December, 19 21 
41 
famous painting, “Ilioupersis,” by 
the Greek artist, Polygnotus, who 
flourished 500-425 B. C. In this 
picture but four colors were used, 
white, yellow, red and black. Blue 
and green were absent from paint¬ 
ers’ palettes in Polygnotus’ day. 
Then, as Ch. Moreau-Vauthier re¬ 
marks, “Design was supreme, color 
remained an accessory; and this 
manner, flat pale, proud, nervous 
and passionate, was, it would seem, 
the characteristic style of antique 
painting at its finest.” But before 
long the Athenian Apollodorus 
came to devote himself to the pro¬ 
duction of works displaying at- 
Grisaille is painted in one tone. Often 
a picture is both grisaille and camaieu, 
as seen in this 18th Century Dutch 
square panel 
A French 18 th Century over-door panel 
in grisaille, in the one-color and cama¬ 
ieu form, depicting the “Triumph of 
Bacchus” 
decorations will be subjected to many kinds 
of adaptation in their use for American 
walls. Very few people will be satisfied 
with an entire monochrome wall decoration, 
however fine the design and interesting the 
form, and unquestionably in many in¬ 
stances the walls will be brought more 
closely to furniture and draperies by the 
introduction of rose or green or blue. 
Grisaille will probably be more often used 
in the form of separate panels with inter¬ 
vening flat surfaces than as an entire cover¬ 
ing for a wall, as this leaves a variation in 
the wall surface, gives a more interesting 
background for furniture, and also gives 
wall spaces for occasional pictures. 
Already the interest in camaieu and gri¬ 
saille for music rooms, banquet halls, draw¬ 
ing rooms has reached sufficient proportion 
in this country to awaken in our 
minds a desire to know something of its 
history, because as a matter of fact it did 
not originate in France, it was used in Hol¬ 
land in the 17th Century 
and in Brittany in the 15th, 
and then you go back 
through different countries 
and centuries until you 
reach Greece nearly a thou¬ 
sand years before Christ. 
It is a fascinating and ro¬ 
mantic story that involves 
something of the art history 
of many countries. 
The ancient Greeks be¬ 
stowed brilliant polychrome 
on their sculpture and their 
architecture, but appear, at 
least in the earlier periods, 
to have rejected its color in¬ 
fluence in their painting 
and to have confined this 
last art to linear beauty, 
nobility of design, and to 
have sought both in a defi¬ 
nite sobriety of treatment. 
In the Temple of Apollo at 
Delphi was exhibited the 
In this French 18 th Century oval panel the inner 
oval is in camaieu surrounded by cupids in color 
holding the frame 
The cameo form is readily seen in this French 18 th Century over-door panel of 
“Nymph and Putties.” The architectural background was not uncommon. This 
and the other illustrations are by courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 
tempts at light and shade, while his famous 
follower Zeuxis mainly confined himself to 
monochrome paintings—monochrome, the 
Greeks called them—that displayed model¬ 
ing in their design. It is thus we may look 
upon Zeuxis as the Father, or perhaps more 
properly as the Grandfather, of the art of 
painting in camaieu and grisaille, since an¬ 
cient writers hint that true relief in painting 
was not reached before Parrhasius, who thus 
paved the way for the most celebrated Greek 
painter of all, Apelles. 
As the old Greek artists painted on panels 
of wood, the Romans of the conquest found 
their pictures convenient spoil for easily 
transporting to Italy. “How many things,” 
wrote Cicero, “invisible to us, are seen by 
painters in shadows and projections!” Was 
he thinking of some treasured grisaille or 
panel in'camaieu from the hand of Zeuxis, 
or Parrhasius, or perhaps of Apelles, fetched 
to grace a Roman cabinet? Perhaps! The 
Rome of Cicero’s time was already begin¬ 
ning to take on the aspect of 
a shrine of dilettantism. 
Certain it is that the art of 
painting as practised by the 
Greeks was not allowed to 
die out. Roman artists were 
taught its secrets by their 
Greek brethren in the craft, 
and Greek painters found 
Rome appreciative of their 
masterpieces. So it was 
that in 63 A. D., a century 
after Cicero’s death, when 
a terrific earthquake de¬ 
stroyed the ancient city of 
Pompeii, well-trained and 
well-equipped painters were 
at hand to lend their art to 
the adornment of the new 
I city which the Romans im¬ 
mediately re-erected on the 
site. In 1719 Prince Elbeuf 
had accidentally discov¬ 
ered the site of Hercula- 
(Continued on page 82) 
