofe Guft are ill, and under
whofe Difcipline the Scholar fpoils himfelf the
more he exercifes.
J 1 4. And when afterwards your Judgment jhall grotr
ftronger, Sec. 'Tis neceflary to have the Soul
well form'd,and to have a right Judgment to make
the Application of his rules upon good Pictures,
and to take nothing but the good. For there are
fome who imagine, that whatfoever they find in
the Piclure of a Mafter, who has acquired Repu-
tation, muft of neceffity be excellent 3 and thefe
kind of people never fail when they copy to fol-
low the bad as well as the good things 5 and to
obferve them fo much the more, becaufe they
feem to be extraordinary and out of the com-
mon road of others, fo that at laft they come to
make a Law and Precept of them. You ought
not alfo to imitate what is truly good in a crude
and grofs Manner, fo that it may be found out
in your works, that whatfoever Beauties there are
in them, come from fuch or fuch a Mafter. But
in this imitate the Bees, who pick from every
Flower that which they find moft proper in it
to make Honey. In the fame manner a young
Painter
Art of Painting. 21 1
fainter fliould colled from many Pidures what
he finds to be the moft beautiful!, and from his
feveral Colledions form that Manner which
thereby he makes his own.
A certain Grace which WAS wholly natural andpecu- ^j" j 20.
liar to him, Sec. Qfyfhaelm this may be compar'd
to Apelles, who in praifing the Works of other
Painters, faid That >Gracefulnefs was wanting to them :
and that without Vanity he might fay, it wot his own
peculiar fortion. See the Remark on the ^ \ %th.
Verje.
Julio Romano, (educated from his Childhood in tjf 522.
the Country of the Mufes,) &c. He means in the
Studies of the belle lettere, and above all in <Poe-
fy, which he infinitely lov'd. It appears, that
he form'd his Ideas and made his Guft from read-
ing Homer $ and in that imitated Zeuxis and Po-
lignotusy who, as Tyrius Maximus relates, treated
their Subjeds in their Pidures, as Homer did in
his Poetry.
To thefe Remarks I have annexed the Opini-
ons of our Author upon the beft and chiefeft
Painters of the two foregoing Ages. He tells
you candidly and briefly what were their Excel-
lencies, and what their Failings.
Ipafs in Silence many things which will be more am-
fly treated in the enfuing Commentary. 'Tis evi-
E e 2 dent
212 Olfervations on the, &c.
dent by this, how much we lofe, and what da-
mage we have fuftain'd by our Authors death,
fince thofe Commentaries had undoubtedly con-
tain'd things of high Value and of great inftru-
<5lion.
544, To intruft with tie Mufes, dec. That is to
fay, to write inVerfe, Poetry being under their
Prote&ion, and confecrated to them.
THE
:-<?.- ( 213 ) ;j
THE
JUDGMENT
* r '..,'C F^. *.'"'
Charles Alphonfe du Frefetoy,
On the Works of the Principal and Bcft
PAINTERS of the two MAges.
PAINTING was in its Perfection amongft
the Greeks. The principal Schools were at Sy-
cion, afterwards at Rhodesj at Athens,.
and at Corinth, and at laft in Rome. Wars and
Luxury haVmg overthrown the Roman Empire, it
was totally extinguifh'd, together with all the noble
Arts, the Studies of Humanity, and the other Sciences^
It began to appear again in the Year 1450 a*
mongft fome Painters of Florence, of which DO-
MENICO GHiRLANDAlO was one, who was
Mafter to Michael Angelo, and had fome kind., of
^putation, though his manner was Gothique and Ve^
ry dry.
MI-
2*4 nt of
MICHAEL ANGELO bis Scholar, flourijh'3
in tie times of Julius tbefecond, Leo the tenth) Paul
the third, and of eight fucceffiVe Popes. He was a
Painter, a Sculptor, and an Architect, loth Civil
and Military. Tlx Choice which he made of his <P0.
ftures was not always beautifull or f leafing : His Guft
of Defigning was not the fineft, nor his Out-lines the
moft elegant : Tlie Folds of his Draperies, and the
Ornaments of his Habits, were neither noble nor grace-
full. He was not a little fantaftical and extravagant
in his Compofitions ; he was bold even to ^afhnefs, in
taking Liberties again/I the ^les of <Perfpetn>e. His
Colouring is not oVer true or Very fleafant. He
Knew not the Artifice of the Lights and Shadows : {But
be defignd more learnedly, and better underjlood all the
J^nittmgs of the Bones, with the Office and Situation
of the Mufcles,*tban any of the modern Painters. There
appears a certain Air of Great nefs and Severity in his
Figures, in both which he has oftentimes fucceeded:
But above the reft of bis Excellencies, was his won-
derfull skill In Architecture, wherein 'be has not onely
furpafs'd all the Moderns, but even the Ancients alfo :
The St. Peter'* of Rome, tbe St. John'j of Flo-
rence, the Capitol , >tbe Palazzo Farnefe , and
bis own Houfc, are fuffic'ient Teftimonies of it. His
Scholars were Marcello Venufto, Andrea de Vater-
Jl Roflb, Georgio Vafari, Fra. Baftiano, (who
com-
Charles Alphonfe du> Frgfe*/, &c;
commonly fainted for bun) and many other
PIETRO PERUGINO defend with fufficlent
knowledge of Nature, but he is dry and his manner
little. His Scholar was
RAPHAEL SANTIO, who was horn on Good
Friday, in the Tear 1483, and died on Good Friday
in the Tear 1520: So that he liv'donely j/ years
comfleat. Hefurpafs'd att modern (Painters, hecaufe
he pojfefs'd more of the excellent parts of (Painting
than any other 5 and 'tis believ'd, that he equal? d the
Ancients, excepting onely that he defegnd not naked
Bodies with fo much Learning, as Michael Angelo :
!But his Guft of Defegning is purer and much letter.
He painted not mithfo good, Jo full, and fo grace full
4 manner as Correggio ; nor has he any thing of the
Contraft of the Lights and Shadows, or fo ftrong and
free a Colouring, as Titian ; hut he had a better dif-
fojition in his (Pieces without comparison, than either
Titian, Correggio, Michael Angelo, or all the
reft of the fucceeding (painters to our days. His
Choice of (poftures, of Heads, of Ornaments, theSui-
tahlenefs of his Drapery, his manner of Dejlgning,
his Varieties, his Contrafl s, his Exprejfions, mere beau-
tifull in Perfection ; but above all, he poffefs'd the
Graces info advantageous a manner, that he has ne-
Ver fence been equalfd by any other. There are
frotraits (or Jingle Figures of his) which are fi-
niftid
z 1 6 The Judgment of
ritfh'd Pieces. He was an admirable Architect. He
was handfome, well made, and tall of Stature, civil,
f^nd wellnaturd, never refufing to teach another what
le knew him f elf. He had many Scholars, amongft
others, Julio Romano, Polydore, Gaudens, Gi-
ovanni d'Udine, and Michael Coxis. His Gra-
Trer was Marc Antonio, whofe Prints are admira-
ble for the correttnefs of their Out-lines.
JULIO ROMANO was the moft excellent of
nil Raphael'* Scholars ; he had Conceptions which were
more extraordinary, more profound, and more eleVa-
ted, than eVenhis Mafter himfelf. He was alfo a great
Architect, his Guft was pure and exquifite. He was
agreatlmitator of the Ancients, gTving a clear Tejlimony
in all his *Produlions, that he was defirows to rejlore to
Praftice the fame Forms and Patricks which were an-
cient. He had the good Fortune to find great perfons
who committed to him the care of Edifices, Veftibu-
les and Portico's, all Tetraftyles, Xiftes, Theatres,
and fuch other places as are not now in ufe. He was
wvnderfull in his Choice of (poftures. His manner
was drier and harder than any of Raphael's School
He did not exatlly underfland the Lights and Sha-
dows or the Colours. He is frequently harfh and
ungr ace full: The Folds of his Draperies are neither beau-
tifull nor great, eafie nor natural, but all extravagant
and too like the Habits of fantajlical Comedians. He
wot
Charles Alphonfe dn Trtfnoy, &c. 217
"Very knowing in humane Learning. His Scho-
lars were Pirro Ligorio, (who was admirable for An-
cient Buildings , as for Towns, Temples, Tombs, and
Trophies, and the Situation of Ancient Edifices)
/Eneas Vico, Bonafone, Georgio Mantuano,^
others.
POLYDORE, Scholar to Raphael, defend
admirably well, as to the practical part, having a par-
ticular Genius for Freezes, as we may fee by thofe of
white and black, which he has painted at Rome. He
imitated the Ancients, hut bis manner was greater
than that of Julio Romano : NeVerthekfs Julio
feems to be the truer. Some admirable Grouppes are
fern in his Works y and fuch as are not elfewhere to be
found. He colour d Very feldom, and made Landt-
fchapes of a reafonable good Gufto.
GIO. BELLING, one of the firfl who was o/
any confederation at Venice, painted Very drily accor-
ding to the manner of his time. He WAS Very know-
ing both in Architecture and (PerfpeftiVe. He was
Titims firftMafter, which may eafily he obferv'd in
thefirft ^Painting of that noble Scholar, in which we
may remark that Propriety of Colours which his Ma-
fter has obferv'd.
About this time GEORGIONE the Contempora-
ry of Titian came to excell in (portraits or Face-paint-
ing, and alfo in great Works. He fir ft began to make
F f choice
2i 8 The Judgment of
choice of Glowing and Agreeable Colours -, the (perfe-
Rion and entire Harmony of wind) were afterwards t@i
be found in Titian'* (Pictures. He drefsd bis Fi-
gures wonderfully well ' dnd it may le truly /aid, that
tut for him, Titian bad ne^er arriv'd to that height,
of Perfection, which proceeded from the tifyalfiip and.
jealoufy of Honour betwixt thofe two.
TITIAN WAS one of the greateft Colourifls, who
was ever known ; be dejtgn'd with much more Eafe and.
(practice than Georgionc. There are to be feen Wo-
men and Children of bis band, which are admirable
loth for the Dejign and Colouring : the Gujl of them
is delicate , charming and noble, with a certain f leafing
Negligence of the Head-drejfes, the Draperies and Or-
naments of Habits, which are wholly peculiar to him.
As for the Figures of Men, be has deflgnd them but
moderately well. There are even fome of his Draperies,
which are mean and favour of a little guft. His
painting is wonderfully glowing, fiveet and delicate.
He made Tortraifts, which were extremely noble ; t be
( Poflures of them being "Very gracefull, gra^e, diVer-
fifyd, and adorn d after a "Very becoming faflrion. No
man ever painted Landtfchape, with fo great a man-
ner, fo good a colouring, and with fucb a refemblance
of Nature. For eight or ten years f pace, he cofyd.
with great labour and exaBnefs whatsoever be under-
took', thereby to make himfelf an eafy way, and to eft a-
Charles Alphonfe du, Trefiwy, &c.
blifh fome general maximes for bis future conduct.
Sejides tie excellent guft which he had of Colours, in
which he excell'd all Mortal Men, he perfectly under-
flood how to give eyery thing the touches which were
mo ft fuitable, and proper to them , fuch as diftin-
.guifh'd them from each other; and which galv the
greateft Spirit, and the moji of Truth. The <Pi ft tires
which he made in his beginning, and in the declenfion of
his Age, are of a dry, and me an manner. He LVd
ninety nine years. His Scholars were Paulo Vero-
nefe, Giacomo Tintorety Giacomo da Ponte,
Baffano, and his Brothers.
PAULO VERONESE was wonderfully graceful
in his Airs of Women: with great "Variety of fhirimg
Draperies 5 and incredible tiVacity, and eafe. NeVer-
thele/? his Compofaion is fometimes improper $ and his
T)efign Is uncorreft. But his colouring, and whatfo-
e^er depends on it, is Jo "Very charming in his Pictures,
that it fur prices at the fir ft fight, and makes us totally
forget thofe other qualities which are wanting m
'him.
TINTORET was Scholar to Titian, great in
the practical part of Defigning ; but fometimes alfo
fufficiently extravagant. He had an admirable Ge-
nius for Paint ing, if he had had as great an affection
to his Art, and as much patience in undergoing the
difficulties of it, as he had fire and Vivacity of Nature :
F f z He
i
220 The Judgment of
He has made <Pilures, not inferiour in beauty to tbofe
of Titian : bis Comfojttwn and bis Drejfes, are for
the mofl fart imfrofer ; and bis Out -lines are not cor-
nft : But bis Colouring, and tbe dependencies of tf,
like that of bis Mafter y are mofl admirable.
Tlie BASS AN S bad a more mean and poorer guft
in Painting tban Tintorec ; and tbeir Defigns were-
alfo lepcorreB tban bis. Tliey bad indeed an excellent
guft of Colours ; and have toucb > d all kinds of Animals
with an admirable manner : But were notorioujly im-
ferfeft in tbe Compofition and T>efign.
CORREGGIO fainted at Parma two large Cupo-
loj in FrefcOy and feme Altar-fieces. This Artift,
found out certain natural and unaffeEled Graces, for
bis Madonnas', Us Saints, and little Children ,
wbicb were particular to him. ffts Manner is exceed-
ing great, botb for tbe defign and for tbe work) but
mtbail is Very uncorrett. His Pencil was botb eafie
and ddiglitfuH, and 'tis to be acknowkdg'd y that be
fainted with great Strength, great Heigktning, great
Sweetnefs, and liVeline/? of Colours, in which none fur-
fafs'd him.
He underflood bow to diftribute Us Lights in fucft
if manner as was wholly peculiar to kimfelf, which gaVe
a great force and great rottndnefs to Us Figures. This
manner confifts in extending a large Light, and then
making it hje it felf infenfibly in tbe dark Jbadowings,
which
C harks Alphonfe du, frefnoy, &C, 221
which be flac'd out of the Maffes. And thofe give
them this great roundnefs, without our being able to
perceive from whence proceeds fo much of force, am,
fo Vajl a flea fur e to tie Sight. 'Tis probable, that in
this fart the reft of the Lombard School copied him :
he had no great choice of grace full tyoftures, nor of
diftribution for beautifuU Groupfes : hi* Dejign often-
times appears lame, and the fojitiom are not much ob-
feftfd in them. The AffeEls of Us Figures are many
times unpleajing ; but his manner of designing Heads,
Hands, Feet, and other parts, is "Very great, and well
deferVes our imitation. In the conduct and finifhing
of a Picture, he has done wonders ; for he painted with
fo much Union, that his greateft Works feem'd to haVe
been finijtid in the comfafs of one day ; and appear,
as if we Jaw them from a Looking-glafs^ His Landt*
fchape is equally beautifull with his Figures.
At the fame time with Correggio, li]id and flou*
riflfd PARMEGIANO j whobefides bis great man*
mr of well Colouring, excelled affo both in Indention
and Xtejign, with a Genius full of gentlenefs and of
fpirity having nothing that was ungracefull in his
choice of (poftures and in the dreffes of his Figures,
which we cannot fay of Correggio : there are <Pieces
of his to befeen, which are loth beautifull and cor-
ntt.
The Judgment of
Tbefe two Tainters lajl mention d, bad Very good Scho-
lars, but they are known onely to tbofe of their own Tro-
Vince ; and be fides there is little to be credited of what
bis Country-men fay, for Fainting is wholly extin-
guiflid amongji them.
I fay nothing of LEONARDO da VINCI,
becaufe I have feen but little of bis, though he re-
flord the .Arts at Milan, and bad many Scholars
there.
LUDOVICO CARRACCI, Uncle to Han-
nibal and Auguftine, ftudied at Parma after Cor-
reggio 5 and excell'd in Dejign and Colouring, with
fucb a Gracefulness, and fo mucb Candour, that Gui-
do the Scholar of Hannibal, did afterwards imitate
Inm with great fuccefs. There are fome of Ins <Pi-
Bures to be feen^ w]nA are Very beautifully and well
underftood. He made bis ordinary residence at Bo-
logna, and it was Ie, who put the Tencil into tbe
bands of Hannibal his Nephew.
HANNIBAL in a little time excell'd bis Mafter,
in all parts of fainting : He imitated Correggio,
Titian, and Raphael, in their different manners as
be pleas' d, excepting onely that you fee not in bis (P/-
ftures, tbe Noblenefs, the Graces, atid tbe Charms of
Raphael, and that bis Out-lines are neither fo pure,
-nor fo elegant as bis. In all other things, be is won-
J CD *?
derfully accomflijl> d } and of an Univerlal Genius.
AUGUS-
Charles Alphonfe <u frefnoy, &c. 223
AUGUSTINO, Brother to Hannibal, wasalfo
d "Very good (fainter, and an admirable GraVer. He
had a Natural Son, t calfd ANTONIO, who dyed
at the age 0/35, and who acco) ding to the general
of'tnion, mud haVe furpafl'd his Uncle Hannibal :
fir by what he left behind him, it appears that he was
of a more lofty Genius.
GUIDO chiefly, imitated Ludovico Carracci, yet-
retain d always fomewhat of the manner which his Ma-
fler Lawrence the Flemming taught him. This
Lawrence //V d at Bologna, and was Competitor and
tfjVal to Ludovico Carracci : Guido made the fame
ufe of Albert Durer, ^Virgil did of old Ennius :
borrow d what pleas' d him, and made it afterwards his
own : that is, he accommodated what was good in Al-
bert to his own manner : tvhich he executed with fo
much gracefulness and beauty, that He alone got more'
Money, and more Deputation in his time, than his own
Mafters, and all the Scholars of the Carraches, though
they were of greater capacity than himfelf. His Heads
yield no manner of precedence to thofe of Raphael.
SISTO BADOLOCCHl defign'dthe be/I of ali-
bis -Scholars : but he dyd young,
DOMENICHINO was a Very knowing fainter;
and Very laborious, but otherwife of no great Natural
Endowments: 'tis true, he was profoundly skill' d in all
the parts of (painting, but wanting Genius, M If aid,
he.
The Judgment of
1?e bad lefs of nobhnefs in bis Works than all the reft
wboftudied in the School of the Carrachcs.
ALBANO WM excellent / all that belong d to
Tainting, and adorn d with Variety of Learning.
JOHN LANFRANC, a Man of a great and
fprigbtly wit, fup ported bis <I(eputation for a long time
with an extraordinary guft of Dejign and Colouring.
But Us foundation being onely on the practical part, be
at length loft ground in point of correclnefs : fo tbat
many of Us pieces appear extravagant and fantaftical.
And after bis Deceafe, tbe School of the Carraches
went dayly to decay in all tbe parts of (painting.
GIO. VIOLA was "Very old before be learnd
Landtfcbape, the hiowledge of which was imparted to
him by Hannibal Carracche, who took pleafure to
inftrutt biniy fo tbat be painted many of that kind
which are wonderfully fine and well colour d.
If we caft our eyes towards Germany and tbe Low-
Countries, we may there behold ALBERT DU-
RER, LUCAS VAN LEYDEN, HOLBEIN,
ALDEGRAVE, and ISBIN, who were all Con-
temporaries. Amongft thefe, Albert Durer and Hol-
bein, were both of them wonderfully knowing and had
certainly teen of the firft form of tPainters, bad they
traVelfd into Italy : For nothing can be laid to their
cbarge y but onely tbat they bad a Gothique Guft. As
for Holbein, be perform'dyet better than Raphael;
and
Charles Alphonfe du, Trefnoy, &C 125
And I haVe feen a Portrait of hi& Painting, with
which one of Titian'* could not come in Competition.
Among/I the Flemmings, we had RUBENS, win
deriVd from his Birth, a lively, free, noble and uni~
Verfal Genius. A Genius which WM capable not one-
ly of rai/tng him to the rank of the Ancient Painters,
but alfo to thehighejl employment in the Service of his
Country : fo that be WM chofen for one of the moft
important Embaffies of our Age. Hts Gufto ofDe-
Jigning favours fomewhat more of the Flemming than
of the Beauty of the Antique, becaufe he flay' d not long
at Rome. And though we cannot but obferVe in all
his Taintings, fomewhat of great and noble ; yet it
muft he confefs'd, that generally f peaking, he defign'J
not correctly : But for all the other parts of Painting,
he was as abfolute a Mafter of them, and pojfefs'd them
alias throughly as any of his ^redecejfors in that noble
Art. ffis principal Studies were made in Lombardy,
after the Works of Titian, Paul Veronefe and Tin-
toret ; whofe Cream he has fkimm'd (if you will allow
the Pbra/e) and extracted from their federal Sean-
ties many general Maxims and infallible <%ules, which
&e always follow 9 d, and ly which he has acquirdinhis
Works, a greater Facility than that of Titian ; more
of Purity, Truth and Science, than Paul Veronefe ;
and more of Majefty, tffypofe and Moderation, than
Tintorct. To conclude, His manner is fo jolid, Jo
G g knowing,
226 The Judgment of, &t.
knotting, and fo ready, that it may feem, this rare
accomplijh'd Genius was fent from HeaVen to inftruft
Mankind in the Art of Tainting.
His School was full of admirable Scholars, amongft
whom VAN DYCK was he, who left comprehend-
ed all the 3{ules and general Maxims of his Mafter-,
and who has eVen excell'd him in the delicacy of his
Colouring and in his Cabinet Pieces ; hut his Guft in
the defegning fart, was nothing better than that of Ru-
bens,
Short Account
Of che moft Eminent
PAINTERS
BOTH
Continu'd down to the
PRESENT TIMES
According to the
Order of their Succejion.
LONDON,
Printed for W. Rogers at the Sun againft St.
Vunftans Church in Fleetftreet. i 6p 5.
( 225 r
THE
PRE
T
H E Title having onely promised a fliort
Account of the moft Eminent Matters,
&c. tlx Reader muft expett to find Very
little more in tlx fmall Compafl of thefe few Sheets, than
the Time when, the Place where, by whofe Inftruc-
tions, and in what particular Subject each of thofe
great Men became Famous.
In the firft part, which comprehends the prime
Matters of Antiquity, I have follow 9 d Pliny : yet
not blindly, or upon his Authority done, but cbiejfy
in thofe places, where I have found his Evidence co;i-
finrid by the concurrent Teftimony of other Writers.
The Catalogue of Fran. Junius I have diligently+per-
us'd, and examind moft of the Records cited in it.
I haVe alfo read over the Lives of the Four Principal
Painters of Greece, written in Italian, by Carlo Dati
of Florence , together with his learned Annotations, -
upon them : and in a word, haVe left nothing unregard-
ed, that coud give me any manner oyAffiftance in this,
frefmt Undertaking.
In the Chronological part, becaufe Iforefawthat f
the Olympiads, and the Years of Rome, would beof .
little
230 P R F A C E.
little uft to tie generality of Readers, I haVe adjufted
.them to the two Vulgar /Eras (vi%.) the Creation of
thc-World, and the Birth of Chrift. The Greek Ta-
lents I have likewife reduc d into Englifli Money : but
tojuftifie~my Account, mujt obferVe, that here (as in
moft Authors, where a Talent is put ab/olutely, and
without any other Circu mftance}theTa\cn turn Atticum
Minus is to be under flood \ which according to the near-
eft Computation wmes to about 187!. i o s. of our Mo-
ney, the Majus being about 6^ 1. los. more.
