s: \ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/franciaschoolofbOOfran i; •t. ■ I ,C;.. / 4 » MASTERS IN ART [ “©lii JWrtsteis” IK- i: THE EHRICH GALLERIES 463 & 465 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY J/' (One Door North of 40 th St. Opposite the Library’) I Expert opinion pronounced as to the genuineness and authenticity of \ Antique Paintings. YAMANAKA & CO. 254 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK Japanese and Chinese Works of Art B R O N Z ES, M ET A L wo R K ^ EMBROIDERED SCREENS IVORY CARVINGS J A D E S , C R Y S T A LS PORCELAINS “ KAKEMONOS OLD PAINTINGS AND COLOR-PRINTS A SPECIALTY g. g>artortu6 &, Co, _MANUFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS OF artij^t-5’ ;|¥laterial^ anJj Color^tf China Painting Oil-Color Painting Water-Color Painting iVrite for Illustrated Catalogue 45 Murray Street, New York AMERICAN COACHING DAYS Color Print by E. L. HENRY Period of 1825 to 1870 Send for lUustrated Gatalogue C. KLACKNER, ^ REPRODUCTIONS OF MASTERPIECES IN MASTERPIECES OF REPRODUCTION The greatest selection and largest variety will be found in our catalogue, containing 400 illustrations of the most famous pictures — ^ both ancient and modern. A Copy of this reference-book, indispensable to all lovers of art, with comments by com- petent critics, biographical notes, suggestions for decorating homes, schools, etc., will be sent on receipt of 50c., which amount will bt reimbursed on receipt of initial order. Art Schools, Libraries, and other educational institutions, making appli- cation on their printed letter-heads and enclosing 20c. in stamps to defray packing and for- warding expenses, will receive a copy free. BERLIN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPANY 14 East 23d Street (Madison Square South), New York visit to our Show-rooms is respectfully requested In answering advertisements, please mention Masters in Art M A STE RS IN ART IteStaiHnjlrt 19 0 7 Below we olFer a partial list of the painters to be considered during 1907. The remaining subjects will be of no less interest than those here an- nounced SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE, President of the Royal Academy and painter to the king, was the most popular portraitist of his day in England. LA TOUR, Famous French pastellist of the court of Louis XV., whose portraits are marvels of exquisite color and sure yet delicate touch. .lULES BRETON, Painter and poet, who achieved popularity and Success by his pictures of the customs and avocations of the peasantry of France. FILIPPINO LIPPI, Son of Fra Filippo Lippi and pupil of Botti- celli, who “came closer," it has been said, “to the modern spirit than any other painter of the fifteenth century.” RUISDAEL, One of the greatest of Dutch landscape- painters, whose compositions ot woods, glens, and mountain torrents are full of a poetic melancholy. TENIERS The Younger, The Flemish painter of tavern scenes, whose brilliant palette and skilful technique rivaled those of his Dutch contemporaries. Subscription, $1.50 in advance BATES & GUILD COMPANY Publishers 42 Chauncy St., Boston SOME OF BRENTANO’S Fall and Christmas Announcements Benvenuto Cellini Translated into English by John Adding- ton Symonds, with an elaborate In- troduction by Royal Cortissoz A luxurious new edition of Benvenuto Cellini’s Au- tobiography and one of the most fascinating classics of European literature. This handsome edition has been planned to meet the requirements of both the student and the collector. “A book which the great Goethe thought worthy of tr.ansl.ating into German with the pen of Faust and Wil- helm .Meister, a book which Auguste Comte placed upon his very limited list for the perusal of reformed human- ity, is one with whicli we have the right to be occupied, not once or twice, but over and over again. It cannot lose its freshness. Wh.at attracted the encyclopisdic names of men so different as Comte and Goethe to its pages still remains there. The adventures of this potent human actuality will bear comparison with those of Gil Bias, or of the Comte of Monte Cristo, or Quentin Dur- w.ard, or Les Trois Mousquetairs, for their variety and their pungent interest.” — John Addington .Stmonds. Printed on special hand-made paper, containing 40 full-page photogravure illustrations, with artistic cover- design. 2 volumes, bound in cloth, boxed. S6.00 net ; express extra. Some Beauties of the Seven- teenth Century By Allan Fea This is a book of delightful chat. It begins with Hor- tense, Duchess of Mazarin, of whom it was written, “ She must reign and you obey” — going on to give fa- miliar details of the lives of women who impressed their individuality on history, ending with Mlle.de la Val- liereandthe Marchioness de Montespan. Tothe woman of leisure as well as the man of state affairs these his- torical characters will appeal. Cloth binding. 82 illus- trations. iSi.OOnet; express extra. Decorative Art in America By Oscar Wilde A lecture, together with Letters, Reviews, and Inter- views in criticism of Art, Literature, and the Drama, by Oscar Wilde, appearing now for the first time in book form, collected from sources hitherto unknown, with an Introduction and Notes by Richard Butler Glaen- zer. i2mo, cloth. Sl.SOnet; by mail, SI . 63 . The Picture of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde An entirely new edition of this author’s psychological masterpiece, with a beautiful photogravure frontispiece. i2mo, cloth, uniform with “Intentions.” SI . 50 net. Lilies that Fester and Love’s Constancy By William Poel Widely known for his adaptation ot “Everyman.” 121110, boards, attractive style of binding. SI . 00 net. Dramatic Opinions and Essays By Bernard Shaw Mr. Shaw was for a number of years a writer of dra- matic notes on theatrical affairs in London, and the literature of the drama is richer by a series of papers on actors and acting in the closing days of the nineteenth century. 2 vols. Boxed. S 3. 50 net. For sale everywhere, or supplied by Che publishers BRENT ANO’S NEW YORK WASHINGTON PARIS In answering advertisements, please mention Masters in Art M ASTE RS IN ART HOW TO STUDY PICTURES BY CHARLES H. CAFFIN A book for art-lovers, students, and travelers. Octavo, 528 pages, in- cluding 56 illustrations of well-known paintings, with complete indeoc and glossary of terms. $2.00 net ; postage, 19 cents. There are numberless books about art, from the small handbook to the exhaustive and costly cy- clopedias. But nowhere else has the gist of art-study been presented in a form so interesting, com- prehensive, and suggestive as in this admirable book. Through his lectures and frequent papers on art subjects, Mr. Caffin is well known as one of America’s leading art critics, and “How to Study Pic- tures ” presents the richest and ripest fruit of his art knowledge, in a volume that is unique ; for he adopts the original plan of contrasting in each chapter the work of some great artist with that of another equally great master — showing a single picture painted by each, and pointing out the like- nesses and differences between the two pictures and the methods of the two painters. Incidentally, a brief biographical account of each master is included, and a clear summary of the national or personal influences which affected his work. Both the student and the general reader can learn much from this volume, the motto of which might well be “ Look here, upon this picture, and on this.” Nearly sixty copies of pictures from the world’s masterpieces, selected by Mr. Caffin, have been pre- pared especially for the book, the pictures contrasted being printed on opposite pages. Within small compass the reader here obtains an accurate and comprehensive knowledge of the history, the biog- raphy, and the development of the pictorial art from the time of the Renaissance to our own day, — from Cirnabue and Giotto to Rossetti, Holman Hunt, Whistler, and Sargent. Two additional features of great value are the complete Index, and the Glossary, with a short bibliography of useful works on art. THE CENTURY COMPANY NEW YORK The Art Book of the Year THE CHATEAUX O F TOU R AI N E The Text by MARIA HORNOR LANSDALE, Illustrations in Color by JULES GUERIN and in Black and Tint from Photographs. A companion volume to “ Italian Villas and Their Gardens,” by Edith Wharton, with Illustrations by Maxfield Parrish. A superb Iviliday gift-book and one of vivid interest, in which the reader is made to live again through the stirring events, the joys and sorrows of the dead-and-gone kings and queens identified with the early days of these chateaux of Touraine. The personal element is happily made much of; — one reading of these pages, and Plessis-les-Tours, Loches, Chinon, Langeais, Amboise, Blois, Luynes, Chenonceaux, Azay-le-Rideau, Chaumont, Chambord, and Cheverney can never again be only names. The facts are set down with an accuracy and authority that make the volume as valuable as the sym- pathetic and glowing treatment makes it alluring ; and the pictures, many of them printed in color and in tint, are as delightful as the text. Sumptuously bound with a highly decorative cover in colors and gold. Royal octavo, jp ^ pages, ^6.00 net ; postage, 2J cents. THE CENTURY CO. NEW YORK In answering advertisements, please mention Masters in Art MASTERS IN ART 6tiition0 for ^rt