PRICE If. 50c. -ill II II 1 - Hontxm: THOMAS COOK & SON, Ludgate Circus; And HODDER & STOUGHTON, Paternoster Row dFlorenc*: GOODBAN, Via Tornabuoni No. 9. <\ I4-.5S/ C 77c »♦ pic of Eii Afran econoi Mill: arrang chief } Cooli Routes, Coo* country way, S rrange Cook offered Cook comprel journey: Cook in their for Swit The ! entirely tween C at any o Tour; arrangements ot TnomaS (JOOU & Son, who now have their own Resident Manager in Beyrout. They are therefore prepared to conduct large or small parties in the mosi com- fortable manner through the country ; to Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, the Jordan, Damascus, Sinai, etc. The parties can be so fixed as to go independently or under personal manage- ment any time between October and April. Over seven hundred ladies and gent'emeu have visited Palestine under their arrangements. Turkey, Greece, the Levant, etc. Thomas Cook & Son are now prepared to issue tickets by any line of steamers, to any port touched by the Austrian Lloyd's, Russian and Rubattino Co.'s Steamers. India, China, etC.—ThomaS COOk & Son are the Agents of the principal Steam- Ship Companies of the world, and are prepared to issue tickets from Southampton, Venice, Ancona, Genoa, Naples, and Brindisi, to Alexandria, Aden, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, or any other point in India or China. s of "tent ling and )ur heir the tpest I the *ail- ;heir tnost turn est. ture ison lent be- ■ed sLtk^st Round theWorld ^=^=^r^ Cooks' Hotel Coupons, available at nearly three hundred first rl«. I. # i - al , fhfS fLfT^LT A™ ada a T provided , by Th0ffias Co< * & s °* «■» Jenkins, 2 6, Br^dway J " arran ™ ts ° f Thomas Cook, Son and English on one side, and L the laZat ofTh i"^ f "^ ' • "" ^ Printed » and it contains a,, the inforl^fSe^s " ^ " " "^ " ^ ° th -' General Travellers' As^^C^ fe^ * "* ^ ^'^ a " d v'SVZZTZ c^ hed Month,y in Londoa > *~ **. - *»-*. thousand spec men Tonrs.r,:"r Pr T^ meSand "** M the " Umber of "^ ^ °- fares by every route ' "*"* "™ ' SSUed by Th01 »as COOk & Son, with OFFICES OF THOMAS COOK & SON : CHIEF OFFICE: Ludgate Circus, Fleet Street, London, E.C. NEW YORK: Cook, Son & Jenkins, 2 6i, Broadway. BRANCH OFFICES: LONDON -Corner of Midland Station, St. Pancras. LIVERPOOL— 14 , Cases Street, (opposite New Central Station.) MANCHESTER-^, Piccadilly. BIRMINGHAM-io, Stephenson .rlclCC. DUBLIN -45, Dame Street. PARIS— 15, Place du Havre. COLOGNE— 40, Domhof. BRUSSELS— 22, Galerie du Roi. GENEVA— 90, Rue du Rhone. ROME— ib, Piazza di Spagna. CAIRO— Cook's Tourist Pavilion, Shepheard's Hotel. JAFFA— Cook's Agency, Twelve Tribes Hotel. Cooks' Tourisfs Handbook Advertiser. FLORENCE. Torn°abuoni 5 MAISON DE CLUNY, p ££!° FANCY ARTICLES OF PARIS, VIENNA, CHINA, & JAPAN. CHILDREN'S GAMES. MARQUETERIE. GREAT ASSORTMENT OF CHOICE ARTICLES FOR PRESENTS' MANTUA. HOTEL DE L'ECTT DE FEANCE. Proprietors, GUZZI BROTHERS. Visitors to Mantua — a city celebrated for its remarkable monuments of nth, 15th, and 1 6th century art — will find this Hotel clean and comfortable. Service excellent, and prices moderate. CHAMBERY. GRAND HOTEL DE LA POSTE. M. PO I T E V I N. On the direct route to Italy, France, and Switzerland. Travellers and Tourists will find this a most desirable place for breaking the journey between Paris and Turin and Geneva. The Hotel is clean and comfortable, and the charges moderate. The country around is well worth a visit. Carriages at Hotel. English spoken. Cook's Coupons accepted. SAN R E M O . HOTEL DE LA PAIX. Proprietor, JACQUES MARZETTO. A fine Hotel, with uninterrupted view of the Sea. Near the Railway. Large and Small Apartments. Pension. Good Cuisine. VENICE. CONFECTIONER. CARLO LAVENNA, (SUCCESSOR TO PIETRIBONI,) F R E Z Z A R I A, V E N I C E. BEST TEA. FRENCH BONBONS. CHOCOLATES OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS. COOKS' HANDBOOK TO FLORENCE. COOK'S PLAN OF firenze; Scale Churches. 1 DiLOT/to {CaXhecbr-aL 2 Sa/h Lorervxx) 3 S. Marco 4 S- S.Anjujcrvxixttab 5 S.Croce 6 BdjCbbCL 7 BattLsterio 8 Mis ertcordia^ 9 Or S.MioTvele. 10 S. Trvrdba, 11 OgTiiscvntL COOK'S HANDBO O K TO FLORENCE. LONDON: THOMAS COOK AND SON, LUDGATE CIRCUS; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND Co. FLORENCE : GOODBAN, VIA TORNABUONI. i«75- £77c [ Jkrena } Italian^ Firenze. Hotels : Grand Hotel New York — Lungo L'Arno. Hotel de 1' Europe — Piazza S. Trinita. English and American Pension — Palazzo d'Elci, 28, Via Maggio. Artists. — A. Sasso and Son, a fine collection of Original Paintings. Copies, and all orders for paintings, carefully and promptly executed. English spoken. 4, Borgo Ognissanti. Confectioner,— Giacosa Bros., Confectioners and Chocolate Manufacturers. Depot for foreign and national wines and liqueurs. English Bakers. — Balboni and Miiller, 5, Via della Vigna Nuova. English Bookseller. — Goodban. Guide Books of all descriptions. Tauchnitz col- lection complete. Stationery, etc. Via Tornabuoni. English Chemists. — H. Roberts and Co., Pharmacy of the British Legation, 17, Via Tornabuoni, English, American, and all other prescriptions prepared. Patent Medicines. English Physicians. — Dr. Wilson, 33, Via S. Spirito, formerly Hospital and Consulting Physician of London. Dr. Young, M.D., M.C., 13, Via dei Fossi, Licentiate of the Royal College of Sur- geons, and Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh. Gloves. — Laforet Bros. Machine-made Gloves on Jouvin system, retail and export. 17, Via Calzajoli. Hosiers. — Ladies' and Gentlemen's Hosiers, Benedetti and Cherubini, 17, Via Tourna- buoni, near English Chemist, English spoken. Modes. — Madame Lamarre. Ladies' dresses and bonnets — all the latest fashions— orders promptly executed — large show-rooms, first floor. 8, Via Cerretani. Mosaics. — A. Sandrini. The choicest selection of Florentine mosaics. Prize Medal, London Exhibition, 1870. 3, Via dei Fossi. Opticians. — Hirsch and Co., Opticians to Royal Family. Large collection of all descriptions of Spectacles with pebbles and optical instruments. Via Calzajoli and Via Tornabuoni. Perfumer.— The choicest French and English Perfumes, Soaps, and Toilet Articles, at Rimmels, 20, Via Tornabuoni. Photo. Portraits — Schoemboche. Portraits taken in all styles— miniatures painted. Photographer to Royal family. 36, Borgo Ognissanti, and 6, Piazza S. Carlo, Turin. Photographic Publishers of Works of Art and Views, and General Picture Dealers. — Philpot and Jackson, 17, Borgo Ognissanti. Pianos and Music — For Sale or hire.— Carlo Ducci, 1 and 2, Piazza S. Gaetano, 547769 2 FLORENCE. Reading Rooms. — Vieusseux' Reading Rooms and Circulating Library. Established 1819. Ground Floor. Palazzo Feroni, Santa Trinita. Umbrellas, Parasols, etc. — G. Gilardini. A large assortment of Umbrellas, Parasols, Fans, etc. 12, Via Cerretani ; 16, Portici della Fiera, Turin ; 185, Corso, Rome ; 335, Toledo, Naples. THEATRES. Della Pergola. . . Via della Pergola . . Opera. Pagliano .... Via Ghibellina ... „ Niccolini .... Via Ricasoli .... Comedy Logge Via dei Neri .... ,, Al fresco Theatres. — Goldoni, Politeama, Corso Vitt. Emanuele. There are many more Theatres and places of amusement open at various times during the year, and announcements are always prominent in placards and newspaper advertisements. Post Office in the Portico degli Uffizi, open 8 — 10. Omnibuses run to all the gates of the city, and therefore can be easily utilized by the tourist. The fare is 10 c. English Church, Via Maglio, at the back of S. Marco. American Episcopal Church, Piazza del Carmine, No. ii. Presbyterian Service, Lung' Arno Guicciardini, No. 9. PRINCIPAL SIGHTS, AND TIMES FOR SEEING THEM. * Academy of Arts. — Daily, except Sunday, 9 to 3. p. 65. **The Baptistery (II Battisterio). — p. 15. Biblioteca Laurenziana. — Daily, except Sunday, 9 to 3. (1 franc.) Closed from Oct. 1st to Nov. 12th. p. 55. Biblioteca Nazionale. — Daily, except Sunday, 9 to 5. p. 45. *Boboli Gardens. — Open Sunday forenoon ; other days free on application, p. 73. -Campanile (Giotto's Tower). — Daily, p. 1 1. Ascent of Tower, 1 franc. Del Carmine. — p. 64. ^Cathedral (II Duomo). — p. 7. Ascent of dome, 1 franc. Churches. — Open in morning till 12 or 1, and in afternoon from 3 o'clock. Morning light best for visiting them. ^Convent of S. Marco. — Daily, Oct. to March inclusive, 9 to 3; April to Sept., 10 to 4. (1 franc.) Sundays free. p. 58. Dante's Monument. — p. 45. PRINCIPAL SIGHTS. 3 Egyptian and Etruscan Museum. — Daily, 9 to 3. (1 franc.) Sundays free. p. 68. **Gallerie degli Uffizi. — Daily, 9 to 3 ; Sundays and festivals, 10 to 3. Free. p. 30. House of Michael Angelo. — Monday and Thursday, 10 to 3. (i franc.) p. 75. ^Loggia dei Lanzi. — Daily, p. 25. Manufactory of Florentine Mosaics. — Daily, except Sunday. Free. p. 67. Museum of Natural Science. — Daily to foreigners on appli- cation to Secretary, p. 68. National Museum. — Daily, iot0 4. (1 franc.) Sundaysfree. p. 67. *Or San Michele. — p. 60. Palazzo Corsini. — Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, 10 to 3. (| franc. )^ p. 73. **Palazzo Pitti. — Daily, 9 to 3 ; Sundays and festivals, 10 to 3 ; Mondays, 12 to 3. Free. p. 69. Palazzo Riccardi. — Daily, 9 to 3. (Closed from 18th Aug. to 1 2th Nov.) Chapel of the Medici (| franc), p. 74. *Palazzo Strozzi. — Mondays, except festivals, 11 to 1. p. 74. Palazzo Torrigiani. — Monday to Friday, p. 75. *Palazzo Vecchio. — Daily. Free. p. 26. Piazza della SS Annunziata. — p. 55. *Piazza della Signoria. — p. 23. Piazza S. Croce. — p. 45. *Portico degli Uffizi. — Daily, p. 29. *SS. Annunziata. — p. 56. **S. Croce. — p. 45. And cloisters, p. 50. S. Lorenzo. — p. 50. New sacristy, daily, 8 to 12 and 3 to 4J ; Monday, 12 to 2. S. Marco. — p. 58. **Monastery of S. Marco. — Daily, 10 to 4. (1 franc.) Sunday free. *S. Maria Novella. — p. 61. Laboratory (J franc). S. Spirito. — p. 63. HISTORICAL NOTICE. The name of the city is said by some to be derived from Florinus a Roman ; by others, to owe its derivation to the fact that it is situated at the confluence of the Arno and Mugnone =Fluentia ; and others, who take a more poetical view of the case, derive the word from Flora, and call the city " The City of Flowers." 4 FLORENCE. A colony of Roman soldiers sent by Caesar Octavianus settled here after the victory of Perusia. Little is known of its early history, only occasional reference being made to it during the Roman Empire. A municipal government was given to Florence by Charlemagne, and from that time until a comparatively recent date her history has been one of con- stant interior dissension. The story of discords between the plebians and the nobles, and of the contests which ensued therefrom, would form too vast a subject to take in hand here. Nor would it interest the tourist to read again the story of the struggles between Guelphs and Ghibellines, when Popes and Emperors fought for power, and Guelphs supported the Popes, while those who were known as Ghibellines supported the Em- perors ; nor of the private quarrels which were fought under these public names. But feud after feud, now between the Uberti family and the Municipal council ; then the Uberti and the Buondelmonte ; then the Bianchi and the Neri ; varied by occasional outbreaks between the trades and the nobles ; and still more by war with other Italian cities, notably Pistoja, starved out by the Florentines in 1306 ; such is the history until the wealthy family of the Albizzi were at the head of the Republic in 1434. Then arose Cosmo de' Medici, a princely merchant, a popular citizen, a subtle, wily, and unscrupulous leader, who overthrew the administration of the Albizzi, and from that time forth for centuries the history of Florence becomes the history of the Medici family. When the Medici family became extinct (1737), abetter day began to dawn ; the Austro-Lorraine dynasty ruled, and ruled with a less iron rod ; many important reforms were introduced, and the way was being made for the progress and prosperity of succeeding days. But it was not until the expulsion of Leopold II., in i860, that despotism ceased. Then Tuscany became a part of the kingdom of Italy, and from 1864-70 Florence was the capital of the kingdom under Victor Emmanuel. " Rome, as all the world knows, was ' the eternal ; ' Naples, Ma bella;' Genoa, Ma surperba ; ' Lucca, * la industriosa ; ' Padua, ' la dotta ; ' and Bologna, ' la grassa,' etc. And Naples the beautiful, Genoa the superb, Lucca the industrious, Padua the learned, and Bologna the fat, were deemed, not SITUATION OF FLORENCE. 5 only by their own inhabitants, but by the general consent of Italy, to merit these special distinctions. And Florence, in many respects the noblest of them all, what was the peculiar characteristic of fair Florence ? • Firenze la Gentile ' was the style and title accorded by universal consent to the city, which historians have designated as the most republican of republics, and the qualities expressed by the term are readily recognised to be especially characteristic of the ' city of fair flowers, and flower of fair cities,' by those who know her well But the complete sense of the word is not so readily rendered by any one English adjective, as in the case of the epithets applied to other cities which have been quoted. " The reader will have seen at once that the word i gentile ' is etymologically equivalent to our adjective genteel. But, apart from the disagreeable vulgarity which the cant use of this unlucky word has stamped it with, ' genteel ' in its best day only partially conveyed the ideas comprised in the Italian word ' gentile. ; In the mouth of an Italian the idea expressed by it includes all the amenities and agreeabilities which result from a high state of civilisation and social culture. It is of all words that which most completely expresses what is in truth the special quality of Florence and the Florentines, and never was epithet more happily applied. The population of Florence does manifest assuredly, more than that of any city in the world the results of long and highly cultivated civilisation." Every year sees wonderful changes in Florence ; new walls, breast high, are taking the place of the unsightly old ones, new gates, new streets, new markets, new boulevards and piazzas. With liberty has come renewed life \ and yet, while all that was unworthy of the fairest city in the world is being banished from it, nothing that is dear to the lover of art or the student of history is desecrated, but rather the reverse ; and Florence is now beautiful as well as interesting, gay as well as solemn and instructive, and the " modern and ancient " do not clash with appalling contrasts. SITUATION OF FLORENCE. The " Fairest city in the world " is in the valley of the Arno, at the foot of gentle hills, guarded on the north and east by lofty mountains, and surrounded with charming hills and valleys, 6 FLORENCE. views of mountain and plains, and everything that nature can lavish and art devise to make her pre-eminently the " Beauti- ful City." The city is intersected by the Arno, a river whose glories have been sung in many a poet's song, deservedly or unde- servedly let the tourist decide when he stands upon any of the bridges which span it. When we have seen it, it has always been much thicker than pure water should be, of a dull dirty colour, crested with dirtier foam, and in no respect worthy to be compared as a river with the Thames at London Bridge ; for all that, Florence would not be Florence without the Arno. Says one of her sweetest poets : " How little dreams The traveller of to-day, who sees thee glass Thy sunny charms within the Arno's breast, How oft they've reddened with thy children's blood ! " And yet perchance the traveller of to-day may see more beauty in the historical and poetical Arno, than in the prosaic appearance of the river that flows at his feet. Monte Morello, a noble hill, rises to the north of the city ; the Fiesolen Hills rise on the east ; beyond them the hills of Vallombrosa, while to the south are the hills of San Miniato, San Giorgio, and Bellosguardo. Taking Bellosguardo as a standpoint, Mrs. Browning gives a fine description of the view : — " I found a house at Florence, on the hill Of Bellosguardo. Tis a tower which keeps A post of double-observation o'er That valley of Arno (holding as a hand The outspread city), straight toward Fiesole, And Mount Morello, and the setting sun, The Vallombrosan mountains opposite, Which sunrise fills as full as crystal cups Turned red to the brim because their wine is red. No sun could die, nor yet be born, unseen By dwellers at my villa : morn and eve Were magnified before us in the pure Illimitable space and pause of sky, Intense as angels' garments blanched with God, Less blue than radiant. From the outer wall Of the garden, drops the mystic floating gray Of olive-trees, (with interruptions green From maize and vine) until 'tis caught and torn Upon the abrupt black line of cypresses Which signs the way to Florence. Beautiful THE DUOMO. 7 The city lies along the ample vale, Cathedral, tower and palace, piazza and street, The river trailing like a silver cord Through all, and curling loosely, both before And after, over the whole stretch of land Sown whitely up and down its opposite slopes With farms and villas." Florence is a city of palaces, of gardens, of stately churches, broad streets, and piazzas, fascinating, winsome, and irresist- ibly attractive ; and, (as in Venice) every street is a chapter in her history, and every house a leaf of the chapter. Art was born here, and flourishes to this day. ' ' Where'er our charm'd and wondering gaze we turn, Art, History, and Tradition wait to claim Our deepest thought : statues and marble groups Adorn the streets ; the very stones have tongues, — The holy fanes, the towers, are eloquent. " The city was until recently surrounded by walls, which could ill have stood the destructive implements of modern warfare, if unhappily they might ever have been put to the test ; but that is now of no moment, for the walls have been quite recently almost entirely removed. The nine different gates, however, remain, and they are old and inter- esting. Opposite the San Gallo Gate, leading to Bologna and Fiesole, is a triumphal arch to commemorate the en- trance of Francis II., in 1738. Seven bridges cross the Arno, two of which are suspension bridges. THE DUOMO- (Or, Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore.) Probably the site of this church has always been sacred ground. Christianity was introduced into Florence in the reign of Nero, a.d. 56, and the first Christian Bishop recognised was Felice, who held office in the year 315 or thereabouts. The church or cathedral in which he officiated is supposed to have been San Salvador. Later on one Reparato was bishop, and he pulled down San Salvador, and raised up a church in honour of Santa Reparata. Finally the present massive and extensive Church of Santa Maria del Fiore was commenced in 1298 by Arnolfo del Camfrio, who was instructed by the Florentines 8 FLORENCE. to rear a temple which was to exceed in magnificence any- thing the world had yet seen. Arnolfo died before the work was anything like completed, and for thirty years it remained untouched. Then Giotto proceeded with the building, assisted by other artists. Finally Brunelleschi, after the death of Giotto, under- took the work, and nearly completed it ; but generations passed away before the cathedral presented the appearance it does to-day. It is a magnificent structure, and its dimensions are as follows : — length, 501 ft. ; extreme height, 388 ft. \ transept, 305 ft. long; nave and aisles, 129 ft. wide; height of nave, 154 ft. ; side aisles, 97 ft. Especially notice the Dome, stated to be the widest in the world, the work of Brunelleschi. It is 138 ft. in diameter, and is the first double-dome ever built, and the first ever raised upon a drum. This wonderful cupola was a model for Michael Angelo, when engaged on the design of S. Peter's at Rome : the legend goes that when he "was told that he had now an opportunity of surpassing the dome of Florence," he replied, " I will make her sister dome larger \ yes, but not more beautiful." The exterior of the cathedral is adorned with marbles of many colours, giving to the building a rich appearance under the brilliant midday sun. The Porch facing the Via Ricasoli, with pillars resting on the backs of lions, is very graceful. The statue over the door is by Donatello. In lunette, Virgin, Child, and Saints, by Jacopo della Quercia of Siena. Opposite the Via dei Servi is a celebrated bas relief, the chefdceuvre of Jacopo della Quercia. Walk all round the cathedral, and at every step will be seen something to attract special attention, as, the tracery of the windows, the various portals, statues, etc. ; and then cross over to the Via del Proconsolo, where the general effects of the whole building can be best seen. The interior is sure to disappoint the tourist on first entering, as it is unusually dark and sombre ; but let no one enter the church, walk round, and pass away with this im- pression upon him. Coming in from the exceedingly bright sunshine outside, it is some minutes before the eye becomes accustomed to the dull and dark church ; but by-and-by, as the eyes become thoroughly accustomed to it, a great impression will be made on the mind by the soft and tender beauty of the light streaming in through the stained windows, and uniting THE DUOMO. 