318 ON TASTE IN ORNAMENTAL DESIGN. Paet II. 



1275), and the abandonment of the conventionalisms of the 

 Byzantine Greeks at the close of this century, established the 

 character of Italian art ; and whatever its obligation to that 

 of Byzantium, it is certain that this last could never have 

 become what the other so speedily made itself, — attaining 

 as it did to the great merit of surpassing the excellence of 

 ancient Greek painting. Indeed, it is remarkable, that though 

 painting in Italy advanced to a state of perfection, this was 

 denied to sculpture, which has always been inferior to that of 

 ancient Greece; and when classical taste was revived in 

 cinque-cento time, it allowed itself to be fettered by a too 

 slavish imitation of Greek models {see p. 200). And in this 

 last, as in some other cases, we have ample proofs of the 

 fatal error of merely imitating, instead of studying the senti- 

 ments of, ancient models. Talent is thus hampered at a 

 time when it ought to be left free to develop itself; and 

 the beauties of the Norman, the Gothic, the Saracenic, and 

 other styles of architecture, would never have existed if 

 they had only copied, without being permitted to remodel, 

 the ideas they borrowed from a predecessor. 



We have seen how this has invariably occurred in the 

 history of art ; and we cannot too often, or too strongly, 

 recommend the same mode of studying and adapting, in 

 preference to mere imitation, or to the vanity of attempting 

 to invent some novelty in taste. There is therefore greater 

 reason to point out the- extent to which early Italian art was 

 indebted to the Byzantine Greeks ; as it shows how little 

 derogatory is the obligation to a foreign, or an older source, 

 for the suggestion of ideas in such matters, and affords a 

 striking illustration of the manner in which one style of art 

 borrows from, and in re-creating improves upon, a predecessor. 



87. It is generally allowed that the religious sentiment has 

 been intimately associated with the highest art. The remark 

 is just as far as it applies to the representation of subjects 



