Dissertation on the Paintings of the middle j^ge. 355 



ti.'ithstandin2; their rurceJness and want of truth in the 

 execution. 



It is totally useless to speak here of the ornaments of 

 the paintings of "the middle age : the unanimity of opinion 

 on the delicate taste ot thc^e motlels which are perpetuated 

 without mixture renders this analysis unnecessary. I shall 

 now conclude by a few reflections on their colouring. 



On their Colouring. 



I shall not dwell long upon the colouring of the paintings 

 of the midille age. 1 shall only rcmaik, that the crudity 

 and discordance of the colours are much less revolting when 

 tlie whole svsiem of colouring is lively and luminous, like 

 that which was employed in those times, than when the 

 colours are dull and heavy like those used with oil. This 

 reflection may involve a question on the subject of colour- 

 ing, which it is unnecessary to explain here. I merely 

 throw out the idea, to diminish the aversion which those 

 have for bribk and entire colours who do not take any but 

 oil paintiuffs into the comparison. To conclude : the fine 

 Guido of Sienna of the heiaht of six feet, which is to he 

 seen in th.c cabinet of M. Artaud, is painted in a most de- 

 licate tone, and with that commi.r.tiua colorum of Pliny 

 which brings to our recollection the best schools of the 

 ancients. 



I have endeavoured in another Essay*, by quoting some 

 pages from the second edition of M. Artaud's work, to 

 prove that painting; in oil had deprived the art of its ndivetS 

 of colouring. I have attempted to show the inconveniences 

 of this painting so much spoken of, and which was pro- 

 bably known and rejected bv several nations on account of 

 its interminable obscurity, and of which latterly John of 

 Bruges was unable to fort-see the slow carbonisation. I 

 shall not here repeat the ideas which 1 then hazarded; but 

 I shall content myself with saying, that I am convinced 

 that the restoration of a mure natural and true process 

 may have a verv important induence upon the arts by the 

 analogy of expressed truths : full of these ideas, and guided 

 by the desire of being useiul, I have made constant efTorts 

 to recover the material painting of the ancients. I hope 

 that the experimeuls which 1 purpose to make known, will 

 determine all unprejudiced artists to employ the processes 



• Coiialdfratioiis sur I'Etal dc \a Pc-inture f n Italic danit lea quatre Si6cle» 

 qui oni prec6dt celui (ie Kaphaol. In 8vo. Paris. Schall. JSII. 



Z2 of 



