by Grant Allen
Above this is the early Gothic Tomb of Aldobrandino (1279), with Madonna and Child, added, by Nino Pisano. To the right is another tomb (Bishop Aliotti of Fiesole, died 1336) with recumbent figure, Ecce Homo, etc., best viewed from the steps to the end chapel: this is probably by Tino da Camaino. Note these as specimens of early Tuscan sculpture.
Ascend the steps to the Rucellai Chapel. (Remember the family.) Over the altar is Cimabue’s famous Madonna, with attendant angels superimposed on one another. This celebrated picture, the first which diverged from the Byzantine (or rather barbaric Italian) style, is best seen in a very bright light. It forms the starting-point for the art of Tuscany. A replica, with slight variations, can be studied with greater ease in the Belle Arti. This famous work is the one which is said to have been borne in triumph from the painters studio to the church by the whole population. Note the greater freedom in the treatment of the angels, where Cimabue was less bound by rigid custom than in Our Lady and the Divine Child. On the right wall is a characteristic Giottesque Annunciation, where the loggia and the position of the angel should be noted; on the left wall is St. Lucy, with her eyes in a dish, by Ridolfo Ghirlandajo. The tomb of the Beata Villana (with angels, as often, drawing the curtains) is by Bernardo Rossellino. The Martyrdom of St. Catherine is by Bugiardini. Come again to this chapel to study the Cimabue after you have seen the copy in the Belle Arti.
Notice outside the chapel, as you descend the stairs, the Rucellai inscriptions, including the Tomb of Paolo, father of Giovanni, who erected the façade.
Now, turn to the Choir Chapels, extending in a line to the left as you descend. And observe here that, just as the exterior belongs to two distinct ages, Mediæval and Renaissance, so also do the frescoes. The Orcagnas and the paintings of the Spanish Chapel are Giottesque and Mediæval; the Filippino Lippis and the Ghirlandajos are Renaissance. We come first upon the later series.
FILIPPINO LIPPI. — RAISING OF DRUSIANA.
The first chapel is uninteresting.
The second chapel, of the Strozzi family, the other great patrons of Santa Maria Novella, was formerly, as the Latin inscriptions relate, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, but was afterward made over by Filippo Strozzi (builder of the Strozzi Palace) to his family patrons, St. Philip and St. James. The same powerful nobleman employed Filippino Lippi to decorate it with * *frescoes, which rank among the finest work of that great Renaissance master. Here you come for the first time upon a famous Florentine painter of the fifteenth century. Contrast his frescoes with the Giottesque types at Santa Croce, and observe the advance they mark in skill and knowledge. The left wall contains scenes from the life of the (dispossessed) St. John the Evangelist, as compensation for disturbance. Below, St. John raises Drusiana, a legendary subject which we saw at Santa Croce. Observe here, however, the Roman architecture, the attempts at classical restoration, and the admirable dramatic character of the scene, especially visible in the strange look of wonder on the face of the resuscitated woman herself, and the action of the two bier-bearers. The group of women, mourners, and children to the right should be carefully studied as typical of Filippino Lippi’s handiwork (about 1502). Above is St. John in the caldron of boiling oil. Observe again the classical tone in the lictors with fasces and other Roman insignia. The right wall is devoted to the legendary history of St. Philip, the namesake of both patron and painter. Below, St. Philip exorcises a dragon which haunted a temple at Hierapolis in Phrygia, and killed by its breath the king’s son. Here again the dramatic action is very marked, both in the statue of Mars, the priest, the mourning worshippers, and the dragon to the left, and the dying prince in the arms of his courtiers to the right of the picture. Above is the Martyrdom of St. Philip, who is crucified by the outraged priests of the dragon. These frescoes, though marred by restoration, deserve attentive study. Their exaggerated decorative work is full of feeling for the antique. They are characteristic but florid examples of the Renaissance spirit before the age of Raphael. (Good accounts in Layard’s Kugler, and Mrs. Jameson.) Note, however, that while excellent as art they are wholly devoid of spiritual meaning — mere pleasant stories. On the window wall is the tomb of Filippo Strozzi by Benedetto da Majano, the architect of the Strozzi palace. (Notice throughout this constant connection of certain painters and sculptors with families of particular patrons, and also with churches of special orders.) The Madonna and Child, flying angels, and framework, are all exquisite examples of their artist’s fine feeling. The bust of Filippo Strozzi, from this tomb, is now in the Louvre. The window above, with Our Lady, and St. Philip and St. James, is also after a design by Filippino Lippi. Observe likewise the admirable Sibyls and other allegorical figures of the window wall. Not a detail of this fine Renaissance work should be left unnoticed. Do not forget the Patriarchs on the ceiling, each named on a cartolino or little slip of paper. Return more than once to a chapel like this, reading up the subjects and painters meanwhile, till you feel you understand it.
