From these, and a few others, painted in the zenith of his fame, his critics have gathered the general idea of his style; the greatest contest which they have amongst themselves, relating to the design. By Mengs he is denied the title to rank among good designers,[49] considering him an artist of ordinary taste, by no means familiar with, however well he might, if he pleased, have succeeded in the study of the antique, possessing so very exact an eye in copying objects from nature. Vasari appears to be of the same opinion, where he introduces Michelangiolo observing, after viewing the Leda of Titian,[50] _that it was a great pity the Venetian artists were not earlier taught how to design_. The judgment formed of him by Tintoret, though placed in competition with him, was less severe, namely, _that Titian had produced some things which it was impossible to surpass, but that others might have been more correctly designed_. And among these more excellent pieces, he might indisputably have included his San Pietro Martire, in the church of SS. Giovanni and Paolo, a piece, says Algarotti, which the best masters have agreed in pronouncing _free from every shade of defect_; besides that fine Bacchanal, and a few others, ornamenting a cabinet of the Duke of Ferrara, and declared by Agostino Caracci prodigies of art, and the finest paintings in the world.[51] Fresnoy was of opinion that in the figures of his men he was not altogether perfect, and that in his draperies he was somewhat insignificant;[52] but that many of his women and boys are exquisite, both in point of design and colouring. This commendation is confirmed by Algarotti, in respect to his female forms, and by Mengs in those of his boys. Indeed it is almost universally admitted that in such kind of figures, no artist was ever comparable to him; and that Poussin and Fiammingo,[53] who so greatly excelled in this particular, acquired it only from Titian's pictures. Reynolds[54] also affirms that, "although his style may not be altogether as chaste as that of some other schools of Italy, it nevertheless possesses a certain air of senatorial dignity; and that he shone in his portraits as an artist of first rate character;" and he concludes by observing that he may be studied with advantage even by lovers of the sublime.