9 the monuments and drapery and many-tinted marbles in one harmonious beauty of light and colour. Nathaniel Hawthorne well describes the general appear- ance of the interior of the Duomo — " The entrance of the Duomo being just across the piazza, I went in there after leaving the Baptistery, and was struck anew — for this is the third or fourth visit — with the dim grandeur of the interior, lighted as it is almost exclusively by painted windows, which seem to me worth all the variegated marbles and rich cabinet work of St. Peter's. The Florentine Cathedral has a spacious and lofty nave, and side aisles divided from it by pillars; but there are no chapels along the aisles, so that there is far more breadth and freedom of interior, in proportion to the actual space, than is usual in churches The pillars and walls of the Duomo are of a uniform brownish neutral tint ; the pavement a mosaic-work of marble ; the ceiling of the dome itself is covered with frescoes, which, being very imperfectly lighted, it is impossible to trace out. Indeed, it is but a twilight region that is enclosed within the firmament of this great dome, which is actually larger than that of St. Peter's, though not lifted so high from the pavement. But looking at the painted windows, I little cared what dimness there might be elsewhere ; for certainly the art of man has never contrived any other beauty and glory at all to be compared to this. " The dome sits as it were upon three smaller domes — smaller, but still great — beneath which are three vast niches, forming the transepts of the cathedral and the tribune behind the high altar. All round these hollow dome-covered arches or niches are high and narrow windows crowded with saints, angels, and all manner of blessed shapes, that turn the common daylight into a miracle of richness and splendour, as it passes through their heavenly substance. It is a pity anybody should die without seeing an antique painted window with the bright Italian sunshine glowing through it. ; ' The principal objects of interest are — The Monument to Filippo Brunelleschi, the architect of the wonderful cupola. The inscription in honour of Sir Christopher Wren in S. Paul's Cathedral would be appropriate here : " Reader, if you would behold his monument, look around you." The Monument of Giotto stands near to that of Brunel- leschi. Giotto's true monument, however, is not the cathedral, but the magnificent campanile beside it. (See p. n.) 10 FLORENCE. The monument of Marsilio Ficino, the reviver of the Platonic philosophy, the friend of Lorenzo the Magnificent. A. Ferrucci. North of the main entrance is the memorial of Sir John Hawkswood, the work of . . . Paolo Uccelli. Mosaics over the door, Coronation of the Virgin. Gaddo Gaddi, Equestrian portrait of Nicolo Tolentino, by Andrea del Castagno. Over the second door is the monument of Bishop Antonio d'Orso, who is celebrated for having, when the city was besieged by the Emperor Henry VI L, manned the walls with the cathedral canons. Andrea Pisano. The windows in this transept are very fine, and are attributed to Domenico Livi da Gambassi, 1434. The cupola is painted from designs of Vasari, and repre- sent Heaven and Hell, Prophets, Saints, and Angels. The pavement is composed of rich marble, and deserves attention. At the back of the high altar there is a group of statuary representing the Entombment, an unfinished work of Michael Angelo. It was executed when he was an old man, eighty-one years of age, and is said to have been intended for his own tomb, but was abandoned in consequence of the marble being defective. The sacristry is interesting from the fact that Lorenzo de' Medici fled to it for safety from the attack of Pazzi, who had but the moment before killed his brother as the two knelt in prayer before the altar. The doors of the Sagrestia Nuova are of bronze, the work of Luca della Robbia. The figures on the frieze are by Donatello. A marble slab in the centre of the pavement in the north transept was used in the service of astronomy as early as 1468. It is the gnomon of Paolo Toscanelli, on which the rays of the sun fell through an opening in the lantern of the cupola, and showed the position of the sun at the summer solstice. In the north aisle may be seen a portrait of Dante, by Domenico de Michelino, a pupil of Fra Angelico, representing the poet holding in his hand the Divina Commedia. Florence with its old walls is receiving the light which falls from the book. The Latin verses are by Politian. Monument to Arnolfo di Cambio, the original architect of the cathedral, by Bartolini. " The last monument in this aisle is to Antonio Squarcialupi, a celebrated organist and composer, born in 1440. He en- THE CAMPANILE. II joyed a European reputation, and was employed by Lorenzo de' Medici to build organs for the baptistery and cathedral. He also built two organs for old S. Paul's in London, both of which perished in the great fire. His bust on the monument is by Benedetto da Majano" In various parts of the church there are statues by Baccio Bandinelli, Savino, Rovezzano, and other artists of an early date. This solemn, but magnificent cathedral has many historical associations ; here, as we have seen, on the 26th April, 1478, when the priest was elevating the host at high mass, Guiliano de' Medici fell by the murderous blow of Pazzi, while Lorenzo fled to the sacristy, and escaped from the conspirators, who thought to have given liberty to Florence. Here, when the Turks were approaching Constantinople, the Greek Emperor fell before the Pope, pledging himself and all his people to renounce the errors of the Greek Church, and adopt the truths of the Roman, provided treasure and assistance were given him to resist the foe. Here Frederick IIL, the Emperor of Germany, "forgetting that the holy spirit of the place was one of peace and good- will to all men, knighted some scores of the bravest or fiercest of his cut-throat soldiery." But to tell of all the scenes the Duomo has witnessed, would be to tell the history of Florence since the days of Arnolfo. Italy has many churches of vast extent and magnificence, of which any country might well be proud : but the Duomo of Florence has this interest beyond them all, that its fine double cupola was the first ever reared in Europe ; that it has served as a model for all time, and that it introduced a new era into the history of architecture. THE CAMPANILE, Or Bell Tower, like many others in Italy, stands apart from the church • but Giotto's tower, as the Campanile at Florence is so often called, differs from all other Campanili, from the fact that it is Giotto's. The prosaic details we will give first, and then some of the thoughts which this wonderful work, praised perhaps more than anything in architecture, has inspired. It was begun in 1334, and Giotto was instructed to surpass 12 FLORENCE. in magnificence of design and structure everything the world had ever seen. The tower is square-built, and rises to the height of 276 ft. It is coated from base to summit with variegated marbles, and is divided into four storeys, the tallest being the basement and the topmost storeys. Solid as the building is, crowded as it is with tablets, reliefs, and statues, there is a lightness and elegance, and an ethereal beauty about it which no word- painting can ever make a reader realize. Every minute detail demands a close inspection. The bas- reliefs on the basement are the work of Giotto, representing architecture and sculpture ; the remainder are by Luca della Robbia and Andrea Pisano. Beginning our inspection on the side nearest the Duomo, and proceeding to the right, we shall examine the tablets in the following order : — West. I. Creation of Adam. II. Creation of Eve. III. Their occupation. IV. Jabal (the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle). V. Jubal (the father of all such as handle the harp and organ). VI. Tubal Cain (the instructor of every artificer in brass and iron). VII. Noah's Drunkenness. South. I. Early religious worship. II. Building a house. III. Providing it with necessaries. IV. Training a horse for service. V. Woman's domestic work. VI. Legislation. VII. Emigration (Daedalus flying). East. I. Navigation. II. Hercules and Antaeus (symbolical of war). III. Agriculture. THE CAMPANILE. 1 3 IV. The horse trained. V. The Lamb bearing the Cross. VI. Architecture (by Giotto). North. I. Sculpture. II. Painting. III. Grammar. IV. Poetry. V. Philosophy. VI. Astronomy. VII. Music. Over these are — West. The seven Cardinal Virtues. South. The seven Works of Mercy. East. The seven Planets, or the seven Beatitudes. North. The seven Sacraments, minus one removed to make way for a door. Above the reliefs are sixteen statues, four on each side. Some of them are by Donatello, and two on the west side are portraits of his friends, Francesco Solderini and Barduccio Cherichini. The latter is known as the Zuccone, or great gourd, which is equivalent to Baldhead, and is considered one of the artist's best works. The other statues are : South, four prophets (three by Andrea Pisano) ; east, four patriarchs ; north, four sibyls. The ascent of the Campanile is very easy, and will well repay the trouble, as the view is very fine. (414 steps.) The largest of the six bells is called La Santa Reparata, and bears the arms of the Medici. 14 FLORENCE. The story of Giotto has been so often told, and the wonders he wrought so frequently described, that it will be enough if we only tell again the story of his early life, and we do so in the words of Mrs. Jameson. " About the year 1289, when Cimabue (see p. 65) was already old and at the height of his fame, as he was riding in the valley of Vespignano, about fourteen miles from Florence, his attention was attracted by a boy who was herding sheep, and who, while his flocks were feeding around, seemed intently drawing on a smooth fragment of slate, with a bit of pointed stone, the figure of one of his sheep as it was quietly grazing before him. Cimabue rode up to him, and looking with astonishment at the performance of the untutored boy, asked him if he would go with him and learn ; to which the boy replied that he was right willing, if his father were content. The father, a herdsman of the valley, by name Bondone, being consulted, gladly consented to the wish of the noble stranger, and Giotto henceforth became the inmate and pupil of Cimabue/' This pretty story, which was first related by Lorenzo Ghiberti, the sculptor (born 1378), and since by Vasari, and a thousand others, luckily rests on evidence as satisfactory as can be given for any events of a rude and distant age, and may well obtain our belief, as well as gratify our fancy ; it has been the subject of many pictures, and is introduced in Rogers's " Italy " : — ". . . . Let us wander thro' the fields, Where Cimabue found the shepherd-boy Tracing his idle fancies on the ground." Rapidly the talent of the shepherd-boy was developed, and his fame spread throughout the civilised world. " The Pope Boniface VIII., learning of his marvellous skill, invited him to Rome, and the story says that the messenger of his Holiness, wishing to have some proof that Giotto was indeed the man he was in search of, desired to see a specimen of his excellence in his art ; hereupon Giotto, taking up a sheet of paper, traced on it, with a single flourish of his hand, a circle so perfect, that ' it was a miracle to see ; ' and (though we know not how or why) seems to have at once converted the Pope to a belief of his superiority over all other painters. This story gave rise to the well-known Italian proverb, ' Phi tondo che P O de' Giotto ' (rounder than the O of Giotto), THE BAPTISTERY. I 5 and is something like a story told of one of the Grecian painters." Many have told the story of Giotto's life, and more have written of his work. Longfellow has this pleasing passage : 4 " In the old Tuscan town stands Giotto's tower, The city of Florence blossoming in stone — A vision, a delight, and a desire, The builder's perfect and centennial flower. " THE BAPTISTERY. (Battisterio di San Giovanni.) The Baptistery stands apart from the church, as a distinct edifice, by no means unusual in Italian cities.* It is an octa- gonal building, surmounted by a dome and lantern. The black and white marble with which the outer wall is encased is the work of Arnolfo (1293). The building itself is very old, some date it from 589, others from 725. It was at first used as the cathedral ; but when Santa Maria del Fiore was built, it became a baptistery, although many contend that it was designed from the first for that object. It was dedicated to S. John from a very early period, and Florence has always been distinguished as the city of that Saint. Dante has made the association indelible by the phrase in the Paradiso — "Tell me about the sheepfold of S. John," And by his allusion in the same canto to the Festival of S. John, on the 24th of June, when the "wild horses," let loose from the statue of Mars, near the Ponte Vecchio, terminated their course at the baptistery. George Elliot has done much to popularise the story of Florence, in that admirable work which every visitor to the city should read, "Romola." The following extract will be read with interest : — * A baptistery did not represent a parish only, but all the city and the suburbs, and it may be said of the baptisteries at Florence and at Pisa, that the whole city was baptised in them. Some idea of the number who have received this Christian rite in Florence may be gathered from the fact that in the 1 3th- 15th centuries the population was so large that Machia- velli says the bells of the Campanile sounding the tocsin would in a few hours bring together 135,000 well-armed men, and all these from Florence alone, with the adjoining valley of the Arno. 1 6 FLORENCE. "San Giovanni had been the patron saint of Florence for at least 800 years, — ever since the time when the Lombard Queen, Theodolinda, had commanded her subjects to do him peculiar honour; nay, says old Villani, to the best of his knowledge, ever since the days of Constantine the Great and Pope Sylvester, when the Florentines deposed their idol Mars, whom they were nevertheless careful not to treat with contumely ; for while they consecrated their beautiful and noble temple to the honour of God and of the ' Beato Messere Santo Giovanni,' they placed old Mars respectfully on a high tower near the river Arno, finding in certain ancient memorials that he had been elected as their tutelar deity, under such astral influences, that if he were broken, or otherwise treated with indignity, the city would suffer great damage and mutation. But in the 15th century that discreet regard to the feelings of the man-destroyer had long vanished : the god of the spear and shield had ceased to frown by the side of the Arno, and the defences of the Republic were held to lie in its craft and its coffers ; for spear and shield could be hired by gold florins, and on the gold florins there had always been the image of San Giovanni. " Much good has come to Florence since the dim time of struggle between the old patron and the new ; some quarrelling and bloodshed doubtless between Guelph and Ghibelline, between Black and White, between orthodox sons of the Church and heretic Paterini, some floods, famine, and pesti- lence, but still much wealth and glory. Florence had achieved conquests over walled cities once mightier than itself, and especially over hated Pisa, whose marble buildings were too high and beautiful, whose masts were too much honoured on Greek and Italian coasts. The name of Florence had been growing prouder and prouder in all the courts of Europe, nay, in Africa itself, on the strength of purest gold coinage, finest dyes and textures, pre-eminent scholarship and poetic genius, •and wits of the most serviceable sort for statesmanship and banking; it was a name so omnipresent, that a pope, with a turn for epigram, had called Florentines 'the fifth element.' And for this high destiny — though it might partly depend on the stars and Madonna delf Impruneta, and certainly depended on other higher Powers less often named — the praise was greatly due to San Giovanni, whose image was on fair gold florins/' The three bronze doors of the Baptistery are its principal curiosity and greatest charm. The southern gate is the work THE BAPTISTERY. 1 7 of Andrea Pisano, completed 1330; the other two by Ghiberti, 1424. An open competition took place for the honour of making these latter gates ; and amongst the competitors were Brunelleschi, Donatello, Jacopo della Quercia, and Ghiberti ; upon the latter the choice fell, although it is said he was then but twenty years of age. " Ghiberti s genius, notwithstanding the inflexible material in which he embodied his conception, was in its natural bent pictorial rather than sculptural ; and each panel of his beautiful gates is in fact a picture in relief, and must be considered and judged as such. Regarding them in this point of view, and not subjecting them to those rules of criticism which apply to sculpture, we shall be able to appreciate the astonishing fertility of invention exhibited in the various designs \ the felicity and clearness with which every story is told, the grace and naivete of some of the figures, the simple grandeur of others, the luxuriant fancy displayed in the ornaments, and the perfection with which the whole is executed ; and to echo the energetic praise of Michael Angelo, who pronounced these gates ' worthy to be the gates of Paradise.'" The subjects on the northern gates, by Ghiberti, are Scenes in the Life and History of the Saviour, from the Annunciation to the Descent of the Holy Spirit. It is in twenty panels. The subjects on the eastern gates, by Ghiberti, are Scenes in Old Testament History ; and these are considered to greatly excel those upon the northern gates, and to show the surprising development of the genius of the artist. The scenes are,— 1. Adam and Eve. 7. Moses on Sinai. 2. Cain and Abel. 8. Joshua at Jericho. 3. Noah. 9. David and Gcliath. 4. Abraham and Isaac. 10. Solomon and the Queen 5. Jacob and Esau. of Sheba. 6. Joseph. Ghiberti died before his work was completed, and the lower reliefs were finished by his pupils. The southern gate, by Andrea Pisano, completed about seventy years before the others were commenced, represents Scenes from the Life and History of St. John Baptist, divided into twenty compartments. A festival was celebrated throughout Tuscany on the event- ful day when this gate was exhibited to the delighted and wondering Florentines ; but when the gates of Ghiberti were 18 FLORENCE. completed, those of Andrea Pisano were removed to make room for them. It will not be needful to describe all the statues, statuettes, friezes, and borderings which adorn the gates, but they should be carefully studied ; and as some of them are too high to be seen easily, a glass should be used. Notice especially the figures of Hope, Justice, Charity, etc., over Pisano's gate ; and the framework of foliage, flowers, and other devices, around Ghiberti's northern gate ; and a quail ingeniously introduced in the ornamentation of the eastern gate. Originally the gates were gilt, but the gilding has long since worn off. Every visitor to the South Kensington Museum will remember the casts exhibited there ; they give a faithful representation of the original, and are richly gilded. By the sides of the principal entrance will be seen two porphyry columns, which were given to the Republic by the Pisans in 1 117, in gratitude for important services rendered by the Florentines, who were then friendly disposed towards Pisa, and kept guard over that city while her warlike citizens went to the conquest of Majorca and Minorca. The interior of the Baptistery is dull as the Duomo on first entering ; presently one discovers statues of prophets and apostles, and, looking up into the cupola, sees that it is covered with mosaics \ they are of an early date, and stu- pendous in size, and represent the Saviour seated in judgment, surrounded by archangels, thrones, principalities, and powers, good and evil. Notice the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with the souls of men in their laps, and the Evil One literally devouring a soul that he has sought. These mosaics are the work of Andrea Tafi, Gaddo Gaddi, Lippo Lippi, Apollonio, a Greek, and others. A statue in wood, representing Mary Magdalene, has been the subject of much attention; some consider it simply hideous, while others trace in it marvellous power. It is the work of Donatello. The font, which originally stood in the Baptistery, and was used, as were all the baptisteries in the earlier days in the Christian Church, for adult immersion, was removed in 157 1, greatly to the displeasure of the Florentine citizens. A smaller font attached to it was inadvertently broken by Dante, when attempting to save a child from drowning during the ceremony of baptism, and is thus referred to in (Longfellow's translation of) his poem : — THE PIAZZA DEL DUOMO. 