he man
who has accurately observed the appearances of nature, and who can
determine the limits of art. I despise the dotards who contend that a
man of taste and intellect must have been a dauber of canvass, before
he can decide upon the merits of a picture. The ludicrous certificate
of approval which the German horse-dealers chalked upon the bronze
horses of St Mark's, outweighed, in my estimation, a volume of
professional cant. Trained to a sound knowledge of their trade in the
studs of Germany, they felt and understood all the excellence of these
magnificent works of art. They recognised at once the noble character
of the animal, and even distinguished the peculiar attributes of each
individual horse. The superlative excellence of their heads, and the
fiery impatience of control which they exhibit, cannot be understood
or conveyed by mere perseverance in drawing. No painter, who resides
in the interior, can understand the merits of a sea-piece; nor can the
devout Fra Bartolomeo criticise a Venus of our venerable Titian so
well as any despot of the East who owns a seraglio."

"True," replied another artist, whose full round tones and rich
emphasis bespoke him a Roman; "but taste is not intuitive; nor can it
be attained by merely studying the appearances of nature and the
theories of art. We must also explore the rich treasures of painting
which adorn and dignify our beautiful Italy. It is not enough,
however, to study a single specimen of each great master; we must
patiently and repeatedly examine his progressive improvements and his
various styles. By perseverance in this process, a young artist will
beneficially exercise his eye and his judgment, and will readily
distinguish the best pictures in a collection. Any degree of
discipline short of this will be inadequate to raise him above the
level of the mob, which followed in procession the Madonna of Cimabue,
and lauded it as the _ne plus ultra_ of art because they had never
seen anything better."

The young stranger now addressed them with much animation: "I presume
not to decide," said he, "how far the last speaker is correct in his
opinions. The incessant noise on the piazza precludes any deliberate
consideration of the subject; but so far as I could collect the
subject of Maestro Paul's opinion, I understood him to insist upon
the necessity of knowing the limits of art. I trust he will pardon
so young an artist for uttering sentiments at variance with his own;