i^oticro THE WATER COLOR SKETCHES OF J. M. W. TURNER in the Na- tional Gallery An Edition de Luxe, consisting of 58 facsimile Repro- ductions in Color of pictures of the River Seine, the Rivers of England, and the Ports of England, with descriptive text by THEODORE A. COOK. $20.00 net. Edition limited to 1,200 numbered copies. JOY, GEORGE W., The Work of With an Autobiographical Sketch, 30 Rembrandt Photo- gp'avures, 16 Reproductions in Color of Pictures and Draw- ings, and Other IT frations. Extra crown 4to, hand- somely bound, do* 't, gilt edges, $15.00 net. Edition limited to 1,000 cop THE ART ^ PORTRAIT PAINT- ING By t N COLLIER. A Practical Treatise, for the Professional Painter, on the Art of Portrait Pai. Oil Colors. With 14 Reproductions in Color and 27 ill k and White. $3.50 net. ROYAL ACADEMY PICTURES, igo6 In this Sun ous Publication All of the Best Worksof Art in this Ye, ,s Exhibition Will Be Found Reproduced in a Degre of Excellence Hitherto Unattained. Cloth, gilt, $2.00 n. . Cassell & Company, Ltd., New Yo^ ^.ffice, 43-45 E. igth Street FOR EVERY SUBSCRIBER WHO DOES LETTERING O entirely confident are we that LETTERS LETTERING, by Mr. F rank Chouteau Brown, is the best and most useful book on the subject ever published, that we will refund the purchase price and prepay return charges if after examination you do not want to keep the book. Send us $2.00, keep the book a week, which will give you time to read it and become familiar with its countless good points, and then if you desire to return it, notify us by postal card and we will refund your money and send postage for returning the book. ISN’T THIS OFFER FAIR ENOUGH TO ACCEPT? Bates & Guild Co., Publishers, Boston, Mass. Please refer to this advertisement when ordering. FRENCH PORCELAIN By E. S. AUSCHER, translated by WILLIAM BUR- TON. 24 Plates in Colors, 48 in Black and White, with Numerous Reproductions of the Various Marks. Royal 8vo., cloth gilt, gilt top, $10.00 net. Limited to 1,250 num- bered copies. FRENCH FAIENCE By M.L. SOLON. Edited by WILLIAM BURTON. 24 Plates in Colors, ii Full-Page Reproductions of Marks on the Wares, and 54 Black and White Plates. Royal 8vo., cloth gilt, gilt top, price, $10.00 net. Limited to 1,200 num- bered copies. It would be impossible to find any one possessing so many qualifications to produce a work of the highest order on such a subject as Mr. Solon. A Frenchman by birth, an artist-potter of world-wide repute, and an acknowledged authority on the history of ceramics, his views will be wel- comed by every lover of French pottery. ENGLISH EARTHENWARE AND STONEWARE By WILLIAM BURTON. 24 Plates in Colors, 54 Black and White Plates, with numerous reproductions of the Various Marks. Royal 8vo., cloth gilt, gilt top, price, $10.00 net. Limited to 1,450 numbered copies. The marks have been reproduced by photography, so that collectors might have perfectly accurate data for refer- ence and comparison. A valuable glossary of technical terms and a bibliography of the subject are added to each volume. In answering advertisements, please mention Masters in Art MASTERS IN ART ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED BOOKS OF THE YEAR WHISTLER A STUDY BY ELISABETH LUTHER CARY This rich and beautiful book surveys the field of Whistler’s ac- complishment, embodying an account of his methods so far as they may be made clear to the general reader. Miss Cary’s remarkable insight and rare critical abilities, com- bined with her unusual capacity to interpret art, even in its more elusive aspects, to the appreciative mind unskilled in the refine- ments of criticism, are here illustrated at their best, resulting in a volume of great distinction. The manuscript was pronounced, by a distinguished specialist, the best book on Whistler yet written. It is accompanied by a list of Whistler’s known works. Illustrated with many exquisite reproductions of etchings, lithographs, pastels, and paintings. Size, 6^ x qf inches. Boxed, $3.50 net (expressage extra) EDITION DE LUXE OF THE ABOVE Early in December we shall publish an Edition de Luxe of Miss Cary’s WHISTLER, limited to 250 signed and numbered copies, printed on hand- made paper, additional illustrations in Photogravure, superbly bound and boxed. Price, $15.00 net. MOFFAT, YARD & CO. New York CONTENTS Whistler’s Beginnings Etchings Lithographs Pastels Water-Colors Paintings Landscapes Whistler’s Theory of Art FOR RARE AMERICANA, NAPOLEONIANA, HISTORICAL SUBJECTS PRINTS, PORTRAITS, CARICATURES consult J £ BARR CO, (Formerly with Porter <& Coates) (Fate witli Henry T. 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FRINK SPENCER, Manager Telephone, 860 Frank in Tn answering advertisement, please mention Masters in Art ND MASTKKS IN AIM' JM.A'IE I PHOTOGRAPH BY HANFSTAENGL [4r.5] KH A N( l A TIIK MADONNA nF I’ltl'; HOSI-: (;AKDEN MUNU'II ( ADDKI MASTKHS IN AllT PHOTOGRAPH B HANf [ 4(i7 ] FHANC'I A MAl)t)NNA, (AlIMl, AA’Il ANGKLS juuNicu (;ai.i,khy MAS'I'KUS IN AKT PTiArK III photograph by BRAUN, CLEMENT & CIE [ 4(>i Ki'K Ciuiurll OK .SAN rlAOn.MO M.MPOIIHIO, linl.lH.NA mastp:ks in aut pt.a'I'i FROM A REPRODUCTION ■ 8URLINGTON POH'I'UAIT niANr-iri ni •:SU., liONDOJ [4-p] i>rii\c, MASTRHS IN A H'l’ I'l.ATK IN PHOTOGRAPH BY l'‘UANr,TA M A 1)1 )N N A AND i M I I A) nolii i II I'lSK (;aiaa;uy. kom. [ ] POHTRAIT OF FHANCIA BY III.VISRr.F KOYAR GALLERY, BOLOGNA According to a generally accepted tradition, Francia introduced his own likeness in the features of his patron saint, St. Francis, who stands with folded hands to the left of his painting of ‘The Adoration of the Child.’ It is this portrait which is here rep.oduced. The whole picture is given in plate v of the present number of this series. [4!u] MASTERS IN ART franccjsco Di jHarco D( d^iacomo EaiboUni CALLED t* a n c ( a BORN 1450: DIED 15 17 SCHOOL OF BOLOGNA F rancesco di marco di giacomo raibolini, commonly called Francia (pronounced Fran'chah), was born in Bologna in the year 1450. His parents, spoken of by Vasari as “artisans,” were, as a matter of fact, people of somewhat more distinction than that term would imply, for they belonged to old and well-known families in Bologna, members of which had for several generations filled important offices of government, and had owned land in the commune of Zola Predosa from as early a date as 1308. At the time of Francia’s birth, however, the family circumstances were not pros- perous, although the name of his father, Marco di Giacomo Raibolini, con- tinued to be held in high repute and appears in the civic records as that of the holder of various positions. When the boy was old enough to learn a trade he was apprenticed to a gold- smith, preferring to learn to work in metals rather than to follow the calling of his father, who was a wood-carver. Now the name of this goldsmith was Due, but as he was generally called Francia. the pupil also came to be called by that name, and as such he is best known in bistory. Vasari says that the young Francia labored at his craft with ability and good-will, and that “his progress in his art kept proportion with his increase of stature,” and adds that “his manner and conversation were so gentle and obliging that he kept all around him in good humor, and had the gift of dis- sipating the heavy thoughts of the most melancholy by the charms of his con- versation ; for these reasons he was not only beloved by all who were acquainted with him, but in the course of time he obtained the favor of many princes and nobles, Italian and others.” Francia’s labors were rewarded by success. His fame as a worker in metals extended beyond the confines of his native town, and orders came to him from Ferrara, Mantua, Parma, and round about; even in Florence his skill was [ 4 8 5 ] 24 MASTERS IN ART recognized and highly prized. Vasari tells us that he took much pleasure in design, but that what delighted him above all else was cutting dies for medals. In this he excelled, and in some instances, notably in medals executed for Pope Julius II. and for Giovanni Bentivoglio, ruler of Bologna, the heads of those magnates, with which the medals were decorated, were so fine that they “seemed to he alive.” But fine as were these medals, it was not as a medalist alone that Francia was skilled, but also as a worker in “niello” — a method of decorating a smooth metal surface with incised lines filled in with a black substance com- posed of a number of chemicals. When polished, the black lines remained on a light ground, producing a highly decorative effect. Niello work was very popular in Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and Francia acquired a reputation for the exquisite delicacy of the “nielli” he produced. Some- times prints, or engravings on paper, were made from a cast of the work while in progress, and there are still in existence some nine or ten niello- engravings which with good reason can be ascribed to Francia’s hand. Besides his skill as a worker in gold and silver, the artist also attained celeb- rity as a maker of jewelry and a designer and founder of type. Fie was, in- deed, the first to produce for the great printer, Aldus Manutius, the famous “italic” type, which was so highly prized that a special letter of privilege was given by the pope to Aldus granting him the sole right to its use — a privilege, however, which did not prevent its being