Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-12
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
short Reviews of some Recently
Issued Books.

LIVES OF SEVENTY OBJ THE MOsl
EMINENT PAINTERS, 6CULPTORS
AND ARCHITECTS. BY Georgia va
sari. Edited and annotated In the
light Of recent discoveries by Il. IL. enc
l.. w. Blashfeld, and A A Hopkins
-Four volumes. New York: Charles Scrlp-
ner's Sons. Price. IS.
| 1t has been well said that "Vasari
Lives" are immortal. They are known
to every student and lover OF painting
sculpture, and architecture, and VIII i've
as long as these arts endure. They are
standard. Why, then, this new EDITION
This Is explained in the words: "Edlted
and annotated In the light or recent dis
coyeries," which appear on the titie-page
of the work. and this explanations ampii-
fed In the following which appsa's IN
the preface:
mo annotated English edition OF them
! (vasari's Liyes) has appeared since the
| year 1856. In 1885 a single volume
OF notes, by DR.. Richter. was added to
tho 5-volume edition OF Mrs. Foster .
| translation. But as these notes covered
the entire series OF lives necessarily
but a modicum Of the results of modern
methods of study and research could De
| covered by them. The editors or the
| present edition have preferred to choose
among Biographies rather than 10 limit
| the number of notes. believing that
relatively complete annexation or tho most
| important Lives was Desirable
And the tftle-psge explanation Is still
| further amplihed, and the scope of the
new edition Is further shown, IN this
statement
This previously described) scientinc
research has profoundly modified the value
OF the notes to Mrs. Fosters Vasari since
their publication in 1850. Not only nave
scores OF lost works OF art been found,
but the attributionS of others have peen
changed, and documentary evidence mas
taken from some artists and given to
others. Orgagpa has lost the Loggia
de Lanzi, and Gaddl the Ponte Veechlo,
while of late signor Dominica Gnoh has
even deprived Bramante of the famous
Cancelleria Palace, and the same author
has nearly doubled our knowledge OF Mino
of F'lesole. The frescoes Of Castiglione d
Oiona have been discovered, and nave
been fruitful source Of controversy be-
tween various students of Masolino and
Masaccio; Pinturicchio and the young
Raphael have, In like manner shared dis
puted works; important reconstrucuons
hava been made of monuments that had
lain for centuries, dispersed piecemeal
about churches or forgotten crypts--for
instance the altar of Donatello at Padau.
builders have stumbled upon walied-up
bas-reliefs; careless hands, scraping the
plaster, have found precious frescoes I'M
derneath-witness the Villa Lemmi paint
ings now in the Louvre-and careful
hands have uncovered other wall-pictures
whose presence beneath the whitewash
had been traced, or suspected; expert |
knowledge and mechanical skill OF every
kind have grown; pigments have been
analysed; the camera has detected I'M
noticed signatures; panel pictures which |
were rotting away have had new ex-
istence accorded them upon canvas, and |
huge mural paintings have been sawn |
from the walls and transferred as IL they |
were no larger than the altarpiece Of
AN oratory."
Consideration to all this, and to the doc
umentary investigation that throws new
and important lights on the personal char
acters Of Vasaris subjects the editors
have had in their work, with the result
that their edition must supercede all
others, and doubtless remain an authori-
ty for generation, at least. 1t 10 not
going too far, perhaps, to say that they
have classified, sifted, and utilized the
fruits from every field of modern invesu-
cation bearing on their labors.
Among the most elaborate footnotes are
those on Pietro Perugino, and here Is
specimen note taking issue with Vasarl's
statement that Perugino possessed very
little religion, and could never be made
to believe in the immortality OF the soul:
Whatever the general critics may imply
by frreligious,' Perugino must have been
as a painter at once reverent and sim
cere during a long period Of his life, for
his work proves this Enthusiastically. lie
was certainly an interesting psychology
cal problem. protagonist OF pietistic art,
and yet taxed as an infldel; a man capa-
Die of the most dignified and monumental
yet willing to repeat him
self and to coin money by the use or
yornout material. His surroundings were
Is incongruous as the qualities found IN
MS work and attributed to his character
since Perugia was at once the home or
'eligious painting, and the closed lists or
he most rufianly mobiles in Italy, the
3aglioni. Tame is inclined to place Peru
yino among those who were changed and !
made sceptical by the failure Of Sayon-
lrola's prophecies. on his portrait of c
Francesca dele Opere Is inscribed III i
nete Deum,' and, after all Is said. neither :
Lvarice nor repetition of motives In his
lectures proves irreligion in Perugino. AS :
o his infidelity we have only Vasaris !
ssertions. based, doubtless, on some such {
ocal tradition as Peruginos burial under
he oak of Fontagnano. Other stories, y
nd even documents, tend to absolve him, .
nd the causes of Perugino's artistic de-
line may probably be found in the con-
itlons which governed the evolution OF :
Italian painting" y
Similar critical treatment Is accorded Il
very one of the other masters, and not
he least valus of the edition is found in v
he appendix, and the information afford I
d touching technical expressions.
In the matter of the rendering or va O
arts original italian text into English. D
he colaborators decided (and wisely, we l.
hink,) to use the translation OF Ms. n
'oster; first, because her text, while d. d
ect and simple has quaint flavor or p
rchaism peculiarly adapted to a render q
~ of sixteenth century diction; second, &
ecause Il was through this translation II
nat Vasari wac first made known to the Il
nglish reading public.
on the whole the new Vasarfs Lives NJ
illustrates the contention OF tho editors ID
rat: "Art literature has passed through | m
$ ages OF faith and Of personal inspi- j.
ltion, and has entered into its age or
auiry." The foot-notes are in them
slves a small library OF art for both the
-tist and the general reader
For sale by George NJ. West * co.
ATHERINB SCHUYLER. BY Mary
Gay Humphreys. With portrait One n
of the series: "Womep OF Colonial and "
Times" New York. in
Charles ssoriber's Sons 1897. Pages, ly
III. Cloth and gilt Price Sl.25. Is
Mrs. Schuyler was a Van Rensselaer,, "
id entitled as such 10 high position; CO