. FRANCESCO PRIMATICCIO, an Italian historical painter, born at Bologna, in 1409, and died in 1570, aged 80. He was born of a noble family, and in his youth was intended to be bred up to commercial business; but having too elevated a mind to adapt himself to that occupation, and prompted by his natural genius, he began to learn design and colouring from Innocenzio da Imola, and Bagnacavallo; and in a short time was enabled, by his incessant industry, to give manifest proofs of extraordinary talents. He then quitted his native city and went to Mantua, where he became a disciple of Julio Romano, who at that time was engaged in several grand works at the palace del Fe, being assisted by a number of young artists, who had received their instructions in his school. Primaticcio continued under Julio for six years, and under his direction became a great machinist, an artist in fresco, stucco, and every branch of classic or magnificent ornament. Primaticcio effectually established himself in the favour of his master and of the duke of Mantua, and was recommended in the strongest terms by that prince to Francis I., who took him immediately into his service, and appointed him to execute a great number of designs in fresco, and in oil. This artist was not less fortunate and successful with the king than he had been with the duke, his works were approved and admired, and he adorned Fontainbleau, and most of the royal palaces in France, with his compositions. At the same time that Primaticcio was engaged by Francis, Rosso was also retained and employed at his court, between which two painters, a violent rivalship and jealousy subsisted; and it was thought that the king, who was desirous to quiet their dissension, sent the former to Rome to purchase antiques, as that monarch had conceived the highest opinion of the taste and integrity of Primaticcio. That artist acquitted himself of his commission very happily, and in a very short time collected a hundred and twenty-five statues, busts, and mutilated figures; and procured moulds of the most celebrated statues, which were not to be purchased, such as the Laocoon, the Tiber, and Nile, the Ariadne, Commodus, and others, which were cast in brass. He was called from Rome to perfect a large gallery begun by Rosso, but left unfinished by the death of that master, and the king, to express his esteem for Primaticcio, and his public approbation of his merit, conferred on him the abbey of St. Martin at Troyes, with the annual income of eight thousand crowns, which he enjoyed as long as he lived.

ANDREA DEL CASTAGNO, an historical painter, was born at Castagno, in 1409; and being deprived of his parents, was employed by his uncle to attend cattle; but, having accidentally seen an ordinary painter at work in the country, he observed him for some time with surprise and at

tention, and afterwards made such attempts to imitate him, as astonished all who saw his productions. The extraordinary genius of Andrea became at last a common topic of discourse in Florence, and excited the curiosity of Bernadetto de Medici so far, that he sent for Andrea, and perceiving that he had promising talents, he placed him under the care of the best masters then in Florence. Andrea became particularly eminent in design, and in a few years made so great a progress, that he found as much employment as he could possibly execute. He painted only in distemper and fresco, with a manner of colouring that was not very agreeable, being rather dry and hard; till he learned the secret of painting in oil from Dominic Venetiano, who had derived his knowledge of that new discovery from Antovello da Messina. Andrea was the first of the Florentine artists, who painted in oil; but although he was in the highest degree indebted to Venetiano for the secret, yet he envied his merit so much, that, because his own works seemed to be less admired than those of Venetiano, he formed the horrid resolution of assassinating his friend and benefactor. He executed this design with the utmost ingratitude and treachery, for Venetiano at that time lived with him, and painted in partnership with him, and he stabbed him at the corner of a street so secretly, that he escaped unobserved and unsuspected to his own house, where he composedly sat down to work; and thither Dominic was soon after conveyed, to die in the arms of his murderer. No discovery of so inhuman a transaction was made, till Andrea, through remorse of conscience, disclosed it on his death bed, in 1480. He finished several considerable works at Florence, by which he gained great reputation; but when his crime became published, his memory was held in deserved detestation. The most noted work of this master is in the hall of justice at Florence, representing the execution of the conspirators against the house of Medici.

ANTHONY of MESSINA, was the first Italian who painted in oil, about 1430. He had received the secret from Vandyke, and he was basely murdered by Andrea del Castagno, who wished to possess alone the valuable information.

THEODORE HAERLEM, a Dutch historical painter, born at Haerlem in 1410, and died in 1470, aged sixty. He was a painter of great merit for the time in which he flourished, of which he has left a competent proof in a picture of his painting at Utrecht. It is less hard and dry than most of the works of his contemporary artists, and very highly laboured in the finishing. The picture is an altar-piece, with two folding-doors, as was customary at that time; on the inside appears the representation of Christ, and on the doors the figures of St. Peter and St. Paul, as large as life.

BEATA CATERINA VIGRI, a most diligent painteress, both in oil and miniature, born at Bologna, in 1413, where she introduced the order of St. Chiesa, in the noble monastery of Corpus Domini, which was founded there; amongst other fine paintings, one is much esteemed of our Saviour when an infant. She died in 1463, having lived so that she was venerated by all her acquaintance.

ALBERT ONŴALER, a Dutch painter, was born at Haerlem in 1414, and died in 1515. He painted historical subjects.

