by Grant Allen
The first door is by Giovanni d’Ambrogio; in the tympanum is an Annunciation in mosaic by Domenico and Davide Ghirlandajo, a beautiful Renaissance work, a little out of keeping with the Gothic exterior; above it, a very fine relief by Nanni di Banco, Assumption of the Madonna in a mandorla (adapted from, or almost modelled on, a relief by Orcagna at the back of the great shrine in Or San Michele; compare the two by means of photographs, allowing, of course, for Renaissance progress). Our Lady is represented as just about to drop the Sacra Cintola or sacred girdle to St. Thomas, who kneels, a beautiful youthful figure, to the left below. This is a subject which we have seen already in fresco at Santa Croce, and which will meet us frequently elsewhere in Florence (as, for example, in the Orcagna at Or San Michele), from the local importance of the Holy Girdle preserved at Prato. Donatello is said to have completed this lovely work. The figures are almost identical with Orcagna’s, but the tree and bear to the right here replace two trees at Or San Michele. The statuettes on the pillars close by are by Donatello.
INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL.
The second north door, attributed to Piero di Giovanni Tedesco, and Niccolò d’Arezzo, has pillars resting on a lion to the right, and a lioness with her cubs to the left. In the tympanum are the Madonna and Child, again, with adoring angels. Stand on the pavement opposite to take in the effect of this side of the cathedral. I have only noted the chief points; but every saint in niche or on pinnacle can be identified by some sign, if you take the trouble to do so.
Now, enter the interior, which is vast and very bare. Stand first by the central door to observe the huge unimpressive nave, supported on either side by only four great arches, whose immense size and sparsity seem to dwarf the entire building. (Rows of columns like Pisa are much more effective.) Then, before you begin to examine in any detail, walk straight up the nave, to its junction with the transepts, in order to understand the nature of the architectural arrangement. The octagonal space, railed off with a low marble screen beneath the dome, is here, by a very exceptional plan, the choir. To right and left extend the apses of the transepts, looking incredibly small from within when compared with the vastness of their exterior. Note that all three ends in this direction have similar apses. Then walk around to the back of the choir, where what would usually be the chancel is known as the Tribuna di San Zanobi. Its High Altar contains the head and ashes of the sainted bishop, which are (or were) the chief object of local cult in this church. From this point of view, the general proportions of the interior can best be grasped.
After thus gaining a general conception of the whole, return to the west end of the nave. The objects in the interior worth notice are not numerous. Over the central door is the Coronation of the Virgin by Christ, with adoring angels in mosaic, by Gaddo Gaddi. To right and left, over the lateral doors, are fresco-monuments in grisaille of Florentine generals, that to the right being the monument of the English partisan leader, Sir John Hawkwood (Giovanni Acuto) who served the Republic as a Captain of Free Companies for many years; that to the left is Niccolò Manucci di Tolentino. The rose window contains an Assumption of the Madonna.
Proceed up the right aisle, past the monument of Filippo Brunelleschi, who designed the dome, with his bust by his pupil, Buggiano, and the monument (not contemporary) of Giotto, by Benedetto da Majano. On the left is a holy water basin, with angel pouring, reminiscent of the school of Pisa. Observe, also, a tabernacle, with portrait of Sant’Antonino, Archbishop of Florence, by Morandi, and a monument of Marsilio Ficino, who did much to introduce the study of Greek into Renaissance Florence.
The south transept contains on the right and the left statues of St. Philip and St. James by Giovanni dell’Opera — part of a group of eight, ringing round the octagon.
Over the doors, right and left, in the octagon, beyond the transepts, are two Della Robbia reliefs, said to be the earliest works of Luca. That to the right represents the Ascension, that to the left the Resurrection. Both are admirable. Behind the High Altar is a Pietà, the last unfinished work of Michael Angelo.
In the Tribune of San Zanobi (occupying the place usually assigned to the choir) to right and left are statues of St. John (by Benedetto da Rovezzano) and St. Peter (by the futile Baccio Bandinelli). Under the High Altar of the Tribune, is the * *Arca or shrine of San Zanobi, containing his head and ashes. The exquisite relief in front of the altar, by Lorenzo Ghiberti, is in the same style as his later gates. It represents San Zanobi restoring to life the son of the Gallic lady. The child is seen doubly represented (as often in early works of the sort) first as dead, and then as restored to life again. The groups of bystanders are exquisitely rendered. When there is sufficient light to observe this relief, it should be closely studied; but it is usually very dark and observed with difficulty. (See the legend in Mrs. Jameson. Many other representations of this the most famous miracle of San Zanobi are to be found in Florence.) There is a good plaster cast of the Arca in the Opera del Duomo: see it there, examine the reliefs, and then return to view the original.
