lit 



PA1XTINO. 



PAINTING. 



think liu-her of their c-ilouring than any remains of ancient painting 

 will warrant, in the account which Pliny gives of the mode of operation 

 used by Apelles ; that over his finished picture he spread a transparent 

 liquid like ink, of which the effect was to give brilliancy, and at the 

 name time to lower the too great glare of the colour : ' Quod absoluta 

 opera atraniento illinebat ita tcnui, ut id ipsum repercussn claritates 

 C..1.THU1 excitaret ; et cum ratione magnA.ne colorum claritaa oculoruiu 

 aciem oflenderet' This passage," he adds, " though it may possibly 

 perplex the critics, is a true and an artist-like description of the effect 

 of glazing or scumbling, such as was practised by Titian and the rest 

 of the Venetian painters. This custom, or mode of operation, implies 

 at least a true taste of that in which the excellence of colouring con- 

 fists, which does not proceed from fine colours, but true colours, 

 from breaking down these fine colours, which would appear too raw, to 

 a deep-toned brightness. Perhaps the manner in which Correggio 

 practised the art of glazing was still more like that of Apelles, which 

 was only |>crceptiblc to those who looked close at the picture, ' ait 

 WKinNin iniii-ii'i itrmum ni'imrrrrt ;' whereas in Titian, and still more 

 in Baasan and others, his imitators, it was apparent on the slightest 

 inspection." 



k painting at ita beat, there cannot be much doubt, was only a 

 little, if at all, inferior to the sculpture of the same period. The men 

 who saw and appreciated the one admired equally the other. The 

 paintings, equally with the statues, were praised for their grandeur of 

 thought and expression, for their nobleness of design, and accuracy of 

 imitation. Foreshortening and perspective, essential qualities in a pic- 

 ture, were understood and practised. So also were the laws of light and 

 shade, though that disposition of light and shadow in masses, which 

 modern writers call cAiarowiiro, was probably unknown. Colour, as we 

 have seen, was studied in its subtlest refinements. Whether, as Sir 

 Joshua Reynolds expressed his assurance, " if what has happened in the 

 case of sculpture, had likewise happened in regard to their pointings, 

 and we had the good fortune to possess what the ancients themselves 

 esteemed their master-pieces, we should find their figures as correctly 

 drawn as the ' Laocoon,' and probably coloured like Titian," we cannot 

 venture to gay. We have none of their master-pieces ; but the works 

 brought to light since Reynolds wrote, though at best only such as 

 were execuU-d in the decline of art for decorating the provincial 

 residences of affluent foreign patrons, suffice fully to justify his san- 

 guine anticipations. The finest ancient picture yet discovered is that 

 known as ' The Battle of Issus,' found at Pompeii in 1831, and now in 

 the Museo Borbonico at Naples. It displays great skill in design, 

 knowledge of foreshortening and perspective, and immense vigour of 

 expression, though the execution is inferior to the conception. This 

 is a mosaic, but was probably a copy in imitation of some celebrated 

 painting of an earlier date, as the chief extant remains of Grace-Roman 

 sculpture are known to be copies of famous old statues. Another mosaic 

 of admirable design is that of the Choragus engraved under MOSAIC. 

 The finest extant painting of Gncco-Roman date is that known as the 

 ' Abdobrandini Marriage,' found originally on the Esquiline Mount, and 

 now in the Vatican a fresco-painting executed with great freedom, and 

 excellent both in composition and colour. Equally remarkable in their 

 way are the paintings of ' Achilles Discovered by Ulysses,' found in 

 th House of Castor and Pollux at Pompeii (Zahn, ii., pi. 23); an 

 Achilles in a Quadriga,' painted in monochrome ; and a ' Dirce attached 

 to the Bull,' found in the House of the Grand-Duke at Pompeii in 1838, 

 and, like the preceding, engraved in Zahn. Many others might be 

 mentioned which, if regarded as they ought to be, as late and feeble 

 imitations, would attest sufficiently the high character of Greek 

 jnintinj when in its more flourishing condition. (See engravings in 

 Miiller, ' Denkmaler der Allen Kunst;' D'Agincourt, 'Hist, de 1'Art 

 par ses Monumens;' Mozois, ' Pompei/tom. iv. ; the ' Mus. Borbonico;' 

 and Zahn, ' Die Schonsten Ornaments und merkwurdigsten Gemiildu 

 aus Pompeii, Herculoneum, und Stabiae.') 



