,library ,edition   ,,the ,,complete    
,,works  ,,of  ,,john ,,ruskin          
,,stones ,,of ,,venice ,,volume ,,iii   
,,giotto  ,,lectures ,,on ,,architecture
  ,,harbours ,,of ,,england  ,a ,,joy   
,,forever   ,,national ,,library        
,,association ,,new ,,york              
,,chicago     ,,the ,,complete ,,works  
,,of  ,,john ,,ruskin   ,,volume ,x     
,,giotto ,,and ,,his ,,works ,,lectures 
,,on ,,architecture ,,the ,,harbors ,,of
 ,,england ,,political ,,economy ,,of   
,,art 7,a ,,joy ,,forever7     ,,giotto 
,,and ,,his ,,works ,,in ,,padua        
,,being  ,,an ,,explanatory ,,notice    
,,of ,,the ,,series ,,of ,,woodcuts     
,,executed ,,for ,,the ,,arundel        
,,society ,,after ,,the ,,frescos ,,in  
,,the ,,arena ,,chapel                  
,,advertisement4   ,the following notice
 of ,giotto has not been drawn up with  
any idea of attempting a history of his 
life4 ,that history could only be       
written after a careful search through  
the libraries of ,italy for all         

documents relating to the years during  
which he worked4 ,i have no time for    
such search1 or even for the examination
 of well-known and published materials2 
and have therefore merely collected1    
from the sources nearest at hand1 such  
information as appeared absolutely      
necessary to render the series of       
,plates now published by the ,arundel   
,society intelligible and interesting to
 those among its ,members who have not  
devoted much time to the examination of 
medival works4 ,i have prefixed a few   
remarks on the relation of the art of   
,giotto to former and subsequent        
efforts2 which ,i hope may be useful in 
preventing the general reader from      
either looking for what the painter     
never intended to give1 or missing the  
points to which his endeavours were     
really directed4  ,j4,r4     ,,giotto   
,,and ,,his ,,works ,,in ,,padua4       
,towards the close of the thirteenth    
century1 ,enrico ,scrovegno1 a noble    
,paduan1 purchased1 in his native city1 

the remains of the ,roman ,amphitheatre 
or ,arena from the family of the        
,delesmanini1 to whom those remains had 
been granted by the ,emperor ,henry     
,,iii4 of ,germany in #ajij4 ,for the   
power of making this purchase1          
,scrovegno was in all probability       
indebted to his father1 ,reginald1 who1 
for his avarice1 is placed by ,dante in 
the seventh circle of the ,inferno1 and 
regarded apparently as the chief of the 
usurers there1 since he is the only one 
who addresses ,dante4#a ,the son1 having
 possessed himself of the ,roman ruin1  
or of the site which it had occupied1   
built himself a fortified palace upon   
the ground1 and a chapel dedicated to   
the ,annunciate ,virgin4  ,footnote #a3 
,noting the visages of some who lay     
,beneath the pelting of that dolorous   
fire1     ,one of them all ,i knew not2 
but perceived     ,that pendent from his
 neck each bore a pouch1     ,with      
colours and with emblems various marked1
     ,on which it seemed as if their eye

 did feed4     ,and when amongst them   
looking round ,i came1     ,a yellow    
purse ,i saw1 with azure wrought1       
,that wore a lion's countenance and     
port4     ,then1 still my sight pursuing
 its career1     ,another ,i beheld1    
than blood more red1     ,a goose       
display of whiter wing than curd4       
,and one who bore a fat and azure swine 
,pictured on his white scrip1 addressed 
me thus3     ,what dost thou in this    
deep8 ,go now and know1     ,since yet  
thou livest1 that my neighbour here1    
,vitaliano1 on my left shall sit4     ,a
 ,paduan with these ,florentines am ,i4 
,ofttimes they thunder in mine ears1    
exclaiming1     ,oh6 haste that noble   
knight1 he who the pouch     ,with the  
three goats will bring4 ,this said1 he  
writhed     ,the mouth1 and lolled the  
tongue out1 like an ox     ,that licks  
his nostrils4      ,canto xvii4  ,this  
passage of ,cary's ,dante is not quite  
so clear as that translator's work      
usually is4 ,one of them all ,i knew not

