276 PRÆTERITA-II

support was soon increased by the zeal of Mr. Richmond’s younger brother, Tom, whom I found, on the first occasion of my visiting them in their common studio, eagerly painting a torso with shadows of smalt blue, which, it was explained to me, were afterwards to be glazed so as to change into the flesh colour of Titian. As I did not at that time see anything particular in the flesh colour of Titian,¹ and did not see the slightest probability-if there were-of its being imitable by that process, here was at once another chasm of separation opened between my friends and me, virtually never closed to the end of time; and in its immediately volcanic effect, decisive of the manner in which I spent the rest of my time in Rome and Italy. For, making up my mind thenceforward that the sentiment of Raphael and tints of Titian were alike beyond me, if not wholly out of my way; and that the sculpture galleries of the Vatican were mere bewilderment and worry, I took the bit in my teeth, and proceeded to sketch what I could find in Rome to represent in my own way, bringing in primarily,-by way of defiance to Raphael, Titian, and the Apollo Belvidere all in one,-a careful study of old clothes hanging out of old windows in the Jews’ quarter.²

38. The gauntlet being thus thrown, the two Mr. Richmonds and my father had nothing for it but to amuse themselves as best they could with my unclassical efforts, not, taken on my own terms, without interest. I did the best I could for the Forum, in a careful general view; a study of the aqueducts of the Campagna from St. John Lateran, and of the Aventine from the Ponte Rotto,³ were extremely pleasant to most beholders; and at last even Mr. Richmond was so far mollified as to ask me to draw

¹ [See below, § 101 (p. 337).]

² [See the drawing of the Piazza Santa Maria del Pianto, reproduced on a Plate in Vol. I. p. 382.]

³ [See a Plate in Vol. I. p. 454. The other drawings mentioned in the text are unknown to the editors. The drawing here reproduced (Plate XIII.) is of another subject, done at the same time.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]