New-York tribune., 1905-01-15

of intellectual insight Her study of Verrocchio
is searching. but never pedantic 1t is deeply
interesting. The many sided Florentine, whose
b0ttegG was a source Of inspiration to the artists
of his time has not always been handled with
appreciation by modern critics, and this volume,
full of we'll ordered information and judcious
Interpretation, has a greater freshness than at
taches to most books of the sort. 1t contains
in an appendix some useful documents and it is
freely illustrated with good half tones
The authors special task has been the rescue
of Verroccho from the subordinate position to
which he has been assigned on the theory that
he was merely a craftsman and not one of the
creative masters. Connoisseurs have been 50
skeptical as to the extent of his resources that
they have grudged the attribution to him of
works which could. with any show of reason at
all. be given to some one else. particularly
Leonardo. Thus, as is we'll known, they have
persistenty ascribed to the latter the angel in
the foreground Of The famous Baptism i'll the
Academia at Florence. Miss Cruttwell's dem
onstratoE of the authenticity of the entire work
VerrOCChiO's own is as convincing in sub
stance as it is modest in form. She is equally
plausible in treating of that beautiful Portrait
of Il Lady il the collection of Prince Lichten-
STEM at Vienna which we reproduce. Original
ly given to Sodoua. this was afterward for a
long time attributed to Leonardo or to his
school Morelli concluded that Verrocchfo was
the painter of the portrait. and though several
authorities continue to believe in the Leonard
esque hypothesis, Miss Cruttwen has the cour-
age to uphold the claims of her master and
makes them good in very clear, ingenious ar
gument. She looks largely. of course, to the
sheer construction of the work, to 1.-THE square
face, with its suggestion of nard bone and rather
tightly strained skin, it's broad forehead and
wide winged nOstrils." which, as she says. lis
in the highest degree characteristic of Yer
rocchiO." The technique, in fact, throughout
hands but Miss Cruttwell takes also into con-
sideration the less ponderable elements in the
problem THE tranquil face" she saws with
its simple, straightforward glance is without
any suggestion of the subtlety and mystery
never absent from Leonardos female heads"
Yet it is very beautiful. The point bears upon
Nerrocchio's whole character as an artist
He was not, like Leonardo, a profound poet
He was, like Donatello a reaIist and Miss
Cruttweu properly lays stress upon his passion
for anatomical truth. But she is also careful to
point out what has hitherto been too little
understood in some quarters, that, like Dona-
tello again, he made realism only the means to
an end, and based on truth interpretations of
life which. if not profound LeOnardos were
had at any rate a quality finer than any lying
on the surface of things. He is an interesting
type of the artist who does not dream dreams
but is nevertheless so fervid in the pursuit of
beauty that he never leaves even his least i'm
aginative report of nature merely literal and
commonplace. The Lichtenstein portrait is a
case in point. 1t is not charged with esoteric
suggestion as is Leonardos Mona Lisa" 1t