Page:History of the German people at the close of the Middle Ages vol1.djvu/212

 200 HISTORY OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE must be struck by the similarity in style. These three masters surpass their contemporaries in boldness, deli- cacy of outline, and in the delineation of meek inno- cence and purity, as well as by the force and beauty of their figures, particularly of their Madonnas. The great perfection of these masters and their accomplished pupils consists in their blending of the real and ideal. While their saints seem like beings of a higher sphere, they are endowed with all the realism of strength and life. The graphic details of their surroundings make them seem like individual portraits, and carry us back to the time in which they lived. For the Germans their works are of peculiar charm, as indicating the fervour, truth, and simplicity of their religious feelings. They are also of great psychological value, as showing the gradual growth of culture among the people. The ' Head of Christ ' by Memling, 1 and the 'Descent from the Cross ' by Schongauer, 2 suffice to prove the deep religious feeling of the age in which such masterpieces were produced. In Mary's countenance Schongauer has united holiness, love, sorrow, and bliss in one striking whole. Great tears roll down her cheeks and seem to soften her sorrows, and a sense of sacred sympathy fills the hearts of beholders. Mending's ' Head of Christ ' is unsurpassed by any painting before or after him. No other artist of any nation has ever combined such Divine majesty, love, and wisdom. As a typical work of an age ' in which,' to quote the words of Wimpheling, ' men sought to promote the worship of the Eedeemer by kindling devotion to His mother,' Mending's ' Seven Joys of Mary ' deserves men- 1 In the Pinakothek at Munich. 2 At Colrnar.