copied in many parts of Italy and in France. Calvi, who wrote a brief life of Francia in 1812, states that he matriculated in the Goldsmith’s Gild of Bologna in 1482, and that in the following year he was appointed master of that same gild. It also stands recorded that in De- cember of the year 1482 he was named Gonfaloniere del Popolo and Tribuni della Plebe, and that by Giovanni Bentivoglio, ruler of Bologna, he was ap- pointed Director of the Mint, an office which he held as long as he lived; from all which it will be seen that Francia stood high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens. Not until he was past thirty years of age did the artist turn his attention to painting. The date is not known, but in a document of i486, recording his taking office in the Gild of Goldsmiths, he is referred to as “il pittore il Franza,” and it is therefore clear that he had then started on his new career. Vasari attributes this departure to an acquaintance with Mantegna and other painters “who had acquired riches and honors by means of their art,” and says that Francia’s ambition was so stimulated thereby “that he resolved to try whether he could not succeed in that part of painting which belongs to color, seeing that he had reached to such a point in design that he might safely assume a place beside any of them. By way of making an attempt, therefore, he executed a few portraits and other small things, entertaining many masters of the art many months in his house to the end that they might teach him the method and processes of coloring.” That Francia may have become acquainted with Mantegna about 1472 is quite possible, but no record of a meeting with the great Mantuan painter [ 486 ] F R ANCI A 25 exists, and as a matter of fact we are without any definite knowledge of the influence which led Francia to turn his attention to painting. Nor do we know with certainty who was his first master. Early writers state that he was a pupil of Marco Zoppo, a Bolognese artist who had studied under Squarcione at Padua; but there is nothing in Francia’s work to point to Zoppo as his in- structor. By some critics Ercole Roberti de’ Grandi is named as his master, and again, Francesco Cossa, who in 1470 had gone from Ferrara to Bologna and there established himself and opened a school, is believed to have in- fluenced Francia’s early career. Certain characteristics of Cossa’s — a severity of style and a glowing color — are perceptible in some of Francia’s first pro- ductions, but it is undoubtedly to another and a younger man that his indebt- edness was far greater. This man was Lorenzo Costa, who, in 1483, was called from Ferrara to Bologna, and although there is no evidence to prove that Francia, his senior by several years, was at any time his pupil — nor, on the other hand, that Costa, as stated by some writers, was a pupil of Francia — it is a fact that a close friendship existed between the two artists, who worked in the same building, Francia executing his goldsmith’s commissions on the ground floor, while, above, Costa was engaged in painting pictures. “Of the two,” writes Dr. Williamson, “Costa had the greater imagination, the wider knowledge, a larger love of nature, and more accuracy in drawing; but Francia was by far the grander colorist, the more deeply religious man of the two, and possessed more refinement than did Costa. They were constantly associated in important works, but whenever the two were employed together precedence is invariably given to Francia. It is quite possible that the coming of Costa to Bologna was the cause of Francia’s change of craft, and that but for the friendship between the two men Francia would have remained all his life a goldsmith. . . . Their work is so much alike in its earlier stages that pictures by the one have in the past been attributed to the other; but very soon Francia surpassed his friend, and produced works that were far finer in con- ception, coloring, and refinement than Costa could ever have executed.” It is impossible to say what was Francia’s earliest picture. In the Bologna Gallery a ‘Madonna and Saints,’ painted by order of Messer Bartolommeo Felicini, a wealthy citizen of Bologna, for a chapel founded by him in the Church of the Misericordia, and bearing the date 1494, is said by Vasari to be the artist’s first painting, but it is evident from the maturitv of style which this picture exhibits that it is the work of no inexperienced hand. Dr. Will- iamson inclines to the belief that a ‘Crucifixion,’ now in the Archiginnasio Library at.Bolgona, is the earliest picture by Francia that has come down to us. In the Borghese Gallery, Rome, is a St. Stephen, a single kneeling figure, which although not regarded as the first is usually held to be an early produc- tion, as are three pictures of the Madonna and Child, — one, in Berlin, in which St. Joseph is included; another, with two angels completing the group, in Munich (plate ii); and a third, now at Pressburg in the collection of Count Jean Palffy. From the beginning to the end of his career Francia frequently signed his pictures “Francia Aurifex,” while after his adoption of painting, his metal work and medals, according to a statement made by Fra Leandro [48 7 ] 26 MASTERS IN ART Alberti in his ‘Storia d’ltalia,’ bear the signature “Francia l ictor,” thus at- testing to his mastery in the two arts. In 1499 Francia, by that time established in reputation as a painter, was commissioned by Giovanni Bentivoglio, who was ever a munificent patron of the artist, to paint an altar-piece for his chapel in the Church of San Giacomo Maggiore. This work, reproduced in plate vii, ranks as Francia’s finest ren- dering of religious subjects. Orders were now pouring in upon him, and ac- cording to Vasari there was soon hardly a church in Bologna that could not boast a picture from his hand. Nor were his labors confined to his own city, but for the neighboring towns as well he painted many altar-pieces, some of which are now to he seen in the principal galleries of Europe. Among the most important of these works, in addition to the one already named, may be mentioned those painted for the Church of San Martino Maggiore and for members of the Manzuoli and Scappi families, all three pic- tures now in the Bologna Gallery; one executed for Ludovico de Calcina, now in the Hermitage Gallery, St. Petersburg; the ‘St. Geminian Altar-piece,’ in Berlin, and others in Vienna and Parma, as well as numerous large paintings representing the Annunciation, Nativity, Presentation, Baptism, Coronation, Deposition, etc. The Umbrian influence which many of the artist’s works betray is by some critics attributed to the fact that at this time pictures by Perugino, then at the zenith of his fame, were coming to Bologna, where they must have been seen by Francia; and not only his pictures, but the Umbrian master himself, as recorded by Marcello Oretti,* visited Bologna on his way to Florence, and in all probability made the acquaintance of the goldsmith-painter, who was one of the most important personages in the city. Besides altar-pieces and easel-pictures, among which last were a number of portraits of such excellence that they added greatly to his reputation, Francia painted several frescos. An interesting example of his work in this medium was executed in 1505 for the dining-hall of the Podesta Comunale in Bologna, commemorating the deliverance of the city from destruction by an earthquake which occurred in that year. This fresco, known as the ‘Madonna del Terremoto’ (Madonna of the Earthquake), represents the Madonna and Child in glory appearing in the sky, blessing the city of Bologna, which with its walls and towers lies beneath them. Unfortunately the frescos painted by Erancia for his patrons the Bentivogli were destroyed by the mob which sacked their palace in Bologna in 1507; but for those same patrons he painted, together with Lorenzo Costa and a number of pupils, a series of frescos in the Chapel of St. Cecilia attached to the Church of San Giocomo Maggiore, illustrating the legend of the saint to whom the chapel had been dedicated. The two subjects executed by Erancia are the ‘Marriage of St. Cecilia’ and the ‘Burial of St. Cecilia,’ and although sadly injured by the Erench soldiers, who during their occupancy of Bologna in ' ‘Notizie de professori del disegno cive pittori, scultori ed architetti bolognesi,’ etc., by Marcello Oretti. A series of volumes in manuscript, compiled probably between 1640 and 1740, and preserved in the Archiginnasio Library, Bologna. [488 ] F R A N C I A 27 1796 stabled their horses within the chapel, enough remains of their original beauty to show that Francia, while not equal to his Florentine contempora- ries, was yet skilled in this form of decorative art. These were the last works executed by Francia for his patrons the Ben- tivogli. For many years their power as rulers of Bologna had been increasing, until finally they had practically become independent sovereigns who boldly defied the power of the pope. But when, in October, 1503, Julius ii. was elected to the papacy, that warlike head of the Church determined to put an end to all such insubordination. