# Archaeological Journal/Volume 2/Notices of New Publications: A Treatise on Painting

This work is a precious monument of the art of painting in the fourteenth century, and as such enters into the plan of our Journal. Its author was a painter called Cennino, son of Drea Cennini, born about 1360 at Colle of Valdelsa, a small town of Tuscany. In his youth he was for twelve years a pupil of Angelo Gaddi, whose father Taddeo had been a disciple of the celebrated Giotto, the restorer of painting in Europe. We know from Vasari that "in conjunction with his master he painted many works in Florence," and moreover that "he painted with his own hand under the loggia of Bonifazio's Hospital a picture of the Virgin with Saints, so well coloured that it was still in good preservation at the time he wrote" (1550). This painting was subsequently removed from the wall, and fixed upon canvass by order of the Grand Duke Leopold, and is now to be seen in the Florentine Gallery. He does not seem however to have made a fortune by his talents; while Angelo Gaddi his master died leaving to his sons immense riches, his unlucky disciple at the great age of eighty years, or thereabouts, was confined for debt in the prisons of the Stinche, the King's Bench of Florence, a melancholy circumstance mentioned by himself in the colophon of his book, which he wrote in 1437, when in confinement. This is all that we learn of this painter and writer from Vasari, Baldinucci and Tambroni, and which is to be collected from the work we are speaking of. To this we may add, that we have reason to believe that he was the grandfather of that famous orefice Bernardo Cennini, who introduced the art of printing into Florence.
His work is a practical and mechanical treatise of the different modes of painting used in his time, and which had descended directly to him from Giotto through Taddeo Gaddi and Angelo his son. It is divided into six parts: the first relates to drawing: the second treats of colours and their preparation: the third, of painting in fresco: the fourth comprises the subject of painting in oil: the fifth, after a brief but curious estimate of the time requisite for learning to paint, gives directions for making sizes and glues of various kinds: the sixth and last treats of preparing the grounds for painting upon, of gilding on pictures, of painting pictures in distemper, of draperies, of mordants, of varnishing, of miniature-painting, of taking casts from the life, &c. All these subjects are treated by Cennino in such an unstudied style, with so much order, and such a minute particularity, that the most ignorant person in the art of ​painting, could by himself, assisted only by this book, become familiar with every mode of painting practised by the masters of those days. And not only does he point out minutely every thing which ought to be acquired, but also what should be avoided, giving always reasons for what he advances. It is true that many of the processes and secrets found in this work, of which, in those ancient times, none but the masters were in possession, and which they imparted step by step only, to their pupils, are now well known, but there are many also that are now either entirely or in great measure lost. Such is, for instance, the mode of painting in fresco, which is so circumstantially described by our author, that the Commissioners on the Fine Arts have thought it worth while to give extracts from it in their first Report. This work, notwithstanding its great importance, remained for nearly four centuries neglected and almost unknown to every one; for, though Vasari mentions it, all that he says of it, seems to shew that he could not have read beyond the first chapter. Baldinucci also speaks of it, and quotes some passages, but without entering into any particular account of its contents. Bottari and Lanzi make only a passing mention of it. It is to the learned Cavalier Tambroni (member of several Academies connected with the arts and sciences), that the merit is due of publishing it for the first time at Rome in 1821, accompanied with valuable notes, and a most interesting preface: only it is to be regretted, that instead of a modern MS. written in 1737, probably by a German who had, as Signer Tambroni himself suspects, "but little knowledge of the things belonging to painting," he had not made use of an ancient one which, as he was aware, exists in the Laurentian library at Florence. This manuscript, (num. xxiii. plut. lxxviii.,) which is undoubtedly of the fifteenth century, has been examined by the author of this notice, who, from a comparison of a portion of it with the edition of Rome, can assert that it is far superior in correctness. On this account we should recommend, that in case of a new edition, Signor Tambrori's text should be collated with the Florentine MS., which may be done without any difficulty, there being no restriction as to copying MSS. in that library. The publication of Cennini's work was hailed with the greatest satisfaction by all professors and amateurs of the Fine Arts acquainted with the language in which the author wrote, but it remained of no avail to those who had no knowledge of it. An accomplished lady, fully qualified for the task, has at length presented it to the English public. Mrs. Merrifield's translation is a very important addition to our stock of memorials on the arts of past ages, and what makes it more acceptable is, that she has added copious and learned notes, together with engraved illustrations in outline. Artists in particular are indebted to this lady, for having put into their hands a Manual of the practical part of their profession, superior to any thing which has appeared, from the revival of the Fine Arts to the present day. M.