GIOTTO (Giotto di Bondone) ( v. 1267 -1337 )

BELL, Henry, The Perfect Painter : or, a Compleat History of the Original, Progress and Improvement of Painting. Shewing, I. The Antiquity, Excellency and Usefulness of that Divine Art, to Those who are desirous of being Acquainted with the true Knowledge and Secrets therein contain'd. II. Plain Instructions to form a right Judgment of the real Value of good Pictures, and how to distinguish Originals from Copies. III. A Chronological Account of the most celebrated Painters, from their Rise, to the Present Time, London, s.n., 1730.

Chap VIII, Of the Rise and Emergency again of this Art in Italy, […], p. 119-120

Quotation

BUT he, of all the PAINTERS, worthy of the highest Reputation, after the Death of Cimabus, was his Disciple Giotto, […] he became Famous for his excellent Skill in expressing the Affections, and all Manner of Gesture, so happily representing every Thing with such an identity and peculiar Conformity to the Original Idea, that he was said to be the true Scholar if Nature.

AGLIONBY, William, Painting Illustrated in Three Diallogues. Containing some Choice Observations upon the Art. Together with The Lives of the Most Eminent Painters From Cimabue, to the time of Raphael and Michael Angelo. With an Explanation of the Difficult Terms, London, John Gain, 1685.

Dialogues About Painting : Between a Traveller and his Friend, p. 26-27

Quotation

Traveller,
Painting in Distemper, is when either the Wall or Board you Paint upon, is prepared with a certain Paste or Plaister, and then as you Work, you temper your Colours still with a Liquor made of the Yolk of an Egg, beaten with the Milk of a Figg Sprout, well ground together. This is a way of Painting, used by Antient Masters very much ; and it is a very lasting Way, there being yet things of Ghiotto’s doing upon Boards, that have lasted upwards of Two Hundred Years, and are still fresh and Beautiful. But since Oyl Painting came in, most have given over the way of Working in Distemper. Your Colours in this way are all Minerals, whereas in Working in Fresco, they must be all Earths.

BELL, Henry, The Perfect Painter : or, a Compleat History of the Original, Progress and Improvement of Painting. Shewing, I. The Antiquity, Excellency and Usefulness of that Divine Art, to Those who are desirous of being Acquainted with the true Knowledge and Secrets therein contain'd. II. Plain Instructions to form a right Judgment of the real Value of good Pictures, and how to distinguish Originals from Copies. III. A Chronological Account of the most celebrated Painters, from their Rise, to the Present Time, London, s.n., 1730.

Chap VIII, Of the Rise and Emergency again of this Art in Italy, […], p. 119-120

Quotation

BUT he, of all the PAINTERS, worthy of the highest Reputation, after the Death of Cimabus, was his Disciple Giotto, […] he became Famous for his excellent Skill in expressing the Affections, and all Manner of Gesture, so happily representing every Thing with such an identity and peculiar Conformity to the Original Idea, that he was said to be the true Scholar if Nature.

RICHARDSON, Jonathan, Two Discourses. I. An Essay on the whole Art of Criticism as it relates to Painting. Shewing how to judge I. Of the Goodness of a Picture ; II. Of the Hand of the Master ; and III. Whether ‘tis an Original, or a Copy. II. An Argument in behalf of the Science of a Connoisseur ; Wherein is shewn the Dignity, Certainty, Pleasure, and Advantage of it. Both by Mr. Richardson, London, W. Churchill, 1719.

An Essay on the whole art of criticism […] ; Of the Goodness of a Picture, p. 40-43

Quotation

I am sorry the Great, and Principal End of the Art has hitherto been so little Consider’d ; I don’t mean by Gentlemen only, or by Low, Pretended Connoisseurs, But by those who ought to have gone higher, and to have Taught Others to have Followed them. ‘tis no Wonder if many who are accustom’d to Think Superficially look on Pictures as they would on a Piece of Rich Hangings ; Or if such as These, (and some Painters among the rest) fix upon the Pencil, the Colouring, or perhaps the Drawing, and some little Circumstantial Parts in the Picture, or even the just Representation of common Nature, without penetrating into the Idea of the Painter, and the Beauties of the History, or Fable. I say ‘tis no wonder if this so frequently happens when those whether Ancients or Moderns, who have wrote of Painting, in describing the Works of Painters in their Lives, or on other occasions have very rarely done any more ; Or in order to give us a Great Idea of some of the Best Painters have told us such Silly Stories as that of the Curtain of Parrhasius which deceiv’d Zeuxis, of the small lines one upon the other in the Contention between Apelles and Protogenes, (as I remember, ‘tis no matter of whom the Story goes) of the Circle of Giotto, and such like ; Trifles, which if a Man were never so expert at without going many degrees higher he would not be worthy the name of a Painter, much less of being remembred by Posterity with Honour.
‘tis true there are some Kinds of Pictures which can do no more than Please, as ‘tis the Case of some Kinds of Writings ; but one may as well say a Library is only for Ornament, and Ostentation as a Collection of Pictures, or Drawings. If That is the Only End, I am sure ‘tis not from any Defect in the Nature of the Things themselves.
I repeat it again, and would inculcate it, Painting is a fine piece of Workmanship ; ‘tis a Beautiful Ornament, and as such gives us Pleasure ; But over and above this We PAINTERS are upon the Level with Writers, as being Poets, Historians, Philosophers and Divines, we Entertain, and Instruct equally with Them. This is true and manifest beyond dispute whatever Mens Notions have been ;

