XX INTRODUCTION. 



culture. But in the fifteenth century those passing between Italy 

 and France were almost confined to clergy, ambassadors, merchants, 

 and artists. 



The relations between the French Church and the Holy See 

 produced a constant interchange of visits. French clerics of standing, 

 like Bishop Thomas James of Dol, usually journeyed at least once 

 to Rome, and great political Churchmen, like the Cardinals of 

 Amboise, passed frequently to and fro. Again, French benefices were 

 a convenient provision for Italian younger sons and "nephews" of 

 popes and cardinals; though these prelates often considered their 

 duties discharged when they had drawn the revenues. 



Then, too, there were frequent embassies from Paris to the various 

 Italian courts, such as that conducted, in 1495, to Venice by Philippe 

 de Comines, who was greatly impressed by the beauty of that " most 

 triumphant citie that euer I sawe." " Sure in my opinion," he exclaims, 

 the Grand Canal "is the goodliest streete in the world and the best 

 built." Nor was he less struck by the Certosa of Pavia. " This goodly 

 Charterhouse Church, which in very deed is the fairest that euer I saw, 

 for it is all of fine marble."* Meanwhile the growing power of the 

 French drew many Italian missions to the French court, on whose 

 equipment much money was lavished. Ambassadors and their retinues 

 displayed Italian fashions and brought costly gifts, while Italian bankers 

 and merchants in French towns took a not unimportant, if less ostenta- 

 tious, share in the dissemination of their country's art. 



At this early stage the sight of articles of Italian workmanship, 

 finding their way into the country in the train of any of these categories 

 of travellers, such as goldsmiths' work, medals and cameos, books, 

 pictures, furniture and intarsias, casts and bronze work, terra-cottas and 

 maiolica all helped to accustom French eyes to Renaissance forms, and 

 the very fact that Italian quarries were the source of the marble supply 

 necessitated that such larger objects as fountains or tombs, if of marble, 

 should be Italian made. 



Strangely, however, it was to soldiers that France owed the 

 greatest impetus towards the Renaissance, for the campaigns gave 

 thousands of Frenchmen, from the kings downwards, an opportunity 

 of seeing and admiring Italian art. These began with the expedition 

 of Charles VIII., through upper Italy and Tuscany, to Naples in 1495, 

 followed by others under Louis XII., Francis I., and Henry II. up to 

 1559. Then after a lull there were fresh wars under Louis XIII., and 

 again under Louis XIV. and XV., but these were of less artistic 

 consequence since Italy was then more familiar and of diminished 

 importance as an art centre. 



* "Historic of Philip de Comines," translated by Thos. Danett, London, 1601. 

 Bk. vii., Chs. vii. and xv. 



