selves were finely proportioned, magnificently arranged, and richly adorned, as may be seen in that astonishing erection, the cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore, in Florence, and in the beauty and grace of its lantern; in the graceful, rich, and variously ornamented church of Santo Spirito; and in the no less beautiful edifice of San Lorenzo; or again, in the fanciful invention of the octangular church of the Angioli; in the light and graceful church and convent belonging to the abbey of Florence; and in the magnificent and lordly commencement of the Pitti Palace, to say nothing of the vast and commodious edifice constructed by Francesco di Giorgio, in the church and palace of the Duomo, at Urbino; of the strong and rich castle of Naples; or of the impregnable fortress of Milan, and many other remarkable erections of that time. And if, in certain portions of the works executed during that period,―in the cornices, for example, in the light carving of foliage, and delicate finish of other ornaments,→ we fail to perceive the exquisite refinement and grace exhibited in later times, as will be seen in the Third Part of my book, we are yet bound to admit that they are, to a certain extent, good and beautiful, although we may not accord to them the praise due to those who afterwards displayed a perfection of lightness, richness, grace, and refinement, equalled only by the best architects of antiquity. We do not, then, consider the second period perfect; for we have seen later times produce works superior, and may therefore reasonably affirm that something was still wanting. Certain individual works then executed are indeed so admirable, that nothing better has been accomplished, even to our own times, nor perhaps will be in times to come-as, for example, the lantern of the cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore; or, for grandeur, we may instance the noble cupola itself, wherein Filippo had not only the courage to imitate the ancients as to the vastness of the erection, but even surpassed them in the height of the walls. But we are here speaking in general terms of a period, and are not permitted to infer the excellence of the whole from the undisputed goodness, or even perfection, of a part.

What is here said of architecture, may, with equal propriety be affirmed of painting and sculpture, in both of which are still to be seen many extraordinary works executed by the masters of the second period, as that of Masaccio in the

church of the Carmine, for example, where the artist has depicted a naked figure shivering with the cold, besides many spirited and life-like forms, in other pictures. But, speaking generally, the second period did not attain to the perfection exhibited by the third, and of which we propose to speak in due time. For the present we have to occupy ourselves with the second, wherein-to speak first of the sculptors-the art made so decided an improvement on the manner of the first, as to leave but little remaining for the third to accomplish. The method adopted by the masters of the second period was so much more efficient, their treatment so much more natural and graceful, their drawing so much more accurate, their proportions so much more correct, that their statues began to assume the appearance of living men, and were no longer lifeless images of stone, as were those of the earlier day. Of this there will be found proof in the part we are now about to treat, wherein the works of the Sienese, Jacopo della Quercia, will be remarked as possessing more life and grace, with more correct design, and more careful finish; those of Filippo Brunelleschi exhibit a finer developement and play of the muscles, with more accurate proportions, and a more judicious treatment-remarks which are alike applicable to the works produced by the disciples of these masters. Still more was performed by Lorenzo Ghiberti, in his work of the gates of San Giovanni: fertility of invention, judicious arrangement, correct design, and admirable treatment, being all alike conspicuous in these wonderful productions, the figures of which seem to move and possess a living soul. Donato also lived at the same period, but respecting this master, I could not for some time determine whether I were not called on to place him in the third epoch, since his productions are equal to good works of antiquity;-certain it is, that if we assign him to the second period, we may safely affirm him to be the type and representative of all the other masters of that period; since he united within himself the qualities which were divided among the rest, and which must be sought among many, imparting to his figures a life, movement, and reality which enable them to bear comparison with those of later times-nay even, as I have said, with the ancients themselves.

Similar progress was made at the same time in painting,

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which the excellent and admirable Masaccio delivered entirely from the manner of Giotto, as regards the heads, the carnations, the draperies, buildings, and colouring; he also restored the practice of foreshortening, and brought to light that modern manner which, adopted in his own time, has been followed by all artists, and is pursued by our own, even to this day; gradually receiving the addition of a better grace, more fertile invention, and richer ornament; embellished and carried forward, in short, as may be seen more particularly set forth in the life of each artist; nor can we fail to remark that a new mode of colouring and foreshortening was introduced, with more natural attitudes, and a much more effectual expression of feeling in the gestures and movements of the body, art seeking to approach the truth of Nature by more correct design, and to exhibit so close a resemblance to the countenance of the living man, that each figure might at once be recognized as the person for whom it was intended. Thus the masters constantly endeavoured to reproduce what they beheld in Nature, and no more; their works became, consequently, more carefully considered and better understood. This gave them courage to impose rules of perspective, and to carry the foreshortenings precisely to the point which gives an exact imitation of the relief apparent in Nature and the real form. Minute attention to the effects of light and shade, and to various difficulties of the art, succeeded, and efforts were made to produce a better order of composition. Landscapes, also, were attempted. Tracts of country, trees, shrubs, flowers, the clouds, the air, and other natural objects, were depicted, with some resemblance to the realities represented, insomuch that we may boldly affirm, that these arts had not only become ennobled, but had attained to that flower of youth from which the fruit afterwards to follow might reasonably be looked for, and hope entertained that they would shortly reach the perfection of their existence.

