IN the Firſt Book of this Hiſtory we have diſcours'd of the Original and Progreſs of the Arts that relate to Deſigning, until the time they began to decline, and afterwards to fall; in this Second Book we ſhall continue to relate the cauſes of their Decay and Ruin.

The Roman State in the time of the Republick, and of the firſt Caeſars, was in very high Reputation for having raiſed the Arts to their higheſt Perfection. But this Monarchy, after the death of Marcus Aurelius, began to loſe the Grandeur it had before gained. For ſeveral Emperors ſucceeding in a ſhort time one after another, tarniſh'd the Glory of the Empire by their Cruelties and Debaucheries, and Civil Wars, which cauſed inſenſibly the Ruin of the Arts of Deſigning.

It was no fault of Marcus Aurelius that the Arts began to decline after his Reign; for he took particular care to Educate his Son Commodus therein, making him learn to Paint Coiffeteau in his Roman Hiſtory, Pag. and Engrave while he was young, finding his Genius eaſy and capable of Learning any thing whatſoever. But this good Education was ſoon ſtifled, by reaſon he abandon'd himſelf to all ſorts of Debaucheries as ſoon as he ſucceeded him in the Throne; which makes us look upon the Reign of Commodus as the beginning of the declenſion of Painting and Sculpture; and this is evident in the Statue of this Emperor, which is called Hercules Commodus, which is ſtill to be ſeen at Rome in the Palace of Belvidere This Statue is placed in a Court of the Palace of Belvidere, with thoſe of Antinous, of Apollo, of Laocon and of Venus, of Cleopatra, of the Nile, and of the Tiber, and of Torce, all ancient Figures.. One may note by this Figure, that the Art declin'd; for although it be of a juſt and true Proportion, and the Head of it very fine, yet there is not that nicety and perfection which appears in the Statue of Antinous and other Figures that preceeded it, and are to be ſeen in the ſame Palace.

This Art of Engraving continued to decline in the following Reigns, for it is certain that under Severus This Emperor began to Reign in the Year of our Lord 195; from whoſe Reign to Conſtantine's is 115 Years. it was very much fallen from the Beauty it had arrived to in the time of the firſt Caeſars: This is viſible by the Triumphal Arch of that Emperor, which is ſtill to be ſeen at Rome; for in this Work the Sculpture that repreſents the Hiſtorical part is much altered, for it neither has the Deſigning, nor any thing of the curious Workmanſhip of the Excellent Ancients.

IN this Decay of the Arts of Deſigning, Architecture did not ſo ſoon decline as the other Arts: For in the Arch of Severus it is in its perfect Beauty, and equal to what was done in its moſt flouriſhing State. On which account it was happier than Painting or Sculpture, for it maintained its juſt Regularitie, till the time of Conſtantine the Great. The Triumphal Arch of that The Triumphal Arch of Conſtantine was made 120 Years after that of Severus, near the Year of our Lord 310. It is thought it was finiſhed the Tenth Year of his Empire, others ſay not till a little before he Died. Among the Eight fine Statues of the Slaves on the Corniſh, there are wanting the Heads which were privately carried to Florence by Laurentius de Medicis, according to the report of Giouco. Nardini page 407. Theſe Figures of the Slaves, and all the great Baſs Relief which adorn'd this Arch, were taken from the Arch of Trajan. Emperor is a proof it: The Corinthian Order is therein uſed in its Purity and Perfection; on the contrary, the Sculpture is very rude and groſs: This may be obſerved in the Baſs Relief of the imboſſing and of other ſmall Figures below the Compartments; which ſhews evidently that Sculpture, and the Art of Deſigning in Human Figures were declined at Rome, and reduced to the worſt condition they had ever been in.

Architecture did not decline ſo ſoon as Painting and Sculpture, becauſe it was longer protected by the Princes, by reaſon of its neceſſity and uſefulneſs.

This is to be ſeen by Ammianus In his 26th Book he takes notice, that That which cauſed the greateſt Admiration in Hormiſda, was the wonderful Fabricks of the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, the Amphitheater, the Pantheon; the Temples of Peace, and of Venus, the Theatre of Pompey, and the Forum of Trajan. Marcellinus, who writ the arrival of the Emperor Conſtantius This Emperor taking Pleaſure in ſurveying theſe famous Buildings, told Hormiſda, That he could not undertake ſo great things as theſe, but that he would, at leaſt, endeavour to imitate the making ſuch a Brazen Horſe as that of Trajan, which was in the middle of the Forum. To which this Architect anſwer'd, That he would firſt Build him a proportionably fine Stable to put that fine Horſe in. V. il biondo Italia Illuſtrata & Nardini. Rom. Antiq. p. 126. the Son of Conſtantine the Great. He tells us that this Prince brought to Rome Hormiſda a famous Perſian Architect, to ſhew him the famous Buildings of the Ancients, both in that City and in all Italy.

But the trueſt reaſon of the continuance of true and well-order'd Architecture, is that the ſtudy of it is founded on Meaſures and Proportions of Geometry and Arithmetick, which makes the imitation of it much more eaſy than that of the Human Figure; for beſides the Meaſures and Proportions therein to be obſerved, it is neceſſary to ſtudy the different Poſtures, the lively Expreſſions, the Paſſions and Motions of the Muſcles, and an infinity of other Parts, which muſt be known to be Excellent in Painting and Engraving.

Theſe fine Parts and Turns wherein the Excellence of the Arts conſiſts, began firſt of all to be loſt in Deſigning, which continued without that reliſh of Art down from the time of the latter Empire, and of Conſtantine. This is evident in his Triumphant Arch, by his Medals, his Statues in the Capitol, and the Images of Chriſt Jeſus Vaſari in his Preface to the Lives of the Painters. and the Apoſtles, which this Emperor cauſed to be made in Silver, and ſet up in the Church of St. John of Latran, which are of an ordinary and common Sculpture. Theſe Faults are alſo to be ſeen in the Moſaick Painting, and other Pieces which this Prince cauſed to be made.

On the contrary it was obſerved, that till that time the Beauty and Art of Architecture and its Ornaments remain'd, as may be ſeen in the Capitels of Conſtantine's Arch, in thoſe of his Baptiſtery Anaſtaſius gives the Deſcription of it in the Acts of St. Sylveſter, as is yet to be ſeen. Nardini Rom. p. 102. and the Baſes of their Columns, where there are Foliages and other Flouriſhes very well Cut.

It is for the ſame reaſon we have noted in Architecture, that Sculpture alſo preſerved its Perfection and Beauty longer than the other Arts of Deſigning, becauſe the aforeſaid Sciences are of ſuch uſe therein.

ONE would have thought that the Excellence of Deſigning ought to have kept up at Rome, by reaſon that from the beginning of the Chriſtian Religion, the Chriſtians made uſe of Painting and Sculpture to repreſent the Hiſtories of the old and new Teſtament, to adorn their Churches and Tombs. This is indeed True; but then, conſidering that theſe Paintings and Sculptures were only for the Inſtruction of Chriſtians in ſolitary and ſubterranean Places, where they celebrated Divine Service, they did not trouble themſelves with the Curioſities of Deſigning, nor giving their Pieces that nicety and beauty as thoſe did who lived under the firſt Caeſars; inſomuch, that when the Chriſtians in the Reign of Conſtantine, had the liberty of erecting Temples to the true God, the Arts of Deſigning were already declined and almoſt loſt.

Thus all the Paintings, and Sculptures, and Imagery, and Pieces of Moſaick Work, which, they made, and were found in the antient Church were degenerated from the true reliſh of Deſigning: And thoſe Pieces of Sculpture On the Mountain Cicilo, is to be ſeen the Church of St. John and St. Paul, built in the time of Julian the Apoſtate, which is a very ill Piece of Architecture. and Architecture, At the Church of St. Agnes without the Gate Pia, there is to be ſeen a Tomb of Porphyry, and becauſe the Sculpture in Baſs Relief which is there, repreſents Children with Vines and Grapes, the Vulgar have falſely ſuppoſed it to be the Tomb of Bacchus. This fine piece of Porphyry was the Tomb of the Princeſſes Conſtantia's, Daughters of the Emperor Conſtantine; in this Church are alſo the Tombs of other Princeſſes of the ſame Family; It is alſo the place where they were Baptized, and which was expreſly Built by Conſtantine. Nardini Rom. Antiq. P. 174. Theſe Baſs Reliefs are of no excellent Deſigning; which ſhews that Sculpture was much fallen from it's Excellence. as alſo Painting The Painting alſo which is to be ſeen on the Moſaick Work of this Church over the Vault, is of no better reliſh or deſign. which were made in the firſt Chriſtian Churches at Rome, are of no better Workmanſhip. Inſomuch, that an ill and rude Way was introduced in all the Arts of Deſigning, and thereby we may ſee that the Goths and the Lombards who reigned at Rome and in Italy, did not carry this ill Way into their own Countries, but continued it only here; and hence it is, that this rude Way of Painting and Sculpture and Architecture is called Gothick.

THE Arts in their Fall, did not decay at Conſtantinople ſo much as at Rome, particularly in the third, fourth and fifth Age: By reaſon that Conſtantine the Great, his Son Conſtantius, Theodoſius, Arcadius and Juſtinian The Church of St. Sophia was built by Conſtantine the Great, repaired by his Son Conſtantius, and afterwards by Theodofius the Younger. The Emperor Juſtinian rebuilt it after it had been burnt, with ſo great Magnificence that he exhauſted all the Treaſure of his Empire. And he thought that that Temple exceeded Solomon's; and during ſeventeen Years that he was rebuilding it, he expended thereon thirty four Millions of Gold. H. du Serail. D. Baudiere. were zealous to render the Arcadius cauſed them to be built there. Metropolis of their Empire, as flouriſhing and magnificent, as was Antient Rome.

To that end they built great Halls, Aqueducts, Porticus's, Circus's, Palaces enriched with Statues which they had among the Spoils of Greece and Aſia, and ſet up in the middle of open Places, Obelisks of In Theodoſius's Square was the great Obelisk of Thebes. Egypt and ſurprizing Columns all over Engraven. They built alſo ſeveral other fine and great Churches which they adorn'd with Painting and Sculpture. Hence it was that the Arts of Deſigning were maintain'd with Splendor in Greece: For Conſtantine did not only ſet up rich Images in the Temples, but at all the Gates of Conſtantinople, and of his Palaces, as at that which was called the Gate of the Brazen Porch.

The Emperor Conſtantius had no leſs eſteem for fine Buildings and the Arts of Deſigning, than his Father. But Theodoſius the Great who was a very zealous Protector of them, has left us illuſtrious Marks of his Eſteem for them, in that famous Pillar which he cauſed to be erected in that City in imitation of that of Trajan: And on this Pillar he cauſed to be Engraven in Baſs Relief, the Hiſtory of his famous Actions. In this magnificent Work of Theodoſius, is to be ſeen much of the antient reliſh of Engraving, which ſhews that Sculpture was not ſo much declined in Greece as in Italy. This is very evident in the deſignment of an illuſtrious Column, which is ſtill kept at Paris in the Royal Academy of Sculpture and Painting.

We may alſo conclude that Painting kept up in its Excellency longer at Conſtantinople than at Rome, for theſe two Arts have always been inſeparable both in their riſe and fall. The glorious Protection which this great Emperor gave them, appears under the Head de Excuſatione Artificum,

Picturae Profeſſores placuit ne ſui capitis cenſione, nec uxorum, aut etiam liberorum nomine, nec tributis eſſe munificos. This Emperor frees them in another Place from the Charges of Lodging.

Archiatros noſtri Palatii, nec non & Picturae Profeſſores, boſpitali, moleſtia quoad vivent, liberari praecipimus.

IMAGES in the Chriſtian Religion begun from the time of Jeſus Chriſt: The firſt that was made, was made by a Lady, whereof there is made mention in St. Luke Chap. 8. Ver. 46. who drawing near our Saviour behind, touched the Hem of his Garment, and immediately her bloody Luke Chap. 8. v. 46. Iſſue was cured. This holy Woman as an acknowledgment of her Cure erected in the City of Caeſarea a Statue of Jeſus Chriſt. It was of Braſs, and at his Feet was the Statue of this Woman, in a ſupplicant Poſture. She was ſo acceptable to God that he gave a miraculous Vertue, to a Plant that grew at the Foot of this Statue, and when it was grown high enough to touch the Fringe of this Image it healed all Sorts of Diſeaſes Nicene Council 2d. Act. 4. S. Greg. 2. Epiſt. to Germ. Biſhop of Conſtant. . Several Hiſtorians record this Truth, particularly Euſebius of Euſebius Lib. 6.7. Chap. 14. This Hiſtory is alſo related by Antipater Boſtrenſis, and alſo by Nicephorus, Caſſiedorus and Metaphraſtus. There is alſo a large Narrative of all theſe Antient Images in the Book of Subterranean Rome. Caeſarea, who was an ocular Witneſs of the Truth of it; and Sozomen reports that Julian the Apoſtate, by reaſon of the hatred he bore to Jeſus Chriſt, cauſed this famous Statue to be taken away, and ordered his own to be ſet up in its Place: But he was immediately puniſhed for this Sacriledge, for Lightning falling thereon conſumed it to Aſhes.

There are other Authors who write, that from the time of the Apoſtles there were alſo Images of the Painting of Jeſus Chriſt Hiſtoriae quo que (ſays Damaſcene) proditum eſt: Cum Abagarus Edeſſae Rex, eo nomine pictorem miſiſſet, ut Domini imaginem exprimeret; ne que id Pictor ob ſplendorem ex ipſius vultu manantem, conſequi potuiſſet; Dominum ipſum divinae ſuae ac vivificae faciei pallium admoviſſe; ſic que illud ad Abagarum, ut ipſius cupiditati ſatisfaceret, mifiſſe. S. Jo. Damaſc. de orthod. Fid. 1.4. Chap. 17. Baron. Ann. Tom. 1. an 31., and that our Bleſſed Saviour was the Inventor of them, at the Solicitation of Abagarus King of Edeſſa, who having heard of the Miracles of Chriſt Jeſus, ſent a Painter to draw his Picture; but when he could not lay down the Deſign of it, by reaſon of the ſhining Rays that iſſued from his divine Looks, our Lord to ſatisfy the Requeſt of the King of Edeſſa, covered his Face with a linnen Vail, whereon he imprinted his divine Image, and ſent it to that Prince by vertue whereof he was healed of a Diſeaſe otherwiſe incurable. In the time of the Apoſtles were alſo to be ſeen Images of the Bleſſed Virgin; for St. Luke made ſeveral of them: This is witneſſed by St. Gregory the St. Gregory the II. writing to Leo Iſaurus relates the ſame Hiſtory, and that they came out of all the Eaſt to Worſhip this Image. Cum Hyeroſolymis ageret Chriſtus, Abagarus qui tum temporis dominabatur, & Rex erat urbis Edeſſenorum, cum Chriſti miracula audiviſſet, Epiſtolam ſcripſit ad Chriſtum, qui manus ſuae reſponſum, & ſacram glorioſam que faciem ſuam ad eum miſit. Ita que ad illam non manufactam imaginem mitte ac vide: Congregantur illic Orientis turbae & orant, &c. Patriarch of Conſtantinople in what he writes to the Emperor Leo Iſaurianus.