Paiiitiny in Kom(.The Romans had no independent school of 

 paintin,'. We have spoken of the early connection of Greece with 

 Italy and with Magna-Gnccia, and the later migrations of Greek 

 painters into Rome. It was by these mainly, if not exclusively, that 

 the pictures painted in Rome and the provinces were executed, and of 

 which examples remain in the frescoes and mosaics exhumed at Rome, 

 Pompeii, and elsewhere. Pliny, however, speaks of certain Romans 

 who cultiyaU-d jninting long before Greek pictures were brought to 

 Rome. C. Fahiiu Pictor is said to have derived bis name from deco- 

 rating the temple of Health (A.U.C. 450, B.C. 804). The poet Pacuvius 

 (B.C. 219-140) was an artist The vk-tory of L. Scipio over Antiochus 

 (B.C. 190) was recorded by a picture in the Capitol, as that of M. Vale- 

 rius Measala over Hiero had been by an historical painting in the 

 Curia Hostilia (B.C. 264). The first foreign picture publicly exhibited 

 at Rome was after the sack of Corinth by Mummius (n.c. 146), an 

 event which brought many of the finest works of art to the conquering 

 city, however little the victors were qualified to appreciate their real 

 worth. At a later period we hear of Arelliiu, Amulius, Accius, 

 Priscus, and Ludius, of whom the lost, in the time of Augustus, 

 painted landscapes, garden scenes, and buildings on the walls of rooms, 

 such as we see in the ruins of Ponnwii or the remains of the palace of 

 Nero. Cmnr purchoned the ' Ajox ' and the ' Medea' of Tiuiomachus 

 for 80 UlenU, an 1 at his time a school of some eminence existed at 

 Cyzicu*. The f .reed Woom of art which characterises the age of 



Hadrian implied a momentary revival of painting, and Action (of whom 

 Lucian speaks so highly) must probably be reckoned M his con- 

 temporary. 



When Pliny wrote (about A P. "">>. pointing was already an expiring 

 art (artii moritntit) the most splendid colours, he says were used, but 

 nothing worth looking at was produced. Mural painting was chiefly 

 practised, the painting Wing executed in a light rapid manner, and the 

 subjects such as would surprise the *i>ectator by some trick of art. 

 Grotesques and fantastic architectural and landscape designs formed 

 the decorations of apartments ; or gay and brilliantly coloured mytho- 

 logical subject* mingled with grotesque borders and garland* of flowers 

 on roofs and wall*. The best pictures were those which aimed at the 

 reproduction of the more celebrated works of earlier artist*. We have 

 the names of many ^inters of this age of decrepitude, but they are 

 names only ; the art was felt to be so fallen that the artist* them- 

 selves were despised, and painting came at length to be the occupation 

 of slaves and men of slavish minds. The last embers of native power 

 were extinguished amidst the turmoils of civil dissensions, and the 

 inroads of foreign barbarians. 



For further information on the painting of the ancient*, see Miiller, 

 ' Handbuch der Archiiologie der Kunst ;' Bottiger, ' Idcen zur Archao- 

 logie der Malerei;' Raoul-Rochette, ' Recherches sur 1'Kmploi de la 

 Peinture ;' and ' Peintures Antiques;' Juntus, ' de Pictura Veterum ;' 

 and Sillig's ' Catalogue Artificum ;' Thiersch, ' Ueber die Kpoch< 

 bildenden Kunst unter den Griechen ;' and Mr. Wornum's article, 

 'Pictura,' in Smith's ' Dictionary of Greek and Roman AntiqaitU*,' 

 with tlir authorities there cited. 



