"Studying nature with passion, and all the independence proper to his character* he could not fail to combine precision with liberty, and truth with beauty. It is in this final emancipation, this perfect mastery of modelling, of illumination, and of expression, this breadth and freedom, that the master's raison d'etre and glory consist. Others may have struck out new paths also; but none travelled further or mounted higher than he."EUGENE MUNTCEugene Muntz (1845-1902) was a member of the Institut de France and curator of the collections of I'Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and has been one of the most influential specialists on the Italian Renaissance. He wrote profusely on the great masters of the Renaissance such as Michelangelo, His insightful study of da Vinci's works remains the j most complete and universal reference today.