Theodorus Theodorus in his Oration againſt Leo Iſaurus. Annal. T. 9. Annal. 814. and in the 2 d. Council of Nice, the ſame relation is confirmed by Leo, Lecturer of the Church at Conſtantinople, who witneſſeth the Honour that was paid in his Time to that Image. Theſe are his Words. Leo Religoſiſſimus Lector magnae & egregiae Eccleſiae Conſtantinopolitanae dixit, & ego indignus veſter famulus cum deſcendiſſem cum regiis Apocriſariis in Syriam Edeſſem petivi, & venerandam imaginem, non factam hominum manu adorari & honorari à populo vidi, &c. farther ſhews us, that the Empereſs Eudoxia ſent one of theſe Images painted by St. Luke to

Lucas vero, qui ſacrum compoſuit Evangelium, cum Domini pinxiſſet imaginem pulcherrimam & pluris faciendam poſteris reliquit St. Theodor. orat. in Leo. Arm.

Theod. Lect. Collet. L. 1.

Although the Hiſtory of the Portrait of Chriſt Jeſus ſent to Abagarus, and that of the Portrait of the holy Virgin painted by St. Luke, are ſcrupled and conteſted about by ſome, notwithſtanding I thought fit to relate them here, to ſhew the Antiquity of Images after the Example of the ſecond Nicene Council. Thoſe of the Apoſtles St. Gregory II. in his Epiſtle to Leo Iſaurus, ſays, of the firſt Chriſtians who Painted our Saviour, Qui Dominum cum viderent prout viderant venientes Hieroſolymam ſpectandum ipſum proponentes depinxerunt: Cum Stephanum Proto-Martyrem vidiſſent, prout viderant ſpectandum ipſum proponentes depinxerunt: Et uno verbo dicam, cum facies Martyrum, qui ſanguinem pro Chriſto fuderunt, vidiſſent, depinxerunt. , Confeſſors and Martyrs have been alſo Painted and Engraven in the Infancy of the Church. The ſame Saint Gregory tells us the ſame Thing, as Pope Adrian I. relates in what he writ to Conſtantine and Irenaeus. He aſſures us, that there were kept in the Baſilicum and in the Vatican the Had. 1. Epiſt. to Conſt. and Irenaeus Baron. Annal. to 3. An. 324. and to 3. An. 785. Portraitures of St. Peter and St. Paul, which are thoſe which Saint Sylveſter ſhewed to the Emperor Conſtantine

Conſtantine to adorn his new City, ſet up on all the Gates the Image of the holy Virgin, and upon that of his Palace the Image of our Saviour, which Leo Iſaurianus cauſed to be taken away. He alſo cauſed to be raiſed in the middle of his Palaces, fine Statues of our Saviour, in the form of the good Shepherd, and that of the Prophet Daniel in the Lyons Den.

H. of the Iconocl. of Maimbourg.

THE advantage which the Arts of Deſigning had to maintain themſelves longer in the Eaſt than in the Weſt, did not laſt long, for they ſuffered an entire overthrow in ſeveral Provinces of the Grecian Empire, by the Sect of Mahomet, which begun to appear in the Year 624. This falſe Prophet took Damas, and ruined Syria, and his Sect encreaſing in Arabia, Egypt, Libia, Barbary, Spain and even on this ſide the Pyrenean Hills, deſtroy'd all the antient Buildings, and Pieces of the Arts of Deſigning, which eſcap'd the Viſigoths and the Vandals.

But the greateſt Deſolation was made by the Saracens in They took alſo about this Time the Iſles of Candy, Cyprus and Rhodes in the Year 640. It was they who broke to pieces that famous Coloſſus of Braſs, made by Chares the Indian, which was ſet up at the Entrance of the Port of Rhodes, where Ships paſſed between the Legs of this great Statue, which was at laſt thrown down by an Earthquake, and the Saracens having broken it to pieces carried it to Alexandria; the Braſs of it laded nine hundred Camels. This was about the Year 655. Dict. Hiſtor. Italy; they ruled Sicily for a conſiderable Time: And were Maſters of a great Part of the Kingdom of Naples for the ſpace of thirty Years, principally from the City of Regge to that of Gath. Moreover theſe Infidels carried their Arms even to Rome, and took the Town of Vatic; and burnt the Church of St. Peter there Roma illuſtrata, P. 9. & Italia illuſtrata di Biondo, P. 135. and St. Paul, under the Popedom of Leo IV. and had almoſt taken the City. In this ſpace of time theſe People deſtroy'd every thing that was fine and curious in theſe two Kingdoms; for at Naples and the Neighbouring Towns there are only ſome Remains of the fine Houſes and Palaces of the antient Romans: Theſe Palaces were along the Sea-ſhore on the Coaſts from the Cape of Miſſena to the other ſide of the Puzzolo Puzzolo was ſacked by Alaricus, Genſericus, and Totila; afterwards it was rebuilt by the Grecians; the Theater of Puzzolo was one hundred and ſeventy two Foot long and eighty eight Foot broad. There are yet to be ſeen the Remains of the Temple of Auguſtus all of Marble, built by Califurnius. There were alſo in that City ſeveral other Antient Temples; the moſt conſiderable was that of Diana, which had a hundred Columns of an admirable Corinthian order. There is alſo yet to be ſeen a Part of the magnificent Temple of Neptune, and the Remains of a Temple of Trajan. . The antient Fragments which are ſtill to be ſeen in thoſe Places, denote the Splendor of theſe Buildings; there is nothing ſo curious and wonderful as the Fiſhpond This Place now called the Remainders of the wonderful Fiſh-pool, is among the Remainders of the Palace which Luculus cauſed to be built at the Cape of Miſſona; this ſubterranean Place was to keep freſh Water for the Fleets. at Miſſena

Miſſena a fine Antient City was ruined by the Saracens in the Year 596. Antiq. of Puzz. D. S. M.

Near this Place was the City of Cumes, whereof there remains a fine Arch called Arco-felice which is of fine Antient Architecture. Here is yet to be ſeen in this Place the Cave of the Cumaean Sybil. The Pavement is enriched with Antient Paintings after the Moſaick Manner, ſuch as there are at Preneſtes.

Thoſe miſchiefs make us look on this falſe Religion, as one of the moſt fatal Plagues that ever happened to Architecture, Sculpture and Painting, for it is one of the Principles of the Mahometan Sect, to make no Image of any living Creature: And this has cauſed in all the Territories of the Turks not only the declenſion, but the utter deſtruction of the Arts of Deſigning.

THE Gothick Way in the Arts, was continued in Italy after the Goths by the Lombards, who drove them out thence, and reigned there two hundred and eighteen Years. This appears not only in the Churches of Pavia, of Milan, of Breſſe, and other Buildings built by Luitprand, and their other Luitprand built at Pavia the Church of St. Peter il ciel dauro. Didier who reigned after Aſtolphus, built the Church of St. Peter Olivate in the Dioceſs of Milan, that of St. Vincent in the City, and that of St. Julia at Breſſe, all theſe Edifices were built at a great Charge, but of a rude and diſorderly Way. Vaſari P. 77. Kings, but alſo in all the other Churches in France that were built about that time.

For after the French had got the Maſtery of the Romans, they baniſh'd thence the Arts of Deſigning, and no more regarded the Excellent Idea's of the Antient Architecture, ſuch as was to be ſeen at Orange, Niſmes, St. Remi, Bordeaux and other Places where the Romans had made good Architecture to flouriſh.

But far from that theſe French Artiſts forgot, and laid aſide the true Method and Rules of the Antient Architecture: Inſomuch, that the Way called Gothick grew into Uſe with all the Nations of the Weſt.

Hence it is that the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul built at Paris, by Clovis the firſt Chriſtian King, and called at this day St. Genevieve, is of this Gothick Way, and quite contrary to the Rules of good Architecture: One may alſo take notice of this rude Way of Architecture in the Church of St. Germain-des-Prez, built by Childebert Son of this King; here one may obſerve the ill State and Condition of Deſigning and Sculpture on the Capitels and four Baſs Reliefs of the Choir of this Church, and in the Figures of the Porticus: For all the Sculptures there, are done without Deſign, Reliſh or Art.

