EXTRACTS from letters from Seymour Kirkup to Gabriele Rossetti, concerning the discovery of the Giotto portrait of Dante in the Bargello, and Kirkup’s drawing from it.1
I
FLORENCE, 12 September, 1840.
. . . We have made a discovery of an original portrait of Dante in fresco by Giotto ! Although I was a magna pars in this undertaking, the Jacks in Office have not allowed me yet to make a copy. Sono tanto gelosi, most likely afraid I should publish it and prevent some friends of their own reaping all the profit they hope from that speculation.
I was the person who first mentioned to Sig. Bezzi, a Pied-montese and friend of Carlo Eastlake’s, the existence of the portrait under the whitewash of three centuries. We were joined by an American, and we three undertook at our expense to employ a restorer to uncover the walls of the old chapel in the palace of the Podestà in search of the portrait—mentioned by F. Villani, Filelfo, L. Aretino, Vasari, Cinelli, etc. Nothing but the constancy and talent of Sig. Bezzi could have overcome the numberless obstacles and refusals we met with. He wrote and spoke with the persuasions of an advocate, and persevered with the obstinacy and activity of an Englishman (which I believe he now is). He alone was the cause of success. We should have had no chance without him. At last, after uncovering enough of three walls to ascertain it was not there, the Government took the task into their own hands, on our terms, with the same restorer, and in the fifth wall they have succeeded. The number of walls is six, for the chapel has been divided into two—(magazines of wine, oil, bread, etc. for the prisoners).
The precise date of the painting is not known. The poet looks about twenty-eight—very handsome—un Apollo colle fattezze di Dante. The expression and character are worthy of the subject, and much beyond what I expected from Giotto. Raphael might own it with honour. Add to which it is not the mask of a corpse of fifty-six—a ruin—but a fine, noble image of the Hero of Campaldino, the Lover of Beatrice. The costume very interesting—no beard or even a lock of hair. A white cap, over which a white capuccio, lined with dark red showing the edge turned back. A parchment book under his arm—perhaps the Vita Nuova.
It is in a group of many others—one seems Charles II of Naples. Brunetto Latini and Corso Donati are mentioned by the old authors.
II
FLORENCE, 14 September, 1841.
By the time you receive this, I hope that the portrait of Dante, for you, will be in London. The gentleman who has taken charge of it was in such haste to leave the country (from the consequences of a fatal duel) that I had not an opportunity for writing.
You will receive, in fact, three portraits. They are as follows:—
No. 1. A drawing in chalk, on light-brown paper, of the face as large as the original. I had intended to write a memorandum on it, but in my hurry it was forgotten. Perhaps you would have the kindness to add it, if you think it worth while, viz.:—
“Drawn by S. K., and traced with talc, on the original fresco by Giotto, discovered in the Chapel of the Palazzo del Podestà, Florence, on the 21st July, 1840, before it was retouched.”
No. 2. A small sketch in water-colours, giving the colours of the dress, and the heads supposed to be of Corso Donati and Brunetto Latini.
No. 3. A lithography by the painter and restorer Marini, who uncovered the painting. This is made on a tracing by himself.
I thought it useful to send you these in order to give you a better idea of this very interesting discovery—Dante, under thirty years of age. With respect to No. 1, it is fixed with glue-water, and will not rub out with common usage. The only thing it is liable to is the cracking or bending of the paper, which sometimes in a face alters the expression.
Since I drew it, I have had the mortification to see the original retouched, and its beauty destroyed. You will perceive that the eye is wanting. A deep hole in the wall was found exactly on that spot, as if done on purpose. It was necessary to fill it that it might not extend further; not content, they ordered Sig. Marini to paint the eye on it, and he has daubed over the face in many parts, to the ruin of its expression and character. It is now fifteen years older, a mean pinched expression, and an effeminate character, compared to what it was. It is not quite so bad as the lithography I send you, but not far from it. When I saw what was done, I asked a young man, his assistant, if it was done with colours in tempera, and he assured me, with a boast, that it was in bon fresco. If so, Dante is gone for good. But I have still hopes that he spoke only of the eye, and many of my friends think it can only be accomplished on the old, and hard painting by some distemper-colour of a glue, size, or egg; and, if so, a damp cloth fixed on it for half an hour will bring it all away without injuring the original fresco. I mean to take my time, and perhaps some day I may restore Dante to himself a second time. I had the principal part in the late discovery.
