The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-08

ding of their brushes though their work was not as fine as that done by the Flor entine and Romap Monks. The art of tooling leather and binding books has had a great revival in Venice during the last few years. Some of the finest hand bound books are the work of the Venetian book binders Their leather tooing aso com mands great admiration from artists in all parts of Europe
 Architecture and Painting.
 But patrician pride and love of pomp developed two other arts for Venice, archi- lecture and painting The gallery of Ven Ice Is one of the finest in Europe and has splendid works showing what Titan, Palma Vecchio and Bellini did for the art of Venice. Tltian's one painting aone. the Assumption of the Virgin, would entitle Venice to n prominent place in Italian Art.
 While her painters were busy creating splendid pictures for altars her architects were busy drawing plans of beautiful pal aces anu great oh riches. On either side of the Grand Canal are 10 be seen many beautiful palaces, if was here most of the
 
 As the traveller goes along the left bank in bis gondola he sees the Punto della Salute md Dogma di Mare the principal custom house fin Venice. Beyond is the attractive church called the Santa Maria della Salute. There is the Palace Dario in the style of the Lombare, and the Pal ace Vemir that consists only of the ground floor, though the building Is planned on scale of great magnificence. On the same bank is the beautiful Palace Rezzonico which was built by Il rich patrician fin The fifth Century. This is the house In which Browning died. On the opposite bank is the Palace Treyes. largely known because it con.Gins Canovas last work Hector and Ajax. The Palace Griman is the ha ndsomest of the Renaissance type and Is ndoraed with splendid carvings
 St. Marks.
 But 4 is the st. Marks square with the gllded domes. broad place and high clock tower that tell the traveller about the really great splendor of Venetian archi- lecture The history of this square is long and glorious If historical accounts nre accurate the remains of St. Mark were brought rom AleNhnuff 10 venice m SIS and the Nenetaus built small basllica to contain them but thls was soon after wards destroyed. If WIS in the llth Cen tury that the Nenetians raised more splendid monument 10 their patron saint. Many historians believe that architects were brought from Constantinople to plan this noble church but Cigognara and others believe that though Saint Sophie served them as a model Is was wholly the work of Venetian architects. It fig likely they learned from the Byzantines how to make their great gilded domes and their rich mosaic figures. It is quite certain that two of the columns which adorn the church were brough from Constantinople, there was another column but at the time 1t was transported 1t fell Into the water. The one IS adorned with the statue of St. Theodore, the patron of the city, the other h1s the winged lion and is the emblem of St. Mark. These with the splendid bronze horses were after wards brought to Paris by Napoleon but were later restored to their rightfu plnce. With these great bronzes are the rich ulosaics that adorn the church without and within. The two mosaics represent