 is an awkward periphrasis for ,i knew  
none of them4 ,dante's indignant        
expression of the effect of avarice in  
withering away distinctions of          
character1 and the prophecy of          
,scrovegno1 that his neighbor           
,vitaliano1 then living1 should soon be 
with him1 to sit on his left hand1 is   
rendered a little obscure by the        
transposition of the word here4 ,cary   
has also been afraid of the excessive   
homeliness of ,dante's imagery2 whiter  
wing than curd being in the original    
whiter than butter4 ,the attachment of  
the purse to the neck1 as a badge of    
shame1 in the ,inferno1 is found before 
,dante's time2 as1 for instance1 in the 
windows of ,bourges cathedral 7see      
,plate iii4 of ,,mm4 ,martin and        
,cahier's beautiful work74 ,and the     
building of the ,arena ,chapel by the   
son1 as a kind of atonement for the     
avarice of the father1 is very          
characteristic of the period1 in which  
the use of money for the building of    

churches was considered just as         
meritorious as its unjust accumulation  
was criminal4 ,i have seen1 in a ,,ms4  
,church-service of the thirteenth       
century1 an illumination representing   
,church-,consecration1 illustrating the 
words1 ,fundata est domus ,domini supra 
verticem montium1 surrounded for the    
purpose of contrast1 by a grotesque1    
consisting of a picture of a miser's    
death-bed1 a demon drawing his soul out 
of his mouth1 while his attendants are  
searching in his chests for his         
treasures4  ,this chapel1 built in or   
about the year #acjc1b appears to have  
been intended to replace one which had  
long existed on the spot2 and in which1 
from the year #abgh1 an annual festival 
had been held on ,lady-day1 in which the
 ,annunciation was represented in the   
manner of our ,english mysteries 7and   
under the same title3 una sacra         
rappresentazione di quel mistero71 with 
dialogue1 and music both vocal and      
instrumental4 ,scrovegno's purchase of  

the ground could not be allowed to      
interfere with the national custom2 but 
he is reported by some writers to have  
rebuilt the chapel with greater         
costliness1 in order1 as far as         
possible1 to efface the memory of his   
father's unhappy life4 ,but ,federici1  
in his history of the ,cavalieri        
,godenti1 supposes that ,scrovegno was a
 member of that body1 and was assisted  
by them in decorating the new edifice4  
,the order of ,cavalieri ,godenti was   
instituted in the beginning of the      
thirteenth century1 to defend the       
existence1 as ,selvatico states it1 but 
more accurately the dignity1 of the     
,virgin1 against the various heretics by
 whom it was beginning to be assailed4  
,her knights were first called          
,cavaliers of ,st4 ,mary2 but soon      
increased in power and riches to such a 
degree1 that1 from their general habits 
of life1 they received the nickname of  
the ,merry ,brothers4 ,federici gives   
forcible reasons for his opinion that   

the ,arena ,chapel was employed in the  
ceremonies of their order2 and ,lord    
,lindsay observes1 that the fulness with
 which the history of the ,virgin is    
recounted on its walls1 adds to the     
plausibility of his supposition4        
,footnote #b3 ,for these historical     
details ,i am chiefly indebted to the   
very careful treatise of ,selvatico1    
,sulla ,cappellina degli ,scrovegni     
nell',arena di ,padova4 ,padua1 #ahcf4  
,enrico ,scrovegno was1 however1 towards
 the close of his life1 driven into     
exile1 and died at ,venice in #acbj4    
,but he was buried in the chapel he had 
built2 and has one small monument in the
 sacristy1 as the founder of the        
building1 in which he is represented    
under a ,gothic niche1 standing1 with   
his hands clasped and his eyes raised2  
while behind the altar is his tomb1 on  
which1 as usual at the period1 is a     
recumbent statue of him4 ,the chapel    
itself may not unwarrantably be         
considered as one of the first efforts  

of ,popery in resistance of the         
,reformation3 for the ,reformation1     
though not victorious till the          
sixteenth1 began in reality in the      
thirteenth century2 and the             
remonstrances of such bishops as our own
 ,grossteste1 the martyrdoms of the     
,albigenses in the ,dominican crusades1 
and the murmurs of those heretics       
against whose aspersions of the majesty 
of the ,virgin this chivalrous order of 
the ,cavalieri ,godenti was instituted1 
were as truly the signs of the approach 
of a new era in religion1 as the        
opponent work of ,giotto on the walls of
 the ,arena was a sign of the approach  
of a new era in art4  ,the chapel having
 been founded1 as stated above1 in      
#acjc1 ,giotto appears to have been     
summoned to decorate its interior walls 
about the year #acjf1--summoned1 as     
being at that time the acknowledged     
master of painting in ,italy4 ,by what  
steps he had risen to this unquestioned 
eminence it is difficult to trace2 for  

