t is said that his fellow-artists looked with jealous eyes at
his flesh tints, and that all painters since have been in despair
trying to equal him. He left hundreds of pictures and hundreds of
sketches. The sketches alone are bringing many hundreds of times their
weight in gold.

[Illustration: FIG. 33. HELENA FOURMENT AND HER SON AND DAUGHTER.
RUBENS. LOUVRE, PARIS]

THE HARP OF THE WINDS

HOMER MARTIN (1836-1897)

About a dozen years ago Europe began to wonder if America had any art
worth considering. She invited us to send samples of our paintings
that her critics might judge of our work. Among the pictures selected
was Homer Martin's "The Harp of the Winds." At once Europe saw that an
American artist had painted a masterpiece.

This scene is on the River Seine, a short distance from Paris. Was
anything ever more simple? Slender willow-trees almost leafless, bare
rocks with a few scrubby bushes, a tiny village sheltered in a curve
of the river--what is there to suggest a picture? And yet something
grips us. We seem to be at the beginnings of creation. Nature is
confiding in us. We are hearing the winds play on the harp to the
listening river. See how lovingly the water mirrors those harp strings
all sparkly with gold and green! I wonder if these willows make a harp
or a lyre with their tall stalks reaching to the sky? Do you remember
how, when Mercury found a tortoise, he took the shell and made holes
on both sides and strung nine strings across it--one for each
Muse--and gave it to Apollo? I think this Harp of the Winds has nine
strings in memory of Mercury's lyre.

[Illustration: FIG. 34. THE HARP OF THE WINDS. MARTIN. Courtesy of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City]

THE TRIBUTE MONEY

TITIAN, OR TIZIANO VECELLI (1477-1576)

Every child must know "The Tribute Money," painted by Titian, for no
artist understood the scene better than he did. Remember that the bad
men in Palestine were determined to find something that Jesus, the
Christ, had done against the Roman Government so they could trap him.
At last they sent one in authority to question him.

But Jesus said, "Bring me a penny, that I may see it." And they
brought him a penny.

And Jesus said, "Whose is this image and superscription?"

And the man was forced to say, "Caesar's."

Then Jesus made that famous reply that people use so often to-day:
"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things
th