" I .ODUCTIO, 
 
 AND 
 IPRETA' 


 
 art 
 
 1. RAPHAEL 
 
 2. REMBRANDT 
 
 3. MICHELANGELO 
 
 4. MILLET 
 
 5. REYNOLDS 
 
 6. MURILLO 
 
 7. GREEK SCULPTURE 
 
 8. TITIAN 
 
 9. LANDSEER 
 10. CORREGGIO 
 
 it. TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 12. VAN DYCK 
 
 Representative pictures by famous Artists, 
 with interpretative text and portrait of the 
 painter. Edited by ESTELLE M. HURLL. 
 Each volume, crown 8vo, 75 cents, net ; 
 School Edition, linen, 50 cents, net ; paper, 
 35 cents, net. 
 
 HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO. 
 Boston and New York
 
 IL MAK/UCCO (IXJNATELLO) 
 National Muieum, Hortntt
 
 iSitoerjifoe art 
 
 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY 
 
 A COLLECTION OF SIXTEEN PICTURES 
 
 REPRODUCING WORKS BY DONATELLO, THE 
 
 DELLA ROBBIA, MINO DA FIESOLE, AND 
 
 OTHERS, WITH INTRODUCTION 
 
 AND INTERPRETATION 
 
 BY 
 
 ESTELLE M.IHURLL 
 
 BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
 HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 
 Press, Cambribge 
 1902
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN ft CO. 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 
 
 Published March, tqoa.
 
 PREFACE 
 
 THIS little collection is intended as a companion volume 
 to "Greek Sculpture," a previous issue of the Riverside 
 Art Series. The two sets of pictures, studied side by 
 side, illustrate clearly the difference in the spirit animat- 
 ing the two art periods represented. 
 
 The Tuscan sculpture of the Renaissance was developed 
 under a variety of forms, of which as many as possible 
 are included in the limits of our book: the equestrian 
 statue, the sepulchral monument, the ideal statue of 
 saint and hero, as well as various forms of decorative 
 art applied to the beautifying of churches and public 
 buildings both without and within. 
 
 ESTELLE M. HURLL. 
 
 NEW BEDFORD, MASS. 
 February, 1902.
 
 CONTENTS AND LIST OF PICTUKES 
 
 MM 
 
 IL MARZOCCO (THE HERALDIC LION OF FLORENCE). By Dona- 
 
 tello o (Frontispiece) 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 i. ON SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY vii 
 
 n. ON BOOKS OF REFERENCE xi 
 
 in. HISTORICAL DIRECTORY OF THE WORKS m THIS 
 
 COLLECTION xiii 
 
 iv. TABLE OF BIOGRAPHICAL DATA xvi 
 
 I. MUSICAL ANGELS. By Donatello 1 
 
 II. ST. PHILIP. By Nanni di Banco 7 
 
 III. ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. By Donatello ...... 13 
 
 IV. THE INFANT JESUS AND ST. JOHN. By Mino da Fiesole 19 
 V. BOYS WITH CYMBALS. By Luca della Robbia ... 25 
 
 VI. TOMB OF ILARIA DEL CARRETTO (Detail). By Jacopo 
 
 della Quercia 31 
 
 VII. MADONNA AND CHILD (Detail of lunette). By Luca 
 
 della Robbia 37 
 
 VIII. THE MEETING OF ST. FRANCIS AND ST. DOMINICK. By 
 
 Andrea della Robbia 43 
 
 IX. ST. GEORGE. By Donatello 49 
 
 X. BAMBINO. By Andrea della Robbia 55 
 
 XI. THE ANNUNCIATION. By Andrea della Robbia ... 61 
 XII. THE ASCENSION. By Luca della Robbia 67 
 
 XIII. TOMB OF THE CARDINAL OF PORTUGAL. By Antonio 
 
 Rossellino 73 
 
 XIV. EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GATTAMELATA. By Donatello 79 
 XV. SHRINE. By Mino da Fiesole 86 
 
 XVI. IL MARZOCCO (THE HERALDIC LION OF FLORENCE). 
 
 By Donatello (See Frontispiece) 91 
 
 PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY OF PROPER NAMES AND 
 FOREIGN WORDS 95 
 
 NOTE: With one exception the pictures were made from photo- 
 graphs by Aliuari ; the " Musical Angels " was made from a pho- 
 tograph by Naya.
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 I. ON SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. . 
 
 "THE Italian sculptors of the earlier half of the fif- 
 teenth century are more than mere forerunners of the 
 great masters of its close, and often reach perfection 
 within the narrow limits which they chose to impose on 
 their work. Their sculpture shares with the paintings 
 of Botticelli and the churches of Brunelleschi that pro- 
 found expressiveness, that intimate impress of an in- 
 dwelling soul, which is the peculiar fascination of the 
 art of Italy in that century." 
 
 These words of Walter Pater define admirably the 
 quality which, in varying degree, runs through the work 
 of men of such differing methods as Donatello, the della 
 Robbia, Mino da Fiesole, and Rossellino. It is the qual- 
 ity of expressiveness as distinguished from that abstract 
 or generalized character which belongs to Greek sculp- 
 ture. Greek sculpture, it is true, taught some of these 
 artists how to study nature, but it did not satisfy Chris- 
 tian ideals. The subjects demanded of the Tuscans were 
 entirely foreign to Greek experience. The saints and 
 martyrs of the Christian era were at the opposite pole from 
 the gods and heroes of antiquity. Hence the aim of the 
 new sculpture was the manifestation of the soul, as that 
 of the classic art had been the glorification of the body. 
 
 Jacopo della Quercia was one of the oldest of the sculp- 
 tors whose work extended into the fifteenth century, being
 
 viii TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 already twenty-five years of age when that century began. 
 Standing thus in the period of transition between the old 
 and the new, his work unites the influence of mediaeval 
 tradition with a distinctly new element. His bas-reliefs 
 on the portal of S. Petronio at Bologna are probably 
 his most characteristic work. The tomb of Hariri del 
 Carretto is in a class by itself: "In composition, the 
 gravest and most tranquil of his works, and in concep- 
 tion, full of beauty and feeling." 1 
 
 Donatello is undoubtedly the greatest name in Italian 
 sculpture previous to Michelangelo. The kinship be- 
 tween these two men was felicitously expressed in Vasari's 
 quotation from "the most learned and very reverend" 
 Don Vicenzo Borghini: "Either the spirit of Donato 
 worked in Buonarroti, or that of Buonarroti first acted in 
 Donato." Vitality, force, action, suggestiveness, char- 
 acter, such are the words which spring to the lips in the 
 presence of both masters. 
 
 The range of Donatello's art was phenomenal, from 
 works of such magnitude as the equestrian statue of 
 Gattamelata, to the decorative panels for the altar of S. 
 Antonio at Padua. At times he was an uncompromising 
 realist, as in his statue of the bald old man, the Zuc- 
 cone, who figured as King David. Again he showed 
 himself capable of lofty idealism, as in the beautiful and 
 heroic St. George. Which way his own tastes leaned 
 we may judge from his favorite asseveration, "By my 
 /uccone." The point is that it mattered nothing to him 
 whether his model was beautiful or ugly, whether he 
 wrought out an ideal of his imagination or studied the 
 character of an actual individual; his first care was to 
 iiKikr tin fiirure live. In consequence his art has what a 
 critic has called "a robustness and a sanity" which have 
 made it "a wellspring of inspiration to lesser men." 
 
 1 Sidney Colvin.
 
 INTRODUCTION ix 
 
 The only subject practically left out of Donatello's 
 work was woman. Children afforded him all the mate- 
 rial he needed for the more decorative forms of his art. 
 For the rest the problems which interested him most were 
 perhaps best worked out in the study of the male figure. 
 
 A recent biographer of Donatello, Hope Rea, points 
 out some interesting characteristics of his technical work- 
 manship. In every work subsequent to his St. Mark, 
 "the hair," she says, "is conspicuous by its appearance 
 of living growth." And again, explaining the excellence 
 of his drapery, she shows how he went beyond the ordi- 
 nary consideration of the general flow and line of the 
 stuffs, to a study of the sections of the folds. Hence 
 drapery with him "is not only an arrangement of lines 
 for decorative effect, or a covering for the figure, but it 
 is a beauty in itself, filled with the living air." 
 
 Nanni di Banco is a name naturally associated with 
 that of Donatello, not only on account of the friendship 
 between the two, but from the fact that both worked on 
 the church of Or San Michele. Nanni was one of the 
 smaller men whose work is overshadowed by the fame of 
 a great contemporary. His art has not sufficient distinc- 
 tion to give it a prominent place ; yet it is not without 
 good qualities. Marcel Reymond insists that the public 
 has not yet appreciated the just merits of this neglected 
 sculptor. In his opinion the St. Philip was the inspira- 
 tion of Donatello's St. Mark, while Nanni's St. Eloi had 
 an influence upon St. George. 
 
 With Luca della Robbia began the "reign of the bas- 
 relief," as Marcel Reymond characterizes the period of 
 fifty years between Donatello and Michelangelo. Women 
 and children were the special subjects of this sculptor's 
 art, and it is perhaps in the Madonna and Child that we 
 see his most characteristic touch. How well he could 
 represent spirited action, we see in some of the panels of
 
 x TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 the organ gallery. How dignified was his sense of repose, 
 is seen in the lunette of the Ascension. 
 
 Much as he cared for expression, "expression car- 
 ried to its highest intensity of degree," as Walter Pater 
 put it, he never found it necessary to secure this ex- 
 pression at the cost of beauty. That he studied nature 
 at first hand his works are clear evidence, but that did 
 not preclude the choice of attractive subjects. His style 
 is "so sober and contained," writes a recent critic, "so 
 delicate and yet so healthy, so lovely and yet so free 
 from prettiuess, so full of sentiment, and devoid of senti- 
 mentality, that it is hard to find words for any critical 
 characterization." 1 "Simplicity and nobility," the words 
 of Cavalucci and Molinier, is perhaps the best phrase in 
 which to sum up the art of Luca della liobbia. 
 
 In his nephew, Andrea della Kobbia, the founder of 
 the school had a successor whose best work is worthy of 
 the master's teaching. If he lacked the simplicity and 
 severity of the older man, he surpassed him in depth of 
 Christian sentiment. Sometimes, it is true, his tender- 
 ness verges on weakness, his devoutness on pietism. If 
 we are tempted to charge him with monotony we must 
 remember what pressure was brought upon a man whose 
 works attained such immense popularity. The bambini 
 of the Foundling Hospital and the Meeting of St. Fran- 
 cis and St. Dominick show the high level to which his 
 art could rise. 
 
 A ntonio Rossellino and Mino da Fiesole may be classed 
 to-fth.T as sculptors to whom decorative effect was of 
 first importance; they loved line and form for their in- 
 trinsic beauty. They delighted in elaborate and well 
 ordered compositions. Elegance of design, delicacy and 
 refinement in handling, are invariable qualities of their 
 
 Notes on VatarCt live*, edited by . H. and E. W. Bloshfield and 
 A A Hopkins.
 
 INTRODUCTION ri 
 
 work. Such qualities were especially to be desired in 
 the making of those sepulchral monuments which were so 
 numerous in their period. Of the many fine works of 
 this class in Tuscany each of these two sculptors contrib- 
 uted at least one of the best examples. 
 
 It is superfluous to point out that the sweetness of these 
 sculptors is perilously near the insipid, their grace too 
 often formal. We are brought to realize the true great- 
 ness of the men when we behold the grave and tranquil 
 beauty of the effigy of the Cardinal of Portugal, or the 
 vigorous characterization of the bust of Bishop Salutati. 
 
 It is John Addington Symonds who says the final word 
 when he declares that the charm of the works of such men 
 as Mino and Rossellino "can scarcely be defined except 
 by similes." And these are the images which this master 
 of similes calls up to our mind as we contemplate their 
 works : " The innocence of childhood, the melody of a lute 
 or a song bird as distinguished from the music of an 
 orchestra, the rathe tints of early dawn, cheerful light on 
 shallow streams, the serenity of a simple and untainted 
 nature that has never known the world." 
 
 II. ON BOOKS OF REFERENCE. 
 
 There are but few works devoted exclusively to the 
 subject of Italian Renaissance sculpture. For many years 
 American students seeking information in this direction 
 have relied chiefly upon the works of C. C. Perkins: 
 "Tuscan Sculptors" (2 vols.), London, 1864; "Italian 
 Sculptors " (in Northern, Southern and Eastern Italy), 
 London, 1868 ; and finally the volume which unites and 
 revises the material of both earlier works, "Historical 
 Handbook of Italian Sculpture," New York, 1883. 
 
 The recent work of Marcel Reymond, "La Sculpture 
 Florentine," Florence, 1898, has been heartily welcomed 
 by students of all nationalities. It consists of four vol-
 
 iii TUSCAN SCULPTrilK 
 
 nines, all well illustrated, devoted respectively to: (1) 
 Les Prede'cesseurs de 1'Kctilr Florentine ft la Sculpture 
 Florentine au XIV" siecle [The Precursors of the Flo- 
 rentine School and Florentine Sculpture of the 14th Cen- 
 tury]. (2) Premiere moitie du XV* siecle [First half 
 of the 15th century]. (3) Seconde moitie du XV" siecle 
 [Second half of the 15th century]. (4.) Le XVP siecle et 
 les Successeurs de 1'Ecole Florentine [The 16th Century 
 and the Successors of the Florentine School]. As it 
 has not been translated into English this work is not 
 so widely read by the general public as it should be, but 
 it is probably to be found in most large libraries. 
 
 A newly published book, " Italian Sculpture of the 
 Renaissance," by L. J. Freeman, M. A., appears just as 
 this volume goes to press. It is a brief survey, crit- 
 ical and interpretative, of the principal works of the 
 most prominent Florentine sculptors of the period, with 
 some account of the characteristics of the early and later 
 Renaissance work. Some forty fine illustrations eluci- 
 date the study. 
 
 Of the general works on the history of art from which 
 material on our subject may be drawn, the most impor- 
 tant is of course Vasari's "Lives." In the recently revised 
 English version, edited by E. H. and E. W. Blashfield 
 and A. A. Hopkins (New York, 1897), are some valuable 
 footnotes summing up the characteristics of the individual 
 sculptors. 
 
 Of inestimable value for purposes of serious study are 
 the volumes by Eugene Miintz, "Histoire de 1'Art pen- 
 dant la Renaissance." The material bearing on the sculp- 
 tors illustrated in this present collection is found in his 
 volume devoted to "Les Primitifs" (Paris, 1889). Those 
 to whom the French text presents no difriculty \\ill derive 
 inui-li benefit from the study of this book, which may be 
 consulted in the large public libraries.
 