The lithography I send you is exceedingly unlike and incorrect, though a tracing. In shading and finishing he has totally lost and changed the outline, if he ever had it. It is vulgar, old, and effeminate—the contrary in every respect to the original. The Florentines of to-day cannot draw, nor even trace. Think of what such a hand would do, if allowed to paint over it! and that has been the case. . . . When I mentioned to you that my drawing was a secret, I only meant that, if known here that I obtained access to make a tracing by bribery, it would compromise those who had assisted me. You are welcome to show it to whom you please, and do whatever you wish with it. But I recommend you not to give it away, for it is the only copy that has been made to my knowledge before the fresco was retouched,2 except the miserable lithography which I send; and, if so bad a copy was produced by the help of tracing, and from the original in its pure state, nothing very good is to be expected in future. The eye in the said lithography was, of course, added by the copier. You will perceive by my drawing that the outline (the eye lash) remained, which was fortunate, as it gives the exact situation of the feature.
III
FLORENCE, 5 February, 1843.
. . . The three pomegranates in Giotto’s fresco are so uncertain in their appearance, from injury and time, that I was doubtful about them, but a word from you decides the question in my mind. They are chipped and much obliterated; and, from there seeming a sort of double outline, and no shade or colour but the yellow drapery on which they are painted, I took them for an embroidery on the breast of the Barone. Some remains of fingers and stalk, however, had led the Florentines to consider them as melograni, and they were puzzling their brains to find a meaning.
* * *
1These extracts are reprinted from Gabriele Rossetti: A Versified Autobiography (pp. 144-54), by kind permission of Mr. W. M. Rossetti, and Messrs. Sands and Co.
2Another drawing, the original of which is now in Berlin, was made by Perseo Faltoni, who acted as assistant to Marini, the “restorer” of the fresco (see T. Paur, Dante’s Porträt, in Jahrbuch der Deutschen Dante-Gesellschaft, vol. ii. pp. 301-2 ; and K. Witte’s note, p. 440). A reproduction of this drawing is given by F. X. Kraus in Dante, Sein Leben und Sein Werk, p. 166.
APPENDIX D
CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF EARLY (CENT. XIV-XVI) COMMENTARIES ON THE COMMEDIA, WITH TITLES OF THE PRINTED EDITIONS REFERRED TO IN THE TEXT.1
1. GRAZIOLO DE’ BAMBAGLIOLI; in Latin (1324): Il commento più antico e la più antica versione latina dell’ inferno di Dante, dal codice di Sandaniele del Friuli. Udine, 1892 (published by A. Fiammazzo).
2. Italian translation of the preceding2 (Cent, xiv): Comento alla Cantica dell’ Inferno di Dante Allighieri di autore anonimo, ora per la prima volta dato in luce. Firenze, 1848 (published by Lord Vernon).
3. JACOPO DI DANTE; in Italian (before 1325): Chiose alla Cantica dell’ Inferno di Dante Allighieri attribuite a Jacopo suo figlio, ora per la prima volta date in luce. Firenze, 1848 (published by Lord Vernon).
4. GUIDO DA PISA; in Latin (about 1324), unpublished; Italian translation (Cent. xiv.) of the same, also unpublished.
5. Anonymous; in Italian (between 1321 a
nd 1337): Chiose Anonime alla prima cantica della Divina Commedia, di un contemporaneo del Poeta, pubblicate per la prima volta. Torino, 1865 (published by F. Selmi).