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1506, he left Rome and advanced with a body of soldiers upon Bologna, and having issued a bull declaring Giovanni Bentivoglio to be an enemy m the Church, he de- livered that prince’s goods to pillage and granted a plenary indulgence to any one who should hand him over into the possession of the Holy See. Deserted by his former adherents, Bentivoglio fled from Bologna and took refuge in Milan. Meantime the pope had entered the city at the head of his troops and was received with acclamations by the people, and, in order to prevent any chance of the return of Bentivoglio, the papal forces set fire to the palace he had erected, and burned it, with all its treasures, to the ground. “The departure of Messer Giovanni Bentivoglio,” says Vasari, “caused Francia great sorrow; the exile of one from whom he had received such im- portant benefits grieving him exceedingly; but yet, like the prudent and mod- erate person as he was, he continued to pursue his labors with his usual assi- duity.” By Pope Julius the artist was held in great esteem. In November, 1506, his position as Director of the Mint at Bologna was confirmed, and two years later he was given entire charge of the provision of money for the city. Of Francia’s private life very little is known beyond the fact that he was married and that he had two sons, Giacomo and Giulio, both of whom be- came artists. The number of pupils he gathered about him is said to have been no less than two hundred. Of these the most noted was Timoteo Viti, believed by some critics to have been, later, Raphael’s first master. A special interest is given to Francia’s latter years by the friendship that he is said to have formed with Raphael, who was then working in Rome. Mal- vasia, who has written much of the artists of Bologna, published in his ‘Fel- sina Pittrice’ a letter which he claims was written by Francia to the younger man, as well as a sonnet said to have been composed by him in praise of Raphael; but the originals have never been produced, and by the best author- ities these compositions are looked upon as forgeries. There is every reason to believe, however, that, as is mentioned in the records of Bologna, the two painters held intercourse with each other; and if Crowe and Cavalcaselle are wrong in their supposition that a meeting took place between them in Bologna m 1505-6, we may at all events accept Vasari’s statement that “they saluted each other by letter,” and further credit that historian when he goes on to say that Francia, having heard much of the divine paintings by Raphael, desired to see his works, hut that he was now old and was enjoying his ease in his beloved Bologna. It so chanced, however, that Raphael had been painting a picture of St. Cecilia for one of the chapels of the Church of San Giovanni- [ 489 ] 28 MASTERS IN ART in-Monte, Bologna (this picture is now in the Bologna Gallery), and having packed up his work he addressed it to the care of Francia, aksing him to see to its erection in the chapel for which it was intended, and begging him to repair any injury that might be found on the painting, and even that he would correct any defect, if such might strike him upon seeing the work. Francia, we are told, was greatly pleased with this commission, which would allow him to look upon a painting by Raphael, but that the sight of the picture had the effect upon him that Vasari records — namely, that its perfections so filled him with astonishment that, realizing his own inferiority, he died of grief and vexation — is wholly without foundation. Flis death, which occurred in 1517, when he was sixty-seven years old, was indeed sudden, being caused by apoplexy. FIis place of burial is not known, but it is believed that he lies in the Church of San Francesco, Bologna, or in its cloister near to the tomb now occupied by his son Giacomo. — based on george c. Williamson’s LIFE OF FRANCIA art of jTrantia HENRI DELABORDE FROM BLANC’S ‘HISTOIRE DES PEINTRES’ A lthough not chronologically the first, yet in the sense that his influ- L ence upon the art of Bologna was such as no previous painter had exer- cised, Francia may be called the founder of the Bolognese school. At the time of his birth a number of painters had already lived and worked in Bologna, and as far back as the period when Cimabue started at Florence the reform which Giotto was to carry on so ably, perhaps even prior to those early tenta- tive efforts at emancipation, a few Bolognese artists whose names have come down to us in history had, to some extent, adopted the Greek manner and sought to popularize its traditions. Later on, the miniaturist Franco, whose praise was sung by Dante, and the painters Jacopo degli Avanzi, Lippo di Dalmasii, and finally, Marco Zoppo, the last of the old Bolognese painters who preceded Francia, left works which were not devoid of merit, but in which can be traced neither the progressive steps of a teaching common to all, nor the development of principles attributable to any one master. It is, however, altogether different with the works which were produced under the teaching of Francia, for under him all the Bolognese artists followed the same rules and adopted the same method. This unanimity, to be sure, was of short duration. Francia’s pupils did not in their turn transmit to their followers the same docile spirit that they themselves had shown, so that scarcely had the school been established when, even in the second generation of its existence, it became divided. An imitation of the Roman manner, in- troduced into Bologna by Bagnacavallo, awakened a taste for the style known as Michelangelesque and soon became a mania. It therefore came to pass that what had at first seemed to be a decisive epoch in the history of Bolognese art turned out to be after all merely a chance event, of which the origin, the [ 490 ] F R A N C I A 29 characteristics, and the consequences are to be found embodied only in the works of Francia and his principal pupils. . . . Among the Italian painters who at the opening of the sixteenth century en- deavored to reconcile the pious traditions of the middle ages with the advance which had been made in the domain of the purely picturesque, Francia is one whose efforts have been most meritorious and most wisely directed. His style, devoid no doubt in sacred subjects of the perfect simplicity and fervor which permeate the works of Giotto’s followers, is at all events exempt from that pagan elegance which the art known as Renaissance art was to employ at first as an auxiliary resource, and then as a principal means of expression. If Francia cannot be classed among that group of painters who were above all else religious painters, he does not at all events swell the ranks of those who, merely skilled in the technical qualities of their art, saw in sacred sub- jects only a pretext for picturesque arrangement, for bold draftsmanship, or for charm of color. So, too, because of a certain absence of style in his figures and by reason of a caution and timidity in expressing his feelings, he stands apart from that great group of men who personify the last step in the develop- ment of Italian painting. In a word, Francia’s works form a sort of link be- tween the incomplete productions of the Primitives and the finished and per- fected works of the Leonardos and the Raphaels; or, to make use of an old mythological figure, it might be said that his place is half-way up the slopes of Mt. Parnassus, on whose summit the greatest heroes of art sit enthroned. He is in full sight, comparatively easy of access, and equally removed from those whose talents are but mediocre and those who are most divinely inspired. — FROM THE FRENCH E. H. AND E.W. BLASHFIELD AND A. A. HOPKINS, EDITORS ‘VASARI’ S LIVES’ F rancia represents the school of Bologna at its best; grave and deeply religious, he is sometim.es quite noble by force of this earnest gravity. His color is Umbrian in its strength and richness, but is a little heavier than that of Perugino; he is as sincerely reverent as Perugino at his best, yet has not quite the same charm, nor yet any of the latter’s affectation. He is more natural and simple than the Umbrian; his art is stamped with the honest, unaffected, burgher piety of Bologna La Grassa, rather than with the perfervid ecstasy of mystical and savage Perugia. His types are even homely, but his round- headed, short-bearded saints are beautiful in the naif sincerity of their ex- pression; his snub-nosed, heavy-chinned, very earnest, but sometimes rather dull Madonnas look as though Giotto’s women had been perfected by fifteenth- century technique upon our master’s panels. As a portrait-painter his simplicity and directness, closeness of modeling, and excellent color help to make him admirable and even impressive. There is nothing very salient in his long list of works; his great St. Cecilia frescos are rather entertaining by their quaint costumes than great by other qualities, but his easel-pictures are sustained and admirable. In the choir of the Renaissance his note is grave and instinct with quiet feeling; he has no roulades nor flour- ishes, but among all the painters of the Emilia and the Ferrarese, Costa and [49 1 ] MASTERS IN ART 3 0 Cossa, Tura and tlie two Ercoles, Roberti and Grandi, by far the fullest chord is struck by Francesco Francia. JULIA CARTWRIGHT ‘MANTEGNAANDFRANCIA’ I F we consider the place which Francia holds in contemporary art we shall see how little he had in common with the spirit of his age, and how much of his aspirations and sympathies belonged to the old world of the earlier relig- ious painters. Fiving as he did in the days of Raphael, at a moment when the Renaissance was fast hastening to its culminating point, Francia took no share in the great movement that was swaying forward at every point, but stood apart in a sphere of his own. In an age when revived Paganism had pene- trated into every part of society, and the love of the antique was the ruling impulse of intellectual thought, he scarcely shows a trace of this influence, and derives his inspiration exclusively from Christian sources. But in this realm of mystic art it must be owned that he takes the highest place. For to the earnestness and purity of Fra Angelico’s conceptions Francia brought a mastery of resources which had been lacking to those older painters. Flis creations are animated with a warmer humanity and a more vigorous life, they have all the charm of glowing colors and strongly contrasted light and shadow, while secular influences are allowed a larger part in the rich orna- ment and noble architecture which surround them. 