The classical nations of antiquity were not insensible to the importance of tracing the development of that rich artistical life which they had originated, and we accordingly find the germs of artistic history in Pliny, Quintilian, Pausanias, and others. In the middle ages, every trace of a general historical treatment of art disappears, though casual remarks and incidental notices on the subject of artists and the arts are abundant, particularly in such works as the Laer Pontificalis of abbot Anastasins, who is commonly known as " the librarian," in consequence of his having filled that office at the Vatican in the 9th century. But a history of art, in the sense which we have here assigned to the term, made its appearance in the world for the first time on the revival of letters, in the Vith and 16th centuries; when the artistic treasures of the heathen world, which had come upon mankind as novelties, fell to be contrasted with that peculiar type which art had assumed under Christian influences during the middle ages, on the one hand (see BYZAN ART), and on the other with that rich harvest of fresh invention which ripened during the long lives of Leonardo da Vinci (q.v.) and Michael Angelo (q.v.), in the period of which Raphael's (q.v.) short career may be regarded as the noonday. Whilst Vasari (q.v.) traced the great epochs of Italian art—from a biographical point of view only, it is true—in his celebrated work, the students of classical literature collected such expres sions of opinion on artistic subjects as the writings of the ancients contained, and Pal ladio, Ligorio, Vignola, and others measured ancient buildings and their constituent members. In this way a vast mass of information on artistic subjects was brought together. But though the materials which might have served for a history of art were thus supplied, it was a long time afterwards before anything like proper historical treatment arose; and the knowledge of ancient art which had been gained, was applied to their respective purposes by artists on the one hand and philologists on the other. As regarded modern art, the biographical method of Vasari was adhered to. and to this circumstance we are indebted for the innumerable artistic anecdotes which have been preserved. The remarkable variations in style which exhibited themselves between the 16th and 1Sth centuries, gave rise to a species of historical treatment which had for its object the discovery of the common features by which the artists of the respective periods were distinguished. But the history of style, strictly speaking, begins with Winckel
mann (q.v.), who was the first to divide ancient art into epochs, and to trace its connec tion with the general history of human progress. It was from this period that the history of art came to be regarded as a branch of the history of civilization. Even where the biographical method continued to be followed, it was henceforth with this difference, that the division into schools took the place of mere chronological arrangement. The strongly classical tendency which exhibited itself towards the end of last century, and the romantic reaction admiration for the middle age which succeeded, though both must be regarded as one-sided influences, had an unquestionable effect in calling attention to what was really great in the artistic productions of these respective periods; and during the present century, the history of art has gradually assumed a more important place as a department of general history. It was only in very recent times, however, that a complete artistic history appeared in Bugler's Handbook of the History of Art, which has been partially translated into English, and edited by Sir Charles Eastlake. In the original work, which is very excellent, the immense mass of material which the subject offered has been arranged in periods, and treated in such a manner as to present a sketch which is complete in itself, whilst at the same time its connection with and dependence on general history, social, political, and philosophical, are carefully indicated throughout. Alongside of Kugler's history, that of Schnaase falls to be mentioned—a work giving a philosophical and historical account of the origin of the various styles, and their connection with each other; as also the works of Lune, Springer, and Car riere. Kinkel's history of Christian art has unhappily remained incomplete. Waagen's works on art and artists in England, France, and the other countries by which Germany is surrounded, are the best artistic handbooks for the traveler. Those which have refer ence to England have been translated. There are many other historical works of importance on special departments and separate schools of art, monographs and the like, but, with the exception of Stirling's Annals of the Artists of Spain, and Velasguez and lira Works, very few belong to our °Wu literature.