In the latter part, which contains the Mafters of great-
eft Note among/I the Moderns, / haVe been equally di-
ligent, not onely fearching into -all the moft conftderable
Writers, who haVe left us any Memorandums relating
fotbem ; but alfo in procuring from Rome, and other pla-
ces, tfe beft Advice thatpojjibly I could get, concerning
thofe Painters who are but lately deceased, and whofe
Liv^s have ne^er yet appear d in Print. In Italy I haVe
ta^enfuch Guides, as 1 hadreafon to believe, were beft
acquainted in that Country : and in France, Germany,
Flanders, and Holland, have been govern d by the Au-
thors who have been moft conVerfant in thofe farts. For
the Roman, Florentine, and fome other particular
Mafters, I haVe apply d my f elf to the Vice de' Pittori,
&c. of Giorgio Vafari, andthat excellent Treatife of
Gio: Pietro Bellori on the fame Subject. For the Lom-
bard School, I have confulted the Maraviglie dell'
Arte
P R F A C E.
Arte <?/ Cavalier Ridolfi. For the Bolognefe Pain-
ters, the Felfina Pittrice of Conte Carlo Cefare Mai-
vafia. For thofe of Genoua, the Vice de' Pittori,&v.
of Rafaelle Soprani nobile Genouefe. For the French
Mafters, the Entretiens fur les Vies, O*f. o/Felibien,
For the German, Flernifli, and Dutch Painters, (of
whom I haVe admitted but very few into-this Collecti-
on) the Academia nobiliffimx Arsis Pidoriae, of
Sandrart, and the Schilder-Boecko/Carel van Man-
dcr. For thofe of our own Country, lamafham'd
to acknowledge how difficult a matter 1 have found it, to
get hut the leaft Information touching fome of thofe In-
genious Men, whofe Works have been a Credit and
Reputation to it. Tlyat all our Neighbours haVe a
greater Value fa the Profe(fors of tins noble Art, n
fuffcimtly evident, in that there ha* hardly been any one
Mafter of tolerable Parts amongft them, but a Crowd
of Writers, nay fome Pens of Quality foo, haVe been
iytploydin adorning his Lif^^and in ttanf witting bis
Name^ honourably to Pofterity.
For the Characters of the Italians of the firft Form:,
LhaVe all along referrdthe Reader to the Judgment
of Monfieur du : FRESNOY in the preceding Pages.
But for the reft, I have from the Books aboVe-ment*
ond, and the Opinions of the Learned, briefly frewn,
wherein their different Talents and Perfections conji*,
fted: chufeng always (in the little fypmto which IhaVe
hen*
P R ETA C E.
been confind) to fct the left fide forwards, efpccidtiy
where their few Faults haVe been over-balanc'd by
their many Virtues.
1 (By the Figures in the Margin it will eafily appear,
bow careful IhaVe every where been, to preJerVe the Or-
der of Time, which indeed wan the thing principally
intended in thefe Papers. Some few Mafters how-
ever muft be excepted -, whom jet IhaVe placed next
to their Contemporaries, tho I could not fix them in
any particular Year. In all of them IhaVe been Very
exah in fating down their refpeciive Names, juft as
they themfelves usd to do, when they did not write
them in Latine.
IfitfiouU be Obje&ed, thatfeVeral of the Mafters
herein after-mention d, haVe already appeared amongft
us, in an Englim Drefs : / can onely anfwer, Tliat <t&
the Method here made ufe of y is more regular, and quite
different from any thing that ha* been hitherto publifh'd
in this kind; fo y wb&foeVer. fball think it worth his while
to compare thefe little Sketches with the Originals
from which IhaVe copy'd them, will find, that I baVe
takengreater Care in drawing them true, and that my
Out-lines are generally more correft, whatever De-
feds may be in the Colouring part.
Ancient
( 23? )
BY whom, and in what particular Age the Art
of Painting was firft invented in Greece,
Ancient Authors are not agreed. Arlflotle afcribes
the honour of it to EttCHl^ a Kinfman of the
famous J)eedaltts, who flotinfli'd Anno i 21 8 be- 2720
fore the Birth of Cbrift; Theopbraftus pleads for
POLYGNOTUS the Athenian , Athenagora* for
SAUftJAS of Samos ; fome contend for <PHILO-
CLES the Egyptian, and others again for CLEAN.-
THES of Corinth. But howfoever the Learned
may differ in their Opinions touching the IriVenter,
yet as to the Art it felf, all of them are unanimous,
that its firft appearance amongft the Greeks, was
in no better a drefs than the bare Shadow of a
Man , or fome other Body , circumfcrib'd with
a fingle line onely, call'd by them Sciagrapbia,
and by the Latines, Vittura Linearis.
The firft ftep made towards the advancement
of fainting, was by A<%J)ICES the Corinthian ,
and TELEVHANES ofSicyon, or C3(ATO of the
H h fame
2 24- Ancient Mafiers.
fame City ; who began to add other lines, by
way of fhadowing their Figures, to make them
appear round, and with greater ftrength. But
fo inconfiderable were the advantages, which che
Authors of this Manner (calTd Grapbice) gain'd
by their Invent wn, that they ftill found it necef-
fcry, to write under each piece, the name of eve-
ry individual thing which they endeavoured to
reprefent, leaft otherwife the Spectators flhou'd ne-
ver be able to diicover what they intended
by ic.
The next Improvement, was by CLEO<PH4N-
TUS of Corinth, who firft attempted to fill up his
Out-lines with a fingle Colour : from whence his
Pieces, and thofe of HTG1EMON, DJNL^and
CHA^fAS his followers, got the name of Afo
nochromata, (V/^..) Pictures of one colour.
the Menian, began to paint Men
and Women in a manner different from each
other, and ventured to imitate all forts of Ob-
jects : but was for excelled by his Difciple.
CIMON the CktoitJfy who found out the Art
of Painting Hiftorieally, defign^d his Figures in
variety of Poftures, diftinguifli'd the fcveral parrs
of
Ancient Makers. 235
of the Body by their Joints, and was the firft who
took notice of the folds of Draperies, in his Pieces.
In what Century the Mafters abovemention'd
liv'd, Antiquity has given us no Account : yet cer-
tain it is, that about the time of the Foundation An. Mun.
offljo*se, Anno 7 50 ante Qir. the Grecians had car- 3 108.
ry'd (painting to fuch a height of Reputation, that
Candaules King of Lydia, firnam'd Myrfelus, the
laft of the Heraclidtf, and who was kill'd by Gyges
Anno quarto Olymf. 1 6. for a Picture made by
8ULAV(CHUS, reprefenting a Battel of the
nefians, gave its weight in Gold.
of Mem, liv'dO/^.Sj. Anno
446 ^Mte C/^ and is celebrated for having pain-
ted the Battel at Marathon, between the Athenians c2~v^x
and Verfiansy fo very exa&ly, that Miltiades, and
all the General Officers on both fides, were eafily
to be known, and diftinguifli'd from each other in
that Piece.
PHIDIAS his Brother, the Son of Cbarmidas,
flourifli'd Olymf). 84. Anno- 442 ante Chr. and was 1*06.
famous both for Tainting and Sculpture : but par-
ticularly in the latter fo profoundly skill'd, that
his Statue of Jupiter Olymf ius was by the Ancients
H h i efteem'd
Ancient Makers.
efteem'd one of the Seven wonders of the World,
as his MinerVa, in the Citadel of Athens, made of
Ivory and Gold, was (by way of Eminence) call'd
the Beautiful Form. He was very intimate with
<Pericles, the Athenian General ; and fo much en-
vy'd upon that account, and for the Glory which
he acquired by his Works, that his Enemies cou'd
never be at reft till they had plotted him into a
Prifon, and had there (as fome fay) taken away
his Life by Poifon.
<POL?CLETUS, a Native of Sicyon, and the
An. Mun. moft renowned Sculptor in his time, liv'd Otymp.
3518. 87.^^0430 ante Chr. and befide the Honour
which he gain'd, by having brought the $ajf-
G(elieVo to perfection, is commended for divers
admirable pieces of work $ but chiefly, for being
the Author of that moft accomplished Model ,
call'd the Canon : which comprehending in it felf
alone all the feveral perfections, both of Feature,
and Proportion, in Humane Bodies, by the joint
confent of the moft eminent Artifts, as well
Painters as Sculptors, then in being, was unani-
moufly agreed upon to be handed down to Po-
fterity, as the Standard, or infallible <%uk of true
Beauty.
In
Ancient Mafters.
In this Olympiad alfo were KI^ON, and SCO-
PES', both excellent in Sculpture ; and in Tome
refpe&s equal even to tPolycktus himfelf.
fOLXGNOTUS the Thafian, was the Difciple
of his Father Aglaophon, and particularly famous
for reprefenting Women; whom he painted in.
lightfom and fhining Draperies, adorning their
heads with dreffes of fundry colours, and giving
a greater freedom to his Figures, than had been
us'd by any of his Predeceflbrs. His principal
Works, were thofe which he made gratis in the
Temple at Delphi, and the grand Portico at Athens,
calFd the Carious 5 in honour of which it was fo-
lernnly decreed, in a general Council of the Am-
phictyons,d\zt where-ever he fhould travel in Greece,
his charges fliould be born by the Publick. He
died fometime before the ob Olymp. which was
Anno 4 1 8 ante
the Athenian, liv'd Olymp. 04.
Anno 402 ante Chr. and was the firft who inven-
ted the Art of mingling his Colours, and of ex-
preffing the Lights and Shadows. He was ad-
mir'd alfo for his judicious choice of Nature, and
in the beauty and ftrength of his Figures furpafled
all the Matters who went before him. He ex-
Ancient Mafters.
cell'd likewife in Sculpture, but was furnam'd the
Madman, from a ftrange humour which he had,
of deftroying even his very beft Pieces, if after he
had finifh'd them, he cou'd dilcover any faulty tho
never fo inconfiderable.
Jn. Mun. -ZEUXIS of --Heraclea, flourifh'd Anno quarto
2552. Olymp. p 5 . Anno j p 5 ante Cbr. and was fam'd for
being the moft excellent Colourifl of all the Ancients 5
though Cicero, 'Pliny, and other Authors tell us,
there were but four Colours then in ufe (V/^.)
white, yellow, red and black He was cenfur d by
fome, for making his Heads too big 5 and by
Ariftotle, for not being able to exprefs the Man-
ners, and Paffions. He was very famous not-
wkhftanding for the Helena which he painted for
the People of Crotona^ in the Compofition of
which he collected from five naked Virgins (the
moft beautiful that Town cou'd produce )
whatever he obferv'd Nature had fornvd moft
perfect in each, and united all thofe admirable
parts in that fingle Figure. He was extoll'd like-
wife for feveral other Pieces 5 but being very rich,
coii* d never be prevailed upon to fell any of
them, becaufe he thought them to be above any
price 5 and therefore chofe rather to give them
away freely to Princes, and Cities. He died (as
'tis
Ancient Makers. 239
'tis generally faid) of a fie of Laughter, at the
fight of a Comical old Woman's Picture, which
he had drawn.
:. PA^HASIUS a Native of Epkfm, and Ci-
rizen of Athens, was the Son and Difciple ofEvenor, .
and the Contemporary of Zeuxis y whom he over-
came in the noted Conteft between them, by de-
ceiving him with a Curtain, which he had painted
fo excellently well, that his Antagonift miftook it
for the Nature ic felf. He was the firft who ob-
ferv'd the Rules of Symmetry in his works 5 and
was much admired for the livelinefs ofhisexpref-
fion, and for the gayety and graceful Airs of his
Heads : but above all, for the foftnefs and elegance
of his Out-lines, and for rounding off his Figures,
fo as to make them appear with the greater ftrength
and relievo. He was wonderfully fruitful of In-
vention, had a particular talent in fmall pieces,
especially in wanton Subjects , and finifli'd all
his works to the lail degree of perfection. But
wkhall was for extravagantly vain and arrogant,
that he commonly writ himfelf (parrbafius the
Seau, the S/> Courtly ("Ao^V^O went cloath'd
in purple, with a Crown of Gold upon his
Head, pretended to derive his Pedigree from A-
folio, and flyl'd himfelf the Prince of bis- Trofeffion,
Yet
240 Ancient Mafters.
Yet, to his great affli&ion, was humbl'd at la'ft by
TIMANTHES of Slcyon (or as fome fay, of
Cytbnus) who in a Difpute betwixt them, was by
the majority of Votes declared the better Painter :
And befides was as eminent for the fingular mode-
fty and fweetnefs of his Difpofition, as for the
agreeable variety of his Invention, and peculiar
happinefs in moving the Paffions. His moft ce-
lebrated works were the fleeping Polyphemus, and
the Sacrifice of Iphigenia ; in both which (as in all
his other Performances) his diftinguiChing C ha-
ratter appear'd, in making more to be under-
flood, than was really exprefs'd in his Pieces.
In this time alfo flouriflh'd EUPOMPUS of
Sicyon, an excellent Artift, and whofe Authority
was fo very confiderable, that out of the two
Schools of Painting, the Afiatick and the Greek, he
made a third, by dividing the laft into the Attkk
and the Sicyonian. His beft Difciple was
<PAM<PHILUS a Native of Macedonia, who to
the Art of Painting joyn'd the Study of the Liberal
Arts, efpecially the Mathematicks : and us'd to fay,
that without the help of Geometry, no Painter could
ever arrive at perfection. He was the firft who
taught
Ancient Maflers. 241
taught his Art for ferrates, but never took a Scho-
lar for lefs time than ten years. What reputation
and intereft he had in his own Country, and what
ufe he made of it, for the honour and advance-
ment of his (frofejjlon, fee <Pag. 8 3 .
PAUSIAS of Sicyon, a Difciple of Pmpbifo,
was the firft who painted upon Walls and Ceil-
ings: and amongft many rare qualities, was ex-
cellent at fore-fhortening his Figures. His moft fa-
mous Piece was the Picture of his Miftrefs Clycera,
in a fitting pofture, compofing a Garland of
Flowers : for a Copy of which L. LucuOw, a
noble <%oman, gavetwoTdte* (375/^0
the IJtbnian, flourifli'd Olymf. An. Mun.
104, Anno 361 ante Cbr. He was an Unherfal
Mafler, and admirably skill'd both in Sculpture
and (Painting. His Conceptions were noble and ele-
vated, his Style mafculine and bold 5 and he was
the firft who fignaliz'd himfelf by reprefenting
the Majefty of Heroes. He writ feveral Volumes
of the Art of Colouring and of Symmetry, and yet
notwithftanding fell into the fame Error wich
Zeuy.is, of making his Heads too big in proporti-
on to the other parts.
I i <PV(AXl
242 Ancient Mafttrs.
PRAXITELES the fam'd Sculptor , particu-
larly celebrated for his Vtnw of Griidus, and other
excellent performances in Marble, was the Con-
temporary of Euphranor.
An. Mun. CWIAS of Cytknus, liv'd Olymp. \ 06, Anno 354
3 504. <*te C/>r. and raised his reputation fo much by his
works, that Hortenfius the tifyman Orator , gave
44 Talents, (8250 lib.) for one of his Pieces, con-
taining the Story of the Argonauts, and built a
noble Apartment on purpofe for it, in his Vitta at
Tufculum.
ATELLES the Prince of Painters, was a Na-
tive of Coos, an Ifland in the Archipelago ( now
known by the name of Lango) and flourifli'd 0-
lymp. \ \ 2, Anno 330 ante Chr. He improved the
noble talent which Nature had given him, in the
School of Tamphihis^ and afterwards by degrees
became fo much in efteem with Alexander the Great,
that by a public Edift he ftrictly commanded ,
that no other Mafter fhou'd prefume to make his
Portrait ; that none but Lyjippus of Sicyon fliou'd
caft his Statue in Brafs j and that Pyrgoteles onely
fhou'd grave his Image in Gems and Precious Stones.
And in farther teftimony of his particular refpect
to this Artlfty he prefented him, even with his
moft
Ancient Maflers. 24.3
moft beautiful and charming Miftrefs Campafpe,
with whom Apelks had fall'n in Love, and by
whom 'twas fuppos'd he copy'd his Vtnw (Anadyo-
mene) rifing out of the Sea. Grace was his pecu-
liar portion, as our Author tells us, (P*ge 1 5 o, and
211. In which, and in knowing when he had
done Enough^ he tranfcended all who went before
him, and did not leave his Equal in the world.
He was miraculoufly skill' d in taking the true li-
neaments and features of the Face : Infomuch that
(if Apion the Grammarian may be credited) (plyfi-
ognomifts upon fight of his Pictures onely, cou'd
tell the precife time of the parties death. He was
admirable likewife in repreleming people in their
laft Agonies. And in a word, fo great was the
veneration paid by Antiquity to his Works, that
feveral of them were purchas'd with heaps oF
Gold, and not by any fet number or weight of
pieces. He was moreover extremely candid and
obliging in his temper, willing to inftruct all
thbfe who ask'd his advice, and generous even to
his moft potent Rivals.
T<%OTOGENES of Caunus, a City of Caria fub-
jecl; to the <I(hodians y was by the Ancients efteem'd
one of the four beft Painters in Greece : but liv'd
miferably poor, and very little regarded in his
I i 2 own
244 Ancient Maflers.
own Country, till Afelles having made him a vifir,
to bring him into Reputation, bought up feveral
of his Pictures, at greater rates than he ask'd for
them ; and pretending, that he defign'd to fell 'em
again for his own work, the J(hodians were glad
to redeem them upon any terms. Whofe Difciple
he was, is not certainly known 5 but 'tis general-
ly affirm'd, that he fpent the greateft part of his
life in painting Ships, and Sea-pieces onely : yet
applying himfelf at laft to nobler Subjects, he be-
came an Artift fo well accompliflh'd, that Allies
confefs'd he was in all refpects at leaft equal to
himfelf, excepting onely, that never knowing when .
to leave off, by overmuch diligence, and too nice
a correftnefs, he often difpirited and deaden'd the
Life. He. was famous alfo for feveral Figures
which he made in Brafs : but his moft celebrated
piece of 'Pdwtwg, was that of Jatyfus,. which coft
him feven years ftudy and labour, and which
fav'd the City of (Jtyodes from being burnt ty
"Demetrius 'Poliorcetes. Vide Page 8 4.
Of MELANTHIllS we have nothing certain,
but that he was brought up at Sicyon y (the beft
School of Greece) under tfampkilus, at the fame
time with Apelles. That he contributed both by
his Pen, and fencil, to the Improvement of his
Art:,
Ancient Maflers. 245
Art ; and amongft many excellent Pieces, painted
Ariftratus the Sicyonian -Tyrant, in a Triumphal
Chariot, attended by ftftory, putting a wreath
of Laurel upon his Headj which was highly
cfteem'd.
A^JSTIDES of Thebes, the Difaple of Euxeni-
das, liv'd in the fame Olympiad with dpelles, and
was the firft who by the (Rules of Art, attained a
perfect knowledge of expreffing the Paffionsand
Affections of the Mind. And though his colour-
ing was fomewhat hard, and not fo very beauti-
ful as cou'd be wifli'd, yet notwithftanding fo
much were his Pieces ad mi r'd, that after his de-
ceafe, Attalw King of Tergamus) gave an hun-
dred Talents (1875 ^-) * r one them.
His Contemporary was ASCLEPIODO^US the
Athenian, equally skilled in the Arts of Sculpture
and Painting 5 but in the latter, chiefly applauded
for the beauties of a correct Style y and the truth of
his Proportion : In which Afelles declared himfelf 1
as much inferior to this Arttfl^ as he was to AM-
THION, in the ordering, and excellent difpofiti-
on of his Figures. The moft famous Pictures of Af-
clepiodorus , were thofe of the twehe Gods, for
which Mnafon the Tyrant of Elate a, gave him the-
value of about j o o t. SterL a-piece. A*
Ancient Maflers.
About the fame time alfo u ere the feveral Ma-
fters following (v^.) THEOMNESTUS, fam'd
for his admirable talent in Portraits.
NICHOMACHUS , the Son and Difciple of
Ariflodemus, commended for the incredible facility
and freedom of his (pencil
NICOTHANES, celebrated for the Elegance of
his Defign, and for his grand Manner, and Ma-
jefty of Style 5 in which few Majiers were to be
compared to him.
was famous for little pieces only j
and from the fordid and mean Subjects to which
he addicted himfelf (Tuch as a Barbers, or Shoe-
makers Shop, the Stil-life, Animals, Herbage, dec.)
got the furname of 3(byparograpbus. Yet though
his Subjects were poor, his Performance was ad-
mirable ; And the fmalleft Pictures of this Artljty
were efteem'd more, and fold at greater Rates,
than the larger Works of many other Mafters.
ANTIDOTUS the Difciple of Eufbranor, was
extremely diligent, and induftrious, but very flow
at his Pencil $ which as to the colouring part was
generally hard and dry. He was chiefly remarkable
for having been the Mafter of NI-
Ancient Maflers. 247
NICIES of Jtbensy who painted Women in An. M
Perfection, and flourifli'd about the n^.Olymp. 1626.
Anno ^ > ^^ ante Cbr. being univerfally cxtoll'd for
the great variety and noble choice of his Subjects,
for the force and relievo of his Figures, for his
great skill in the diftribution of the lights and
ftiadows, and for his wonderful dexterity in re-
prefenting all forts of four-footed Animals, beyond
any ^f after in his time. His moft celebrated
Piece was that of Homer s Hell 3 for which having
refufed 60 Talents (11250 lib.) offer' d him by
King Ttolemy the Son of Lagus, he generouily
made a Prefent of it to his own Country. He was
likcwife much efteem'd by allhis Contemporaries
for his excellent Talent in Sculpture ; and as <Pliny
reports, by Praxiteles himfelf : which yet feems
highly improbable, confidering, that by his own
account , there were at lead 40 years betwixt
them.
ATHEN10N of Maronea, a City o(TJ>race f
a Difciple of Glaudon the Corinthian, was about
this time alfo as much in vogue as Nicias : and
though his colouring was not altogether fo agree-
able, yet in every other particular he was even
fuperior to him, and wou'd have mounted to the
higheft pitch of Perfection, if the length of his Life
had
24.8 Ancient Mafters.
had been but anfwerable to the great extent of
his Genius.
An. Mun. F^SfliS a noble Gfyman, painted the Temple of
2647. Health in 3fyw/e, Anno U. C 450, ante Cbr. 2,01 :
^^^v^^ and glory' d fo much in his Performances there,
that he affum'd to himfelf for ever after, the fur-
name of Tittor, and thought it no difparagement
to one of the mod Illuftrious Families in fyme,
to be diftinguifli'd by that Title.
2698. NEALCES liv'd Olymp. 132, Anno 250 ante
' Cbr. in the time of Arat us the Sicyonian General ,
who was his Patron, and intimate Friend. His
particular Character, was a ftrange vivacity of
thought, a fluent fancy, and a fingular happinefs
in explaining his intentions (as appears Pag. 148.)
He is befides frequently mentioned by Writers,
for that having painted a Horfe, and being weary'd
with often trying in vain to exprefs the foam pro-
ceeding from his Mouth, he flung his Pencil in a
great paffion againft the (Pitture, which lighted fo
luckily, that to his amazement he found, Chance
had finifli'd his Defign , much better than he
with all his art and labour cou'd have done.
Ancient Maflers. 249
Anno 168 ante Cbr. An. Mun.
and liv'd in fo much cred it and reputation at Athens t 3780*
that (paulus jEmilius, after he had overcome (Per- ^~v%^
feus King of Macedon, Anno 3 Olymp. 152. having
defir'd the Athenians to fend him one of their moft
learned (Philofopbers to breed up his Children, and
a skilful fainter to adorn his Triumph, Metro-
dorm was the perfon unanimously chofen, as the
fitted for both Employments.