Enter the choir, noticing, as you pass, the marble high altar, which covers the remains of the Dominican founder, the Beato Giovanni di Salerno.
The * *frescoes on the walls were originally by Orcagna, but in 1490 Giovanni Tornabuoni commissioned Domenico Ghirlandajo to paint them over with the two existing series, representing, on the right wall, the life of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint of the city, and, on the left wall, the history of the Virgin, the patron saint of Santa Maria Novella. (Here, therefore, as usual, the Choir contains direct reference to the dedication.)
The upper scenes on either side are so much damaged as to be hardly recognisable, but the lower ones are as follows:
On the left wall, in the second tier to the left, is the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, which should be compared with similar scenes by earlier Giottesque painters, in Santa Croce; on the right, the Marriage of the Virgin; observe again the positions of Joseph, Mary, the High Priest, the attendant Virgins of the Lord, and the disappointed suitors, breaking their staffs, etc. (Recall or compare with photograph of Raphael’s Sposalizio at Milan.) In the lowest tier, on the left, is the Expulsion of Joachim from the Temple (because he is childless) where the spectators (introduced as if viewing the facts) are contemporary Florentine portraits of the painter and his brother, and the family and friends of the Tornabuoni. Contrast the details with the Giottesques at Santa Croce: noble figures of the High Priest and St. Joachim. On the right is the Birth of the Virgin, with St. Anne in bed, the washing of the infant, and a group of Florentine ladies as spectators: conspicuous among them, Lodovica, daughter of Giovanni Tornabuoni; in the background, the Meeting of Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate. In all these pictures, the survivals and modifications of traditional scenes should both be noted; also, the character of the architecture and the decorative detail in which Ghirlandajo delighted. He had been trained as a goldsmith, and retained through life his love of goldsmith-like handicraft. The introduction of portraits of contemporaries as spectators is highly characteristic both of age and artist. Ghirlandajo was in essence a portrait-painter, who used sacred scenes as an excuse for portraiture.
GHIRLANDAJO. — BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (DETAIL).
On the right wall, in the lower tier, to the left, is the Visitation, where the positions of the Madonna and St. Elizabeth should be noted, as those on which later pictures by Mariotto Albertinelli, Pacchiarotto, etc., are based, and also as derived from earlier examples. Here, also, notice the contemporary portraits. The lady, standing very erect, in a stiff yellow gown, is Giovanni Tornabuoni’s stepdaughter, Giovanna Albizi, the same person of whom a portrait by Ghirlandajo (a study for this picture) exists in the National Gallery in London, and who is also introduced in the two frescoes by Botticelli at the head of the principal stairs in the Louvre. On the right is the Angel appearing to Zacharias, where a group of contemporary portraits of distinguished Florentines is particularly celebrated; Baedeker names them; I will not, as you will have his book with you. In the second tier, on th
e left, Zacharias writes “His name is John.” On the right is the birth of the Baptist. Sit on the seats a long time, and study au fond these typical and important frescoes.
On the window wall are ill seen and defaced frescoes, also by Ghirlandajo, of St. Francis before the Sultan, and St. Peter Martyr killed by assassins; the Annunciation, and St. John the Baptist in the desert; and, below all, Giovanni Tornabuoni and his wife, the donors of these frescoes. Observe here in the choir, which is, as it were, the focus of the church, that almost everything refers to the Blessed Virgin, the patroness of this building, or to St. John the Baptist, the patron of the town in which it is situated.