AFTER having ſhewed in the Second Book of this Hiſtory, the cauſes of the declenſion and fall of Painting, and Sculpture, and Architecture, by the ill and rude Methods, and decay from that Excellence which they had arrived to among the ancient Grecians and Romans; we will ſhew in this Third Book how theſe Arts by little and little emerged from the rude Gothick way, and continued their Re-eſtabliſhment from the year 1013, to the end of 1500; wherein they arrived to their primitive Perfection, and paſſed from Italy into ſeveral other Parts, and particularly into France, by the ſingular Favour they found under our Kings, Francis the Firſt, Henry the Fourth, and Lewis the Great, who now eſteems it as a part of his Glory to have made the Arts of Deſign to Flouriſh.

Theſe Arts of Deſigning began firſt to be revived in Toſcany, before they were known in other Countries. For as the Tuſcans were the firſt among the Ancients who practiſed them, ſo they had the advantage of being the firſt in Italy who raiſed them from the low ſtate to which they were fallen. Thus in the year 1300 there began to appear at Florence a better ſort of Architecture than the ancient Gothick; for in the Church of St. Miniate, Built in that time, Architecture may be obſerved to creep out of its barbarous Methods, and to Imitate in all the parts of that Building, the way of the Ancients.

After this happy beginning, the Arts of Deſigning continued on to their Perfection in Toſcany; and the Piſans in the year 1016 Founded their great Church, called the Dome of Piſa: The Commerce they had by Sea, and particularly into Greece, was a favourable means for the Re-eſtabliſhment of Architecture and Sculpture, for they brought thence ſeveral Columns and Fragments of ancient Architecture of Marble, which they made uſe of in the Fabrick of this Church.

They brought together by theſe means ſeveral Engravers in Italy, and alſo Grecian Painters, who Work'd after their own old Methods; for only uſing in their Painting ſimple Lines, which they Coloured all over equally without any Shadowing, their Works were not very Artificial; notwithſtanding theſe Remainders of Art taught the Italians the practice of Painting in Water-Colours, in Freſco, and Moſaick.

But among all theſe Grecian Artiſts, thoſe of Piſa were the moſt fortunate, in happening on the Architect Bouchet

This Architect Bouchet, called by Vaſari Buſchetto, was a Grecian of Dulichium; he made in the Plan of the Great Church of Piſa, five Allies; this Church is Paved with White and Black Marble; he was Buried here in an honourable Sepulchre, whereon there are Three Epitaphs, this is one of them: Quod vix mille boum poſſent juga juncta movere Et quod vix potuit per mare ferre ratis, Buſchetti niſu quod erat mirabile viſu, Dena puellarum .... levavit onus.

This Architect underſtood all the Parts of Architecture, and particularly Mechanicks, as this Epitaph proves, having made a Machine, by means of which Ten Women could take up that Weight which a Thouſand Couple of Oxen could not move.

THE Honours and Riches which Cimabos and Ghiotto received from the Popes, and the Kings of Naples, and the Republick of Florence encouraged them to Work and raiſed Deſigning and Painting from their low State and Condition. Theſe Favours cauſed a general Eſteem for theſe Arts: For the better ſort of People and the Courtiers always affect what their Princes love, which inſenſibly engages the approbation and curioſity of all the People in general.

It is therefore moſt certain that the Eſteem of Great Men for Arts, is the firſt and readieſt Means to make them Flouriſh: The Honour and Riches which Ghiotto

Ghiotto was alſo Architect and Engraver, having made ſeveral Pieces in Marble, which with the other of his rare Qualities cauſed, that by a publick Decree, and the particular Affection of the Old Laurence de Medicis, his Portraict of Marble made by le Maiano, was ſet up in the Church of St. Mary del Fiore with theſe Verſes made by M. Angelus Polibianus.

THE Florentines, and the other Italians, were not the only Perſons who labour'd to perfect Painting: For ſome others on this ſide of the Mountains contributed much thereunto, although they had not the ſame advantages for Deſigning, as thoſe of Italy, in having for Models and Patterns the fine Baſs-Reliefs of the Ancients.

The Generoſity of Charles the VIth contributed very much towards it among the French; and was the firſt means to engage our Nation to Employ more than ordinary care on Painting, and particularly on Glaſs, which is called Glaſs-Painting This is ſo true, that in the time of Pope Julius the Second, there was at Rome Claudius Francis, who was a Painter on Glaſs; it was he who ſurvey'd all thoſe ſorts of Works, which were made in the Churches, and the Pope's Palace. But as Bramanti had heard talk of the Ingenuity of William da Marcilla, he cauſed the Sieur Claudius to write to him, which he did, offering him a good Penſion to come to Rome, where he painted on Glaſs, the great Windows which are in the Hall, near the Pope's Chappel; but they were broke in pieces at the Sacking of Rome by the Shot of the Arquebuſſes. Marcilla did alſo ſome of the ſame ſort of Paintings in the Apartments of the Vatican, and in the Church of St. Mary, and in that de l'Anima; after which the Cardinal de Corton carried him to his City, where he Painted both on Glaſs, and in Freſco, ſeveral Pieces, which were very much eſteemed, for he was an Excellent Deſigner, full of Invention and Variety in Compoſing of his Hiſtories; this appears particularly in the great Windows of the Chappel of the Albergotis, in the Cathedral of Arezzo, which Marcilla painted after having work'd at Corton; they are ſo Excellent, that Vaſari calls them Divine, both for the fine Expreſſions of Chriſt, calling St. Matthew from the receipt of Cuſtom, and of the other Apoſtles, as well as for the fine Architecture, and the Landskips which adorn that Hiſtory. Marcelli was ſo much conſidered in that City, that it obliged him to ſtay there till his Death, which happened in 1537. He had ſeveral Diſciples, whereof George Vaſari was one; Vaſari, Vita of William da Marcilla. , and which is uſed in Churches, wherein the French have ſurpaſſed the Italians, and other Nations.

ANtonello da Meſſina was ſcarce arrived in Flanders, but he contracted an acquaintance with John of Bruges, by Preſents which he made him, of ſeveral Pieces of Deſigning after the Italian way; and John ſeeing himſelf Old, reſolved to teach Antonelle to Paint in Oyl, and he did not leave off till he had perfectly attain'd that way. Antonello, after the Death of John van Eick, returned into Italy to impart the Secret he had learnt; but when he had been ſome Months at Meſſina, he went to Venice

Antonello dy'd at Venice at 49 Years of Age, and the Painters of that City perform'd his Obſequies with a great deal of Honour; and in Memory of the Secret which he had ſhewed them of Painting in Oyl, they Engrav'd on his Tomb this Epitaph, Antonius Pictor, proecipuum Meſſaniae ſuae, & Siciliae totius Ornamentum hac humo contegitur. Non ſolum ſuis Picturis, in quibus ſingulare artificium, & venuſtas fuit, ſed, & quod coloribus oleo miſcendis ſplendorem, & perpetuitatem primus Italicae Picturae contulit: ſummo ſemper Artificum Studio celebratus. About this time appear'd at Padua, Vellano the Sculptor, Diſciple of Donatello, who finiſh'd in that City the Work which his Maſter had left imperfect; he was at Rome, and work'd for Pope Paul, the Venetian, in the Year 1464. Alſo Paulus Romanus, a Sculptor, diſtinguiſh'd himſelf at Rome; he was Employed by Pope Pius the Second; the Figure of St. Paul, which is at the Entrance of the Bridge of St. Angelo is his.