MARCUS <PACUnUSotBrundufium y theNe- 3^7,
phew of old Enmus y was not onely an eminent
<Poet himfelf, and famous for feveral Tragedies
which he wrote, but excell'd alfo in Painting :
Witnefs his celebrated Works , at <lfyme y in the
Temfle of Hercules, in the Forum Boarium. He
flourifli'd Anno U. C. (Joo, ante Cbr. 151, and
died at Tarentum, almoft oo years of age.
TIMOMACHliS of Byz&ntium (now Conftanti-
wo/?/e) liv'd Anno U. C 704, ante Cbr. 47, in the
time of Julius Gefar, who gave him 8 o Talents
( i 5 ooo //.) for his Pieces of Ajax and Medea y
which he placed in the Temple of Venus, from
whom he deriv'd his Family. He was commen-
ded alfo for his Oreftes and Ipbigenia : but his Ma~
fter-piece was the Gorgon, or Mednfas Head.
K k About
250 Ancient Mafters.
About the fame time alfo A^ELLlUS was fa-
mous at <%ome, being as much admir'd for his ex-
cellent talent in Painting, as he was condemn' d
for the fcandalous ufc which he made of it, in ta-
king all his Ideas of the Goddejfes from common
Strumpets , and in placing his Miftrejfes in the
Heavens , amongft the Gods , in ieveral of his
Pieces.
An. Mun. LUDIUS liv'd in great Reputation, under Au-
3 907. guftus Gefar, who began his $(eign Anno U. C 7 1 o,
^"V^ ante Chr. 41 . He excelled in grand Compofitiens, and
was the firft who painted the Fronts of Houfes,
in the Streets of <I(pme : which he beautify'd with
great variety of Landtfcbapes, and pleafant Views,
together with all other forts of different Subjects,
manag'd after a moft noble manner.
An. Dom. TU^ILIUS a <%pman %nigbt, liv'd in the time
of Vefpafian, who was chofen Emperour, An, Vom.
60. And though he painted every thing with his
left band, yet was much applauded for his admi-
rable Performances at Verona.
His Contemporaries were CORNELIUS
NUS, and ACTIUS <P<$JSCUS, who with their
Pencils adorn'd the Tempks of Honour and Virtue,
repaired,
Ancient Mafttrs. 251
repair'd by Ifeffafian. But of the two, Prifcus
came neareft in his flyle and manner of Painting,
to the purity of the Grecian School
And thus have I given the (Reader z fhort Ac-
count , of all the moft eminent Mafters who
flourifli'd in Greece, and ^ome, in the compafs of
more than a tboufand Years. 'Tis true indeed,
that for a longtime after theQ(cigns of Fefpafian,
and Titus his Son, Painting and Sculpture continued
in great reputation in Italy. Nay, we are informed,
that under their Succefifors Domitian, Nerta, and
Trajan, they (hin'd with a Luftre almoft equal to
what they had done under Alexander the Great. 'Tis
true alfo, that the <l(pman Emperours Adrian, An-
tonine, Alexander SeVerus, Conjtantine, and Valentl-
nian, were not onely generous Encouragers of
the fe Arts, but in the praftice of them alfo fowell
skill'd, that they wrought feveral extraordinary
Pieces with their own hands 5 and by their Ex-
ample, as well as their Patronage, rais'd up ma-
ny confiderable Artijls in both kinds. But the
Names of all thofe excellent Men being unhappily
loft with their Works, we muft here conclude our
Catalogue of the ANCIENT MASTERS: and
fliall onely take notice, that under that Title, All
thofe are to be comprehended , who pra&ifed
K k z Painting
252 Ancient Mafttrs.
An. Dom.Vainting or Sculpttt re either in Greece or <l(ome, be-
580. fore the year of our Lord 580. Ac which time
the Latine Tongue ceafing to be the common Language
of Italy, and becoming mute. All the noble Arts
and Sciences (which in the two preceding Centu-
ries had been brought very low, and by the con-
tinual Jnvafions of the Northern Nations reduced
to the laft extremities) expir'd with it : and in the
Reign of (Pfcoow the Emperour, foon after, lay bu-
ry'd together, as in one common Grave, in the
Ruins of the ^pman Empire.
( 253 )
Rafters.
GIOVANNI CIMASUE, nobly defcended, _^
and born at Florence, Anno 1240, was the 1240.
firft who reviv'd the Art of Tainting in Italy. He
was a Difciple of fome poor ordinary Painters,
fent for by the Government of Florence from
Greece : whom he foon furpafs'd, both in Drawing,
and Colouring , and gave fomething of ftrength
and freedom to, his Works, at which they cou'd
never arrive. And though he wanted the Art of
managing his Lights and Shadows, was but little
acquainted with the Rules of tferfpetti've, and in
divers other particulars but indifferently accom-
plifh'd $ yet the Foundation which he laid for fu-
ture Improvement, entitled him to the name of
the Father of the Fir ft Age, or Infancy of the Mo-
dern fainting. Some of his Works are yet re-
maining ac Florence, where he was famous alfo
for his skill in Architecture, and where he died ve- JEt. (Jo.
ry rich, Anno i 300.
GIOTTO
254 Modern Mafters.
r^A_x~> GIOTTO his Difciple, born near Florence, Anno
i 27(5. i 27 6 y was a good Sculptor and jrdrittfl, as well
as a better fainter than Ctmabue. He began to
fhake off the fhffnefs of the Greek Maflers ; endea-
vouring to give a finer Air to his Heads, and more
of Nature to his Colouring, with proper Poftures
to his Figures. He attempted likewife to draw
after the Life, and to exprefs the different Paffions
of the Mind : but cou'd not come up to the live-
linefs of the Eyes, the tendernefs oftheFlefh, or
the ftrength of the Mufcles in naked Figures. He
was fent for, and employ'd by Pope < Bene<bl IX.
in St. Teters Church at <I(ome, and by his Succef-
for Clement V. at Avignon. He painted feveral
Pieces alfo at <Padoua, Naples, Ferrara, and in o-
ther parts of Italy -, and was every where much
admir'd for his Works : but principally, for a
(Pifture which he wrought in one of the Churches
of Florence, reprefenting the Death of the . Virgin^
with the dfoftles about her : the Attitudes of which
Story, Af. Angtlo Buonaroti us'd to fay, cou'd not
be better defign'd. He flouriflh'd in the time of
the famous Dante and Petrarch, and was in great
,- x efteem with them, and all the excellent Men in
' his Age. He died Anm 1336.
Modern Maflers. 255
ANI>V(EA TAFFI, and GADW G^DDIwere
his Contemporaries, and the Reftorers ofMojaic-
mrk in Italy : which the former had learnt ofAfol-
lonius the Greek, and the latter very much improved.
At the fame time alfo was MA<%GA<I(ITONE,
a Native of Arezgp in Tufcany, who firft invented
the Art of Gilding with Leaf-gold, upon Bole-ai'me-
mac*
SIMONE MEMMI, born at Siena, a City in
the borders of the Dukedom of Florence, Anno 12 5~
1285, was a Difciple of Giotto, whofe manner
heimprov'd in drawing after the Life : and is par-
ticularly celebrated by Petrarch, for an excellent
Portrait, which he made of his beloved Laura.
He was applauded for his free and eafie Invention,
and began to understand the Decorum in his Com-
pofitions.* Obiit Anno 1345.
TADDEO GADDI, another Difciple of Giotto,
born at Florence, Anno 1 300, excell'd his Mailer l 3*
in the beauty of his Colouring, and the livelinefs
of his Figures. He was alfo a very skilful Archi-
teft, and much commended t % or the Bridge which
he built over the River Arno., at Florence. He died &t. y o-
Anno 1350.
TOMASO
Modern Makers.
TOMASO, call'd G10TT1NO, for his affcfting
and imitating Giotto's manner, born alfo at Flo-
rcjjce. Anno 1324, began to add ftrength to
his Figures, and to improve the Art o
He died ^>wo 1 3 j 6.
JOHANNES ab H7C, commonly call'd JOHN
of 'BRUGES, born at AAi/eeV* on the River J/^
in the Low-Countries, Anno \ j/o, was a Difciple
of his Brother Hubert, and a confiderable <Pdw-
ter : but above all things famous for having been
the happy Irrtenter of the A^T of TAINTING
IN OIL, Anno 1410, (thirty years before Print-
ing was found out by John Guttemlerg, of Straf-
JEt. ?\. burgh.) He died Anno 1441, having fome years
before his deceafe communicated his Invention to
ANTONELLO of Meffina, who traveled from
his own Country into Flanders on purpofe to learn
the Secret : and returning to Sicily, and afterwards
to Venice, was the firft who pra&ifed, and taught
it in Italy. He died Anno jEtat. 49.
In the preceding Century flourifli'd feveral other
Mafters of good Repute : but their Manner being
the fame, or but very little different from that of
Giotto, it will be fufficient to mention the Names
onely
Modern Makers. 257
onely of fome of the mod Eminent, and fuch
were An&rea Orgagnct, Vietro CaVallim, Sttfano, &o-
namico Buffalmacco, <Pietro Laurati, Lippo, Sfinello,
Cafentino, <Ptfano, Sec. And thus the Art of Tain-
ting continu'd alrnoft at a ftand for about an
hundred years 3 advancing but flowly , and ga-
thering but little ftrength, till the time of
who was born in Tufc&y, Anno
1417, and for his copious Invention, and true 1 4 1 7-
manner of Defigning 3 for his delightful way of
Colouring, and the graceful Actions which he
gave his Figures 3 for hisloofenefs in Draperies,
and extraordinary Judgment in (Perfpettrte, is rec-
kon'd to have been the Mafter of the Second, or
Middle Age of Modern Tainting: which 'tis thought
he wou'd have carry'd to a much higher degree of
Perfection, if death had not ftopp'd him in his ~ ,
Career (by Poyfon, asitwasfuppos'd) An. 1443.
GENTILE, and GI07ANNI, the *Sons and
Difciples of GIACOMO CELLING, were born at
Venice, (Gentile, Anno 1421.) and were fo emi-
nent in their time, that Gent He was fent for to Con-
Jtantinopky by Mahomet II. Emperour of theTwrfo :
for whom having (amongft other things) paint-
ed the Decollation of S. John Baftift, the Emperour,
L 1 to
258 Modern Makers.
to convince him chat the Neck after its feparation
from the Body, cou'd not be fo long as he had
made it in i his Picture, ordered a Slave to be
brought to him, and commanded his Head to be
immediately ftruck off in his prefence: which fo
tetrifTd Gentile, that he cou'd never be at reft, till
he got leave to return home : which the Empe-
i r 111^-1 11-
rour granted, after he had Knighted him, and
nobly rewarded him for his Services. The moil
eonfiderable Works of thefe Brothers are at Venice,
, jf i where Giovanni liv'd to the age of 90 years, ha-
ving very rarely painted any thing but Scripture-
Stories and T^eligiou* Subjects, which he performed
fo well, as to be efteem'd the moft excellent of
,- - all the fBeBini. See more of him (Pdg. 2 1 7*
'_. Gentile died Anno i 5 o i .
MANTEGNA, born at PaJoua,
' Anno 1451, ^ Difciple of Squarcione , was very
correct in Defigning, admirable in fore fliort'ning
his Figures, well vers'd in Perffettive, and arrived
to great knowledge in the Antiquities, by his con-
tinu'd application totheSr^w^, Bafs<%elieVo 3 s, See*
et however his neglect of feafoning his Studies
ter the Anti(jne, with the living Beauties of Na-
ture, has given him a Pencil fomewhat hard and
dry ; And befides, nis Drapery is generally ftiff,
according
1\_ ^ 1C ^ * "V S? *b
Modern Ma ft en. 2 5 5>
-according to trie manner of thofe times, arid tob
ittuch perplex' d ivich little folds. The beft of his
Works (and for which he was Knighted, by the
Marquefs LodoVtco Gonzyga, of Mantoua) are trki
Triumphs of Juliu$ C#far, now at Hampton-Court*
He died Anno 1517, having been the firft (ac-
cording to Safari) who pra&ifed the Art of Gra-
ving in Italy,
and b;
ANDREA rES&tpCCHS) a Homtfme, born
^wwo 1432, was well skill'd in Geometry, Optics, 1 43 2
Sculpture, Mufic, and fainting : but left off the
laft, becaufcina Piece which he had made of St.
JW;tt Baptizing our Saviour, Leonardo da Vinci, one
of his Scholars, had by his order, painted an An-
gel, holding up fome part of our Saviours Gar-
ments, which fo far excell'd all the reft of An-
dreas Figures, that inrag'd to be out-done by a
Youno--man, he refolv'd never to make ufe of his
Cj *
Pencil any more. . He was the firft who found
out the Art of taking and preferving the likenefs of
any Face, by moulding off the Features inPlaifter.
He died Anno 1488.
ftrf
LUCA SIGNO^ELLI of Cortona, a Citf Iff
the Dukedom of Florence, born Anno 1439, w^V 4?9
a Difciple of Tietro S. Sepulchre, and fo excellent
Liz at
at defigning Nakeds, that from a Piece which he
tainted in a Chappel of the great Church at Or-
neto, A/i Angelo Suonaroti transferr'd feveral entire
: igures into his Laft- Judgment. He died very rich,
P-I^YI. 2 $nu uoo band lid gnivsitad
.rrorn Io bVbonbo b^d 3rl rbirfw ^noifiahatj
flEPUP di COSIMO : * Florentine* bom Anno
1 44 I 1441, was a Difciple of Cojtmo 3{pjfelli (whofe
name he retained) and a very good Fainter ; but
Ib ftrangely fantaftical, and Rill of Caprichio's ,
that all his delight was in painting Satyrs, Fauns,
Harpies, Monfters, and fuch like extravagant Fi-
gures : and therefore he apply'd himfelf, for the
moft part , to Bacchanalia's , Mafquerades, &c.
^' * 0t Qbiit Anno 1521..
^^^ LEONARDO da VmCl, bom in a Caftle io
M4J- call'd, near the City of Florence, Anno 1445, was
-VN^ bred up under Andrea Verrocchio, but fo far fur-
pafs'd him, and all others his Predeceflbrs, thaths
is own'd to have been the Mafter of the Third, or
Golden Age of Modern Painting. He was in every
refpedr, one of the compleateft Men in his time,
and the beft furnifli'd with all the perfections both
of Body and Mind: was an excellent Sculptor,
and Architect , a skilful 'Mufician , an admirable
Poet, very expert in Anatomy and Cbymiftry, and
throughly.
Modern Mafters* 261.
*fir6ughly learned in all the pares of the Matfama-
ticks. He was extremely diligent in the perfor-
mance of his Works, and fo wonderfully neat,
and curious, that he left feveral of them unfiniflh'cL
"i~*- A Clil VJJJll CVTU^-' [ A.
believing his hand cou'd never reach that Idea of
perfe&ion, which he had conceiv r d of them. He
liv'd many years at Milan, highly efteem'd for
his celebrated Piece of Our Saviours La/I Suffer,, , .
and fome of his othet Paintings and as much ap-
plauded for his Art in contriving the Canal, that. *
brings the Water from the River Adda, to that
City. He was a great Contender with M. Angelo-
Btionaroti, and upon account, of the enmity be-
twixt them, went into France (Anne &t. 70.)
where after feveral confiderable Services done for
Francis I. he expired in the Arms of that Monarch,
being taken fpeechlefs the very moment, in which
he wou'd have rais'd up himfelf , to thank
for the honour done him in that
ed aisriio Ik hew t miri
<PIET<%0 (pE<%UGINO, fo calFd from the place
where he was born in the Ecclejiaftical State, Anno
s ri^44d, was another. Difciple of Andrea Verrocclio.
What Character he had, fee <Pag. 215- He was fd
very miferable and covetous, that the lofs-of his *^ .
Money by Thieves, broke his Heartj Anno
-x r i ~x JT n
Modern Mafters.
*--f)OMENICO GHl^LANVAlO, a Florentine
born, Anno 1449, was at firft defign'd for
the Profeffion of a Gold/milk; but followed his
rfiore prevailing inclinations to Tainting with fuch
fuccefs, that he is rank'd amongft the prime Ma-
tters in his time. See farther Tar. 2U. He died
Qm i 4PJ .
:\ ^noo^bd 3ni b53Jiup ben art I3ik .
FRANCESCO G(AIBOLINI, commonly call'd
F^AN.CIA y born at Bologna, Anno 1450, was at
firft a Goldfmitb, or Jeweller^ afterwards a Grader
of Com* and Medals, but at laft applying himfelf
to (Painting , acquired great Reputation by his
Works : And particularly, by a Piece of St. Se-
baftian, whom he had drawn bound to a Tree,
with his hands tied over his head. In which Fi-
gure, befides the delicacy of its Colouring, and
eracefulnefs of the Pofture, the proportion of its
Parts wasfo admirably juft and true, that all the
fucceeding Bolognefe (Painters, even to Hannibal
Carracbe himfelf, ftudy'd its meafures as their (^w/e,
and followed them in the fame manner as the An-
cients had done the Canon of Tolycletus. It was un-
der the Difcipline of this Mafter, that Marc' J?ito-
nio, d^apbaels beft GraVer, learnt the Qtyclimenft of
JEt 76 ls ^ rtl e aouc ce y ear l 5 2( j anc noc
" Anns \ j 1 8, as Safari erroneoufly has recorded.
Modern
F<$(A BAtftTOLOMEO , born at SaVt&nano, a
Village about ten miles from Florence, Anno \ 460,
was a Difciple of Cofimo ^offelli: but much more
beholden to the Works of Leonardo da Vinci, for
his extraordinary Skill in Painting. He was very
well vers'd in the fundamentals ofDefign : and be-
fides, had fo many other laudable Qualities ; that
Raphael, after he had quitted the School of <Perugi-
m, apply'd himfelf to thisMafter, and under him,
ftudy'd the $(ules of (perfpettive, together with the
Art of Managing, and Uniting his Colours. He
turn'd Dominican Fryar, Anno 1500 , and after
fome time, was by his Superiors fent to the Con-
Vent of St. Mark , in Florence. He painted both
(portraits and Hiftones, but his fcrupulous Confci-
ence wou'd hardly ever fuffer him to draw Naked
Figures. He died Anno 1517, and is faid to have
been the firft who invented, and made ufe of a^f. ,g w
Lay-man. X/~V~N^
born at Nuremberg, An-
- - r f*
no 14.70, by the Inftrudtions of his Father, a cu-
rious Jeweller 3 the Precepts of Michael Wolgemutb,
a confiderable (painter:, and the Rules of Geometry,
Architecture, and ferffeclive , became the moft
excellent of all the German Mafters. And not-
withftanding that his manner of Defigning is ge-
"11
nerally
Modern Mafttrs.
nerally hard, ftiflf, and ungraceful, yet however
he was otherwife fo very well Accompliflh'd, that
his Prints were had in great efteem all over Italy ;
copy'd at Venice, by the famous Marc' Antonio,
and fo much admir'd even by Raphael himfelf ,
that he hung them up in his own Chamber, and
us'd frequently to lament the misfortune of fo
great a Genius, to be brought up in a Country
\vhere nothing was to be feen, that might furnifli
him with noble Ideas, or give him any light into
things neceflary for grand Compofaions. His prin-
cipal Works were made at Prague, in the Palace
of the Emperour Maximilian I. who had fo great
a refpect for him, that he prefented him with a
Coat of Arms, as the Badge of Nobility. He was
alfo much in favour with the Emperour Charles V.
and for his modeft and agreeable temper belov'd
by every body , and happy in all places, but
onely at home ; where 'twas thought, the penu-
rious and fordid humours of a miferable wretch
his Wife, fhorten'd his days, Anno 1528.
JEt. 5%.<p a g.
ANTONIO da COQREGGIO, fo named from
the place where he was born, in the Dukedom of
Modena, Anno \ 472, was a Man of fuch admirable
natural parts, that nothing but the unhappinefs of
vlbnuol his
Modern M&jkers. 265
bis Education ( which gave him no opportuni-
ties either of feeing Q(pme 9 or Florence ; or of con-
fulting the Antiquities, for perfecting hirnfelf HI
the Art of Defigning) hinder' d him from being
the moft excellent Painter in the world. Yet ne-
verthelefs, he was Mafter of a Pencil fo wonder-
fully (oft, tender, beautiful and charming, that
Julio Romano having feen a Leda, and a naked Ve-
nn* painted by him, for Frederick Duke of Mode-
na (who intended them a prefent for the Emperour)
declared, he thought it impoffible for any thing
of Colours ever to go beyond them. His chief
Works are at Modena, and Parma: at the laft of
which places he fpent moft of his Life, retir'd and
little taken notice of, working hard to maintain his
Family, which was fomewhat large. He was
extremely modeft and obliging in his Behaviour :
and died very much lamented, about the year
1512; having thrown himfelf into a Fever, by
drinking cold water, when his body was over-
heated, with bringing home fome Coffer Money,
which he had received for one of his Pieces. See ^ t
more Pag. 220 and 221.
MICHELANGELO <BUONA<%OTI, nobly dc-
fcended, born near Florence, Anno 14743 was
a Dilciple otDomenico Ghirlandaio, and rnoft pro-
M m foundly
Modern Mafters.
foundly skill'd in the Arts of < dinting, Sculpture,
and ArcbiteBure. He has the name of the greateft
Dejigner who ever has been : and 'tis univerfally
allow'd him, that never any Fainter in the World-
underftood Anatomy fo well. He was alfo an ex-
cellent Toef, and not onely highly efteem'd by
feveral Topes fucceffively j by the Grand Duke of
Tufcany, by the <Ref)uUick of Venice, by the Em-
gerour Charles V. by King Francis I. and by mod
of the Monarch and Crimes of Cbriftendom : but
was alfo invited over into Tnrhy, by Solyman the
Magnificent, upon a Defign he then had of making
,t3?. a Bridge over the Heflejpont, from Conftantinofle to
<Pera. His moft celebrated Piece of (painting, is
that of the Laft Judgment, in the Topes Chapel. He
died in great Wealth at ^ome, from whence his
,*. Body was tranilated to Florence, and there ho-
' nourably interr'd, Anno \ 5 64. Vide *Pag. ^ 1 4.
?fh /it 3iola.
BEO^GIO del CASTEL FRANCO, call'd
! 477- GEO^GIONE, becaufe of his noble and comely
Afpecl:, was born at TreVifano, a Province in the
State of Venice^ Anno 1477; and received his firft
Inftrudlions from Giovanni Beflino: but having
afterwards ftudied the Works of Leonardo da Vmc'i^
he foon arriv'd to a manner of Tainting fuperior
m them both 5 defign'd with greater Freedom,
CO-
Modern Makers.
more Strength and Beauty, gave
nobler Spine
Figures, and was the firft who found out
c admirable effects of ftrong Lights and Sha-
dows, amongft the Lombards. He excell'd , both
in Portraits and Hiftones : but his. moft valuabje
Piece in Oyl, is that of Our Saviour carrying lis
Crofi now at Venice -, where it is had in wonder-
full Efteem and Veneration. He died young of
the Plague (which he got in the Arms of his Mi-
/Ire/?, who was infected with it) Anno 1511: ha-
ving been likewife as famous for his performances
in Mufic, as his productions in Painting. Fide ^ 2 -
Pag. 2 1 7, and 2 1 8. , j 3to fi om 8lH .