From the steps behind the altar the best view is obtained of the (feeble) Last Supper by Giovanni Balducci.
In the north transept, to the right and left, stand statues of St. Andrew (by Ferrucci) and St. Thomas (by Rossi). The windows are by Lorenzo Ghiberti.
Right and left of the nave, in front of the choir, are statues of St. Matthew (by Rossi) and St. James the Greater, by Jacopo Sansovino. All eight of these octagon statues are poor and uninteresting.
In the north aisle, near the first door, is Dante explaining the “Divina Commedia,” which he holds in his hands, painted on wood by Domenico di Michelino, in 1465, by order of the Republic. To the right is the town of Florence, with its walls, its cathedral dome, tower of the Palazzo Vecchio, etc.; in the background, the spiral mount of Purgatory; on its summit, the Tree of Life; above, in the air, the Celestial City or Paradise, represented by various vague circles; to the left, the mouth of the Inferno. Above, as part of Heaven, are seen the heavenly bodies. On a bright day (when this picture is seen to advantage about ten in the morning) students of Dante will find in it many familiar elements of the great poem. Beyond the second door, modern monument of Arnolfo. Near it, statue of the statesman and humanist, Poggio Bracciolini, by Donatello. The first pillar has a fine picture of San Zanobi between San Crescenzio and Sant’Eugenio, by Orcagna.
Proceed one day in this connection to visit the Opera del Duomo, whose Museum is housed in a courtyard just opposite the Tribune of San Zanobi. Note the Roman remains in the courtyard; the quaint lions; and the Lamb of St. John, with Florentine lilies, over the doorway. (Lambs, eagles, and lilies pervade Florence.) The lamb and flag is the arms of the wool-weavers, an important guild.
The Museum contains a few fragments from the old fabric of the cathedral, and numerous pieces of many demolished works within it, as well as pictures from the Duomo or Baptistery, which (to say the truth) can be studied here to much greater advantage than in the gloom of their original situation. If you want to study closely, buy the official catalogue. Otherwise use the hand-cards provided in each room. Among the chief objects within, too numerous to mention in detail, are, on the ground floor, Roman fragments, and (40) a fine Madonna of the school of the Pisani, probably by Giovanni Pisano; along the stairs, reliefs of Saints and Prophets, by Baccio Bandinelli and Giovanni dell’Opera; and, on the first floor, the beautiful * *singing-lofts (Cantorie) with groups of singing and dancing children, by Donatello and Luca della Robbia, once in the cathedral. Examine these in detail.
The one on the wall nearest the door by which you enter is by Luca della Robbia, and is his loveliest work. Nowhere else has childhood been so sympathetically and naturally depicted. Luca always succeeds best with children; he must have loved them. Observe the exquisite brackets supporting the loft, which compare most favourably with Donatello’s more ornate examples opposite. All the Renaissance decoration on this loft is lovely. The four most visible reliefs illustrate the verse in the Psalm, �
��Praise the Lord with the sound of trumpets, with psalteries, with harps, with timbrels,” the words of the Psalm being inscribed beneath them. Those below illustrate the remainder of the text, “With dancing, and with chords and the organ, and with cymbals.” The figures, however, though intended to be seen at this height, are not altogether well designed for the purpose. They are best examined with an opera-glass, and the two detached panels on the wall to the left are more effective as now hung than those still left in the original framework.
Donatello’s loft, on the farther wall, is also a beautiful work; yet here, if one dare say it, even Donatello suffers by comparison with Luca. His work is not, like the other, all of pure marble: it has a sort of inlaid mosaic background, while pillars, relieved with mosaic, unpleasantly interrupt its action, — features which to me, in spite of the great intrinsic beauty of the decoration, somewhat mar the total harmony of the structure. Donatello’s faces, on the other hand, though less sweet when closely examined, are better designed to be seen at this height than Luca’s; but the separate figures, exquisite as they are, seem a trifle boisterous, and do not quite attain the same childish grace and ease of movement as his friendly rival’s. Donatello’s children are winged, Luca’s are human. Sit long before each, and compare them attentively: there is nothing more lovely in their kind in Florence.
The exquisite * *High Altar in silver (97) comes from the Baptistery; it represents, in the centre, St. John the Baptist, the patron saint, and on either side, as well as at the end, scenes from his life, resembling in subjects those on the gate of the Baptistery.