 INTRODUCTION riii 
 
 A book available to all, and of a delightfully popular 
 nature, is the volume on "The Fine Arts" in John 
 Addington Symonds's series of The Renaissance in Italy. 
 This writer had a remarkable gift for putting much sug- 
 gestive comment into a compact and readable form. 
 
 General histories of sculpture allotting a proportionate 
 space to the consideration of the Italian sculptors of the 
 Renaissance are, by Lucy Baxter, "Sculpture, Renais- 
 sance and Modern " (New York, 1891); Liibke, "History 
 of Sculpture," translated from the German by F. E. 
 Bunnett (London, 1878); Allan Marquand and A. L. 
 Frothingham, "Textbook of the History of Sculpture" 
 (New York, 1896). 
 
 A special study of the work of Donatello is made by 
 Hope Rea in a volume of the series of Handbooks of the 
 Great Masters in Painting and Sculpture. A complete 
 list of the sculptor's works is given. Luca della Robbia 
 is the subject of two important French works : by Cava- 
 lucci and Molinier, "Les Della Robbia" (Paris, 1884); 
 by Marcel Reymond, "Les Della Robbia" (Florence, 
 1897). There is a chapter on Luca della Robbia in 
 Walter Pater's "Studies in the History of the Renais- 
 sance" (1890), and another in Mrs. Van Rensselaer's 
 "Six Portraits" (Boston, 1889). 
 
 Mrs. Oliphant has written pleasantly both of Donatello 
 and of Luca della Robbia in "The Makers of Florence." 
 
 in. HISTORICAL DIRECTORY OF THE WORKS IN 
 THIS COLLECTION. 
 
 Frontispiece. II Marzocco (the heraldic lion of Flor- 
 ence). (Donatello.) Made of pietra serena and originally 
 placed on the ringhiera of the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. 
 Now in the National Museum (Bargello) of that city, while 
 a bronze copy occupies its place in front of the palace.
 
 xiv IT-CAN SCULPTUl; 
 
 1. Musical Angels. (Donatello.) Bronze bas-reliefs 
 from the high altar of S. Antonio, Padua. Onlrivd in 
 1448. Completed in 1450. Man ! Keymond holds that 
 the execution of these reliefs was committed to assist- 
 ants. In 1576 a new altar was ordered, and Donatello's 
 bronzes were dispersed. In 1895 a reconstruction of 
 Donatello's altar was made, setting the parts in place 
 according to what is supposed to have been the original 
 design. 
 
 2. St. Philip. (Nanni di Banco.) Marble statue in 
 niche on outside of Or San Michele, Florence. The date 
 is uncertain; Marcel Reymond considers it one of Nanni's 
 oldest works, placing it before 1408. 
 
 3. St. John the Baptist. (Donatello.) Bas-relief in 
 pirtra serena in the National Museum (Bargello), Flor- 
 ence. No date is assigned. 
 
 4. The Infant Jesus and St. John. (Mino da Fiesole.) 
 Detail of marble altarpiece in alto relievo in cathedral 
 of Fiesole, being a part of the monument of Bishop Salu- 
 tati. Ordered in 1462. 
 
 5. Soys with Cymbals. (Lucca della Robbia.) One of 
 the marble bas-reliefs ornamenting the organ gallery for 
 the Florence cathedral. Organ gallery begun in 1431, 
 finished 1440. Removed from cathedral in 1688. Reliefs 
 put in Uffizi Gallery 1882, and then in the Bargello. 
 Thence taken to the museum of the Duomo, where they 
 are now to be seen, set up in place on the reconstructed 
 gallery. 
 
 6. Tomb of flaria del Carretto (Detail). (Jacopo 
 lella Quercia.) Marble tomb in the cathedral of Lneea. 
 Milanese dates it 1413, but Ridolfi's description of the 
 Lucca eatliedral places Jacopo's work then- in 1406 or 
 1407, and Miintx thinks this date conclusive. 
 
 7. Madonna and Child (Detail). (Luca tl.-lla i;..l.l>i.-i. ) 
 Glazed terra cotta lunette over the door of a building
 
 INTRODUCTION xv 
 
 (now a shop) in the Via dell' Agnolo, Florence. Con- 
 sidered by Marcel Reymond the most difficult of Luca's 
 work to date. According to Dr. Bode, executed before 
 1431 ; according to Allan Marquand, between 1430 and 
 1440 ; according to Marcel Reymond, towards 1450. 
 
 8. Meeting of St. Francis and St. Dominick. (Andrea 
 della Robbia.) Glazed terra cotta lunette in the Loggia 
 of San Paolo, Florence. Classified by Marcel Reymond 
 under Andrea's third manner, because distinguished by 
 perfect knowledge of artistic principles. 
 
 9. St. George. (Donatello.) Marble statue originally 
 designed for a niche on the church of Or San Michele, 
 Florence. Executed in 1416 at the order of the Guild 
 of Armorers. In 1887 it was removed to the National 
 Museum, Florence, to preserve it from injury by expo- 
 sure to the weather. A bronze copy was substituted for 
 it on the church. 
 
 10. Bambino. (Andrea della Robbia.) One of a 
 series of glazed terra cotta medallions on the facade of 
 the Foundling Hospital, Florence. Judged by its relation 
 to the art of Luca della Robbia, this is among the early 
 works of Andrea. From certain data in the history of 
 the hospital, Cavalucci reckons that it was executed about 
 the year 1463. 
 
 11. The Annunciation. (Andrea della Robbia.) Altar- 
 piece at La Verna. Marcel Reymond says that from 
 the beauty of style and the advanced knowledge of tech- 
 nique exhibited here, this work must belong to Andrea's 
 maturity, that is, in the neighborhood of his fortieth year. 
 It is classified by Reymond in Andrea's "first manner." 
 
 12. The Ascension. (Luca della Robbia.) Enamelled 
 terra cotta lunette, decorating tympanum of door of sac- 
 risty in the cathedral at Florence. The first work in this 
 material by Luca of which we have the date, 1446. 
 
 13. Tomb of the Cardinal of Portugal (Detail). (An-
 
 xri TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 tonio Rossellino.) Tomb in colored marble in the church 
 of San Miniato, Florence. Ordered in 1401. 
 
 14. Equestrian statue of Gattamelata. (Donatello.) 
 In the Piazza del Santo, Padua. Commission given 1444. 
 Work begun 1446. Statue set up, 1453. Erected at 
 the expense of Gattamelata's son, Gio. Antonio. 
 
 15. Shrine. (Mino da Fiesole.) A marble taber- 
 nacle, decorated in mezzo-relievo and originally made for 
 the nuns of the convent of the Murate. Removed in 
 1815 to S. Croce, Florence. No date is assigned to it. 
 
 IV. TABLE OF BIOGRAPHICAL DATA. 
 
 Jacopo di Pietro d 1 Angela, of La Quercia Gossa, a 
 castello once near Siena and since destroyed. Born 1371 ; 
 died 1438. Variously stated to have been a scholar of 
 Maestro Goro and of Luca di Giovanni. Milanese be- 
 lieves that these claims are groundless, and that Jacopo 
 was a pupil of his own father, who was a goldsmith. Best 
 known for his marble reliefs ornamenting the portal of 
 S. Petronio, Bologna. 
 
 Nanni di Banco. Son of Antonio di Banco, who 
 was at work in the Florence Cathedral in 1406. lie is 
 known to have been considerably older than Donatello, 
 and Marcel Keymond suggests the date 1374 as the 
 probable year of his birth. Died 1421. 
 
 Donatello. The familiar name applied to Donato di 
 Niccolb di Betti Bardi. Born in Florence, 1386; died 
 in Florence, 1466. His visit to Rome in company with 
 Brunelleschi has been called the most important of the 
 initial steps in the revival of antiquity in art. The 
 friendship and patronage of Cosmo de' Medici brought 
 the artist many commissions. 
 
 Luca di tiimone di Marco ddla Itolibia. Born in 
 Florence, 1399 or 1400; died 1482.
 
 INTRODUCTION xvii 
 
 Andrea della Robbia, nephew of Luca. Born 1435; 
 died 1525. 
 
 Antonio Rossellino. One of the five sons of Matteo 
 di Domenico Gambarelli, all being artists. Born in Set- 
 tignano in 1427 ; died about 1499. 
 
 Mino di Giovanni di Mino, usually called Mino da 
 Fiesole. Born in 1431 in Poppi, in the Casentino, a 
 district between the sources of the Arno and Tiber, north 
 of Arezzo. Died in 1484. He was a friend of Desiderio 
 da Settignano, but probably not one of his pupils.
 
 MUSICAL ANGELS 
 BY DONATELLO 
 
 IN the western part of Italy, lying a little north 
 of the centre, is the district known as Tuscany. 
 Here, in the valley of the Arno, is the city of Flor- 
 ence, glorious with her storied palaces and churches. 
 Around her are clustered Pistoja and Lucca, Pisa 
 and Leghorn, Siena and Arezzo, all notable towns 
 in Italian history. Here, too, is Carrara, with its 
 stores of beautiful marble. 
 
 It was from this little district of Tuscany that 
 the sculptors came forth who have helped to make 
 Italy famous as the birthplace of modern art. The 
 development of Tuscan sculpture covered a period of 
 some three centuries, beginning with the Pisan Nic- 
 colo, who worked between the years 1220 and 1270, 
 and culminating with the great Florentine Michel- 
 angelo, who died in 1564. We shall study in this 
 little collection a few works of the fifteenth century. 
 
 It was the time called by historians the Renais- 
 sance, which means literally " the new birth." The 
 world was awakening from the long sleep of the 
 Middle Ages, and Italy was the first to be aroused. 
 Certain adventurous spirits began to ponder the
 
 2 N* SCULITL'RE 
 
 jx)ssibility of a new continent beyond the sea. There 
 was a great revival of learning, accompanied by a 
 pa^i<,nate love of the beautiful. Schools of art 
 were established throughout the length of Italy. 
 
 In other volumes of this series we have learned 
 how the churches, palaces, and public buildings 
 were filled with paintings. 1 We shall now see that 
 sculpture also contributed much to the adornment 
 of the cities. Statues, busts, and bas-reliefs, in mar- 
 ble, bronze, and terra-cotta, ornamented many build- 
 ings both without and within. 
 
 Our illustration shows two panels from the series 
 of twelve bronze reliefs on the front of a church 
 altar. Two little boy angels are making music with 
 their pipes. The companion panels are also filled 
 with musical angels, some singing and others play- 
 ing on various instruments. 
 
 The New Testament begins and ends with the 
 music of angels. The birth of Jesus is In-raided by 
 a multitude of the heavenly host singing " Glory to 
 God in the highest." The golden city of St. John's 
 vision is filled with " the voice of harpers, harping 
 with their harps," in the new song before the throne 
 of God. Thence has arisen the beautiful custom of 
 artists to represent angels as musicians. 
 
 Tin 1 child angels of our piettm- have tiny pointed 
 winijs as a si^ii of their heavenly origin. Certainly 
 we cannot imagine such buoyant little creatures 
 treading the earth like mortals. One .stands on tip- 
 toe like a bird poised for flight. The other skips 
 1 See Raphael, Mickdangdo, Titian, nod Correggio.
 
 
 Jolju Andrew S,u, So. 
 
 MUSICAL ANGELS (DONATELLO) 
 Church of San Antonio, Padua
 
 MUSICAL ANGELS 5 
 
 through the air with joyous motion. The head of 
 one is encircled by a halo, the emblem of purity. 
 The other wears a fillet of flowers over his curls. 
 Each carries two little pipes, the simplest of musical 
 instruments. 
 
 It was long ago in the childhood of the race that 
 some shepherd, plucking a reed from the bank of a 
 stream, first found that the hollow stem had a voice 
 of its own. The pipe thereafter became a favorite 
 instrument among primitive people. We read in 
 the Old Testament Scriptures that the ancient He- 
 brews used it in the celebration of their festivities. 
 At the Greek festivals also the pipers had a place 
 in the procession of musicians. 
 
 Our angel pipers are blowing lustily with puffing 
 cheeks 
 
 " Such sweet 
 
 Soft notes as yet musician's cunning 
 Never gave the enraptured air." 
 
 They are genuine musicians, not children playing 
 with the pipes as with toys. They move to the 
 rhythm of their piping, their lifted faces expressing 
 their delight. Their thin garments cling to their 
 figures, and the loose ends flutter about them. 
 
 Every line of the modelling is beautiful, the poise 
 of the figures full of rhythmic grace. The angel at 
 the left stands in profile, with face slightly turned 
 away from the spectator. The right hand figure 
 skips directly out of his panel, swinging lithely 
 about towards the left, as he moves. The outlines 
 of both figures describe long fine curves, with which
 
 6 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 the edges of the drapery run parallel. In the draw- 
 ing of the right hand angel we may trace delicate 
 patterns of interlacing ovals. 
 
 Some portions of the work seem to be modelled 
 in very high relief. The limbs, we are told, are in 
 low relief, supported on a metal back, an inch or so 
 thick, by which they are thrown out to a proper dis- 
 tance from the background. 
 
 The altar to which our panels belong is in the 
 church of S. Antonio, Padua, and was executed by 
 the Florentine sculptor, Donatello, in 1450. The 
 entire scheme of decoration is very elaborate. On 
 the front is a row of musical angels, in which the 
 panels here reproduced occupy opposite ends. Above 
 these are five reliefs of larger size ; and still higher 
 are seven life-size statues of saints. The whole is 
 surmounted by a crucifix. Even the back of the 
 altar is ornamented with reliefs, and the work is 
 an example of the spirit of the age, which thought 
 nothing too rich or beautiful for the purposes of 
 worship.
 
 n 
 
 ST. PHILIP 
 BY NAKNI DI BANCO 
 
 ST. PHILIP was one of the first group of disciples 
 whom Jesus called to his service. He was a native 
 of Bethsaida in Galilee, but we do not know what 
 occupation he pursued there. There is a tradition 
 that he was a chariot driver, and in any case he was 
 certainly a laboring man like all of the twelve. 
 Having attached himself to Jesus he began at once 
 to work in his cause. He persuaded Nathanael to 
 come and see the Master, and thereby won a new 
 adherent. 1 
 
 Philip was not spiritually minded, like John, nor 
 impetuous, like Peter, but in his own way he wanted 
 to know the truth. Perhaps he was a little slower 
 than others to grasp religious teaching. It may be 
 that he was franker than many in confessing that 
 he did not understand. 
 
