Polydore, a disciple of Raffaelle, designed admirably well as to the practical part, having a particular genius for friezes, as we may see by those of white and black, which he has painted at Rome. He imitated the ancients, but his manner was greater than that of Giulio Romano; nevertheless Giulio seems to be the truer. Some admirable groups are seen in his works, and such as are not elsewhere to be found. He coloured sery seldom, and made landscapes in a tolerably good taste.

Giovanni Bellini, one of the first who was of any consideration at Venice, painted very drily, according to the manner of his time. He was very knowing both in architecture and perspective. He was Titian's first master; which may easily be observed in the earlier works of that noble disciple; in which we may remark that propriety of colours which his master has observed.

About this time Giorgione, the contemporary of Titian, came to excel in portraits, and also in greater works. He first began to make choice of glowing and agreeable colours: the perfection and entire harmony of which were afterwards to be found in Titian's pictures. He dressed his figures wonderfully well: and it may be truly said, that but for him, Titian had never arrived to that height of perfection, which proceeded from the rivalship and jealousy which prevailed between them. Titian was one of the greatest colourists ever

known he designed with much more ease and practice than Giorgione. There are to be seen women and children of his hand, which are admirable both for design and colouring; the gusto of them is delicate, charming, and noble, with a certain pleasing negligence in the head-dresses, draperies, and ornaments, which are wholly peculiar to himself. As for the figures of men, he has designed them but moderately well: there are even some of his draperies which are mean, and in a little taste. His painting is wonderfully glowing, sweet, and delicate. He drew portraits which were extremely noble: the attitudes of them being very graceful, grave, diversified, and adorned after a very becoming fashion. No man ever painted landscape in so great a manner, so well coloured, and with such truth of nature. For eight or ten years' space, he copied, with great labour and exactness whatsoever he undertook; thereby to make himself an easy way, and to establish some general maxims for his future conduct. Besides the excellent gusto which he had in colouring, in which he excelled all mortal men, he perfectly understood how to give every thing those touches which were most suitable and proper to them: such as distinguished them from each other, and which gave the greater spirit, and the most of truth. The pictures which he made in his beginning, and in the declension of his age, are of a dry and

His

mean manner. He lived ninety-nine years. disciples were Paolo Veronese, Giacomo Tintoret, Giacomo da Ponte Bassano, and his sons.

Paolo Veronese was wonderfully graceful in his airs of women, with great variety of brilliant draperies, and incredible vivacity and ease; nevertheless his composition is sometimes improper, and his design incorrect: but his colouring, and whatsoever depends on it, is so very charming in his pictures, that it surprises at the first sight, and makes us totally forget those other qualities in which he fails.

Tintoret was the disciple of Titian; great in design and practice, but sometimes also greatly extravagant. He had an admirable genius for painting, but not so great an affection for his art, or patience in the executive part of it, as he had fire and vivacity of nature. He yet has made pictures not inferior to those of Titian. His composition and decorations are for the most part rude, and his outlines are incorrect; but his colouring, and all that depends upon it, is admirable.

The Bassans had a more mean and poor gusto in painting than Tintoret, and their designs were also less correct than his. They had, indeed, an excellent maner of colouring, and have touched all kinds of animals with an admirable hand; but were notoriously imperfect in composition and design.

Corregio painted at Parma two large cupolas

in fresco, and some altar-pieces. This artist struck out certain natural and unaffected graces for his madonnas, his saints, and little children, which were peculiar to himself. His manner, design, and execution are all very great, but yet without correctness. He had a most free and delightful pencil; and it is to be acknowledged, that he painted with a strength, relief, sweetness, and vivacity of colouring, which nothing ever exceeded. He understood how to distribute his lights in such a manner, as was wholly peculiar to himself, which gave a great force and great roundness to his figures. This manner consists in extending a large light, and then making it lose itself insensibly in the dark shadowings, which he placed out of the masses; and those give them this relief, without our being able to perceive from whence proceeds so much effect, and so vast a pleasure to the sight. It appears, that in this part, the rest of the Lombard school copied him. He had no great choice of graceful attitudes, or distribution of beautiful groups. His design oftentimes appears lame, and his positions not well chosen the look of his figures is often unpleasing: but his manner of designing heads, hands, feet, and other parts, is very great, and well deserves our imitation. In the conduct and finishing of a picture, he has done wonders; for he painted with so much union, that his greatest works seem to have been finished in

the compass of one day; and appear as if we saw them in a looking-glass. His landscape is equally beautiful with his figures.

At the same time with Corregio, lived and flourished Parmegiano; who, besides his great manner of colouring, excelled also both in invention and design: with a genius full of delicacy and spirit, having nothing that was ungraceful in his choice of attitudes, or in the dresses of his figures, which we cannot say of Corregio; there are pieces of Parmegiano's very beautiful and correct.

These two painters last mentioned had very good disciples, but they are known only to those of their own province; and besides, there is little to be credited of what their countrymen say, for painting is wholly extinguished among them.

I say nothing of Lionardo da Vinci, because I have seen but little of his: though he restored the arts at Milan, and had there many scholars.

Lodovico Caracci, the cousin-german of Annibale and Agostino, studied at Parma, after Corregio; and excelled in design and colouring, with a grace and clearness which Guido, the scholar of Annibale, afterwards imitated with great success. There are some of his pictures to be seen, which are very beautiful and well understood. He made his ordinary residence at Bologna; and it was he who put the pencil into the hands of Annibale his cousin.

Annibale, in a little time, excelled his master in