Roman Art By Franz Wickhoff. Translated by Mrs. Arthur Strong.
(W. Heinemann. 36s. net.)—This is a very interesting book, in which the author seeks to separate the purely Roman art from that hybrid variety known as Graeco-Roman. The author lays stress on the distinctly Roman, we might say Etruscan, or even Tuscan, characteristic of portraiture. In all the Roman work uninfluenced by tie Greek there is a feeling of individuality quite apart from the more idealistic Hellenic art. The author has much to say that is interesting on the subject of Roman paintings and their connection with the earliest Christian illus- trations found in illuminated books, such as the Vienna MSS, containing the first book of Moses. Herr Wickhoff thinks that the influence of Byzantine art upon the earliest Christian painters and sculptors has been exaggerated. It seems highly reasonable to suppose that the numberless remains of Roman sculpture and painting existing in Italy in the fourth century largely influenced the early Christian artists.
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