 He and Thomas were somewhat alike in this re- 
 spect, and once, when Jesus was talking of departing 
 to the Heavenly Father, both interrupted him with 
 questions. Philip said, " Lord, show us the Father 
 and it sufficeth us." " Have I been so long tune 
 
 1 St. John, chapter i., verses 43-51.
 
 8 TUSCAN SCULPTUKI 
 
 with you and yet hast thou not known nu ? re- 
 plied Jesus. " He that hath seen ine hath seen the 
 Father." ' 
 
 Apparently Phih'p learned his lesson well, for we 
 read in traditional history of his faithful missionary 
 services in later life. He was twenty years in Scythia 
 preaching the gospel. Then he went to Hieropulis 
 in Phrygia, where the people worshipped a serpent. 
 The apostle drove the serpent away, but the pa^an 
 priests sought his life in revenge. He was bound 
 to a cross and stoned to death, praying even in his 
 agony for his enemies. 2 
 
 The statue of St. Philip in our illustration shows 
 
 I 
 
 him as a somewhat commonplace-looking man with 
 heavy features. It accords with the usual account 
 of him that his face should not be particularly in- 
 tellectual. His attitude is full of dignity, and 
 denotes a well-balanced character. The large ^ell- 
 knit hands are those of an artisan. He is of about 
 middle age, as the artists usually represent him. A 
 plain man of good common sense and sterling 
 worth this was Philip both in fact and in the 
 statue. 
 
 In pictures and statues the apostles nearly always 
 carry the symbols of their identity. St. Philip's em- 
 blem is the cross, but it is here dispensed with, and 
 we have only the Latin inscription to show us who 
 he is. 
 
 The statue stands in a niche, and is one of a series 
 
 1 St. John, chapter xiv., verses 1-11. 
 
 * Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art, p. 235.
 
 John Andrew .1 Sou, go 
 
 ST. PHILIP (NANNI DI BANCO) 
 Church of Or San A/ic/ii'le, Florence
 
 ST. PHILIP 11 
 
 ornamenting the outside of the church of Or San 
 Michele in Florence. In building this church all 
 the merchants and artisans of the city contributed 
 to support the work. Each trade was at that time 
 represented by a guild or association whose members 
 united to advance their common business interests. 1 
 These various guilds furnished the statues for the 
 niches, each supplying the figure qjf its own patron 
 saint. St. Philip was the gift of the Guild of Ho- 
 siers, and was executed by the sculptor Nanni di 
 Banco. 
 
 Donatello had at first been approached by the 
 guild, but considering his price exorbitant they gave 
 the order to Nanni, who promised to accept any 
 terms they decided upon. When the statue was 
 done, however, the sculptor demanded a sum larger 
 than the price of Donatello. The latter was now 
 called upon to act as referee, and he set a still higher 
 price upon the work. The Hosiers were indignant. 
 " Why," they asked, " had Donatello rated Nanni's 
 work at a higher price than his own, which would 
 have undoubtedly been better ? " " Because," re- 
 plied the great sculptor, laughing, " being less 
 skilful than I, he has worked harder, and therefore 
 deserves more pay." A compromise was effected, 
 and the statue set in place. 
 
 That Donatello could indeed have made a better 
 
 1 The Florentine guilds of this period may be compared with those 
 of the seventeenth century in Holland. See the chapter on the " Syn- 
 dics of the Cloth Guild " in the volume on Rembrandt in the River- 
 side Art Series.
 
 12 TUSCAN SCULPTL1 
 
 statue we shall presently see when we study his St. 
 George, designed for the same church. St. Philip 
 lacks distinction, and it has not the animation which 
 the greater sculptor knew how to impart to his work. 
 Nevertheless it has certain artistic qualities which 
 make it worthy of Donatello's championship. 
 
 The lines of the drapery are well studied. Ap- 
 parently Nanni had learned something in this re- 
 spect from the Greek sculpture. Where draperies 
 are simple and hang in long unbroken lines, the 
 effect is impressive and dignified. When they are 
 voluminous and broken, they lose in dignity. Good 
 art is always simple and has no meaningless lines. 
 
 We are interested in examining the niche in which 
 the statue is set. It is Gothic in design, and with 
 its pointed top and side pinnacles recalls the cathe- 
 dral windows in northern Europe. An architectural 
 frame of this sort is often called a tabernacle, being 
 in fact a miniature church in form. In the trian- 
 gular space at the top is a bas-relief figure in half 
 length which seems to represent Christ. The base 
 is ornamented with an arabesque or scroll design, 
 flanked at each end by the arms of the Hosiers* 
 Guild. The side pillars have rich Corinthian capi- 
 tals. Just inside are twisted pillars of curious work- 
 manship. 
 
 Our illustration also shows a portion of the wall 
 against which the niche is placed. We see that t In- 
 ch urch is built of stone, set in square blocks. On 
 each side of the niche is a metal ring through which 
 torches were thrust.
 
 Ill 
 
 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 
 BY DONATELLO 
 
 IN the hill country of Judaea lived the priest 
 Zacharias and his wife, Elisabeth, who were the 
 parents of St. John the Baptist. They were pious 
 people, " walking in all the commandments and 
 ordinances of the Lord, blameless." One day, as 
 Zacharias was ministering in his office in the temple, 
 an angel brought him the glad tidings that he was 
 to have a son. " Thou shalt call his name John," 
 said the vision, " and thou shalt have joy and glad- 
 ness, and many shall rejoice at his birth." 
 
 A great career was promised for the coming child. 
 He was to be a preacher filled with spiritual power. 
 Like the old prophet Elias, he was to turn the hearts 
 of the people to God, and to prepare the way for 
 the Christ. As a sign that the angel's words were 
 true, Zacharias was stricken dumb until his son was 
 born. Then " his tongue was loosed, and he spake 
 and praised God." 
 
 The neighbors marvelled at the mystery of John's 
 birth, and they saw that " the hand of the Lord was 
 with him." " And the child grew and waxed strong
 
 11 TUSCAN SCULPTUi; 
 
 in spirit," until he came to manhood. 1 Then was 
 fulfilled the angel's prophecy concerning him. He- 
 became a great preacher, and multitudes flocked to 
 hear him. 
 
 John's manner of life was like that of a hermit. 
 He dwelt in the wilderness about the river Jordan, 
 wearing a garment of camel's hair bound about his 
 loins with a leathern girdle. His food was locusts 
 and wild honey. He gathered his audiences in the 
 open air and baptised his disciples in the river. 
 
 Though stern in his teachings he became for a 
 time very popular. Yet he always spoke of his 
 own work with great humility. "There coim-th 
 one mightier than I after me," he said. 2 This was 
 Jesus, who, on presenting himself for baptism, was 
 greeted by John as the " Lamb of God." The 
 prophet's mission was now accomplished. He was 1 
 soon after thrown into prison and beheaded, at tin- 
 order of King Herod, whose sins he had openly 
 rebuked. 
 
 The story of the Baptist's life brings readily be- 
 fore the imagination the strange figure of the man. 3 
 It is not so easy to fancy how he might have looked 
 as a boy. The bas-relief of our illustration shows 
 us what form the idea took in the mind of the 
 sculptor Donatello. 
 
 The little fellow seems tall and slender for his 
 
 1 The circumstances of John's birth are related in the first t-1 
 Luke, from which the quotations are drawn. 
 
 * St. Mark, chapter i., verse 7. 
 
 * See the pictures of St. John the Baptist in the volumes on Titian 
 and Correggio in the Riverside Art Series.
 
 John Andrew 4 Son, So. 
 
 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST (DONATELLO) 
 Natio>uil A/HSi'itm, Florence
 
 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 17 
 
 years, as if he had stretched his limbs by running 
 much in the open air. The face is somewhat 
 serious, but perfectly childish. The lips are parted 
 in a half smile. He has a good forehead, and is an 
 independent thinker. He impresses us as a straight- 
 forward character, a boy to like and trust. 
 
 It would be too much to say that he shows the 
 making of a great man. It is enough that he is an 
 honest, healthy boy with a mind of his own. He is 
 hardly pretty, but he is very interesting. The hair 
 is his most charming feature, waving in little ten- 
 drils over the head. He is not plump enough for 
 his figure to show fine curves. On the contrary, 
 the modelling is on rather severe lines, as if in keep- 
 ing with the character. 
 
 Certain well understood signs show who he is. 
 The circle about his head is the halo, the symbol 
 of a sacred character. The skin garment fastened 
 at the shoulder reminds us of the strange clothing 
 John wore in the desert. The tall cross is the em- 
 blem of the prophet, as a forerunner of the crucified 
 one. 
 
 Donatello's art covered a wide range of subjects, 
 but in none was he more at home than in represent- 
 ing children. He has been called " the poet of 
 child-life." There are interesting points of com- 
 parison between the example before us and the 
 Musical Angels of the altar at Padua. St. John 
 the Baptist is evidently a real little boy, transferred 
 to the stone just as he was. The piping angels, on 
 the other hand, are child ideals, without counterpart
 
 18 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 in real life. St. John's large ear, with its irregu- 
 larly bent rim, and his straight upper lip, are fea- 
 tures such as an artist must certainly have copied, 
 not invented. The angel faces, on the other hand, 
 are moulded in the perfect curves which originate 
 in the imagination of the artist. Donatello was, 
 above all things else, a close student of human 
 nature. Sometimes, indeed, he chose very unat- 
 tractive models, and reproduced them so faithfully 
 that the realism is almost painful. His artistic eye 
 was always open to new impressions. Perhaps, one 
 day as he walked through the streets of Florence, 
 he noticed among the children playing there this 
 little fellow of the long neck and pensive face. 
 " Ecco," said he, to himself, " il Giovannino." ! 
 The child's face and bearing had a quaint serious- 
 ness precisely suited to the character. 
 
 It is wonderful how the sculptor's art has made 
 the little boy seem actually alive in tbe bas-relief. 
 The hair is executed with the skill peculiar to Dona- 
 tello, and seems to grow from the head. Such 
 studies from real life genre studies, as they arc 
 called were lessons which prepared the artist for 
 higher works of idealism. The little St. John may 
 have been the original material for some of the angel 
 figures. 
 
 1 " There is the little John."
 
 IV 
 
 THE INFANT JESUS AND ST. JOHN 
 BY MINO DA FIESOLE 
 
 JESUS and St. John the Baptist were of nearly the 
 same age, and there was a peculiar tie between them. 
 Their mothers, Mary and Elizabeth, were cousins, 
 and before the boys were born the two women had 
 confided in each other their hopes for the future of 
 their children. Angelic messengers had predicted a 
 remarkable destiny for both boys. Jesus was to rule 
 over an everlasting kingdom, and John was to be 
 his prophet preparing the way for him. These 
 were secrets which the outside world could not have 
 understood, and Mary paid a visit to her kinswoman 
 that they might talk of them together. 
 
 As John's home was in the hill country and Jesus 
 was born in the town of Bethlehem, we do not know 
 how soon the boys met. It might be supposed that 
 Mary and Elizabeth would be eager to bring them 
 together. While the mothers took council on the 
 training of their sons, the children would be at play. 
 
 The little ones were, we believe, brought up quite 
 simply, with no sense that they were different from 
 other children. Jesus was a natural leader. We 
 remember how he surprised his mother at the age
 
 20 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 of twelve by asserting his own judgment. 1 Among 
 his playfellows he must have shown much earlin- 
 that he was the one to take the first place. John 
 was doubtless taught by his mother to defer to his 
 little cousin. He was not lacking in spirit .himself, 
 but he could sometimes be very humble. In his 
 manhood he spoke of Jesus as one whose shoe's 
 latchet he was not worthy to unloose. 2 
 
 It is pleasant to picture the two children together 
 in our fancy, and we do not wonder that artists have 
 liked the subject. 3 Our illustration shows us the 
 theme wrought in marble. The child Jesus sits on 
 the steps, and the little St. John approaching kneels 
 in adoration. We see at once the religious meaning 
 of the artist : the relation between the two in after 
 life is foreshadowed in this imaginary incident. 
 Each child carries the symbol of his character. A 
 halo behind the head of Jesus signifies his divine 
 origin. He holds on his knee a globe surmounted 
 by a cross, in token that he who was crucified shall 
 be the ruler of the world. In the symbol of the 
 globe the old artists anticipated the later discoveries 
 of science as to the form of the earth. Some of the 
 ancient philosophers had taught that the earth is a 
 sphere, and through the writings of Aristotle the 
 belief was spread among the scholars of the Middle 
 Ages. 4 That the idea made its way into art is per- 
 
 1 St. Luke, chapter ii., verse 49. * St. Luke, chapter iii., verse 16. 
 
 3 See Chapter IX., <>n the "Children of the Shell," in the volume 
 on Murillo in the Riverside Art 
 
 4 Tliis is on the authority of a French writer, A. .lonrdnin, quoted 
 
 li.mi II. Tillinghast in an essay on the "Geographical Know-
 
 THE INFANT JESUS AND ST. JOHN 23 
 
 haps because the sphere is the most perfect and 
 beautiful form, and hence the fitting symbol of 
 God's created work. 1 
 
 St. John carries the cross, which is his usual em- 
 blem as a prophet of Christ. It is tall and slender 
 because it was supposed to be made of reeds. The 
 reference is to Jesus's words concerning John when 
 asking the people if they had sought the prophet 
 merely as " a reed shaken by the wind." 
 
 The infant Jesus is a vigorous child, straight and 
 perfectly formed. The little St. John is an older 
 and taller boy, wearing a tunic. The younger child 
 is delighted to have a playfellow. There is an eager 
 smile on his face, and he puts out his right hand as 
 if he Jonged to take the curious plaything St. John 
 carries. Both children are plump, with well-shaped 
 heads, but there is nothing precocious-looking about 
 either. They are indeed uncommonly pretty, but 
 for the rest are like other children, eying each other 
 somewhat shyly in the early stages of acquaintance. 
 It will not be long before they are the best of friends. 
 
 The figures in our illustration form a part of a 
 marble altar-piece by Mino da Fiesole. The whole 
 composition consists of three niches approached by 
 
 ledge of the Ancients," in the Narrative and Critical History of Amer- 
 ica. In the same essay an anonymous poem of the thirteenth cen- 
 tury is quoted to show the prevalent belief in the sphericity of the 
 earth. 
 
 1 In Didron's Christian Iconography, several interesting illustra- 
 tions from old miniatures, etc., show the globe in the hand of the Cre- 
 ator. It is curious that this supposedly exhaustive authority on 
 church symbolism gives no account pf the origin and history of this 
 emblem.
 
