ITALY. 
Theke are few branches of art-industry whose origin and first 
development must not be sought upon Italian soil. The revolution 
whicli took place in art in this country during the Cinque-Cento 
acted also upon the art-industries. While in art the human flgure 
suddenly awoke to life, in art-industry the Ornament freed itself 
from its rigid arcfiitectural framework, shot fortli in an abundance 
of animated forms, and developed such a wealth ancT variety of 
motives, that, even after the pause which was brought about by 
the Baroque period, it w T as still capable of becoming the never- 
failiug source of modern industry. The Italian Industrial Exhibi 
tion plainly shovved how the development of form in art-industry 
can be influenced by good examples. 
Ihe Italy of to-day may, indeed, be likened to a museum contain- 
ing the monuments of all those branches of art whose triumphs 
were achieved upon its soil a few hundred years ago. With tliese 
splendors continually before its eyes, it is impossible for Italian 
industi'3 to leave its noble old traditions. It continues to build in 
the same direction, uses the motives already in existence, and 
transplants thern, as the gardener transplants his flowers, into the 
most varied compositions for the decoration of its objects, and in 
this rnanner is finally led to original invention in the spirit of the 
ancients themselves. 
But, together with the forms of the Renaissance, its various 
technical processes have also been inherited ; and Italy is therefore 
still unsurpassed in certain departments of art even to-day. The 
spirit of the Renaissance has been handed down undimmed in 
the Ornament as applied in the industries ; but in the flgure, that 
form which of all forms is the most truly artistic, it has descended 
from sublime solemnity to the naive and the profane. It made a 
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