Mnlinral paintin;/. From the ashes of this extinct ancient art 

 arose a new form, which our zealous modem medievalists have dis- 

 tinguished with the name of Christian art. But as it was chiefly 

 Christian inasmuch as it was the art of the priest and the cloister, it 

 might with equal justice have been designated Monastic, or Eccle- 

 siastical Art, if it had been intended to mark its origin or application ; 

 while from its being nearly coincident 1 in duration with the period 

 known as the middle ages, its date is more specifically indicated by the 

 older phrase, Mediicval Art, and its source, as far as painting is con- 

 cerned, by that of Romanesque or Byzantine. As, however, the term 

 Christian Art has found pretty general acceptance, it may without 

 inconvenience be employed indifferently with either of the others. 



In the first centuries, however, Christianity was too uniformly 

 oppressed to require the blandishments of art ; and the Judaic notions 

 of a large proportion of its professors would probably have prevented 

 them from calling in the assistance of painting for the decoration of 

 their places of worship, or for recording the evenU and miracles of their 

 faith, even had they been at liberty to do so. The earliest examples of 

 art applied to Christian purposes occur in the catacombs of Rome 

 [CATACOMBS], where, on opening those vast subterraneous vaults in 

 the early part of the 1 7th century, the sides and roofs were seen to 1* 

 almost covered with paintings and inscriptions ; and numerous sarco- 

 phagi bore similar examples of the sculptor's chisel. The effects of 

 air and damp, and the c moke of numberless torches have combined to 

 obliterate the pointings left in iilu, but a large proportion of them will 

 be found engraved as well as described in the works of Aringhi, Busio, 

 Bottari, and Bunsen, on Subterranean Rome, in D'Agincourt 's ' Hist, 

 de 1'Art,' and Malt land's ' Church in the Catacombs ;' while as many as 

 were removable of the painting themselves, and carefully executed copies 

 of others, have been collected and placed in the Vatican and in the 

 palace of St. John Lateran at Rome. As might well be supposed from 

 their place, no less than their age, these works are extremely rude and 

 inartistic ; and at times they exhibit a rather incongruous adaptation 

 of heathen symbols and personages ; but on the other hand, some 

 excellent critics discover in them much grandeur of arrangement, and 

 a " peculiar solemnity and dignity of style." (Kugler, ' Handbook of 

 Painting : Italy.') 



From the removal of the seat of empire to Constantinople, Rome 

 ceased to be even nominally the centre of the arts, though that there 

 were undoubtedly native painters in Rome, as well as in other parts of 

 Italy, down to the revival of painting in the 13th century, is certain, 

 from the remains still extant in many cities of Italy ; from the illu- 

 minations in manuscripts [MINIATURE] ; from the Mosaics [MOSAICS] ; 

 from the painted series of popes in the Basilica of St. Paolo, com- 

 menced in the 6th century by order of St. Leo, and from other 

 evidence. For above two centuries Byzantine art differed in no essen- 

 tial respect from that of Home. It was not till about the reign of 

 Justinian that Byzantine art arrived at its full development ; but 

 thenceforward, Byzantium remained, till the great revival of painting 

 in Italy in the 1 3th century, the grand central school which supplied 

 artists, works of art, and the laws by which they were judged, to all 

 ports of Europe. But art itself was now at almost its lowest ebb. 

 The works produced were chiefly for churches or religious purposes. 

 All traces of the traditions of the ancient schools seem to have been 

 lost, though some desire to imitate ancient forms was retained. Some- 

 thing of the oriental love of gold and bright colours appears to have 

 been engrafted on the western modes of working. The figures were 

 ill-drawn, rigid in character, ungainly in position, long and meagre in 

 their proportions, and devoid of all reality. The colours, though 

 bright, were row and crude, and commonly painted on a gold back- 

 ground. Enormous mosaics or frescoes of the St. Saviour, and figures 



