As an example of the influence of naturalism which had begun to make itself felt in art towards the end of the fifteenth century, we may cite The Romance of the Rose (Harl. MSS. 4425), in the British Museum, which has two fine full-page miniatures with elaborate borderings, full of detail and colour, and which are also illustrative of costume (_see_ No. 8, Appendix). The text pages show the effect of double columns with small highly-finished miniatures (occupying the width of one column) interspersed. The style of work is akin to that of the celebrated Grimani Breviary, now in the library of St. Mark's, Venice, the miniatures of which are said to have been painted by Memling. They are wonderfully rich in detail, and fine in workmanship, and are quite in the manner of the Flemish pictures of that period. We feel that the pictorial and illustrative power is gaining the ascendancy, and in its borders of highly wrought leaves, flowers, fruit, and insects, given in full relief with their cast shadows--wonderful as they are in themselves as pieces of work--it is evident to me, at least, that whatever graphic strength and richness of chiaroscuro is gained it is at the distinct cost of the beauty of pure decorative effect upon the page. After the delicate arabesques of the earlier time, these borders look a little heavy, and however great their pictorial or imitative merits, they fail to satisfy the conditions of a page decoration so satisfactorily. Perhaps the most sumptuous examples of book decoration of this period are to be found in Italy, in the celebrated Choir Books in the cathedral of Siena. They show a rare union of imaginative form, pictorial skill, and decorative sense in the miniaturist, united with all the Italian richness and grace in the treatment of early Renaissance ornament, and in its adaptation to the decoration of the book page (_see_ No. 9, Appendix). These miniatures are the work of Girolamo da Cremona, and Liberale da Verona. At least, these two are described as "the most copious and indefatigable of the artists employed on the Corali." Payments were made to them for the work in 1468, and again in 1472-3, which fixes the date. [Illustration: FLEMISH SCHOOL. XVTH CENTURY. "LIFE OF CHRIST." (ANTWERP, GHERAERT LEEU, 1487.) (_Original, 7-3/8 in. × 5-1/8 in._)] [Sidenote: ILLUMINATED MSS.]