The artists who painted moveable pictures were superior to theme who painted on ceilings, or compartments of buildings. They painted their moveable pictures on the wood of the fir, larch, or box ; or on canvass, as above men tioned. The old Greek and Roman paintings on walls are supposed to have been done in distemper or in fresco; they made use of oil in varnishing, for the preservation of their paint ings, but they do not appear to have expressly used it in their colours.
After an interval during which all the arts languished, imperfect efforts were made to represent religiouri subjects, which paved the way for the revival of painting in the thir teenth century. A noble Florentine, named Cimabuc, first learned the art from a Greek, and cultivated it with success, so that he may be reckoned the founder of the Floren tine school, of which Michael Angelo was the great ornament. Raphael was the founder of the Roman school; Titian, that of Venice. Connie was the father and greatest ornament of the Lombard school, but the Caracci, Lewis, Augustin, and Hannibal, who were natives of Bologna, also formed a school, which has been called the second Lombard school. Among the French, miniature painting, and painting on glass, were cultivated at an early period; but other branches' of the art were at a low ebb until the age of Louis MIL, when Poussin arrived at such eminence as to be called the Raphael of France ; but he had no pupils, nor any influence in forming the French school, the honour of which was di vided between Vouet, who laid the foundation, and Le Brim, who raised the edifice. The
Germans have never cultivated painting, soh, as to form a school, but Albert Durer and John Holbein have secured this nation from being forgotten in a history of painting. The Flemish school is remarkable for having in troduced oil painting, which was first attempt ed, or at least brought into general practice, by John de Bruges ; but the master of the art was Ruben s, the founder of the Flemish school. The Dutch have distinguished themselves in miniature painting, of which Rembrandt was their great master, and also as history painters, among whom Lucas, of Leyden, holds the first rank, and may be considered as the founder of the Dutch school. The English school is comparatively of modern date, and owns Sir Joshua Reynolds as its founder. It is principally known by its correct observance of the great masters of the Italian and Flemish schools.