We will now then, with the help of God, give commencement to the life of Jacopo della Quercia, the Sienese, and afterwards narrate those of other architects and sculptors until we reach that of Masaccio, who, being, as he was, the first to ameliorate the practice of design among painters, may be said to have contributed largely to the new revival of art. I have selected Jacopo della Quercia for the honoured leader

LIVES OF THE ARTISTS.-JACOPO DELLA QUERCIA. 313

of this Second Part, and, following the order of the different manners, I will gradually proceed to lay open and elucidate, in the lives themselves, the difficulties of these beautiful, laborious, and most honourable arts.

THE SIENESE SCULPTOR, JACOPO DELLA QUERCIA. [BORN 1374?-DIED 1438.]

THE sculptor Jacopo, son of Maestro Piero di Filippo of Quercia, a place in the neighbourhood of Siena, was the first —after Andrea Pisano, Orgagna, and the other masters above named-who, devoting himself to sculpture with a more earnest study, began to show that a near approach might be made to Nature herself; and it was from him that other artists first took courage to hope that it was possible, in a certain measure, to equal her works. The first labours of this master which require to be mentioned, were executed in Siena, when he was but nineteen years old, and the occasion was as follows:-The Sienese army, then in action against the Florentines, was commanded by Gian Tedesco, nephew of Saccone da Pietramala, and by Giovanni d'Azzo Ubaldini, when the latter general fell sick in the camp; he was consequently brought to Siena, where he died. The Sienese deeply lamented the loss of their captain, whom they honoured with a most superb and solemn funeral; they caused an edifice of wood-work to be constructed, in form of a pyramid, on the summit of which was placed a statue of Giovanni on horseback, larger than life, which was executed by Jacopo. This work displayed considerable judgment, as well as fertility of invention; Jacopo having discovered a method of proceeding which had not before been in use: he formed the skeleton and body of the horse, namely, from pieces of wood and small planks, which were afterwards swathed and wrapped with hay, tow, and hemp, being well bound and secured with ropes, when all was covered with clay mixed with a cement formed of paste, glue, and the shearings of woollen cloth. This mode of treatment certainly was, and

is, the best for such things, seeing that they are required to have an appearance of massiveness and solidity, yet when completed and dried, are in fact very light, and being whitened over, they have a sufficient resemblance to marble to render them very pleasing to the eye, as was the case with this horse of Jacopo's; to which may be added, that figures thus made, and with this cement, are not liable to crack, as they would do if formed from the clay merely. The models used by sculptors, in our own day, are prepared in this manner, to the great convenience of the artists, who have the exact form and the just measurements of the sculptures they are executing constantly before their eyes, an advantage for which they owe much gratitude to Jacopo, who is said to have been the inventor of this method.

Having completed the statue here described, Jacopo, still working in Siena, prepared two tables, in the wood of the lime-tree; and in this work he carved the figures, their hair, beards, &c. with such extraordinary patience, that it was a marvel. These tables were placed in the cathedral, and when they were finished, the artist executed the figures of some of the prophets, not of large size, which are now to be seen in the façade of that church.* In the works of this building he would, doubtless, have continued to labour, had not pestilence, famine, and the discords of the Sienese citizens, brought the city to a very unhappy condition: they had more than once risen tumultuously, and at length they expelled Orlando Malevolti, by whose favour Jacopo had been honourably employed in his native city. The master departed from Šiena, therefore, being invited, by means of certain friends, to Lucca, where he constructed a mausoleum for the wife of Paolo Guinigi, who was then lord of that city, and who had died some short time previously. This tomb is in the church of San Martino, and on the basement are figures of boys in marble, supporting a garland; these are so finely executed, that they seem rather to be of flesh than stone. On the sarcophagus is the figure of the lady buried within, also finished with infinite care, and at her feet, in the same stone, is a dog in full-relief, as an emblem of her fidelity to her husband.†

* These prophets still remain, but of the carved tables no authentic account can be discovered.-Schorn.

† Sercambi tells us that this lady, Ilaria, daughter of Carlo Marchese