'Fhus Francia shares with Perugino the praise of having combined the tech- nical perfection of a later age with the Christian motives which had so largely influenced the first efforts of Italian art. But, unlike Perugino, the religious feeling which formed the secret of Francia’s inspiration remained fresh and strong within his breast to the end of his life, and was with him still a real and living power when it had sunk into conventionalism and affectation in the latter works of the Umbrian master, and was rapidly yielding to the growing influences of a worldly age in the creations of Raphael. Slowly but surely men’s thoughts and theifideals of life had undergone a complete change, and the art of Italy was entering on a new phase in which there was no longer room for the rapture of Fra Angelico’s faces or the sweet gentleness of the Madonnas who haunted Francia’s dreams. JOHN ADDINGTON S Y M O N D S ‘RENAISSANCE IN ITALY’ T HF spirituality that renders Fra Angelico unintelligible to minds less ecstatically tempered tban his own is not found in such excess in Francia, nor does his work suffer from the insipidity of Perugino’s affectation. Deep religious feeling is combined with physical beauty of the purest type. A greater degree of naivete and naturalness compensates for the inferiority of Francia’s to Perugino’s supremely perfect handling. This is true of Francia’s numerous pictures at Bologna — where. Indeed, in order to be rightly known, he should be studied by all lovers of the fifteenth-century style in its most delightful moments. For mastery over oil-painting and for charm of color Francia challenges comparison with what is best in Perugino, though he did not quite attain the same technical excellence. [ 492 ] FRANCI A 31 GEORGE C. WILLIAMSON ‘FRANCIA’ T he influence of Francia does not appear to have extended far beyond his immediate surroundings. His school was a very large one, and he implanted his own ideas very firmly upon his pupils; but he appears neither to have been touched by the influences of pagan literature that were abroad in his time, nor to have, in his turn, sent any great movement away from Bologna in connection with his art He occupies a place apart. His pictures almost without exception are re- ligious; they betray no special sympathy with the classic or humanistic move- ment. There is not one of them that is concerned with mythology or pagan story, but all have sacred themes as their subject. His coloring was always rich, full, and deep. His pathos was never forced, and always assisted by the tone of his color-scheme. His earnestness and purity were very marked; his tender sympathy, religious devotion, warm- hearted acceptance of the truths of religion, and simple faith were all clear features of his life. He was possessed of a mastery over his materials which is well shown in every branch of art with which he had to do, and is espe- cially marked when color is to be taken into account. He was able to create an emotion, and to move tbe heart of the spectator in the direction that he desired, whether it be that of sympathy, affection, or sadness. He never de- picted scenes of horror or intensified bodily suffering in his works; but loved to paint those passages of pure affection, of deep love, of tender pathos, of adoring reverence, or of aspiring hope, in which his heart rejoiced. He takes a place towards the close of the Renaissance as a great master whose Christian motives were never lost; who was controlled through all his life by the teaching of his religion; who never became merely mechanical or formal; who was always master of his resources, always ready to use them in the service of the Church, in whose teaching he had so profound a belief, and always ready to put not alone his whole heart into his work, but also his whole soul and emotions, in order that the result should be the very best of which he was capable, and a living part of himself. Cl)c 5^orfes of jfrantia DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PLATES ‘THEMADONNAOFTHEROSEGARDEN’ PLATEI J ULIA CARTWRIGHT thus describes this picture in tbe Munich Gallery; “The Child lies on a red cloth spread on the grass of a flowery lawn, stretching out its little arms with a smile of delight to its mother, who is in the act of sinking upon her knees in a rapture of loving adoration. A trellis of tall roses, which might have been painted by a Botticelli or a Filippino Lippi, fences the garden round, and in the pleasant meadows beyond, horses are feeding on the banks of a winding stream, and church towers rise in the [ 49 3 ] 32 MASTERS IN ART distance. Nowhere is the transparent delicacy of Francia’s coloring more pleasing than in the silver-gray tones of the Virgin’s robe, while her counte- nance wears that gentle air of tender melancholy which haunts his concep- tions in the same way as the smile of Leonardo’s faces and the deeper sadness of Botticelli’s Madonnas.” “This beautiful picture,” writes Eugene Miintz, “conceived in that spirit of mysticism which marks the productions of the Primitives, breathes a de- licious freshness and reveals Francia as a poet as well as a painter.” The panel measures five feet eight inches high by four feet four inches wide. ‘MADONNA, CHILD, AND ANGELS’ PLATE II T his picture, an early work of Francia’s, is now in the Munich Gallery. As in many of Bellini’s compositions, the Madonna supports the Child standing upon a balustrade, which is here covered with gold-embroidered tapestry. Mary’s robe is deep red and her mantle a rich peacock blue lined with dark green. Behind her is a low crimson screen, to the right and left of which stand angels — one with a wreath upon his long ringlets, the other with his fair hair encircled by a fillet. Dr. Williamson calls attention to the fact that the pattern of the drapery on which the Child is standing is identical with the design of one of the copes in a signed altar-piece by Francia, thus giving proof, if such were needed, of the genuineness of the picture. The painting is on wood and measures a little more than two feet high by one foot four inches wide. ‘THE ANNUNCIATION’ PLATE III ACCORDING to records found by Dr. Williamson in Bologna, this picture was painted between 1500 and 1510 for the Duke Francesco Maria d’Urbino, and given by him to his secretary for a chapel in the Carmelite Church of Modena. There it remained until bought by an agent of Lord Northwick, from whose possession it passed into that of M. F. Reiset, and finally into the collection of the Duke d’Aumale (Musee Conde) at Chantilly. The Virgin, clad in a red robe and blue mantle, stands beneath the portico of a Bolognese palace of the fifteenth century. Her eyes are raised to the an- nunciate angel who, clad in draperies of blue and yellow, flies towards her with wings outspread, bearing in his hand the lily branch. Near the Virgin stands St. Albert the Carmelite saint, wearing the brown robe and white mantle of his Order. He holds a book and cross, and beneath his feet is a devil. “It is a wonderful picture,” writes Dr. Williamson, “very Umbrian in its characteristics, especially in the way in which St. Albert is standing, his foot upon the crushed demon, and wrapped in contemplation, indifferent to all around him. Umbrian also is the manner of painting the landscape, but the scene was near to Bologna, and so closely has the artist copied the scenery that I have been able to identify the very rock in the picture, at Sasso, near to which the Order had a country home. The coloring is very rich, full of depth and tone, and the crimsons and blues are especially important.” The picture measures six feet high by four feet four inches wide. [ 494 ] FR A N C I A 33 ‘THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST’ PLATE IV T his famous picture, bearing the inscription francia avrifex. bon. F. M. V. viiii (Francia, Goldsmith of Bologna, did this in 1509), is now in the Royal Gallery, Dresden. Its previous history is unknown. Vasari speaks of a ‘ Baptism of Christ’ painted by Francia after the departure from Bologna of Giovanni Bentivoglio, and taken to Modena, hut whether he refers to this work or to a similar and earlier version of the same subject