This Paulus was alſo an excellent Worker in Gold; he made alſo the Apoſtles in Silver, which were on an Altar in the Pope's Chappel, and which were pillaged by the Imperialiſts at the taking Rome. One of his Contemporaries in Sculpture, was Mino; he made the two Figures of St. Peter and St. Paul, which are placed in the Entrance of that Church, and the Sepulchre of Paul the Second in the ſame Church.

IN the other Provinces of Italy, as well as in Tuſcany, and the State of Venice, there were ſeveral Perſons at the ſame time apply'd themſelves to revive the Honour of the Arts of Deſigning, but not in ſo great a number as at Florence, where their Genius's were naturally inclined to learn it; and who alſo had among them the advantage of an Academy of Deſigning, which was in no other Cities. Thus we ſee that the Art began to come to Perfection not only at Venice, but alſo at Ferrara, at Mantua, and at Bulloign, where Francis Francia was of the firſt Rank. Laurence Coſta of Ferrara, his Diſciple, made ſeveral of the fineſt Pieces that had yet ever appear'd there, although they were only painted in Diſtemper.

THE School of the Bellini having, as we have ſeen, begun to revive the true Guſt of Painting; their famous Diſciples Georgeone and Titian, did much exceed them; for they were acknowledged, as they yet are, by all Painters, for the greateſt Maſters in the Arts of Colouring, and making Landskips, that ever were.

Georgeone George del Caſtel Franco was ſurnamed Georgeon by reaſon of his fine Aſpect. del Caſtel Franco was brought up at Venice; he learn'd to play on the Lute to admiration, and having alſo a good Voice, he became an Excellent Muſician. He alſo apply'd himſelf there to Painting, where after having in a ſhort time learnt the Way of the Bellini, he ſurpaſſed them, by reaſon of the vivacity of his Genius, and his ſtrong Inclination to Painting, and his Studies on the Pieces of Leonardo da Vinci, whom he happily imitated in the force and ſweetneſs of his Manner. It was by theſe means that Georgeone attain'd to the true Way of Painting and Colouring, for which he was fam'd at Venice and in Treviſan, and for the Pieces in Freſco which he there painted, and for the Pieces in Oyl of the Portraitures of the greateſt Captains, as that of the Prince Gaſton de Foix which is to be ſeen in the Kings Cabinet.

He alſo gave proofs of his Wit and Knowledge in a Diſpute he had at Venice with ſome Sculptors, concerning the Preeminence they pretended to over the Painters, becauſe Sculpture repreſents all the Parts of the Body, whereas Painting repreſents only one: But he ſhew'd them the contrary of this in one of his Pictures, wherein he ſhewed four different Sights or Parts of a Figure. To do this he painted a naked Man who ſhewed his Shoulders, and on the Ground he repreſented a Fountain where were to be ſeen by Reflexion the The Reflexions of Objects from poliſh'd and ſhining Bodies, as well as from Diaphanous ones, like the Water, are very agreeable in Pictures, when made by the Rules of Diopticks, as is done by the Illuſtrious Pouſſin, who in that as well as ſome other Parts of Painting has exceeded all other Painters. The Author of the Diſcourſes, &c. witneſſeth this, and blames Painters for neglecting the Study of them. He gives us in that Part of his Book the Reaſon of thoſe Sorts of Reflexions by a Geometrical demonſtration on a Landskip he Engraved; whereon is repreſented a Terras Walk and a Pillar thereon on the Bank of a River, where they are reflected: But for this Landskip he did not chuſe a good Deſigner, for on the Water he ſhews Places beyond the Column over the top of it, where there could only be the Reflexion of the Terras; wherefore this Example ought not to be taken for a Pattern; in the mean while it is eaſy to find the Practice of repreſenting theſe Reflections: It is only neceſſary to take the Heigth of the Objects on the River's Bank, and lay them down perpendicularly in a right line forwards to the place where the extremity of the Object reflected would come. But to find the Reflexion of thoſe that are diſtant from the Bank of the River, you muſt prolong the Surface to the Plan of the Elevation of the Bodies, and ſo take the Heigth of this Plan found or imagined, and turn it perpendicularly forwards, then its extremity will be the term of the Reflexion of the Object that appears on the Water. In the explication of the principal Terms of Painting, we will give a more ample Demonſtration of this in Figures. Fore-parts of the Figure. On one of the ſides he made a Suit of poliſh'd Armor whence one of the Sides was reflected, and on the other ſide there was ſeen a Looking-Glaſs which reflected the other: And after this way Georgeone repreſented at one View thoſe different Aſpects; and this Picture was eſteemed one of the beſt of his Painting. This excellent Perſon dyed at the Age of thirty four Years of the Plague in 1511, with this further Encomium, that he had taught the true Way of Painting to Titian and Sebaſtian, afterwards called Frate del Piombo.

Titian Vecellio of Cadora was born in 1477, he came to Venice at ten Years of Age, where he gave the firſt hints of his Inclination to Painting; his Friends put him to John Bellino, where he preſently diſcovered an excellent Genius for learning all the Arts neceſſary and requiſite to Painting. But in the Year 1507, finding that the Method of Georgeone ſurpaſſed that of Bellino, he imitated Georgeone with a great deal of care, and became his Diſciple, and even exceeded him, for he became the moſt famous Colourer of his Time: As all Painters have ſince acknowledged.

GOOD Architecture began to revive in the Provinces of the Republick of Venice, according to the true Guſto of the Ancients, for there were ſeveral Illuſtrious Architects who came from Verona, who were happy in being Born in a City where there were ſo many Relicks of fine Architecture: For it is moſt certain that the beſt Precepts which can be given in the Arts of Deſigning, are fine Examples, whereon Youth Caſting their Eyes and Thoughts with a particular Inclination for Deſigning, cannot but ſucceed: And this is an Advantage which the Italians have had above other Nations, who have render'd themſelves famous in Architecture, Sculpture, and Painting; inſomuch, that it is not a wonder that in the laſt Age they have ſurpaſſed others.

Thoſe Ingenious Veroneſe Architects, were Joconde, Michael San Michael, and John Maria Falconetti. Joconde was called Fryer John Joconde, ever ſince he wore the Habit of the Dominicans; and though his firſt Talents were Learning and Theology, he was notwithſtanding an excellent Architect, and learned in Perſpective; for from his Youth he exerciſed himſelf in the true ancient way of Architecture, by his Studies after the Theaters, Amphitheaters, Triumphal-Arches, and other Relicks of Ancient Buildings, which make Verona famous.

When Joconde ſet himſelf to practiſe this Art, he was immediately very much favoured by Maximilian, who gave him Orders to rebuild at Verona the Bridge, which is called the Stone-Bridge, and which is very conſiderable, by reaſon of the Rapidity of the River, and its moving Bottom. Joconde from his Youth had ſtudied the Antiquities at Rome, and even the very Inſcriptions, whereof he compoſed a very fine Book, which was preſented to the old Duke Laurence de Medicis. He alſo made Notes on Caeſar's Commentaries, and deſign'd the Deſcription of the Bridge, which that Emperor made over the Rhine. After this Joconde was ſent for from Rome by Lewis the Twelfth, for whom he raiſed ſeveral Buildings; the moſt famous were the Bridges of Notre Dame at Paris, which this Prince order'd him to make, on the Building whereof Sannazar, his Friend, made this Epigram,

But Joconde at his return to Rome, by the Death of Bramante, was made one of the Surveyors of the Fabrick of St. Peter, with Raphael d'Urbin, and Anthony Sangallo. Joconde alſo made at Venice ſome ſurprizing Works, for he found out the Invention of turning away part of the Waters of the Brinte, that they ſhould not fill the Common Shores of that City with Sand and Earth, which that River brought down along with it, and by theſe means he preſerv'd Venice from the Accidents which threatned it. Budaeus ſays in Honour of this Great Man, that he return'd Thanks to God that he had ſo good a Maſter in Architecture, as Joconde, who exceeded Vitruvius.