^H Hrfo > ^rf^lo 3r
TTTIA1SLO the moft univerfal G.&UW of all
the Lombard School, the beft Colourift of all the Mo-
derns, and the moft eminent for Hiftories } Landt-
fcbafes, and Portraits ; was born at Cadore in the
Venetian Territories, Anno 1477, being defcended
from the ancient Family of the Vccelli. He was
bred up in the School of Gio. Bellino, at the farrve
time with Gewgione : but improved himlelf more
by the Emulation that was betwixt him and his
Fellow^Difcifle, than by the Inftruclions of hisMi-
fler. He was cenfur'd indeed by Af. Angela Buo-
iiaroti, for want of correftnefs in Vefening,
M m 2 fault
ade
, i -
arle
iiw
^oo v*v Pn* icWJYTOUfc asw
*"" ^that detect wiis auunda...
ther parts of a moft accomplinrdc"/S9?1
J three feveral Portraits of the Emperour
)i r u33AlQ .|t%a itaiwtwo/ *viii CVTTViCftfl
s \. who loy d him io intirdy, that he ho-
inpnn3QfXir> w ) r m b/itli inoicn -icr4' V * Oh
ir'd him with Knivhtrma* created him Count
I J IN jlf f f\ f*n t^Y "Jf^- i ^.mm
latine, made all his Defcendehts Gentlemen, af-
iign'd him a confiderable Penfion out of the
Chamber of Naples, and what other remarkable
proofs of his Affe<5Uon he fhew'd him, fee fag.
86, 87. and a Character of his Works, fag. 118,
and 2 io. He painted alfo his Son Philip II. So-
fynan Emperour of the Turks, two Pofes y three
lyings j two Emprejfes, feveral Queens, and almoft
all the Princes of If^/y, together with Li/. Arwfto y
and 'Pefer Aretine, the fam'd Italian Wits, his inti-
mate Friends. Nay, fo great was the Name and
Reputation of Titian, that there was hardly a per-
fon of any Eminence then living, from whom he
did not receive fome particular mark of Efteem :
and befides, being of a temper wonderfully obli-
ging and generous, his houle at Venice was the
conftant $(endezyou* of all the Vtrtuofi^ and Peo-
ple of the beft Quality. He was fo happy in
the conftitution of his Body, that he never had
been fick till the year 1576, when he died of
the
Modern M&ft*
~T*rer*i >vY3*y\3Wx
the Plague, full of Honour, Glory and Riches,
leaving behind him two Sons and a Brother, of
_. /T_- .J^ 1C ^ jfi[ir?iQL ^PP/LG?.3d JPu-h^i
whom Pmmio the eldeft was a
Portraits that might ftand in Competition wit
thofe of his Fathers. .He was famous alfo for
ny Hiftory-pieces which he made at Venice in con-
currence with Paul far one fe, and Tint or et. But
bewitch' d at laft with the hopes of finding the Phi-
bfophers Stone, he laid afide his Pencil, and hi-
ving reduc'd moft of what had been got by his
Father into Smoke $ died of the Plague foon after,
Him
fflrk bns tw
etmohK .kttJL rfiiw isAsooi v\fci\ ^o ^-\t<w<T> ^rit ifr
, FRANCESCO VECELLIO-, Titian's Brother,
was an Artift fo well inftru6ted in the fundamen-
tal Maximes of T>efign, that Titian grew jea-
lous of him; and fearing, that he might in time
come to eclipfe his Reputation, fent him upon,
pretended bufinefs to Ferdinand King of the <%p*
mans: and there found fuch means to divert him
from Painting, that he cjuite gave over the ftudy.
of it, and never any farther attempted it, unlefs
it were to make a Portrait now and then, at the
n r i . 1 A nndo 3rn
KQtieit of his particular Acquaintance.
fln
Modern-. Ma jltr
, ANDREA del SARTO,. (fQ.-cali'd,. bwaufe a
Taylors Son) born at Florence, Anno 1478 j was
a Diiciple of Pictw tit Co/intD, very careful and di-
ligent in his Works, and his. Colouring was
wonderfully fweet : but his Pictures generally
want Strength and Life, as well as their Author,
who was naturally mild, timorous, and poor- fpiri-
red. He was fent for to Paris, by Francis I. where
he might havegather'd great Riches, but that his
Wife and Relations would not fuffer him to con-
tinue long there. He lived in a mean and con-
temptible condition, becaufe he fee but a very lit-
tle value upon his own Performances: yet the Flo-
rentines had fo great an Efteem for his Works
that during the fury of the Popular Factions a-
mongft them, they preferv'd his Pieces from the
~ Flames, when they neither fpared Churches or any
' thing elfe. He died of the Plague, Anno 1520.
f $(AFAELLE da U^SINO, born Anm 1485,
1485. was one of the handfomeft and beft temper'd mea
living. See fome account of him Pag. 215, and
add to it, That by the general confent of Mankind,
he is acknowledged to have been the Prince of
o
the Modern Painters : and is oftentimes ftyl'd the
Divine fytpltael, for the inimitable Graces of his
Pencil, and for the excellence of his Genius, which
feemd
Modern Maftet
feemM to have forneching more than Humane in
irs Compofition. That he was belov'd in the
fJi *"\ i ^-|
higheft degree by the Popes Julius II. and Leo X.
That he was admit* d and courted by all the Prin-
ces and States of Europe, and particularly by Hen-
ry VIII. who would fain have oblig'd him to come
over into England. That his Perfon was the wort-
der and delight of Gfyme, as his Works are now
the Glory of it. That he liv'd in the greateft
State and Splendor imaginable , mod of the
eminent Mafters in his time being ambitious of
working under him : and that he never went a-
broad without a Croud of Artifts and others,
who attended andfollow'd him purely out of rc-
fpect. That he declin'd 'Marriage (tho* very ad-
vantageous offers had been made him) in hopes
of a Cardinals Cap, which he expected : but fall-
ing fickin the mean time, and concealing the true
caufe of his diftemper from his Tbyjicians, Death *
difappointed him of the reward due ta his mod; jt. 5 7,
extraordinary Merits, Anno 1510.
^nivii
GIO. 4NTON10 LICINIO da <PO<I{pENONE,
born at a plac fo call'd, not far from Udine in
the Venetian Territories y Anno 1-484, after fomc-
time fpent in Letters and Mufic, apply'd himfelf
to Tainting ; yet without any other Guide to con-
272 Modern Maftm.
duct him, befide his own prompt and lively Ge-
nius, and the Works of Georgione : which he fiu-
di*d at fenlce with fo much attention, that lie
foon arm 'd to a manner of Colouring nothing in-
ferior to his Pattern. But that which tended yet
more to his improvement, was the continued E-
mulation betwixt Titian andhimfelf: which in-
fpir'd him with noble 'Defigns, quicken'd his ln-
1>entton, and produc'd feveral excellent Pieces in
Oyl y Viftemper, and Frefco. From Venice he went
to Gcnoua, where he undertook fome things in com-
petition with (pierino del Vaga : but not being able
to come up to the perfections of fierinos Pencil,
he return'd to Venice, and afterwards vifited fe-
veral other parts of Lombard): was flighted by
the Emperour Charles V. and at laft being fent
for to Ferrara> was fo much efteem'd there, that
he is faid to have been poifon'd by fome who en-
F avours wn i crl he received from the Duke,
i 540.
SEBAST1AN.O del PIOMSO, a Native of Vt-
nice. Anno 1485 , took his name from an Office
given him by Pope Clement VII. in the Lead-
Mines. He was defign'd by his Father for the Pro-
-feffion of Mufic, which he praclis'd for fome time 5
.till following at laft the more powerful Di&ates of
Nature,
Modern Mdfters.
Nature, he betook himfelf to 'Painting, and be-
came a DifcipleofGj'o. fiellmo: continued hisftti-
dies under Georgione, and having attained his ex-
cellent manner of Colouring, went to Qfyme ; where
he infinuated himfelf fo far into the favour of Mi-
chael Angelo, by fiding with him and his Party, a-
gainft Q(aphael;i\\& pleas'd with the fweetnefs
and beauty of his PencM, he immediately fur-
nifh'd him with fome of his own Defigns, and
letting them pafe under Sebaftians- name, cry'd
him up for the beft Painter in $(ome. And indeed
fo univerfal was the Applaufe which he gain'd by^
his Piece of Lazarus rats' d from the dead, (the de-
fign of which had likewife been given him by Mi-
chael Angelo) that nothing but the famous Tranf-
figuration of ^afhaels could eclipfe it. He has
the name of being the fir/1 who invented the Art 6"f
preparing Vlai/ler-walls for Oyl- fainting: but was
generally fo flow, and lazy in his Performances,
that other hands were oftentimes employ'd in fi- *- ,
nifhing what he had begun. He died Anno i
&9V
SA^OLOMEO (in the Tufcan DialeB call'd
SACCIO) BANV1NELLI, a Florentine Tainter*
zndSculftor, born^wwo 1487 3 was a Difcipleof
Gio. Francefco.%ttftici, and by the help of Anatomy,
joyn'd with his other Studies, became a very ex-
N n cellent
o
Modern Majlers-.
J llkir
cellent and correct Defigner: but in the Colou-
ring part was fo unfortunate, that after he had
heard Mchael Angela condemn it, for being hard
and unpleafant, he never could be prevailed upon
to make any farther ufe of his Pencil, but always
ingag'd fome other hand in Colouring his Defigns.
Yet however, in Sculpture he fucceded better: and
for a Defcent from the Crofs, in Mez&$ ^elieVo, was
Knighted by the Emperour. He was likewife much
in favour with Francis L and acquir'd great Re-
putation by feveral of his Figures : which yet are
more admir'd for their true Out-line, and Propor-
tion, than for being either graceful or gentile. He
" died Anno 1550.
^rhjoholg gniniu
6IULIO ROMANO, born Anno 1492, was
the greateft Artift, and moft univerfal Painter of
all the Difciples of Raphael : belov'd by him as if
he had been his Son, for the wonderful fweetnefs
of his temper 3 and made one of his Heirs, upon
condition, that he fliould. affift in finifhing fuch
things as he had left imperfect He was profound-
ly learn'd in all the parts of the Antiquities : and
by his converfation .with the works of the moft
excellent ( Poets, and particularly Homer , had made
hirnfelf an abfolute Mafter of the qualifications
neccflarily requir'd in a great Defignev. He con-
tinu'd ,
Modern Matters. 275
tinu'd for fome years at Sfywe, after the deathof
(ftapbael : and by the directions of Pope Clement
VII. wrought fev^ral admirable Pieces m the Hall
of Conftantim, and other publick places. But his
principal performances were at Mantoua : where
he was- fent for by die Marquefs Frederico Gon^a-
ga 5 and where he made his name illuftrious, by
a noble and ftately Palace built after his Model^
and beautified with variety of Paintings after his
Defigns. And indeed in Arcbttetture he was fo
eminently skitfulj that he was invited back to
3(ome > with an offer made him of being the chief
Jrcbitett of St. Peters Church : but whilft he w#s
debating with himfelf, whether or no he flhould
accept of this opportunity, of returning glorioufly
into his own Country^ Death incerpos'd, Amv v 5 46.
Vide Tag. 2 1 6. ! TOtn
- iiQ ari
G14COMO da WNT03(MO, fo call'd from
the place of his BinJi y Anno 145^3, fcdied under
Leonardo da Vma, MarioCto Albertmell'^ fyktro di Co-
Jimo, and Andrea del Savto : buc chiefry followed
the manner of th taft botb in Pefkn and Co-
louring. He was; of fo unhappy a confer cf mind,
that choygh his Works liad flood the Teft even
of ^aphad and Michael Angeh, the beft Judges, yet
he ccaild nevr order them fo a* to pleafe himfelf :
N n ^ and
27$
and, was fo far from being fatisfied with any thing
he had ever done, that he was in great danger of
lofing the gracefulnefs of his own manner, by
imitating that of other Mafters, and particularly
the Style of Albert Durer in his Prints. He fpent
mod of his time at Florence, where he painted the
Chapel of St. Laurence : but was fo wonderfully
tedious about it, that in the fpace of eleven years
he would admit no body to fee what he had per-
form'd. He was alfo of fo mean and pitiful a
fpirit, that he chofe rather to be imploy'd by Or-
ihnary People, for inconfiderable gains $ than by
x Princes and Noblemen, at any rates: fo that he died
' poor, Anno 1556.
GIOVANNI ffUDINE, fo- nam'd from the
1494. place where he was born (being the Metropolis of
Frioul) Anno 1494; was instructed by Georgione
at Venice, and at ^(ome became a Difciple of <%a-
fhael: and is celebrated, for having been the fir ft
who found out the Composition of Stucco-work, in
ufe amongft the ancient Romans, and difcover'd in
the Subterranean Vaults of Titufs Palace ; which
he reftor'd to its full Splendor and Perfection. He
was employ'd by Raphael, in adorning the Apart-
ments of the Vatican ; and afterwards by feveral
Princesy and Cardinals, in the chief Palaces of %omc
and
O.LT
Modern Ma]M> ^f
and Florence: and by the agreeable variety and
richnefs of his Fancy, and his peculiar hsppinefs in
expreffing all forts of Animals, Fruit, Flowers, and
the Still hfe, both in Baft relievo, and Colours, ac-
quir'd the reputation of being the bed Mafter in
the world, for Ornaments in Stucco, and Grotefque.
He died Anno 1 j 64, and was bury'd, according
to his defire, in the3(otunda, near his dear Mafter
fypbaM 3fi asriw 39! 03 yhod on- aunt* bluow
oiq bri fi3m ot io oik w sH cbrniol
BATTISTA FRANCO his Contemporary, a
Native of Venice, was a Difciple of Michael Ang elo$
whofe manner he followed fo clofe, that in the cor-
redlneis of his Out-line , he furpafs'd moft of the
Mafter s in his time. His ^Paintings are fomewhat
numerous, and difpers'd allover Italy, and other
parts of Europe : but his Colouring being very dry,
they are not much more efteem'd than the Prints
which he etch'd. He died Anno i j6u
$V**\
LUCAS Van LEYDEN , fo call'd from the, r^^^r
place where he was born, Anno 1 494, was at firft
a Difciple of his Father, a ( Painter of note, and at
ter wards of Cornelius Engelbert : and wonderfully
cry'd up in Holland, and the Low -Countries, for .his
skill in Painting, and Graving. He was prodfgi-
oufly laborious in his Works, and a great Emula-
tor
278 "Modem M afters.
tor of Albert Durer : with whom he became at
length fo inrimate, that they dfew each others
Picture. And indeed their Manner, and Style are
in all refpeds fo very much alike, that ic feem'd
as if one and the fame 'Soul had animated them
both. He died Anno \ 5 3 j, after an interview be-
twixt him and fo me other Painters ac Middle burgJr.
where difputing, and falling out in their Cups,
-. Lucas fancying they had poyfon'd him, languifh'd
5.9. j t
4^ by degrees, and pined away purely with conceit.
QUINTIN MATSYS ofjntmrfr was ehe Con-
temporary of Lucas; and famous for having been
transform'^ from a Slackfmith to a Painter, by the
force of 0Ve, and for the fake of a Miftrefi who
diflik'd his former profej/ion. He was a painful
and diligent Imitator of the ordinary Life,and much
better at reprefenting the de/efts, than the Beau-
ties of Nature. One of his beft Pieces is a Defcent
from the Crofs (in a Chapel of the Cathedral at ^f-
- werp) for which, and a multitude of other #/?<?-
rkf, and Portraits, he gain'dagreat number of ad-
mirers ; efpecially for his Cwwftty&nd Neatnefs,
which in truth, was the principal part of his
ratter. He dieddnno
tSeiidc
WffV Tt %. st" Tt^T~ YT 1 * ^S* *
Hfodtfn Makers.
Befide the two Mafters laft mentioned, there
were feveral other Hiftory-painters, who fiouriflui
in Germany, Flanders, and Holland about this time.
But their manner being generally Gothique, Hard,
and Dry 5 more like the Style of Cimabue, in the
Dawning of the Art of (painting, than the G/?o of
Raphael, in its Meridian Lnjire$-wt fliall onely
give you the names of fome of the moft noted ;
and fuch were Mabufe, AMegraef, Schoorel, Frans
sy Martin Hemsktrck, Cbrif. Schtvarts, dec.
%QLIDO<%p-o{ CdHAPAGG10,'m the Dutchy
of Mian, was born Anno \ 49 5 , and brought up
to no better an imployment than carrying Stone
and Mortar, in the New- buildings of Pope Leo X.
But being tempted at laft by the performances of<
Gio. d'lidme, to try his Talent in Designing: by the
affiftance of one of bis Scholars, and his own con-
tinued Application to the Antiquities, in a little
time he became fo skilful an Artift, that he had
the honour of contributing much to the finifliing :
thofe glorious Works in the Vatican. He affocia-
ted himfelf both in the Study and Pra&ice of his
Art with one MATWKJN.O, a Florentine-^ and their
Genius being very conformable, they liv'd toge-
ther like Brothers, working in Frefco upon feveral
Frontifpieces of the moft noble Palaces in d(ome : .
whereby
28 o Modern Mafters.
whereby they acquired great reputation j their In-
dention being die richeft, and their Oe/gff the eafi-
eft that could any where be feen. But Maturino
dying Anno 1517, and ^ome being then in the
hands of the Spaniards, (Polidoro retired to Naples,
and from thence to Mejfina ; where his excellent
Talent in Architecture alfo being highly commend-
ed, lie was order' d to prepare the Triumphal Arches
for the reception of the Emperour Charles V. from
Tunis 5 for which he was nobly rewarded : and
being afterwards defirous of feeing G{ome once
more 5 in his return thither was murther'd by his
Servant and Accomplices, for the fake of his Mo-
T? r> ney, and bury'd at Meffina, Anno 1543. Vide
'a*. 217.
(fo callM from his red Hair) born at
1406. Phrence, Anno 14965 was educated in the ftudy
of Philofophy, MuJiCj dec. and having learnt the
firft Rudiments ofDefign from the Cartoons of M-
chaelAngelo, improv'd himfelf by the help of Ana-
tomy, which he underftood fo very well, that he
composed two Booh upon that Subject. He had a
copious Invention, great skill in the mixture of his
Colours, and in the management of his Lights
and Shadows : was very happy alfo in his Naked
F/gw,which he exprefs'd with a good fyfavo, and
proper
Modern
proper Attitudes-, and would have excelled in all
the parts of Paintiriig, had he not been too licenti-
o^and extravagant fometimes, and fuffer'd himfelf
rather to be hurry' d away with the heat of an un-
bounded Fancy, than governed by his own Judg-
ment, or the fyiks of Art. From Florence his Cu-
riofity carry' d him to tffyme and Venice, and after-
wards into France 3 where by hrs Works in the
Galleries at Fount ainhleau, and by feveral proofs
which he gave of his extraordinary knowledge in
Architecture , he recommended himfelf fo effectu-
ally to Francis I. that he made him Superintendent
General of all his Buildings, Tiftures, &c. and gave
him other opportunities of growing fovaftly ricl^
that for fome time he liv'd like a Prince himfelf,
m all the Splendor and Magnificence imaginable:
till at laft being rob'd of a confiderable Summ of
Money, and fufpecting one of his intimate Friends
(a Florentine who frequented his houfe) he caus'd
him to be imprifon'd, and put to the Torture,
which he underwent with courage and having in
the higheft extremities maintained his innocence
with fo much conftancy, as to procure his Releafe;
3J0/7"0, partly out of remorfe for the barbarous
treatment of his Friend, and partly out of fear of
the ill confequence from his juft Refentment,
made himfelf away by Po'ifon, Anno 154-1.
Oo
28-2 Modern M afters.
FRANCESCO P^JMATICCIO, a famous p
ter and ArebitecJ of Bologna, fucceeded tffyjfo in
the Honours and Imployments which he enjoyed
by the favour of Francis I. and befides, being very
well defcended, was made Abbot of St. Martin de
Troy, in Champagne. He finifli'd all the feveral
Works begun by his Predecefibr at Fount ainbkau r
by theaffiftance of NICOLO dell' ABLATE, an ex-
cellent Artift, his Difciple: and enrich'd that Palace.
with abundance of noble Statues, and other Pieces
of Antiquity, which he brought purpofely from.
Italy by the things order. He had been bred up at
2tfantoua under Julio Romano, as well to Stucco
work as Painting : and by ftudying his manner, to-
gether with the Performances of other great Ma-
Jters, became perfect in the Art of Dejigning, and-
well vers'd in grand Compojitions. He continued
in France during the remainder of his Life : liv'd
in Pomp and State, more like a Nobleman than a
Painter; and was very well efteem'd in four feve-
ra
WN GIULIO CL07IO, the celebrated Lim-
1*498. mr ^ b orn j n Sclaftonia, Anno 1408, at the age of
eighteen years went to Italy : and under the Con-
duel: of Julio Romano, apply'd himfelf to Miniature
with .fuch. admirable Succefs, that never did anci-
ent
Modern Maflers. 283
ent Greece^ or modern $(ome produce his Fellow. He ,
excell'd both in (portraits and Hiftories : and (as
Safari his Contemporary reports) was another Ti-
tian in the one, and a fecond Michael Angdo in
the other. He was entertain* d for fometime in the
fervice of the King of Hungary : after whofe de-
ceafe he return' d to Italy ; and being taken Pri-
foner at the facking of (Rome, by the Spaniards, made
a Vow, to retire into a Convent , as foon as ever he
fliould recover his Liberty 3 which he according-
ly perform' d not long after in Mantoua : but up-
on a Difpenfation obtained from the Pope, by Car-
dinal Grimani, foon laid afide the religious Habit,
and was receiv'd into the Family of that Prince.
His Works were wonderfully efteem'd through-
out Europe 3 highly valu'd by feveral Popes, by
the Emperours Charles V. and Maximilian II. by
Philip King of Spain, and many other illuftrious
Perfonages : and fo much admir'd at Q(pme j that
thofe Pieces which he. wrought for the Cardinal
farnefe (in whofe Palace he fpent the latter part
of his Life) were by all the Lowers of Art, rec-
kon'd in the number of the parities of that City.
Ob. Anno \ 578.
HANS HOLBEIN, born at Soft, in Smt-
Anno 1498, was a Difciple of his Fa-
O o 2 ther,
284 Modern Mafters.
ther 5 by whofe afliftance and his own induftiy,
he made a wonderful Progrefs in the Art of Taitp-
ting : and acquired fuch a name by, his Piece of
Deaths-dance, inthe Town-hall of Bafil, that the fa-
mous Erafmusy after he had oblig'd him to draw his
(pifture, fent him over with it into England, and
gave him Letters recommendatory to Sir Tlwnas
Moore then L d Chancellour-, who receiv'd and enter-
tain'd him with the greateft refpect imaginable, im~
ploy'd him in making the (Portraits of hirnfelf and
Family ; and which the fight of them fo charmed
King Henry VIII. that he immediately took him
into his fervice, and by the many fignal Inftances
which he gave him of his Royal Favour and Boun-
ty, brought him likewife into efteem with all the
Nobility, and People of Eminence in the King-
dom. One of his beft (pieces, is that of the faid
f\jng with his Queen, Sec. at White-hall; which with
divers other admirable (portraits of his hand (fome
as big, and others lefs than the Life j and as well
in Water-Colours, as Oyl) may challenge a place a-
mongft thofe of the mod fam'd Italian Mafters : Vid.
