on it, you
notice a bunch of carnations in an artistically wrought Venetian glass.
These carnations, like the motto, awake in us an image, a poetical
reminiscence. Sentiment, Germanic in its essence, mingled with dreams
and vague ideals, is introduced into this merchant's office.

The master has fully displayed with supreme power, and with all the
resources of his art, the colours of the costume, the paleness of the
face, and the freshness of the flesh standing out from the background of
green panels. He has played with all the various tones of the
accessories, book and registers, inkstand, watch, and scales for
weighing the gold. Every detail, with no link missing, contributes to
form the perfect harmony of the whole.

We cannot too greatly admire the singular clearness and extraordinary
precision with which the artist has placed in relief every detail that
can make a figure live and render a work essentially eloquent.[7]

People have tried to make out that Georg Gisze was a merchant of Basle.
He would then have been of the race connected most closely with the
Master's life. This opinion has been discussed by Woltmann, Holbein's
historian. The superscriptions on the sufficiently numerous letters,
which are reproduced in this painting, must be especially noticed; they
are written in an ancient dialect which seems rather to be that of
central Germany.[8]

Jouin, _Chefs-d'oeuvre: Peinture, Sculpture, Architecture_
(Paris, 1895-97).

FOOTNOTES:

[7] In one corner of the picture is found this inscription with its
Latin distich:

Imaginem Georgii Gysenii
Ista refert vultus, qua cernis Imago Georgi
Sic oculos vivos, sic habet ille genas.
Anno aetatis suae XXXIII.
Anno dom. 1532.

[8] We read on one of these letters: _Dem erszamen Jergen Gisze to
Lunden in Engelant, mynem broder to handen._

PARADISE

(_TINTORET_)

JOHN RUSKIN

The chief reason why we all know the _Last Judgment_ of Michael Angelo,
and not the _Paradise_ of Tintoret, is the same love of sensation which
makes us read the _Inferno_ of Dante, and not his _Paradise_; and the
choice, believe me, is our fault, not his; some farther evil influence
is due to the fact that Michael Angelo had invested all his figures with
picturesque and palpable elements of effect, while Tintoret has only
made them lovely in themselves and has been content that they should
deserve, not demand, your attention.