But  the  intimate  artistic  faculty  common  to  both  these  great  men
resulted  in  no  real  affinity  as  far  as  their  creations  are  concerned.
Other  personal  elements  divided  them  sharply  one  from  another.  The
genius  of  the  one  was  grandiose,  complex,  and  austere ;  that  of  the
other,  simple,  pellucid,  joyous.
Correggio  showed  himself  superior  to  Buonarroti  in  his  splendour
of  colour,  in  the  restrained  power  of  his  modelling  ;  in  his  joyous  ease
and  animation,  in  the  transparency  of  his  tints,  he  surpassed  Raphael ;
but  he  is  unquestionably  the  inferior  of  both  in  variety  and  in  fancy,
as  in  grandeur  and  impressive  solemnity  of  composition.
Allowing  this,  and  recognising  the  extreme  simplicity  of  his  con-
ceptions, it  cannot  be  denied  that  he  showed  a  lofty  imagination  in

Y  Y


346  ANTONIO   DA   CORREGGIO

their  treatment,  an  admirable  originality,  a  keen  sense  of  breadth  and
expression  in  the  use  of  line.