*Pag. 224. He was eminent alfo for a rich vein
of Indention, very confpicuous in a multitude of
Defigns, which he made for G r aVers, Sculptors,
Jewellers, Sec. and was particularly remarkable
for having (like Turpiliu* the <]fyman) performed
all
Modern Mafters.
all his Works with his Left band. He died of the
Blague, at London, Anno 1554.
<PIE<1{1NO del VAGA, was born at Florence,
Anno 1500, of fuch mean Parentage; that his Mb- l 5 c
tier being dead at two months end, he was af-
terwards fuckled by a Goat. The name of Vagt
he took from a Country Painter, who carry'd him
to ^pme : where he left him in fuch poor circum-
ftances, that he was forc'd to fpend three days of
the week in working for Bread; but yet fettinga-
part the other three for his improvement ; in a lit-
tle time, by ftudying the Antique, together with
the Works of <I(apbael, and Michael Angelo, he be-
came one of the boldeft and beft Defigmrs of the
tfoman School : and underftood the Mufcles in nar
ked Bodies, and all the difficulties of the Art fo
well ; that 3{apbael took an affection to him, an cf
imploying him in the Popes Apartments, gave
him a lucky opportunity of diftinguifhing him-
felf from his Fellow-difciples,by the marvellous beau-
ty of his Colouring, and his peculiar Talent in Gro-
tefque. His chief Works are at Genoua: where he
grew famous likewife for his skill in Arcbitefture ^
having defign'd a noble Palace for Prince Dona,
which he alfo painted, and adorn'd with his own
hand. From Genoua he remov'd to <Pifa, and af-
terwardsi
286 Modern Mafters.
'terwards to feveral other parts of Italy ; his ram-
bling humour never fuffering him to continue long
in one place : rill at length returning to %ome 9 he
had a Penfion fettled on him, for looking after the
Popc'stPalace, and theCaf* Farnefe. But Tierirw
having {ijuander'd away in his Youth, that which
fhould have been the fupport of his old Age 3 and
being conftrain'd at laft to make himfelf cheap,
by undertaking any little Pieces, for a fmall Sumrn
of ready money ; fell into a deep Melancholy, and
from that extreme into another as bad, of Wine
A7 anc ^ ^ omen > an ^ tne nexc tufn was
Anno i 5 47.
F^ANCESO MAZZUOL1, call'd
GIANO, becaufe born at <Parma, Anno 1504,
was an eminent fainter when but fixteen years old,
famous all over Italy at nineteen, and at twenty
three perform'd fuch wonders; that when the Em-
perour Charles V had taken ^ome by Storm, fome
of the common Soldiers in facking the Town, ha-
ving broke into his Apartments, and found him
intent upon his work, were fo aftoniflh'd at the
charming Beauty of his Pieces, that inftead of
Plunder and Deftrucl:ion, which was then their
bufinefi, they refolv'd to protect him (as they af-
terwards did) from all manner of violence. But
befides
Modern Maflers. 287
befides the perfections of his Pencil ('which was
one of the gentileft, the moft graceful, and the
moft elegant of any in his time) he delighted much
in Mujic, and therein alfo excell'd. His princi-
pal Works are at Parma ; where, for feveral years
he Hv'd in great Reputation, till falling unhappi-
ly into the ftudy of Chymiftry, he wafted the moft
confiderable part of his Time and Fortunes in
fearch of the Philofopkers-Stone, and died poor, in
the flower of his age, Anno 1540. See farther
Page 221: and note, that there are extant ma-
ny valuable Prints, etch'd by this Mafter.
GIACOMO PALMA, Senior, commonly call'd
PALMA VECCHIO) was born at Sennalta, in the
State of Venice, Anno 1508; and made fuch good
ufe and advantage of the inftructions which he re-
ceiv'd from Titian^ that few Mafters are to be nam'd,
who have fhewn a nobler Fancy in their Compofi--
tions, a better Judgment in their Tiefigns, more of
TSUture in their Expreffion, or of An in finishing
their Work?. Venice was the place where he ufiul-
ly refided, and where he died, ^201556. His
Pieces are not very numerous, by reafon of his
having fpent much time, in bringing thofe which
he has left behind him -to fuch wonderful petfecti- -JEt.
288 Modern Maflers.
i 5 op. TE^^Aj from a Town in Tufcany where he was
born, Anno 1509, was a perfon of a melancho-
ly and heavy temper, and feem'd to be but mean-
ly qualified by Nature for an Arttft : Yet by the
instructions of Balthajar da Siena, and his own
continued Application and Induftry, hefurmoun-
red all difficulties, and at length became fo excel-
lent a De/gHer, that his Defcent from the Crofs, in
the Church of the Trinity on the Mount, is rank'd
amongft the principal Pieces in G(pme. He was
chofen by Pope Paul IV. to cloath fome of the
Nudities, in Michael Angela's Laft Judgment ; which
he performed with good fuccefs. He was as emi-
nent likewife for his Chifel,zs his Pcncilpnd wrought
- - feveral confiderable things in Sculpture. Ob. Anno
' 1566.
/
FRANCESCO SALFIATI, a Florentine, born
1 J i o. Anno 1510, was at firft a Difciple of Andrea del
Sarto, and afterwards of Saccio Bandinelli ; and
very well efteem'd both in Italy, and France, for
his feveral works in Frefco, Diftemper, and Oyl.
He was quick at Indention, and as reaJy in the exe-
cution -, Graceful in his Naked Figures , and as Gen-
tile in his 'Draperies: Yet his Tdte did not lie in
great Comfofitions $ And there are fome of his
Pieces
Modern Mafters. 289
in two Colours onely, which have the name
of being his beft Performances. He was natu-
rally fo fond and conceited of his own Works,
that he could hardly allow any body elfe a good
word : And 'tis faid, that the Jeaioufie which
he had of forne Young men then growing up into
reputation, made him fo uneafie, that the very
apprehenfions of their proving better Artifts than jg t ~ ,
himfelf, haften'd his Death, Anno
LIGO^IO, a Neapolitan, liv'd in this
time : and tho' he addrefs'd himfelf chiefly to the
ftudy of Architecture, and for his skill in that Art
was irnploy'd, and highly encouraged by Pope<P*-
w$ IV. yet he was withal! an excellent Vefigner^
and by the many noble Cartoons which he made
for Tafeftries, &c. gave fufficient proof, that he
was more than indifferently learn'd in the Antiqui-
ties. There are feveral Volumes of his 'Befyms
r Jo
prefer v'd in the Cabinet of the Duke ofSaVoy ; of
which fome part confifts in a curious Collection
of all the Ships , and other forts of fajfels, in life
amongft the Ancients. He died about the year
1573. VideVag. 217.
GIACOMO da <PONTE da BASSANO, fo call'd
from the place where he was born in the Marc a Tre-
P p Vifana
25 o Modern Mafiers.
\nfana, Anno \ 5 i o, was a Difciple of Bonifacio, &
noted Painter, zt Venice$\*y whofe Affiftance,and his
own frequent copying the Works of Titian, and
Parmegiano, he brought himfelf into a pleafant and
moft agreeable way of Colouring : but returning in^
to the Country, upon the death of his Father, he
apply 'd himfelf wholly to the imitation of Nature ;
and from his Wife, Children and Servants, took
the Ideas of moft of his Figures. His Works are
very numerous, all the Stories of the Old and New
Teftament having been painted by his hand, be-
fides a multitude of other Htjtories. He was fa-
mous alfo for feveral excellent (Portraits, and par-
ticularly thofe of the celebrated Poets LudoVico
Arioflo , Bernardo Taffo, and Torquato his Son*
In a word, fo great was the Reputation of this
Artift Sit Venice, that Titian himfelf was glad to
purchafe one of his Pieces (reprefenting The en-
trance o/Noah and his Family, into the Ark) at a ve-
ry considerable Price. He was earneftly folicir
ted to go over into the lervice of the Ewferour :
but fo charming were the pleafures which he>
found in the quiet enjoyment of Painting, Mufic,
and good 'Books, that no Temptations whatfoever
could make him change his Cottage for a Court.
t. 82. He died Anno 1591, leaving, behind him four Sons,
> of whom
Modern Maflers.
v FRANCESCO the Eldejl, fettled at Venice ,
where he followed the manner of his Father, an'd
was well efteem'd, for divers Pieces which he made
in the Ducal Palace and other publick places, in
conjunction with Paul Teronefe, Tintoret, &c. But
his too clofe Application to Painting having ren-
der'd him unfit for all other bufinefs, and igno-
rant even of his own private Affairs; he contra-
cted by degrees a deep Melancholy, and at laft
became fo much craz'd, that fancying Sergeants
were continually in purfuit of him, he leap'd
out of hisWindoWy to avoid 'em (as he imagined)
and by the fall occafion'd his own Death, Anno
1594, jt. 43.
LEAND<Hp, the Third Son, had fo excellent
a Talent in Face-fainting, (which he principally
ftudied) that he was Relighted for a Portrait which
he made of the Doge Marin Crimano. He like-
wife finifh'd feveral things left imperfect by his
Brother Francefco 5 composed fome Hiftory- pieces
alfo of his own, and was as much admir'd for
his perfettion in Mufick, as his skill in Painting. Obiit
Anno 1623, ^ f * ^5"
"OU
GIO. BJTTISTA, the Second Son, and
the lounge ft, apply'd themfelves to
P p ^ fying
2$ 2 Modern Ma for f.
pjing their Fathers Works 3 which they did fo very
well, that they are oftentimes taken for Originals.
Gio. Battifta died Anno 1615, sEt. 60 ; and Gi-
rolamo Anno 1622, jt. 62 : See more of the
Bajfans Pag. 220.
GIACOMO (HOSMSTI, call'd TINTORETTO,
1 5 ] 2 ' becaufe a Dyers Son, born at Venice, Anno 15125,
was a Difciple of Titian ; who having oblerv'd
fomething very extraordinary in his Genius, dif-
mifs'd him from his Family, for fear he fliould
grow up to rival his Mafter. Yet he ftill purfu'd
Titians way of Colouring as the moft natural 5 and
ftudied Midael Angelos Gufto of Defign, as the
moft correct. Venice was the place ofhisconftant
Abode 5 where he was made a Cittxgn, and won-
derfully beloved, and efteem'd for his Works-, the
Character of which fee ( Pag. 219. He was call'd
the Furious Tmtoret, for his bold manner of Paint-
ing, with ftrong Lights and deep Shadows-, for the
rapidity of his Genius, and grand vivacity of Spi-
rit, much admir'd by Paul Veronefe. But then,
on the other hand, he was blam'd by him, and all
others of his ProfeJJim, for under- valuing himfelf,
and his Art, by undertaking all forts of bufinefs
for any Price; thereby making \rcat a difference
in his feveral Performances,^^ ( Hannibal Carrach
ob-
Modern Mafters.
obfcrv'dj he is fometimes equal to Titian, and at
other times inferior even to Vim f elf. He was ex-
tremely pleafant and affable in his Humour : and
delighted fo much in Painting and Mufic, his be-
loved Studies, that he would hardly fuffer him-
felf to taft any other Pleafures. He died Anno
\ 504, leaving behind him a Daughter^ and a Son,
of whom the Eldeft
MARIETTA TIHTO<$(ETTA, was fo well in*
ftructed by her Father in his own Profejfion, as
well as in Mujic, that by her Pencil flie got great
Reputation 5 and was particularly eminent for an
admirable Style in Portraits. She died young,
Anno \ } 90, JEt. 3 o.
DOMENICO TINTORETTO his Son, gavcr
great hopes in his youth, that he would one day
render the name of Tintoret yet more illuftri-
ous than his Father had made it: but neglecting to
cultivate by ftudy the Talent which Nature had
given him, he fell fliort of thofe mighty things
expected from him, and became more confident-
ble for Portraits , than Hiftorical Comfofitions. He
died Anno 1637,
254 Modern Mafters.
PA^IS SO<%pONE, well defended, and
brought up to Letters, MHJIC, and other gentile
Accomplishments, was a Difciple of Titian, and
flourith'd in the time ofTintoret: but was more
commended for the Delicacy of his Pencil, than the
Turity of his Out lines. He was in great favour and
efteem with Francis I. for whom, befides abun-
dance of Hiftories, he made the Portraits of feve-
ral Court Ladies, in fo excellent a manner, that the
Original Nature was hardly more charming. From
France he return' d home to Venice, laden with
Honour and Riches j and having acquir'd as much
Reputation in all the parts of Italy, as he had
done abroad, died Anno &t. 75.
GEO^GIO TASA^J, born at Are%& a City
1 4* in Tufcany, Anno 1514, equally famous for his
Pen and Pencil, and as eminent for his skill in Ar-
cbitefture , was a Difciple of Michael Angelo, and
Andrea del Sarto ; and by his indefatigable diligence
in ftudying and copying .all the beft Pieces of the
moft noted Arttfls, improv'd his Invention and
Hand to fuch a degree, that he attain'd a wonder-
ful Freedom in both. He fpent the moft confide-
rable part of his Life in travelling over Italy $ lea-
ving in all places marks of his Induftry, and ga-
thering every where materials for his Hiftory oftfe
Lives
Modern Mafters. 2$ 5
Lives of the moft excellent (Painters, Sculptors, Arcki-
tefts, Sec. which he publiflVd at Florence, about
the year 1551: a work, in the opinion of Hannibal
Caro, written with much exa&nefs and judgment 3
tho' Felibien, and others tax him with fome mi-
flakes, and particularly with flattering the Ma-
fters then alive, and with partiality to thofeof^.
his ownCountry. He died Anno \ 578.
ANTONIO M03(E, born at Utrecht in the
Low-Countries , Anno 1519, was a Difciple of
John Schoorel, and in his younger days had feen
^pme, and fome other parts of Italy. He was re-
commended by Cardinal Graribille, to the fervice
of the Emperour Charles V. and having made a
(portrait of his Son Philip II. at Madrid, was (eno
upon the fame account to the King, Queen, and
Princefs of Portugal, and afterwards into England,
to draw the Pifture of Queen Mary. From Spain*
he retir'd intoHW^, where he became a migh-
ty Favourite of the Duke of diva (then the Go-
vernour of the Low-Countries.) And befides the
noble Prefents and Applaufe which he gain'd in
all places by his Pencil, was as much admir'd for
his extraordinary Addrefs, being as great a Courtier
as a Painter. His Talent lay in Defigning very
juftly, infinifliing his Pieces with wonderful care>
and
Modern Makers.
nearnefs, and in a moft natural imitation of
Flejb and Blond, in his Colouring. Yet after al],
he could not reach that noble Strength and Spirit,
io vifible in the Works of Titian, and to which
Van Dyck has iincc arriv'd. He made feveral At-
tempts alfo in Hiftory-pieces, but understood no-
thing of grand Comfojltions, and his manner was
tame, hard, and dry. He died at Antwerp,
PAOLO FA3JNATO, born at Verona, Anno
5 22 ' 1522; was a Difciple of Antonio Badile, and an
admirable Dejlgner, but not fo happy in his Co-
louring : tho' there is a Piece of his in St. Georges
Church at f^erona^ fo well performed in both parts,
that it does notfeemto be inferior to one of ?W0
Feronefe, which is plac'd next to it. He was very
confiderable likewife for his knowledge in Scul-
pture, and Architecture, efpecially that part of it
Mt. 84. w ^ cn relates to Fortifications, &c. Oliit Anno
1606.
ANDREA SCHIAFONE, fo call'd from the
* Country where he was born, Anno 1521 ; was fo
very meanly defcended, that his Parents after they
had brought him to Venice^ were not able to allow
him a Mafter : and yet by great ftudy and pains,
to-
Mvdern Maflers. 257
together with fuch helps as he received from the
Prints of Parmegiano, and the Paintings of Georgi-
oieand Titian , he arriv'd at laft to a degree of
Excellence very furprizing. 'Tis true indeed,
that being oblig'd to work for his daily Bread,
he could not fpare time fufficient for making him-
felf throughly perfect in Defign : but however,
that Defecl: was fo well cover' d by the fingular
Beauty and Sweetnefs of his Colours, that Tmtoret
us'd oftentimes to fay, no Painter ought to be with-
out one Piece (at leaft) of his Hand. His principal
Works were composed at Venice, fome of them in
concurrence with Tmtoret himfelf, and others
by the directions of Titian, in the Library of St.
Mark* But fo malicious was Fortune to poor An-
drea, that his Pictures were but little valued in his
life-time, and he never was paid any otherwife
for them, than as an ordinary Painter : tho' after his
Deceafe, which happcn'd Anno 1582? his Worh
turn'd to a much better account, and were e-
fteem'd anfwerable to their Merits, and but lit-
tle inferior to thofe of his moft famous Contem- jEt. 60.
foraries.
F<$(E'DE<I(1CO <BA%PCCI, born in the City ol
Urbin, Anno 1528, was train' d up in the Art of 152,0.
Defigning by tBaptifta Fenetiano, and having at
2$ 8 Modern Maflers.
3{ome acquir'd a competent Knowledge in Geo-
metry, ttrfptftbrt, and ArchiteBure, apply'd him-
felf'to the Works of his rnoft eminent (predecejfors :
and in a particular manner ftudied 1{aphael,
and Correggio ; one in the charming Ayrs, and
graceful Out-lines of his Figures, and the other in
the admirable Union, and agreeable Harmony of
his Colours. He had not been long in ^pme, be-
fore fome malicious Painters , his Competitors.,
found means by a Dofe of <Poyfon convey'd into
a Sallet, with which they had treated him, to
fend him back again into his own Country, attend-
ed with an Infirmity fo terribly grievous, that for
above fifty years together it leldom permitted
him to take any Repofe, and never allowed him
above two hours in a day to follow his fainting.
So that expecting, almoft every Moment, to be re-
mov'd into another World, he imploy'd his Ven-
al altogether in the Hiflones of the /ife, and o-
ther Religions Subjcfts, of which he wrought a con-
fiderable number, in the flhort Intervals of his pain-
84..^^' an( ^ notw i t hft anc 'ing the Severity of them,
liv'd till the year 1612.
TADDEO ZUCCHE^O, born in the Due-
chy of Urbm, ^'/wo.ijzp, was initiated in the
Art of fainting at home, by his Father, and at
Modern Makers. 299
inftrudted by Gio. (pietro Calalro ; but im-
prov'd himfelf moft by the Study of Anatomy, and
by copying the Works of Raphael. He excell'd
chiefly in a florid Invention., a gentile Manner of
'Defigning, and in the good Difpofition and Oecono-
my of his pieces: but was not fo much admir'd
for his Colouring, which was generally unpleafant,
and rather refembled che S&tues than the Life. He
liv'd for the moft part in $(ome and lirbin, where
he left many things unfinifh'd, being taken away *r f
in his (Prime, Anno \<j66.
VAOLO CALUftJ. 7E$(QNESE, born Anno
1551, was a Difcipleof Antonio Battle, and not 1 5 3
only efteem'd the moft excellent of all the Lom-
bard Painters, but for his copious and admirable
Indention, for the Grandeur and Majefty of his
Compofition, for the Beauty and Perfection of his
Draperies, together with his noble Ornaments of
Architetture, Sec. is ftyl'd by the Italians, 11 <Pittore
felice (che happy Painter.) He fpent moft of his
time at Venice 5 but the beft of his Works were
made after he returned thither from ^ome, and
had ftudied the Antique, lie could not be pre-
vail'd upon, by the great Offers made him by the
King of Spain, to leave his own Country j where
his Reputation was fo well eftabliflh'd, that moft
* f
joo Modern M afters.
of the Princes of Europe fenc to their feveral Em-
lajfadours, to procure them fomething of bis Hand
at any Rates. He was a *Perfon of an ingenuous
and noble Spirit, us'd to go richly dreft r and ge-
nerally wore a gold Chain, which had been pre-
fented him by the Procurators of St. Mark, as a
fri^e which he won from feveral Ariifls his Com-
petitors. He was highly in favour with all the
principal Men in his time, and fo much admir'd
by all the great Mafteis, as well his Contempo-
raries, as thofe who fucceeded him, that Titian
himfelf us'd to call him the Ornament of bis Tro-
fejjlon : and Outdo ^eni being ask'd, which of the
Majters his Predeceflbrs he would chufe to be,
were it in his power j after a little paufe, cry'd
out Paulo, Paulo. He died at Venice*, Anno i j 8 8,
&t. 56. leaving great Wealth behind him to his two
Sons
and CA^LO , who liv'd ve-
ry happily together, joyn'd in finifliing feveral
Pieces left imperfed: by their Father, and follow'd
his manner fo clofe in other excellent things of their
own, that they are not eafily diftinguifli'd from
thofe of (paulos band. Carlo would have performed
wonders, had he not been nipt in the Bud, Anno>
1596, J5>. 26: after whofe Deceafe Gabriel ap-
ply'd
Modern Mafttrs. 301
ply'd himfelf to Merchandising j yet did not quite
lay afide has Pencil, but made a confiderable
number of Portraits, and fome Hiflory-fieces of
a very good Gufto. Obiit Anno 16*31 , Aitat.
BENEDETTO CAL1APJ liv'd and ftudy'd
with his Brother <Pd/o, whom he lov'd intirely ;
and frequently affifted him, and his Nephews, in
finishing feveral of their Compofitions ; but efpeci-
ally in Painting Ardntelure y in which he chiet
ly delighted. He practifed for the moftpartin
Frefco : and fome of his beft Pieces are in Chiaro*
ScurOy or two Colours onely. He was befides,
Ma/ter of an indifferent good ftock of Learning,
was Poetically inclined, and had a peculiar Ta-
lent in Satire. He died Anno 1508, t. &Q. See
more of Paulo fag. 2 1 y.
GIOSEPPE SALTLttl, a fiwefww. fainter,
was born ^4wo 15^5, and exchanged the name
ofPorta, which belonged to his Family, for that
of his Mafter Francejco Sahiati y with whom he
was plac'd very young at <%ome by his Uncle. He
fpent the greateft'. part of his Life in Venice^ where
heapply'd himfelf generally to Frefco: and was
oftentimes imploy'd in concurrence with Paul V&-
ronefe
3O2 Modern Majlers.
ronefe and Ttntoret. He was well efteem'd for his
great skll both in Ttejign and Colouring ; was
likewife well read in other Arts and Sciences, and
particularly fo good a Mathematician, that he writ
JEt *o ^ evera " Treatifes very judicioufly on that SubjecJ.
He died ^>wo 1585.
F<HEDE<%ICO ZUCCHE<%P, bom in the
1 543* Dutchy of Wr&w, ^;wo 1543, was a Difciple of
his Brother Taddeo, from whom he differed but
very little in his Style and Manner of Painting, tho'
in Sculpture and Architecture he was far more ex-
cellent. He fled into France to avoid the Popes
Difpleafure, which he had incurr'd by an Affront
put upon fome of his Officers: and from thence
,paffing through Flanders and Holland, came over
into England, drew Queen Elizabeths Picture,
went back to Italy, was pardon'd by the <Pofe, and
in a little time fent for to Spain by Philip If. and
imploy'd in the Efcurial He laboured very hard
at his return to tyme, for eftablifhing the Academy
of Painting, by virtue of a Brief obtam'd from
Pope Gregory XIII. Of which being chofen the
firft Prince himfclf, he built a noble Apart-
ment for their Meeting, went to Venice to print
fome Books which he had composed of that Art,
had form'd other Defigns for its farther Ad-
vancement,
Modern Makers,
vanccmcnt, which yet were all defeated by his .,
Death (at Ancona) Anno 1609.