Michael San Michel, ſtudied the Principles of Architecture at Verona, under his Father and Uncle, who were very good Architects; but at Sixteen Years of Age he went to Rome, and there meaſured the fine Ancient Buildings round about it, and thereby became skilled in every part of Architecture, inſomuch that Pope Clement VIIth. gave him a Penſion to go with Sangallo, and Fortify the Frontiers of the Eccleſiaſtick State, particularly Parma and Placentia. Afterwards he returned to Verona, whoſe fine Gates he made, and the Republick employ'd him in the Principal Buildings of the State, in the Levant, and on the Terra Firma, among which may be reckoned the Fortreſs of Lido.

Moreover, John Maria Falconetti, who was alſo of Verona, was a very famous Architect: He learnt Painting of his Father; but becauſe he did not get much by it, he ſet himſelf to Study the Antiquities of the City; after which he went to Rome and Naples, to Survey the Buildings of the Ancients, where he employ'd himſelf for the ſpace of twelve Years, and omitted nothing in his Deſigns, neither there, nor in the Parts round about. But as he had not ſufficient Means to continue his Studies long, he employ'd himſelf ſome Days in the Week in Painting, thereby to ſupply his Neceſſities.

Afterwards returning to Verona, and finding there no opportunity of employing himſelf in Architecture, he found himſelf obliged to take up Painting again; but through good luck he found in that City Signior Cornaro, who was a great lover of Architecture, who cauſed him to come to his Houſe, where he dwelt twenty one Years; he employ'd himſelf all this while in Working, and exerciſing that Art, which Falconetti had ſo much ſtudied. Thus theſe three Illuſtrious Architects of Verona introduced the true Guſto and Way of Building into the Venetian State.

This true and regular Way of Building was continued there, and even augmented by James Sanſovino, a Florentine, who embelliſh'd Venice with the greateſt and moſt regular Buildings that are there to be ſeen.

The famous Sanſovino began from his Youth to ſtudy Deſigning and Sculpture at Florence, which he very ſucceſsfully practiſed; he entertain'd a great Reſpect for Andrew del Sarto, an Excellent Painter. After this he went to Rome, where he got acquainted with Raphael and Bramante, who did him Juſtice in their Recommendations of his Skill to Leo the Tenth.

The French, and the Spaniards, and the Germans, had at that time great Inclinations to build themſelves National Churches at Rome. The Florentines alſo obtain'd the ſame favour from the Pope.

The Florentines cauſed ſeveral Models to be made by Raphael, Baldaſſare, Anthony Sangallo, and Sanſovino. It was the Deſign of this laſt that they choſe: And Sanſovino began to build the Church of St. John for the Florentines according to the Model he had made of it. But this building was diſcontiuned during the Popedom of Adrian the VIth, a Fleming by his Countrey, who had no affection nor guſt for the Arts of Deſigning: Inſomuch, that if he had reigned long theſe Arts would have infallibly ſunk into their old obſcurity, at leaſt at Rome.

Clement the VIIth ſucceeded him, and prevented this misfortune; for he ſet to Work all the Ingenious in theſe Arts: And James Sanſovino continued by theſe means the Fabrick of the Church of the Florentines till the Year 1527, wherein the Army of Charles the Vth beſieged Rome, which chaſed away from that City a great Number of excellent Men. Sanſovino James Sanſovino died at Venice at the Age of 78 Years; he brought up ſeveral Diſciples at Florence and at Venice, who were Nicholas, called il Tribolo, who wrought in the Abby of Mount Caſſin, Jerom de Ferrara, who wrought much at Loretta and Venice. James Colonna learn'd alſo Sculpture of Sanſovino, and died at Bologna, Titian da Padua, Peter de Salo, James Alexander Vittoria of Trente, Thomas de Lugan, James Breſſan, Bartholomew Amannatti and Daneſe Catanee who were all good Sculptors and Architects. retired to Venice to go thence to France into the Service of Francis the Iſt who very much deſired him.

But being arrived at Venice with a deſign to get ſomething there, becauſe he had loſt all his Goods at the pillaging of Rome; his Merit was repreſented to the Doge Gritti, and that he could prevent the Ruine which threatned the Dome of St. Mark. Immediately by the Order of the Doge Sanſovino undertook it, and by the help of ſome pieces of Timber and Iron-bands which he invented, he ſet this great Work out of danger. This gain'd him ſo much Reputation that the Super-intendency of the Works of the Dukedom, which became vacant, was given him.

The firſt Work which he made for the Republick was Zecca, which is the Chamber for the Money, or Treaſury, with a great deal of beauty and advantage: Afterwards he was employ'd about the Fortifications of the Venetian State. Afterwards he built the new Architecture that embelliſhes the Palace of St. Mark. He made alſo ſeveral Works of Braſs and Marble in the Church; and conſidering all the fine Structures wherewith he enrich'd Venice, we may ſay of him that he advanced Architecture in that City to its higheſt Perfection.

THE great Michael Angelo Buonaruoti, had the ſame Honour at Florence and Rome as Sanſovino at Venice: For he ſhewed his Capacity in Architecture in thoſe two Cities, and in the laſt Age advanced that Art to its higheſt Perfection. The reaſon of this is very evident and no ways ſurprizing, for being the greateſt Deſigner of his Time he became alſo the greateſt Architect, when he apply'd his Time wholly to it as he did during his laſt Years.

BACCIO

Baccio was born in 1487; and died at ſeventy two Years of Age: He is accuſed of having taken to pieces the fine Paintings of Leonardo da Vinci and Michael Angelo, which they had done in the Council Hall, whither all the Diſigners of Florence went afterwards to Study, and that out of Envy to Michael Angelo.

Among the reſt who ſtudied this fine Piece of Michael Angelo, Sebaſtian called Ariſtotle of St. Gal drew it in little, and kept it very carefully, eſpecially ſince the Original was ruined. Afterwards in 1540 at the perſwaſion of Vaſari his Friend, he painted it in Oyl in two Colours only; Giovo ſent this Picture into France to King Francis.

AT Venice the excellency of Painting did not decline during the whole laſt Age. It was there raiſed to a very high Degree of Perfection, chiefly in the fine Way of Colouring by Georgeone, and Titian who lived to be very Old. The Palma's The two Palma's are diſtinguiſhed by their Ages; the Eldeſt was James, he lived near Bergamus, and practiſed the Way of Titian, and learnt a great deal of him; he died at forty eight Years of Age. The Younger of the Palma's was of Venice, and Nephew of the Elder; from his Youth he had a great Inclination for Painting. The Duke of Urbin, who had a great Affection for him, let him Study in his Gallery on the Pictures of Raphael and Titian; and afterwards ſent him to Rome where he continued to perfect himſelf for the ſpace of eight Years, by ſtudying the Works of Polydore and Michael Angelo, whence he acquired the true manner. This is to be ſeen at Venice and in all the Venetian State, which has ſeveral of his Pieces, for he wrought very hard to eighty four Years of Age, and then died in 1628. From the time of this Painter, Painting and Colouring declined at Venice. , the Baſſans Of the Baſſans, the Firſt was James da Ponte, who was born at Baſſano in the Year 1510; he learnt Painting of his Father Francis da Ponte: Afterwards he perfected himſelf at Venice by the Pictures of Titian, and the Prints of Parmegiano; afterwards he retired to the City of Baſſano, where he wrought during the remainder of his Life, and died at eighty two Years of Age in 1592. His Children were Francis, John Baptiſta, Jerom and Leander; all continued in the Way of their Father at Venice; but the moſt Ingenious of theſe four Brothers was Francis, who died in 1594. Leander practiſed Painting with a great deal of Credit, for he was honoured with Knighthood at Venice, he died at fixty five Years of Age in 1623. As for Jerom he wrought at Venice, and died at ſixty two Years of Age in 1622., Pordenone, Paris Bordone, and ſeveral others were excellent Colouriſts and contributed to the enriching Venice by their excellent Pictures.

