New-York tribune., 1911-03-05
"ARS UNA"
An Ideal Guide for the Student
of All the Schools.

When NJ. Solomon Reinach wrote hi
Apollo" a miniature survey of the ar
history Of the world. he invented al
! Ideal manual. And from It's success
in more languages than one - there
| flowed the development Of an even NOR
valuable scheme. II was decided by {
syndicate OF publishers. the American
members OF which are Charles Scribner'!
Sons. 10 bring out series modelled or
| Apollo" devoting each volume 10 the
art of a particular country. Leading
authorities have been chosen 10 treat oi
their respective schools. and each vol.
ume is published simultaneously in Eng
lish, French, German, Italian and Span
ish 1t is in keeping with the world
wide scope OF the series that 1t is being
produced with a simple practicality
These are not esoteric and pedantic
studies. They are clear, straightforward
volumes in which. with light touch, the
different authors cut 10 the bone and
give the reader the essential facts. They
are richly supplied with photographed
notes, so that the student may easily
follow up a given phase of the subject,
and they are we'll indexed. The illustra-
tions make by themselves a fascinating
feature. Those filling an entire page are
printed in colors, and the rest OF the six
hundred pictures are printed in half
tone on a small scale. but with great
clearness. The volumes are small and
are strongly but lexibly bound. There
has never been another series like this
one, and we believe that II will prove in
creasingly popular for many years to
come.
The first volume, by Sir Walter Arm
strong gave the history Of art in Great
Britain and Ireland. Others on France,
Flanders and Egypt are shortly forth
coming, and in the mean time the Scrib-
ners have just brought out Art in
Northern Italy" by Corrado RiccI, one
of the most distinguished of Italian
critics. He has learned well VI. Reinach's
system OF condensation, Of
without badness, and his
book is as interesting as it is close
packed. There is, of course, no room in
ii for large generalizations, but neither,
on the other hand, has the author felt
absolutely TO avoid general
ideas. They come frequently TO the sur
face in his narrative, especially in those
chapters which bind together the varied
developments of Venetian art or bring
out in sharp relief the characteristics Of
such centres as Padua and Mantua, Ve-
roma, Nicenza, Milan and the looser ter
-itorial divisions. His Venetian section
IS almost, If not quite, a model. the only
part OF it with which we are a little dis
appointed being that concerned with the
eighteenth century. Mantegna~ and
pisanello and their respective circles are
we'll done, and we especially appreciate
he pages on Milanese art and those on
leonardo and his disciples. These last. /
n falling within the range OF Dr.. Riccis
study, mark him as fortunate among the |
to this series.
Northern Italy is rich in those individ- |
ialties and groups. those vividly local |
zed phenomena Of cause and effect, |
which delight the student Of Italian art |
n the whole history Of that subject |
here is no episode more impressive than |
hat which we owe 70 Leonardo's settle |
nent in Milan. What he found there
nay be gathered in very concrete fash