G1ACOMO <P ALMA Junior, commonly
GIOVANE <PALMA, born at Venice, Anno \ 544,
was the Son of Antonio the Nephew of ( Palma Vec-
clno. He improved the Instructions which his Fa-
ther had given him, by copying the Work of the
moft eminent Maflers, both of the ^pman and
Lombard Schools ; but in his own Comfojuions chief-
ly followed the Manner of Titian and Tmtoret..
He fpent fome years in ffiome, and was imploy'd
/ ^C ' I /
in the Galleries and Lodgings of the Vatican : but
the greateft number of his Pieces is at Venice, where
he ftudied night and day, fill'd almoft every.
place with fomething or other of his Hand ; and
(like Tmtoret) refus'd nothing that was offer'd him,
upon the leaft Profpect of any Gains. He died *^ <*
Anno i 628.
WMENICO FETly a $(oman, flourifh'd in
this time. He was a Difciple of Lodofrico Crtoli,
of Florence ; and excell'd in Figures and Hiftorical :
Competitions^ but died young, Anno JEt. 55.
born at
Antwerp, Anno 1546, was chief Painter to the 1 54P-
Em-
304 Modern Aiaflers.
Emperour Maximilian II. and,fo much refpe&ed
by his SuccelTor fftodolpbus, that he preferred him
with a Gold Cham and Medal, allow'd him a Ten-
fan, honour' d him and his Pofterity with the Ti-
tle of Nobility , lodged him in his own Palace, and
would differ him to faint for no-body but himfelf.
He had fpent fome part of his Youth in ^ome y
where he was imploy'd by the Cardinal Farnefe^nd
afterwards preferred to the Service of Pope 9tM V.
but for want of Judgment in the Conduct of his
Studies, brought little with him, befides a good
Pencil from Italy. His Out-line was generally ftiff
x and very ungraceful, his Toftures forcd and ex-
traVqgant 5 arid in a word, there appeared nothing
of the tityman Guflo in his Deflgns. He obtained
leave from the Emperour (after many years continu-
ance in his Court) to vifit his own Country $ and
accordingly went to Antwerp, Amfterdam, Haerlem y
and Several other places, where he was honoura-
bly received : and having had the fatisfaction of
feeing his own Works highly admir'd, and his man-
ner almoft univerfally followed in all thofe parts,
as well as in Germany, return'd to Prague, and di-
jed Anno 1 602, or thereabout. In the fame Form
with Sprangber we may place his Contemporaries,
John Van Ach, and Jofefb Heints, both Hiflory Tain-
5 6. ten of note, and much admir'd in the Emperour s
Court. MATH-
Modern Mafters.
MATTHEW BQ{IL was born at Antwerp, Anno
i j 5 a, but ftudied for the mod part at G(pme
and was famous for his Performances in Hi/lory
and Landtfchape, in the Galleries of the Vatican,
where he was imploy'd by Pope Gregory XIIL
He die J young, Anno 1584.
PAUL <B<HfLj of Antwerp alfo, born Anno
1554, follow'd his Brother Matthew to G(pme, - 1 5 5 4
painted feveral things in conjunction with him,
and after his Deceafe, brought himfelf into Repu-
tation by his Landtfchapes : but efpecially by thofe
which he compos'd in his latter time (after he
had ftudied the manner of Hannibal Carrach, an3
had copied ifome of Tttians Works, in the fame
kindj the Indention in them being more pleafant,
the Vifpofoion more noble, all the parts more a-
greeakle, and painted with a better Gufto, than
thofe in his former days. He died at $(pme, Anno jg t 7 2
ANTONIO TEMTESTA, his Contemporary,
a Native of Florence, was a Difciple of John
Strada, a Fleming. He had a particular Genius
for Battels, Cahacades, Huntings, and for de/ign-
\ng all forts of Animals : but did not fo much re-
gard the Delicacy of Colouring, as the lively ex-
R T preffion
3 06 Modern Mafiers.
preflion and Spirit of thofe things which he repre-
fenced. His ordinary Refidence was at ^pme ;
where, in his younger days he had wrought feve-
ral Pieces by order of Pope Gregory XIII. in the
Apartments of the Vatican* He was full of Thought
and Invention, very quick and ready in the Exe-
cution, and famous alfo for a multitude of (Prints,
etch'd by himfelf. He died Anno 1630.
LOWV1CO CA^ACCl, the Uncle of Augufo
and Hannibal, was born at Bologna, Anno i 5 j j,
and under his firft Mafter Profpero Fontana, dif
cover' d but an indifferent Genius for fainting : but
however, Art fupply'd the defefts of Nature, and
by conftant and unwearied diligence in ftudying;
the Works of (Parmegiano, Correggio, Titian, and
other great Men, he brought himfelf at laft to a
degree of *Perfettion hardly inferior to any of
diem. He affifted his Nephews in Founding and
Settling the famous Academy of Vefegn at Bologna^
and afterwards in Tainting the tpalazgp Farneje at
JEt 6 A. *% me 9 and having furviv'd them both, died Anno
1619, Fide pag. 2Z2.
AGOST1NO CA^ACCI, a Bolognefe alfo, was
bom Anno 1557, and by the care and inftrudi-
ons of 'Domenica Tebaldi, Aleffandro Minganti and
others,
Modern Maflers. 307
ethers, became not onely a very good Dejtgner-
and fainter , but in the Art of Graving furpafs'd
all the Mafters in his time. He had an infight
likewife into all the parts of the Mathematics, Na-
tural Philofofhy, (Rhetoric, Mufa, and mod of the
Liberal Arts and Sciences* He was befides, an
admirable Poet, and in all other particulars ex-
tremely well accomplifh'd. From Bologna he
went to Venice, where he contracted an intimate
Friendship with Paul Veronefe, Tmtoret, and Saf-
fan 5 and having grav'd a considerable number
of their Works, returned home, and foon after-
wards follow'd his Brother Hannibal to tffyme, and
joyn'd with him in finifhing feveral Stories in the
Farnefe Gallery: But fome little difference arifing
unluckily betwixt them, Auguftino remov'd to the
Court of the Duke of Parma, and in his Service
died Anno 1602, Vide fag. ^^^ > . His mod ce-
lebrated Piece of Painting, is that of the Commu-
nion of St. Jerom, in Bologna : a Picture fo com-
pleat in all its parts, that it was much to be la-
mented, that the excellent Author of it flbould
withdraw himfelf from the Practice of an Art in
which his Abilities were fo very extraordinary,
follow the inferior Profefflon of a Graver.
R r ^ -AN-
3 o8 Modern M afters.
^>^o ANRWALE CA^ACCl, born likewife at
1560. Bologna, Anno \ 560, was a Difciple of his Uncle
Ludovico ; and amongft his ocher admirable qua-
lities, had fo prodigious a Memory, that whatever
he had once feen, he never aii'd to retain and
make his own : fo that at Parma, he acquired the
Swcetmjs and Purity of Correggio ; at Fenice the
Strength and T)lftnbutlon of Colours of Titian 5 and
at 3%pme y the Correftmfs of Tiefign, and beautiful
Forms of the Antique: And by his wonderful Per-
formances in the Palazzo Farnefe, foon made it ap-
pear, that all the feveral Perfections of the moft
eminent Mafters his Predecejfort, were united in
himfelf alone. In his ConVerfatiw he was frienJ-
fy, flamy honeft , and of en-hearted; very commu-
nicative to his Scholars, and fo extremely kind to
them, that he generally kept his Money in the fame
box with hisCo/or5,wnere they might have recourfe
to either as they had occafion. But the unhappi-
nefs of his Temper inclining him naturally to Me-
lancholy 5 the ill ufage which he received from the
Cardinal Farnefe (who through the Perfuafions of
an ignorant Sfaniard his Domejlic, gave him but
a little above 200 /. Sterl. for his eight years ftudy
and labour) fo confirm'd him in it, that he re-
folv'd never more to touch his Pencil: and had
undoubtedly kept his refolution, had not his Nc-
ceffities
Modern Mafter s.
ceffities compell'd him to relume it. Yet not-
withftanding, fo far did his Dijtemper by degrees
gain upon him, that at certain times it deprived
him of the right ufe of his Sences $ and at laft
made him guilty of ibme Irregularities, which
concealing from his Phjpcians, he met with ths
fame fate as <l{apbael (in the like cafe) had done
before him, and feem'd to copy that great Mafter
as well in the manner of his Death, as he had imi-
tated him all his Life long in his Works. Nay,
fuch was the Veneration he had for Raphael) that
it was his Death-bed fyqueft, to be bury'd in the
very fame Tomb with him: which was according-
ly done in the Pantheon, or Rotunda at <%ome y Anno
\ 6op. See more pag. 2 2 2, and befides take notice,
that there are extant feveral Prints of the . V\r~
gin, and ol other Subjefts, etch'd by the hand e
this incomparable Artijt.
ANTONIO CA<%Q(ACCI, the natural Son of Au>
lino, was brought up under the Care and Tui-
rj j f ^ JL
tion of his Uncle Hannibal: after whofe Deceafe,
he apply'd himfelf fo fuccefsfully to the ftudy of
all the Capital Pieces in <I(pme 9 that he would have
furpafs'd even Hannibal himfelf, if Death had not
prevented him, Anno 1618, Ml. 35.
Gf
Modern Mafkers.
CAMILLO, GIULIO CESA^E, and
ANTONIO, the Sons and Difciples of E^COLE
8><I(PC4CCINI, flourifh'd in this time. They
were Natives of Bologna, but upon fome mifun-
derftanding between them and the Carracbes, re-
tnov'd to Milan, where they fpent the greateft
part of their Lives. Of thefe,
CAMILLO the Eldeft, abounded in Invention
and Spirit : but was a great Mannerift, and ra-
ther ftudy'd the Beauty, than CorreftnefsofhisDt-
GIULIO CESA^, was both a Sculptor and
Painter, and famous in Genoua, as well as Bologna,
and Milan, for feveral admirable things of his
land. He was the beft of all the frocaccini, and
furpafs'd his Brother Camillo in the exaRmfi and
purity of his Out-lines, and in the ftrengtb and WJ-
nef? of his Figures.
CAQJJ ANTONIO was an excellent Mufician,
and as well skill'd in the Harmony of Colours as of
Sounds : yet not being able to arrive to the *Perfe-
ftion of his Brothers in Hiftorical Compofitions , he
apply'd himfelf wholly to Landtfcbapes and Flowers,
and was much efteem'd for his Performances that
way.
Modern Maftcrs.
E^COLE the Son of Cart Antonio, was a DiC
ciple of his Uncle Julio Cefare, and fo happy in
imitating his manner, that he was fent for to the
Court of the DukeofStfVojf, and highly honoured,
and nobly rewarded by that Trince for his Services.
G1QSE<P<PE VA^VINO, commonly call'd C*>
^alier GIOSE<P<P1NO, born in the Kingdom of N<t - 1 5 <*
fles, Anno \ ytfo, was carry' d very young to G(pme,,
and put out to fome Painters, then at work in
the Vatican, to grind their Colours : but the quick-
nels of his Afftrebenfion having foon made him
Mafter of the Elements of Dejign, he had the fortune
to grow very famous by degrees; and befides the
refpect fliewn him by Pope Gregory XIII* and his
Succeffors, was fo well receiv'd by the French K.
Lewis XIII. that he made him a Anight of the Order
of St. Michael. . He has the character of a florid^
Indention, a ready Hand, and a good Spirit in all
his Works : but yet having no fure Foundation x
either in the Study of Nature, or the Cities of Art,
and building onely upon thofe Chimeras and fan~
taftical Ideas, which he had form'd in his own Head v
he has run himfelf into a multitude of Errors,
being guilty of thofe many Extravagancies., ne-
ceffarily attending fuch as have no better Guide-
than their own capricious Fancy. He died -at G(pme,
HANS
3-i2 Modern Mafters.
^/> HANS tttOTTENHAME^wz
i 5 64. c f, en ^ the Capital City of BaVaria, Anno \ 5 64, and
after he had ftudied iome time in Germany, went
to Feme, and became a Diiciple of Ttntoret. He
painted both in Frefco and Oyl, but his Talent lay
chiefly in the latter, and his peculiar excellence was
in little Pieces. His Indention was /ree and e^/re,
his Dejtgn indifferently correct, his *Poftures gentile,
and -his Colouring very agreeable. He was well e-
fteem'd both in Ita/y and his own Country, and
by his frofejjkn might have acquir'd great Wealth 3
but was fo wonderfully extravagant in his way of
living, that he confum'd it much fafter than k
came in, and at laft died fo poor, that his Friends
Wre f TC 'd c o make a gathering to bury him,
FRANCESCO VANNI, born at Siena
Dukedom of Tufcany, Anno 1568, was a
(Painters Son, but quitted the manner which he had
learnt from his Father, to follow that of Barocci 5
whom he imitated in his choice of <$(eligious Subjects,
as well as in his Gufto of Tainting. The moft
confiderable Work of this Mafter are in the feveral
Churches of Siena , and are much commended
4.7. ' 3Ot ' 1 ^ or t ' ie eau ty f tnc ^ r Colouring, and Cor-
rettnefi of their De/gw. He ^ied Anno 1615.
Modern Mafters.
MICHELANGELO ME<$JGI born An. i 5 6 9 ,
x.CA$(AVAGG10, from whence he deriv'd his
Name, was at firft (like his Countryman (polidore)
no better than a Day-labourer 3 till having feen
fome Painters at work, upon a Brick-wall, which
he had prepared for them, he was fo charm'd.
with their Art, that he immediately addrefs'd him-
leif to the ftudy of it: and in a few years made fo
considerable a progrefs, that in Venice, Qfyme, and
feveral other parts of Italy, he, was cry'd up, and
admir'd by all the Young men, as the Author of a
new Style of Painting. Upon his firft coming to
titome , his NeceJJities compelled him to faint
Flowers and Fruit, under Cavalier Giofeffino: but
being foon weary of that Subjett, and return-
ing to his former practice of Hiftories, with Fi-
gures drawn to the middle onely, he made ufe of
a Method, quite different from the conduct of
Giofeffino, and running into the contrary extreme,
follow'd the Life as much too clofe, as the other
went wide from it. He affected a way particu-
lar to himfelf, of deef and darkfbadows, to give
his Pieces the greater relievo, and defpifingall other
help, but what he received from Nature alone
(whom he took with all her faults, and copy'd
without judgment or difcretion) his Invention be-
came fo foor, that he could never draw anything
S f without
314. Modern Mafters.
without his Model before his eyes; and therefore
understood but little either of Ttejlgn, or Decorum
in his Compofoions. He had indeed an admira-
ble Colouring, and great ftrengtb in all his Works :
But thofe <Pittures which he made in imitation of
the manner of Georgione, were his beft, becaufe
they have nothing of that blacknejs in them, in
which he afterwards delighted. He died in his
return from Malta, (where he had been Knighted
by the Grand Mafter, for fome things which he
had wrought for him) Anno 1609. His chief
Difciples were 'Bartolomeo Manfredi of Mantoua,
Carlo Saracino, commonly call'd Venetiano, Valtn-
Mt. 40. tmo a Fwucb-man , and Gerard Huntborft of U-
trecbt.
FILIVTO ANGEL1 was a V(pman born, but
called NEATOLlTANOfcczukhis Father fern him
to Naples, when he was very young. At his re-
turnto^me, he apply 'd himfelf to the Antiquities*,
but unhappily left that ftudy too foon, and fol-
low'd the manner of his Contemporary M. Angelo
da Cara^aggio. He pra(5tis'd for the moft part in
Landtfcbapes, and 'Battels , was every where well
efteem'd for his Works, and imploy'd by feveral
(princes in many of the Churches and Palaces of
$(ome s Naples and Venice; at the laft of which pla-
ces he died Anno JEtat. 40.
Modern Mafters.
JAN S^UEGHEL, the Son of old Peter, and
the younger Brother of Helfen Brueghel, was born
iti<Bmffels, Anno i 569, and call'd FLUWEELEN
becaule of the ^ir/Vef Garments which he generally
affected to wear. He began his Studies at home,
under Peter Goe-kmdt, and continu'd them in Italy
with fuch fuccefs, that of all the German, Dutch,
or Flemifh Mafters, Elfreimer onely was fuperior
to him in Landtfchapes, and Hi/tones with /;;/<*//
Figures. He fainted both in Water-colours and Cty/,
but in the tatter chiefly excelled 5 and efpecially, in
reprcfenting Wakes, Fairs, and other frolickfom
and merry meetings of Country -people. His Inven-
tion was eafie and pleafant, his Out-lines firm and
fure, his Pencil loofe and free : and in fliort, all
his Compofitions were fo well managed, that Nature
in her plain Country Dreff, was always to be
in his Works. He died ylwwo 1625.
ADAM ELSHEIME^bom at Frankfort upon
the M*}'w, ^wio M74> was ac fi f fta Difciple of i J74-
Philip- iijfenbach a German : but an ardent dcfire of
Improvement carrying him to ^ome, he foon
became a mod excellent Artift in Landtf chapes,
Hiftories, and Night-pieces, with //'tt/e Figures. His
IFor&f are very few 5 and for the incredible Pahrs
and L^>or which hebeftow'd upon them, valu'd
S f 2 at
Modern M afters.
at Rich prodigious rates, that they are hardly any
where to be found but in the Cabinets of Princes.
He was a Terfon by Nature inclined to Melancholy,
and through continu'd ftudy and thoughtfulnefs,
was (b far fettled in that unhappy temper, that neg-
lecting his own domeftic concerns, Debts came
thick upon him, and Imfrifonment followed : which
ftruck fuch a damp upon his Spirits, that though
~ x he was foon releas'd, yet he did not long furvive
" it, and died in the year 1 6 to, or thereabout..
MlD0(2(NIwasbornat Bologna, An,
l - 5 7 5 an d having learnt the Rudiments of (painting, under
zFkrwJbMaftcr, was refin'd and polifli'd in the
School, of the Carraches^: and to what degree of
ExccEencthe arriv'd, fecpag. 223. He acquired
great perfection in M*fe 9 by the Inftructions of his
Father, an eminent (profejfor of that Art. In his
behaviour he was mod eft, gentile, and very ob-
liging; liv'd in great fplendor, both at 'Bologna,
and ^(omey. and was onely unhappy in his im-
moderate love of Gaming: to which, in his latter
days, he had abandon d himfelf fo intirely, that
all the Money which he cou'd get by his (Pencil, or
borrow upon Intereft, being too little to fupply
his lofles, he was at laft reduc'd to fo poor, and
mean a condition, that the confideration of his
prefent.
Modern Mafttrs. 317
prefent circumftances, together with reflections
on his former reputation, and high manner of li*
ving, brought a languishing Diftemper upon him,
which occafion'd his Death, Anno 1 642. Note,
that there are feveral Vefigns of this great Mafterj in
print, etcb'd by himfelf*
G10. SATTISTA VlQLAy a Bohgnefe, born
_9 *^ *
Anno 1576, was a Difciple of Hannibal Carracb,
by whofe affiftance he arrived to an excellent man"
ner in Landtfcbape-painting r w\\idi he chiefly ftudy'd,
and for which he was well efteem'd in ^pme, and
feveral other parts of Italy. But Pope Gregory XV.
having made him Deeper of his ( Palace, to reward
him for the Services which he had done for him,
when he was Cardinal, he quitted his
died foon after, Anno 1621*.
Sir 3>&TE<lt f PML<l{U<BENS, born at
logne, Anno 1577, was the bed accomplifli'd of 1577.
all the Flemifb Mafters ; and wou'd have rival'd
even the moft celebrated Italians,, if his Tarents/m-
ftead of placing him under the tuition of Adorn*
Van Noort, and OttaVio fartus, had bred him up*
in the <I(pman and Lombard Schools. Yet notwith-
ftanding, he made fo good ufe of that little time
which he fpent in thofe places, that perhaps none.
of.
Modern Majltrs.
of his Predecc/fors can boaft a more beautiful Co-
louring , a ?zo/er Indention, or a more luxurious
Fancy in their Co mpofitions, of which fee a farther
account ^g. 125. Bnt befideshis talent in Pain-
ting, and his admirable skill in Architecture (very
eminent in the feveral Churches , and Palaces ,
built after hisDe/gwj, at Genoua.) He was a !Per-
fon poflfefs'd of all the Ornaments and Advanta-
ges, that can render a man Valuable : was uni-
verfally Learned, fpoke feven Languages very
perfectly, was well read in Hi/lory, and withall
fo excellent a Statefman, that he was imploy'd in
feveral public Negotiations of great Importance j
which he managed with the moft refin'd Prudence,
and Conduct. And was particularly famous for
the Character with whigh he was fcnt into England,
of Embajfadour from the Infanta I/abelta, and Phi-
lip IV. of Sfain, to K. Charles I. upon a /ratfji o/
Peace between the two Crowns , confirmed ^wo
1630. His principal Performances are in the
*Banquetting-houfe at Whitehall, the Efcurial'm Spain,
and the Luxemturgh Galleries at Parit, where he
was imploy'd by Queen Mary of Medicis, Dowa-
ger of Henry IV. and in each of thofe three Courts
had the honour of Jfyiigbtbood conferred upon him,
befides feveral magnificent Prefents, in teftimony
of his extraordinary Merits. His ufual abode was
at
Modern Mafttrs.
at Antwerp, where he built a fpacious Apartment,
in imitation of the Rotunda at Rome, for a noble
Collection of Pictures which he had purchased in
7ta/y : fome of which, together with his Statues,
Medals, and other Antiquities, he fold, not long
after, to the Duke of Buckingham, his intimate
Friend, for ten thoufand pounds. He liv'd in the
higheft Efteem and Refutation imaginable, was
as great a <Patron, as Mafter of his Art j and fo much
adrruYd all over Eurofe, for his many fingular
Endowments , that no Strangers of any Quality
cou'd pafs through the Low-Countries, till they
had firft feen Rubens, of whofe Fame they had
heard fb much. He died Jnno 1640, leaving
vaft Riches behind him to his Children, of whom
Albert the Eldeft, fucceeded him in the Offie of ^^ ^
Secretary of State, in Flanders.
ORATIO GENTILESCHI, a Native
a City in Tu/cany, flourifli'd in this time: and
after he had made himfelf known in Florence,
Rome, Genoua, and other parts of Italy > remov'd
to SaVoy, from thence went to France, and at laft,
upon his arrival in England, was fo well received
by K. Charles I. that he appointed him Lodgings
in his Court, together with a confiderable Salary,
and imploy'd him in his Palace at Greenwich, and
other
520 Modern Maflers.
o&er public places. He made feveral Attempts
in Face-painting, but with little fuccefs, his Talent
lying altogether in Hiftories, with Figures as big
06 the Life: In which kind, fome of his Compofiti-
ons have defervedly -met with great Applaufe.
He was much in favour with the Duke of Buck-
ingham, and many others of the Nobility: and af-
ter twelve years continuance in this Kingdom,
died Anno jEtat. 84. and was bury'd in the Queens
Chapel in Sotnerfet-boufe.
