in
order to repair their loss as far as possible. Victor Amadeus of Sardinia
presented nine pictures by Titian to the Duke of Marlborough, and these
were all destroyed in 1861 when the chateau of Blenheim was burned. Kugler
says: "In the multifariousness of his powers Titian takes precedence of
all other painters of his school; indeed, there is scarcely a line of art
which in his long and very active life he did not enrich." His last work
was not quite completed by himself, and is now in the Academy of Venice.
It is a Pieta, and although the hand of ninety-eight years guided the
brush uncertainly, yet it has the wonderful light this master threw around
his figures, and the whole is conceived with his accustomed animation.

The pupils and followers of Titian were too numerous to be spoken of one
by one, and none of them were so great as to require their mention in
detail here; yet they were so good that, while the other schools of Italy
were decreasing in importance during the sixteenth century, that of
Venice was flourishing, and some great masters still existed there. Among
these was JACOPO ROBUSTI (1512-1594), who was called, and is best known as
Tintoretto, which name was given him because his father was a dyer. He
studied under Titian for a time, and then he attempted to follow Michael
Angelo, and it is said that his motto was, "The coloring of Titian, the
drawing of Michael Angelo." His best pictures are slightly treated, and
others are coarse and unfinished in the manner of painting. His portraits
seem to be his best works, probably because they are more carefully
finished.

Several works of his are simply enormous; one is seventy-four by thirty
feet; the school of St. Roch has fifty-seven large pictures by him, in
many of which the figures are of life size. His two most famous works are
the "Miracle of St. Mark," in the Academy of Venice, and the
"Crucifixion," in the school of St. Roch. The last is, for every reason,
his best work; there are crowds of people in it, on foot and on horseback,
while their faces show every possible kind of expression, and their
movements are infinitely varied. The immense painting mentioned above is
in the Doge's Palace, and is called "Paradise." His daughter, MARIETTA
ROBUSTI (1560-1590), was a pupil of her father's, and became so good a
portrait-painter that she was invited to the Court of Spain by Philip II.,
but her father could not consent to a separation from her. Some excelle