19 " To me less ample seemed they not, nor greater Than those that in my beautiful St. John Are fashioned for the Place of the Baptizers, And one of which, not many years ago, I broke for some one, who was drowning in it. Be this a seal, all men to undeceive. " In the centre o the pavement, which is an ingenious white and black mosaic, is a portion representing the signs of the zodiac around the sun, supposed to have been the work of Strozzo Strozzi, an astrologer, 1048, and to have once been i:i such a position in the building, that at mid-day, on the Feast of St. John the Baptist, the sun's rays fell upon it. THE PIAZZA DEL DUOMO. The Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza del Battisterio lead one into the other, and really form one large piazza. Many memorable places cluster round us here. As we are now in the Piazza of St. John, we will take the building nearest to hand. The Guardaroba, close to the Duomo, is, besides being a place for the vestments of the priests, an ecclesiastical treasury. It contains among many other things the famous Altar Table {Dos salt) of the Baptistery, which took over a hundred years to make (1366 — 1477), and is only to be seen on the Festival of St. John. It is of silver, elegantly enamelled; stands 5 ft. high by 1 5 ft. long ; and was the work of many of the first artists of the 14th and 15th centuries. A statuette of St. John the Baptist, by Michelozzo di Bartolommeo, is the gem of the Dossale, although forty-two others appear upon it. A silver crucifix (1456), much admired. Betto di Francesco and Antonio del Pollaiola. Various pyxes. Two mosaic pictures from Venice. Picture of St. Caterinia, attributed to Giotto. The Opera del Duomo, also close to the Duomo, contains plans and models of the cathedral, and interesting documents relating to its construction ; also some valuable Roman remains, statues and bas-reliefs. The Misericordia and the Bigallo stand at the corners of the Via Calzaioli. They represent much of the history of the Florentine people, and have played important parts in the story of Florence. 2 FLORENCE. The origin of the Misericordia is well told in " Walks in Florence." It happened in this wise : In the year 1240, a man named Pietro Borsi, wishing to amend the corrupt habits of his friends, organised a system of fines for any of them who blasphemed the name of the Holy Virgin or of Christ. It was agreed. And when the question of disposirv the money thus obtained came to be discussed, it was d cided to buy six litters for the conveyance of the sick to hospitals, or the dead to burial. The thing grew, and eventually the society increased so much, that the Brothers of Mercy, as they called themselves, and their black dress and black litter, were known throughout Florence. They increased in wealth as they increased in influence, especially after the great plague, in which they greatly dis- tinguished themselves, and after a time they began to build. Among their buildings is the beautiful Loggia, which was the vestibule of their oratory, but was subsequently removed, and is now the Loggia to the Oratory of the Bigallo (at the opposite corner of the street), with which society they were compelled to unite by a decree of the Signory. It was not long, how- ever, before they separated again, and the Misericordia Nuovo became one of the most prosperous and influential bodies in the city, and " the Misericordia continues faithful to its work of six centuries. At a sound from the Campanile of the Cathedral, the Giomante, or day worker, hastens to the residence in the Piazza to learn his duties from the captains, or Capo di Guardia; a half-hourglass is turned to mark the interval between the summons and his arrival. Every Giornante is provided with his long black dress and the hood which covers his face, only leaving holes for the eyes, so that he may not be recognised when upon his labours of mercy. . . . " The society is composed of 72 captains, or Capo di Guardia; of 175 Giornanti, or day workers, 25 of whom are expected to be in daily attendance ; and of a certain number who give their services by night ; besides these there is a more numerous set of those who are called buona voglia, or volunteers. . . . Men of every class in Florence belong to the Misericordia, all willing to assist their fellow-creatures in distress." The hospital of the Bigallo is adorned, as has already been stated, with the Loggia built for the Misericordia. It has been attributed to Nicolb Pisano and to Andi-ea Orcagna, and is most probably the work of the latter. Notice over the arch two statues of great beauty, probably by the architect. THE PIAZZA DEL DUOMO. 21 In the interior there are some good frescoes. In the oratory a statue of the Virgin, by Arnoldo Arnoldi. Below the statue some paintings by Ghirlandaio. The Via del Morte, near to the Misericordia, is the scene of the story of Ginevra, who, it will be remembered by every- body, was buried when in a swoon, which was mistaken for death. She revived, however, raised the stone, and escaped. She sought her home, and passed down this narrow way (whence its name) ; but neither her father nor her husband would receive her, — so she went to an old lover, who married her, it having been decreed that a woman dead and buried was freed from marriage obligation. The story is beautifully told by Boccaccio, and many will remember the metrical version in the Enfield Speaker, always popular at Penny Readings. On the northern side of the Baptistery is a marble pillar, and it has stood there since the 14th century, a silent witness to the miraculous power of St. Zanobius. When that saint's remains were being carried past this spot, the bier touched a withered tree which stood here, and immediately it burst out into leaves and buds. And every year, on the celebration of the saint's burial (January 26th), a metal branch is placed upon the column, in commemoration of the miracle. On the S. of the Piazza Duomo, immediately in front of the residence of the canon, there are two statues by Pampaloni, a modern Italian artist, of Brunelleschi and Arnolfo — the former is studying a plan of the Dome, which is open on his lap, and, looking up, beholds his perfected work. A few steps farther on is the celebrated Sasso di Dante {Stone of Dante), marking the spot where he is said to have frequently sat to gaze upon the cathedral : — " On the stone Called Dante's — a plain flat stone scarce discerned From others in the pavement — whereupon He used to bring his quiet chair out, turned To Brunelleschi 's church, and pour alone The lava of his spirit when it burned." As we linger at this traditional spot, it will be well to refresh our memories with the history of the great poet in whose foot- steps we shall so often be treading in the city. Let the author of "Mary Powell " tell the story. "In the streets of Florence might have been seen an austere, almost spectral-looking man, with something noble in his aspect, who, as he passed along, now gravely nodded to 22 FLORENCE. the learned Brunetto ; now paused to chat for a few minutes with the noble Guido Cavalcanti ; now smiled familiarly at Giotto the painter, or laid his hand on his shoulder, and asked with interest what progress he was making in his famous Coronation of the Virgin, or described to him a vision of his own, the marriage of St. Francis with Poverty, in such vivid, burning words, that* the artist hastened home and made a rough sketch of it for future use. " That man was Dante Alighieri. He was born in Florence in 1265. He was of good birth and education ; of a thoughtful, melancholic temperament ; had already fought in two battles ; had married unhappily ; and had plunged into public life. He is said to have been entrusted with fourteen embassies ; he was also one of the Priors or chief magistrates of Florence in 1300 ; and, siding with the Bianchi, he opposed a project of sending for Charles of Valois to silence the dissensions of the city ; in which we must esteem him a true patriot. " He was, however, overruled. Charles of Valois was invited to Florence, and speedily drove the White Guelfs out of it, never to return, under penalty of being burnt alive. Among these exiles was Dante, who, however, did not immediately quit Tuscany, but assisted the Bianchi in various fruitless attempts to re-enter the city. "At length, with a bitter heart he shook off the dust on his feet against it, and proceeded, depressed and destitute, to the court of Can Grande della Scala, Lord of Verona. Here, he says, he found how salt is the taste of another man's bread, and how hard it is to climb another man's stairs. His rough sarcastic nature was little appreciated by the luxurious patron who sheltered him ; he winced under his home truths and ter- rible plainness ; and asked him one day, in a marked manner, how it was that the court jester was much more popular. ' There is nothing to surprise one in it,' replied Dante gravely. ' Similitude of tastes is the chief bond of friendship.' " He wandered forth to other courts — to Padua — to Urbino — to Bologna. " Meanwhile, his wondrous poem was shadowing itself forth, {and taking the gloomy hue of his ideas. Its subject was dark and horrible : its treatment was severe ; yet it boasted flowers of exquisite poetry that sprang up like the vegetation in the neighbourhood of a volcano. He interwove it with the philo- sophy and theology of the age ; he introduced living friends and foes into the drama with questionable taste, and bestowed PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA. 23 on them imaginary woes, according to his own judgment of their merits and demerits. Yet his pages were interwoven with immutable truths, and abounded in lofty morality. " Printing was not as yet invented ; but no sooner was his Divina Comnudia completed, than it was copied, re-copied, commented upon with eager interest from one end of Italy to the other. And, so soon as printing multiplied copies to a hitherto undreamed of extent, it became sown over the land thick as leaves on Vallombrosa — the next Italian book printed to the Bible. Five hundred years have passed, and its spell, as of some old oracle, still lies on us." PIAZZA DELLA SIGNORIA. This is the heart of Florence, as the Piazza S. Marco is of Venice. Here bustle to and fro the business men of Florence, here linger the artist and the student ; here the visitor derives his first thrilling impression of the wealth of art in the fair city ; here cluster memories and associations in- numerable : and here is a centre around which are grouped many of the most notable public buildings. It is only recently that this large square has resumed its old name, having for 200 years been designated the Piazza del Gran' Duca. As this is one of the first places the tourist visits, and as he must return to it again and again, we will first briefly sketch its history, and then its surroundings. Originally it was a small space, but houses, churches, and palaces have been from time to time removed, until it now presents a large open space. On great civic occasions it was the meeting place of the multitude ; in many a riot it has been celebrated \ at the great festival of St. John it was here the de- pendencies of Florence gathered to offer their tribute and pay homage to the state : here, too, passed the prisoners released during the great festival, with their names written on white paper mitres ; here stood the Tribune from whence the Re- publican orators delivered their speeches ; and here perished Savonarola at the stake. The story has been told in history and in fiction ; by friends and enemies of the Reformation ; by Christians and by infidels \ and the universal testimony is, that Savonarola was the greatest man of his age. We need not linger on the cruel scene ; we would rather think of it as it is 24 FLORENCE. described to us in " Romola; " but a passage from an able article " On Savonarola," in one of the reviews, may help us to think of the man who shook this city to its centre, and swayed the minds of princes and people as no other man had ever done before. " On the 22nd May, 1498, it was announced to Savonarola and his friends, Domenico and Maruffi, that they were to be executed by fire the next morning ; our heroic preacher was thoroughly resigned to his share of the doom, saying to Domenico, ' Knowest thou not it is not permitted to a man to choose the mode of his own death ?' The three friends partook of the Sacrament of the Holy Supper administered by Savon- arola. He said, ' We shall soon be there, where we can sing with David, " Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity ! " ' They were then taken to the tribunal, where they were divested of all their priestly decorations, during which the Bishop took Savonarola by the hand, saying, ' Thus I exclude thee from the Church militant and triumphant.' ' From the Church militant thou may est,' exclaimed Savonarola, ' but from the Church triumphant thou canst not; that does not belong to thee.' .... The last that was beheld of him was his hand uplifted as if to bless the people \ the last that was heard of him, ' My Saviour, though innocent, willingly died for my sins, and should not I willingly give up this poor body out of love to Him ?' The cinders of the bodies of the martyred friars were carted away, and thrown into the river Arno. Of course, shortly after his death the tide of feeling turned. RarTaelle painted him amongst the doctors of the Church, in the very halls of the Vatican. As to his writings, they were declared by the very Pope Alexander VI. to be free from all blame. Of course, too, superstition has surrounded with especial sorrow his persecutors : one, Giovanni Maretti, perished miserably, crying out in terrible anguish, ' Oh this hand ! the friar is torturing it.' The Fran- ciscans received the reward promised for their opposition to the Father ; but when the first payment was made to them, the chamberlain said, as he handed over the money, ' Take the price of the blood of the just.' ' The prophets without arms,' says Machiavelli, 'have always got the worst of it. ; Savonarola was a prophet without arms ; assuredly he worsted visibly in the strife ; but he was an illustrious precursor of those opinions which in the course of a few years shook Rome to its centre. The principles he had proclaimed, the changes THE LOGGIA DE' LANZI. 25 he sought to effect, were published and brought about by a youth living while Savonarola was dying, Martin Luther. Since his day of martyrdom much controversy has been held as to whether or no he belonged to Rome. Rome assuredly cast him out, and burnt him as a heretic. The bishop, who presided at his execution said — but his words more especially applied to the friar Domenico — 'Let us send him to death. A miserable friar more or less is of small consequence.' ,; THE LOGGIA DE' LANZI. So named from a guard of Swiss Lancers who were placed there when in attendance on the Grand Duke Cosimo I. It is the work of Orcagna, and is not unfrequently termed the Loggia di Orcagna. It is so perfect, that even Michael Angelo said it was incapable of improvement, and suggested that the beautifully proportioned arches should be carried all round the Piazza. The Loggia is filled with some of the finest sculpture in the world, and of world-wide fame, insomuch that every traveller who looks upon the Loggia for the first time recognises immediately a group of old friends with whom he has been long familiar from casts, photographs, paintings, or other means of conveying an idea, but only an idea, of the originals. It contains the celebrated Perseus, by Benvenuto Cellini, with statues and reliefs upon the pedestal also by Cellini. Mrs. Browning, in Casa Guidi Windows, speaks of the Loggia ". . . where is set Cellini's godlike Perseus, bronze or gold, (How name the metal, when the statue flings Its soul so in our eyes ?) with brow and sword Superbly calm, as all opposing things Slain with the Gorgon. ..." The Rape of the Sabines . . . Giovanni di Bologna. Judith slaying Holofernes Donatello. Ancient colossal statues, Priestesses of Romulus. Hercules slaying the Centaur . . Giovanni di Bologna. Dying Patroclus supported by Ajax. The Rape of Polyxena .... Fedi (1866). Near the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio there stood for nearly four centuries the celebrated statue of David, by 26 FLORENCE. Michael Angelo, called sometimes 77 Gigante, the Giant. It was placed here in 1504, and in 1873 was removed to the Academy (see p. 67). " There is a tradition that Michael Angelo in his old age was in the habit of sitting in a chair placed to the right of the entrance to the palace, from which he could contemplate his favourite work ; and here he amused himself by chiselling a profile which may still be traced on the rough stone." The group Hercules and Caius, of immense proportions, is by B actio Bandinelli (1546). The Marzocco, or Lion of Florence, is not by any means so popular a character as the Winged Lion of St. Mark at Venice. It is to be met with, however, in many places in the city. The lion in the Piazza is the work of Donatello. The Fountain of Neptune, an enormous group, with rather a drunken-looking Neptune, surrounded by Tritons and sea-horses, is the work of Bartolommeo Amrnanati, and was executed in 157 1. It stands on the site once occupied by the Ringhiera or Tribune (see p. 23). Near the fountain is the equestrian Statue of Cosimo I. (see below) in bronze, the work of Giovanni di Bologna. It is a noble monument, and is considered to be one of the artist's best works. The horse is very fine. In walking round the Piazza, notice on the northern side the Palazzo Uguccione, a fine building dating from 1550, the design of which is attributed to Raphael. Standing in the Loggia, or some other convenient spot hard by, take a good look at the Palazzo Vecchio, before paying a visit to the interior. If you are fresh from the study of the history of Florence, if the scenes of the past are crowding into your memory, you will conjure up many vivid pictures as you gaze on that noble building. PALAZZO VECCHIO. In the year 1298 this vast palace was commenced by Arnolfo, the architect of the Duomo, as a residence of the Gonfalonier and Priors, who were the chief magistrates and the governing body of the Republic. When those days passed awiy, and Medici rule began, Cosimo I. appropriated this as his palace, and dwelt here for ten years, when he found better quarters in the Pitti Palace. From that time until the present the Palazzo PALAZZO VECCHIO. 27 Vecchio has been connected with the government of the country, and it is now used for offices. The building is massive, strength, not beauty, being its characteristic. The huge battlements, the bare rugged walls, the deep machicolations, and above all the noble tower, give it a stately and almost solemn effect. It would pass for a palace or a prison, and it was, in fact, both. Standing directly under the gallery, which runs round the building, and is sustained by arches, it will be seen that it is pierced with square holes. Through these, as in the gate at Windsor Castle, molten lead and stones were poured down on the enemy who was lucklessly below. Underneath are shields or escutcheons, with the arms of the Republic, and of the quarters into which the city was divided. The Tower, 330 ft. high, once contained the bell known as la vacca, derived from the lowing of a cow. The Lion's bell, an enormous one weighing 17,000 lb., rang from this tower once too often, when, in 1530, it called together the followers of the Medici during the days of the Republic, and for the offence was cast into the Piazza, and smashed -to pieces. A splendid view is to be obtained from the top of the tower (admission on special application), which well repays the tourist for the fatigue. A curious inscription in the parapet of the tower relates to the time when Christ was proclaimed by the citizens king over the Republic of Florence. The walls of the old Vacca Tower, which were supposed to be solid, were found not to be so, and two dismal dungeons were discovered in what was thought to be the solid wall. Much interest attaches to these chambers, for in them were confined Cosimo Vecchio (which is not a matter of great im- portance) and Fra Girolamo, the dauntless Savonarola. Still referring our readers for innumerable details of great interest, connected not only with this, but all the principal buildings in Florence, to the " Walks in Florence'' of S. and J. Horner, we cannot refrain from quoting again from their valuable work. " It is with a sadder and more reverential feeling we recall the last hours of the other occupant of this tower dungeon ; for here the courageous but sensitive Girolamo Savonarola endured forty days' confinement ; and here he lay during the intervals of torture, at times succumbing to acute bodily sufferings, but with unwavering faith in his sacred mission, which sustained him through the final tragedy in the Piazza. ?g FLORENCE. This tower was applied to other barbarous purposes ; for within the last few years an opening has been discovered on one of the steps which communicated through the whole height of the building with a well at the bottom, so that a prisoner descending the staircase could disappear, and the manner of his death remain an enigma to his friends and fellow-citizens." The interior of the palace is approached by a court with massive columns ; the walls are adorned with faded frescoes of scenes in German cities ; in the centre of the court is a fountain, with a boy and dolphin, small but very beauti- ful, by Andrea del Verocchio, who designed it for Lorenzo de' Medici. Following the staircase, we arrive at the Great Saloon (Sala del Cinquecento), the most interesting place in the building. It is 170 ft. by 75 ft. The ceiling is magnificent, and adds greatly to the effect of the room. The saloon is now almost bare, the statues which adorned it having been removed to the Bargello (p. 68), only the statues of the Medici, by Donatello, remaining. It was originally proposed that the walls of this hall should be graced with frescoes by Michael Angelo and Leonardo da Vinci, but the work was delayed; the cartoon by Michael Angelo, of Florentine soldiers in the army bathing, surprised by an approach of the enemy (Pisans), was destroyed ; and Leonardo's work was a failure, in con- sequence of the materials employed. The frescoes now upon the walls are by Vasari, Ligozzi, Cigoli, and Passignano, and represent historical scenes. The interest attaching to this room is not so much in its size, or what it is now, but in the memories connected with it. It was, curiously enough, constructed under the superin- tendence of Savonarola, who sought to revive the ancient Commonwealth, and urged that a parliamentary form of government should be instituted. It was here the Italian Chamber held its sittings ; and when it had outlived its end, it fell into disuse for a long period, bein^ only occasionally used for public assemblies, such as the tombola. When, however, Florence became the capital of Italy, it was in this room that Victor Emmanuel addressed the citizens. The Sala dell' Udienza (Audience Chamber) is on the second floor. The doors of inlaid woodwork are very hand- some. The frescoes by SalviatL The Chapel of S. Barnard ; where religious services were COLONNADE OF THE UFFIZI. 