 24 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 steps. In the central compartment kneels the mo- 
 ther Mary, adoring with folded hands the child, who 
 sits below her. We see in our picture only the lower 
 part of her dress behind the Christ child. In the side 
 niches are figures of saints, the little St. John kneel- 
 ing in front of the one on the Madonna's right. 
 
 Mino da Fiesole has been called " The Raphael 
 of sculpture," and his work in this altar-piece illus- 
 trates the fitness of comparing him with the great 
 painter. Especially do the figures of the two chil- 
 dren here remind us of the child ideals of Raphael. 
 At the time when this work was executed (1462) 
 painters and sculptors had just begun to represent 
 the Christ child undraped. The earlier artists had 
 always shown the little figure clad in a tunic. We 
 shall presently see how this old custom was still fol- 
 lowed in bas-reliefs of the Madonna and Child by 
 Luca della Robbia and Rossellino. The more pro- 
 gressive artists were unwilling to conceal the beauty 
 of the child's figure by any sort of dress. By the 
 beginning of the sixteenth century the old way had 
 entirely given place to the new. 1 
 
 In our picture we see that a Latin inscription on 
 the base of the lowest step contains the name of 
 Leonardo Salutati, bishop of Fiesole. 2 It was by the 
 order of this bishop that the altar was executed, as 
 was also the tomb opposite it in the cathedral of 
 Fiesole. 
 
 1 See Madonna pictures by Raphael, Titian, Correpgio, and Michel- 
 angelo in other volumes of the Riverside Art Series. 
 
 * Eps, with the curious mark above, stands for epiicoptu.
 
 BOYS WITH CYMBALS 
 BY LUCA DELLA ROBBIA 
 
 THE bas-relief of our illustration is one of a series 
 of marble panels designed to ornament the singing- 
 gallery of a church. ' The children moving forward 
 with song and cymbal remind us of the bands of 
 singers and musicians who took part in religious 
 processions of ancient times. We read of such pro- 
 cessions among both the Greeks l and the Hebrews. 2 
 
 The custom of singing was adopted by the Chris- 
 tian church from its foundation, 3 and gradually the 
 musical part of the service was developed into a fine 
 art. There was a famous system of choral chanting 
 under Pope Gregory I., 4 and in the eleventh century 
 part singing was introduced. At length the organ 
 came into use, and by the fifteenth century it had 
 become an important part of the church furnishings. 
 
 It was early in this century when the wardens of 
 the cathedral at Florence had an organ constructed 
 on what the old writer Vasari called " a very grand 
 
 1 See Chapter III. in the volume on Greek Sculpture in the River- 
 side Art Series. 
 
 2 Psalm Ixviii., verse 25, and 1 Chronicles, chapter xiii., verse 8. 
 8 St. Matthew, chapter xxvi., verse 30. 
 
 4 The pontificate of Gregory I. was from 590 to 604.
 
 26 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 scale." In connection with this an organ loft, such 
 as the Italians call a rt/nfuria, was needed to accom- 
 modate the singers. The Florentine sculptor, Luca 
 della Robbia, received the order for this work, and 
 was occupied with it some nine years (1431-1440). 
 
 The cantoria is entirely of marble, built like a bal- 
 cony, with the upper part or balustrade supported 
 on five consoles or brackets. Four square bas-re- 
 liefs, separated by pilasters, ornament the front of 
 the balustrade, and four more fill the corresponding 
 spaces below, separated by the consoles. The artist 
 took as the motive of his decorative scheme the one 
 hundred and fiftieth psalm. This hymn of praise 
 furnished his imagination with a series of pictures 
 illustrating many kinds of music. The entire psalm 
 is quoted in the Latin version on the gallery, the 
 inscriptions running in narrow bands across the top 
 and bottom and between the two rows of panels. 
 These are the verses in the familiar English version 
 of King James, grouped in the three sections into 
 which they are divided : 
 
 " Praise God in his sanctuary : 
 
 praise him in the firmament of his power. 
 Praise him for bis mighty acts : 
 
 praise him according to his excellent greatness. 
 
 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet : 
 
 praise him with the psaltery and harp. 
 Praise him with the timbrel 
 
 and dance : 
 
 praise him with stringed in-tniim-iits and organs. 
 Praise him upon the loud cymbals : 
 praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
 
 John Andrew \ Sou, -o. 
 
 BOYS WITH CYMBALS (LUCA BELLA ROl'.lilA) 
 The Ditoino, Flortnct!
 
 BOYS WITH CYMBALS 29 
 
 Let everything that hath breath 
 praise the Lord." 
 
 The eight illustrations of the gallery omit nothing 
 mentioned by the psalmist. Here are the trumpets, 
 the harp, the psaltery, and the timbrel. Here is the 
 choric dance, followed by players on organs and 
 stringed instruments ; after these come the loud cym- 
 bals or tambourines, and finally the " high sounding 
 cymbals " of our illustration. 
 
 The players are a half dozen children, some dressed 
 in tunics, and others wearing scarf-like garments 
 which leave their limbs free. Two are crowned with 
 flowers in the Greek fashion, and others have a fillet 
 or band bound about the hair. The leader walks 
 with his head thrown back, his mouth wide open, 
 singing with all his might, oblivious of everything 
 but his music. He holds the cymbals high, striking 
 them together in the rhythm of his song. His com- 
 panion is a jolly little fellow, not at all concerned in 
 the music, but laughing at something which attracts 
 his attention in the distance. , 
 
 There is another rogue just behind the leader. 
 Without losing step he throws his weight forward 
 on bending knee, putting his ear to the upper cym- 
 bal. He is evidently amusing himself with the lin- 
 gering vibrations of the metal. The flower-crowned 
 boy bringing up the rear smiles at us cheerily, as he 
 steps along, clashing his cymbals with right good- 
 will. The children in the background seem to take 
 their task more seriously, as if sharing the spirit of 
 the leader.
 
 30 TUSCAN SCULPTUKK 
 
 It is clear that our artist found the models for 
 his figures in the streets of Florence. These round- 
 faced children with their large mouths are not pretty 
 enough for imaginary types. They are perfectly 
 natural, and that is why we like them. 
 
 The grouping is skilfully planned to give unity 
 to the composition without any stiffness. There are 
 no awkward gaps between the figures, but the lines 
 flow from one to another, binding them together. 
 The half kneeling posture of the child in the mid- 
 dle makes diagonal lines to unite the leader with the 
 boy in the rear. We notice in the drawing the same 
 sweep of line which we have admired in Donatello's 
 bronze reliefs of angels. The three figures in front 
 are modelled in high relief, and in beautiful curves ; 
 the children in the rear are in low relief. 
 
 The work of Luca della Robbia was not confined 
 to marble. Soon after completing the organ gallery 
 he made a bronze door for the interior of the cathe- 
 dral. He is best known for his work in enamelled 
 
 terra-cotta, of which we shall hear more in later 
 
 i 
 
 chapters.
 
 VI 
 
 TOMB OF ILARIA DEL CARRETTO 
 
 (Detail) 
 
 BY JACOPO BELLA QUEKCIA 
 
 A CERTAIN marquis of Carretto, living in Lucca 
 at the close of the fourteenth century, had a daugh- 
 ter named Ilaria. ^Ilaria was like Helen of Troy, 
 " a daughter of the gods, divinely tall and most 
 divinely fair." * Her face was delicately cut in a 
 patrician mould, and she carried her head with the 
 air of a princess. The marquis must have been 
 proud of his beautiful daughter, and as she grew 
 into womanhood he looked about for a suitable 
 match for her. There was little romance about 
 marriages in those days, and when a rich widower 
 sought Ilaria's hand, she was doubtless thought by 
 all a very fortunate maiden. 
 
 Her husband, Paolo Guinigi, was the signer or 
 lord of the city of Lucca, and though somewhat 
 despotic in temper was at least without vices. He 
 was besides the richest man in Italy. In his trea- 
 sury, says the historian, " diamonds and rubies, 
 emeralds and pearls, were counted by hundreds." 
 The palace awaiting the bride was magnificently 
 
 1 Tennyson's " A Dream of Fair Women."
 
 32 11 SCAN SCULI'Tl i 
 
 furnished. There was linen from Paris and other 
 Fri-nrli cities, exquisite in quality and in stores so 
 abundant as to delight the heart of a housewife. 
 The walls were hung with tapestries of many colors 
 woven in Arras. Priceless vessels of gold and 
 silver adorned the table. Nor were signs of learn- 
 ing lacking. There was a library, well stocked with 
 the works of classical authors, written in manuscript 
 in the manner of the times. 
 
 So far as surroundings make for happiness Ilaria 
 may well have been a happy woman. We like to 
 fancy her queenly figure moving through the stately 
 apartments of the palace or on the green terraces 
 of the garden. But she did not long enjoy the 
 splendors of her surroundings, for two years after 
 her marriage she died. Her husband then ordered 
 of the sculptor Jacopo della Quercia a marble tomb 
 to be placed in the cathedral. On the sarcophagus 
 lay the portrait figure of the lady herself ; the sides 
 were richly carved with cherubs holding festoons of 
 flowers, and above was a canopy. 
 
 Ilaria lies with hands crossed just where they 
 would naturally fall in her sleep. 1 Her feet rest 
 against a little dog, which, according to the old 
 \\riter, Vasari, was an emblem of conjugal fidelity. 
 It is surely no harm to fancy that the little creature 
 was the lady's pet. The gown is girdled hi^h. and 
 falling in long, straight folds, is wrapped about the 
 feet. Over this is worn a mantle made with large, 
 
 1 Nut " folded below her bosom," nor " laid on her breast," as in 
 two familiar descriptions.
 
 o 
 
 H 
 
 W * 
 
 W "^ 
 
 Q r ^ 
 
 < 
 
 2
 
 TOMB OF 1LARIA DEL CARRETTO 35 
 
 loose sleeves, and a high flaring collar, which comes 
 well up under the chin. 1 
 
 Our illustration shows only the head and shoul- 
 ders of the figure. The head rests on a pillow in a 
 hollow shaped to receive it, and the shoulders are 
 supported by a second and larger cushion under- 
 neath. Ilaria's waving hair is parted over the high 
 brow, and brought down on each side the face, 
 completely concealing the ears. A few short ten- 
 drils have escaped, and curl daintily over the fore- 
 head. She wears a large flower-wound wreath or 
 crown, set aslant over the shapely head. It may be 
 that this is a sort of head-dress worn in her time. 
 No one can look at the face without thinking of a 
 flower, and most of all of the lily. The mouth is 
 moulded in exquisite curves ; Ilaria was, indeed, a 
 bewitching woman. 
 
 Had the Jair marchioness lived to middle age her 
 fortunes would have been sadly altered. In 1430 
 there was a political upheaval in Lucca, and Guinigi 
 was driven from the city. 2 His palace was pillaged, 
 and the mob even laid desecrating hands upon 
 Ilaria's tomb. An attempt to remove it seems to 
 have been frustrated, and it was dropped on the 
 floor of the transept, where it now stands. It lost, 
 
 1 That this mantle was a prevailing style of the period among the 
 aristocracy, we judge from an old Spanish painting, in which King 
 Ferdinand of Aragon and his queen both wear it. The picture is 
 reproduced in Carderara's Iconografia Espanola, and copied in 
 Blanche's Cyclopedia of Costumes. 
 
 2 The exact date is here given because of the vagueness of some 
 writers who refer to the event as " not many years " and " within 
 twenty years " after Ilaria's death in 1405.
 
 36 TUSCAN SCULPTUR1 
 
 however, the canopy and one ornamented side of 
 
 tin- IMM-. 
 
 As a work of art, llaria's tomh has been greatly 
 admired by critics. Even in our little picture we 
 can, with no great training, see how well the sculptor 
 has rendered the texture of the hair and the soft- 
 ness of the plump chin. Even the tassels on the 
 cushion are carved with clever imitative skill. We 
 must be careful to look at the face just as the sculp- 
 tor intended it to be seen, not upright, but lying 
 horizontally. It is only thus that we get the sig- 
 nificance of the beautiful continuous line across fore- 
 head and nose. The line of the head-dress exactly 
 follows that of the hair, and is drawn at the same 
 angle as the edge of the collar, which it meets. In 
 the triangular space thus formed is fitted the lovely 
 profile of the face. Ruskin has written with much 
 enthusiasm of the merits of llaria's tomb. From 
 it, he declared, one may receive " unerring canon of 
 what is evermore lovely and right in the dealing of 
 the art of man with his fate and his passions." 
 Still more helpful is his interpretation of the feel- 
 ing which the sculptor has conveyed. After first 
 explaining that "every work of the great Christian 
 schools expresses primarily conquest over death," 
 lie shows that this particular tomb has" all the peace 
 of the Christian eternity." We may see, he says, 
 " that the damsel is not dead but sleepeth ; yet as 
 visibly a sleep that shall know no ending until the 
 lay break and the last shadows flee away." 
 
 toted by Sydney Colvin in an article on Jacupo dclla Quercia, 
 in tl;. . 1883. See also Modern Painters, Part III.
 
 VII 
 
 MADONNA AND CHILD 
 
 (Detail of lunette) 
 
 BY LUCA BELLA KOBBIA 
 
 IN reading the gospel narrative of the life of 
 Jesus we are glad to learn something of his mother 
 Mary. Her life had some peculiar hardships to test 
 the strength of her character. It was a strange lot 
 for a mother to have to tend her babe in the manger 
 of an inn, but such was Mary's experience. At the 
 time of Jesus's birth she and Joseph were in Beth- 
 lehem, whither they had come to pay their taxes. 
 There were many other people there on the same 
 errand, and the inn was so crowded that the young 
 mother had to find quarters in the stable. 
 
 While the child was still very young a terrible 
 danger threatened his life. An order went forth 
 from King Herod to slay all the young children of 
 Bethlehem. Still the mother's courage did not fail. 
 She arose by night, and, taking her babe, fled with 
 her husband into Egypt. Returning at length to 
 their home in Nazareth, she watched her boy's 
 growth, and kept all his sayings in her heart. 
 
 When Jesus entered upon his ministry Mary was
 
 38 TUSCAN SCULPTUK! 
 
 the first to show perfect confidence in her son. 1 
 She seeinsto have followed him \vhem-ver she could. J 
 Her courage sustained her even in the hour of his 
 
 D 
 
 agony, and we read how she stood with his disciples 
 at the foot of the cross. 3 
 
 It is this woman of quiet fortitude whom we see in 
 Luca della Robbia's bas-relief of the Madonna and 
 Child. We are impressed at once with a sense of 
 her strength and poise of character. It is precisely 
 such as fits the story of her life. Steadying her little 
 boy with both hands, she turns her face in the direc- 
 tion in which he is looking. The Child seen 
 stand on a sort of balustrade in front of his mother. 
 With feet wide apart he holds himself erect in a firm 
 posture. His right hand is raised in a gesture of 
 benediction. With his left he grasps firmly a long 
 scroll bearing the Latin inscription, " Ego sum Lux 
 Mundi " (I am the Light of the World). 
 
