New-York tribune., 1883-12-11
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

TIE RISAIssAScE OF ART IN ITALY by LEADSss Ees
eaihsr with gilt edges, or M iu morocco
,T 3sl CSefibner n WeifordJ
me transition from the slayish SUPERSTITION anu
.,s,o,,,,eo of the Dark Ages-a time when men
we're divided into the extremes OF ascctic'sm ana
hrnt;shucss-to the pursuit of humane learning, be-
,,n in tl,e time of Petrarch, about the middle OF
The fourteenth century, and 10 the reyIval OF
hnrane arts. commonly dated from the tune
of Nicola Pisano. about 1850. forms one oil the
most fruitful themes in the history oil ciVil2ation
IL has naturally employed the pens Oh most VI
bistoriaus. critics and commentators, from Vasar
10 Mr. Ruskin and Mr.. Symonds Luoke
in his plain but valuable "tSeac@~
d,y Dtuischea ReTGssdsce and NJ. Leon
palnstre in his sunptuous work, not
vet completed, La Rendissdnce c" T'hee, en"o"N0i
TO trace the development and course OF this move
,nont in their respeetiye countries but it was in
Ie that the renaissance OF art reached its perfect
9ower and Italian art from the beginning OF the
fonrteen.h century to the seventeenth presents 10
the sindent richer field of inquiry than any other
country or time has ever shown. lt was IeserFeu
for Mr. ]. A. SymOnds to treat this general suDJec.
which he divided into " The AGE OF the Deepots'
"The Revival of Learning" aud "Ihe heViV"i u
the Fine Arts"-in manner which stamps ms worH
as one of the few enduring Literary pfoduc''ons VI
this generation. o.,
After him. bat at a long distance, follows Mr.
leader Scott in the profusely illustrated,
handsome volume which hes before us. In the
nnhlisber,s circular il appears TO be assumed that
writer's like Symonds Ruskin, Roscoe, Burckhardt
and poter have dealt only with the literary phase
of the renaissance. From this curiousiy incorrect
premise is deduced the conclusion that Mr. SCOUTS
81 Renaissance of Art in Italy" is unique Ill
English and American literature" But we fail 10
gain from it any such apt comparisons and suggest
i've illustrations as abound in Mr.. Ruskins WIFI
ings upon Italian art, nor do we find the mastery
breadth of treatment which marks Mr.. Symondss
work the third volume of which covers exactly the
eround over which Mr. Scott has travelled in cur
sory and superficial fashion. The only sense III
which this volume can be considered unique is
IN 4 the author has gathered compilation OF often
nnd,oested material the whole of which may never
before have been brought together between TWO
covers OF originality of treatment fruitful crill-
cism. suggestive thought and molFldu'u eA
nression the book is almost entirely par
rem Mr. Symonds's classihcations and distinctions
are largely followed, and the style ana methous
suggest writer who is making book 10 oroer anu
is dependent upon what men have tnought anu
,,r;+ten hefore him. That Mr.. Scott himself feels
under the necessity of making apologies Is sho"l
from the meek tone of his somewhat confused
he thinks a more practical and hOmely view
may he usefu" But his next sentence hints that ne
,ronoses TO show us at glance " the origin OF
all the arts from architecture, their expansion anu
the effect of social religious and pohtlca lie upon
each. Certainly " a glance" which could reVeaI
all tins must be like the view OF him who stoOd
npon mountain top and saw all the Kingdoms Oh
the earth lying at his feet Mr. Scott dlscams the
title of history for his work, and calls II only
nctorial guide through the intricate mazes OF the
Arts during the four centuries III which
they grew, developed and cuiminated-ah
III; slotch giving a comparative
and chronological idea of the relative position Oh
the different arts to each other at any given era
Al last therefore, we have estimate of the book
,,h;cb we can accept as unexaggerated. IL is a
bandhook of the renaissance, renaissance Murray,
auniae-post. itself making no advance, but pointing
the way to others.
Those who are interested m the subject of Italian
renaissance have at exceptional oppor
tunite in this city for studying certain phases OF the
movement The Byzantine art OF the DARK Ages,
the time when decorative art in pure color offered
mucb that is beautiful, but when the human
face and figure invariably rendered hldeous and
orotes que by artists is illustrated by some of the
designs in the illuminated nssals at the Art Loan
Fxhibtion and by the distorted figures of the
Rvzantine Chrsts and AadOnnas in the second east
ern gallery of the Metropolitan Museum. Some
sliobt idea of the results which accompanied the
development and elimination of painting Ill Italy
during the renaissance be obtained from the
collection of copies of old masters in the first west
ern gallery at the Museum An example OF
Finiguerras niello, which according to rather
doubtful story was the origin OF steel aud copper
plate engraving, can be seen at the Academy. with
examples of some of the earliest Italian woodcuts,
In which the curious semi-ascetc prejudice against
the human body is distinctly noticeable. There
are other features Of the collections at the Museum,
such as the illustration of Lucca del RObbas STYLE
and the reproductions Of carving and metal work,
which will aid the student of the renaissance. TO
say nothing of the earlier prints at the Lenox
Library But the opportunities which we have in
dicated are worth improving while they continue.