ITALIAN GARDENS OF THE RENAISSANCE 



powers, but his enthusiasm and love of Nature were 

 as great as they had been in the time when he spent 

 long days and nights on the Campagna, fifty years 

 before. In 1881 Costa paid another visit to England, 

 and in the following June held the successful exhibition 

 of his works which has been already mentioned. His 

 work was never fully appreciated by his own country- 

 men, and he often declared laughingly that he was the 

 most unpopular artist in Italy ! But in England, as 

 he always owned, he met with a recognition and a 

 kindness that were altogether beyond his deserts. 

 Fourteen years later he came back again, and was 

 the guest of Lord Carlisle for several months during 

 the summer of 1896. Leighton had died a short 

 time before, and Costa was present at the sale of his 

 works, and recognised with tears in his eyes the 

 sketches which he had seen his friend paint in Rome 

 forty years ago. He himself had lately suffered 

 heavy reverses of fortune, but he met these changes 

 with his wonted courage and equanimity, and was 

 deeply grateful to his English friends for the sub- 

 scription which they raised to present one of his 

 pictures to the National Gallery. What pleased him 

 most of all was to find the names of Sir Edward 

 Burne-Jones and Mr. Watts a painter whom he 

 revered above all others at the head of the list. 



" May I go home," the old master asked, " and tell 



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