 Both mother and child seem to belong to the 
 happy, every-day working world. Mary has the 
 straight figure, full throat, and square shoulders of 
 a Tuscan peasant girl. Her only aristocratic feature 
 is the shapely hand. She holds her chin level, like 
 a country maiden used to carrying burdens on the 
 head. It may be that the artist had seen her like 
 in some market-place in Florence. The boy too has 
 the square shoulders and sturdy frame of a child of 
 the people. 
 
 1 At the Marriage of Cana, St. Jolm, chapter ii., verses 3-6. 
 
 * St. John ii., verse 12, and St. Matthew, chapter xii., verse 46. 
 
 St. John, chapter xii., verse 25.
 
 MADONNA AND CHILD (LUCA DELLA ROBBIA) 
 Shop in Ike Via dell ' Agnolo, Florence
 
 MADONNA AND CHILD 41 
 
 Some artists have tried to give a supernatural and 
 ethereal beauty to the mother and child. Others 
 have represented them enthroned in splendor like a 
 queen and prince receiving their court. Luca della 
 Robbia went to no such extremes. There is nothing 
 morbid or sentimental in his art : nor does he care 
 for any worldly pomp and ceremonial. His religious 
 ideals were very simple, suited to the needs of com- 
 mon life. The Christ child here is a dear little 
 human baby, and the Madonna is the poet's ideal 
 of " a creature not too bright or good for human 
 nature's daily food." 1 
 
 The bas-relief is one of the famous works in enam- 
 elled terra-cotta, known as "Delia Robbia ware." 
 The idea of overlaying clay with a glazing was not 
 original with Luca della Robbia, but he seems to 
 have been the first to apply it to sculpture. In his 
 own day he was looked upon as a great inventor, 
 and his works were very popular. The material was 
 inexpensive, and lent itself readily to all sorts of 
 decorative purposes. Its beauty, moreover, was of a 
 lasting quality. While paintings fade, the Della 
 Robbia ware, "gem like, shall as very gems en- 
 dure." The only injury to which it is liable is the 
 breaking off of some projecting portions. In our 
 picture we see that a fragment is broken out of the 
 child's wrist. Fortunately, however, there are no 
 defects in the important parts of the work. 
 
 1 Wordsworth's " She was a Phantom of Delight." 
 
 2 From some verses by Edith M. Thomas, " A Delia Robbia Gar- 
 land," printed in The Critic, December, 1901.
 
 42 TUSCAN SCULPTUKK 
 
 The figures are in the centre of a lunette or semi- 
 circular composition, with an adoring angel on each 
 side holding a jar of lilies. The piece is set up over 
 a doorway on the outside of a building in a narrow 
 street in Florence. The location explains the atti- 
 tude of the mother and child. If they looked di- 
 rectly out of the picture as in an altar-piece, there 
 would be but one place, on the opposite side of the 
 street, where the passer-by could meet their eyes. 
 As it is, they turn their faces toward the vista of 
 the street as if to welcome the approaching wayfarer. 
 While still a long way off one feels the cheerful 
 influence of their gaze. Even when coming from 
 the opposite direction it is pleasant, after passing the 
 door, to know that the friendly eyes follow us on 
 our way. 
 
 The workmanship of Luca is seen in the artistic 
 qualities of the sculpture. There was a severe 
 simplicity in his drawing of the outline and dra- 
 peries which contrasted with the more elaborate work 
 of his followers. Luca was also a close student of 
 nature, and drew his materials from the world about 
 him.
 
 vm 
 
 THE MEETING OP ST. FRANCIS AND ST. DOMINICK 
 
 BY ANDREA BELLA ROBBIA 
 
 IN the beginning of the thirteenth century two 
 men living in different countries of Europe were 
 struck simultaneously with the same idea. They 
 were St. Dominick, the Spaniard, and St. Francis, 
 the Italian, and each determined to found a new 
 religious order. 1 Hitherto the members of religious 
 orders had shut themselves up in the solitude of 
 monasteries and convents. In the new plan they 
 were to mingle freely with the people, calling them- 
 selves brothers, or friars. 
 
 The first object of the Dominicans was to be 
 preachers, and they were called Frati Predicatori. 
 The Franciscans took the humbler name of the Frati 
 Minori, or lesser brothers. The members of both 
 orders were bound by a vow of poverty to possess 
 nothing of their own. Like the disciples whom 
 
 1 The lives of both saints are related in The Golden Legend. In 
 Caxton's translation (Temple Classics) see volume iv., p. 172, for St. 
 Dominick, and volume v., p. 215, for St. Francis. Mrs. Jameson's 
 Legends of the Monastic Orders contains an admirable account of the 
 character and work of the two men. The Little Flowers of St. Francis is 
 a series of legends collected about two hundred years after his death. 
 There is an English translation by Abby Langdou Alger. Sabatier's 
 Life of St. Francis is an exhaustive biography.
 
 44 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 Jesus sent out, they were to carry neither purse nor 
 scrip, but beg their food and raiment on their way. 
 It is for this that they are called mendicant orders. 
 
 The affairs of their orders brought both St. Dom- 
 inick and St. Francis to Rome at the same time. 
 The two men met and embraced, each seeing in the 
 other a kindred spirit. It was proposed to unite the 
 two bodies in one, and St. Dominick favored this 
 plan. He had won but a few followers, and St. 
 Francis already had many. The Brother Minor 
 however was sure that such union would be impossi- 
 ble. The two men were indeed of widely contrast- 
 ing characters. St. Dominick was a scholar, a man 
 of fiery and energetic temperament. St. Francis 
 was unlettered, but his mind was poetic and imagi- 
 native, his nature gentle and humble. St. Dominick 
 was known as the " Hammer of the Heretics," St. 
 Francis as the " Father of the Poor." 
 
 A bas-relief by Andrea della Robbia represents 
 the meeting of St. Dominick with St. Francis. 1 It 
 is apparently the artist's intention to emphasize the 
 kinship rather than the contrast between the two 
 men. Both have the thin faces and sharp features 
 of the ascetic. Their shaven faces and tonsured 
 heads heighten the resemblance between them. 
 Both have the same type of hand, with the lonj 
 fingers which are characteristic of a sensitive nature. 2 
 
 1 A tradition that St. Francis and St. Dominick met in Florence, 
 on the site of the present Loggia of S. Paolo, accounts for the pla- 
 cing of this bas-relief there. See the Misses Homer's Walks in Flor- 
 ence, vol. i.. p. 448. 
 
 * The reader who is familiar with the typical figure of St. Francis
 
 ST. FRANCIS AND ST. DOMINICK 47 
 
 A disc over the head of each symbolizes his saintli- 
 ness. 
 
 Naturally the characters of the founders were im- 
 pressed upon their respective orders. The Domini- 
 cans were more aggressive in their methods and 
 zealous in persecuting all forms of heresy. The 
 Franciscans, on the other hand, strove for the higher 
 life of sanctity. The members of each order wore a 
 distinctive dress, such as we see in our picture. The 
 Franciscan habit was at first gray, and afterwards 
 dark brown ; it is gray in the bas-relief. It con- 
 sisted of a plain tunic with long loose sleeves and 
 a scanty cape to which a hood was attached. A 
 knotted cord fastened the garment around the waist, 
 to remind the wearer that the body is a beast which 
 should be subdued by a halter. The Dominican 
 habit was a white woollen gown fastened about the 
 waist with a girdle. A white scapular was worn 
 over this, and over all, a black cloak with a hood. 
 
 We see at once in our picture that St. Dominick 
 is the elder of the two men. There was really a 
 difference of twenty years in their ages, but the 
 artist has made it less. It is as if each, upon see- 
 ing the other approach, had hastened forward with 
 outstretched hands. They stand now face to face 
 with interlocked arms in mutual contemplation. It 
 is a moment of perfect understanding. With widely 
 different ideas of ways and means, they have at heart 
 
 in sacred art may miss the sign of the wound print (the stigmata) in 
 his hand. Here Andrea is historically accurate, as the vision of St. 
 Francis occurred four years after the confirmation of the Order.
 
 48 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 a single common aim. Both are called to the same 
 great work, and each feels strengthened by the 
 contact. 
 
 The profile of St. Francis shows the sensitive lines 
 of his face. Tradition tells us that he was a man 
 of more than average height, with black eyes, and 
 soft sonorous voice. His expression here is serene, 
 as one would expect of the gentle friar who called 
 all the beasts his brethren, and talked with the birds 
 as familiar companions. St. Dominick has a more 
 strenuous countenance, and is perhaps more deeply 
 moved than the other. He leans forward and peers 
 into St. Francis's face with an expression of great 
 tenderness. One is reminded of a beautiful verse 
 in one of the Hebrew psalms (the eighty-fifth), 
 " Mercy and truth are met together ; righteousness 
 and peace have kissed each other." 
 
 The artistic qualities of this relief place it among 
 the best works by Andrea della Robbia. Only a 
 skilful artist could have rendered the draperies with 
 such grace and simplicity. They have been com- 
 pared with the draperies of the painters Raphael 
 and Bartolommeo. It is said that the faces were 
 left unglazed in order that all the lines of the mod- 
 elling might be preserved.
 
 IX 
 
 ST. GEORGE 
 BY DONATELLO 
 
 IN the third century of the present era lived the 
 Christian knight George of Cappadocia. Going 
 forth after the usual knightly fashion in search of 
 adventures, he came to the province of Libya. The 
 country was at that time ravaged by a dragon whose 
 lair was a great pond near the royal city of Silene. 
 When the monster came forth the air was filled with 
 the poisonous vapor of his breath. To insure the 
 safety of the city two sheep were daily given to feed 
 him. 
 
 At length the supply failed, and now the people 
 had to give their own children. The victims were 
 chosen by lot, and after many had perished the lot 
 fell upon the beautiful princess Cleodoljnda. The 
 king besought the people to spare his daughter, 
 offering gold and silver for her ransom. They 
 would have none of it, but declared that the princess 
 must meet her fate. Arrayed as for her bridal, she 
 was led out to the place where the dragon was wont 
 to come for his prey. 
 
 While she stood here weeping, St. George chanced 
 to ride by and inquired the cause of her distress.
 
 50 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 Hearing her pitiable story he assured her she had 
 nothing to fear. Just then the dragon came iu 
 sight, and the knight, charging full upon him, 
 wounded him with his sword. Then taking the 
 girdle of the princess, he tied it about the neck of 
 the beast and led him into the city. The people all 
 came out to see the wonder, and in the presence of 
 a great company St. George smote off the dragon's 
 head. 
 
 The further adventures of the knight were in 
 behalf of the Christians, who were persecuted by 
 the Emperor Diocletian. Selling all that he had, he 
 gave it to the poor and boldly denounced the pagans. 
 All sorts of tortures were devised to force him to 
 renounce his faith, but in every persecution he was 
 miraculously preserved from harm. At length the 
 provost caused him to be beheaded, and offering his 
 last prayers St. George went to his death. 
 
 In our statue St. George is represented as a war- 
 rior standing at rest while he surveys the enemy. 
 His young figure is as straight as an arrow. The 
 litheness of his body is apparent even through his 
 armor. He holds his head erect in conscious power, 
 yet with no arrogance. Evidently he measures the 
 difficulty carefully, for he seems to knit his brows 
 as he looks abroad. He has a gentle face, but it 
 is thoroughly masculine. 
 
 The hands are beautiful, and full of character, 
 Jarge and flexible. The left one rests on a shield 
 which bears the sign of the cross. The armor. \\ 
 see, has a more than literal significance. This is the
 
 John Andrew \ >..u, I 
 
 ST. GEORGE (DONATELLO) 
 A'at tonal Museum, Moreiite
 
 ST. GEORGE 53 
 
 " shield of faith " wherewith the Christian shall be 
 able " to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." 
 St. George is the impersonation of the soldier who 
 wars " not against flesh and blood, but against prin- 
 cipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the 
 darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness 
 in high places." 
 
 The figure naturally suggests comparison with 
 antique sculpture. We are reminded of ApoUo or 
 Hermes as the Greeks loved to represent them. 2 
 The beautiful head with its curling hair is indeed 
 that of a god. In the graceful attitude also, the 
 sculptor, Donatello, has perfectly expressed the sense 
 of repose which was characteristic of Greek sculp- 
 ture. We note, however, that while a Greek statue 
 would have been nude St. George is clad in armor. 
 The expression of the countenance is, moreover, 
 quite foreign to the Greek temper. Those knitted 
 brows show a strenuousness of character incompati- 
 ble with the serenity of the gods. 
 
 The statue of St. George, like that of St. Philip, 
 was originally made to fill one of the niches on the 
 outside of Or San Michele. Below it was a bas- 
 relief representing the slaying of the dragon. The 
 work was the gift of the Guild of Sword Makers and 
 Armorers, whose patron saint was the Knight of 
 Cappadocia. In an exposed position on the church 
 the precious marble was injured by the weather. 
 
 1 Ephesians, chapter vi., verses 16 and 12. 
 
 2 See chapters VI. and XI. in the volume on Greek Sculpture, ia 
 the Riverside Art Series.
 
 54 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 Accordingly it was removed to a museum, and a 
 bronze copy was set up in its place. 
 
 The popularity of St. George is by no means con- 
 fined to Italy. In England too his memory is held 
 in great respect. " For England and St. George " 
 was an old battle-cry which linked the name of the 
 patron saint with that of the native land. His char- 
 acter is our ideal of the Christian hero, chivalrous 
 towards the weak, courageous in danger, and devoted 
 above all things to the service of God. 
 
 Donatello's statue embodies this ideal, and is his 
 highest imaginative work. Being chiefly interested 
 in the study of expression, he often seemed to care 
 very little whether his subjects were beautiful or not. 
 Here beauty and expressiveness are united. 
 
 There is an old tradition that Michelangelo, pass- 
 ing one day the church of Or San Michele, paused 
 before the St. George and exclaimed " Cammina ! " 
 that is, " Forward, march ! " The story is doubtless 
 purely fictitious, but it shows how lifelike the statue 
 appears. As an old writer (Vasari) put it, " Life 
 seems to move within that stone."
 