COSMO ROSELLI, an Italian historical painter, born at Florence in 1416, and died in 1484, aged sixty-eight. He became an artist of some note in that city, by having successfully painted the portraits of Picus Mirandola, and several of the Florentine nobility; having likewise painted some historical designs in the convents and chapels. Afterwards he was engaged to paint three pictures in the chapel of pope Sixtus IV., along with Sandro Boticelli Pietra Perugino, and others; and his subjects were the drowning of Pharaoh, the Last Supper, and Christ preaching near the sea of Tiberias; subjects, which, it is said, the pope particularly chose, who at the same time promised an honorary premium for the best performance. Roselli, who seems to have had but a mean opinion of the taste of Sixtus, being conscious that he could have no hope of surpassing the other artists in colouring and design, in which parts of his profession his skill was but indifferent, concluded he might conceal these defects by giving his pictures an uncommon brilliancy. He therefore used the purest ultramarine, and the most glaring colours in every part of his painting, and illuminated the trees, draperies, and principal objects with gold, so as to dazzle the eye at the first sight, to compensate for his want of a true and elegant taste, by the glittering richness of the general appearance; and he satisfied himself with a certainty of success. But, to the great mortification and disappointment of Roselli, when the pope went to his chapel to observe the works of the different artists, those of Roselli were universally condemned and ridiculed; and by order of the pope, the greater part of his compositions were altered and retouched by those very painters who were his competitors.

DOMINIC VENETIANO, an Italian historical painter, born at Venice in 1420, and died in 1476, aged fifty-six. He was a disciple of Antonelli da Messina, from whom he learned the art of painting in oil, at that time known in Italy only by Antonello, as the secret had been communicated to them alone by John Vandyke, the original discoverer. He painted several pictures at Loretto and Florence, that were exceedingly admired; but in the latter city he connected himself

unhappily with Andrea del Castagno, who invidiously and treacherously murdered him while he was serenading his mistress, and accompanying the lute with his voice. That detestable action was committed by Andrea, partly that he might preserve the secret of painting in oil from any other artist; but as much out of envy on observing that the works of Dominic were abundantly more commended than his own.

DAMIANO MAZZA, an Italian historical painter. Italian historians are silent as to the circumstances of the birth and death of this artist. He was born at Padua, in which city he was taught the rudiments of painting; but he travelled to Venice, and placed himself as a disciple with Titian, whose manner he carefully studied, and imitated it with very great success. Having in a few years sufficiently improved himself under that incomparable master, he returned to Padua, and was employed to paint the history of the rape of Ganymede, which subject he executed with such elegance of taste, and with so charming a tint of colour, that it might deservedly be taken for the composition and hand of Titian. However, the art of painting was too soon deprived of one of its greatest ornaments, by the untimely death of Damiano Mazza, who was cut off in the flower of his age, at a time also, when there was a general expectation of his being equal to any of the greatest masters of Italy.

FILIPPO LIPPI, called the Old, an Italian historical and portrait-painter, born at Florence in 1421, and died in 1488, aged sixty-seven. He was educated in a convent of Carmelites, and at the age of sixteen he had an opportunity of seeing Masaccio at work, in painting the chapel of that convent, which inspired him with an eager desire to learn the art. He therefore became a disciple of that master, and studied design with inexpressible assiduity, making so rapid a progress, that he not only pleased, but surprised Masaccio. The praises given him by his friends, as well as his instructor, wrought so strongly on his mind, that he forsook the convent, threw off the habit, and devoted himself to the profession of painting. He endeavoured to obtain as much instruction as possible from Masaccio, and very happily imitated his manner: yet the course of his studies was for some time interrupted, by an accident which detained him in Barbary for a year and a half; for while he was amusing himself in the company of some of his friends, on board a felucca in the Mediterranean, a corsair, who was cruising near the shore, took them all prisoners, and carried them into captivity. But Lippa having one day drawn the portrait of his master with a piece of charcoal on a wall, the master was so affected with the novelty of the performance, and the exactness of the resemblance, that, after obliging him to paint the portraits of a few other persons, he generously

restored him to liberty. On his return to Europe, he went to his native city Florence, and for a considerable time he was employed by the grand duke. The merit of his works recommended him, not only to the particular esteem of that prince and the nobility, but also to the ecclesiastics, who engaged him for several noble compositions for their churches and convents. It is observed of Lippi, that he was the first of the Florentine painters who attempted to design figures as large as the life; the first who remarkably diversified the draperies, or who gave his figures the air of the antique. He was a man of very loose morals, and seduced a nun to elope with him from the convent of Prato, where she sat to him as a model for the picture of the Virgin; and though her friends severely reproached him for his misconduct, yet he afterwards engaged himself in another criminal intrigue, for which the parents of the lady caused him to be poisoned. But other writers say, that he died of poison at Spoletto, from the resentment of a person of that city, with whose wife he held a criminal conversation while painting the altar-piece of the cathedral at Spoletto; the design of which picture was exceedingly grand, though it was left unfinished by the unfortunate death of the artist. His colouring was extremely agreeable, and his manner, like that of his master Masaccio, was grand and elegant, his draperies were broad and loose, and his figures had a competent degree of grace, with a good expression.

GENTILE BELLINI, a painter of history and portraits, was born at Venice in 1421, and instructed by his father Giaconio, who was himself an artist in the art of painting, both in distemper and in oil. He was employed by the doge to paint the hall of the great council, and he executed several considerable works for several of the nobility. His reputation reaching to the Ottoman court, he was invited by Mahomet II. to Constantinople, where he was honourably entertained, and employed in painting the portrait of the emperor, and in various other performances. It is said, however, that the emperor ordered the head of a slave to be cut off in the presence of Bellini, in order to convince him of the incorrectness of a picture which he had painted of the decollation of St. John the Baptist; but the sight affected his mind to such a degree, that he was never easy till he obtained leave to return to his own country. Mahomet, before his departure, put a gold chain about his neck, and dismissed him with letters of recommendation to the senate of Venice, which procured for him a pension for life, and an admission into the order of St. Mark. Vasari mentions a sea fight, painted by this master, which had extraordinary merit, He died in 1501.

GIOVANNI BELLINI, was born at Venice in 1422, and surpassed both his father and his brother in every branch of