erwards of harmony with any tone he might determine
upon, and not in the vivid brown which necessitated brilliancy of
subsequent effect. We believe, accordingly, that while some of the
pieces of this master's richer color, such as the Adam and Eve in the
Gallery of Venice, and we suspect also the miracle of St. Mark, may be
executed on the pure Flemish system, the greater number of his large
compositions will be found based on a gray shadow; and that this gray
shadow was independently laid we have more direct proof in the assertion
of Boschini, who received his information from the younger Palma:
"Quando haveva stabilita questa importante distribuzione, _abboggiava il
quadro tutto di chiaroscuro_;" and we have, therefore, no doubt that
Tintoret's well-known reply to the question, "What were the most
beautiful colors?" "_Il nero, e il bianco_," is to be received in a
perfectly literal sense, beyond and above its evident reference to
abstract principle. Its main and most valuable meaning was, of course,
that the design and light and shade of a picture were of greater
importance than its color; (and this Tintoret felt so thoroughly that
there is not one of his works which would seriously lose in power if it
were translated into chiaroscuro); but it implied also that Tintoret's
idea of a shadowed preparation was in gray, and not in brown.

130. But there is a farther and more essential ground of difference in
system of shadow between the Flemish and Italian colorists. It is a
well-known optical fact that the color of shadow is complemental to that
of light: and that therefore, in general terms, warm light has cool
shadow, and cool light hot shadow. The noblest masters of the northern
and southern schools respectively adopted these contrary keys; and while
the Flemings raised their lights in frosty white and pearly grays out of
a glowing shadow, the Italians opposed the deep and burning rays of
their golden heaven to masses of solemn gray and majestic blue. Either,
therefore, their preparation must have been different, or they were
able, when they chose, to conquer the warmth of the ground by
superimposed color. We believe, accordingly, that Correggio will be
found--as stated in the notes of Reynolds quoted at p. 495--to have
habitually grounded with black, white, and ultramarine, then glazing
with golden transparent colors; while Titian used the most vigorous
browns, and conquered them with cool color in mass above. The rema