The Famous Paul Veroneſe Paul Callieri was born at Verona in 1532, his Father was a Sculptor, who taught him from his Youth to Deſign and Model; but as he had a greater Inclination to Painting, he put him to Anthony Badile his Uncle, who was one of the beſt Painters of Verona, in a ſhort time Paul became very skilful, after which he went and work'd at Mantua with Paul Farinati, Dominick Bruſaſorci, and Baptiſia del Moro all of them Young Painters of Verona, whom the Cardinal Hercules cauſed to come thither to Paint the Chappel of the Cathedral. After Paul had painted ſeveral Pieces at Verona and in ſeveral Cities of the Venetian State, he ſettled himſelf at Venice, where his Works gain'd an univerſal Applauſe and Eſteem. This got him ſeveral rewards of the Republick above other Painters, who after having made a vaſt number of Pictures, died at fifty ſix Years of Age in 1588. and James Robuſti called Tintorett, was born at Venice in 1512; from his Childhood he took to Deſigning on the Walls, and afterwards colouring his Figures with Diers Colours, for his Father was a Dyer, who ſeeing the inclination of his Son put him to Titian, where he remain'd but a ſhort time: Afterwards he ſtudied Deſigning of himſelf, after the Way of Michael Angelo, and the Manner of Colouring of Titian, which he joined with the obſervation of Nature, and formed after this manner his fine manner of Painting, and filied Venice with his admirable Pictures; he died in 1594. Marietta his Daughter was an excellent Paintreſs; ſhe died at the Age of thirty Years in 1590. Ridol. Vite di Pittori Veneti. Tintoret, continued to embelliſh the Palaces and Churches of that City and of the Venetian State with a great Number of excellent Pieces: Inſomuch that theſe Pieces both then and ſtill cauſe admiration in the Curious, and ſerve for Examples of Study to young Painters, who love this fine Way of Painting and Colouring. For it may be ſaid in Praiſe of theſe two excellent Perſons, that they were thoſe who brought Colouring at Venice to its higheſt Perfection.

Jerom Mutiano of Breſcia, was alſo of this State and learnt the Principles of Painting: Afterwards he perfected himſelf at Venice by the Pieces of Titian, where he learn'd the true Way of Colouring, and drawing Landskips, wherein he was Excellent. After this he went to Rome, where he continued to Study his Art with ſo much Ardor, that to beat Love out of his Head, which he found ſomewhat to hinder him, he cut off his Hair, and never ſtirr'd from home, till his Picture of the Reſurrection of Lazarus was done, and his Hair grown again. This Work, which is to be ſeen at St. Mary Majore, was very much praiſed by Michael Angelo, and acquired a very great Reputation to the Painter who made it, as did alſo that which he painted in St. Peter's, which repreſents the Viſit of St. Antony to St. Paul the firſt Hermit.

BY what we have ſaid of Vignola, it may be gathered that the true manner of Architecture began to revive in France, and even before his time, for it began under Lewis the XIIth, who cauſed Jocondo to come out of Italy. King Francis his Succeſſor had the like Inclination not only for Architecture, but alſo for This great Prince was ſo great a Lover of theſe Arts, that he made it one of his Recreations to Deſign and Paint. Paul Lomazzo Trattato, D. L. Pitt. in theſe Terms. Epero ſi legge, che 'l Rè di Francia molte volte ſi dilettava di prendére lo ſtile in mano, & eſſercitarſi nel diſegnare & dipingere. Painting and for all the other Arts of Deſigning. For he ſent for ſeveral Ingenious Italians into France, to whom he ſhewed particular Favours. Roſſo, known in France by the Name of Roux, was among the chiefeſt of his Favourites. He was a Painter and Architect, of a good Mein, and very Ingenious. This excellent Genius apply'd himſelf in his Youth at Florence to ſtudy the great Piece done by Michael Angelo in the Council-Hall: Afterwards he painted of himſelf, without following any Maſter.

Afterwards he went into France where he was ſo happy as to get the Favour and Affection of the King, who allow'd him a Penſion of four hundred Crowns. After that he began to Paint the lower Gallery at Fountainbleau, where he painted twenty four Hiſtorical Pieces of Alexander the Great: This pleaſed the King ſo much that he gave him a Canonſhip in the Chappel at Paris.

Roſſo moreover painted ſeveral Chambers at Fountainbleau, which after his Death were ſomewhat changed: There was a Book of ſeveral Deſigns of Anatomy which he had made for the King, about to be engraved Le Roux, whom the Italians call il Roſſo, a Florentine Painter and Architect, died at Paris in 1541 of a Melancholy, which he conceived by having inconſiderately accuſed one of his beſt Friends of having robbed him. The King and all that knew him were very ſorrowful for his Death. His Diſciples and thoſe who work'd for him in Painting and Plaiſter were Naldino a Florentine, Maſter Francis of Orleans, Claudius of Paris, Laurence Picard and ſeveral others, the moſt Ingenious whereof was Dominick del Barbieri a Florentine, an excellent Painter and Artiſt in Stucco-work, and alſo a good Deſigner, as is to be ſeen by his Stamps., but was prevented by the deceaſe of this Painter.

Francis Primaticcio of Bolonia carried on the Works of Roſſo at Fountainbleau: He came into France in the Year 1531, a year after the Eſtabliſhment of Roſſo: That which cauſed this Voyage of Primaticcio, was that the King had heard of the Beauty of the Painting and Stucco-work, wherewith the famous Julio Romano had adorn'd the Palace of T. at Mantua. So the King deſired the Duke to ſend him a Painter who underſtood Stucco-work.

Primaticcio had been ſix Years a Diſciple of Julio Romano, and had diſtinguiſh'd himſelf by the Beauty of the Stucco-work he made, by the eaſineſs of his Deſigning, and by the way he had of managing Colours in Freſco. This Painter was choſen out by the Duke of Mantua for Francis the I. who ſet him to Paint in Freſco, and work in Stucco, which had not till then been ſeen in France, and after having had the Honour to ſerve the King eight Years, his Majeſty honoured him with the Charge of a Valet of his Chamber, and afterwards he was rewarded with the Abby of St. Martin de Troie, whereof Primaticcio aſſumed the Name.

The Works which this illuſtrious Primaticcio Abbot of St. Martin had ſeveral Diſciples: The moſt Ingenious was Nicolo of Modena, known in France under the Name of Meſſer Nicolo; he painted in Freſco the Gallery of Ulyſſes at Fountainbleau; he alſo made ſeveral other Pieces in Freſco there. There are ſome Pieces of his Painting to be yet ſeen at Beauregar near Blois, and in ſeveral Places in France. Perſon made at Meudon in Architecture, in Sculpture and in Painting, are no leſs agreeable than thoſe he made in the Gallery and Apartments which he painted at Fountainbleau; and beſides the excellent Genius he had for theſe Arts, he was extraordinary for inventing feſtival Decorations and ſuch like Ornaments, which he did at Court on ſeveral Occaſions.

Primaticcio made Abbot of St. Martin, continued to ſerve the Succeſſor of Francis the Iſt, in quality of Painter, Architect, and Valet de Chamber to the King.

Under Francis the IId, he was made The Abbot of St. Martin was made Surveyor of the Kings Buildings, and his chief Architect, in 1559 in room of Philbert de Lorme, whom he ſucceeded in all his Charges. Surveyor General of the Buildings for his Majeſty. That Charge had been executed before by the Father of Cardinal de la Bourdaiſiere, and Monſieur de Villeroy.

After the Death of Francis the IId; the Abbot of St. Martin continued his Charge of Surveyor General of the Buildings, and by the Order of Katharine de Medicis he made at St. Dennis the Tomb of the Valois: And although that Work remained Imperfect, yet there are to be ſeen repreſented on Baſs Reliefs the Battles of Francis the Iſt, which are of an incomparable Deſign, and very ingeniouſly managed according to the Art of Sculpture in the nice Gradations of the Groups of Figures, which appear one ſtanding out before the other.

