102 THE FINE ARTS. 
in the Chiesa alla Misericordia and the San Giorgio Maggiore place him 
on a level with those artists. Although his rich compositions are to a 
certain degree lacking in fire, yet his drawing is correct and his coloring 
better than that of Perngino. Francia was an intimate friend of Raphael, 
who sent him his portrait. He formed a considerable school, from which 
proceeded, among others, Timoteo Vite and Mare Antonio Raimondi, who 
afterwards became a pupil of Raphael. 
Besides the school of Francia, Innocenzo de Imola formed a school of 
painting. Here Francesco Primaticcio, born in 1490, acquired the princi- 
ples of his art; although his knowledge was chiefly obtained through Giulio 
Romano, to whose pupils he belonged. He executed many works in Man- 
tua, in the Palazzo del Te. Francis I. in 1531 invited him to France, where 
he met with Rosso and remained nine years; the king then sent him to 
Rome to purchase antiques, and with Vignola’s assistance to take plaster- 
casts of several ancient statues and reliefs, a mission which he undertook 
with benefit to himself; and it was not till Rosso’s death in 1541 that he 
was recalled, to complete that artist’s unfinished works. Under Francis II. 
he was made superintendent in chief of the royal palaces; and, as he 
was likewise an architect, he designed the plan of the Castle of Meudon. 
Primaticcio had a great deal of invention and colored with taste; yet his 
many and great works left him too little time for the study of nature, and 
hence we often perceive in him a mannerism. Among his pupils, Nicolo 
dell’ Abbate and Alberto Fontana rose to eminence. Among the works of 
Nicolo great praise is bestowed on the gallery in Fontainebleau, unfortu- 
nately pulled down in 1738, in which the exploits of Ulysses were portrayed 
after the designs of Primaticcio. They have been engraved by Theodore 
Van Tulden and also by Kilian. 
We have already remarked on several occasions, that in the beginning 
of the 16th century the influence of Michael Angelo’s manner was very 
perceptible not only in the rest of Italy but also in Bologna, since most of 
the artists not only sought to make this manner their own, but fancied they 
could improve upon it by their experiments; and thus gradually arose a 
mode of painting which not only wanted firmness but was often erroneous 
in drawing, while it was feeble and wishy-washy in coloring, and without 
even a semblance of truth to nature. Unhappily this corrupt taste had 
spread, to the great detriment of true art, throughout Italy, and there were 
but few artists, and those chiefly of the Bolognese school, who were able to 
stem the torrent with much success. But at length arose the Caraccis, who 
earned for themselves the glory of imparting new life and vigor to art. 
Ludovico Caracci (b. 1555, d. 1619) was the son of a butcher; and as 
he manifested a great inclination for painting, he was placed under the 
instructions of Prospero Fontana. His quiet and contemplative disposition, 
however, caused him to be misunderstood; and the fiery Fontana as well 
as Tintoretto pronounced him destitute of talent.. Upon this the young 
man withdrew himself into retirement; he remained a while with Passig- 
nano in Florence; then studied the masterpieces of Primaticcio, Andrea 
del Sarto, Correggio, Giulio Romano, Paolo Veronese, and Titian; and at 
486 