I cannot too strongly recommend close study of these late Renaissance pictures of the age immediately preceding that of Raphael. Do not be satisfied with noting the few points I mention: look over them carefully as specimens of an epoch. Specially characteristic, for example, is the figure of the nude beggar in the scene of the Presentation of the Virgin, on the left wall, showing the growing Renaissance love for nude anatomy. On the other hand you will find in the same picture the positions of St. Jerome and St. Anna, of the two children, and of the two men in the foreground, as well as that of the Madonna pausing half-way up the steps, exactly equivalent to those in the Taddeo Gaddi and the Giovanni da Milano. Photographs of all these should be compared with one another, and also with the famous Titian at Venice. I have tried to give some hints on this subject in an article on the Presentation in the Temple contributed to the Pall Mall Magazine in 1895.
The first chapel beyond the choir is uninteresting. It contains, however, a famous crucifix by Brunelleschi, which would seem to show that a crucifix, by whomsoever designed, is still a crucifix.
The second chapel, of the Gaddi, contains good bas-reliefs by Bandini.
Under the steps which lead to the elevated Strozzi Chapel (the second belonging to the family in this church) is a tomb with Gothic figures and a Giottesque Entombment, attributed to Giottino.
Ascend the steps to the Strozzi Chapel, the altar of which covers the remains of a “Blessed” member of the family, the Beato Alessio dei Strozzi. This chapel contains some famous Giottesque frescoes by the brothers Orcagna.
On the window wall is the Last Judgment, by Andrea Orcagna, with Angels of the Last Trump, the twelve apostles, the rising dead, and other conventional elements. Conspicuous just below the figure of the Saviour are, to the left, Our Lady, patroness of this church, and to the right St. John the Baptist, patron of this city. On the right of the Saviour are the elect; to the left of him, the damned. Every one of the figures of the rising dead, saints, and apostles, with the angels bearing the instruments of the Passion, deserve close attention. Most of them will recur in many later pictures. Compare the similar scene in the Campo Santo at Pisa.
On the left wall is the Paradise, also by Andrea, a famous and most beautiful picture, with Christ and the Madonna enthroned, and an immense company of adoring saints and angels. As many as possible of these should be identified by their symbols. Return from time to time and add to your identifications. The tiers represent successively Seraphim and Cherubim, Apostles, Prophets, Patriarchs, Doctors of the Church, Martyrs, Virgins, Saints, and Angels. Notice the suitability of this dogmatic arrangement in a Dominican church, belonging to the stewards and guardians of orthodoxy. The painting unites Florentine grandeur with Sienese tenderness.
On the right wall is a very ugly Inferno, attributed to Orcagna’s brother, Bernardo, and divided into set divisions, in accordance with the orthodox mediæval conception, which is similarly crystallised in Dante’s poem. The various spheres are easily followed by students of the “Divina Commedia.”
Do not omit to observe the very beautiful altar-piece, also by Orcagna. Its chief subject is Christ giving the keys, on the one hand, to Peter, and the book, on the other hand, to the great Dominican saint and philosophical teacher, St. Thomas Aquinas. The allegorical meaning is further accentuated by the presence of the Madonna and St. John, patrons of this church and city. We have thus St. Thomas placed almost on a plane of equality with the Papacy. The other figures are St. Michael the Archangel, St. Catherine with her wheel, St. Lawrence with his gridiron, and St. Paul with his sword. In the predella beneath are subjects taken from the stories of the same saints. The most interesting is the struggle for the soul of the Emperor Henry II. (See Mrs. Jameson.) The Emperor is seen dying; then, devils go to seize his soul; a hermit sees them; St. Michael holds the scales to weigh the souls; the devils nearly win, when, suddenly, St. Lawrence descends, and places in the scale a gold casket which the Emperor had presented to him (once at Bâle, now in the goldsmiths’ room at the Musée de Cluny); the scale bends down, and the devils in a rage try to seize St. Lawrence. A quaint story, with an obvious moral, well told in this predella with spirit and vigour.
This chapel as a whole is one of the best smaller examples now remaining of a completely decorated Giottesque interior. Not a single element of its frescoes and Dominican symbolism should pass without notice. Observe, before you leave, St. Thomas Aquinas on the arch, in four characters, as Prudence, Justice, Courage, and Temperance. The Strozzi Chapel again is one to which you must pay frequent visits.
