I have been careful to take no unnecessary liberties with the text. In the translations from Gruyer, Goethe, Fromentin, and others, which were unfortunately too long to be included entire, I have not allowed myself to condense, but only to cut. This is true, also, of the English extracts.
THE FISHERMAN PRESENTING THE RING TO THE DOGE GRADENIGO _Bordone_ 1 THÉOPHILE GAUTIER.
THE BIRTH OF VENUS _Botticelli_ 5 WALTER PATER.
THE QUEEN OF SHEBA _Veronese_ 16 JOHN RUSKIN.
THE LAST JUDGMENT _Michael Angelo_ 18 ALEXANDRE DUMAS.
MAGDALEN IN THE DESERT _Correggio_ 27 AIMÉ GIRON.
BANQUET OF THE ARQUEBUSIERS _Van der Helst_ 33 WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY.
L'EMBARQUEMENT POUR L'ÎLE DE CYTHÈRE _Watteau_ 38 EDMOND AND JULES DE GONCOURT.
THE SISTINE MADONNA _Raphael_ 45 F.A. GRUYER.
THE DREAM OF ST. URSULA _Carpaccio_ 58 JOHN RUSKIN.
THE DESCENT FROM THE CROSS _Rubens_ 62 EUGÈNE FROMENTIN.
BACCHUS AND ARIADNE _Titian_ 71 I. CHARLES LAMB. II. EDWARD T. COOK.
THE CORONATION OF THE VIRGIN _Fra Angelico_ 77 THÉOPHILE GAUTIER.
THE AVENUE OF MIDDELHARNAIS _Hobbema_ 88 PAUL LAFOND.
THE DANCE OF THE DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS _Andrea del Sarto_ 93 ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE.
ADORATION OF THE MAGI _Fabriano_ 98 F.A. GRUYER.
PORTRAIT OF GEORG GISZE _Holbein_ 101 ANTONY VALABRÈGUE.
AURORA _Guido Reni_ 114 I. CHARLOTTE A. EATON. II. JOHN CONSTABLE.
THE ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN _Titian_ 119 THÉOPHILE GAUTIER.
THE NIGHT WATCH _Rembrandt_ 124 EUGÈNE FROMENTIN.
THE RAPE OF HELEN _Gozzoli_ 138 COSMO MONKHOUSE
MONNA LISA _Leonardo da Vinci_ 142 WALTER PATER.
THE ADORATION OF THE LAMB _Van Eyck_ 154 KUGLER.
THE DEATH OF PROCRIS _Piero di Cosimo_ 168 I. EDWARD T. COOK. II. JOHN ADDINGTON SYMONDS.
THE MARRIAGE IN CANA _Tintoret_ 172 JOHN RUSKIN.
MADAME DE POMPADOUR _De la Tour_ 177 CHARLES-AUGUSTIN SAINTE-BEUVE.
THE SURRENDER OF BREDA _Velasquez_ 191 THÉOPHILE GAUTIER.
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION _Murillo_ 196 AIMÉ GIRON.
ST. FRANCIS BEFORE THE SOLDAN _Giotto_ 202 JOHN RUSKIN.
LILITH _Rossetti_ 212 ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE.
ADORATION OF THE MAGI _Dürer_ 215 MORIZ THAUSING.
MARRIAGE A-LA-MODE _Hogarth_ 218 AUSTIN DOBSON.
THE MADONNA OF THE ROCKS _Leonardo da Vinci_ 234 THÉOPHILE GAUTIER
BEATRICE CENCI _Guido Reni_ 239 PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY