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 nnd 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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