Descend the steps. The door in front leads to the Sacristy. The most interesting object in it is a lavatory in marble and terra-cotta of the school of Della Robbia. The pictures of Dominican saints with which it is adorned have little more than symbolical interest.
The left aisle contains no object of special interest.
CHAPTER V.
THE SPANISH CHAPEL.
This completes a first circuit of the church itself; but you have still to see the most interesting object within its walls — the Spanish Chapel. Do not attempt, however, to do it all in one day. Return a second bright morning, between ten and twelve, and pay a visit to this gem of early architecture and painting.
A door to the right of the raised Strozzi chapel, in the left transept, leads into the cloisters. It is locked. You must get the sacristan to open it. He is usually to be found in the Sacristy.
The first cloister which you enter, known as the Sepolcreto, and containing numerous mediæval or modern tombs, has faded Giottesque frescoes, two of which, in the bay to the right as you descend the steps, pretty enough in their way, have been made famous (somewhat beyond their merits) by Mr. Ruskin. That on the left, in a curiously shaped lunette, represents, with charming naïveté, the Meeting of Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate. Observe the conventional types of face and dress in the two saints, and the angel putting the heads of the husband and wife together; also, the servant carrying the rejected offering, all of which are stereotyped elements in the delineation of this subject. The fresco to the right represents the Birth of the Virgin, and may be instructively compared with the Ghirlandajo up-stairs, and also with the Taddeo Gaddi and the Giovanni da Milano at Santa Croce. The simplicity of the treatment is indeed reminiscent of Giotto’s manner, but few critics, I fancy, will agree with Mr. Ruskin in attributing these works to the actual hand of the master. Remember, too, that Giotto is always simple, because he is early; later times continually elaborated and enriched his motives. On the side walls, to the left, the angel appears to Joachim and Anna simultaneously; on the right is the Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple. Compare these naïve works with the frescoes in the Madonna dell’Arena at Padua, and other examples.
GREEN CLOISTER IN SANTA MARIA NOUVELLA.
This cloister also contains a vulgarly coloured and somewhat coarse terra-cotta relief of Christ as the Gardener and the Magdalen in the Garden. I will not further particularise, but several hours may be spent in examining the objects in this single courtyard alone, many of which are extremely interesting. From the base of the oratory containing this relief is also obtained one of the best views of the church and campanile.
The second cloister, known as the Chiostro Verde, is decorated with very faded frescoes, in shades of green, representing the history of Genesis. There is a
good general view of the church and campanile from the farther end of this cloister.
The green frescoes, I fear, will scarcely interest you at first, and may be passed over with a few glances on a preliminary visit. But you must return to them later on, because, defaced and destroyed as they are (more so within my own memory), they are yet important links in the history of Renaissance art, and especially in the development of perspective, anatomical knowledge, and the drawing of the nude human body. (See Layard’s Kugler, under Paolo Uccello.) They represent the incidents of Genesis, by various hands; but the best are the Sacrifice of Noah, and the Deluge, by Paolo Uccello, not in the least sacred, and full of admirable naturalistic incidents. They help to bridge over the gap in this church between Giottesques like Orcagna and late fifteenth century Renaissance painters like Filippino Lippi and Ghirlandajo. I will not dwell upon them now, but advise you, at some future time, when your conceptions of the evolution of art in Tuscany have become clearer, to return to them for some hours at least of patient study.
A door to the right of the entrance gate leads into the famous Cappella degli Spagnuoli, or Spanish Chapel, whose beautiful external architecture, with twisted columns, should be observed before entering. It was erected about 1340 by a rich Florentine citizen, for the celebration of the Festival of Corpus Christi, then newly instituted. Its present name dates only from the age of Cosimo I., who assigned it to the suite of Eleanor of Toledo.
This chapel is the finest existing example (save the Arena at Padua) of a completely decorated Giottesque interior. The frescoes are by uncertain artists, but rank among the noblest productions of their period. It would require many days adequately to examine all the beautiful objects which this building contains. I will therefore call attention in detail to a few only. Those first mentioned are peculiarly appropriate to a Chapel of the Corpus Christi.