2 9 held before the business of state was attended to. Five Val- lombrosian monks held office here, and had charge of the seal of the Republic. Frescoes by Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, some in imitation of gold mosaic. It was in this chapel that Savonarola partook of the Sacrament before going forth into the Piazza to die. Four rooms near this hall were used as private apartments of the Medici ; one of them communicates with the Uffizi Gallery. A small chapel with frescoes by Bronzino. As we leave the Palazzo Vecchio by the same door we entered, we have on our left hand the COLONNADE OF THE UFFIZI, Begun in 1561, by Giorgio Vasari ; completed by Buonta- lenti. It contains a great number of statues by modern artists of celebrated Tuscans, namely, Cosimo, Pater Patrice, and Lorenzo the Magnificent, by the Colonnade on the left hand. Then follow — Andrea Orcagna . Benvenuto Cellini Nicolo Pisano Giotto .... Donatello . . . Leon Battista Alberti Leonardo da Vinci Michael Angelo . Dante .... Petrarch . . . Boccaccio . . . Machiavelli . . Guicciardini . . Amerigo Vespucci Galileo . . . Antonio Micheli . Francesco Redi . Paolo Mascagni . Andrea Cesalpini S. Antonino . . Accorso ... Guido Aretino . \ Artists. Poetry. History. Navigation. Science. Theology. Jurisprudence. Music. 30 FLORENCE. Facing the River — Farinata degli Uberti . . \ ofovannTK Bande Ner'e Civic and Militar y Heroes - Francesco Ferrucci . . / We return to the Colonnade, and have on our left hand the Mint (Zecca) and Post Office. Almost immediately opposite, last door but one on the left, is the entrance to the GALLERIA DEGLI UFFIZI. This collection, perhaps the most wonderful in the world, contains so many works of art, and many of the pictures are so rich in historical interest — they recall, too, so many names famous in history, that it would be impossible, in the limited space of this book, to describe them, much less to linger over quotations from celebrated artists and travellers who have written about them. We can but point out some, not perhaps always the best, and we can but now and then give detailed descriptions, perhaps not the most acceptable ; but every eye makes its own beauty here, every traveller is im- pressed by some works more than others, and we can but recall those we have most admired. The collection was originated by the Medici, and supple- mented by the Lorraine family, and has been added to from time to time, until now it is a complete exemplification of the progress and development of art. Ascending by a stairway of 128 steps, we enter the First Vestibule, with busts of the Medici family. — Statues : Mars, Silenus, and infant Bacchus. Roman bas reliefs, processional subjects. Inner Vestibule. — The Florentine Wild Boar and two Dogs are the finest things in this vestibule ; all the statues, busts, etc., are ancient. The Horse may have belonged to the Group of Niobe (p. 43). The Corridors contain pictures, statues, sarcophagi, busts, an endless series, and extend along three sides of the gallery. We enter the East Corridor. (178 yards long !) The ceiling paintings are by Poccetti (1581), and represent mythological subjects. GALLERIA DEGLI UFFIZI. 3 1 Among the Sculptures in the Corridors should be noticed specially — 35. Agrippina. 39. Sarcophagus — Life of Roman hero. 48. Agrippa. 52 and 75. Athletes. 58. Wingless Victory. 69. Wife of Nero, Poppea Sabina. 71. A Child (Nero?). 77. Otho. 79. Julia, daughter of Titus. 88. Ganymede. 90. Vestal Virgin veiled. 95. Sarcophagus— Story of Meleager. 96. Trajan. 99. Hercules. 118. Sarcophagus, Early Chris- tian — Story of Jonah. 119. Apollo. South Corridor. 125. Sleep. 129. Sarcophagus — Fall of Phaeton. 138. Boy extracting Thorn (another at Rome). 141. Pedestal of Candelabra, dedicated to Mars. 142. Minerva (restored). 145. Venus. 146. Nymph. West Corridor. 155, 156, Two statues of Marsyas opposite each other. 195. Leda. 269. Physician. Twelve marble bas-reliefs by Luca della Robbia, designed for organ loft in the cathedral. 383. St. John Baptist, by Donatello. Over third door, Mask of a Satyr, by Michael Angela, at the age of fifteen. Reliefs from life of S. John Gualberto, founder of Monastery of Vallombrosa, etc., etc. At the end of the corridor are — 380. Drunken Bacchus, executed by Michael Angelo in Rome, at age of nineteen. 389. Bacchus, by Sansovino. 384. John Baptist — Donatello. 385. Copy of the celebrated Laocoon of the Vatican, by Baccio Bandinelli. Starting again from the entrance , we will name some of the famous PICTURES IN THE CORRIDORS. EAST CORRIDOR. i. Madonna and Child .... Andrea Rico. 2 . S . Cecilia, Ciniabue (12 40) * ' the father of modern painting. " 5. Ascension of St. John . . . . School of Giotto. 6. Christ in the Garden ..... Giotto. 7. Mourning over the body of Christ . . . Gioitino. 8. S. Ansano 9. Annunciation j. Sinione and Lippo Memmi of Siena. 10. S. Giulietta 32 FLORENCE. 12. Hermits . . . Pietro Laureati or Lorenzetti. 13. Annunciation ..... Neri de Bicci. 14. „ ..... Agnolo Gaddi. 17. Tabernacle: Exterior, SS. Mark and Peter; Interior, SS. John Baptist and Mark. Panel, Madonna and Child ... . . Fra Angelico, "To Angelico the art of painting a picture devoted to religious purposes was an act of religion, for which he prepared himself by fasting and prayer, imploring on bended knees the benediction of Heaven on his work ; he then, under the impression that he had obtained the blessing he sought, and glowing with what might truly be called inspiration, took up his pencil, and mingling with his earnest and pious humility a singular species of self-uplifted enthusiasm, he could never be persuaded to alter his first draught or composition, believing that what he had done was accord- ing to the will of God, and could not be changed for the better by any after-thought of his own or suggestion from others. All the works left by Angelico are in harmony with this gentle, devout, enthusiastic spirit." — Mrs. Jameson. t8. SS. Cosimo and Damain (Medici patron saints). Lorenzo di Bicci. 20. Adoration of the Magi. Lor 'enzo Monaco, a Camaldolese 21. Panel of Bridal Chest. \ [Friar. 28. Sacrifice !•.... Piero di Cosimo 3 2 . Andromeda and Perseus ) Readers of " Romola" will take an interest in all the pictures of this eccentric artist, as he is a leading character in that story. He was one of the most remarkable masters of his day. 23. Coronation of the Virgin . . . Cosimo Ross elli. 24. Madonna adoring the Child . . Lorenzo di Credi. 26. Adoration of Magi . . . Giuliano d'Arrigo. " This artist was among the first to introduce portraits into historical and sacred subjects." 3c. Portrait . . . . . . A. Pollaioli. 34. Madonna and Child . 39. Birth of Venus . 53. Descent of Christ into Limbo 5 5 . Creation of Adam 61. Crucifixion 62. Magdalene In this corridor, the second door on the left of the entrance, is Luca Signortlli. . Botticelli, Passig?iano. Jacopo da Empoli. Lorenzo Lippi. Cigoli. THE TRIBUNE, An octagonal room built in 16 10. It contains the choicest THE TRIBUNE. 33 works of the best masters, and is the richest collection in Florence, perhaps the richest in the world. The tourist whose time is limited must make the Tribune the special object of his visit. It is well to see all the gallery con- tains ; but if it is a question with him whether he shall see all cursorily, or the Tribune thoroughly, we strongly recommend the latter. In the inner circle of the room are Five Groups of Sculpture, each group having a world- wide celebrity. The first in importance is the Venus de' Medici — so called because it was brought to Florence in the time of Cosimo III. de Medici, 1680. It was found in the Villa of Hadrian in Tivoli, and bears an inscrip- tion in Greek, on the pedestal, intimating that the artist was C/eomeues, son of Apollodorus. Every one who has seen this exquisite work has felt the power of its fascination, but few have described their emotions better than Nathaniel Hawthorne, who says — " The Venus stands somewhat aside from the centre of the room, and is surrounded by an iron railing, a pace or two from her pedestal in front, and less behind. I think she might safely be left to the reverence her womanhood would win, without any other protection. She is very beautiful, very satisfactory, and has a fresh and new charm about her, un- reached by any cast or copy. The hue of the marble is just so much mellowed by time as to do for her all that Gibson tries, or ought to try, to do for his statues by colour — softening her, warming her, almost imperceptibly making her an inmate of the heart, as well as a spiritual existence. I felt a kind of tenderness for her — an affection, not as if she were one woman, but all womanhood in one. Her modest attitude — which, before I saw her, I had not liked, deeming that it might be an artificial shame — is partly what unmakes her as the heathen goddess, and softens her into woman. There is a slight degree of alarm, too, in her face; not that she really thinks anybody is looking at her, yet the idea has flitted through her mind, and startled her a little. Her face is so beautiful and intellectual, that it is not dazzled out of sight by her form. Methinks this was a triumph for the sculptor to achieve. I may as well stop here. It is of no use to throw heaps of words upon her ; for they all fall away, and leave her standing in chaste and naked grace, as untouched as when I began. . . . 3 34 FLORENCE. "Surely it makes me more ready to believe in the high destinies of the human race, to think that this beautiful form is but nature's plan for all womankind, and that the nearer the actual woman approaches it the more natural she is. I do not, and cannot think of her as a senseless image, but as a being that lives to gladden the world, incapable of decay and death ; as young and fair to-day as she was three thousand years ago, and still to be young and fair as long as a beautiful thought shall require physical embodiment." The Apollino, or young Apollo, was brought to Florence with the Venus de' Medici. It is of the school of Praxiteles. The ease and grace of the attitude, and the thoughtful beauty of the face, are very charming, and exhibit art of the very highest order. It was unfortunately much injured by a sudden descent of Charles V., a picture by Van Dyck falling upon it, and some art critics think it was injured quite as much by the restorations by Bartolini, a Tuscan sculptor. The Wrestlers (Lottatori), a small elegant group full of energy and skilful detail. It was found at Rome, with the children of the Niobe, 1583. (See p. 43.) The Grinder (copies of which in all shapes and sizes will be found all over Italy) is a slave, supposed to be connected with the flaying alive of Marsyas, or perhaps with the con- spiracy of the sons of Brutus. Or perhaps it only represents a knife-grinder. It is a wonderfully //z/i/jg* statue, the attitude most natural, and the whole arrangement very effective. The Dancing Faun, of which Mr. John Bell, in his Travels in Italy, says " it is perhaps the most exquisite piece of art of all that remains of the ancient; the Torso is the finest that can be imagined." The statue was restored by Michael Angelo. THE PICTURES In the Tribune are not less remarkable than the sculptures. 1 104. St. Jerome ...... Spagnoletto 1 105. Holy Family ...... Schidone. 1 106. St. Peter Lanfranchi. 1 107. Slaughter of the Innocents . D. da Volterra. 1 108. Venus Titian. 1 1 09. Cardinal Agucchia .... Domenichino. 1 1 10. Holy Family Orazio Alfani in 1. Altar-piece — Adoration, Circumcision, Resurrection. Mantegna. THE TRIBUNE. 35 1 1 12. Madonna enthroned, SS. John and Francis A. del Sarto. Andrea Vannuchi, called Andrea del Sarto, because he was the son of a tailor, was born 1488 5 and the bane of his existence was an infamous woman who became his wife. "His only model for all his females was his wife ; and even when he did not paint from her, she so possessed his thoughts that unconsciously he repeated the same features in every face he drew, whether Virgin, or saint, or goddess." 1 1 13. Madonna ..... 1 114. Sibyl ...... it 15. Jean de Montfort .... 1 1 16. Portrait 1 1 17. Venus ...... 1 1 18. Repose during the Flight into Egypt. ii 19. Duke Francis Maria II. 1 1 20. Portrait of a Lady .... Painted when Raphael was only twenty years of 1 1121. Portrait of a Lady . 1 122. Madonna, SS. John and Sebastian 1 1 23. Fornarina (baker's wife) . 1 124. Portrait ..... 1 125. Madonna at the Well 1 1 26. Isaiah ..... 1130. Job Fra Bartolommeo, usually known as II Frate, the Friar, was born in 1469. He was a convert of the great Savonarola ; and after the death of that martyr he took vows and became a Dominican monk, abandoning the pencil for some years. Afterwards, however, he went to Rome, resumed painting, and left some immortal works. Among them St. Mark and a picture at Lucca. 1 127. St. John Baptist ..... Raphael. " The only painting on canvas by Raphael. " 1 1 28. Emperor Charles V. . .... Van Dyck. 1 1 29. Madonna with the Goldfinch (Cardellino) . Raphael. Guido Rent. Guercino. Van Dyck. . Titian. . Titian. Correggio. Baroccio. Raphael age. Mantegna. Ferugino. Raphael. Franc Francia. . Raphael. (?) Fra Bartolommeo. Fra Bartolommeo. Painted in 1505, at the age of twenty-two. and heavenly grace. " 1 131. Pope Julius II. 1 132. Head of John the Baptist. 1 133. Bacchante 1 134. Madonna 1 139. Madonna 1 135. Herodias 1 136. Holy Family 1 137. Endyjnion Sleeping 1 138. Eve " Full of lovely simplicity Raphael. Correggio. . A. Caracci. Correggio. Correggio. Luini. Paolo Veronese. Guercino. Cranach. 36 FLORENCE. 1142. Adam .... Cr attach. I I4O. Venus and Minerva . Rubens. II4I. Adoration of Magi . A Durer. 1143. Crucifixion Lucas of Ley den. (?) 1144. Madonna Giulio Romano. H45- Rebecca and Eleazar . L. Caracci. Adjoining the Tribune is the room appropriated to the works of the TUSCAN SCHOOL. As the collection is one that cannot be seen elsewhere, we shall name a great many of the principal works, in order that the visitor may have an opportunity of noticing the works of those whose influence upon art was felt all the world over; although now some of the pictures fail to have a great interest except for the connoisseur. 1 146. Annunciation . 1 148. Leda Christ appearing to Mary The Genius of Painting The Eternal (a sketch) Hercules and the Hydra Portrait of a Youth . Head of the Medusa . 1150. 1151. 1152. TI53- H57- H59- Lor. di Credi. . Jacopo Pontormo. Lor. di Ctedi. G. di San Giovanni. Fra Bartolommeo. Antonio Pollaiolo. Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci. " It represents the severed head of the Medusa, seen foreshortened, lying on a fragment of rock ; the features are beautiful and regular ; the hair already metamorphosed into serpents * . . . . Which curl and flow, And their long tangles in each other lock, And with unending involutions show Their mailed radiance.' Those who have once seen this terrible and fascinating picture can never forget it. The ghastly head seems to expire, and the serpents to crawl into glittering life as we look upon it." — Mrs. Jameson. 1 160. Annunciation .... 1 166. Christ and the Woman of Samaria 1 168. Madonna and St. John 1 161. Birth and Presentation of Christ 1 162. St. John and St. Zacharias . 1 164. Marie de' Medici 1 165. Infant Saviour Sleeping on the Cross 1 167. Portrait of an Old Man Lor. di Credi. Lor. di Credi. Lor. di Credi. Fra Bartolommeo. Fra Angelico. . Angelo Bronzino. Cristofano Allori. Botticelli. (?) TUSCAN SCHOOL. 37 1 1 78. Altar-piece Fra Angelico. 1 1 84. Altar-piece ..... Fra Angelico. Fra Angelico was " a man with whom the practice of a beautiful art was thenceforth a hymn of praise, and every creation of his pencil an act of piety and charity, and who, in seeking only the glory of God, earned an immortal glory among men." — Mrs, yameson. 1187. 1189. 1196. 1198. 1203. 1213. I220. 1224. 1227. 1235- 1239. 1246. 1250. 1252. 1254. 1257- 1259. 1260. 1261. 1263. 1264. 1265. 1266. 1268. 1269. 1271. 1272. 1273- 1274. 1275- 1276. 1277. 1278. 1279. 1280. 1281. Martyrdom of St. Maurice . Portrait of Bronzino's Wife Expulsion from Paradise . Birth of St. John Baptist . Deposition Temple of Hercules . Portrait .... Madonna and Child . Bianco Capello Madonna and Child . Sacrifice of Isaac Perseus and Andromeda . The Conception Adoration of the Magi St. James arid Two Children Adoration of the Magi Visitation of Elizabeth to Mary Madonna and St. John St. Ives . Portrait of Sculptor . Madonna and Child . St. Anna and the Virgin . Cosimo, Pater Patriae Madonna Enthroned Lorenzo de' Medici . Descent into Limbo . Jacopo Pontormo. . Angelo Bronzino. .Jacopo Pontormo. .Jacopo Pontormo. . Raphael Vanni. Franciabigio. Jacopo Pontormo. Ridolfo Ghirlandaio. . Angelo Bronzino. Fra Bartolommeo. Alessandro Allori. . Piero di Cosimo. . Piero di Cosimo. Leon, da Vinci. Andrea del Sarto. Flippino Lippi. Mariotto Albertinelli. Bilivert {pupil of Cigoli). . Jacopo Chimenti. . Angelo Bronzino. Franciabigio. . Fra Bartolommeo. Pontormo. F. Lippi. Vasari. . Angelo Bronzino. \ Portraits : Children of Cosimo I. . Angelo Bronzino. St. Joseph ...... Bilivert. A Miracle of St. Zenobius . . Ridolfo Ghirlandaio. Martyrdom of St. Stephen ..... Cigoli. The Miracle of the Tree (see p. 21) Ridolfo Ghirlandaio. Erminia Healing the Wounds of Tancred (from Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered) . . . Ottavio Vanni. St. Sebastian ....... Razzi. St. Thomas receiving the Girdle of the Virgin Granacci. Duke Alexander ...... Vasari. 3% FLORENCE. 1284. Venus. (Imitation of the style of Michael Angelo.) Pontormo. 1285. Adoration of the Magi . . . Cristofano Allori. 1288. Calumny Botticelli. THE HALL OF THE OLD MASTERS. 1286. Adoration of the Magi. (Introducing Portraits of the Medici) Botticelli. 1287. Madonna Adoring the Child . . Lor. di Credi. 1290. Coronation of the Virgin . . . Fra Angelico. "If music and painting were ever allied, their union is expressed in this lovely and harmonious picture." — J. and S. Horner. 1 291. Holy Family Laca Signer elli. 1294. Predella . . . . . Fra Angelico. 1295. Adoration of the Magi . . Domenico Ghirlandaio. 1297. Madonna Enthroned . . Domenico Ghirlandaio. 1299. Fortitude Botticelli. 1 30 1. SS. James, Eustace, and Vincent . Antonio Pallaiolo. 1302. Predella . . Benozzo Gozzoli, pupil of Fra Angelico. 1305. Madonna Enthroned . . Domenico Veneziano. 1306. Prudence ..... Antonio Pallaiolo. 1307. Altar-piece .... Fra Filippo Lippi. ITALIAN SCHOOL, Containing works of other Italian schools than the Tuscan, principally Venetian and Lombardy. In this and the following rtoms only a selection of the most remarkable pictures will be enumerated. 995. Massacre of the Innocents 998. Virgin, with Jesus and St. John 1005. Landscape 1006. Madonna, Child, and St. John 1010. Holy Family . . 1 31 2. Landscape 1025. Madonna and Child . Dosso Dossi. . Guido Reni. Salvator Rosa. . Parmigiano. . Parmigiano. Salvator Rosa. A?idrea Mantegna. A charming picture, worthy of close study. DUTCH SCHOOL. 882. Landscape ...... Ruysdael. 922. An Interior Rembrandt. VENETIAN SCHOOL 39 926. Woman Selling Apples Gerard Dow. 976. Portrait ..... . F. Mien's. 977- Playing the Violin . . Jan Stee?i. 978. Man Holding a Lantern . Ostade. 979- Landscape .... . Rembrandt. FLEMISH AND GERMAN SCHOOLS. (Two Rooms.) First Room. 765. Portrait of an Old Man Albert Durer. 766. Portrait of his Father Albert Durer. 774- Landscape .... . Claude Lorraine. 777- St. James the Apostle Albert Durer. 