3 NOVEMBER 1923, Page 40

A HISTORY OF ART. By Dr. G. Carotti. (Volume III.,

"Italian Art in the Middle Ages.") (Duckworth and Co. 8s. net.)

The third volume of this series contains a remarkable amount of information considering the comparative cheapness and smallness of the book. Any aesthetic valuations, which penetrate through the scholarly historical details that have been,so competently compiled, show Dr. Carotti to be a better historian than critic. His use of the word "poetical," in commending certain paintings, is flattering to neither the poet nor the painter. Nevertheless, as a compact reference book for students and art lovers it is of inestimable value. The smallness of the illustrations is amply compensated for by the quantity of them—a necessary adjunct to a book of this kind.