6. JACOPO DELLA LANA; in Italian (between 1323 and 1328): printed at Venice in the 1477 edition of the Commedia,3 and at Milan in the 1478 edition of the Commedia; reprinted (by L. Scarabelli) at Milan in 1865, and at Bologna in 1866-7: Comedia di Dante degli Allagherii col commento di Jacopo della Lana Bolognese; two Latin translations (Cent. xiv) of the same, one by Alberico da Rosciate of Bergamo, unpublished.
7. ANDREA LANCIA; in Italian (about 1334): L’ Ottimo Commento della Divina Commedia.Testo inedito d’ un contemporaneo di Dante. Pisa, 1827-9 (published by A. Torri).
8. PIETRO DI DANTE; in Latin (1340-1): Petri Allegherii super Dantis ipsius genitoris comoediam Commentarium, nunc primum in lucem editum. Florentiae, 1845 (published by Lord Vernon).
9. Anonymous; in Latin (after 1350): Il Codice Cassinense della Divina Commedia per la prima volta letteralmente messo a stampa. Monte Cassino, 1865.
10. GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO; in Italian (1373-5): first published at Naples (with the false imprint of Florence) in 1724 by Lorenzo Ciccarelli: Il Commento di Giovanni Boccacci sopra la Divina Commedia di Dante Alighieri, con le Annotazioni di Ant. Maria Salvini. Prima impressione; reprinted at Florence in 1831-2 by Ignazio Moutier; and again at Florence in 1844 by Pietro Fraticelli; latest edition, by Gaetano Milanesi, published at Florence by Felice Le Monnier in 1863.
11. BENVENUTO DA IMOLA; in Latin (1373-80): Benevenuti de Rambaldis de Imola Comentum super Dantis Alligherii Comœdiam nunc primum integre in lucem editum. Florentiæ, 1887 (“sumptibus Gulielmi Warren Vernon, curante Jacopo Philippo Lacaita”); Italian translation (Cent. xiv) of the same, unpublished; another (very untrustworthy) by Giovanni Tamburini, published at Imola in 1855-6: Benvenuto Rambaldi da Imola illustrato nella vita e nelle opere, e di lui Commento Latino sulla Divina Commedia di Dante Allighieri voltato in Italiano.4
12. Anonymous; in Italian (1375): Chiose sopra Dante.5 Testo inedito or a per la prima volta pubblicato. Firenze, 1846 (published by Lord Vernon).
13. FRANCESCO DA BUTI; in Italian (completed 1385 and 1395): Commento di Francesco da Buti sopra la Divina Commedia di Danie Allighieri. Pisa, 1858-62 (published by Crescentino Giannini).
14. Anonymous; in Italian (about 1400): Commento alla Divina Commedia d’Anonimo Fiorentino del Secolo XIV6 ora per la prima volta stampato. Bologna, 1866-74 (published by Pietro Fanfani).
15. GIOVANNI DA SERRAVALLE; in Latin (February 1416-January 1417): Fratris Johannis de Serravalle Ord. Min. Episcopi et Principis Firmani Translatio et Comentum totius libri Dantis Aldigherii, cum textu italico Fratris Bartholomaei a Colle ejusdem Ordinis, nunc primum edita. Prato, 1891 (edited by M. da Civezza and T. Domenichelli).
16. GUINIFORTO DELLI BARGIGI 7; in Italian (Inferno only) (about 1440): Lo Inferno della Commedia di Dante Alighieri col Comento di Guiniforto delli Bargigi tratto da due manoscritti inediti del secolo decimo quinto. Marsilia-Firenze, 1838 (published by G. Zacheroni).
17. STEFANO TALICE DA RICALDONE; in Latin8 (1474): La Commedia di Dante Alighieri col Commento inedito di Stefano Talice da Ricaldone, Torino, 1886; Milano, 1888 (published by order of the King of Italy, edited by Vincenzo Promis and Carlo Negroni).