which is now at Hampton Court cannot be proved, for although many pictures at Dresden came from Modena, no mention is made of this one in the list. The Dresden ‘Baptism,’ as its date proves, is a late work. “The faces,” writes Dr. Williamson, “have acquired that grace and sweetness that Francia was so well able to produce; the draperies lack the crumpled metallic folds that mark the niello stage; the bushy trees contrast with the finer ones in the regular fashion, and the effect of light on the water, which is so marked a characteristic of the Hampton Court picture, in this one has assumed an even greater importance, and is treated with much skill and effect.” The picture was damaged by a shell in the bombardment of Dresden in 1760, and has, moreover, been injured somewhat by restoration. The figure of Christ standing on the surface of the shallow river, his feet reflected in its clear waters, is full of a sentiment of deep holiness. St. John the Baptist, a red mantle worn over his gray camel’s-hair garment, kneels reverently upon the bank as he is about to perform the sacred rite, while on the other side of the picture two angels, one in yellow, the other in light red, witness the scene, and in the sky the Holy Spirit appears as a dove. The painting is on wood and measures nearly seven feet high hy five feet eight inches wide. ‘THE ADORATION OF THE CHILD’ PLATE V V ASARI tells us that the success of the altar-piece painted by Francia for Giovanni Bentivoglio (see plate vii) was so great that his son Antonio Galeazzo Bentivoglio, archdeacon of Bologna, and papal prothonotary, was induced to give the master a commission to be executed jointly by him and by Lorenzo Costa for a picture to be placed over the high altar of the Church of the Misericordia in Bologna. The main body of this altar-piece, on which Francia painted ‘The Adora- tion of the Child,’ is now in the Bologna Gallery. The lunette by Lorenzo Costa, representing ‘The Annunciation,’ is still in the church for which the whole work was painted, and the predella, also by Costa, showing ‘The Adoration of the Magi,’ is in the Brera Gallery, Milan. ‘The Adoration of the Child’ is painted in a colder key of color than was customary with Francia. The composition is very beautiful, the figures well drawn, and the distant landscape varied and rendered with great delicacy. In the group of adoring saints surrounding the new-born Christ Francia has introduced the figure of the donor, who had lately returned from a pilgrim- age to the Holy Land, kneeling on the left, with the red cross on his mantle, [ 4 !) 5 ] 34 MASTERS IN ART The shepherd standing at the right of the picture Is the artist’s friend Girolamo Pandolh di Casio, a goldsmith and also a poet, who received from the pope a laurel crown which Francia has here placed upon his head. Beside the Virgin kneels St. Augustine in miter and richly embroidered cope; St. Joseph, clad in red and yellow, is at the left, leaning upon his staff; while in St. Francis, whose hands are folded in prayer as he looks devoutly at the Child, tradi- tion says the painter has given us a likeness of himself. The painting measures seven and a half feet high by about six feet wide. ‘PORTRAITOFFEDERIGOGONZAGA’ PLATEVI T his portrait, which for many years hung unrecognized in the collection of its present owner, A. W. Leatham, Esq., at Miserden Park, Glouces- tershire, England, has been identified by Mr. Herbert Cook as the long-lost likeness which Francia is known to have painted in Bologna in the summer of 1510 of young Federigo Gonzaga, son of the celebrated Isabella d’Este, Marchioness of Mantua. The story of this picture as told by Mr. Cook in ‘The Athenaeum ’ of February 7, 1903, and in the ‘Burlington Magazine’ of that same year, as well as by Mrs. Ady (Julia Cartwright) in her recent work, ‘Isabella d’Este,’ is briefly as follows: In the year 1510, by order of Pope Julius II., Isabella d’Este sent her young son, Federigo, then a child of ten, to Rome as a hostage for her husband, Giovanni Francesco Gonzaga, Mar- quis of Mantua, who through the pope’s influence had lately been liberated from the hands of the Venetians, by whom he had been taken prisoner after the battle of Legnano. On the way to Rome the boy passed through Bo- logna, where his father then was, and Isabella, wishing to have a souvenir of her son, asked Lorenzo Costa to paint his portrait for her. Costa, however, W'as too busy just then to comply with her request, and Francia was commis- sioned to do so in his stead. From Isabella’s letters we learn that this portrait was begun on July 29, and that before August 10 the finished work had been delivered into her hands. “It is impossible,” she wrote, “to see a better por- trait, or one more like Federigo.” The painting here reproduced tallies with the description which Isabella gives of it in her correspondence. Coincidences of age, date, style, and de- tad all point to the conclusion that it is the identical portrait which so de- lighted the great Marchioness. It represents a boy of apparently ten years of age, with brown eyes and long fair hair. He is richly dressed, as befitted his station in life, and holds a dagger in one hand. The background is an elabo- rately painted landscape resembling many others in Francia’s works. “Not only is it a genuine piece,” writes Mr. Flerbert Cook, “but it is as fine a thing as Francia ever painted, and in absolutely perfect condition.” In May, 1512, nearly two years after the portrait was painted, Isabella gave it to a gentleman of Ferrara, Zaninello by name, who had rendered her great services. It probably remained in Ferrara in private possession until taken to Paris among Napoleon’s spoils. The father of the present owner bought it from the Napoleon collection, and now, after four centuries, the long-missing portrait of Federigo Gonzaga has once more been brought to light. [ 496 ] F R A N C I A 35 THE BENTIVOGLIO ALTAR-PIECE PLATE VII F the many altar-pieces painted by Francia, none equals in beauty, nor surpasses in technical excellence, the famous group of the Madonna with saints and angels known as the ‘ Bentivoglio Altar-piece.’ This work bears the date 1499 and was painted by order of Giovanni Bentivoglio, ruler of Bologna, for his family chapel in the great church of San Giacomo Mag- giore in that city, where it still occupies its original place. “In this noteworthy picture,’’ writes Dr. Williamson, “there is to he seen a great advance over the works that had preceded it. Doubtless Francia strained his utmost to please the important patron who had commissioned it and whose satisfaction could make his reputation and insure for him many other commissions. . . . There was a further necessity laid upon him in this work which taxed all his powers, and that was the wish of Giovanni Bentivoglio that two of his children should be introduced into the picture, and that the artist should paint their portraits in the two angels who appear in the upper part of the composition on either side of the Madonna. In every way Francia acquitted himself well, and Vasari tells us that so pleased was Bentivoglio with the work that he gave him over and above the promised payment ‘a very handsome and most honorable gift.”’ Seated upon a lofty throne against a rich architectural background is the Madonna with the Child upon her knee. Beside her are adoring angels, and at her feet stand, on the right, St. John the Evangelist and St. Sebastian, and on the left St. Augustine and a saint m armor who has been designated variously as St. Florian, St. Fabiano, and St. Proculus, military patron of Bologna. On the steps of the throne two angels are seated playing upon lute and viol — a favorite motive with Francia, as it was with Bellini and other Venetian painters. The colors in this picture, of which blue is the prevailing hue, are rich and glowing, and the figures of the saints are more vigorous and manly than in any other of Francia’s works, that of St. Sebastian, indeed (called by Burck- hardt “one of the most perfect forms of the fifteenth century”), being so highly thought of by later Bolognese artists as to be often copied into their compositions. ‘PORTRAIT OF BARTOLOMMEO BIANCHINI’ PLATE VIII ACCORDING to early Bolognese writers Francia painted many important jr\ portraits and gained for himself a great reputation in that branch of art. Of these works, however, so few well-authenticated ones remain that those which are without question accepted as Francia’s can be counted on the fingers of one hand. No dissentient voice, it is believed, has been raised as to the genuineness of the great portrait of Bartolommeo Bianchini, here reproduced, a work of Francia’s early period and of the highest quality. Mr. R. H. Benson, writing of this painting in the catalogue of the exhibition of pictures held at the Bur- lington Fine Arts Club, London, in 1894, says that it is “a marvel of fine con- [ 49 7 ] 36 MASTERS IN ART dition, and betrays the technique of the goldsmith seeking for the quality of enamel.” Bartolommeo Bianchini was an eminent senator of Bologna, as well as a poet who earned added distinction by some lines written in praise of the artists of his native city, and especially of his friend Francesco Raibolini, called Francia. The life-sized portrait here reproduced shows him dressed in a dark-colored jacket and