This noble work is of different dates: the main front is of 1366-1402, while the statue of the Baptist, more Renaissance in tone, is by Michelozzo, 1451. The side-reliefs are still later: Birth of the Baptist, by Antonio Pollaiolo; his Death, by Verrocchio, about 1477-1480. Compare the dainty little scene of the boy Baptist starting for the desert with that on Andrea Pisano’s door at the Baptistery.
Notice also particularly, close by, 100, 101, the charming * *groups of Singing Boys by Luca della Robbia, not included in the Cantoria (where they are replaced by casts), but the finest of the series.
Among the pictures, some of the most typically interesting are: 80, Santa Reparata, holding the red and white flag, with Scenes from her Life and Martyrdom (many times attempted in vain), flanked by the other two patron saints, St. John the Baptist and San Zanobi, much smaller. The same local trio are also excellently seen in 79, close by. I advise an attentive study of all these works, which give you types of the Florentine patrons, followed by a second study, after you have visited the Belle Arti when their meaning and sequence will become much clearer to you. I do not propose to treat them here in full; but if you look around for yourself you will light upon many such interesting local traces as 73, the Decollation of St. John the Baptist, with a singular halo; 74, a mosaic of San Zanobi (1505), with the Florentine lily on his morse or buckle, and the city in the background; 77, Our Lady, a fine relief, by Agostino di Duccio; 79, St. John with the two other patron saints (Santa Reparata holding the Florentine lily); 110, San Zanobi, with an Annunciation; 108, the same, enthroned between two deacons, a good intarsia by Giuliano da Majano; 107, the Baptist in the Desert, by Giovanni della Robbia; 89, the Madonna, with St. Catherine and San Zanobi; and so forth. Compare all the Santa Reparata and San Zanobi figures. In 109, the bishop is not San Zanobi, but St. Blaise, the patron of the woollen trade. Among other interesting objects, not quite so local, observe 110, the Creation of Eve, a frequent subject, always so rendered, and to be seen also on the gates of the Baptistery; and 90, a most singular martyrdom of St. Sebastian, identical in motive with the Pollaiolo in the National Gallery, and with a picture in the Uffizi: these represent a variant of the legend.
Much of the early sculpture is also most beautiful; perhaps the loveliest of all is 95, an angel by Niccolò d’Arezzo, a work almost in the style of the school of Pisa, balanced by 96, a most unusual-faced Madonna, forming between them an Annunciation, and both bearing distinct traces of classical influence. Note also 92 and 93, beautiful statuettes of Christ and Santa Reparata, by Andrea Pisano. Under Donatello’s singing loft are quaint Byzantine Gospel stories, in mosaic and enamel, giving early forms of scenes; and an embroidered Life of the Baptist, very interesting. In the first series note especially Christ in Hades (in the second tier, on the left) and Christ receiving the soul of Our Lady (in the third tier, on the right) for future comparison. I recommend to all who really wish to understand the evolution of art a close examination of these Byzantine compositions.
The second room contains the designs for the façade of the cathedral by De Fabris and others. Those who desire to study the symbolism of the façade can do so here to the greatest advantage. The sequence of the various designs affords a perfect history of architectural art in Tuscany. Notice also the cast of the Arca of San Zanobi in the centre.
For the Campanile, designed by Giotto, and carried on after his death by Andrea Pisano and Francesco Talenti, I must refer you to Baedeker. It is one of the loveliest architectural works ever planned; but it requires rather long inspection than description or explanation. All that is needed for its study (besides time) is your Baedeker and an opera-glass. The sculpture of the lower story, on the other hand, though important for the study of the evolution of that art in Tuscany, you had better defer till after you have visited the Bargello and Or San Michele. Its meaning and connection will then become clearer to you. You will understand Giotto’s relation (as sculptor) to Andrea Pisano; and Donatello’s to Orcagna; besides being in a better position to trace Donatello’s own personal development.
THE CAMPANILE.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SECOND DOMINICAN QUARTER: SAN MARCO.