18. CRISTOFORO LANDINO; in Italian (1480): Comento di Christophoro Landini fiorentino sopra la Comedia di Danthe Alighieri poeta fiorentino. Firenze, 1481.9
19. ALESSANDRO VELLUTELLO; in Italian (1544): La Comedia di Dante Aligieri con la nova espositione di Alessandro Vellutello. Vinegia, 1544.10
20. GIOVAN BATTISTA GELLI; in Italian (between 1541 and 1563): originally printed at Florence in several volumes between 1547 and 1561; first collected edition: Letture edite e inedite di Giovan Batista Gelli sopra la Commedia di Dante.11 Firenze, 1887 (edited by Carlo Negroni).
21. BERNARDINO DANIELLO; in Italian (before 1560): Dante con l’ espositione di M. Bernardino Daniello da Lucca, sopra la sua Comedia dell’ Inferno, del Purgatorio, et del Paradiso; nuovamente stampato, et posto in luce, Venetia, 1568.
* * *
1 See above, pp. 221-6.
2 See above, p. 221 note 5.
3 In which it is erroneously attributed to Benvenuto da Imola.
4On this so-called translation, see C. E. Norton : Review of a translation into Italian of the Commentary by Benvenuto da Imola on the Divina Commedia. Cambridge, Mass., 1861.
5Formerly attributed to Boccaccio, hence commonly known as Il Falso Boccaccio.
6 So described by the editor because the MS. from which it was printed is dated (but obviously in error) 1343.
7 Otherwise known as Guiniforte Barziza.
8 This is in reality little more than a transcript of Benvenuto da Imola’s lectures at Bologna (see above, p. 225).
9 Many times reprinted (see above, p. 226 note 2).
10 Three times reprinted (see above, p. 226 note 4).
11 In his various Letture (twelve in all) Gelli commented on Inferno, i.-xxv., and on portions of Inferno, xxvi., Purgatorio, xvi., xxvii., and Paradiso, xxvi.
APPENDIX E
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE OF THE EARLIEST BIOGRAPHIES AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF DANTE
1. GIOVANNI VILLANI (d. 1348): in his Cronica or Istorie de’ suoi tempi (ix. 1351); first printed at Venice, 1537. [English translation by P. H. Wicksteed (Hull, 1898).]
2. GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO (1313-1375): Vita di Dante2; first printed at Venice, 1477 (prefixed to the edition of the Divina Commedia, published by Vindelin da Spira). [English translation by J. R. Smith (New York, 1901); and by P. H. Wicksteed (London, 1904).]
Boccaccio also inserted brief biographical notices of Dante in his Comento sopra la Commedia (Lezione prima), first printed at Naples (with the imprint of Florence), 1724; and in his De Genealogia Deorum (xv. 6), first printed at Venice, 1472 (Italian translation by Giuseppe Betussi, first printed at Venice, 1547).
3. ANTONIO PUCCI (circ.1310-circ. 1390): in his Centiloquio, in terza rima (cap. 55) (written in 1373); first printed at Florence, 1772-1775 (in vols. iii.-vi. of Delizie degli Eruditi Toscani, published by Padre Ildefonso da San Luigi).
4. BENVENUTO DA IMOLA (circ.1338-1390): in Latin, prefixed to his Commentary on the Divina Commedia; first printed at Florence, 1887.
5. MELCHIORRE3 STEFANI (d. 1403); in his Storia Fiorentina (Lib. vi. rub. 340); first printed at Florence, 1759 (by Mehus, in his Vita Ambrosii Traversarii).4
6. FILIPPO VILLANI (d. 1404): in Latin, in his Liber de Civitatis Florentiœ famosis Civibus (ii. § 2); first printed at Florence, 1826.
