his most careful endeavours, there were some points and certain dilHculties of art in which he could never surpass the last named master.[1] Many are without doubt of opinion that Raphael surpassed Leonardo in tenderness and in a certain natural facility, but he was assuredly by no means superior in respect of that force of conception and grandeur which is so noble a foundation in art, and in which few masters have proved themselves equal to Leonardo: Raphael has nevertheless approached him more nearly than any other painter, more particularly in the graces of colouring.
But to speak more exclusively of Raphael himself; in the course of time he found a very serious impediment, in that manner which he had acquired from Pietro in his youth,[2] and which he had at the first so readily adopted: dry, minute, and defective in design, he could not completely divest himself of all recollection thereof, and this caused him to find the utmost difficulty in learning to treat worthily the beauties of the nude form, and to master the methods of those difficult foreshortenings which Michael Angelo Buonarroti executed in his Cartoon, for the Hall of the Council in Florence. Now any artist, who might have lost courage from believing that he had been previously throwing away his time, would never, however fine his genius, have accomplished what Raphael afterwards effected: for the latter, having so to speak, cured and altogether divested himself of the manner of Pietro, the better to acquire that of Michael Angelo, which was full of difficulties in every part; may be said, from a master to have almost become again a disciple, and compelled himself by incredible labours to effect that in a few months, now that he was become a man, which even in his youthful days, and at the time when all things are most
- ↑ An Italian commentator here remarks, that notwithstanding the marvellous genius of Leonardo, he was exceedingly whimsical, and frequently sought the difficult as well as the good. Raphael looked only to the perfection of his work, and if simple means sufficed to produce that, with these means he contented himself. "It may, therefore, he fairly inquired,” continues our waiter, “whether in these “difficulties” of Vasari, Raphael could not, or whether it was that he would not, surpass Leonardo.” This is a question which we leave our readers to determine.
- ↑ The Cavalier Tommaso Puccini, in a MS, note to Vasari, remarks, that on this point he “cannot agree with the biographer, since it is certain that to Pietro we owe half the success of Raphael Sanzio.” —Ed. Flor. 1832-8.
