“The shining eminence of Correggio consists in {530.} his laying on ample broad lights encompassed with friendly shadows, and in a grand style of painting, with a delicacy in the management of colours.” And Titian understood so well the union of the masses, and the bodies of colours, the harmony of the tints and the disposition of the whole together, that he has deserved those honours and that wealth which were heaped upon him, together with that attribute of being sirnamed the divine painter. The laborious and diligent Annibal Caracci has taken from all those great persons already mentioned {535.} whatsoever excellencies he found in them, and, as it were, converted their nourishment into his own substance. [Sidenote: LXXI. Nature and experience perfect art.] It is a great means of profiting yourself, to copy diligently those excellent pieces, and those beautiful designs; but Nature, which is present before your eyes, is yet a better mistress; for she augments the force and vigour of the genius, and she it is from whom art derives her ultimate perfection, {540.} by the means of sure experience; [*†541.] I pass in silence many things which will be more amply treated in the ensuing commentary. And now considering that all things are subject to the vicissitude of time, and that they are liable to destruction by several ways, I thought I might reasonably take the boldness [*†544.] to intrust to the muses (those lovely and immortal sisters of painting) these few precepts, which I have here made and collected of that art. I employed my time in the study of this work at {545.} Rome, while the glory of the Bourbon family, and the just avenger of his injured ancestors, the victorious Louis XIII. was darting his thunder on the Alps, and causing his enemies to feel the force of his unconquerable arms; while he, like another Gallic Hercules, born for the benefit and honour of his country, was griping the Spanish Geryon by the {550.} throat, and at the point of strangling him. OBSERVATIONS ON THE ART OF PAINTING OF CHARLES ALPHONSE DU FRESNOY. The number at the head of every observation serves to find in the text the particular passage on which the observation was made. Transcriber’s Note: This number has been expanded to include the “asterism” marker to help the reader to locate the relevant passage. [*†1.]