 X 
 
 BAMBINO 
 
 BY ANDREA DELLA ROBBIA 
 
 THE visitor in Florence threading his way through 
 the narrow streets comes out with delight into the 
 spacious squares scattered over the city. One such 
 is the Piazza, of SS. Annunziata, in front of the 
 church of that name. Two sides of the square are 
 ornamented with arcaded buildings in the style char- 
 acteristic of Italian architecture. That at the left 
 attracts us at once by its unique decorations. In the 
 spandrils, or triangular spaces between the arches, 
 are medallion bas-reliefs of glazed terra cotta showing 
 white figures relieved against a background of 
 bright blue. It is one of these which is reproduced 
 in our illustration. Seen against the sombre wall 
 they are like " fragments of the milky sky itself 
 fallen into the cool street," as a poetic critic has 
 described them. 1 
 
 From each medallion a baby looks down upon us, 
 stretching out both little arms as if appealing to our 
 pity. The delicate beauty of these little ones is so 
 like that of the flowers that a traveller asks, " Really, 
 are they lilies, or children, or the embodied strophes 
 
 1 Walter Pater.
 
 50 TUSCAN SCULPTUK! 
 
 of a psalter ? " When we inquire what it all means 
 we learn that this arcade is the entrance to a Found- 
 ling Hospital. Passing through the central door 
 we are in a cortile or courtyard, around which are 
 more baby figures. The design is a sort of key to 
 the character of the institution : the babies repre- 
 sent the little waifs received into its care. We may 
 fancy that the orphan inmates are peeping out of 
 the medallions as from windows. 
 
 The Hospital of the Innocents (Spedale d<i;li 
 Innocenti, in Italian) is one of the oldest establish- 
 ments of its kind. It was founded in the fifteenth 
 century, and still carries on its good work. Several 
 thousand children are annually supported by its re- 
 sources. 2 To multiply the figures by four hundred 
 and fifty makes a magnificent showing for the total 
 number of beneficiaries in four and half centuries. 
 It was probably on the occasion of some improve- 
 ments in the original building (1463) that Andrea 
 della Robbia furnished the famous medallions of the 
 bambini, or baby boys. 
 
 Among so many babies we yet find no two alike. 
 Each visitor chooses for himself some special favor- 
 ite. The medallion of our illustration is one of the 
 most attractive of the number. Unfortunately the 
 fingers of the right hand are broken off, but other- 
 wise the figure is quite perfect. 
 
 The child is a healthy-looking little fellow, and the 
 
 1 Maurice Hewlett in Earthwork out of Tuscany. 
 * Between 7000 and 8000, according to the Misses Homer's Walks 
 in Florence, published in 1885.
 
 Aliuari, phot. 
 
 John Andrew 4 Son, So. 
 
 BAMBINO (ANDREA DELLA ROBBIA) 
 Foundling Hospital, Florence
 
 BAMBINO 59 
 
 creases in neck and wrists show how plump he is. 
 Yet there is a pathetic expression on the face which 
 touches the heart. It is as if orphanage had laid 
 its sorrowful impress upon him. A lonely look has 
 crept into the eyes, and the mouth droops in a sad 
 little curve. The boy is certainly no common child. 
 His finely formed head promises a superior character. 
 We are reminded of the Christ child, as many of 
 the old masters have represented him. The body 
 and legs are completely encased in swaddling bands, 
 from which the head and arms emerge, like a blos- 
 som from its calyx. 
 
 The custom of swathing babies with bandages is 
 very ancient. We read in the gospel of St. Luke 
 how the mother of Jesus wrapped her son in swad- 
 dling clothes as she laid him in the manger. The 
 object was to prevent every possible injury or de- 
 formity to the growing limbs, and keep them 
 straight. A child in swaddling clothes is naturally 
 much more easily carried by the mother, and can 
 more safely be left alone. This is doubtless the rea- 
 son why the custom still prevails in many countries, 
 and especially among the poorer people. There are 
 still many nations which the progressive ideas of 
 physical culture have not reached. 
 
 The method of swaddling as now practised in 
 Italy begins by folding the babe in a large square 
 linen cloth. A second piece of linen is rolled around 
 the body, which is then ready for the bandage. 
 This bandage is about ten inches wide and over 
 three yards long, and is rolled about the entire
 
 60 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 length of the child's figure, pinning the arms to the 
 sides. The lower part of the linen cloth is turned 
 up over the feet and tied with the ends of the band- 
 age. 1 
 
 Judging from our picture, the process seems to 
 have been about the same in the fifteenth century, 
 except that the arms of our bambino are free. Cer- 
 tainly this fact makes the figure much more attractive 
 as well as more decorative. The cloth about the 
 child's body is brown and the bandage white. 
 
 The sculptor of the bambini, Andrea della Rob- 
 bia, was the nephew of Luca della Robbia, of whom 
 we have learned something in previous chapters. 
 He was trained in the workshop of his uncle, and in 
 turn passed on his art to his three sons. While 
 Luca's work is considered superior to that of any of 
 his pupils, the nephew Andrea had some fine artistic 
 qualities. The decorations of the Foundling Hos- 
 pital illustrate both the delicacy and the fertility of 
 his imagination. Only a genuine artist could invent 
 so many variations upon the simple theme of a sin- 
 gle baby figure. The entire series is like a musical 
 composition based upon some simple but exquisite 
 melody. 
 
 1 Described in a little book called Italian Child-Life, by Marietta 
 
 Amhrosi.
 
 XI 
 
 THE ANNUNCIATION 
 BY ANDKEA DELLA BOBBIA 
 
 THE life of Mary the mother of Jesus was full of 
 strange experiences. She had many sorrows to bear, 
 but withal a joy beyond any ever given to woman. 
 In the purity of her character she was set apart for 
 a high and holy service. 
 
 The turning-point in her life was on a great day 
 when the angel Gabriel was sent by God to visit 
 her. It was in her quiet home in Nazareth that the 
 celestial messenger " came in unto her." " Hail, 
 thou that art highly favoured," he said, " the Lord 
 is with thee : blessed art thou among women." 
 " And when she saw him, she was troubled at his 
 saying, and cast in her mind what manner of saluta- 
 tion this should be." 
 
 The angel spoke again, and his words reassured 
 her : " Fear not, Mary : for thou hast found favour 
 with God." Then he told her that she was to be 
 the mother of a wonderful son. " Thou shalt call 
 his name Jesus," he said. " He shall be great, and 
 shall be called the Son of the Highest : and the 
 Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his 
 father David : and he shall reign over the house of
 
 62 TUSCAN SCULPTLl: 
 
 Jacob for ever ; and of his kingdom there shall be 
 no end." 
 
 When at last Mary understood the meaning of 
 the angel's message she humbly accepted her givut 
 destiny. " Behold the handmaid of the Lord," she 
 replied ; "be it unto me according to thy wonl." 
 From this day until the birth of Jesus her thoughts 
 were full of her coming motherhood. Once she 
 broke forth into a song of praise : 
 
 " My soul doth magnify the Lord, 
 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour, 
 For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden, 
 For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 
 For be that is mighty hath magnified me, and holy is his name." 2 
 
 The bas-relief by Andrea della Robbia tells the 
 story of the angel's visit to Mary, the subject usually 
 called the Annunciation. At one side sits the Vir- 
 gin with an open book on her lap, as if she had been 
 reading. She has a girl's slender figure, and her 
 head is modestly draped with a mantle. The angel 
 kneels opposite, with folded hands. He has long 
 pointed wings covered with feathers as "a bird of 
 God," in Dante's phrase. 
 
 From above a fatherly face looks down upon them 
 out of a surrounding circle of winged cherub lu-aik. 
 Beside the Virgin stands a jar of lilies, the flowers 
 which symbolize the purity of her maidenhood. 
 Over these soars a white dove, the same symbol of 
 the Divine Spirit which descended upon Jesus at his 
 baptism. 3 
 
 1 St. Luke, chapter i., verset 30-33. 
 
 * From the Magnificat in the Prayer Book version. 
 
 8 St. Matthew, chapter iii., verse 16.
 
 Julm Andr 
 
 THE ANNUNCIATION (ANDREA DELLA ROBBIA) 
 Altar Piece at La Verna
 
 THE ANNUNCIATION 65 
 
 Already the angel has delivered his message, and 
 now awaits the answer. His face is round and in- 
 nocent like a child's, and his long hair is carefully 
 curled. The Virgin has listened with drooping head, 
 and with her hand pressed to her breast as if to still 
 the beating of her heart. She seems too timid to 
 lift her eyes to meet her radiant guest. Yet her 
 whole attitude expresses submission to the divine 
 wiU. 
 
 The artist has expressed with rare delicacy of im- 
 agination the religious sentiment of the incident. 
 The interpretation is in a similar vein to that of the 
 poet painter Rossetti in the lines on the Annuncia- 
 tion in the poem " Ave : " 
 
 " Then suddenly the awe grew deep 
 
 As of a day to which all days 
 
 Were footsteps in God's secret ways ; 
 
 Until a folding sense, like prayer, 
 
 Which is, as God is, everywhere, 
 
 Gathered about thee ; and a voice 
 
 Spake to thee without any' noise, 
 
 Being of the silence : ' Hail,' it said, 
 ' Thou that art highly favoured ; 
 
 The Lord is with thee, here and now ; 
 
 Blessed among all women thou.' " 
 
 Rossetti, it will be remembered, belonged to that 
 circle of English artists who some fifty years ago at- 
 tempted to revive the simple reverence of the Italian 
 art previous to Raphael. Thus the " Pre-Raphael- 
 ite " poet and the sculptor, though separated by so 
 many centuries, had the common aim of expressing 
 " the sense of prayer " which gathered about the 
 Virgin in this moment. Rossetti also treated the
 
 M TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 Annunciation in a picture which has interesting 
 points of comparison with our illustration. 
 
 The relief is made in the Delia Robbia enamelled 
 terra cotta ware The sculptor has here followed 
 his uncle's example in the simplicity of the draperies. 
 The modelling of the hands also recalls the touch 
 of Luca. In choice of types, however, Andrea shows 
 his individual taste. The fragile figure of the Vir- 
 gin is as different as possible from the robust beauty 
 of Luca's Madonna which we have studied. The 
 angel too is of a softer and less vigorous character 
 than the older artist would have designed. 
 
 The relief is surrounded by an elaborate frame of 
 the same material. At the sides decorated pillars 
 with Ionic capitals support an entablature, every sec- 
 tion of which has its own distinctive design. The 
 patterns ornamenting frieze and pillars seem to be 
 variations on the lotus motive, and are very grace- 
 ful. On the dado, or piece running across the bot- 
 tom of the frame, is printed the Latin inscription : 
 " Ecce Ancilla Domini. Fiat Mini secundum ver- 
 bum tuum " (Behold the handmaid of the Lord ; be 
 it done unto me according to thy word). It is inter- 
 esting to notice that at this period the letters n and 
 m were written above the line or united with the 
 vowels which they followed.
 
 XII 
 
 THE ASCENSION 
 BY LUCA BELLA ROBBIA 
 
 FOR forty days after the resurrection of Jesus the 
 disciples enjoyed the companionship of their Master. 
 They were now ready to understand many things 
 that before had been obscure to them, and Jesus 
 spoke to them much of the things pertaining to the 
 Kingdom of God. 1 Sometimes, as they sat together, 
 he suddenly appeared among them. 2 Once when 
 a few of them had been out fishing over night they 
 found him standing on the shore in the morning. 3 
 
 Still later he appointed a meeting on a mountain 
 in Galilee at which over five hundred of the faith- 
 ful were gathered. It was then that he commanded 
 them to go forth to teach all nations, and he gave 
 them the promise, " Lo, I am with you alway, even 
 unto the end of the world." 4 
 
 Finally he led the chosen band to the Mount of 
 Olives at Bethany, " and he lifted up his hands 
 and blessed them. And it came to pass while he 
 blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried 
 up into heaven." " And a cloud received him out of 
 
 1 Acts, chapter i., verse 3. 
 
 2 St. Mark, chapter xvi., vense 14 ; St. John, chapter xx., verse 26. 
 8 St. John, chapter xxi., verse 4. 
 
 4 St. Matthew, chapter xxviii., verses 19, 20.
 
 68 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward 
 heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by 
 them in white apparel ; which also said, Ye men 
 of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 
 this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into 
 heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen 
 him go into heaven." 
 
 In Luca della Robbia's bas-relief of the Ascen- 
 sion the moment has come when, in the very act of 
 blessing his disciples, Jesus is parted from them. 
 He had already, in some measure, prepared them 
 for this event. On the day of his resurrection lie 
 told them that he was about to ascend to his father. 2 
 To-day his words and manner may have shown them 
 that the time was at hand. Certainly there are no 
 startled or grief-stricken faces among them ; no ges- 
 tures of surprise. It is as if in response to some 
 sign from the master, they had all knelt to receive 
 his benediction, and while they were still on their 
 knees, he rose from their midst. Already his feet 
 have left the solid earth, as he vanishes out of their 
 sight. 
 
 The company form a circle just as they hud 
 clustered about him. So orderly is their arrange- 
 ment, so quietly is the great act accomplished, thut 
 they seem to be taking purt in some religious ser- 
 vice. All eyes are fixed upon the Suviour, with love, 
 joy, and adoration expressed in every countenance. 
 
 1 St. Luke, chapter xxir., verses 50, 51 ; Acts, chapter i., verses 
 9-11. 
 
 * St John, chapter xx., verse 17.
 
 THE ASCENSION 71 
 
 The treachery of Judas had reduced the number 
 of disciples to eleven, and the vacant place was not 
 filled until later. We see, however, twelve figures 
 in this circle, and notice that one is a woman. This 
 is Mary, the mother of Jesus, who had lived with 
 John since the day of the Crucifixion. It was the 
 express wish of Jesus that the beloved disciple 
 should regard her as a mother. Thus it is not 
 unnatural to suppose that the two would come 
 together to Bethany at this time, and kneel side by 
 side, as we see them here. Mary looks as young 
 as when she held her babe in her arms, and she has 
 the same happy expression. It is not possible to 
 make out who the others are. We fancy that the 
 two beardless young men at the right are Thomas 
 and Philip, because they are thought to have been 
 younger than the other disciples. 
 
 The figure of the Saviour is noble and dignified, 
 the attitude full of buoyancy. The face is such 
 as from long association we have come to identify 
 with the person of Christ, benignant and refined. 
 He looks not up into the glory towards which he is 
 ascending, but his glance still lingers upon the dis- 
 ciples with an expression of tender solicitude. An 
 oval frame of radiating lines surrounds his entire 
 figure. It is the mandorla, or almond-shaped nim- 
 bus, which was the old artistic symbol of divine 
 glory. 
 