Whatever else you see or leave unseen in Florence you cannot afford to ignore the Monastery of San Marco. This famous convent, a perfect museum of the works of Fra Angelico, the saintliest and sweetest of the early fifteenth century painters, was originally built for Silvestrine monks, but was transferred by Cosimo de’ Medici to the Dominicans. In 1436, the existing buildings were erected by Michelozzo, whose handicraft we have already seen in the chapel of the Medici at Santa Croce. Shortly afterward Fra Angelico of Fiesole, a Dominican monk and inmate of this monastery, decorated the cells, cloisters, and chapter-house with famous frescoes, which represent the most exquisite work of the later Giottesque period, as yet wholly untouched by the Renaissance spirit. Fra Angelico is above all things an ecstatic and mystical religious painter. His panel-works, it is true, may be seen in the north, but his infinitely greater skill as a fresco-painter can only be adequately estimated at San Marco, where he was painting for his own brethren, and for the glorification of the Dominican Order. Even his exquisite and saintly work in the Cappella Niccolina at the Vatican fails to attain the same spiritual level as his delicate imaginings on the cells of his own monastery. The influence of Popes and Cardinals seems to have had a chilling effect upon his humble and devout spirit. It spoiled Raphael: it merely damped the saintly Dominican.
At the end of the fifteenth century, San Marco was also the home of the great prior and preacher, Girolamo Savonarola, the fiery reformer who was burnt at the stake in 1498. His cells and many memorials of him still exist at San Marco. Fra Bartolommeo, also a monk at this monastery, was deeply influenced by Savonarola; so also were Botticelli and many other contemporary painters. Their work is full of the religious revival he inaugurated. Read up the whole of this period in Villari’s “Savonarola,” at your leisure in the evenings.
The convent was secularised after the unification of Italy, and is now preserved as a public museum.
Remember, then, these things about San Marco: It is a Dominican monastery, and everything about it has reference to the glory, or the doctrine and discipline of the Dominicans. In this respect it may be regarded as a later and more spiritual edition of the Spanish Chapel. But simple piety is its note, rather than dogmatic theology. It was founded as a Dom
inican house by the bounty of the Medici, whose patron saints (Cosimo, Damian, Lawrence) reappear over and over again in many parts of it. It was, in the early fifteenth century, the home of Fra Angelico, and of the holy Archbishop St. Antonine, the later saint of Florence. It was, later still, the home of Savonarola and of Fra Bartolommeo, many memorials of whom exist within it.
But, more than all else, expect in San Marco the glorification of St. Dominic and Dominicanism.
Go past the cathedral, and take the Via Cavour to the left, passing on the left the Riccardi (Medici) Palace, the original home of the Medici family: notice its proximity to the Medici monastery. You will soon arrive at the Piazza of San Marco. In front of you is the Church, which omit for the present. The door to the right of it gives access to the monastery.
PIAZZA AND CHURCH OF SAN MARCO.
The exterior is unattractive. The outer cloister, which we first enter, is surrounded by a fine colonnade or loggia (Michelozzo), and encloses a pretty little neglected garden. The lunettes are filled with seventeenth century frescoes (by Poccetti and others), mainly relating to the life of St. Antonine, the famous Dominican Archbishop of Florence, and prior of this monastery. They are sufficiently explained by the inscriptions below them. But the chief objects of real interest in this court are the few *frescoes by Fra Angelico, all bearing reference to the characteristics of the Dominican Order. Facing you as you enter is the figure of St. Dominic embracing the Cross, representing the Devotion of the Dominican Order. The founder saint may usually be recognised by the little red star (here almost obliterated, but still just traceable) over his forehead. Immediately to the left of it, over the door of the Sacristy, is St. Peter Martyr, with his wounded head and palm of martyrdom, placing his finger to his lips, in order to enforce the Dominican rule of silence. This fresco thus represents the Sanctity of the Dominican Order. Notice here and elsewhere the Medici pills displayed everywhere. Midway, to the right, near the entrance to the Chapter-house (which pass for the moment), is St. Dominic with his red star and open book, bearing the scourge of rods, and representing the Discipline of the Dominican Order. On the end wall, over the door of the Refectory, is a Pietà. At the opposite end, over the door of the foresteria, or rooms reserved for the entertainment of strangers, * *two Dominican monks welcome Christ, in the garb of a pilgrim— “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these little ones ye have done it unto me.” This fresco therefore represents the Hospitality of the Dominican Order. For tenderness and beauty, it is unsurpassed by any work in this monastery. The next lunette has one of Poccetti’s frescoes, interesting as showing Sant’Antonino in a procession, with a view of the cathedral as it then existed, giving the details of Giotto’s unfinished façade, afterward demolished. Conspicuous among the spectators on the right may be noted Savonarola, in his black and white Dominican robes, as prior of this monastery. Near the entrance door is St. Thomas Aquinas with his book, standing for the Learning of the Dominican Order: also by Fra Angelico.