This makes it appear, that it was under the Reigns of theſe Princes, and this Princeſs that the Arts of Deſigning were Re-eſtabliſhed in France, and flouriſh'd there: For beſides the ingenious Italians who labour'd in their Revival, the French Nation ſet themſelves with great Succeſs to Architecture and Sculpture; thus the Abbot of Clagni apply'd himſelf to the Management of the Building of the Louvre, after Henry the IId had began it. The two du Cerceaux were ingenious Architects, as alſo Philbert de Lorme and John Bullant

Le Primaticcio Abbot of St. Martin died about 1570. The King put in his Place John Bullant to be Architect at Fountainbleau. See Telibien, Of the Works of the Painters, p. 705.

From the time of Primaticcio, the true Way in the Arts of Deſigning began to ſpread in France, even to painting on Glaſs; for that reaſon we ſee ſeveral of that time that are very extraordinary; as alſo ſeveral Works in Enamel, whereof there are ſeveral Pieces which adorn the two Altars in the Chappel of Paris, the Deſignment whereof is very admirable and altogether after the Way of Julio Romano and Primaticcio: There are alſo ſeveral earthen Veſſels of that Work painted and enamell'd, which were made in France as well as in Italy. The Abbot of Saint Martin made ſeveral Deſignments in Tapiſtry, ſome whereof are to be ſeen in Hangings in the Palace of Conde, and other Princes.

Among the good Architects of that time may be numbred Eſtienne de Perac, who had the Honour to be Architect and Painter to the King. He painted at Fountainbleau the Hall of the Baths, and died in 1600. F. P. 712.

PAINTING in the two laſt Ages made a great Progreſs in Flanders: And the Flemings cultivated it with a great deal of Care: For after John of Bruges had found out the Way of Painting in Oyl, in 1410, he brought up ſeveral Diſciples, and among the reſt Roger Vanderverden of Brueſſels, and Haveſſe who taught this fine Secret to Lewis of Louvain.

Peter Criſto, Juſtus of Ghent, Hugo of Antwerp appear'd ſome time after: They work'd only in the low Countries with Reputation, about the End of 1400, and at the beginning of 1500. In the laſt of theſe Centuries ſeveral other Painters of that Nation began to make themſelves known: Lambert Lombard was at Liege of the firſt Rank for Painting and Architecture. He there brought up ſome excellent Diſciples; the moſt Famous was Francis Florus, who is looked upon as the Raphael of the Flemiſh, by reaſon of his true Way of Deſigning: William Cay of Breda was alſo a Diſciple of Lambert Lombard, he paſſed for a very good Painter: There was not in his Works that Fire, and Reſolution to be ſeen as in thoſe of Francis Florus, but there appeared more of the Life, and of Sweetneſs and good Grace. There were about that time ſeveral Flemiſh Maſters alſo who gain'd Reputation in Italy, both by Painting and Architecture; Michael Cockiſian was one of them, it was he who painted the two Chappels in Freſco in 1522 in the Church dell'Anima, after the Italian Way. There was alſo John de Calker who ought to be eſteemed for his Manner of Painting and Deſigning: He learnt of the Famous Titian, and deſigned ſome excellent Stamps and Plates of Anatomy, which made the Book of Andrew Veſalius ſo Famous.

Heemskirk, Martin de Vos, and John Strada ſtudiin Italy the true Manner of Deſigning and Painting: Strada made ſeveral Pieces at Florence for the Great Duke, particularly ſeveral Patterns for Tapiſtry, whereby he ſhewed that he had an univerſal Genius in all the different Parts of Painting; his great Capacity procur'd him admittance into the Academy of Deſigning.

The low Countries produced ſeveral other Painters; Divic, and Quintin of Vaſari ſays, that Quintin was of Louvain: But A. F. thinks he was of Antwerp, who, from a good Blackſmith and Farrier, became a good Painter, through the natural Inclination he had from his Youth for Deſigning, and the great Paſſion he entertain'd for a Young Woman, who promiſed him Marriage on Condition he became a good Painter: This encouraged him to learn Painting, which he very ſucceſsfully accompliſh'd. Louvain were very much eſteemed for their true Imitation of Nature. John deCleves was excellent in Colouring and drawing Portraits: Inſomuch that Francis the Iſt took him into his Service, during which time he drew a great many of the Lords and Ladies of the Court.

In the ſame Provinces were John d' Hemeiſſein, Martin Cook, John Cornelis, and Lambert Scoorel, who was a Canon at Utrecht: John belle Jambe, Divick d' Harlem and Francis Monſtaret, were Excellent in Landskips, and odd Fantaſtick Figures. This laſt was imitated by Jerome Hertoghen Bos, Peter Brueghel and Lancelot, who was very Excellent at painting Fires.

In theſe Countries was alſo Peter Cocuek, who had a great facility and readineſs of Invention, for he made ſeveral very fine Hiſtorical Deſigns for Tapiſtry; he had a very good Way, and a great deal of practice in Architecture, which made him tranſlate the Books of Serlio into Dutch. But he who of all the Painters of the Low Countries ought to be the moſt eſteemed was Anthony More Painter to Philip the IId King of Spain: The Pictures and Portraits which are to be ſeen of this famous Painters Hand will always make him paſs for an excellent Perſon; he learnt Painting of Lambert Scoorel.

Several ſpeak alſo with a great deal of Praiſe of Peter Le Long, who made at Amſterdam, where he was born, a Picture of the Virgin with other Saints for which he had two thouſand Crowns. Mathew and Paul Bril were at that time very Famous for making Landskips; they wrought a long time at Rome; and in Flanders there appear'd with a very great Reputation Octavius Vanveen, who is alſo called Otto-Venius. He was Painter to the Duke of Parma, who was Governour of the Low Countries, and afterwards to the Arch Duke Albert. It was he who was Maſter of the Famous Paul Rubens.

Peter Porbus of Bruges was alſo a Painter; he taught Francis his Son to Paint, who continued to learn under Francis Florus; this laſt had a Son called Francis, who wrought at Paris in the Church of St. Leu of the reformed Jacobins, and in the Stadt-Houſe, where he ſhewed his great Capacity.

At the ſame time Sculpture flouriſh'd in the Low Countries as well as Painting, for thoſe two Noble Exerciſes are Originated from the ſame Principle, which is Deſigning: For this reaſon there were bred in that Country excellent Sculptors; as William of Antwerp, John de Dales, William Cucur of Holland, and James Bruſca, all Sculptors and Architects. Bruſca made ſeveral Pieces for the Queen of Hungary, and he brought up John Bologna of Douay.

It was this Famous John Bologna, who gain'd the moſt Honour of any to his Nation for Sculpture, by the Beauty which appear'd in all his Works, which have all of them the true Way and Guſt of the Ancients, wherein he perfected himſelf in Italy, and particularly at Florence, where he reſided, and held the firſt Place in that Art. He was there employ'd by the Princes de Medicis to make ſeveral Pieces of Sculpture: The fine Marble Statues, and the great Groupes of Figures in Braſs which adorn the Squares of Florence, of Leghorn, and of Bologna are very charming, and ſo many proofs of his Excellence, and Monuments of his Glory.

There are yet at Paris ſome Marks remaining of the Excellence of his Workmanſhip, as the Brazen Horſe whereon is the Figure of Henry the IVth in the Square of Pont-neuf: Thus we may ſee that both in the Low Countries, and in France as well as Italy, the Arts of Deſigning had their Revival by the Means and Ways we have ſhewn. That which farther contributed towards it, was the Genius and Application of ſeveral Ingenious Painters, Sculptors and Architects who flouriſh'd in the Centuries 1400 and 1500.