ARTEMISIA GENTlLESCHIhis Daughter,
excell'd her Father in Portraits, and was but little
inferior to him in Hiftories. She liv'd for the
moft part at Naples, in great fplendor : and was
as famous all over Europe for her Amours, and
LoVe-Intrigues, as for her talent in Painting.
FRANCESCO ALB AIM a Bolognefe , born
Anno 1578, was a Difciple of theCarraches , well
vers'd in polite Learning, and excellent in all the
parts of Painting ; but principally admir'd for
his performances in little. He had a particular Ge-
nius for naked Figures : and the better to accom-
plifh himfelf in that Study, marry'd a beautiful
Lady of Bologna, with little or no fortune 3 by
whom (upon all occafions) he us'd to defign
naked
Modern Maflers.
naked Fentu's, the Graces, Nymphs, and other God-
defies: and by her Children little Cupids, playing,
and dancing, in all the variety otPoftures imagi-
nable. He fpent feme time at T{pme, was im-
ploy'd alfo by the Grand Duke of Tu/cany , but
compos' d moft of his Works in his own Country 5
where he died, Anno 1660. His moft famous
Difcifles were <Pier Francefco Mbla, and Gio. Battifta
his Brother, both excellent 'Maflers- in Figures and
JLandtfchafes.
FRANCIS SNTDE3($, bom &t Antwerp, Anno
1579, was bred up under He//^ V^w ^fo/ his
Country-man ; but ow'd the moft confiderablc
part of his Improvement, to his Studies in Italy.
He painted all forts of Wild <Beafts, and other Ani-
mals, Huntings, Fifb, Fruit, &c. in great (perfe-
ttion : was often imploy'd by the King of -Spain,
and feveral other Princes, and every-where much
commended for his Works.
WMENICO ZAMPIBKJ, commonly calPd
WMENICHINO, born in the City of Bologna An. 1581.
1581, was at firft a Di /rifle of a Flemijh Mafter,
but foon quitted his School, fora much better of
the Cart-aches ; being inftructed at Bologna by Lu-
doVico, and at fyme by Hannibal, who had fo
T c great
3 22 Modern Mafiers.
great a Value for him, that he took him to his ajfi*
fiance in the Farnefe Gallery. He was extremely labo-
rious and flow in his Productions, applying himfelf
always to his itor^with much fiudy and thoughtful-
nefs, and never offering to touch his Pencil till he
found a kind of Enthujiafm, or Inffiration upon
him. His talent lay principally in the correttnefs
of his Sf)7e, and in exprefling the PaJJions and Aj-
feclions of the MW. In both which he was fo ad-
mirably judicious, that Nicok Poujjln, and Andrea
SaccU us'd to fay, his Communion of St. Jerome, in
the Church of the Charity, and ^I(afhaels celebra-
ted Piece of die Transfiguration, were the two beft
Pictures in (?(pwe. He was made the chief Archi-
tect of the Apoflolical Palace, by Pope Gregory XV.
for his great skill in that Art. He was likewife
well vers'd in the Theory of Mujic, but in the (FVd-
8ice of it had little fuccefs. He had the misfor-
tune to find Enemies in all places where-ever he
came 3 and particularly at Naples was fo ill treated
by thofe of his own Profejjion, that having agreed
among themfebes to difparage all his Works, they
would hardly allow him to be a tolerable Mafter :
And were not content with having frighted him, for
fome time, from that City, but afterwards, upon his
return thither, never left ferfecuting him, till by
their tricks and contrivances they had quite weary'd
him
Modtrn Mafltrs. 323
him out of his Life, Anno 1641. Vide fag. 223. *- x
His Contemporary, and moft malicious Enemy v_x-v~ v J
> GIOSEPVE %TBES(A, a Native of Valencia, ' -
in tf/tt/'tt, commonly known by the name of
SVAGNOLETTO, was an Artift perfeft in ZjJfcn,
i r r i 11 r
and famous tor the excellent manner of Colouring
which he had learnt from Michael Angelo da Cara-
Vaggio. His way^ was very often in Half- Figures
onely, and (like his Mafter) he was wonderfully
ftridt in following the Life 5 but as Ill-naturd in
the choice of his Subjects, as in his Behaviour to
poor DomenichinOy arFe&ing generally fomething
very terrible and frightful in his Pieces, fuch as 2V0-
metheu* with the Culture feeding upon his Liver, Ca-
to Uticenfis weltering in his own Bloud, St. Bartho-
lomew with the SKm flea'd off from his Body, &c.
But however in all his Compojitions, Nature was
imitated with fo much Art and Judgment, that a
certain Lady big with Child, having accidentally
caft her Eyes upon an Ixion, whom he had re-
prefented in Torture upon the Wheel, receiv'd fuch
an bnprejfion from it, that (he brought forth an
Infant with Fingers diftorted juft like thofe in his
<Pifture. His ufual abode was at Naples, where
he liv'd very fplendidly , being much in fa-
vour with the Viceroy his Countryman, and in
T t 2 great
324. Modern M afters.
great Reputation for his Works in Painting, and
for feveral Prints etch'd by his own band.
^*^ GIOVANNI LANF$(ANCO, born at Parma,
l ?8 i. j nno i j_8 i, was a Difciple of the Carr aches, and
befides a zealous Imitator of the Works of ^afhad
and Correggio* His char after ke fag. 224. He
was highly applauded at Naples for feveral excel-
lent (P/m^ which he wrought there, and was fo
much efteem'd in <%ome, that for his Performances
in the Vatican he was Ifyiighted by Pope Wr/*w VIIL
' He died
5/STO <BAVALOCCHl his Fellow-difeiple -,
was of Tarma alfo, and by the Inftructions of the
Garracbes at fl^pwe, became one of the beft De~
Jigners of that School He had alfo many other
commendable Qualities , and particularly Facility-)
but wanted 'Dilgence. He joyn'd with his Conn*
tryman Lanfranco in etching the Hiftories of tha
Bible-, after the Paintings of fytphael, in the ^f/-
ww, which they dedicated to Hannibal their Mafter.
He pracliifed moftly, at Bologna, where he died
Young*
i
SJM7N VOUEX, born at ?W, ^wo
was bred up to Painting under his Father, and
carry'd
Modern Mafters.
sarry'd very young to Conflantinofle by the French
Embaflador, to draw the Picture of the Grand
Signior, which he did by ftrength of Memory
onely. From thence he went to Venice, and af-
terwards fettling himfelfat (J^pwe, made fo confi-
derable a progrefs in his Arty that befides the Fa-
vours which he Eeceiv'd from Pope Urban VIII.
and the Cardinal his Nephew, he was chofenPnwce
of the ^oman Academy of St. Luke. He was fent
for home Anno 1627, by the order of Lewis XIII.,
whom he ferv'd in the quality of his chief fainter.
He praclifed both in Portraits and Htftories, and
furnifh'd fome of the Apartments of the LouVre,
the (palaces of Luxemburgh and St. GermairiSy the
Galleries of Cardinal fycbtieu and> other public
places with his Works. His greateft Terfettion was
in his agreeable Co/or/;jg,and his ira&and livelyfencily
being other wife but very indifferently qualify 'd ; he
had no Genius for grand Compcfitions, was unhappy in
his Invention, unacquainted with the <%ules offerffe-
&ive, and underftood but little of the Union of Co-
lourt, or the Doctrine of Lights and Shadows : yec
neverthelefs he brought up feveral eminent Scholars-,
amongft whom, was CHILES ALFONSE du
f^ESNOty Author of the preceding Poem.. But
his chief Difciple was the KJN&. himfclf, .whoni
he had the Honour toinftrucl: intheA-f of Dejign*
i/j. He died ^.. 1 64,1 . . P/-..
Modern Mafters.
Van LAE^ commonly call'd $AM-
SOCCIO, or the Beggar-fainter, was born in the
City of Haerlem, Anno 1584: and after he had
laid a good Foundation in Drawing and (PerfpeftiVe
at home, went to France, and from thence to tifyme $
where by his earned application to Study , for fix-
teen years together, he arriv'd to great Perfection
in Hi/lories, Landtfchapes, Grottos, Huntings, dec.
with little Figures and Animals. He had an ad-
mirable Gufto in Colouring, was very judicious in
the ordering of his Pieces^ nicely jy? in his Propor-
tions, and onely to be blam'd, tor that he gene-
rally affected to reprefent Nature in her worft
2)re/?, and follow' d the L*/<? too clofe, in moft of
his Compofitions. He returned to Amflerdam, Anne
nJjp, and after a fhort ftay there, fpent the Re-
mainder of his days with his Brother, a noted
Stboolmafter in Haerlem. He was a Perfon very
ferious and contemplative in his humour, took Plea-
fure in nothing but Painting and Af/ic : and by
indulging himfelf too much in a melancholy Qfe.
60. ttremmt > ^ a ^ to ^ ave ftorten'd his L//e, Anno
CO<%NELIUS <POELENBUG(fH, born at
Utrecht, Anno 1590, was a Difciple of Abraham
Blomaert, and afterwards for a long time, a Ste-
- dent
Modern - Majors: 3:27
dent in $(pme and Florence. His Talent lay altoge-
ther in fmatt Figures, naked Boys^ Landtfchapes^
G(uins, &c. which heexprefs'd with a Pencil agree-
able enough, as to the Colouring part, but general-
ly attended with a little fliffnefs, the (almoft) w/*
parable Companion of much Labour and Neatnefs.
He came over into England, Anno 1637 ; and af-
ter he had continu'd here/oar years, and had been
handfomly rewarded by K. Charles I. for fcveral
which he wrought for him, retir'd into his
Country, and died ^/wo 1667.
Cavalier GIO. FRANCESCO BA^lBt(I da
CENTO, commonly call'd GUE^CINO, (be- i-J,p.o>-
caufe of a C<i/? whick he had with his Eyes) was
born near Bologna, Anno i 590, and bred up un-
der (Benedetto German his Country- man: by whofe
faftruttionS) and the Diftates of his own excellent
Genius, he foon learnt to defign gracefully and with
Correttnefs ; and by converting afterwards with
the JForfo of Michael Angelo da CaraVaggio, became
an admirable Colourift, and befides, very famous
for his happy Invention and Freedom of Pencil, and
for the Strength, ^(elie'Vo, and becoming Boldnefs-
of his Figures. He began, in the Declenfion of
his y^f , to alter his 5^ i n Tainting : and (to
pleafe the unthinking Multitude) took up another
328 Modern Mafters.
manner more gay, neat and f leaf ant, 'but by no
means fo great and nolle as his former Gufto. He
compos'd feveralconfiderable Pieces mtftome: but
thegreateft number of his Performances is in, and
about Bologna, where he died, Anno 1666, very
JEt. 76 ri ^ J -> an< ^ highly commended for his extraordina-
ry Piety, ^Prudence and Morality.
NICOLO mSSINO, the French <I(aplael, was
the Defcendent of a wo hie Family in Ticardy, but
born at y^/e/y, a Town in Normandy, Anno \ 504.
He was feafon'd in Literature at home, inftruded
in the ${idiments of Defign at !P^r0, learnt the
Principles of Geometry, f&fpc&ive and Anatomy ac
(?(owe, pradtifed after the L*/e in the Academy of
Domenichmo, and ftudy'd the Antiquities in com-
pany with the famous Sculptor Francefco Flamming*,
who was born in the fame year, and lodg'd in the
fame houfe wich him. His way, for the moft part,
was in Hiftories, with Figures about ta>o or /;ree
feet high 5 and his Colouring inclined rather to the
Antique than to Nature : but in all the other parts
of Tainting , he was profoundly excellent 3 and
particularly the Beauty of his Genius appear'd in
his nice and judicious Ohfer^ation of the Decorum
in his Compojitions, and in exfreJJIng the Taffions
and Affettions with fuch incomparable j&#, that all
his
Modern Mafters.
his Pieces feem to have the very Spirit of the Action,
and the Life and Sow/ of the Perfons whom they
reprefent. He had not been in <$(ome above fix-
teen years, before his Name became fo un'i\> erf ally
celebrated, that Cardinal fljcblieu rcfolving to ad-
vance the noble Arts in France, prevailed upon him
(by means of an obliging Letter, written to him
by Lewis XIII. himfelf, Anno 1659) to return to
his own Country : where he was received with all
poffible demonftrations ofc Efleem, was declared
Firft Painter to the King, had a confiderable Pen-
fan appointed him, was imploy'd in feveral pub-
lic Works, and at laft undertook to faint the Grand
Gallery of the Louvre. But the f\jng and Cardinal
both dying in the time that he went back to fettle
his affairs in Italy, and bring his Family from thence5
he quite laid afide the Thoughts of returning any
more to France, and ended his days in Q^ome, Anno
1665 : having for fame years before his T)eceafe,
been fb much fubject to thePalfie, that the effects
of his unfieddy Hand are vifible in feveral of his
Defigns.
PIET^O TESTA, his Contemporary, was a
Native of Lucca, a City in the Dukedom of Flo-
rence, and fo miferably poor upon his firft arrival
at G(pme, that he was fore d to make the public
11 u Streets
3 3 o Modern Ma far s.
Streets his School, and the Statues, Buildings,
ins, &c. the Leffons which he ftudied. He was
a Man of a <p/c& Head, a re^ HW, and a //Ve-
/y S/tf>tf in moft of his (performances : but yet for
want of Science, and good Ovules to cultivate and
ftrengthen his Genius, all thofe hopeful Qualities
foon ran to Weeds, and produced little elfe but
Mon/iers, Chimera*, and fuch like wild and extra-
vagant Fancies : Fid. fag. 1 01. He attempted very
often to makehimfelf perfect in the Art of Colouring,
but never had any Succefs that >^ $ and indeed
was onely tolerable in his Drawings, and the Prints
which he <tc/;V. He was drown d (as 'tis general-
ly reported) in the Tyber, having accidentally fall'n
off from the Bank, as he was endeavouring tore-
gain his Hat, which the Wind had blown into the
Water.
Sir AHTBOWt VAn DTC^, was born at
1 5 99' Antwerp, Anno \ 599, and gave fuch early proofs
of his moft excellent Endowments, that Rubens his
Mafter, fearing he would become as UniVerfal as
himfelf, to divert him from Hiftories, us'd to com-
mend his Talent in Painting after the Life, and
took fuch care to keep him continually imploy'd
in bufincfs of that Nature, that he refolv'd at laft
to make it his principal ftufy ; and for his Improve-
ment
Modern Maften. 3 3
merit went to Venice, where he attained the beauti-
ful Colouring of Titian, Paulo Feronefe, &c. And
after a few years fpent in <3fyme, Genoua and Sicily,
return' d home to Flanders with a manner of Tain-
ting, fo noble, natural, and eafie, that 75fw him-
felf was hardly his Superior, and no other Mafter
in the world equal to him for Portraits. He came
over into England foon after Q{ubens had left it, and
was entertained in the Service of King Charles I.
who conceiv'd a marvellous efteem for his Works*
honoured him with flight hood, prefented him
with his own Pifture fee round with Diamonds,
affign'd him a confiderable Penjion, fate very often
to him for his Portrait, and was followed by moft
of the Nobility and principal Gentry of the IQngdom.
He was a perfon low offtature, but well-proporti-
on d; very bandfome, modeft, and extremely obli-
ging ; a great Encourager of all fuch as excelfd in
any /#t or Science, and Generous to the very laft
degree. He marry'd one of the faireft Ladies of
the Engli/k Court, Daughter of the Lord <%uthen
Earl of Gowry, and liv'd in State and Grandeur
anfwerableto her Birth: His own Garb was gene-
rally very rich, his Coaches and Equippage magni-
ficent, his Detinue numerous and gallant, his Ta-
ble very fplendid, and fo much frequented by
People of the beft Quality of both Sexes, that his
U u 2 Afart-
332 Modern Ma for s.
Apartments feem'd rather to be the Court of fome
Prince, than the Lodgings of a fainter. He grew wea-
ry, towards the latter end of his Life, of the conti-
nu'd trouble that attended Face-fainting $ and being
defirous of immortalizing his Name by fome more
glorious Undertaking, went to farts in hopes of
being imploy'd in the Grand Gallery of the Louvre ;
but not fucceeding there, he return'd hither, and
proposed to the IQng (by his Friend Sir fynelm
Digby) to make Cartoons for the Banqueting boufe
at White-ball: the fubjecl: of which was to have
been the Inftitution of the Order of tie Garter, the
froceffion of the f(nigbts in their Habits, with the
Ceremony of their Lift 'ailment , and St. Georges Feaft.
But his Demands of four/core tboufand pounds, be-
ing thought unreafonable, whilft the Kjng was
upon treating with him for a lefs Stimm, the Gout
and other Ttiftempers put an end to that. Affair
and his Life, Anno 1641 ; and his 'Body was in-
terr'd in St.fauls Church. See farther,/^. 226.
And note, that amongft the Portraits of llluftrious
ferfons, Sec. printed and publifh'd by the parti-
Mt. 42. cu ^ ar directions of this Mafter, fome were etch'd
in Aqui-fortit by Van T)yck himfelf.
BENEDETTO USTIGLIONE, a Gcnouefe,
was at firft a Difciple of 'Battifta faggi and Ferrari
his
Modern Mafters. 333
his Countrymen 5 improved himfelf afterwards
by the inftru&ions of Van T>yck (as long as he
continu'd in Genoua) and at laft became an Imi-
tator of the manner of Nicolo Pouffin. He was
commended for feveral very good Prints of his
own etching: but mPainting his Inclinations led him
to Figures, with Landtfcbapes and Animals -, which
he touched up with a great deal of Life and Spi-
rit, and was particularly remarkable for a brisk
(Pencil, and a free handling in all his Compofitions. He
was a Perfon very unsettled. in his Temper, and
never lov'd to ftay long in one place : but being
continually upon the ramble, his Works lie feat-
ter'd up and down in Genoua, tityme, Naples, Fe-
nice, Parma, and Mantoua, where he died.
COVAZZO, generally cali'd
Me P^OSPETT^E, was born at
in the Venetian Territories, dnnoij.pp: and
by the Inftru6tions of Auguftino Taffo his Matter,
arrived to a moft excellent mojmer of painting
Buildings, ( l(uins, dec. His ordinary Refidence
was at (Rome, where he died, Anno 1674, and
was bury'd in the Church of S. Lorenzo in Lucina
He had a Sow called. Nicolo, who purfu'd his ft-.
tbers fteps, and died at Genoua, in great Reputati- yr. 75.
on for hisperforminces in Perjfecltie,
MJ-
334 Modern Majlers.
^xn MA<KJO NUZZIy commonly call'd
1 5 99' de FIO^Jj born at Orta in the Terra di Sabina, was
a Difciple of his Uncle Tomafo Salini, and one of
the moft famous Mafters in his rime for painting
Flowers. He died in H^pme, (where he had fpenc
72. g reac part of his Life) and was alfo bury'd in S.
Lorenzys Church, Anno
MICHEUNGELO CE3(Q140ZZI, was born
1600. j n (jfyme^ jnno 1600, and bred up in the
Scfwol of Antonio Safaatti, a Solognefe. He was
cali'd deUe <BATT4GLIE, from his excellent Ta-
lent in $Attels ; but befides his great skill in that
particular Subjett, he was very fuccefsfulmzli forts
of Figures^ and painted Frw/t incomparably beyond
JEt. 60. an y Mafter in Europe. He was bury'd in the
of S. Marks Church in 3owe Anno \ 660.
CLAUDIO GILLE of LO<I(A1N, born
1600. 1600, was by his Parents fent very young to
<!(ome 5 and after he had been grounded in the
Elements ofDefign, and the <I(ules of PcrfpeiliVe,
tinder Auguftino Tajfo, he removed his Study to the
Banks of the 3}er, and into the of en Fields, took
all hisLeflons from Nature her felf, and by many
years diligent Imitation of that excellent Mftrefs,
climb'd up to the higheft ftep of Perfettion m
Landt-
Modern Mafters.
LandtfchapC'painting: and was univerfally admir'd
for his fleajant and mod agreeatte Invention; for
the delicacy of his Colouring, and the charming Va-
riety and tenJernefi-of his Tints ; for his artful Di-
ftribution of the Lights and Shadows j and for his
wonderful Conduftjn difpojtng his Figures for the &b
Vantage zr\& Harmony of his Compofetions. He was
much commended for feveral of his Performances
in Frefco as well as Oyl, was imploy'd by Pope Ur-
ban VIII. and many of the Italian Princes in adorn-
ing their Palaces : and having by his Pencil made
his Name famous throughout Europe, died An. 1682,
and was interr d in the Church of Trinita de Monti, t. 82 .
in
DUGHET, was of French Extra-
ction, but born in fyme, Anno 1 600. He took l "*
to himfelf the name of (POMSS1N, in gratitude
for many Favours, and particularly that of his E-
Jucation, which he receiv'd from Nicoh (poujfiny
who married his Sifter. His firft Imployment
under his Brother -in* Law y was in looking after his
Colours, Pencils) &c. but his excellent Genius for
fainting foon difcovering it felf, by his own In*
duftry and his Brothers Inftruttions was fo well im-
prov'd^ that in Landtfchapes (which he principal-
ly ftudied) he became one of the greateft Ma->
flers f
w
33$ Modem Mafters.
fters in his^e; and was much in requeft,' for his
eafie Invention, folid Judgment, regular Dijpojition,
and true fyfemblance of Nature in all his Works.
He died in his great ClimacJericai year 1663, and
Et. <$2. was 'bury'd in his (pariJk-Cburcb ofS. Sufanna, in
In his time, liv'd and flourifh'd
SACCHI, a celebrated (Roman Ma/ler, highly ex-
toird for his general Accomfllfbrnents in all the parts
of ^Painting ^ but more particularly eminent for
his extraordinary still in the Elegance of 'Dejlgn^
the Harmony of Order, and the Beauty of Colouring.
His Competitor <PlETV(p <BE$(ETT1NI da
COTTON A, was alfo of great confideration in
this time 5 and much applauded for his magnifi-
cent Works in fever al of the Churches and Palaces
of (2fywe and Florence. He excelled both in Frejco
and 6ty/, was profoundly read in the Antiquities,
had a woWe and r/'cfc Imagination^ and a Gewwj far
beyond any of his Contemporaries, for Ornaments
and ^rW Hiftorical Comfofitions. He was very
well efteem'd by Pope Urban VIII. Innocent X.
and moft of the Terfons of the yi/yZ d^wA in Italy.
GE-
Modern Mafters. 337
- V --JT J>OV, born at Leyden, about the ( ~ N ~ A >- /
jfcw 1 607, was a Difciple of G{embrandt, but
much pleafanter in his Sfj/e of Taint ing, and fupe-
rior to him in little Figures. He was efteem'd in
Holland the be ft Mafter in his M^J : and tho' we
muft not expect to find in his Works that Elevation
ofTIwught, that Correftnef? of Defign, orthatwoWe
Spirit y and grand Gufto, in which the Italians have
diftinguifh'd themfelves from the reft of Mankind $
yet it muft be acknowledged, that in the Manage-
ment of his Tencil, and the Choice and Beauty of
hi sColours, he has been curious to the laft degree ;
and in finishing his Tieces, laborious and patient be-
yond example. He died cira* Annum 1674,
leaving behind him many Scholars, of whom
MIEQjJS the chief, was in feveral rcfgefts equal
to his Mafter. But for the reft of his Imitators, ge-
nerally fpeaking, we may place them in the fame
Form with the cunning Fools, mentioned, fag. i j 5.
was born in the Ci-
ty ofHaerlem, Anno 1608 -, and befides his great 1608.