 We have already noticed some of the character- 
 istics of Luca della Robbia's art, which are again 
 illustrated in this work. The draperies are arranged
 
 Ti TUSCAN SCULPTUK! 
 
 with a simplicity of line which is almost severe. 
 The folds are scanty, clinging to the figure and 
 following the fine outlines of the pose. The figures 
 are white, set off against the blue of the sky, and 
 green, brown, and yellow are introduced in the land- 
 scape surroundings. 
 
 The bas-relief is one of two lunettes placed over 
 opposite doors in the cathedral of Florence. The 
 companion subject is the Resurrection, and in both 
 pieces the sculptor went beyond his usual limit in 
 the number of figures making up the composition. 
 The leading quality of his work is decorative, and 
 he seldom applied his art to the illustration of story. 
 We are the more interested in his remarkable suc- 
 cess in these instances. 
 
 A painter would naturally have brought out the 
 more dramatic features of the Ascension, showing 
 the excitement and confusion of the moment. Luca 
 knew well that sculpture was unsuited for violent 
 action, and he sought rather to convey a sense of 
 repose in his work. Moreover he infused a devo- 
 tional spirit into the scene which he seldom attained. 
 Marcel-Reymond says that only in Fra Angelico's 
 work can one find figures expressing such an ecstasy 
 of love and devotion.
 
 XIII 
 
 TOMB OF THE CARDINAL OF PORTUGAL 
 
 BY ANTONIO EOSSELLINO 
 
 IN the church of San Miniato, on a hill overlook- 
 ing Florence, is a memorial chapel built in honor of 
 a Portuguese cardinal who is buried here. Archi- 
 tecture, painting, and sculpture are here united to 
 make a perfect artistic whole. The room was de- 
 signed by the architect Antonio Manetti ; the altar 
 and walls are adorned with paintings by Pollaiuolo 
 and Baldovinetti, the roof is decorated with medal- 
 lions of Delia Robbia ware, and at one side is the 
 cardinal's tomb. 
 
 This prelate, Jacopo di Portogallo, died in Flor- 
 ence while visiting the city on a diplomatic mission. 
 He was a young man under thirty years of age, a 
 cousin of the reigning king of Portugal, and was 
 besides the cardinal archbishop of Lisbon. Natu- 
 rally he was received as a guest of unusual distinc- 
 tion, and his amiable qualities won him warm friends 
 among the Florentines. Though dying in a foreign 
 land, he was buried with such honors as his own 
 countrymen could hardly have surpassed. This was 
 in 1459, at a time when Antonio Rossellino was a 
 prominent sculptor of Tuscany. He was the artist
 
 74 I U SCAN SCTL1TUKE 
 
 chosen by the Bishop of Florence to construct the 
 Portuguese cardinal's tomb. 
 
 On a richly carved base stands the sarcophagus 
 or marble coffin in an arched niche. Just over this, 
 on a bier, lies the portrait figure of the cardinal in 
 his ecclesiastical robes. All this is surrounded ly 
 a square framework, not unlike a mantelpiece in 
 style, on the two upper corners of which are kneel- 
 ing angels. The wall space above is ornamented by 
 angels holding over a simulated window a medallion 
 containing a Madonna and child. 
 
 Our illustration shows this portion of the wall, 
 and includes a part of the angel figures kneeling ;it 
 the upper corners of the tomb. The angel on the 
 left side holds the crown, which is the reward <f a 
 faithful life. It is the " crown of righteousness," 
 the "crown of life," or the "crown of glory which 
 fadeth not away." His companion must once have 
 carried a palm branch, according to an old descrip- 
 tion, but this has disappeared. The angels hearing 
 the medallion fly forward as if swimming through 
 the air, alternately bending the knee and thrusting 
 out the leg. Their draperies flutter about them in 
 the swiftness of their motion. Such vigorous action 
 is an unusual motive in decorative; art, and perhaps 
 not altogether appropriate. All four of the angels 
 have delicate features and sweet expressions. 
 
 The medallion is, artistically considered, the loveli- 
 
 1 2 Timothy, chapter iv., verse 8 ; St. .lames, chapter i., verse 
 12 ; 1 Peter, chapter v., verse 4. The symbolism of the crown is ex- 
 plained in Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art, page 28.
 
 TOMB OF THE CAEDINAL OF PORTUGAL 77 
 
 est portion of the whole work. The face of the Ma- 
 donna is of that perfect oval which artists choose 
 for their ideal of beauty. We admire too the deli- 
 cately cut features, the waving hair, and the shapely 
 hands. Both she and the child look down from their 
 high frame, smiling upon those who may stand on 
 the pavement below. The child raises his hand in 
 a gesture of benediction, the three fingers extended 
 as a sign of the trinity. 
 
 It is not an easy problem to fit the compositional 
 lines of a group into a circular frame. RosseUino 
 solved it very prettily by outlining the figures in a 
 diamond-shaped diagram. You may easily trace the 
 four sides, drawing one line from the Madonna's 
 head along her right shoulder, another from her 
 elbow to the finger tip, a third from the child's 
 toes to his left elbow, a fourth from his elbow to the 
 top of the mother's veil. 
 
 It will be noticed that in the whole decorative 
 scheme of the monument there is nothing to sug- 
 gest the idea of mourning. There is here no sense 
 of gloom in the presence of death. The rejoicing of 
 the angels, the smile of the mother and child, and 
 the peaceful sleep of the cardinal, all express the 
 Christian hope of immortality beyond the grave. 
 
 The sentiment is particularly appropriate to the 
 character of the man whose memory is honored here. 
 The Florentine writer Vespasiano Bisticci described 
 him as being " of a most amiable nature, a pattern 
 of humanity, and an abundant fountain of good, 
 through God, to the poor. ... He lived in the
 
 78 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 flesh as if he were free from it, rather the life of an 
 angel than a man, and his death was holy as his 
 life." 1 
 
 Allowing something for the extravagance of 
 speech which was the fashion of that time, we may 
 still believe that the Cardinal of Portugal was a man 
 whose character was singularly pure in an age when 
 good men were none too common. Of the sculptor 
 Rossellino also fan: words are spoken. Vasari de- 
 clared that he " was venerated almost as a saint for 
 the admirable virtues which he added to his know- 
 ledge of art." 
 
 The custom of erecting elaborate marble tombs 
 was an interesting feature of the Renaissance art 
 in Italy. Such monuments formed an important 
 part of the interior decoration of churches. Church 
 dignitaries took great pride in the thought that 
 their names would be immortalized in these works of 
 art. Some had their tombs made while still living, 
 that they might make sure of a satisfactory design. 2 
 Others gave directions on the subject with their 
 dying breath, as in Browning's poem, " The Bishop 
 Orders his Tomb at St. Praxed's." Of the many fine 
 tombs in the churches of Tuscany, this monument 
 of the Cardinal of Portugal is counted one of the 
 three best. 3 
 
 1 In Vite di Uamini lUiutri del Secolo XV. 
 
 * As Hishop Salutati, whose tomb is mentioned in Chapter IV. 
 
 By C. C. Perkins in Tuscan Sculptort.
 
 XIV 
 
 EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GATTAMELATA 
 
 BY DONATELLO 
 
 IN the fifteenth century Italy was divided into 
 numerous independent states, among which there was 
 more or less rivalry. The two great powers of the 
 north were Venice and Milan, both striving for the 
 possession of Lombardy. To the Venetian repub- 
 lic already belonged an extensive territory on the 
 mainland, and she was. determined on conquest at 
 any cost. To this end condottieri were employed to 
 carry on the several campaigns. 
 
 These condottieri were military leaders who made 
 war a business. It mattered nothing to them on 
 what side they fought or against what enemy, so 
 long as they were well paid for their services. As 
 a rule they were men of unscrupulous character, 
 many of whom betrayed the cause entrusted to 
 them. To this rule a notable exception was Gatta- 
 melata, 1 the subject of the equestrian statue in our 
 illustration. 
 
 The man's real name was Erasmo da Narni. It 
 was as first lieutenant in the Venetian army that he 
 came into notice, serving under Gonzaga. When 
 
 1 The literal meaning of this sobriquet is Honeyed cat.
 
 80 It SCAN SCULPTUK! 
 
 later this Gonzaga went over to the cause of the 
 Milanese enemy, the lieutenant was promoted to the 
 command. He threw into the work before him, 
 says the historian, "an honest heart and splendid 
 faculties." 
 
 The Milanese army was much larger than the 
 Venetian, and was commanded by the famous strat- 
 egist Niccolo Piccinino. Gattamelata could make 
 little headway against such odds, but all that was 
 possible to do he accomplished " with equal courage, 
 fidelity, and zeal." At length, in attempting to 
 bring relief to the besieged city of Brescia, he 
 found himself shut in between the Lake of Garda 
 and the Alps. 
 
 It was in the month of September, 1438. Snow 
 already lay on the mountains, and the rivers were 
 swollen with the autumn rains. The roads were 
 out of repair, bridges were washed away, and even 
 the fords were impassable. To make matters worse, 
 the army was short of provisions. Such conditions 
 would have forced any other general to lay down 
 his arms, but not Gattamelata. With admiral le 
 coolness, he led his men in a retreat across the 
 mountains and around the lake. Three thousand 
 horsemen and two thousand infantry made up their 
 number, and all were devoted to their leader. Tor- 
 rents were bridged, old roads repaired, new ones 
 opened, and at the end of a month the army 
 emerged upon the Lombard plain. 
 
 Thus were the Venetian arms saved, and at the 
 same time the Milanese were baffled in a design to
 
 Alinuri, jjljutu. John Andrew i Sun, Sc. 
 
 EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GATTAMELATA (DONATELLO) 
 Piazza del Santo, Padua
 
 EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GATTAMELATA 83 
 
 come between Venice and her army. Gattamelata's 
 retreat was a victory of peace, less showy, perhaps, 
 than a victory of war, but requiring the finest quali- 
 ties of generalship. In recognition of his services 
 the Venetian Signory conferred the title of nobility 
 upon him, with a palace and a pension. 
 
 In the following year, the Venetian cause was 
 strengthened by alliance with Florence, and Gatta- 
 melata yielded the first place in command to Sforza, 
 the general of 'the Florentine forces. In 1440 the 
 united armies succeeded in relieving Brescia, but in 
 the same year a calamity befell Gattamelata. Ex- 
 posure to cold brought on paralysis, and after a 
 lingering illness of two years he died. The honor 
 of a great funeral was accorded him at the public 
 expense, and he was buried in the church of S. 
 Antonio at Padua. The next year the sculptor, 
 Donatello, was commissioned to make an equestrian 
 statue of the great condottiere to be set up in the 
 square in front of the church. 1 
 
 With quiet dignity Gattamelata rides forward on 
 his horse as if reviewing his army. There is nothing 
 pompous in his attitude or manner. He seems a 
 plain man intent upon his task, with no thought of 
 display. He has the strong face of one born for 
 leadership, and we can believe the stories of his 
 troops' devotion to him. With his right hand he 
 
 1 W. C. Hazlitt's Venetian Republic furnishes the quotations and 
 information for this account of Gattamelata. Other sources of 
 material on the subject are Fabretti, Biog. dei Capitani dell' Umbria, 
 Hoefer's Biog. universelle, and Michaud's Biog. generals. Symonds 
 gives a general account of the coudottieri in the Age of Despots.
 
 84 It SCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 lifts his wand in a gesture of command, letting it 
 rest across the horse's neck. 
 
 He is dressed in the picturesque war costume of 
 the period, and wears metal plates upon his arms. 
 A long sword swings at his side, and spurs are 
 attached to his heels. Yet apparently he is not 
 actually equipped for the battle, for his head is 
 uncovered. He has a high receding forehead and 
 thick curls. The peculiar shape of the head, look- 
 ing almost conical from some points of view, indi- 
 cates a forcible character. It is evident that this 
 is a man of action rather than of words. His 
 appearance fits admirably the facts of his life as 
 one whose energy and courage could overcome any 
 obstacle. Gattamelata was not a patriot, as we 
 understand patriotism, being but a mercenary cap- 
 tain. But he showed a rare loyalty to the cause he 
 espoused. It is not as a fighting man that we 
 admire him to-day, but as a man of remarkable 
 resources. 
 
 Obedient to the master's hand, the horse ambles 
 at a moderate pace. Except the bridle, he has no 
 trappings, and we thus see to the best advantage the 
 fine proportions of his figure. Before undertaking 
 this work Donatello had had no experience in model- 
 ling the horse, and his success is the more remark- 
 able. It is, however, the man rather than the horse 
 which shows the full power of the sculptor's art. 
 The subject was one exactly suited to his taste, 
 which preferred vigorous masculine qualities to all 
 others.
 
 EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GATTAMELATA 85 
 
 In ancient sculpture equestrian subjects were very 
 important. On the Parthenon at Athens a frieze 
 of bas-relief contained rows of horsemen riding in 
 the Panathenaic procession. 1 In a public square in 
 Rome was a famous statue of the Emperor Marcus 
 Aurelius on horseback. Donatello was the first 
 sculptor of the Christian era to revive this noble 
 form of art. The statue of Gattamelata is there- 
 fore the parent of the long line of modern eques- 
 trian statues. 
 
 1 See Chapter III. of the volume on Greek Sculpture, in the River- 
 side Art Series.
 
 XV 
 
 SHRINE 
 BT MLXO DA FIE8OLE 
 
 WE have seen from the examples in our collec- 
 tion that the art of sculpture may be applied in 
 many forms to the decoration of churches, without 
 and within. Statues like those in the niches on the 
 church of Or San Michele, sculptured altars like 
 that by Donatello in the church at Padua, nr^aii 
 galleries like that by Luca della Robbia in the 
 Florence cathedral, monumental tombs like those of 
 Iluria del Carretto and the Cardinal of Portugal, 
 medallions and lunettes on walls and ceilings, are 
 among the treasures enriching the churches of 
 Italy. 
 
 Sculpture may also be used to ornament almost 
 every article of church furnishing: pulpits, fonts, 
 and basins for holy water, wardrobes and cabinets, 
 chests and chairs, as well as a multitude of those 
 smaller objects wrought in metal \\hich belong to 
 the goldsmith's art. Upon all such things as tin -. 
 the Italian artists of the fifteenth century spent 
 much careful and loving labor. 
 