7 8 4 . Zwinglius, the Swiss Reformer . Holbein. 786. The Schoolmaster Gerard Dow. 793- Cupid and Psyche . . Elzheimer. 799- Sir Thomas More, in his Youth . Holbein. 812. Venus and Adonis . Second Room. Rubens. 703. Madonna .... Memling. 706. Repentance of St. Peter . Tenters y Jun. 7Si. St. George .... Cranach. FRENCH SCHOOL. 66S. Madame de Sevigne ..... Mignard. 670. Madame de Grignan ..... Mignard. 674. Portrait of Rousseau . . . . . Lar guiltier e. 679. The Poet Alfieri. (See p. 48.) Francois Xavier Fabre. 689. The Countess of Albany. (See p. 48.) Ibid. 680. Theseus ...... Nic. Poussin. VENETIAN SCHOOL. (Two Rooms.) These rooms are perhaps the richest in the collection next to the Tribune. Among a host of valuable pictures should be especially noticed — 571. Portrait of Gattemalata 576. Portrait of Sansovino . 589. A Sketch (? for Annunciation) 599. Duke of Urbino Giorgione. Titian. Paolo Veronese. Titian. 40 FLORENCE. 605. Duchess of Urbino .... 609. Battle Scene ..... 614. Giovanni delle Bande Neri 617. Marriage at Cana of Galilee 618. Madonna and Child (Sketch) 621. Apochryphal Scene in the Life of Moses 626. Flora 630. Judgment of Solomon 633. Madonna and Child, SS. John and Anthony 638. Admiral Veniero .... 648. Catherine Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus . Titian. Titian. Titian. Tintoretto. Titian. Giorgione. Titian. Giorgione. Titian. Tintoretto. Titian. ROOMS OF THE PAINTERS. These two rooms were built by Cardinal Leopold de' Medici, and contain the portraits of painters of all ages and all countries, painted, in most instances, by themselves. In the centre of the first room is the celebrated " Medici Vase" representing the Sacrifice of Iphigenia. Among the celebrated are to be noticed — Van Dyck. Rubens. Hans Holbein. Quentin Matsys. Andrea del Sarto Lorenzo Lippi 287. Pietro Perugino. 288. Raphael. 290. Michael Angelo. 291. Vasari. Leonardo da Vinci. Cigoli. Baccio BandinellL Agostino Caracci. Giovanni Bellini. 356. Giorgione. 368. Antonio Caracci. 373. Pordenone. 374. Annibale Caracci. 378. Tintoretto. 384. Titian. 385. Paolo Veronese. 389. DossoDossi. 223. 228. 232. 237. 280. 283 292. 298. 306. 348. 354- Leandro Bassano. Ludovico Caracci. Jacopo Bassano. Guido Reni. Francesco Bassano. Albert Diirer Gerard Honthurst. Gerard Dow. Annibale Caracci. Rembrandt. 462. Anthony More. 471. Angelica Kauffman. Charles le Brun. James Northcote. Goodall. Sir Godfrey Kneller. Jacques Callot. Overbeck. Sir Joshua Reynolds Elizabeth le Brun. 560. George Harlowe. 573. Canova. 395- 397- 401. 4°3- 407. 434* 441. 449. 45°- 45 2 485. 494. 49 6 - 510. 512. 518. 546. 549- THE CABINET OF THE GEMS. 41 THE CABINET OF THE GEMS Is at the end of the short corridor, and at the south extremity of the long east corridor. The room itself is a gem, being supported by four columns of alabaster and four of verde antique. The precious stones are kept in six numbered cabinets. In the centre of the room a table in Florentine mosaic, representing Leghorn and its old harbour, with ships upon a sea of lapis lazuli. In the second cabinet on the right is a casket of rock crystal lined with silver, upon which is depicted, with wonder- ful skill, scenes in the history of the Saviour, from the Nativity to the Ascension. It is the work of Valerio Vincento, and was executed for Clement VII., whose arms it bears. Above the casket is a portrait of Cosimo II., a costly work in pietra-dura. Case 4. Venus and Cupid, statuettes in porphyry, by Maria da Peseta. Case 5. Jasper vase with a golden figure of Hercules upon it, by Giovan. Bologna. A column of rock crystal, with a mass of figures upon it, commemorative of the destruction of the Sienese Republic. Case VI. rock crystal cup, by Benvenuto Cellini. Among the curiosities in the room are 18 vases of most costly material bearing the inscription of Lorenzo the Magnifi- cent (Lau. R. Med.), and a variety of urns, caskets, bas-reliefs, and precious treasures, which once belonged to the Medici family. Passing again along the short corridor, and into the west corridor, we have on our left hand the Saloons of the Painters, already described, and the Cabinet of Coins,* and then we come to the Sala delle Iscrizioni (Hall of Inscriptions), containing many tablets and monuments, with inscriptions in Greek and Latin, and some exquisite statues, Greek and Roman; among them — 263 Mercury 265 Venus Genetrix. 264 Priestess. 266 Venus Urania. Sala dell' Ermafrodite (Hall of the Hermaphrodite), * Permission to inspect the collection has to be specially obtained. 42 FLORENCE. named from the exquisite statue, 306. Hermaphrodite lying upon the skin of a tiger — portions of the statue restored ; 308. Ganymede, restored so much by Benvenuto Cellini, that scarcely anything beyond the torso is ancient. But the restored parts are perfect. 310. Hercules strangling the Serpents. 315. Torso of a Faun — a wonderful work. 320. The Genius of Sleep, altered by Benvenuto Cellini into a Cupid. 323. Cupid and Psyche. THE HALL OF THE CAMEOS. Before examining the cameos and intaglios, notice at the end of room — Bust of Dante, taken after death. Bequeathed to the gallery by the Marchese Carlo Torrigiani. Cases on either side with Etruscan gold ornaments. Cases of ancient glass. Model in wax for the celebrated statue of Lorenzo de' Medici in San Lorenzo, by Michael Angelo. Seven tablets (niello work) by Maso Finigiierra, 15th century. " The collection of camei and intagli, or precious stones cut in relief or engraved, was begun by Lorenzo de' Medici, and besides being the oldest collection of the kind in Europe, con- sisted of at least 3,000 pieces before the recent addition of Mr. Currey's gems. The period during which the art of engraving precious stones was brought to greatest perfection by the Greeks and Romans extends from B.C. 400 to a.d. 500. The best gems belong to the reigns of Alexander of Macedon, B.C. 300; of Mithridates in Pontus, B.C. 120; of Augustus Caesar, B.C. 63; and of Hadrian, a.d. 117. The art was revived in Italy in the 16th century, and attained to high excellence by Italian, English, and German artists in the 18th. We can form no more perfect idea of Greek art than that presented in these engraved gems, which from their minute size, the durability of the material, and frequently from acertain superstitious value attached to the supposed properties of precious stones, have been preserved uninjured, where statues have been mutilated, and pictures destroyed."* It would be impossible, in the compass of this book, to give * * ' Walks in Florence, " which see for an admirable account of this collection. THE HALL OF NIOBE. 43 even a brief account of these treasures. We must, however, call attention to one or two. 28. Onyx, Apollo. 40. Jasper, Mercury. 54. Amethyst, Hercules and Hebe. 70. Jasper, Bacchus and Ariadne. Cameos : — 6. Venus robed by the Graces. 13. Apollo. 24. Bacchus and Omphale. 106. Nero. 109. Vespasian. In the collection of modern intagli the most celebrated and interesting is — 371. Savonarolo, by Giovanni, surnamed " delle Corniole" from the stone (carnelian) upon which he was most skilful in working. The collection of Sir William Currey, bequeathed in 1863, is contained in four cases, and is of great value and interest. THE HALL OF BAROCCIO. A saloon named after Baroccio, a Florentine, whose great work is in this room, viz. : — 169. The Virgin interceding with the Saviour — the picture is called the Madonna del Popolo. In this room are also — 162. Sibyl. ...... Guido Reni. 163. Portrait of Galileo .... Sustermans. 171. Man with a Monkey . . . . A. Caracci. 191. Head of Madonna .... Sassoferrato. 197. Rubens' first Wife ..... Rubens. 220. The Infant Saviour ..... Albani. Four very fine tables in Florentine mosaic— especially the centre table. THE HALL OF NIOBE Contains the wonderful series of statues found at Rome at the Porta S. Paolo in 1583, and brought to Florence in 1775. How they originally stood, whether in a group or simply as now arranged, has not been discovered, nor is it certain that they all belong to the same group. They are very wonderful, and some very graceful and beauti- 44 FLORENCE. ful; the uncertainty as to whether they are originals by Scopas or copies from Praxiteles, remains, and so does the certainty expressed by hundreds of travellers, that the present arrange- ment is disadvantageous to their full effect and meaning. The attitudes of the figures running away from the shafts of Apollo and Diana ; of the weeping mother defending her youngest child, who clings to her : and of several others, are remarkably fine. They are not, however, of equal merit, and this has fostered the impression that some are originals and others copies. There are several fine paintings in this room, especially — 140. Henry IV. of France at the Battle of Ivry . Rube?is. 147. Henry IV. entering Paris in Triumph . . Rubens. HALL OF THE BRONZES. 426. Horse's head — a colossal work found at Civita- Vecchia. 424. "The Idol" (TIdolino\ a statue of a youth of ex- quisite beauty. This is the gem of the rooms. It was found at Pesaro in 1530, and the pedestal is 15th century work, attributed to Ghiberti, Desiderio da Sellignano, and others. In the cases around the room are innumerable bronzes of gods, goddesses, domestic articles, lamps, and a few engraved Etruscan mirrors. GALLERY FERONI. The last room in the corridor. The pictures were be- queathed to the city by the Marchese Leopold Feroni in 1850. The rem of the room is — The Angel of the Annunciation (with a lily) . Carlo DolcL There is also a good picture — - Interior of a Butcher's Shop . . . . D. Tenters. Retracing our steps along the corridor, and nearly at the end, we come to a door opening on to a staircase; this con- nects the Ufiizi with the Pitti Palace, by a long corridor which leads over the Ponte Vecchio, and from the windows of which good views may be from time to time obtained. Descending the staircase, you pass two saloons devoted to — Woodcuts and Engravings, some of which are cele- brated and very old and rare. Then in the corridor which crosses the Arno is arranged in cases a wonderful collection of SANTA CROCE. 45 Original Drawings of great interest, and with the names of the masters inscribed. Amongst them — Lorenzo Ghibertis Sketches for the Gates of the Baptistery ; Michael Angelas Sketches of Madonna and Child in San Lorenzo, and Statue of Lorenzo de' Medici, Monument of Julius II., Soldiers Bathing (see p. 28); besides many by Leonardo da Vinci , Mantegna, Raphael, Fra Barlolo?nnieo, Perugino, etc., etc. Then follows a series of Portraits of the Medici, not of great merit, and in a narrow passage a Collection of Tapestry and embroidered carpets, some of them from designs by great masters, as Michael Angelo, Cigoli, etc. Beyond this passage is a narrower passage still, in which are Water-Colour Drawings of birds, beasts, and fishes, by Bartolommeo Ligozzi. We pause at the windows which overlook the Boboli Gardens, to enjoy the view, and in a few steps more we reach the Palazzo Pitti. (See page 69.) The Biblioteca Nazionale is on the first floor of the Uffizi. It is an enormous collection — 200,000 vols., 8,000 MSS. Equally wonderful, the central Archives of Tuscany. PIAZZA S. CROCE. In former times this was the place where public festivals and games were held. Here also, in 1250, the first parliament of the people was formed. The great object of interest now in the Piazza is the Monument to Dante, by Pazzi, which was unveiled in the presence of the King of Italy, on the 14th May, 1865. (Seep. 60.) This monument, 19 ft. high, stands on a pedestal 23 ft. high. Around the Piazza are several very old palaces, formerly the property of noted Floren- tines. The Palazzo dell' Antella is covered with frescoes, the work of Giovanni di San Giovanni and others, the best masters of that period (162 1), who completed the work in twenty-seven days. SANTA CROCE. Santa Croce has been called over and over again the " Westminster Abbey of Florence," and as no guide-book is complete without this quotation, we relieve ourselves of it at once. 46 FLORENCE. This wonderful church, by far the most interesting in Florence, was built by Arnolfo del Cambio, the architect of the cathedral The two buildings were in course of erection at the same time, and have had an equally splendid contemporaneous history. The cathedral is associated, however, with the busy life, labours, and triumphs of the Florentines, while Santa Croce from its earliest date has been associated with the deaths, resting-places, and living memories of her best and greatest men. The foundation stone was laid on the day of the Holy Cross, (" Invention of the Cross,") whence its name. It is 460 ft. long, and 125 ft. wide, and is in the shape of a Latin cross. The different parts of the exterior of the cathedral are of recent date. The magnificent facade, which was unveiled in the presence of Pope Pius IX., was only completed in 1863, while the campanile only dates from 1842. Little, therefore, of the exterior is now what it formerly was. It would have had an old and magnificent facade, had the offer of one Castilio Quaratesi, to erect it at his own expense, been accepted ; but as he made a condition of the arrangement, that the arms of his family should appear upon the building, the offer was declined ; but a green and white marble slab at the foot of the facade remains as a memorial of his offer. Impressive and beautiful as the exterior is, the interior im- measurably surpasses it. It is a poem in stone. There is a solemnity and grandeur throughout the sacred pile, inspired as much perhaps by the recollections it calls forth, as by the dignity and grace of the structure ; for — " In Santa Croce's holy precincts lie Ashes which make it holier, dust which is, Even in itself, an Immortality. Though there were nothing save the past, and this, The particle of those sublimities Which have relapsed to chaos : here repose Angelo's, Alfieri's bones, and his, The starry Galileo, with his woes ; Here Machiavelli's earth returned to whence it rose.' 5 To get the best effect, enter by the western door, over which in the interior is a bronze statue of S. Louis, Bishop of Toulouse. This statue, a very poor one, is interesting from the fact that it was the last Donatello ever executed, and that it formerly stood outside the church, over the principal entrance. Stained glass window, Descent from the Cross, Lorenzo SANTA CROCE. 47 Ghiberti. Stone tablet with the initials " I. H. S." by 5. Ber- nardino of Siena. It was he who designed these initials (familiar to every one in every Christian country), to honour the name and work of the Redeemer, /esus Zfominum *Sal- vator. The missionary work of S. Bernardino was to inscribe these initials wherever he went. Many tombs and tablets are around this western door; and the way is paved with memorials of illustrious dead. On the right, tomb of Michael Angelo Buonarotti. Design oiVasari. Allegory : Sculpture, Architecture, and Paint- ing, as mourners. The bust is said to be a faithful likeness of this variously gifted man. " Amongst the most illustrious of Florentines was Michael Angelo. Painter, sculptor, architect, civil and military engi- neer, and poet, he was one of the most variously accomplished men who ever lived ; and in every one of these departments he was great. Nothing that came forth from his hands was mean or poor. His faults were those of superabundant strength and force. St. Peter's at Rome is one amongst the many buildings which display his power as an architect. The paintings in the Sistine Chapel have already been referred to as illustrious of his genius as a painter. As a sculptor he is perhaps unrivalled since the palmy days of Greece and Rome. In the great engineering works of his time, his advice and co-operation were eagerly sought, both in peace and war. That he is less known as a poet is mainly due to the fact that his sonnets are often mystical in thought and obscure in ex- pr e s si on . " — Italian Pictures, It is said that Michael Angelo chose the position of his tomb, so that when the doors were thrown open he might see the cupola of the cathedral. A pretty notion, but carried a little too far ! Nowhere is the stain upon the honour of Florence more glaringly seen than in the ponderous monument to Dante. He died in 1321. His monument was reared in 1829! It is the work of Stefano Ricci^ and has the merit of being very large. Writers have described it over and over again; and it is unfair for a guide-book to prejudice the minds of visitors by one-sided extracts, but Nathaniel Hawthorne in his quaint way has hit off a very graphic description : " Huge cold images weeping and sprawling over it, and an unimpressive statue of Dante sitting above." Perhaps the greatest satisfaction that lovers of Dante obtain when gazing upon this mass of marble 48 FLORENCE. is to know that his body rests at Ravenna, and that this is only a monument, not a tomb. (At the foot of Dante's monument lie the remains of Ugo Foscolo, who was banished from Italy by the Austrians, and spent his life in the study of the great master whose monument overshadows him. His remains were brought from Chelsea in 187 1.) A wonderful contrast is presented in the monument to Alfieri, by Canova. It is full of grace and tenderness. Alfieri was a patriot and a poet; he died 1803. The Duchess of Albany caused his monument to be erected at her own expense. The tomb of Machiavelli, the historian of Florence, by Spinazzi. Earl Cowper started a subscription for this monu- ment, and this is only one in a thousand cases showing that Florence belongs, not to Italy, but to the whole world. The tomb of Lanzi is by Gius Belli. His " History of Painting " (Bonn's Standard Library — Translation) is one of the standard works on art, and will be enjoyed by every visitor to the treasures of art in Italy. The tomb of the Cavalcanti family. Monument to Benedetto Cavalcante. More interest attaches to the fres- coes than to the tomb ; the one representing SS. John and Francis being by Andrea del Castagno. The Annunciation by Donatello. Monument of Leonardi Bruni, who, like many other famous Italians, is better known by the surname derived from the place of his birth, Arezzo = Aretino. Aretino.was one of the greatest exponents of the philosophy of Aristotle. The monument is by Rosselini. Monument of Leopoldo Nobili, natural philosopher. This monument concludes the series on this side of the church. South Transept. — Monument, of Don Neri Corsini, by Fantachiotti, is a large and beautiful work of recent erection. Tablet to Francesco Barbarini, inscription by Boccaccio. Mon- ument of the Countess of Albany, by Giovannozzi. In the northern transept is a monument to Cherubini, the celebrated musical composer, by Fantachioiti. North Aisle. — Monument to Raphael Morghen, the engraver ...... Fantachioiti. Monument of Leo Battista Alberti, the celebrated architect. Bartoliui. Monument to Carlo Marzuppini (an exquisite work), " con- sidered one of the finest tombs in Tuscany." Desiderio da Settignano. SANTA CROCK 49 Monument to Count Vittorio Fossombroni . Bartolini. ,, Giovanni Lami . . . Spinazzi. „ Galileo Galilei (see p. 77) Giulio Foggini. In the nave near the choir is the tomb of John Ketterick, Bishop of Exeter, who died in Florence in 141 9. The principal monuments in this church are in the south and north aisles. The chapels and frescoes, for which latter Santa Croce is almost as famous as for its tombs, are in the south and north transepts. We advise the visitor to examine the monuments at one visit, the chapels and frescoes at another, and the cloisters at another. In the south transept, first on right, is — The Chapel of the Holy Sacrament (Sagramento), some- times called the Castellani Chapel, as it was founded by that family. Frescoes — Scenes from the lives of SS. Nicholas, John Baptist and Anthony, and John the Evangelist. Agnolo Gaddi. Two Statues, SS. Bernardino and Dominic . . Robbia, Chapel of the Baroncelli family. Frescoes — Legends in the life of the Virgin. Taddeo Gaddi. Altar-piece in four panels — Coronation of the Virgin in the centre ....... Giotto. Monument, with shield of the Baroncelli family, statues, etc. Andrea Pisano. (?) Dead Christ (marble) .... Bandinelli. Chapel of the Medici, called also the Chapel of the Novitiate, contains — Fine bas-reliefs on altar by . . Luca della Robbia. A Shrine for the Sacrament, very beautiful. Mino da Fiesole. Paintings ...... School of Giotto. In this chapel lay the body of Galileo for many years ; neglected, until the body of his pupil Vincenzio Viviani was laid beside it. A hundred years after, Florence bestirred her- self to do honour to one of her greatest men. Sacristy. — Frescoes by pupils of Giotto, Taddeo Gaddi, and others. Ecclesiastical ornaments — A Head of Christ, etc. A grating of delicate iron-work separates the Sacristy from the Rinuccini Chapel. — Frescoes . Giovanni da Milano. Altar-piece . . . . . Giovanni da Milano. Peruzzi Chapel contains some of the finest frescoes in the 4 50 FLORENCE. whole church, representing scenes from the lives of SS. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, by Giotto. Bardi Chapel, adjoining the Peruzzi Chapel, also con- tains frescoes by Giotto, the principal relating to the history of St. Francis of Assisi. The chapels in the north transept are not so interesting as those in the south, they are — The Chapel of St. Anne : tomb of Pietro Nardini, musician (1796.) Ricasoli Chapel: notice a stone here which fell into the church, and by a miracle was prevented from doing injury. Chapel of St. Lawrence. — Frescoes . Bernardo Daddi. Chapel of St. Sylvester. — Frescoes, Scenes in life of the Saint ...... Tommaso Giottino. Tomb of Uberto de Bardi. — Marble and fresco; curious. Giottino. (?) Niccolini Chapel. — Fine marbles. The frescoes in the choir represent the Legend of the Finding of the Cross, by Agnolo Gaddi. THE CLOISTERS, Which were built by Arnolfo, are surrounded by arcades adorned with frescoes. Many slabs are here to the memory of families ancient and modern. In the court is a statue by Bandinelli, representing God the Father. Here "the ground we tread once breathed," the monks of the order having been buried in this court. •The Pazzi Chapel was designed by Brunelleschi, and is a work of great beauty. It is in the form of a Greek cross. The portico, bearing the arms of the Pazzi family, is singularly beautiful ; so also is the interior. In the Refectory — Frescoes attributed to Giotto and Taddeo Gaddi ; subjects, Crucifixion, Tree of Life. In the smaller refectory is a fresco representing a miracle of St. Francis, by Giovanni di San Giovamii. Many a dark passage in history has been chronicled in this Convent of Santa Croce ; for it was here that the iniquitous Inquisition held its tribunals from the year 1284 to 1782, when it was abolished by the Grand Duke Pietro Leopold I. SAN LORENZO Is near the Cathedral, and presents an unattractive exterior. It stands on the site of the oldest structure of the city, how- SAN LORENZO. 5 I ever ; and a legend attaches to it, that a pious woman prayed for a son, and when he was born she called his name Lorenzo, built a church to St. Lawrence, and St. Ambrose consecrated it in the year 393. In the fifteenth century it was rebuilt, partly under the direction of Brunelleschi. It is in the shape of a Latin cross, and contains many monuments and works of art of great interest, but the general effect is chilly and unimpressive. The Chapel of the Holy Sacrament (end of north transept) has a fine altar, with statue over it, attributed to Donatello. Cupola, painted by a modern artist, Me?icci. Chapel Corbelli, Monument to daughter of Count Molke, by DuprL Opposite, in Capella degli Operai, Annunciation, by Fra Filippo Lippi. South side of nave, Martyrdom of St. Lawrence (fresco), Angelo Bronzino. Two oblong pulpits, designed by Donatello. They were used not only for the ordinary services of the church, but for theological disputations, for which purpose they are placed at a suitable and. convenient distance from one another. In this church Savonarola, towards the end of his career, preached some of his most thrilling sermons against the abuses of the age. In front of the high altar an inscription in the pavement marks the spot under which lie the remains of " the Father of his Country," Cosimo de Medici. The inscription is •"Cosmus Medices : Hie situs est — Decreto publico — Pater Patriae." He died 1464. The Sagrestia Vecchia (old Sacristy) designed by Brunelleschi. Stucco reliefs of the Evangelists . . Donatello. Four statues of Saints ...... Ibid. Bust of St. Lawrence over door .... Ibid. Sarcophagus of Giovanni and Piccarda Medici . Ibid. The Sarcophagus of Piero and Giovanni Medici is an elegant monument of porphyry and verde antique. Andrea Verrocchio. The Sagrestia Nuova (new Sacristy) was built by Michael Angelo (1523), and is in every way worthy of the great master. It contains — Two marble statues, to the right and left of the altar, of Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici, the work of Michael Angelo. Giuliano is seated in an attitude of contempla- 52 FLORENCE. tion ; Lorenzo is seated as a general, looking down upon a busy scene of strife. They are marvels of art, have been the praise of many generations ; and the grace, the life, the thought, seen through the marble, almost make one feel in the presence of a miracle. Not less remarkable are the two colossal figures at the feet of the statues. Those beneath Giuliano represent Night and Day, symbolical perhaps of Death and Resurrection ; and those beneath Lorenzo, Dawn and Twilight. Mrs. Jameson speaks thus of chapel and monuments : — "Clement VII., another Medici, was elected pope in 1523. He was the son of that Giuliano de' Medici who was assas- sinated by the Pazzi in 1478. He had conceived the idea of consecrating a chapel in the Church of San Lorenzo, to receive the tombs of his ancestors and relations, and which should be adorned with all the splendours of art. Michael Angelo planned and built the chapel, and, for its interior decoration, designed and executed six of his greatest works in sculpture. Two are seated statues : one representing Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, who died young, in 15 19, — living only to be the father of Catherine de' Medici (and, as it has been well said, ' had an evil spirit assumed the human shape to propagate mischief, he could not have done better ') ; the other opposite, his cousin, Giuliano de' Medici, who was as weak as Lorenzo was vicious. The other four are colossal recumbent figures, entitled the Night, the Morning, the Dawn, and the Twilight ; though why they are so called, and why these figures were introduced in such a situation — what was the intention, the meaning, of the artist — does not seem to be understood by any of the critics on art who have written on the subject. " The statue of Lorenzo is almost awful in its sullen grandeur. He looks down in a contemplative attitude — hence the appella- tion by which the figure is known in Italy, II Pensiero (Thought, or Meditation). But there is mischief in the look \ something vague, ominous, difficult to be described. Altogether, it well nigh realizes our idea of Milton's Satan, brooding over his infernal plans for the ruin of mankind. Mr. Rogers styles it truly * the most real and unreal thing that ever came from the chisel.' And his description of the whole chapel is as vivid as poetry, and as accurate as truth, could make it : — ' Nor then forget that chamber of the dead, Where the gigantic shades of Night and Day, Turn'd into stone, rest everlastingly. SAN LORENZO. S3 There, from age to age, Two ghosts are sitting on their sepulchres. That is the Duke Lorenzo. Mark him well ! He meditates ; his head upon his hand. What from beneath his helm-like bonnet scowls ? Is it a face ? or but an eyeless skull ? 'Tis lost in shade, — yet, like the basilisk, It fascinates and is intolerable.' " We must linger awhile to hear the comments of Nathaniel Hawthorne : — "It is the one work worthy of Michael Angelo's reputation, and grand enough to vindicate for him all the genius that the world gave him credit for. And yet it seems a simple thing enough to think of or to execute : merely a sitting figure, the face partly overshadowed by a helmet, one hand supporting the chin, the other resting on the thigh. But after looking at it a little while, the spectator ceases to think of it as a marble statue ; it comes to life, and you see that the princely figure is brooding over some great design, which, when he has arranged in his own mind, the world will be fain to execute for him. No such grandeur and majesty have elsewhere been put into human shape. It is all a miracle — the deep repose, and the deep life within it. It is as much a miracle to have achieved this as to make a statue that would rise up and walk. The face, when one gazes earnestly into it, beneath the shadows of its helmet, is seen to be calmly sombre, — a mood which, I think, is gene- rally that of the rulers of mankind, except in moments of vivid action. "This statue is one of the things which I look at with highest enjoyment, but also with grief and impatience, because I feel that I do not come at all to that which it involves, and that by-and-by I must go away and leave it for ever. How wonderful ! To take a block of marble, and convert it wholly into thought, and to do it through all the obstruc- tions and impediments of drapery; for there' is nothing nude in this statue, but the face and hands. The vest is the costume of Michael Angelo's century. This is what I always thought a sculptor of true genius should be able to do — to show the man of whatever epoch, nobly and heroically, through the costume which he might actually have worn." Near the altar is a statue of the Madonna and Child, also by Michael Angelo. Two statues, St. Cosimo and St. Damian, by pupils of Michael Angelo, 54 FLORENCE. The Medici Chapel. It is said, that in order to screen the excessive expenditure of public funds on this masterpiece of multifarious ornamentation, it was given out that the Holy Sepulchre was to be transferred from Jerusalem, and deposited here ; but failing to complete the transfer, or robbery, it was turned into a Medicean chapel. Anything more magnificent than this family mausoleum it is difficult to conceive. The walls are covered with costly marbles, inlaid with precious stones, — a gorgeous mosaic of the richest material. Let the visitor closely examine the arms of the principal Tuscan fami- lies ranged round the lower part of the building, and he will form some idea of the gigantic labour and cost of the whole. Then let him glance at the cupola, which took Benvenuti eight years to paint. The Medicean Cenotaphs are ranged round the chapel, and are " made to match " the costly materials on every hand. There is a great deal of humbug in the " panoply of woe," as there is in the devices to perpetuate fame. While these splendid monuments stood in their smiling splendour, and visitors came in to gaze and wonder, perchance to envy, in 1857, "it was thought advisable to have the coffins arranged in order. Forty- nine of the pile were lifted down, and it was then discovered that most of them had been broken open and pilfered. Such was the exhalation, however, which infected the air during the examination, that it caused the death of one of the men employed. The head of Cosimo I. was found entire, with the remains of his red beard, sprinkled with grey, below the chin. The skeleton of his unhappy wife, Eleanor of Toledo, had still her yellow tresses fastened by a thick golden cord ; but both coffins had been robbed of the jewels they once contained."* What a contrast is presented by this picture and the scene amidst which we stand ! Near the body of "the father of his country," Cosimo, on the threshold of the lower church, are the remains of Donatello, whose monuments are spread all over Florence. The Cloister on the south of the church, built after a design by Brunelleschi is small, but beautiful. Monument to Paolo Giovio, Bishop of Nocera, and historian, by Francesco di Sa?i Gallo. It is stated that these cloisters are used as a home for destitute cats ! — a set-off, one would think, against the stone- throwing tendencies of the Florentines. * " Walks in Florence," vol. L, p. 148. SAN LORENZO. 55 THE LAURENTIAN LIBRARY. The building was designed by Michael Angelo ; and the library was founded by Cosimo Vecchio. The great hall is 168 ft. long; and its fifteen windows are of coloured glass, designed by Giovanni da Udine. Tfre terra-cotta floor is by TribolG) a pupil of Sansovino. Cosimo originated the library, and it was added to considerably from time to time by Piero de' Medici, Lorenzo the Magnificent, and others. It was in 1436 confiscated to the state, when the Medici were exiled from Florence. In 1496 it was pur- chased by the Republic. Recovered, in 1500, the friars of the monastery of SL Marco sold it to Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici (afterwards Leo X.), who took it to Rome, from whence it was restored to Florence in 1527, by Clement VII. (Cardinal Giulio de' Medici). It contains a marvellously rich collection of MSS., of which the most meagre list of some of its principal curiosities can only be given here. A Syriac Gospel, a.d. 556. The Medicean Virgil, the earliest MS. of the author, a.d. 494. The Old Testament, nth century. Quentin Curtius, 18th century. Dante's Divina Commedia. Various valuable copies. The Decameron (1384). Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini, in his own handwriting. Dante's letter rejecting the offer to return to Florence. Richly illuminated Bibles and Testaments ; and a variety of valuable literary, state, and ecclesiastical documents, which constitute the library, only second in value and historical interest to that in the Vatican. Among its curiosities may be seen — A finger of Galileo, stolen from his tomb, and preserved in a bottle. The agreement between the Latin and Greek Churches (1439) signed by Pope Eugertius IV. and the Emperor Paleologus (Suspended on the wall). PIAZZA DELLA SS. ANNUNZIATA. Two curious fountains (1643) • ■ • Pietro Tacca. Equestrian statue of Grand Duke Ferdinand I., which was 56 FLORENCE. cast from cannon taken at Bona in Africa from the Turks, by the knights of St. Stephen . . . Giovanni di Bologna. The arcades were designed by Brunelleschi and others. On the right of the Piazza is the — Foundling Hospital (Spedale degli Innocenti), built 142 1 ; designed by Brimelleschi, and executed by his pupil, Francesco del/a Luna, founded by Giovanni de' Medici, who was moved to sympathy for the " innocents," by an appeal of Leonardo Aretino. (See p. 48.) Frescoes in portico, by Poccetti. In spandrils of arches, Babes in swaddling clothes, by Luca delta Robbia. (Very beautiful.) Within cloister, and near entrance, a fine Annunciation, by Luca della Robbia. In the church, Adoration of Magi, Domenico Ghirlandaio. SS. ANNUNZIATA. Seven noble Florentines betook themselves in 1233 to contemplation and prayer, and were called the Servants of the Virgin (Servi di Maria.) They retired for solitude to Monte Senario, not far from the city, and in 1250 one of their order founded this church. The portico, of seven arches, has three doors, the one on the right leads to the Pucci Chapel, the left to the cloisters and convent, and the centre, to the church. Over this door is a mosaic of the Annunciation, by David del Ghirlandaio. A cloister, cortile, anterior court, or atrium, is entered through the central door, in which is an arcade adorned with fine old frescoes, many of them glazed. The Nativity Alessio Baldovinetti- Life and Miracles of S. Filippo Benizzi Cosmo Roselli and Andrea del Sarto. Andrea del Sarto. Visit of the Magi ) Birth of the Virgin } Marriage of the Virgin .... Franciabigio. Visitation of Elizabeth to Mary . . Jacopo da Pontormo. Assumption of the Virgin . . . It Rosso Fiorentino. Entering the church, which is composed of a single nave, with five chapels on either side, two transepts, and a choir with SS. ANNUNZIATA. 57 a fine dome, we notice first the fine effect of the frescoes, paintings, and other decorations. On the ceiling of nave, Assumption . . Ciro Ferri Twelve frescoes on wall .... Cosimo Ulivelli Frescoes in Rotunda of Choir .... Ibid, ist Chapel, right, Virgin with Saints . Jacopo da Empoli 2nd „ Altar-piece .... Piero Dandini 5 th „ Tomb of Orlando de Medici . . Simone, 6th ,, ,, Giovanni Stradone . Bust, by his son Eastern transept, Pieta . . . B actio Bandinelli The choir is entered from the nave, at the end of which are two monuments — Right, Leonato delP Antella . Giovan. Battista Foggini. Left, Angelo Marzi — Medici . . Francesco San Gallo. The curious circular choir was designed by Leo Battista Alberti. The pyx on the high altar is very beautiful. It is in carved wood, by Baccio d'Agnolo. In the chapel behind altar — Altar-piece, Resurrection .... Passignano. Tomb of Giovan. Bologna. Crucifixion, and reliefs . . . Giovan. Bologna. In the next chapel — Altar-piece, Resurrection . . . Angelo Bronzino. Returning to the nave of the church — 5th Chapel (from entrance), Assumption . . Perugi?io. 4th ,, Altar-piece ..... Stradone. . 3rd „ Copy of M. Angelo's Last Judgment, Alessandro Allori. The last chapel, Cappella della Vergine Annunziata, is the richest of all. It was built by Piero, the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent ; designed by Michelozzi. The great curiosities of the chapel are — A miraculous picture of the Virgin, begun by mortal hands, and finished by an Angel. It is unfortunate that visitors can rarely see this work. Over the Altar, Head of our Saviour . Andrea del Sarto. Crucifix, in wood . . . Giuliano di San Gallo. Infant Christ Baccio Bandinelli. The Cloisters contain frescoes by Poccetti, and the cele- brated fresco, Madonna del Sacco . . Andrea del Sarto. It is one of the finest frescoes in Florence. 58 FLORENCE. SAN MARCO Is a plain church, consisting of a nave without aisles, a square choir, and a flat ceiling. The interest of the church pales before the interest in the adjoining convent of S. Marco, of which Savonarola was prior. Its situation is very old (1290), but it has been almost entirely rebuilt. In the interior of the church there is, over the principal entrance, a crucifix on a ground of gold, by Giotto. If, as some suppose, this is the work which made the reputation of Giotto, and caused him to be regarded as a greater master than Cimabue, the father of pain ting,, the lines in Dante's " Purgatorio" will be read with interest — " O ! thou vain glory of the human powers, How little green upon thy summit lingers, If 't be not followed by an age of grossness 1 In painting, Cimabue thought that he Should hold the field, now Giotto has the cry, So that the other's fame is growing dim." i st Altar, right — Annunciation . . Pktro Cavalini. Rarely seen, however, by visitors. 4th Chapel — Mosaic, the Madonna. Sacristy— Statue of S. Antonio . . . Mmtorsoli. Chapel of the Holy Sacrament. — Large paintings relating to the sacrament figuratively, by Passignano, Santi di Tito, Jacopo d' Empoli. The Chapel of S. Antonio occupies the whole of the left transept, and has many memorials of the saint, who was a monk in the Monastery of S. Marco. Frescoes by Passig7ta?io, representing the lying in state and funeral of St. Antony. Altar painting Bronzino. Marble statues, SS. Philip and John Baptist . Francavilla* Three celebrated scholars, friends of Lorenzo the Magnificent, are buried in this church. Politian (Poliziano), who towards the close of his life was a monk of the Monastery of S. Marco, Benivieni the poet, and Pico della Mirandola. Tablets on the left wall of the nave mark their resting-places. CONVENT OF S. MARCO. Some pious Dominicans established themselves here in 1439, when the original occupants (Silvestrini, of the Vallom- brosian order of monks) had fallen away from their original CONVENT OF S. MARCO. 59 piety. Cosimo, Pater Patrice, furnished funds for the rebuilding of the convent ; the designs were by Michelozzo, and the walls were decorated by Fra Angelico. The convent was suppressed, and now forms a museum (Museo Fiorentino di S. Marco) ; an event which lady visitors should esteem, as, when it was a monastery, they were not per- mitted to enter. Apart from the interest which will be felt in inspecting the wonderful frescoes of Fra Angelico as mere works of art, they may be regarded as the expression of his pure and holy faith, his devout and simple life. The pictures here represent not merely the outward scene, but the inner life of the man : they are prayers and praises and sermons, as well as pictures, Not only is this convent associated with memorials of Fra Angelico, who was a monk here, and whose cell we shall see, but also with Fra Bartolommeo " a brother like-minded ' ; in devotion as in art, and also with Savonarola, who was Prior of the Convent, Harbinger of the Reformation, and Martyr for the Truth. Entering the cloisters from the street, we have before us the Crucifixion (St. Dominic kneeling) . . Fra Angelico. Over Sacristy door, St. Peter Martyr . . Same. Over Chapter-house, St. Dominic with scourge . . Same. Over Refectory, Christ rising from the Tomb . . Same. Over Guest-chamber, Dominicans welcoming Christ as a Pilgrim ........ Same. Over door, The Man of Sorrows .... Same. There are other frescoes, most of them of a much later date. The Refectory, St. Dominic and his brother supplied with food by angels . Fra Bartolommeo. (?) There is in a bad light, in a lunette over a door, a fine work which deserves a better place. It is the Walk to Emmaus Fra Bartolommeo. Small Refectory, The Last Supper Do?nenico Ghirlandaio. Chapter-house, Crucifixion, a large and wonderfully grouped fresco Fra Angelico. On the upper floor are the cells of the convent. These and the long corridor are covered with frescoes by Fra Angelico, Fra Benedetto, brother of Fra Angelico, and others. Notice specially at the head of staircase, Annunciation, Fra Angelico. Passing along the corridor, the cells on the left hand con- tain many beautiful works by this pious monk, too numerous to mention in detail, but all deserving attention. 