no 



THE HORSE. 



absolutely like that of Colleoni, with less exaggeration 

 in the elevated member. 



Why doubt the intention of truthful reproduction by 

 the artists of the epoch because they seized upon the truth 

 of the flight, an intention which betrays itself in a yet more 

 prominent manner in the palaces of the doges ? The first 

 pillar of the square of St. Mark has upon its ornamental 

 capitol a warrior upon horseback, before whom a woman 

 kneels ; this and the cavalier have for support the 

 convex portion of a leaf, folded upon itself (fig. 42). 

 Upon a pediment so inconvenient for the fixing of the 

 three feet of the horse the artist might have considerably 

 diminished his base, by making the two feet diagonally 



elevated by an equal 

 g& effort, as in the trot, 



a gait at our epoch, 

 still usually devoted 

 to the representation 

 of the walk. But he 

 had seen with artless 

 accuracy; he had re- 

 produced with artless 

 justice. His horse 

 is perfectly posed, 

 either for slowly con- 

 tinuing orfor backing, 

 if the obstacle, which 

 is in front, opposes 

 its progression. 



The sculptor, in order to be conscientious, has paid 

 no attention to difficulty, as becomes markedly evident 

 when regarding the constraint which he must have 

 imposed upon himself in order to arrive at his object, 

 compelling himself to hold the group upon a curved 

 line. 



Leonardo de Vinci was said to appropriate each 

 species of drawing of the nature of the represented 

 subject, and recommended the study of animals according 

 to their habits. 



Raphael, who idealising so beautifully the human 

 type, paid no attention to the animal kingdom, which 

 he interpreted with coarse lines. This appears the more 



Fig. 42. 



