That is genius, you know, the ability to get some one else to do the work, and then capture the ducats and the honors for yourself.  Of course, Gian knows how to lure the boys on—­something has to be done in order to hold them.  Gian buys a picture from them now and then; his studio is full of their work—­better than he can do.  Oh, he knows a good thing when he sees it.  These pictures will be valuable some day, and he gets them at his own price.  It was Antonello of Messina who introduced oil-painting into Venice.  Before that they mixed their paints with water, milk or wine.  But when Antonello came along with his dark, lustrous pictures, he set all artistic Venice astir.  Gian Bellini discovered the secret, they say, by feigning to be a gentleman and going to the newcomer and sitting for his picture.  He it was who discovered that Antonello mixed his colors with oil.  Oho!

Of course, not all of the pictures in his studio are painted by the boys:  some are painted by that old Dutchman what’s-his-name—­oh, yes, Durer, Alberto Durer of Nuremberg.  Two Nuremberg painters were in that very gondola last week just where you sit—­they are here in Venice now, taking lessons from Gian, they said.  Gian was up there to Nuremberg and lived a month with Durer—­they worked together, drank beer together, I suppose, and caroused.  Gian is very strict about what he does in Venice, but you can never tell what a man will do when he is away from home.  The Germans are a roystering lot—­but they do say they can paint.  Me?  I have never been up there—­and do not want to go, either—­there are no canals there.  To be sure, they print books in Nuremberg.  It was up there somewhere that they invented type, a lazy scheme to do away with writing.  They are a thrifty lot—­those Germans—­they give me my fare and a penny more, just a single penny, and no matter how much I have talked and pointed out the wonderful sights, and imparted useful information, known to me alone—­only one penny extra—­think of it!

Yes, printing was first done at Mayence by a German, Gutenberg, about sixty years ago.  One of Gutenberg’s workmen went up to Nuremberg and taught others how to design and cast type.  This man, Alberto Durer, helped them, designing the initials and making their title-pages by cutting the design on a wood block, then covering this block with ink, laying a sheet of paper upon it, placing it in a press, and then when the paper is lifted off it looks exactly like the original drawing.  In fact, most people couldn’t tell the difference, and here you can print thousands of them from the one block.