60 FLORENCE. At the end of the corridor are the cells once occupied by Savonarola. Some interesting memorials of him may still be found here : His portrait (Fra Bartolommeo), copy of a picture representing his martyrdom, manuscript sermons, annotated books, and the wooden crucifix, his "aid to faith. ' ; The Library is in a state of transition, but contains much that will interest the visitor. Manuscripts with miniatures by Fra Benedetto, in cases along the middle of room. Near the library is The Dante Room, in which are placed the banners and flags of all the places represented at the great festival of 1865, commemorating the 6th centenary of the birth of Dante. (See p. 45.) There are between three and four hundred. Bust of Dante ..... Pasquale Romanelli. OR SAN MICHELE. (In the Via Calzaioli.) Or San Michele, which is Tuscan short for Orto San Michele (St. Michael in the Garden), is one of the most remarkable churches in Florence. It is close to the Piazza deila Signoria, in the street which leads thence to the Cathedral. Originally it was a Corn Exchange, but the idea was altered, and it became a church, under the auspices* of the Guild of Weavers. But all the guilds of Florence vied with each other to provide some work of art for the decoration of this building, and around are grouped a series of statues by the great sculptors of the best period of Italian art. Facing you as you stand in the street are the following : — St. Luke ...... Giovanni di Bologna. Christ and St. Thomas . . . Andrea del Verrochio. St. John Baptist ...... Ghiberti. Under the canopy, where the Madonna (now in the interior) once stood, is a statue of — St. George ....... Donate Ho. St. James ..... Nanni d i Antonio di Banco. St. Mark Donatello. It was this statue that Michael Angelo apostrophised with the well-known words, " Why dost thou not speak to me, Mark?" The words that Michael Angelo actually spoke to the statue are variously reported, and one author avers that he said, " Thy S. MARIA NOVELLA. 6 1 countenance vouches for the truth in which thou trustedst ; tell me what is truth." Lord Bacon has not recorded whether he tarried for an answer. West. St. Eligius or Eloy, the patron of farriers . Nanni di Banco. St. Stephen ...... Lorenzo Ghiberti. St. Matthew ........ Same. There are many other statues, and none of them is without signification, and were placed here to commemorate saints who were propitious to the various trades or guilds which they represented or were supposed to represent. The upper part of the wall is adorned by large medallions in the brightly coloured work of Luca della Robbia. Walk ail round the church, and notice carefully all the wonderful details of this curious building, and compare the effect produced in your mind with the effect produced by a tour of the Colonnade of the Uffizi. It is strange what respiration and vigour the old statuary of Florence has ; and when com- paring the past with the present, one is apt to think that, as the secret of the Pyramids and Baalbec is lost, so is the life- giving power of sculpture. Entering the church, the first thing which attracts attention is the high altar of Andrea Orcagna, a gorgeous work of precious stones in marble. The altar is adorned with exqui- site reliefs of scenes in the gospel history. The great curiosity of the interior, however, is the Image of the Virgin, a picture which has been the instrument (it is said) of working miracles. Who the painter of this picture really was is not generally known, some say it was Ugo/ino, others Lorenzo Monaco ; but as most of the miraculous pictures in Italy are attributed to St. Luke, it may save trouble by re- garding it as his. At the side altar is a group of the Holy family by Francesco da San Gallo, and on the north side is the Madonna and Child by Mino da Fiesole, which formerly stood in the vacant niche on the exterior of the building. S. MARIA NOVELLA (Built 1278 — 1 371) stands on the site of a much older church, and was, next to S. Marco, the most important church in Florence. It was founded by the Dominicans, and the designs of the buildings were made by Dominican monks, 62 FLORENCE. Fra Sisto and Fra Ristoro, pupils of Arnolfo. Michael Angelo called this church The Bride (La Sposa). The facade, of beautiful white marble, Leon Batlista Alberti. Quadrant and concentric meridians . . Ignazio Danti. The interior is in the form of a Latin cross ; the nave and aisles being divided by slender columns of unequal width. The church is 322 ft. long, 88 ft. wide, and 203 ft. from transept to transept. Over entrance door — Crucifix .... Giotto. (?) To the right — The Trinity ..... Masaccio. 1 st Altar — Martyrdom of St. Lawrence Girolamo Macchietta. 2nd ,, Nativity . . . Giovanni B \ Naldini. 3rd „ Presentation in the Temple . . Ibid. 4th „ Deposition from the Cross . . . Ibid. 5th „ St. Francis Ibid. 6th „ A Dead Child raised to Life . Jacopo Ligozzi. Rucellai Chapel. — The celebrated Madonna (see p. 65). Cimabue. St. Lucia . . B. Ghirlandaio. Martyrdom of St. Catherine, Bugiardini. Strozzi Chapel. — Monument of Filippo Strozzi. Benedetto da Majano. Frescoes — Scenes in lives of SS. Philip and John . . Filippo Lippi. The Choir. — Frescoes — Scenes in lives of St. John Baptist and Virgin Mary Domenico Ghirlandaio. In the fresco representing the Angel appearing to Zacharias are introduced a series of portraits of literary celebrities con- temporary with the artist : — Marsilio Ficino, translator of Plato, dressed as a canon. Cristoforo Landino, commentator on Dante, in a red cloak. Messer Gentile, Bishop of Arezzo, turning towards spectator. Angelo Poliziano, with his hand raised. Federigo Sassetti, Andrea de' Medici, Gian. Francesco Ri- dolfi, three youths to the left, Tornabuoni family, etc. Stalls, carved in wood, by Baccio d'Agnolo or Giovanni Gargiolli. Gondi Chapel (left of choir), or Chapel of the Crucifix, .contains the celebrated Crucifix by Brnnelleschi. Brunelleschi having seen the crucifix by Donatello, which is now in Santa Croce, pronounced his judgment of it in a term equivalent to " clodhopper." And the crucifix in this chapel grew out of the strife which ensued, the design being probably S. SPIRITO. 63 not so much what a crucifix should be, as what a rival artist could do. Gaddi Chapel. — Raising the daughter of Jairus A, Bronzino. Strozzi Chapel. — Frescoes representing the Last Judg- ment, the Glories of Paradise, Christ with Saints . . Andrea Orcagna. The Pains of Hell a la Dante. Bernardo Orcagna. Sacristy. — Lavatory . . . Luca della Robbia. Over door, Crucifix . . . Masaccio. The Bull of Pope Gregory IX. (1227), confirming the Order of S. Dominic, is preserved in the Sacristy. Marble pulpit ...... Briggzano. The stained glass windows in various parts of the church deserve attention. The Cloisters are covered with frescoes. Those painted in terra-verde, different shades of green, are by Paolo Uccello. Others by Andrea da Firenze, Czgolz, Allori, Poccetti, etc. The Laboratory, or Farmacia, where very exquisite scents are distilled from flowers and aromatic spices by the friars of the monastery. Beyond it is a room which contains some fine frescoes of scenes in the life of Christ, by Spinello Aretino. S. SPIRITO Is on the left bank of the Arno. It was built in 1292, by the Augustinians, and rebuilt in 1438, from designs by Brunelleschi. The interior is remarkably impressive. It is 315 ft. long, in the form of a Latin cross, and is rich in Corinthian columns. As there are no fewer than thirty-eight chapels, we refrain from describing them all in detail. Chapel 1, right of entrance, Assumption . Piero di Cosimo. ,, 2, Pieta, in marble. Copy of Michael Angelo's group in St. Peter's, Rome. ,, 3, S. Nicolo (wood) .... Sansovino. In the S. transept — Capponi Chapel, S. Monaca, mother of S. Augustine Pollaioli. (?) Chapel 5, Madonna Enthroned . . . Filippino Lippi. „ 6, S. Bernard and the Virgin . School of Perugino. The Choir groans beneath its weight of costly marbles. The Cloisters (entrance from the Sacristy) have some 64 FLORENCE. frescoes not of universal interest, representing incidents in the life of S. Augustine, by Perugino, Baldi, Poccetti, etc. Martin Luther is said to have preached in the Church of S. Spirito on his way to Rome. CHURCH OF OGNI SANTI {Piazza Manin). (Or Church of the Minorites of San Salvador.) Built 1554, restored 1627. Over principal entrance, Lunette by Luca del/a Robbia. In the interior, nave and transepts in the shape of a Latin cross. Two frescoes right and left of nave : right, S. Augustine in prayer, by A. Botticelli; left, S. Jerome in his cell, by Domenico Ghirlandaio. Cupola over choir . . . Giovanni di S. Giovanni. The cloisters are adorned with frescoes. Those nearest the church are by Giovanni di San Giovanni. In the refectory is a Last Supper by Domenico Ghirlandaio. S. MARIA DELLA CARMINE. This church of the Carmelites was rebuilt in 178 1, the original having been partially destroyed by fire in 1771. It is not beautiful, but rather the reverse, and it has not much in it of very great interest for the ordinary visitor. The best things in the church are the frescoes of Masaccio, the master of Raphael, but they are for the most part in a bad light, and have suffered from the fire of 1771. But this place was once a School of Art, and the frescoes have given a marvellous impetus to the development of Art. Among the students here were Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Andrea del Sarto, Fra Bartolommeo, Perugino, Baccio Bandinelli, and others. S. TRINITA. Built 1250, by Nicolb Pisano. Facade by Buontalenti, 1570. A series of chapels belonging to old Florentine families runs round the side of the church. The Capella de' Sassetti contains some good frescoes of scenes in the life of S. Francis by Domenico Ghirlandaio. In the 5th chapel, a fine Annunciation by Lorenzo Monaco. ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS. 65 S. MARIA MAGGIORE. Founded in the 6th century, restored in the 13th. Nothing remarkable in this church, except the tomb of Brunetto Latini, who was the master of Dante (1294). Altogether there are about 90 churches in Florence, which may be visited, if time is unlimited, and inclination insatiable. But we have referred now to the principal, and after these the others degenerate in importance and in interest, and will not be visited but by those who have a special object, or an insatiable appetite for church-hunting. THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS. {Accademia delle Belle Ariz.) The Academy, formerly the Hospital of S. Matthew, is situated at the corner of the Via Ricasoli, close to the Piazza di San Marco. In the Entrance Hall are — Four reliefs, in terra cotta . . . Luca della Robbia. Then through a room to the right, with casts of modern statues, to the GREAT HALL, In which are arranged the works of the great masters, and where the best estimate of Italian Art may be obtained, the pictures being in chronological order — 2. Madonna Enthroned ..... Cimabue. Giovanni Cimabue (born 1240) for three centuries bore the title of " The Father of Modern Painting," although the title was perhaps scarcely a correct one. His great painting, the Madonna, which threw Italy into raptures, and may yet be seen in the Church of Santa Maria Novella (p, 62), made him famous. He founded a school, and was honoured by having the celebrated Giotto as one of his pupils. Cimabue was also an architect and a worker in mosaic. Died 1302.* 4-13. The Life of S. Francis (ten scenes), designed by Giotto, painted by . . . . Taddeo Gaddi, * See Mrs. Jameson, " Early Italian Painters." 66 FLORENCE. 15. Madonna with Angels Giotto. 18-29. The Life of Christ (twelve scenes) . Taddeo Gaddi 30. Annunciation . . ... Lorenzo Monaco. 32. Adoration of the Magi. . . Gentile da Fabriano. 34. Deposition Fra Angelico. 40. Madonna and Child. Saints . Fra Filippo Lippi. 41. Coronation of Virgin . . . Fra Filippo Lippo. 43. Baptism of Christ . . . Andrea Verrocchio. The kneeling angels are the work of his pupil, Leonardo da Vinci. 47. Coronation of the Virgin .... Botticelli. 50. Shepherds and Magi . . Domenico Ghirlandaio. 51. Adoration of the Shepherds . . Lorenzo di Credi. This is considered the masterpiece of Credi. It is full of tender beauty. 53. The Prayer in the Garden .... Pei'ugino. 55. Assumption of the Virgin .... Perugino. 56. Crucifixion ...... Perugino. 66. Virgin appearing to S. Bernard . Fra Bartolomnieo. 75. Madonna in Glory, and Saints . Francesco Granacci. 78-82. Heads of Saints in fresco . . Fra Bartolomnieo. The monk representing St. Peter Martyr is supposed to be Savonarola. 88. Cosimo de' Medici ..... Bronzino. 100 Pieta ....... Santi di Tito. There are three other rooms, but they are generally closed, and admittance has to be obtained by application to the custodian. Many of the pictures in the first room are not of general interest, but others that will be seen will be admired as a set off, as — 17. Madonna, Child, and Saints . Domenico Ghirlandaio. 19, 20, 22 . . . . . . Fra Angelico. 24. An Allegory of Spring . . . Sandio Botticelli. In the second room are some gems ; amongst them — 11-24. Scenes from the life of Christ . Fra Angelico. 27. Ideal Portrait of Fra Angelico . . Carlo Dolci. 41. The Last Judgment . . . . Fra Angelico. Considered to be one of his finest works. The two heads of monks (Vallombrosian) No. 18, are very fine, and have been attributed to Perugino and Raphael. Further on is a Room of Cartoons by Raphael, Fra Bartolomnieo, Correggio, Bro?izino, Cigoli, and other celebrated masters. THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 67 In the same building will be found a collection of modern paintings, which will not long detain the visitor. The Gallery of Casts has a fine collection of some of the most celebrated statues in Europe. In the court is the famous Statue of David by Michael Angelo, which until a recent date stood in the Piazza della Signoria, close to the Palazzo Vecchio. It is a work of marvellous beauty, and of enormous proportions ; and although from time to time critics have objected to this detail and that, the concurrent testimony of artists is, that it is one of the finest works of the great master, especially when considering the enormous difficulties of adapting it to his purpose. (See p. 26.) A visit to the Florentine Mosaic Manufactory, adjoin- ing the Academy, should be made by all ; not only can the various processes of the art be seen stage by stage, but there is also a good exhibition of completed works. Within a stone's throw of the Academy is the CLOISTER OF THE SCALZI, Or Barefooted Friars, in which may be seen the celebrated frescoes of Andrea del Sarto, representing the life of John the Baptist. The custodian of the Academy will accompany the visitor, as the keys are in his possession. THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. (Via Ghibellina, opposite the Badia) Much of the most interesting period of Florentine history centres around this building, formerly known as II Bargello. It was at one time the residence of the Podesta, or chief magistrate of the city, who was bound to be a noble and a Catholic. Finally it was a prison ; and if all the stories of trap-doors and dark dungeons and instruments of torture be true \ if all the traces of rough masonry betokening chambers in which miserable sufferers were walled up, can be identified, the horrors of this place may fully equal the Pozzi and Piombi of Venice. In 1865 the old things passed away, and II Bargello was turned into a National Museum to exhibit the processes of development in Italian art. Entering from the Via Ghibellina, we have before us a court 68 FLORENCE. in which many executions took place, and which is now adorned with the arms of the Podestks. A series of rooms is then entered by a staircase leading to the first floor. In Saloon I. notice specially the Death of Adonis, by Michael Angelo. Saloon IV., once a chapel, then a prison. Some fine frescoes by Giotto. Saloon VI., a very beautiful statue of David, by Donatello. Saloon VII., bust of Grand Duke Cosimo I. Benvenuto Cellini. Model for the wonderful Perseus in Loggia de' Lanzi. Ibid. Lid of a chest ..... Michael Angelo. In the upper storey of the building, 2nd room, is a beautiful collection of terra cottas by Luca della Robbia and his pupils. The National Museum is full of curiosities of great value and interest, — far too numerous to specify in detail, — and which the visitor to Florence should by no means lose the opportunity of carefully inspecting. EGYPTIAN AND ETRUSCAN MUSEUM. In the Via di Faenza, near the Piazza della Independenza. This museum, part of which was in the Uffizi Gallery, is in a building once the Monastery of S. Onofrio. It contains a large and valuable collection of Etruscan inscriptions, mirrors, cinerary urns, bronzes, vases, pottery, etc., and some interest- ing memorials of Egypt, collected by Rosselini in 1828-9. MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. (Museo di Storia Naturale.) Via Romana, No. 1 9, close to the Pitti Palace, on the left oftheArno. 1 st Floor. — Scientific instruments; Botanical Museum. Temple of Galileo (who died at Florence, 1692). Frescoes of scenes in life of Galileo. Here are also exhibited his telescopes and other instruments. (See p. 77.) The temple is a splendid structure. Every one must visit it. On the 2nd Floor. — Palaeontological, Geological, Zoological, Mineralogical, and Anatomical Collections. " In the Florentine museum is a representation in wax of PALAZZO PITTI. 69 some of the appalling scenes of the plague which desolated this city about the middle of the 14th century, and which Boccaccio has described with such simplicity and power in the introduction of his Decamerone. It is the work of a Silician artist by the name of Zumbo. He must have been a man of the most gloomy and saturnine imagination, and more akin to the worm than most of us, thus to have revelled night and day in the hideous mysteries of death, corruption, and the charnel-house. It is strange how this representation haunts one. It is like a dream of a sepulchre, with its loathsome corses, with l the blackening, the swelling, the bursting of the trunk ; the worm, the rat, and the tarantula at work/ You breathe more freely as you step out into the open air again ; and when the bright sunshine and the crowded busy streets next meet your eye, you are ready to ask, Is this indeed a representation of a reality? Can this pure air have been laden with pestilence ? Can this gay city have ever been a city of the plague?" — Outre-Mer (Longfellow). THE PALAZZO PITTI. The Pitti Palace (so named from its having been originated by Luca Pitti, the sworn foe of the Medici) was designed and commenced by Brunelleschi, and completed by Bartolommeo Ammanati, It is on the left bank of the Arno, and is sur- rounded by the beautiful Boboli Garden. (See p. 73.) King Victor Emmanuel has his residence here when he is in Florence. The COLLECTION OF PICTURES, And the magnificent rooms containing them, are among the principal sights of the city. The Gallery can be approached from the Uffizi by the passage over the Ponte Vecchio (p. 45), or by a stairway on the left of the Palace, close by the guard- house. The rooms are visited in the reverse order in which the numbers of the pictures occur, in consequence of the original entrance having been altered. We shall, however, commence with the last room of the series and the first numbers of the pictures. Only a few of the most remarkable works will be mentioned, as a catalogue of the pictures on small hand- boards is kept in each room for the convenience of visitors. 70 FLORENCE. HALL OF VENUS. (Sa/a di Venus?) So named from the ceiling painting by Pietro da Cortona, in which Cosimo I. is represented as a youth under the special patronage of Minerva, who rescues him from Venus. The room might more appropriately have been called the Hall of Minerva, or even of Cosimo I. i, 20. Adam and Eve .... Albert Durer. 4, [5. Sea Pieces . Salvator Rosa. 9, 14. Landscapes . Rubens. 11. Martyrdom of S. Catherine Francesco Bassano. 16. Portrait of Old Man . Rembrandt. 17. Betrothal of S. Catherine , Titian. 18. Portrait of a Lady Titian. World famed. (La Bella di Tiziano.) HALL OF APOLLO. (Sa/a di A potto.) Ceiling painting, Ciro Ferri (principally) and Pietro da Cortona. 38. Christ at Emmaus . . . . Pa/ma Vecchio. 40. 41. 54. 5*. 60. 67. Virgin and Child . Hospitality of S. Julian Pietro Aretino Descent from the Cross . Portrait of Rembrandt, by Magdalene HALL OF MARS. (Sa/a di Marte.) 79. Madonna della Sedia 81. Holy Family ..... 82. Portrait of Cardinal Giulio Bentivoglio 86. Peace and War .... 90. Ecce Homo ..... 96. Judith with the Head of Holofernes HALL OF JUPITER. (Sa/a di Giove.) Marble statue, Victory Muril/o. Cristoforo A/lori, Titian. Andrea de/ Sarto. Himse/f. Titian. . Raphae/. Andrea de/ Sarto. . Van Dyck . Rubens. Cigo/o. Bronzino. (?) Consani. PALAZZO PITTI. 71 113. The Three Fates . 123. Madonna in Glory \ Saints 124. Annunciation 125. S. Mark 139. Holy Family 140. Portrait . Michael Angelo. Andrea del Sarto. Andrea del Sarto. Fra Bartolommeo. Rubens. Leonardo da Vinci. HALL OF SATURN. (Sala di Saturno.) Pope Julius II. . Death of Abel Cardinal Dorizi Bibbiena . Entombment Madonna del Baldacchino Dispute of the Holy Trinity . Vision of Ezekiel A marvellous work. 178. Cleopatra *5i- 152. 158. 164. 165. 172. 174. Raphael. . Schiavone. Raphael . Pietro Perugino. Raphael. Andrea del Sarto. Raphael. Guido Rem. HALL OF THE ILIAD. {Sala dell Iliade.) Marble statue, Charity . Bartolini. Tables, lapis-lazuli, granite, jasper. 184. Andrea del Sarto, by . Himself. 185. Musicians . . Giorgione. 188. Salvator Rosa, by . Himself. 201. Hippolite de' Medici Titian. 