Obligations to Nature, was very much beholden
to Frans Hals, who took him from begging in the ^^
Streets, and inftrutted him in the Rudiments of
Tainting 3 And to make him amends for his kind-
nefs, Brouwer, when he found himfelf fufficiently
X x qua-
338 Modern Mafters.
qualified to get a Lrtelyhood, ran away from his
Mafter into France, and after a (hort ftay there,
returned, and fettled at Antwerp. Humour was
his proper Sphere, and it was in little Pieces that
heus'd toreprefent Boors , and others his Pot- com*
panions, drinking, fmoking Tobacco, gaming* fight-
ing, dec. with a Pencil to tender and free, lo much
of Nature in his Exprejfion, fuch excellent 2>rf#-
wf in all the particular farts, and good peeping
in the whole together, that none of his Countrymen
have ever been comparable to him in that Sub-
jccl:. He was extremely facetious and gleafant o-
ver his Cups, fcorn'd to work as long as he had
any Money in his Dockets, declar'd for a fliort L//g
and a merry one : and refolving to ride Po/l to
his Gral>e,jpy the help of Wine and Brandy, got
to his Journeys end, Anno 1658; fo very poor, that
Contributions were rais'd to lay him privately in
the Ground, from whence he was foon after taken
up, and (as 'tis commonly faid) very handfome-
Mt. 2o.ty i ncerr 'd by Rubens, who was a great Admirer,
of his happy Genutt for fainting.
SAMUEU COOPE^, born in London,
00j was bred up (together with his elder Bro-
ther Alexander) under the Gare and Difcipline of -
Mr. Hoskiw his Uncle :. but derived the rnoft con-
fiderable
Modern Mafters.
fiderabk advantages, from the ObferVations which
he made on the Worh of Van Vyck His Pencil
was generally confin'd to a Head onely ; and in-
deed below that part he was not always fo fuccefs-
ful as could be wifii'd : but for a Face, and all
the dependencies of it (vi^.) the graceful and becom-
ing Atr, the Strength, fylieVo and nolle Spirit, the
foftnefs and fem/er liVelinefs of Flefh and S/ooJ, and
the /0o/e and ^ewf/fe management of the Ha/> , his
Talent was fo extraordinary, that for the Honour
of our Nation, it may without Vanity be affirm'd,
he was (at leaft) equal to the moft famous Itali-
ans ; and that hardly any of his fredecejfors has ever
been able to fliew fo much <P.erfelion in fo narrow
a Compafs. Anfwerable to his Abilities in this Art
was his skiff in Mufic : and he was reckon'd one of
the beft Lutenifts, as well as the moft excellent
Limner in his time. He fpent feveral years of
his Life abroad, was perfonally acquainted with
thegreateft Men of France, Holland, and his own
Country, and by his Worh more univerfally known
in all the pars of Chrijlendom. He died Anno 1672,,- ,
and lies bury'd in <Pancr*f Church, in the Fields,
WILLIAM WBSON, a Gentleman defcend-
ed of a Family very eminent (at that time) in St.
r, was born in Sc. Andrews Parifh, in Hoi-
Xx 2 iouru,
340 Modern Mafters.
bourn, Anno 1 6 1 o. Who firft inftru&ed him in
the ufe of his Pencil is uncertain: of this we are
well aflur'd, that he was put out very early an
Apprentice to one Mr. <Peake, a Stationer and Tra-
der in (Pitturcs $ and that Nature, his beft Miftreft,
inclin'd him fo powerfully to the frattice of <Pain-
ting after the Life, that had his Education been but
anfwerable to his Genius, England might juftly have
been as proud of her Dob/on, as Venice of her Ttti-
an, or Flanders of her Van Vyck- How much lie was .
beholden to the latter of thofe^re^f Men, may eafi-
ty be feen in all his Works ; no Painter having ever
come up fo near to the (perfettion of that excellent
Mafter, as this his happy Imitator. He was alfo
farther indebted to the Generofity of Van Dyck, in
prefenting him to King Charles I. who took him
into his immediate (proteftion, kept him in Oxford
all the while his Majefty continued in that City ; fat
ftveral times to him for his (Pifture, and obliged
the Prince of Wales, Prince fypert, andmoftofthe
Lords of his Court to do the like. He wasa/d*>,
middle-fiz^d Man, of a ready Wit, and pleajmg Con-
Verfatton ; was fomewhat loo/e and irregular in his
way jof Living, and notwithstanding the many Op-
portunities which he had of making his Fortunes,
Mt. -$?. died very poor, at his. hoafein St. Martins-lane, Anno
1647.
MI-
Modern Mafters.
MICHAELANGELO 7 ACE, born Anno 16 \ o,
and call'd & CAMTWOGLIO (becaufe of an Of
fee which he had in the Cafitol) was a Difciplc of
FioraVanti, and very much efteem'd all over Italy,
for his admirable Talent in fainting Fruit and the
JliO Life. He died in <%ome, Anno 1670, leaving
behind him two Sons 3 of whom Gw. 'Battifta the
eldeft, was brought up to Hiflory fainting under
Francefco Mola, and is now in the Service of the
King of Spain : Buc the other call'd <Pietro, died
in his Prime, and onely liv'd jufl long enough
to fhew that a few years more would have made ^ ,
him one of the greateft Maflers in the World.
, a NeapolitanJbomJn.
in both the Sifter- Arts of Qoe/y and fainting, was l " 1
efteem'd one of the moft excellent Mafters that
JMy has produced in this Centiuy. In the fird,
his province was Satire ; in the latter, LanJtfchafes,
Battels, HaVens, Sec. with little Figures. He was
a Difciple of D^w/Vfe Falconi his Countryman, an
^rf/y? of good repute 5 whofe inftructions he very^
much improv'd by his Study after the Antiquities,
and the Works of the moft eminent Painters who
went before him. He was fam'd for his copiou*
and florid Indention, for his profound Judgment in the
ordering of his Pieces, for the gentile and uncommon
Modern Maflers.
''Management of his Figures, and his general
ledge in all the parts of Painting : But that which
gave a more particular ftamp to his Compofoions,
was his inimitable Liberty of Pencil, and the noble
Spirit with which he animated all his Works. $(ome
was the place where he fpent the greateft part of
his Life $ highly courted and admir'd by all the
Men of Note and Quality, and where he died Anno
50. ! &7 3 5 having etch'd abundance of valuable Prints
^s-/ with his own hand.
GIACOMO CO<%TESI, the famous Battd-pain-
ter, commonly call'd The <BO<%GOGNONE ,
from the Country where he was born , was the Con-
temporary ofSahator <l(ofa y and equally applaud-
ed for his admirable Gufto, and grand Manner of
Painting. He had for feveral years been conver-
fant in Military Affairs, was a confiderable Officer
in the Army, made the Camp his School, and form'd
all his excellent jy&zj from what he had feen per-
form d in the Field. His Style was rojgi/y woWe,
and (Souldier like) full of Fire and S/>/>/>. He re-
tir'd, towards the latter end of his Life, into the
Consent of the Jefuits in ^ome : where he was
forc'd to take Santtuary (as they fay) to rid his
hands of an ill Bargain, which he had unhappi-
ly got in a Wife.
Sir
Modem Mafters. 343
Sir <PET&]{ LELT was born Aim \6\? y in
Weftfbalia, where his Father, being a Captain,
happened to be then in Garrifon. He was bred up
for fome time in the Hague, and afterwards com-
mitted to the care of onede Grebber of Haerlem. He
came over into England, Anna 1 641 , and purfu'd
the natural bent of his Genius in Landtfcbafes with
fmatt Figures, and Hi/lor ical Comfojitions : but find-
ing the practice of (Painting after the Life general-
ly more encourag'd, he apply'd himfelf to Tor-
traits with fuch fuccefs, as in a little time to fur-
pafs all his Contemporaries in Europe. He was ve-
ry earneft in his younger days, to have fimWd;
thecourfe of his Studies in Italy : but the great bu-
finefs in which he was perpetually ingag'd, not
allowing him fo much time; to make himfelf
amends, he refolv'd atlaft, in an excellent and
well chofen ColleElion of the Drawings, Prints, and
Paintings, of the mod celebrated Maftcrs^ to bring
the <I(oman and Lombard Schools home to him.
And what benefit he reap'd from this Expedient,
was fufficiently apparent in that admirable Style
of&aintlngi which he form'd to himfelf by dayly
converting with the Works of thofe great Men : In
the correttnefl of his Drawing, and the beauty of his
Colouring -, but efpecially in the graceful Airs of his
Figures, the fleajmg Variety of his foftures, and
his
344 Modern Makers.
his gentile negligence and loofe manner of Draperies:
in which particular as few of his Prcdecejfors were
equal to 'him, io all fucceeding Artifts muft ftand
oblig'd to his happy Indention, for the noble Pat-
tern which he has left them for Imitation. He
was recommended to the favour of King Charles I.
by Philip Earl of Pembroke, then Lord Chamber-
lain-, and drew his Majefties Pitture, when he was
*Pfj/oner in Hampton-Court. He was alfo much in
efteem with his Son Charles II. who made him
his Painter, conferred the honour of ffyifgbtbood
upon him, and would oftentimes take great plea-
fure in his ConVerfation, which he found to be as a-
greeablc as his Pencil He was likewife highly re-
fpected by all the People of Eminence in the l\ing-
dom j and indeed fo extraordinary were his natural
Parts , and fo great 'his acquird ffyowledge, that it
would be hard to determine whether he was a bet-
ter Painter, or a more accomplijh'd Gentleman : or
whether the Honours which he has done his Pro-
fej/ton, or the Afoantages which he derived from
it were the mod confiderable. But as to his
Art, certain it is, that his laft Pieces were his beft,
and that he gain'd ground, and improv'd himfelf
every day, even to the very Moment in which
62. Death fnatch'd his Pencil out of his hand in an Apo-
Anno 1680.
SE-
Modern Makers. ,- 34.5
SEBASTIAN WU<%pON, a French-many born
at Mompellier, Anno \ 6 1 9, ftudy'd ^Vew years in
3fy/e, and acquired fo much Reputation by his
Works both in Hiftory and Landtfcbape, that upon
his return to France, he had the /;o?2or of being
the /?r/2 who was made <%elor of the (Royal Acade-
my of Painting and Sculpture at Paris. He fpent
two years alfo ift Sweden, where he was very well
efteem'd, and nobly prefented by that great <Pa-
trone/? of Arts and Sciences, Qijeen Chriftina. He^g*^
died, ^/wo 1 675.
jO^pANO, was born in N*pfe*,
and by his Studies under ?(>tro da Cortona
at (^owe, joyn'd with his continu'd Application to all
the noble Remains of Antiquity, became one of the
beftaccomplifh'd,and mod univerfal Majlers in his
time. He was wonderfully skuTd in the practical
part of Defining, and from his incredible Facility,
and prodigious Difpatcb, was call'd by his Fellow-
Painters, Luca fa Prefto. He was befidcs very
happy in imitating the different Styles of other
great Men, and particularly follow'd the manner
of Titian, Bajfan, Tmtoret, Guido, &c. fo clofe
in feveral of his Pieces, that it is not the talent of
every Pretender to Painting, to diftinguifli them
from Originals of thofe Hands. He was famous
Yy for
Modern Mafters.
for his many excellent Performances in <%ome and
Florence: And being continually imploy'd in
workjng for Evinces, and People of the y?;y? Quality
all over Europe, grew fo vaftly nc/;, that at his re-
turn to Naples j he purchased a T>utcby in that //-
Jow, marry'd and liv'd fplendidly, kept a noble
Palace, and a numerous Detinue y with Coaches, Lit-
ters, and all other imaginable Stafe. Being grown
Old, he was earneftly prefs'd by the Viceroy to go
over into Spain, and ferve the f(ing his Mafter :
He had no fancy for the Voyage, and therefore rais'd
his Terms very high : was not content with twen-
ty tboufand Crowns paid him down, and the Gol-
den f(ey given him, as Groom of the {Bed-dumber ;
but befides, having heard, that by the Statutes
of St. Jagp, and the other Military Orders of Spain,
itwasexprefly^yol>j'<k/, that no <Pa'mter flhould be
admitted into any of them, becaufe their tprofejfion
was generally look'd upon as Mechanic ; he re-
folv'd, for the Honour of his Art, not to ftir a
foot, till he himfelf was firft made a Height of
St. Jagp, and his two Sons l^ntgUs of Alcantara,
and CalatraVa. All which being granted, he fet
out for Madrid, where he was received very kind-
ly by the IQng, and having adorn d the grand
Stair-cafe of the Efcurial, with the Story of the <Bat-
tel of St. guintin, (which is perhaps one of the beft
things
Modern Makers.
things in its kind, that has been any where perform'd
in this Age) he fell to work upon the great Church
belonging to that Palace 5 but the Climate being
too fevere for his Conftitution of Body, and his
Mind not fo well fatisfy'd as at Naples, he ftckned
and died in the Winter of the year 1 694.
In the fame year died FILIPPO LAU^O, a
Mafter equal to him in all refpe&s, excepting one-
ly that by confining himfelf to fmall Figures, and
Hiftories in little, he contracted his admirable Ta-
lent into a narrower Compafs. He liv'd for the
moft part in tf^ome; and was highly valu'd for
the Q(icbes of his Fancy, &nd the Accuracy of fas Judg-
ment-, for the Elegance of his Out-lines, and the
Propriety of his Colouring ; and for the graceful
Freedom of his. Pencil, in all his Comfofaions.
JOHN gjJLEY, born in the City of
Anno 1 646, was inftrufted in the firft Rudi-
merits of Painting by Mr. Zoujl and Mr. Putter^
but left them whilft he was very Young, and
began to pra&ife after the Life : yet accjuir'd no
great Deputation, till upon the death of Sir Pe-
ter Ltly, his Friends being defirous that he fliould
fuccecd that excellent Mafter in the favour of
King Charles II. ingag'd Mr. Chffinch to fit to
Y y 2 him
348 Modern Mafters.
him for his <Piture 3 which he performed fo well,
that the I\jng, upon fight of it, fent for him, and
having imploy'd him in drawing the Duke of Graf -
tons Portrait, and foon after his own, took him into
his Service, honoured him with feveral obliging
Teflimonies of his Efteem, and withal gave this
Character of his Worfo, that he painted both Infide and
Outfede. Upon the Acceflion of K. William and
Q^ Mary to the Crown, he was fworn their Ma-
jefties Principal Taint er 3 which place he had not in-
joy'd in the preceding ^eign, tho' K. James and
his Queen were both pleas' d to be drawn by his Hand.
He was very diligent in the Imitation of Nature ;
and by ftudying the Life, rather than following
any particular manner, attained a pleafant and
moft agreeable Style of fainting. But that which
eminently diftinguifli'd him from all his Contem-
poraries , was his peculiar Excellence in a Head,
and efpecially in the Colouring part ; wherein fome
of his Prices were fo very extraordinary, that Mr.
Gfyley himfelf was the onely Terfon who was not
charrn'd with them. He was a Gentleman ex-
tremely courteous in his Behaviour, obliging in his
Conversation, and prudent in all his Aftions. He
was a dutiful Son, an aflfe&ionate Brother, a kind
Mafter, and a faithful Friend. He never was
guilty of a piece of Vanity (too common amongft
Artifis)
Modern Maflers. *
Anifts) of faying mighty things on his own behalf,
but contented himfelf with letting his Works
{peak for him ; wUcb being plentifully difpers'd
over other Nations as well as our own, were in-
deed everywhere very Eloquent in his Commendati-
on. He had for feveral years been violently
perfecuted by the Gout j which after many ter-
rible Affaults, flying up at laft into his Head,
brought him to his Grave, Anno 1691, exceed-
ingly lamented by all fuch as had the happinefs
of being acquainted either with his Terfon or his Aft. 4 c,
Work.
FINIS.
( 350 )
ancient flatters
Contain'd in the preceding
A.
Cleophanttts.
234
pag.
Cornelius finus.
250
ACtius Trifcus.
Amphion.
M
Crato.
Cydm.
2-33
242
Antidotus.
246
Apelles.
241
D.
Apollodoruf.
257
Dinias.
134
Ardices.
^33
Arellms.
2fO
E.
Ariftides.
245
Euchir.
233
Afcleptodorus.
ib.
Eumarus.
234
Athenion.
247
Euphranor.
241
Eupompiu.
240
B.
Bularckus.
235
F.
Falius Pid;or.
248
C.
Charmas.
234
H.
Cimon.
234
Hygiemon.
234
Clcanthes.
2 33
Ancient Mafters.
L.
Pkilocles.
2 '33
Ludius.
25*0
Polignotus Athenienfis
2-3?
Thafius.
237
M.
Poljcletus.
23^
Marcus Pacuvius.
249
Praxiteles.
242
Melantkius.
244
Protogenes.
243
Metrodorus.
249
Pyre'icus.
246
Myron.
*37
S.
N.
Saunas.
2-33
Nea/cesl
248
Scopas.
tficias.
247
Uicomackus.
246
T.
Nicopbanes.
ib.
Telepkanes.
2 '33
Tkeomneflus.
24^
P.
Tirnantkes.
240
Pampkilus.
240
Timomackus.
24?
Pananus.
235
Turpilius*
250
Parrkafius.
239
Paujias.
241
z.
Phidias.
2-3^
Zettxis,
238
Mf
351 -
( 352 )
$tofcet Blatters.
~ ^
A.
/JLlani.
Albert Durer.
fMantegna.
I Sacchi.
I del Sarto.
Schiavone.
Taffi.
\Verrocchio.
Annilale Carracci.
Antonetto da Meffina
Carracci.
Andrea*.
Tempefta.
Artemifia Gentilefchi.
Agoftino Carracci.
B.
Badalocchi (Sifto.)
Bandinelli (Baccio.)
Bambcccio.
Barocci (Frederico.)
Bartolomeo (Fra.)
314
173
X97
163
Baffano
Francefco.
^iacomo.
Gio. Battifta.
1 Girolamo.
Leandro.
291
289
291
ib.
ib.
Battaglie (M. Angelo.)3 34
Battifta Franco. 277
357
ib.
LCaftiglione. 332
Bordone (Paris.) 294
Borgognone. 342
Bourdon (_Sebaftian.) 345
Brueghel (Fluweelen.) 315
Brouwer.
Buonaroti (M.
337
C.
Benedetto.
Carlo.
Gabrielle.
Paolo.
Catnillo Procaccini.
Caliari
301
300
ib.
299
310
Carraccu
CampidoglioQA- Angdo.)3 4 i
Cart Antonio Procaccini.$ ro
Annibale. 308
I Antonio. 309
(Agoftino. 306
Lodovico. ib.
.) J i 3
Caftiglione (Benedetto.) 3jx
Cimalue. Xf3
Claudio GiUe (Lorain.) 334
164
Modern Mafters.
ALlani.
Barlieri.
Baffano.
Francia.
Correggio.
D.
Daniele da Volt err a. 188
Dilfon. 339
Domenichino. 3x1
r/%tf. 303
Dotnenico\ Ghirlandaio. 261
\Jintoretto. 193
337
(Albert.) 163
Procaccini. 311
F.
F^/ (Domenico.)
Faritiato (Paola)
Francefco<
310
32-7
191
Mazzuoli.
Primaticcio.
Salviati.
188
311
Franco (Battifla.) %n
301
Frefnoy (Q Alphonfe.) 31 ^
G.
.("Gaddo.
\Taddeo.
Gafparo PouJJj*.
ib.
Giorgiotte.
Giorgio Vafari.
166
194
BaJJano. 189
6 ^ om ^ifaPuntormo^ 7$
Tintoretto. 191
to. Battijla Baffano. 191
Rilera.
Giofeppino.
Giottino.
Giotto.
2z
156
353
354
Modern Mafttrs
Girolamo Bajjano.
291
Giulio Cefare Procaccini. 310
Clwio.
Guercino da Cento.
Gutdo Rent.
H.
Hans Holfain.
I.
John of Bruges.
Jordano (Luca.)
L.
Lanfranco.
Laaro (Filippo.)
LeanJro Baffano.
Lely (Sir PeterJ
Leonardo da Vinci.
Lodovico Carracci.
dano.
Lucas van Ley den.
M
Mantegna (Andrea.)
Margaritone,
Marietta Tintoretta.
Mario di Fiori.
Mafaccio.
Matthew Bril.
274
345
324
347
343
260
259
2-77
293
334
257
C deUe Battaglie.$ 34
Michel* jBuonoroti. 165
angelo jdi Campidoglio.^i
(da Caravaggio. 313:
More (Antonio.} 295,
N.
' Ailate. 181,
Pu/tno. 328
O.
Bordone.
Parmegiane.
e.
Paul Bril.
Pierino delfaga.
Pietervan Laer.
da Cortona.
Ligorio.
Poelenlurch.
Polidoro.
Pordenone.
Primaticcio,
294
286
299
*J
285-
32($ ;
3^
ft s
Perugtno. 201
289
32^
279
271
282
Pro-.
CCamillo. 310
Proeac-jQaxY Antonio, ilx
cini }Ercole. 311
CGiulioCdare.3io
Puntormo (Giacomo.) 175-
Modern Mafterx . 355
Spagnoletto (Ribera.) 313
Spraughcr. 303
Q.
Qulntin Matfys.
R.
RafaeOedaVrlit*. .
RicctarcBi (Daniele.)
Riley (John.)
Rotenhamer.
JRofo.
Rulens.
Saccki (Andrea.)
Sahator Rofa.
. fFrancefco.
iS^r/t? (Andrea
Sckiavone (Andrea.)
Selaftian Bourdon
Selaftiano del Piomlo.
Signorefo [Luca.*)
Simone Memmt.
Sifto Badaloccki
Snyders.
70
^8o
3*7
1
301
196
345
155
314
T.
Taddeo Zucckero.
faffi (Andrea.)
Temptfta (Antonio.)
fefa (Pietro.}
Tinteretta
Titiano*
v;
298
319:
192.
31
Vanni (Tranccfco.) 311
? (Giorgio.) 294
"iovannidaj 176
159
160
Veronefs (Paolo.)
Verrocchio fAndrea*)
Vinci (Leonardo da.)
Viola.
Viviano.
fVtoraCDanieleda). i8
Fouet (Simon.)
Z.
Zampieri CDomcnico.)
3M
301
198
E I N I S.,
ERRATA
Page
Line
Inftead of
Read.
vij
21
JSamhwo.
Bamboccio.
7
7
libcrataifr
librntAOi
21
Marg
pofiturorum*
fojttitrartmt.
4 1
18
tranflftent.
tranflncent.
98
7
$ i/r. rule.
6oth. Rule.
f 10
ib.
21
Negle&ing the Copiers,
reltaion.
The Copiers neglefting.
relation.
110
14
43< Precept.
13^. Precept.
128
'9
indifhabile.
en dijkabillce.
136
161
II
2
4//>. Precept,
it comprehends.
41)?. Precept,
comprehends*
219
11
his Brothers.
his Sons.
221
21
gentlenefs.
gentileneis.
237
14
great.
general*
254
12
Bcncdift IX*
Bcncdi& XI.
315
5J C tg *'
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