de
accurate drawing his corner-stone; and so thorough was he in his study
of chiaroscuro that he devised little toy houses in which to manufacture
effects of light and shade. One of his first pictures to attract
attention was a portrait of himself and his brother illuminated by a
lamp.

So passed, in miscellaneous work, even to painting furniture, at least
ten years, towards the close of which he painted for the Madonna
dell'Orto his earliest important work, "The Last Judgment," which though
derived from Michael Angelo yet indicates much personal force. It was in
1548, when he was thirty, that Tintoretto's real chance came, for he was
then invited to contribute to the decoration of the Scuola of S. Marco,
and for it he produced one of his greatest works, "The Miracle of S.
Mark," now in the Accademia. The novelty of its vivid force and drama,
together with its power and assurance, although, as I have said, at
first disconcerting to the unprepared critics, soon made an impression;
spectators were carried off their feet; and Tintoretto's fame was
assured. See opposite page 170.

I have not counted the Venetian churches with examples of Tintoretto's
genius in them (it would be simpler to count those that have none); but
they are many and his industry was enormous. One likes to think of his
studio being visited continually by church patrons and prelates anxious
to see how their particular commission was getting on.

Tintoretto married in 1558, two years after Shakespeare's birth, his
wife being something of an heiress, and in 1562 his eldest son,
Domenico, who also became an artist, was born. We have seen how in 1560
Tintoretto competed for the S. Rocco decorations; in 1565 he painted
"The Crucifixion"; and he was working on the walls of the Scuola until
1588. In the meantime he worked also for the Doges' Palace, his first
picture, that of the Battle of Lepanto, being destroyed with many others
in the fire of 1576, first obtaining him as a reward a sinecure post in
the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, that central office of German merchants and
brokers on the facade of which Giorgione and Titian painted their famous
(now obliterated) frescoes. Small posts here with no obligations were
given to public servants, much as we give Civil List pensions.

Tintoretto's life was very methodical, and was divided strictly between
painting and domestic affairs, with few outside diversions. He had
settled down in the house which now bears his n