TINTORETTO, a Venetian historical painter, so called from the fact of his father being a dyer (Union), but whose real name was Jacoro ROBUSTI, was b. in 1512. He studied for a short time under Titian, hut appears to have been for the most part self taught. His motto was a very fine one: Il disegno di Michael Angelo, e colorito di Tiztano (The design of Michael Angelo, and the coloring of Titian); but it cannot be said that he adhered to it, and he is certainly a long way inferior to either artist. Still, his assiduity, when young in acquiring a varied knowledge of the human figure under all possible aspects of light and shade, commands respect, in spite of the theatrical means to which he often resorted; and the rapidity of his pencil (which got him the name of Il Furioso) is at least astonishing. Sebastian del Piombo remarked that Tinto retto could paint as much in two days as he could do in two years. A catalogue of Tin toretto's works, specimens of which are to be found in almost all galleries, is impossible within our limits. We can only mention a few of the more famous, as " Belshazzar's Feast, and the Writing upon the Wall " (fresco for the arsenal at Venice), " The Tibur tine Sybil," "The Last Supper and the Washing of the Disciples' Feet," "A Cruci fixion," "The Worship of the Golden Calf," " The Last Judgment" (the last two immense pictures, 50 ft. high, and very splendid in conception), "St. Agnes Restor
ing to Life the Son of a Prefect," " The Miracle of St. Mark," a " Resurrection of Christ," " The Slaughter of the Innocents," and a grand picture of " Paradise "-34 ft. high by 74 long, with upward of 100 figures. Some of Tintoretto's earlier pictures are very carefully finished, but his later ones are dashed off with a fatal haste, that jus tifies the remark of Annibal Caracci, that if he " was sometimes equal to Titian, he was often inferior to Tintoretto." Tintoretto lavishly indulged in chiar' oscura, but his col oring is not gay or brilliant; it is rather cold and leaden, as might be expected of a painter who, when asked what were the prettiest colors, replied: "Black and white."