EDITOR'S PREFACE

THE revision of "Sacred and Legendary Art" has been conducted with the twofold purpose of preserving the original form of the work and of adding thereto such critical comments as would increase its value as an authoritative reference book. The only change in the form of the text is the occasional insertion of a foot-note in the body of the page. All editorial comment is inclosed in brackets to distinguish it sharply from the original material.

It has been the duty of the editor to ascertain concerning each work of art which Mrs. Jameson mentions, (1) the opinion of recent critics in regard to its authorship, (2) the name of the gallery, church, or private collection in which it is now to be found.

The first of these tasks is one whose importance is apparent to all who have noted the recent history of art criticism. The works of Crowe and Cavalcaselle, the first instalment of which appeared in 1864, four years after Mrs. Jameson's death, completely overturned many of the prevailing ideas in regard to the authorship of famous old paintings. A still greater revolution has been caused by the works of Morelli, which were the starting-point of an entirely new method of criticism. Among the followers of this eminent Italian critic are several who have contributed materially to the literature of art criticism: Dr. Gustavo Frizzoni and Dr. J. P. Richter; Dr. Woermann, who has based his catalogue of the Dresden Gallery on the "Critical Studies," and Sir Henry Layard, who has revised Kugler's "Handbook of the Italian Schools" in accordance with the same work. But without enumerating here all the leading authorities of the day, it is enough to say

that their opinions are so widely accepted that any work on art written previous to 1860 should be corrected by the new standards in order to be a trustworthy guide to student and tourist. The editor has therefore undertaken to insert throughout the text frequent foot-notes referring to the differing opinions concerning specific pictures. In a few exceptional cases the newly authorized artist-name is simply substituted for that given by Mrs. Jameson, the brackets being a sufficient indication of the editor's hand. A complete list of the reference books used in the revision shows the reader the authority upon which these corrections are made.

The task of investigating the present locality of the works of art mentioned has proceeded by various methods. In the case of pictures in the great galleries, the current official catalogues of such galleries have been accepted as reliable authority upon the contents of their respective collections. In instances where the works of art mentioned are in the churches of Florence and Rome, the information concerning them has been derived from correspondents in these cities who have personally investigated the subject, and whose faithful labors the editor here gratefully acknowledges.

Many of the works referred to were at the time of Mrs. Jameson's writing in collections which have been since dispersed, as the Louis Philippe collection, sold in 1853, which included the Spanish and Standish Galleries; the Aguado collection in Paris and the Rinuccini in Florence; the Duke of Lucca's, sold in 1841; as well as various notable collections in England, as the Wallerstein, of Kensington Palace; Lord Shrewsbury's (Alton Towers), sold in 1857; Lord Northwick's, sold in 1859; Mr. Bromley's, sold in 1863, and that of Mr. Rogers. It has been difficult and sometimes impossible to trace the history of the pictures in these and similar collections, though Redford's "Art Sales" has often furnished the desired information.

Although the search for localities has been more largely a work of verification than of correction, it was found, as was to be expected, that a not inconsiderable number of great paintings

have changed hands during the last fifty years. Wherever reliable information of these changes could be obtained, reference to the present locality has been inserted in the text. There are other cases in which the information is merely negative, showing that no picture corresponding to Mrs. Jameson's description now exists in the place to which she refers it, but with no clue to its present whereabouts. In a few rare instances where a work of art is so insignificant as to receive only a passing allusion from the author, failure to find it in the locality referred to has seemed a sufficient justification for omitting the passage instead of correcting it. Thus a brief reference to a picture of St. Anthony by Jerome Bosch in the Berlin Gallery is omitted because there is no trace of such a picture in the current Berlin catalogue. Similarly, a passage concerning a mosaic in S. Sabina, Rome, is omitted because the design alluded to has been taken down since Ciampini saw and described it.

It may be added that the editor has often been able to supply information concerning the present ownership of pictures whose whereabouts Mrs. Jameson does not mention, or which she expressly says she cannot learn. For example, Sir Joshua Reynolds's portrait of Mrs. Billington as St. Cecilia is referred to the Lenox Gallery, New York, and Carpaccio's Martyrdom of St. Stephen to Stuttgart, on the authority of Berenson and the Berlin and Louvre catalogues.

Besides the critical examination of the text, the editorial work has included the brief description of such modern paintings of the subjects treated as are worthy to be placed beside the works of the old masters. These references are necessarily

few in number, and do not add materially to the text.

In the matter of illustrations the editor has treated the original selections with far greater liberty than would be justified in handling the text. Modern technical processes make it possible to derive from original sources a set of pictures covering the entire field with a completeness and accuracy hitherto undreamed of. With these superior advantages an entirely new scheme of illustrations has been prepared. Wherever it

has seemed best to exclude any to which Mrs. Jameson refers as accompanying her text, her allusion has of course been omitted.

The first aim in the selection has been to supplement in the best possible way the meaning of the text. The pictures chosen are in nearly all cases those specifically mentioned by Mrs. Jameson, or, if not, such as correspond admirably to the general type she describes. Where there are several illustrations of any one subject, special pains have been taken to show a variety of treatment. In such cases there is usually some quaint early picture contrasted with later pictures both of the Italian and German schools. Wherever there was an opportunity for choice, preference has been given, other things being equal, to the picture of superior artistic excellence. Thus have been brought together some of the world's great masterpieces.

The editor has taken great interest in compiling a list of the authorities to which Mrs. Jameson refers throughout her work, stating in nearly every case the full title and the date of the edition probably used by her. Her authorities for the legends are enumerated in the original preface. As nearly all these old reference books are to be found in our great libraries, it has been thought well to leave the explicit references to their pages or plates as Mrs. Jameson first gave them, that students may continue to avail themselves of this help in their collateral researches. In the case of books republished since 1860, as Stirling's "Annals of the Artists of Spain," Kugler's "Handbook of the Italian Schools," Lindsay's "Christian Art," etc., the allusions are corrected to refer to the latest editions.

The quotations from French and Italian writers have been translated into English that the work may be as useful as possible to English readers. The Index of Places and General Index will render the contents of the volumes more readily available.

NEW BEDFORD, MASS., April, 1895.

ESTELLE M. HURLL.

AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

THIS book was begun six years ago, in 1842. It has since been often laid aside, and again resumed. In this long interval, many useful and delightful works have been written on the same subject, but still the particular ground I had chosen remained unoccupied; and, amid many difficulties, and the consciousness of many deficiencies, I was encouraged to proceed, partly by the pleasure I took in a task so congenial — partly by the conviction that such a work has long been wanted by those who are not contented with a mere manual of reference, or a mere catalogue of names. This book is intended not only to be consulted, but to be read-if it be found worth reading. It has been written for those who are, like myself, unlearned; yet less, certainly, with the idea of instructing, than from a wish to share with others those pleasurable associations, those ever new and ever various aspects of character and sentiment, as exhibited in Art, which have been a source of such vivid enjoyment to myself.

This is the utmost limit of my ambition; and, knowing that I cannot escape criticism, I am at least anxious that there should be no mistake as to purpose and intention. I hope it will be clearly understood that I have taken throughout the æsthetic and not the religious view of those productions of Art which, in as far as they are informed with a true and earnest feeling, and steeped in that beauty which emanates from genius inspired by faith, may cease to be Religion, but cannot cease to be Poetry; and as poetry only I have considered them.

The difficulty of selection and compression has been the greatest of all my difficulties; there is not a chapter in this book which might not have been more easily extended to a vol