ef, such was the softness of his flesh-painting, and such
the grace with which he finished his works.

[Illustration: ANTONIO DA CORREGGIO: ANTIOPE

(_Paris: Louvre, 1118. Canvas_)]

In the same place, also, he painted two large pictures executed in
oils, in one of which, among other figures, there may be seen a Dead
Christ, which was highly extolled. And in S. Giovanni, in the same
city, he painted a tribune in fresco, wherein he represented Our
Lady ascending into Heaven amidst a multitude of angels, with other
saints around; as to which, it seems impossible that he should have
been able, I do not say to express it with his hand, but even to
conceive it in his imagination, so beautiful are the curves of the
draperies and the expressions that he gave to those figures. Of
these there are some drawings in our book, done in red chalk by his
hand, with some very beautiful borders of little boys, and other
borders drawn in that work by way of ornament, with various fanciful
scenes of sacrifices in the ancient manner. And in truth, if Antonio
had not brought his works to that perfection which is seen in them,
his drawings (although they show excellence of manner, and the charm
and practised touch of a master) would not have gained for him among
craftsmen the name that he has won with his wonderful paintings.
This art is so difficult, and has so many branches, that very often
a craftsman is not able to practise them all to perfection; for
there have been many who have drawn divinely well, but have shown
some imperfection in colouring, and others have been marvellous in
colouring, but have not drawn half so well. All this depends on
choice, and on the practice bestowed, in youth, in one case on
drawing, in another on colour. But since all is learnt in order to
carry works to the height of perfection, which is to put good
colouring, together with draughtsmanship, into everything that is
executed, for this reason Correggio deserves great praise, having
attained to the height of perfection in the works that he coloured
either in oils or in fresco; as he did in the Church of the Frati
de' Zoccoli di S. Francesco, in the same city, where he painted
an Annunciation in fresco so well, that, when it became necessary to
pull it down in making some changes in that building, those friars
caused the wall round it to be bound with timber strengthened with
iron, and, cutting it away little by little, they saved it; and it
was built by t