ding the lives of these men, one is struck by the fact that they
produced their masterpieces at about the age of twenty years.

The 'Treasures of Art in Manchester,' and 'From Paris to Vienna,' were
published in 1857. The latter contained curious information about the
sale of art works during the seventeenth century, with the prices they
brought, and is enlivened with short spirited sketches of artists and
amateurs. In 1867 Blanc became a member of the Academic des Beaux Arts.
The 'Treasures of Curiosity' is a catalogue of pictures and engravings
sold between 1830 and the date of the appearance of the book.

Devoted to purely artistic subjects, the Journal des Beaux Arts, founded
by Blanc, rendered great service to art by spreading a taste for it
among the cultivated classes. The 'Grammar of Painting and Engraving'
first appeared in this periodical. Though given up to a consideration of
technical subjects, the work abounds in poetic touches and has great
interest for the general reader. In 1875 it was discussed in the French
Academy, when its author competed for the chair left vacant by the death
of Vitel. He was not elected until the following year, though his book
met with great success, and led to the revival of engraving in France.

When he began his studies for the life of Ingres, which appeared in
1867, he found many letters of the artist, which enabled him to follow
the latter through the various phases of his life: to know the changes
of his temper, the inflexibility of his character; his emotions day by
day; his momentary discouragements, his great will-power; the heroic
efforts he made to reach the heights; his ideas on art, his opinions of
others as well as himself: and thanks to these documents, he was enabled
to reproduce one of the most remarkable personalities, if not the most
original one, of the French school.

In 1870 he was again made Director of Fine Arts. He introduced several
reforms in the organization of the Salon, and founded a 4,000-franc
prize. But the spirit of reaction could not forgive his political
antecedents; and in 1873, on the fall of Thiers, he was removed before
he could complete his plan for establishing a museum of copies to
reproduce the masterpieces of painting. One well-deserved satisfaction
was granted him in 1878 by the creation of a chair of AEsthetics and Art
History in the College of France, which he was called by special decree
to fill; and there he taught for three year