208. Madonna Enthroned Fra Bartolommeo. 228. Head of the Saviour . Titian. 235. Holy Family Rubens. HALL OF THE STOVE. {Sala della Stufa.) Ceiling paintings Matteo Roselli. Frescoes Pietro da Cortona. Two exquisite statues, Cain and Abel . . . Dupre HALL OF THE EDUCATION OF JUPITER. 243. Philip IV. of Spain Velasquez. 245. Portrait .... Raphael. (?) 72 FLORENCE. 256. Holy Family .... Fra Bartolommeo. 266. The Madonna del Gran Duca . . . Raphael, Considered by many writers to be the finest picture in the whole col- lection. 269. Presentation in the Temple . . Paolo Veronese, HALL OF ULYSSES. (Sala di Ulisse). 289. Madonna appearing to St. Francis . . Ligozzi. 297. Pope Paul III. . . . . Paris B or done. 306,312. Landscapes. . . . . Salvator Rosa. 324. George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham . . Rubens. HALL OF PROMETHEUS. {Sala di PrometeoJ) Magnificent Mosaic Table, valued at ,£30,000. Intended for Exhibition of 185 1 (London), but not sent. 338. Madonna and Child . . . Fra Filippo Lippi. 347. Holy Family 354. Holy Family 357. Madonna and Child 365. Madonna and Child 388. Death of Lucretia Fra Filippo Lippi. . Lor. di Credi. Botticelli. Albertinelli. Fra Filippo Lippi. Leaving this suite of rooms, we proceed along a some- what narrow Six marble mosaics. CORRIDOR. / Painting, Sculpture, \ Music, Pantheon, and Architecture, Tomb of \ Cecilia Mitella, Rome. Miniatures, ivory ornaments, etc. HALL OF JUSTICE. {Sala della Giustizia.) Ebony cabinet used by Cardinal Leopold de' Medici. 408. Oliver Cromwell ..... Sir Peter Lely . Painted for Ferdinand II., Duke of Tuscany, who admired the energy and zeal of Cromwell in suppressing the outrages upon the Waldensian Protestants, that he begged him to sit for his portrait, which is considered a faithful one. PALAZZO CORSINI. 73 HALL OF FLORA. (Sa/a di Flora.) Celebrated Statue of Venus Canova. 423. Adoration of Shepherds .... Titian. 430. Madonna and Child ..... Cigoli. 437, The Repose in Egypt .... Van Dyck. HALL OF THE CHILDREN. (Sa/a dei Putti.) 453. Peace Burning Weapons, and Landscape Salvator Rosa. 470. Landscape ...... Salvator Rosa. 465. Landscape RuysdaeL 480. Nymph and Satyr A Caracci. The Treasury of the Palace, on the ground floor, contains the royal plate and many costly curiosities. THE BOBOLI GARDENS Adjoin the Palace. They were laid out by 77 Tribolo in 1500, under Cosimo I. Beautiful walks, charming foliage, curious statuary, abound on every hand ; but there is nothing in the gardens to compare with the exquisite views to be obtained trom its rising ground. All Florence lies before the gaze, and its principal buildings are seen from here to great advantage. The Grotto is adorned with — Four Statues . . . ... . Michael Angelo. Paris bearing Helen away . ' . . Vincenzo de Rossi. Apollo and Ceres ...... Bandinelli. Among other curiosities in the grounds are — Egyptian Obelisk; Basin of Neptune ; Statue of Abundance. Giov. Bologna. A charming little lake, with island in the centre, in which is a colossal statue, Oceanus, by Giov. Bologna. Waterfowl, fountains, flowers, everything to charm the eye. PALAZZO CORSINI. ( Via del Farione.) The most interesting thing in this palace is the collection of pictures. 74 FLORENCE. First Room. Portrait of Cardinal Neri Corsini Cupid in Garden . Baptism of Christ . Tobit and Angel . Holy Family- Head of Christ Venus and Adonis Second Room. Sketch of Pope Julius II. Holy Family. Sea Pieces . In the ninth room there Execution of Savonarola. is an interesting Sustermans. . Albano. . Santi di Tito. Andrea del Sarto. Palma Vecchio. . Cigoli. Annibale Caracci. Raphael. . Filippo Lippi. Salvator Rosa. picture of the PALAZZO RICCARDI. ( Via Cavour.) The magnificent edifice, the ancient palace of the Medici, was designed by Michelozzi, under Cosimo, Pater Patrice (1430). The windows, or frames, on the ground-floor were designed by Michael Angelo. In this palace Lorenzo the Magnificent was born; here Charles VIII. of France resided; here Duke Alexander was assassinated by his cousin Lorenzino, and the room in which the deed was done was made a desola- tion for ever. The court contains a statue of Duke Alexander. The rooms of the palace are very handsome, and the library very extensive. One of the principal curiosities of the place is the Chapel of the Medici, in which are some admirable frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli, representing the Visit of the Wise Men, in which are introduced portraits of the Medici family. PALAZZO STROZZI. ( Via Tornabuoni.) Built 1489, by Benedetto da Majano. The founder of this magnificent palace was one Filippo Strozzi, a wealthy merchant, who, like the merchants of our own day, was pleased to vie with princes. The structure is a fine specimen of old Florentine architecture. The facades are handsome; and the court, constructed by Cronaca, who con- HOUSES OF CELEBRATED MEN. 75 tinued the building which Benedetto da Majano only lived to commence, is superb. Notice particularly the iron work used for link-holders and other purposes of illumination. The rooms are elegant, and there is a gallery of pictures, small but good; busts of the Strozzi family; and some sculpture. PALAZZO TORRIGIANI. {Piazza de' Mozzi — left bank of Arno.) The palace itself is uninteresting, but the collection of pictures is remarkably good. As catalogues are to be found in the rooms for the use of visitors, we shall not name the various valuable works here, but merely call attention specially to — Triumph of David .... Be?iozzo Gozzoli. Portrait Portrait of Masaccio, by Portrait of Signorelli, by History of Esther . Entombment The Agony in the Garden Leonardo da Vinci. Himself. Himself. Filippo Lippi. Titian. (?) Passignano* HOUSES OF CELEBRATED MEN. House of Michael Angelo, Via Ghibellina, No. 64, near S. Croce, and nearly opposite the Pagliano Theatre. Michael Angelo Buonarotti was born in 1574. He learned the elements of design in the school of Domenico Ghirlandaio. Every facility was given to his genius by Lorenzo de' Medici, in whose house he resided for three years. The story of his life has been told over and over again, and need not be recapitu- lated here ; but the works of his, which are among the greatest treasures of Florence, itself the great treasury of art, will be viewed with double pleasure by those who see in them the man Michael Angelo, and are familiar with the strange times in which he lived, and the strange persons amongst whom he dwelt. Florence has few things to equal the statue of David (p. 67) ; Rome has few things to equal the Sistine Chapel. He died on the 17th of February, 1563, at the age of eighty- nine ; and his last words were, " In your passage through this life never forget the sufferings of Jesus Christ/' He was buried in the Church of the Apostoli in Rome, but the body was afterwards transferred to S. Croce (p. 47). y6 FLORENCE. A descendant of Michael Angelo commenced a memorial col- lection in this house in which the great artist dwelt; and when the last of the Buonarotti died, he bequeathed it to the city. Here is the study of Michael Angelo, his crutch, his slippers, the models of some of his great works, many busts and statues of the artist by his pupils, scenes from his eventful life, and a collection of autograph letters and poems. It will be pleasant in this house to read from one of his well-known poems, trans- lated by Wordsworth — TO THE SUPREME BEING. The prayers I make will then be sweet indeed, If Thou the spirit give by which I pray : My unassisted heart is barren clay ; Which of its native self can nothing feed ; Of good and pious works Thou art the seed, Which quickens only where Thou say'st it may. Unless Thou show to us Thine own true way, No man can find it ; Father ! Thou must lead. Do Thou, then, breathe those thoughts into my mind, By which such virtue may in me be bred, That in Thy holy footsteps I may tread ; The fetters of my tongue do Thou unbind, That I may have the power to sing of Thee, And sound Thy praises everlastingly. Benvenuto Cellini's House is in the Via della Pergola, close to the house of Ghiberti. Cellini was born in Florence in 1500, and died there, Feb. 13th, 1570. His life was full of incidents and adventure, and is well worth reading, as it was written by himself, and gives a good account of the times in which he lived, although all that relates to himself is told with overweening self-esteem. There is a good translation into English. He was a musician, engraver, jeweller, gold- smith, artist. He engraved stamps for the mint, coins and medals — many specimens of which will be seen in Florence — and he executed the marvellous Perseus (p. 25), which has made him immortal. Dante's House, Via S. Martino, No. 2, near Piazza della Signoria. There is a quaint old-fashioned door to the house, only a small portion of which is now to be seen, with an inscription to the effect that here, in 1265, Dante Alighieri was born. (See p. 22.) He was married in the Church of S. Martino close by. Galileo's House, Via della Costa, No. 13, close to the HOUSES OF CELEBRATED MEN. 7*] Belvidere fortification, overlooking the Boboli Gardens. Galileo Galilei was born at Pisa in 1564, and died at Ar- cetri (where Milton visited him) in 1642. His body rests in Santa Croce (p. 49). In Florence (1632) he published his celebrated " Dialogues on the Ptolemaic and Copernican Systems of the World" — a work considered in those dark days so dreadful that it was publicly burnt, and he was com- pelled, under awful penalties, to recant. This he did by swearing, "With a sincere heart and unfeigned faith I abjure, curse, and detest the said errors " — namely, that the earth moves round the sun, etc. " I swear that for the future I will never say or assert anything verbally or in writing which may give rise to a similar suspicion against me," etc. And rising from his knees, he turned round to a friend, and whispered, 14 It moves for all that ! " (See also p. 68.) , Ghiberti's House is at the corner of Via S. Egidio and Via della Pergola. Lorenzo Ghiberti was born in Florence, 1378. His life makes an epoch in the life of art ; and the gates of the Baptistery (p. 17) were the most wonderful works that had been produced up to that time, and perhaps they have never been eclipsed. He died in 1455. House of Machiavelli, Via dei Guicciardini, No. 16. Machiavelli was born in Florence, 1469. He was at twenty- nine secretary of the " Ten," which had the management of foreign affairs; his tact, erudition, and talent, made him the chosen one to act as ambassador to Rome, France, Germany, and other courts. The story of his life is intimately asso- ciated with one of the most interesting periods of Florentine history. He published many works in Florence ; and his great work, the History of Florence, will live as long as the name of Italy. House of Amerigo Vespucci, Borgo Ogni Santi. Ves- pucci was born in Florence, March 9th, 1451. He was asso- ciated with the wealthy Florentine house of Juanoto Bernardi, at Seville ; and his voyages, under the auspices of the king of Castile and the king of Portugal, resulted in great successes. He claimed to be the discoverer of America, and certain it is that he gave to that great country its name. He died in Spain, February, 1512. 78 FLORENCE. Jn uxtb ixumuib JXrowa. There are a variety of walks and drives in and around Florence, which the visitor who is not pressed for time should not fail to perform. But they should not be done at the sacrifice of the important places described in the foregoing pages. We cannot describe all the environs as minutely as we have done the city, but call attention to places in and around Florence to be visited according to the tastes, inclinations, and time of the tourist. The Protestant Cemetery, near the modern Piazza of Massimo d'Azeglio. The English cemetery, so largely frequented on Sundays by the piously disposed of our fellow-countrymen, has been closed, a new and spacious burial ground having been provided in another and more suitable locality. But the old cemetery will yet have its frequenters ; for within its precincts lie interred the remains of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Theodosia Trollope, Walter Savage Landor, Arthur Hugh Clough, Theo- dore Parker, and others, whose names, we are rightly told, " will not be the less remembered by posterity because they are associated with the City of Flowers." " There is a garden at Florence still bright with roses, and with pansies ' for thought ; — still sweet and fragrant with the white blossoms of the jessamine — a garden sacred to the English dead in the liberated City of Flowers. Not for the first time do we bear testimony to the graceful sympathy and the refined good nature with which the municipality of Florence, now that Italy is free, has dealt with the English. For sanitary reasons the graveyard of our countrymen had to be closed ; but the Florentine ' vestrymen ' — marvellously different from those un- happy mortals that at St. Pancras, a few years ago, consented to let a railway be driven through the bones of the Huguenot dead — have guarded the remains of the English from all desecra- tion, and have set the place apart as holy ground. We have in Florence a Campo Santo, a Santa Croce of our own. The old words come back, ' Thou Paradise of exiles, Italy ! ' " No one will fail to enjoy reading here one extract, only a snatch, from Mrs. Browning. ENVIRONS OF FLORENCE. 79 A CHILD'S GRAVE AT FLORENCE. Of English blood, of Tuscan birth, What country should we give her? Instead of any on the earth, The civic heavens receive her. And here among the English tombs In Tuscan ground we lay her, While the blue Tuscan sky endomes Our English words of prayer. A little child ! — how long she lived, By months, not years, is reckoned : Born in one July, she survived Alone to see a second. Bright-featured as the July sun Her little face still played in, And splendours, with her birth begun, Had had no time for fading. So, Lily, from those July hours, No wonder we should call her : She looked such kinship to the flowers, Was but a little taller. A Tuscan Lily, — only white, As Dante, in abhorrence Of red corruption, wished aright The lilies of his Florence. The Cascine is the Hyde Park, the Champs Elysees, of Florence. It is two miles long, and a delightful resort in the intervals of sight- seeing. Let Mrs. Browning describe it. THE DANCE. You remember down at Florence our Cascine, Where the people on the feast-days walk and drive, And through the trees, long-drawn in many a green way, O'er-roofing hum and murmur like a hive, The river and the mountains look alive. You remember the piazzone there, the stand-place Of carriages abrim with Florence beauties, W 7 ho lean and melt to music as the band plays, Or smile and chat with some one who afoot is, Or on horseback, in observance of male duties. 'Tis so pretty, in the afternoon of summer, So many gracious faces brought together. Call it rout, or call it concert, they have come here, In the floating of the fan and of the feather, To reciprocate with beauty the fine weather. 80 FLORENCE. San Miniato is a short (half-hour) and delightful excursion. The views are very fine : fortifications, burial-ground ; fine Church of S. Miniato al Monte — interior very handsome — contains works by Luca delta Robbia, Spinello Aretino, and other good artists. The Tower of Galileo (approached by a fine avenue of trees as far as to Poggio Imperiale, or by the road to S. Miniato) is " Where Galileo sat at night to take The vision of the stars," and made some of his greatest discoveries ; and the Villa of Galileo, where he spent the closing years of his life, and was visited by Milton. Fiesole. An omnibus runs from the city three times a day; the distance is three miles, and the fare one franc. Every one who can, should visit the ruins of this old Etruscan city, rich in historical associations, works of art, and objects of general interest. The views are charming. Vallombrosa takes a good day to visit from Florence, but it is a day well spent. The Arezzo rail must be taken to Pontassieve, and then on foot or by carriage. The (suppressed) Monastery is reached through forests of beech, chestnut, oak, and pine, and rocky walls, with open spaces of velvety green, and all through the valley ambrosial sweets ( Val Ambrosa). Milton visited this place and greatly loved it, and speaks of it thus in " Paradise Lost " : — " Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks In Vallombrosa, whose Etrurian shades High over-arched, embower." Mrs. Browning — to whom this valley was a holy place — speaking of Milton, says — 11 He sang of paradise and smiled, Remembering Vallombrosa. " Here also Dante loved to walk, " Where sublime The mountains live in holy families, And the slow pine-woods ever climb and climb, Half up their breasts, just stagger as they seize Some grey crag, drop back into it many a time, And struggle blindly down the precipice." A more magnificent scene is not to be found in Italy. INDEX. PAGE PAGE Academy of Fine Arts 65 Cloister of Scalzi . . 67 Al fresco Theatres . 2 Colonnade of Uffizi . 29 American Church 2 Convent of S. Marcc I . . 58 Annunziata, SS. 55 Corsini Palace . • 73 Arezzo . 80 Dante, House of . . . 76 Baptistery , , i5 Monument . 45 Bargello, 11 67 Stone of . 21 Battisterio di S, Giovanni. 15 Story of . 22 Bellosguardo . 6 David, Statue of . . . 67 Bell Tower 11 Dungeons . 27 Biblioteca, Nazionale 45 Duomo, U . 7 Bigallo 19 Boboli Garden , 73 Egyptian and Etruscs in Museum 68 Bridges , 7 English Church 2 Environs of Florence J . . 78 Campanile , 11 Cascine , 79 Festival of St. John . 16 Cathedral. , 7 Fiesole . 80 Cellini, House of , 76 Florence, Child's Gr ave at -79 Cemetery, Protestant 78 Environs f . .78 Church, American . 2 History of • 3 ,, English 2 Name of . 4 ,, Presbyterian 2 Situation c >f ■ . . 5 Churches :— Florentine Mosaic IV anufactory 67 SS. Annunziata . 56 Foundling Hospital • • 56 S. Croce 45 S. Lorenzo . , , 5o Galleria degli Uffizi . 30 S. Marco 58 Galileo, House of . . 76 S. Maria del Fiore 7 Temple of . 68 S. Maria Maggiore 65 Tomb of . 49 S. Maria della Carmine 64 Tower of . 80 S. Maria Novella. 61 Gates of Florence 7 S. Miniato al Monte . 80 Gates of Paradise • 17 S. Spirito 63 Ghiberti, House of . 77 S. Trinita 64 Giotto's Tower . 11 Ogni Santi . 64 Guardaroba . 19 Or San Michele . 60 Cloister of S. Croce . 5o Hospital (Foundling ) • * S^ PAGE PAGE House of Michael Angelo 75 Torrigiani , • 75 „ Benvenuto Cellini . 76 Uguccione . . 26 ., Galileo . 76 Vecchio , 26 „ Qhiberti . 77 „ Machiavelli 77 Piazza — „ Amerigo Vespucci , 77 della SS. Annunzjata «, * 55 del Battjsterio . 19 In and around^ Florence . 78 S. Croce , . T . 45 del Duomo • J 9 Laboratory (S. Maria Novella) 63 della Signoria . , • 23 Laurentian Library . 55 Pillar of Zanobius , , . 21 Loggia de' Lanzi 25 Pontassieve' . . , . 8q Portico degli Uffizi . . 29 Marzocco , . 26 Post-office 2, 3° Misericordia .... 19 Presbyterian Church 2 Mosaic Manufactory 67 Principal sights of Florence » 2 Museums : — Protestant Cemetery , . 78 Egyptian and Etruscan 68 National . 67 San Miniato . . 8a Natural History . 68 Sasso di Dante . . . 21 Savonarola, Stoxy of . 24 National Museum . 67 Scalzi, Cloister of . . 67 Shops , 1 Ogni Santi , , 64 Sights of Florence . 2 Omnibuses .... 2 Sped ale degli Innocent? . , 56 Opera del Duomo . 19 Or San Mjchete 60 Temple of Galileo . . 68 Theatres .... 2 Palazzo — Tower of Galileo , . 80 dell' Antella 45 Tribuna (Uffizi) . , . 32 Corsini . 73 Pitti , 69 Vallombrosa . . 8q Riccardi .... 74 Venus de' Medici . • 33 Strozzi .... 74 Via del Morte . . 2t Cooks'' Tourist's Handbook Advertiser. FLORENCE. DRUGS AND PERFUMERY. CASONI, 15, VIA TORNABUONI, FLORENCE, MANUFACTURER OF CHOCOLATE, LIQUEURS, SYRUPS, PRESERVES, CONFECTIONERY. Depot for English Biscuits and all kinds of Colonial Produce. Wax and Paraffin Candles. Perfumery. National and Foreign Wines. ELISA BRUNETTI, 20, VIA TORNABUONI, PALAZZO CORSI, FLORENCE; 9, VIA CERRETANI, CASA ZANNETTI ; PURVEYOR TO THE ROYAL FAMILY, Ladies' and Gentlemen' 's Hosier. SHIRTS, CHEMISES, COLLARS, CRAVATS, &C. COOKS' TOURIST'S HANDBOOKS. THE FOLLOWING ARE NOW READY,- Price 2s. 6d., bound in patent waterproof morocco, with Map, and Panorama of the Rhine, COOKS' TOURIST'S HANDBOOK FOR HOLLAND, BELGIUM, AND THE RHINE. Price 2s. 6d., bound in patent waterproof mosocco, with Four Maps. COOKS' TOURIST'S HANDBOOK FOR SWITZERLAND, SHOWING All the principal Routes to Paris, with description of the places of interest passed ; Paris to Switzerland, with comprehensive and suggestive notes by the way ; and a carefully prepared descriptive account of all the principal places of interest in Switzerland, with Notes Llistorical, Archaeological, Biographical ; Brief Extracts from Standard Works ; copious details as to the ways and means, times, and modes of travelling, etc. It includes all information re- quisite for the Tourist, and will be found eminently useful, practical, com- panionable, and therefore interesting. IN PREPARATION, COOKS' TOURIST'S HANDBOOK FOR NORTH ITALY, &c. London : Thos. Cook and Son, Ludgate Circus ; and Hodder and Stoughton, Paternoster Row. THOMAS OC CENTRAL TOURIST UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 3 0112 100043550 I. 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