wearing a black cap. Fie holds a letter in his right hand. The landscape in the background is carefully and minutely painted. The portrait is on panel, and measures nearly two feet high by one foot three and a half inches wide. It is owned by George Salting, Esq., London. ‘MADONNA AND CHILD’ PLATE IX S EATED before a hedge of roses, the Madonna, in a red robe and green mantle, holds in her lap the Child Jesus, whose little hand rests within that of his mother. Mary’s face is so full of a sweet tenderness that it goes far to justify the saying ascribed to Raphael, that ‘‘no Madonnas were so holy and beautiful as those which Francia painted.” This picture, now in the Borghese Gallery, Rome, was commissioned by Sister Dorotea di Fantuzzi, of the Convent of Santa Maria Maddalena in Bologna, as an inscription on the back of the panel testifies. The damaged condition of the painting, as well as the unskilful restoration to which it has been subjected, have caused its authenticity to be questioned by some critics, who have given it to Giacomo, Francia’s son; but the ease, grace, and simplicity of the composition, the deli- cate way in which the rose-hedge is painted, and above all the expression of purity in the faces, so characteristic of the older artist, point to the author- ship of Francia himself, and by the majority of judges it is regarded as a work of his hand. ‘‘It recalls the ‘Madonna of the Rose Garden’ at Munich,” writes Dr. Williamson, “and in its full and flowing draperies is one of the finest pieces of painting and arrangement that Francia ever did.” ‘PIETA’ PLATE X T his picture is the lunette for a great altar-piece painted by Francia between 1510 and 1515 for the Buonvisi Chapel in the Church of San Frediano in Lucca. In the following century the work was removed from its place in the church to the Ducal Palace of Lucca, and on the occasion of a sale of the Duke of Lucca’s effects in 1840 was taken to London, where it was soon afterwards purchased for the National Gallery. On the main body of the altar-piece are represented the Madonna and St. Anne with the Child seated upon a throne about which are grouped four saints, while at its base is a graceful figure of the youthful St. John. Beauti- ful as is this portion of the picture, the lunette, now detached from it, and re- produced in plate X, is still more so. “No picture,” writes Julia Cartwright, “is more popular or has ever been more frequently copied and reproduced than Francia’s ‘Pieta.’ This is due not only to the richness of coloring and the admirable balance of the composition, but to the purity and tenderness of [ 498 ] FRANCI A 37 the feeling which the goldsmith-painter here reveals. The detid Christ rests in the deep sleep of death on his mother’s knees, but instead of the usual saints, Mary has for attendants two bright-haired angels robed in red and green, one of whom reverently supports the head, while the other folds his hands in silent worship at the feet of the Saviour,” The lunette measures three feet two inches high by six feet wide. A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL PAINTINGS BY FRANCIA WITH THEIR PRESENT LOCATIONS A USTRIA-HUNGARY. Pressburg, Owned by Count Jean Palffy: Madonna . and Child — Vienna, Imperial Gallery: Madonna, Child, and Saints — Vienna, Liechtenstein Gallery: Portrait of the Marchese Bovio — ENGLAND. Hampton Court, Royal Gallery: Baptism of Christ — London, National Gallery: Madon- na, Child, and St. Anne enthroned, with Saints; Pieta (Plate x); Madonna, Child, and Two Saints — London, Owned by Dr. Ludwig Mond: Madonna and Child — London, Owned by the Earl of Northbrook: Holy Family with St. Anthony — London, Owned by George Salting, Esg. : Portrait of Bartolommeo Bianchini (Plate viii) — London, Owned by J. E. Taylor, Esg. : Madonna, Child, and Saints — London, Owned by Sir George Otto Trevelyan: Madonna, Child, and Saint — Miserden Park, Gloucestershire, Owned by A. W. Leatham, Esq.: Portrait of Federigo Gonzaga (Plate vi) — FRANCE. Chantilly, Conde Museum: Annunciation (Plate III) — Paris, Louvre: Nativity; Crucifixion — GERMANY. Berlin Gallery: Ma- donna and Child enthroned with Saints; Holy Family — Dresden, Royal Gallery: Adoration of the Magi; Baptism of Christ (Plate iv) — Frankfort, Stadel Institute: Portrait of a Man — -M unich Gallery: Madonna of the Rose Garden (Plate i); Ma- donna, Child, and Angels (Plate ii) — IRELAND. Dublin, National Gallery: Lu- crezia — ITALY. Bergamo Gallery, Lochis Collection: Christ bearing the Cross — Bologna, Royal Gallery: Madonna and Saints; Annunciation; Madonna and Saints; Adoration of the Child (Plate v); Scenes from the Life of Christ (predella of an Altar- piece); Pieta; Annunciation; Madonna and Saints; Crucifixion — Bologna, Archigin- NASio, Library: Crucifixion — B ologna, Church of San Domenico: Madonna and Child — Bologna, Church of San Giacomo Maggiore: Bentivoglio Altar-piece (Plate vii) — ^ B ologna, Church of San Martino: Madonna and Child with Saints (the frame of this altar-piece was designed by Francia) — Bologna, Church of Santi Vitale ed Agricola; Madonna and Child — Bologna, Oratory of Santa Cecilia; Two frescos representing the Marriage and the Burial of St. Cecilia — Bologna, Podesta Comunale: Madonna del Terremoto (fresco) — Cesena, Gallery: Presentation in the Temple — Ferrara, Cathedral: Coronation of the Virgin — Forli, Gallery; Adoration of the Child — Florence, Academy: Madonna and Child with Two Saints — Florence, Uffizi Gallery: Portrait of Evangelista Scappi — Lucca, Church of San Frediano: Coronation of the Virgin — Lucca, Palazzo Mansi: Madonna and Child — M ilan, Brera Gallery: Annunciation — M ilan, Poldi-Pezzoli Museum: St. Anthony — Milan, The Ambrosiana: The Almighty Father — Milan, Owned by Dr. Frizzoni: St. Francis — M odena, Palace of the Marchesa Coccapani: St. Barbara — Parma, Gallery: Deposition; Madonna and Child with Four Saints; Madonna, Child, and St. John — Rome, Barberini Gallery: Holy Family — Rome, Borghese Gallery: Ma- donna and Child (Plate ix); St. Stephen — Rome, Corsini Gallery: St. George — ■ Turin, Royal Gallery; Deposition — Verona, Gallery: Madonna, Child, and Three Saints — RUSSIA. St. Petersburg, Hermitage Gallery: Madonna and Child with St. Catherine; Madonna and Child; Madonna, Child, and Saints — SCOTLAND. Glas- gow, Corporation Galleries of Art: Nativity — SPAIN. Madrid, Owned by THE Duke of Fernan Nunez: St. Sebastian — UNITFD STATFS. Boston, Owned BY Mrs. John L. Gardner: Madonna and Child — Philadelphia, Academy of the Fine Arts: Madonna and Child. [ 499 ] 38 MASTERS I N ART jFrantia 33(l)l(ograpi)j> A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL BOOKS AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES DEALING WITH FRANCIA ALEXANDRE, A. Histoire populaire de la peinture; ecoie italienne. Paris [1894] — Amorini, Marchese, a. B. Vite del pittori ed artefici Bolognesi. Bologna, 1841— 43 — Burckhardt, J. Der Cicerone. Leipsic, 1904 — Calvi, J. A. Memorie della vita ed opere di Francesco Raibolini. Bologna, 1812 — Cartwright, J. Mantegna and Francia. London, 1881 — Cartwright, J. Christ and His Mother in Italian Art. London, 1897 — Crowe, J. A., and Cavalcaselle, G. B. History of Painting in North Italy. London, 1871 — Delaborde, H. Francesco Raibolini dit Francia (in Blanc’s Histoire des peintres). Paris, 1874 — Frizzoni, G. Arte italiana del Rinasci- niento. Milan, 1891 — Giordani, G. Catalogo dei quadri della Pinacoteca. Bologn.i, 1841 — Illustrated Catalogue of Works of Ferrara and Bologna. London, 1894 — Jameson, A. Memoirs of Early Italian Painters. Revised by Estelle M. Hurll. Boston, 1896 — Kugler, F. T. The Italian Schools of Painting. Revised by A. H. Layard. London, 1900 — Lafenestre, G. La peinture italienne. Paris [1885] — Lanzi,L. History of Painting: Trans, by Thomas Roscoe. London, 1847 — Lubke,W. Outlines of the History of Art. New York, 1904 — Malvasia, C. C. Felsina Pittrice. Bologna, 1841 — Mantz, P. Les chefs-d'oeuvre de la peinture italienne. Paris, 1870 — Mantz, P. Francia (in La Grande Encyclopedie). Paris, 1886-1902 — Morelli, G. Italian Painters: Trans, by C. J. Ffoulkes. London, 1892-93 — Muntz, E. Histoire de Part pendant la Renaissance. L’aged’or. Paris, 1891 — Reid, G. W. Selections from the Engravings of Francesco Francia and of Marc Antonio Raimondi. London, 1871 — Rio, a. F. De Part chretien. Paris, 1861 — Stillman, W. J. Old Italian Masters. Engraved by T. Cole. New York, 1892 — Symonds, J. A. Renaissance in Italy. The Fine Arts. London, 1897 — -Vasari, G. Lives of the Painters. New York, 1897 — Williamson, G. C. Francia. London, 1901 — Williamson, G. C. Francia (in Bryan’s Dictionary of Painters and Engravers). London, 1903—05 — WoltmaNN, A., AND Woermann, K. History of Painting: Trans, by Clara Bell. London, 1887. magazine articles L ARTE, 1903: L. Douglas; Notizie d’Inghilterra — A then^um, 1902: Anony- t mous; Review of Williamson’s ‘Franci:i.’ 1903: J. Cartwright; The Lost Portrait by Francia. 1903: H. Cook; A Lost Portrait by Francia — Burlington Magazine, 1903: H. Cook; Three Unpublished Italian Portraits — English Illustrated Maga- zine, 1895: G. Allen; After Francia — Gazette des Beaux-Arts, 1862: C. Blanc; Un tableau de Francia; La Madone des Guastavillani. 1896: C. Yriarte; Isabella d’ Este et les artistes de son temps (sixieme article) — Magazine of Art, 1902: Anonymous; Review of Williamson’s ‘Francia.’ [ 500 ] MASTERS IN ART THE PIANO The article value of a piah^ is not determined by the size of the fadlory in which it is made, nor the quantity of its annual output. Rather the contrary, for to impart to a piano that subtle musical per- sonality which determines its artis- tic value requires the conscientious and affedionate personal intered of its makers. In these days of enormous indus- trial expansion, the increased sales of pianos have in many piano fac- tories caused a relaxation of that minute attention to detail which alone can ensure a perfed result. The Mason & Hamlin piano is made to-day, as it always has been, under the dired personal super- vision of experts who have for the pad fifty years made the name of Mason & Hamlin a household word all over the world, wherever music as an art has any recognition. No musically intelligent person desirous of informing himself of the progress being made in this art in- dudry should negled to examine and hear these notable pianos. Opportunity is afforded by our branch stores or agencies in all important cities. Those desiring to obtain a knowledge of the principles of piano conflrudion shouln send for an illustrated booklet by Henry L. Mason, entitled “ The Modern Article Pianoforte ; its Con^rudion.” MASON & HAMLIN CO. New York, 1 39 Fifth Avenue ESTABLISHED 1854 Boston, 492 Boylston Street Chicago, Wabash Avenue and Jackson Boulevard In answering advertisements, please mention Masters in Art MASTERS IN ART Iteistttsiinjjft A partial list of the artists to be considered in ‘Masters in Art’ during the forthcoming, 1907, Volume will be found on another page of this issue. The 1907 Volume will begin with PART 8 5, THE ISSUE FOR 31 a n u a r i> WHICH WILL TREAT OF Sir 0'i)omas Cfilyrnwr NUMBERS ISSUED IN PREVIOUS VOLUMES OF ‘MASTERS IN ART’ VOL. 1 . Pakt I, VAN DYCK Part z, Tl l iAN Part j, VELASQUEZ Part 4, HOLBEIN Part 5, BOT ITCE l.Ll Part 6, REMBRANDT Part 7, REY'NOLDS Part 8, MILLE I Part 9, GIOV. BELLINI Part 10, MURILLO Part ii, FRANS HALS Pari iz, RAPHAEL VOL. 4. Part 37, ROMNEY Part 38, FRA ANGELICO Part 39, WA FTEAU Part 40, RAPHAEL’S FRESCOS Part 41, DONATELLO Part 4Z, GERARD DOU Part- 43, CARPACCIO Part 44, ROSA BONHEUR Part 45, GUIDO RENl Part 46, PUVIS DE CHAVANNES Part 47, GIORGIONE Part 48, ROSSETTI VOL. 2. Pari 13, RUBENS Part 14, DA VINCI Part 15, DURER Pari 16, MICHELANGELO (Sculpture) Part 17, MICHELANGELO {Painting) Part 18, COROT Part 19, BURNE-JONES Part zo, TER BORCH Part zi, DELLA ROBBIA Part zz, DEL SARTO Part Z3, GAINSBOROUGH Part Z4, CORREGGIO VOL. 5. Part 49, FRA BARTOLOMMEO Part 50, GREUZE Part 51, DURER’S ENGRAVINGS Part 5z, LOTTO Part 53, LANDSEER Part 54, VERMEER OF DELFT Part 55 , PINTORICCHIO Part 56, THE VAN EYCKS Part 57, MEISSONIER Part 58, BARYE Part 59, VERONESE Part 60, COPLEY VOL. 3. Part Z5, PHIDIAS Part z6, PERUGINO PARTZ7, HOLBEIN’S DRAWINGS Part z8, TINTORETTO Part Z9, PIETER DE HOOCH Part 30, NA'I' I lER Part 31, PAUL POTTER Part 3Z, GIOTTO Part 33, PRAXITELES Part 34, HOGARTH Part 35, TURNER Part 36, LUINI VOL. 6 . Part6i, watts Part6z, PALMA VECCHIO PART63, MADAME VIGEE LE BRUN Part 64, MANTEGNA Part 65, CHARDIN Part66, BENOZZO GOZZOLI PART67, IAN STEEN Part 68, MEMLINC Part 69, CLAUDE LORRAIN Part 70, VERROCCHIO Part 71, RAEBURN PAHT7Z, FRA FILIPPO LIPPI VOL. r Part 73, JANUARY Part 74, FEBRUARY’ PART 75 , MARCH . Part 76, APRIL Part 77, MAY . Part 78, |UNE . Part 79, JULY Part 80, AUGUST . Part 81, SEPTEMBER Part 8z, OCTOBER Part 83, NOVEMBER Part 84, DECEMBER . STUART DAVID . BOCKLIN SODOMA CONSTABLE METSU INGRES WILKIE GHIRLANDAJO BOUGUEREAU . GOYA . FRANCIA ALL THE ABOVE NAMED ISSUES ARE CONSTANTLY KEPT IN STOCK Prices on and after January i, 1907 ; Single numbers of back volumes, 20 cents each. Single numbers of the current, 1907, volume, 15 cents each. Bound volumes i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, containing the parts listed above, bound in brown buckram, with gilt stamps and gilt top, ^3.75 each ; in green half-morocco, gilt stamps and gilt top, $4.25 each. In answering advertisements, please mention Masters in Art M ASTE RS IN ART F. W. KALDENBERC’S SONS, 95 NEW^Yo'pm MANUFACTURERS OF Fine ]Heei*§clmiiiii stud Brim* Pipes T his cut represents one of our most desirable French Briar Pipes; it is “ Masterful” in every respect. Very easily cleaned and cannot get out of order. The amber is simidy pushed into the aperture and slightly turned, so as to wedge it in position. We will forward this prepaid, delivery guaranteed, to any part of the world on receipt of One Dollar, which is ore-iialf the regular value, or the same pipe in finest quality of Meerschaum, including a fine leather case, for §4.00. Catalogues sent on application. BEST FRENCH BRIAR STERLING SILVER BAND AMBER MOUTHPIECE TH E UNIVERSITY PRINTS Are the only reproductions published in inexpensive form for the systematic study of Greek and Italian Art. One cent each, or eighty cents per hundred. Catalog on request. Publishing Department BURKAU OF UNIVERSITY travel i8 Trinity Place Boston, Mass. Plaster Casts FOR Schools and Colleges, Art Schools, Artists, Art Teachers, and All Lovers of Art. Valuable for Home Decoration. Elaborately Illustrated Catalogue^ One Dollar L. CASTELVECCHI S CO. 225 4th Ave., New York BINDINGS FOR MASTERS IN ART SUBSCRIBERS are urged to have their yearly volumes 0 bound, as no handsomer set of volumes are ob- tainable for anything like the price these cost. We bind in two styles- — a green half-morocco, with green and gold marbled paper sides, gold tooling and gilt top, and a brown art buckram, with gold design, side and back, and gilt top. Price for Binding Subscribers’ Copies Half-Morocco, $2.00 Cloth, $1.50 The separate numbers must be sent to us postage or ex- press prepaid, and plainly marked with the sender’s name. We prepay express in returning the bound volumes. Bates & Guild Company, Boston, Mass. In answering advertisements, please mention Masters in Art M A STE RS IN ART THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY 1907 IMPORTANT SERIAL FEATURES The Helpmate By May Sinclair No novel in recent years has had such singular success in winning at once a wide popularity and the enthusiastic praise of the most discerning critics as Miss Sinclair’s story of literary life in London, “The Divine Fire.” Her new novel, “The Helpmate,” will notably extend both her popularity and reputation. It is a powerful story of a most interesting group of people, tracing the development of character through passion and misunderstanding. No less remarkable than the engrossing interest of the plot is the color and full-bodied charm of the telling. The story will be printed in eight instalments, beginning with the January number. The Garrick Letters Edited by George P. Baker When a body of letters of real interest and importance, written by a man of the first eminence who has been dead more than a century, comes to light, it is a literary event of uncommon inter- est. The unpublished Letters of David Garrick, which will appear in two instalments in The At- lantic^ are of real interest and importance. They are delightful reading, full of the personal charm of the great actor; they present him in a fresh and vivid light, showing his trials as actor and manager, his tastes and antipathies, and his friendships with both men and women. They have been edited, with a connecting narrative, by Professor George F. Baker, a recognized authority upon all matters pertaining to Garrick. The Spirit of Old West Point By Morris Schaff General Morris Schaff has written a series of delightful reminiscences entitled “The Spirit of Old West Point.” They present a lively picture of the life at West Point before the days of new buildings and crack football teams, in the momentous years just preceding the Civil War. They have, moreover, a wide significance as perhaps the most vivid embodiment that has yet been seen in prose of the spirit of patriotism that fired young American manhood in the days of our great national struggle. The series will prove both a valuable historical document and a notable piece of literature. It will begin in an early number. A Motor Flight through France By Edith Wharton The editors take particular pleasure in announcing for immediate publication “A Motor Flight through France,” in two parts, by Edith Wharton. The possibilities of the motor-car for giving one a single panoramic view of an entire country have never been so ably employed as by Mrs. Wharton in these papers. The whole of that country, so rich in history, in literary and artis- tic association, is unrolled to the reader’s gaze by the imaginative insight and consummate style of which Mrs. Wharton is master. Three issues (October, November, and December, 1906J will be mailed without charge to new subscribers for 1907, upon receipt of $4.00. A special trial subscription for three months will be sent to new subscribers upon receipt of 50 cents. a 7JZ HOUGHTON MIFFLIN & COMPANY 4 PARK STREET BOSTON, MASS. 6 0 573 In answering advertisements, please mention Masters in Art e'- L •?; '4 ■ t" r r , GETTY CENTER LIBRARY MAIN ND 623 R15 M42 BKS c. 1 Francis, school of Bologna. . 3 3125 00158 9569 APR1L2013 1 : ‘ ^ — . la NJ o n t o 1 ;■ 1 o —{ n k ■ B n B 1 ^ ! ''' 0 ,p i ' ; ■ r 1 - ^ i' ■< 3 RIGHT