To wake the Soul by tender Strokes of Art,
To raise the Genius, and to mend the Heart.
Mr. Pope.

is the business of Painting as well as of Tragedy.

SANDRART, Joachim von, L’Academia Todesca della Architectura, Scultura & Pittura: Oder Teutsche Academieder Edlen Bau- Bild- und Mahlerey-Künste: Darinn enthalten Ein gründlicher Unterricht von dieser dreyer Künste Eigenschafft Lehr-Sätzen und Geheimnissen von den Bau-Steinen und fünfferley Bau-Arten von den Statuen und ihrer Zugehör von der Erfind- und Zeichnung von Maaß und Proportion der Leiber vom Fresco-Stein-Landschafft-Bild-und Historien-Mahlen von Nacht-Stücken vom Mahlen mit Oel-und Wasser-Farben von den Affecten und Gewändern von der Perspectiv, und vom Mahl-Zimmer auch von den Farben deren Gebrauch Ursprung Natur und Bedeutung, Nürnberg, Jacob von Sandrart, 1675.

An die Kunstliebende Jugend, p. 57

Quotation

Dergleichen Unterschiedlichkeit [ndr: im gerecht-mahlen] ware auch und ist noch bey den Italiänern/ Hoch-und Nieder-Teutschen zu finden/ und zwar mit größerer Vollkommenheit/ sonderlich im gerecht-mahlen/ und darzu gehörenden Kräften der Farben: welches aus der natürlichen applicirung/ vollkommenen Erhebung und sonderbaren Geschwindigkeit der Mahler von unsern Zeiten abzunehmen. {Die alte und neue Italiäner.} Solche waren/ Cimabue der große Wieder-Erfinder dieser Kunst/ Gaddo sein Nachfolger/ und Giotto. Also waren fürtreflich/ Giovan Bellini, in Sauberkeit; Michaël Angelo in Bildern und hohem Verstand; Leonardo da Vinci, in vernünftigen affecten; Andrea del Sarto, in Angenemheit; Raphaël d'Urbino in meisterlicher invention ; Julius Romanus, in ungemeinen Gedanken;Titian, in Anmutigkeit/ sonderlich der Coloriten; Corregio , in gratiositeten; Verones in reichen Gedanken; Tintoreti, in Seltsamkeit; Carazo, in fresco; Caravaggio und Manfredo , in Lebhaftigkeit ; Guido Bolognse in Holdseligkeit; Albano in zierlicher invention; Bernini Bernini in der Bild- und Bau Kunst; Francisco du Quesnoy, in scultur-Warheit; Algardon,in Geschicklichkeit; Peter Corton in fresco; La Franch in Geschwindigkeit; Domenicho in Tieffsinnigkeit; Claudio Gilli in Landschaften.
{Die alte Hoch-Teutschen} Nächst diesen/ machten sich auch verwunderbar unsere Teutschen: als Martin Schön/ im hochsteigen; Matthias von Aschaffenburg/ in zierlichem Geist; Albrecht Dürer/ im universal-Verstand; Hans Holbein/ in glückseliger Hand; Amberger/ in der Warheit; Pocksberger/ im Geistreichtum; Schwarz/ in Erfahrenheit; Adam Elzheimer/ in verwunderlichem Verstand.
{und Nieder-Teutschen} Gleichfalls waren fürberühmt die Niederländer/ in Erfindung der Oelfarben/ Johann und Hubert von Eyk; Lucas von Leyden/ im Fleiß; der alte Bruegel, im Verstand; also auch Sotte Clef und Johann von Calcar/ in der Hand; Floris, in der Meisterschaft; Brauer/ in bildung der Bauren; Fochiers, in Landschaft-Bäumen; Rubens in Geistreichheit; der von Dick/ in Zierlichkeit; Hundhorst in Wolgemälden; Rembrand/ in Arbeitsamkeit; Perselles in Schiffahrten und Wassern; Pulenburg/ in kleinen Bildlein; Bambotio, in Bildung der Bettler ; Botte, in Landschaften; auch der Gerhart Daro und, Mires hoch-preiswürdig in kleinen Oelfarben.
{Von des Autoris [ndr: Joachim von Sandrart ] Werken/ in dieser Kunst.} […]