 Our illustration shows a kind of church furniture 
 common in this period. It is a sculptured cabinet
 
 John Andrew \ Son, So 
 
 SHRINE (MING DA FIESOLE) 
 Church of Santa Croce, Florence
 
 SHRINE 89 
 
 to contain articles used in the altar services, such as 
 the sacramental wafers or the holy oil. A recep- 
 tacle for objects so sacred is called a shrine. The 
 architectural framework is in the form styled a 
 tabernacle, such as we have seen in the niches on 
 the outside of Or San Michele. 1 
 
 The artist was Mino da Fiesole, whose decorative 
 works were very popular, both for the delicacy of- 
 their finish and the quality of sentiment they ex- 
 pressed. His idea here was to make the design 
 suggest a sacred story, the story of Christ's resur- 
 rection. The opening into the cabinet is the en- 
 trance of the tomb, and without, the angels await 
 the coming of the risen Lord. 
 
 Our thoughts turn to the Sunday morning in the 
 garden of Joseph of Arimathea, when the faithful 
 women came to the rock-hewn tomb. The stone 
 had been rolled away, and angels greeted them with 
 the glad tidings, " He is risen." 2 The angels of 
 our picture press forward eagerly to peer into the 
 shadowy depths of the interior. There are two who 
 are close to the door, while two more, with long 
 torches, stand on the step below. Above the door 
 hovers a dove, the emblem of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Various features of the tabernacle illustrate char- 
 acteristic qualities of the Italian art of this period. 
 The arched top is to be noticed as much more com- 
 mon in Italy than the Gothic or pointed roof. The 
 winged cherub heads were a favorite decorative 
 design. We have seen one example of their use in 
 
 1 Chapter II. 2 St. Mark, chapter xvi., verses 4-6.
 
 90 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 tin- frame of the medallion on the Portuguese car- 
 dinars tomb. The decorated side pillars with Ionic 
 capitals we have seen in the altarpiece of the Annun- 
 ciation by Andrea della Robbia. 
 
 The shrine of our illustration was originally made 
 for the nuns of the convent of the Murate. It is 
 mentioned by Vasari as a work which the artist 
 " conducted to perfection with all the diligence of 
 which he was capable." That its first purpose was 
 to hold the sacramental wafers we may be sure 
 from the Latin inscription, " This is the living 
 bread which came down from heaven." The words 
 are those used by our Lord himself in one of the 
 discourses recorded by St. John. 1 
 
 In 1815 the shrine was removed to its present 
 place in the church of S. Croce, Florence, where it 
 is in the chapel of the Medici, also called the chapel 
 of the Novitiate. 
 
 1 St. John, chapter vi., verse 51.
 
 XVI 
 
 IL MARZOCCO (THE HERALDIC LION OF FLORENCE) 
 
 BY DONATELLO 
 
 IN the history of the several cities of Italy every 
 town has chosen some design to be inscribed upon 
 a shield as a coat of arms. Florence has the lily, 
 as a reminder of the far-away days when the valley 
 of the Arno was filled with the red blossoms of the 
 amaryllis. It was for this that the name Firenze 
 was given to the city, the " City of Flowers." The 
 lily is drawn in three petals somewhat like those of 
 the fleur-de-lis of France ; but the Florentine flower 
 is broader than its French counterpart, and has be- 
 sides two slender flower-stalks separating the larger 
 petals. When represented in color it is always red. 
 
 The tutelary genius of Florence is the lion. He 
 stands for the noble and heroic qualities in the 
 Florentine citizen. Courage and patriotism have 
 many a time been magnificently illustrated in the 
 history of the city's struggles against tyranny. 
 Like the king of beasts, the loyal Florentine prefers 
 death to the loss of liberty. 
 
 The choice of the lion as a civic emblem explains 
 the fact that a preserve of lions was once kept in 
 Florence at the public expense- This was given up
 
 n MAN MI i. i-Ti I:E 
 
 centuries ago, but the Via de' Leoni, or street of 
 tin- limis. remains to remind us of the old custom. 
 There was still another way in which Florence 
 kept the emblem continually before the minds of 
 her people. This was in the stone lion called the 
 Murzocco, set up in the piazza, or square, of the 
 Signoria. 
 
 For many years the civic life of Florence centred 
 in the Piazza della Signoria, where stands the old 
 gray stone palace called the Palazzo Vecchio. Of 
 some of the important events which took place here 
 in the fifteenth century we may read in George 
 Eliot's " Romola." It was here the Florentines 
 gathered on all occasions of public interest, whether 
 connected with the political or the religious affairs 
 of their city. 
 
 In front of the Palazzo Vecchio is a stone plat- 
 form called the ringhiera, and it was on this that 
 the Marzocco was set up as a stimulus to patriotism. 
 The lion sits on his haunches in an attitude of 
 grave dignity. In this position he is much more 
 alert than a crouching lion, and less aggressive than 
 the rampant lion. His duty is to guard the honor 
 of the city, and his pose is much like that of the 
 watchdog. With his right paw he supports a shield 
 on which the Florentine lily is engraved. We are 
 reminded of our own national eagle holding the 
 shield of the stars and stripes. 
 
 In such a figure we do not look for a close resem- 
 blance to nature. The subjects of heraldic art are 
 treated in a decorative way with a certain stiffness
 
 THE HERALDIC LION OF FLORENCE 93 
 
 of form. The device of the lily is not an actual 
 picture of the flower, but a kind of floral diagram, 
 or what we call a conventionalized form. So, too, 
 the lion is of a formal or emblematic type. Yet 
 there is a certain expressiveness in the face of the 
 old fellow which makes us like him. Like the 
 winged lion of St. Mark's in Venice, he has made 
 many friends. 
 
 II Marzocco is carved out of soft gray stone which 
 the Italians call pietra serena. It is believed to 
 have been made by Donatello, and it stands on a 
 beautiful carved pedestal. Like the same sculptor's 
 statue of St. George it was deemed too precious to 
 leave exposed in the open air, and was therefore 
 removed to a museum. A bronze copy now stands 
 in its place on the platform of the old palace.
 
 PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY OF PROPER NAMES 
 AND FOREIGN WORDS 
 
 The Diacritical Marks given are those found in the latest edition of Webster's Inter- 
 national Dictionary. 
 
 EXPLANATION OF DIACRITICAL MARKS. 
 
 A Dash (~) above the vowel denotes the long sound, as in fate, eve, time, note, use. 
 
 A Dasli and a Dot (""") above the vowel denote the same sound, less prolonged. 
 
 A Curve (") above the vowel denotes the short sound, as in acid, 2nd, ill, Sdd, up. 
 
 A Dot ( ' ) above the vowel a denotes the obscure sound of a in past, abate, Amgrica. 
 
 A Double Dot (") above the vowel a denotes the broad sound of a in father, alms. 
 
 A Double Dot () below the vowel a denotes the sound of a in ball. 
 
 A Wave (~) above the vowel e denotes the sound of e in her. 
 
 A Circumflex Accent (~) above the vowel o denotes the sound of o in b6rn. 
 
 A dot ( . ) below the vowel u denotes the sound of u in the French language. 
 
 N indicates that the preceding vowel has the French nasal tone. 
 
 o and K denote the guttural sound of ch in the German language. 
 
 tli denotes the sound of tli in the, this. 
 
 c sounds like s. 
 
 e sounds like k. 
 
 .3 sounds like z. 
 
 g is hard as in get. 
 
 g is soft as in gem. 
 
 Alger (al'jgr). 
 
 Ambrosi, Marietta (ma-re-et'ta am- 
 
 bro'ze). 
 
 Andrea (an-dra'a). 
 Angelico, Fra (fra an-jel'e-ko). 
 Annunziata (an-nobn-tse-a'ta). 
 Antonio (an-to'ne-o). 
 Apollo (a-pol'lo). 
 Arezzo (a-ret'so). 
 Arimathea (ar-i-ma-the'a). 
 Aristotle (ar'is-totl). 
 Arras (ar-ras'). 
 
 Baldovinetti (bal-do-ve-net'te). 
 Bambino (bam-be'no). 
 Bartolommeo (bar-to-lom-ma'o). 
 Beth' any. 
 BSth'lehem. 
 Bethsaida (beth-sa'i-da). 
 
 Bisticci, Vespasiano (v5s-pa-ze-a'no 
 
 bes-tet'che). 
 Bologna (bo-lon'ya). 
 Borghini, Vicenzo (ve-chend'so bor- 
 
 ge'ne). 
 
 Botticelli (bot-te-chel'le). 
 Brescia (bra'she-a). 
 Brunelleschi (brob-nel-les'ke). 
 
 Buonarroti (bob-o-nar-ro'te). 
 
 t 
 
 Cammina (kam'me-na). 
 cantor ia (kan-to-re'a). 
 Cappadocia (kap-a-do'shi-a). 
 Carderara (kar-da-ra'ra). 
 Carrara (kar-ra'ra). 
 Carretto (kar-ret'to). 
 Cavalucci (ka-va-16bt'che). 
 Cleodolinda (kle-od-o-lin'da). 
 Colvin, Sidney (sid'ni kol'vin).
 
 TUSCAN SCULPTURE 
 
 Correggio (kor-r8d'jo). 
 CortiU (kor-t'la). 
 Croce (kro'cha). 
 
 Delia Robbia (del'la rub'be-a). 
 I>idroii ule-droJt ). 
 Diocletian (dl-G-kle aha-an). 
 Doiiiiii i. in. 
 I'.'.n, infck. 
 I >on;iteTlo. 
 Dona' to. 
 
 Eooe aiicilla Domini fiat mihi secun- 
 dum verbum tuum (Sk'kS aukel'lii 
 do'me-ne fe'at m6'h6 sakoon ilmim 
 war'b<K>ni too'oom). 
 
 Ecco il Giovannino (ek'koel jo-van- 
 ne'no). 
 
 Ego sum Lux Mundi (6g'u soorn louz 
 
 Elias (e-ll'as). 
 Eliaabetb (e-liz a-b6tb). 
 Eloi (5-lwa'). 
 tpitcoptu (i-pe'sko-poos). 
 Eraamo da Narni (a-rite'mo da nar'- 
 n5). 
 
 Pabretti (ta-brSt't*). 
 Pirenze (fe-rSnd'sA). 
 Florentine (flor'Sn-ten). 
 Franciscan (frSn-sfa'kin). 
 Frati Minori (fra'te me-no're). 
 Frati Predicatori (fra'te pra-de-ka- 
 to're). 
 
 Galilee (g&ll -I.' . 
 
 Oarda (R&r'da). 
 
 GattamelaU (Kat-ta-ma-la'ti). 
 
 genre (zbiis 
 
 (}onxam 1>f r,nd-*i >a). 
 
 Guinigi, Paolo (pa'o-lD 
 
 HJU'litt. 
 
 Ifer'tnia, 
 
 Her'od. 
 
 Hewlett, Maurice (m'rU hu let). 
 
 I li.Topolin ihl--rup'v-lb). 
 
 Hoefer (b'fr). 
 
 fe ii S-pJin-y" !' 
 Iconography (I-ko-n&g'ra-flj. 
 Ilaria(e-la t. 
 
 Jaoopo della Quercia (ya 'ko-po del'la 
 kwer'cha). 
 
 .lor dan. 
 
 Jourdain (xhobr-dftN'). 
 
 Judasa i ju-de'a). 
 
 Leg' born. 
 
 Lisbon (liz'b&n). 
 
 Loggia (lod'ja). 
 
 Lom'bArdy. 
 
 Luca della Kobbia (loo'ka del lii rob - 
 
 beHi). 
 Lucca (look'ka). 
 
 Magnificat (m&g-nlf'I-kit). 
 
 Mandorla (man 'dor-la). 
 
 Manetti, Antonio (an-to'ne-o ma-net'- 
 
 te). 
 
 Marcel-Reymond (mar-sel ra i 
 Marzocco, D (el mard-aSk'ko). 
 Medici (ma'de-cbe). 
 Michaud (me-sho'). 
 Michelangelo (me-kil-an'ja-lo). 
 Milan (mil'an or mi-Ian'). 
 Mino da Fiesole (me'no da fe-a'to- 
 
 la). 
 
 Mulinier (mo-le-iie4k'). 
 Murate (mob-ra'ta). 
 Murillo (moo-rel'yo). 
 
 Nanni di Banco (niin'ne de ban'ko). 
 Nathan 'al. 
 Naz'areth. 
 Niccolo n." k(Vl,~'). 
 
 Or Saa Michele (drain mS-ki'lA). 
 
 PaduA. 
 
 Palaxxo Veochio (pa-lat'so vek ke-5). 
 
 >uio (pn-tro'ne-o). 
 Phrygia (frlj'Ia).
 
 PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY 
 
 97 
 
 Piazza (pe-at'sa). 
 
 Piccinino, Niccol6 (ne-ko-lo' pet-che- 
 
 ne'no). 
 
 pietra serena (pe-a'tra sii-ra'na). 
 Pisa (pe'zii). 
 Pistoja (pes-to'ya). 
 Plancb.6 (plaN-sha"). 
 Pollaiuolo (pol-la-yob-o'lo). 
 Portogallo, Jacopo di (ya'ko-po de 
 
 por-to-gal'lo). 
 Port'ugal. 
 Pi^x'ed. 
 Pre-Raphaelite (pre-ra'fa-el-it). 
 
 Raphael (ra'fa-61). 
 Rea (ra). 
 
 Rembrandt (rSm'brSnt). 
 Renaissance (re-nas-saNs'). 
 ringhiera (ren-ge-a'ra). 
 Romola (rom'o-la). 
 Rossellino (ros-sel-le'no). 
 Rossetti (ros-sSt'te). 
 
 Sabatier (sa-ba-te-a'). 
 
 Salutati, Leonardo (la-5-nar'do sa- 
 
 lob-ta'te). 
 
 San Mini, -it (san me-ne-a'to). 
 Scythia (sith'i-a). 
 Sforza (sford'sa). 
 Siena (se-a'na). 
 Signer (sen'yor). 
 Signory (sen'yo-ri). 
 Slle'ne. 
 Spedale degli Innocent! (spa-da'la 
 
 da'lye en-no-chan'te). 
 Stig'mata. 
 
 Symonds (sim'undz). 
 Syndics (sin'dix). 
 
 Ta'ling-hSst. 
 Titian (tish'an). 
 Tus'cany. 
 
 Vasari (va-sa're). 
 
 Via de' Leoni (ve'a da la-o'ne). 
 
 Zacharias (zak-a-rl'as). 
 Zuccone (dsobk-ko'na).
 
 fitocrribe prc 
 
 EUctrotyfied and printed by H. O. Houfkto* tf Co. 
 Cambridge M<***, U.S.A.
 
 HE MANY VERROCCHIO PIECES STATUE HAS BROAD FEET, THICK EARS 
 
 LONG-LOST STATUE 
 
 <<nown Verrocchio is discovered in New York