or the time of Raphael, the limit to the best epoch of this
art; but it is scarcely possible thus to fix an exact bound; the
important point is that this excellence was reached, and the regret
follows that it could not endure for a longer period.

A far greater variety of subjects was represented in this age of
sculpture than before. Formerly the rule was the production of religious
effects. Scenes from the life of Christ and his disciples, others from
those of the saints, or the illustration of scriptural stories, with the
portrait tomb-sculpture, had been the sculptor's work. Now all the
stories of mythology were studied as diligently as they had been in
classic days, and artists studied to clothe the pagan personages with
new forms; and in all this effort much appeared that was original. It is
easy to see that such sculpture from the hand of a Christian artist must
lack the important element of pure sincerity. An artist who believed in
Jesus Christ could not conceive a statue of Jupiter, with all the
glorious attributes, that an ancient Greek would have given to his god
of gods. In this view the sculpture of classic subjects of this
sixteenth century may be said to have been two-sided--the work
illustrated a religion in which the artist pleased his imagination, but
for which he had no reverence or love. But in spite of all it was a
golden age, and many of its works are a "joy forever."

[Illustration: FIG. 100. PHARISEE.
FIG. 101. LEVITE. _By Rustici._]

Although the first public work which Leonardo Da Vinci did at Milan was
to model an equestrian statue, we can scarcely speak of him as a
sculptor. But the first Florentine of this period whom I shall mention
is GIOVANNI FRANCESCO RUSTICI (1476-1550), who was a fellow-pupil with
Leonardo under Verocchio. Very few works by this master remain, but a
prominent and important one is the bronze group above the northern
portal to the baptistery at Florence. It represents the "preaching of
St. John The Baptist," and is grand in the free action of its figures.
The Drapery is in a pure style, very much like that of Ghiberti (figs.
100, 101). This work was ordered by a guild of merchants, and they
failed to pay the price which had been fixed for it. Rustici was so
embarrassed by this that he undertook no more large works, and after the
Medici were expelled from florence he went into the service of Francis
I. in France he had executed various works, and was finally commissioned