7. FRANCESCO DA BUTI (1324-1406): prefixed to his Commentary on the Divina Commedia; first printed at Pisa, 1858.
8. ANTONIO CARTOLARIO : in Latin,5 appended to De Vita ac Moribus Philosophorum veterum; first printed at Florence, 1759 (by Mehus, in his Vita Ambrosii Traversarii)6 (anonymous Italian translation, printed at Venice, 1521).7
9. DOMENICO DI BANDINO (circ. 1340- circ. 1414): in Latin, in Book v. of his Fons memorabilium Universi8 (completed about 1412); first printed at Florence, 1759 (by Mehus, in his Vita Ambrosii Traversarii).
10. SIMONE SERDINI DA SIENA (otherwise known as Il Saviozzo) (circ. 1360-circ. 1419): biographical details in his poem in terza rima on the Divina Commedia (written in 1404)9; first printed at Paris, 1577 (in the editio princeps of Dante’s De Vulgari Eloquentia, edited by Jacopo Corbinelli, pp. 76-81).
11. GIOVANNI DEI BERTOLDI (otherwise known as Giovanni da Serravalle) (circ. 1350-1445): in Latin, prefixed to his Commentary on the Divina Commedia (completed 16 January, 1417)10; first printed at Prato, 1891.
12. LEONARDO BRUNI (otherwise known as Leonardo Aretino) (1369-1444): Vita di Dante; first printed at Perugia, 1671; and at Florence, 1672. [English translations by P. H. Wick-steed (Hull, 1898); and J. R. Smith (New York, 1901).]
13. SECCO POLENTONE (circ. 1375-circ. 1448): in Latin, in his De Scriptoribus illustribus latinœ linguœ11; first printed at Florence, 1747 (by Mehus
in his edition of Manetti’s lives of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio).
14. SANT’ ANTONINO (1389-1459); Archbishop of Florence, 1446): in Latin, in his Opus Historíale: first printed at Nuremberg, 1484.12
15. GIANNOZZO MANETTI (1396-1459): in Latin, Vita Dantis (originally written in Italian); first printed at Florence, 1747.
16. FLAVIO BIONDO (1388-1463): in Latin, in his Historiarum ab inclinato Romano Imperio Libri xxxi (Dec. ii. lib. ix.) (completed about 1440); first printed at Venice, 1484; a compendium of Biondo’s work was made, in Latin, by Enea Silvio Piccolomini (1405-1464; Pope Pius II, 1458), and translated into Italian by Lucio Fauno (“Le Historie del Biondo, da la declinatione dello Imperio di Roma, insino al tempo suo, che vi corsero circa mille anni. Ridotte in compendio da Papa Pio, e tradotte per Lucio Fauno,” Venice, 1543).13
17. Anonymous Notice, in Cronica Generate del 1321 al 1470, at Ferrara; first printed at Milan (s.a.) (by A. Solerti, in Le Vite di Dante, Petrarca e Boccaccio, scritte fino al secolo decimosesto).14
18. FILIPPO DI CINO RINUCCINI (1392-1462); Vita did Dante;15 first printed at Florence, 1779 (in Delizie degli Eruditi Toscani, vi. 245 ff.).16
19. GIOVANNI MARIO FILELFO (1426-1480): in Latin, Vita Dantis; first printed at Florence, 1828.
20. CRISTOFORO LANDINO (1434-1504): prefixed to his Commentary on the Divina Commedia; first printed at Florence, 1481.
21. JACOPO FILIPPO FORESTI (commonly known as Filippo da Bergamo) (1434-1520): in Latin, in his Supplementum Chronicarum orbis ab initio mundi usque ad annum 148217; first printed at Venice, 1483 (anonymous Italian translation, printed at Venice, 1488; and another, by F. Sansovino, Venice, 1581).18
22. HARTMANN SCHEDEL (d. circ. 1500): in Latin, in his Liber Chronicarum19 (the famous Nuremberg Chronicle, the printing of which was completed under the author’s supervision on 12 July, 1493); first printed at Nuremberg, 1493.
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