iltonic harmony pervades the
movement of his angelic choirs. Their beauty is the product of their
strength and virtue. No floral ornaments or cherubs, or soft clouds,
are found in his Paradise; yet it is fair and full of grace. Here
Luca seems to have anticipated Raphael.

It may be parenthetically observed, that Signorelli has introduced
himself and Niccolo Angeli, treasurer of the cathedral building
fund, in the corner of the fresco representing Antichrist, with the
date 1503. They stand as spectators and solemn witnesses of the
tragedy, set forth in all its acts by the great master.

After viewing these frescoes, we muse and ask ourselves why
Signorelli's fame is so inadequate to his deserts? Partly, no doubt,
because he painted in obscure Italian towns, and left few
easel-pictures.[1] Besides, the artists of the sixteenth century
eclipsed all their predecessors, and the name of Signorelli has been
swallowed up in that of Michel Angelo. Vasari said that 'esso Michel
Angelo imito l'andar di Luca, come puo vedere ognuno.' Nor is it
hard to see that what the one began at Orvieto the other completed
in the Vatican. These great men had truly kindred spirits. Both
struggled to express their intellectual conceptions in the simplest
and most abstract forms. The works of both are distinguished by
contempt for adventitious ornaments and for the grace of positive
colour. Both chose to work in fresco, and selected subjects of the
gravest and most elevated character. The study of anatomy, and the
scientific drawing of the naked body, which Luca practised, were
carried to perfection by Michel Angelo. Sublimity of thought and
self-restraint pervade their compositions. He who would understand
Buonarroti must first appreciate Signorelli. The latter, it is true,
was confined to a narrower circle in his study of the beautiful and
the sublime. He had not ascended to that pure idealism, superior to
all the accidents of place and time, which is the chief distinction
of Michel Angelo's work. At the same time, his manner had not
suffered from too fervid an enthusiasm for the imperfectly
comprehended antique. He painted the life he saw around him, and
clothed his men and women in the dress of Italy.

[1] The Uffizzi and Pitti Galleries at Florence contain
one or two fine specimens of Luca Signorelli's Holy
Families, which show his influence over the early manner
of Michel Angelo. Into the background of one circular
p