the records of his life1 strictly       
examined1 and freed from the verbiage   
and conjecture of artistical history1   
nearly reduce themselves to a list of   
the cities of ,italy where he painted1  
and to a few anecdotes1 of little       
meaning in themselves1 and doubly       
pointless in the fact of most of them   
being inheritances of the whole race of 
painters1 and related successively of   
all in whose biographies the public have
 deigned to take an interest4 ,there is 
even question as to the date of his     
birth2 ,vasari stating him to have been 
born in #abgf1 while ,baldinucci1 on the
 internal evidence derived from         
,vasari's own narrative1 throws the date
 back ten years4#c ,i believe1 however1 
that ,vasari is most probably accurate  
in his first main statement2 and that   
his errors1 always numerous1 are in the 
subsequent and minor particulars4 ,it is
 at least undoubted truth that ,giotto  
was born1 and passed the years of       
childhood1 at ,vespignano1 about        

fourteen miles north of ,florence1 on   
the road to ,bologna4 ,few travellers   
can forget the peculiar landscape of    
that district of the ,apennine4 ,as they
 ascend the hill which rises from       
,florence to the lowest break in the    
ridge of ,fiesole1 they pass continually
 beneath the walls of villas bright in  
perfect luxury1 and beside              
cypress-hedges1 enclosing fair terraced 
gardens1 where the masses of oleander   
and magnolia1 motionless as leaves in a 
picture1 inlay alternately upon the blue
 sky their branching lightness of pale  
rose-colour1 and deep green breadth of  
shade1 studded with balls of budding    
silver1 and showing at intervals through
 their framework of rich leaf and rubied
 flower1 the far-away bends of the ,arno
 beneath its slopes of olive1 and the   
purple peaks of the ,carrara mountains1 
tossing themselves against the western  
distance1 where the streaks of          
motionless cloud burn above the ,pisan  
sea4 ,the traveller passes the ,fiesolan

 ridge1 and all is changed4 ,the country
 is on a sudden lonely4 ,here and there 
indeed are seen the scattered houses of 
a farm grouped gracefully upon the      
hill-sides1--here and there a fragment  
of tower upon a distant rock2 but       
neither gardens1 nor flowers1 nor       
glittering palace-walls1 only a grey    
extent of mountain-ground1 tufted       
irregularly with ilex and olive3 a scene
 not sublime1 for its forms are subdued 
and low2 not desolate1 for its valleys  
are full of sown fields and tended      
pastures2 not rich nor lovely1 but      
sunburnt and sorrowful2 becoming wilder 
every instant as the road winds into its
 recesses1 ascending still1 until the   
higher woods1 now partly oak and partly 
pine1 drooping back from the central    
crest of the ,apennine1 leave a pastoral
 wilderness of scathed rock and arid    
grass1 withered away here by frost1 and 
there by strange lambent tongues of     
earth-fed fire4#d ,giotto passed the    
first ten years of his life1 a          

shepherd-boy1 among these hills2 was    
found by ,cimabue near his native       
village1 drawing one of his sheep upon a
 smooth stone2 was yielded up by his    
father1 a simple person1 a labourer of  
the earth1 to the guardianship of the   
painter1 who1 by his own work1 had      
already made the streets of ,florence   
ring with joy2 attended him to          
,florence1 and became his disciple4     
,footnote #c3 ,lord ,lindsay1 ,christian
 ,art1 vol4 ii4 p4 #aff4  ,footnote #d3 
,at ,pietra ,mala4 ,the flames rise two 
or three feet above the stony ground out
 of which they spring1 white and fierce 
enough to be visible in the intense rays
 even of the morning sun4  ,we may fancy
 the glance of the boy1 when he and     
,cimabue stood side by side on the ridge
 of ,fiesole1 and for the first time he 
saw the flowering thickets of the ,val  
d',arno2 and deep beneath1 the          
innumerable towers of the ,city of the  
,lily1 the depths of his own heart yet  
hiding the fairest of them all4 ,another

 ten years passed over him1 and he was  
chosen from among the painters of ,italy
 to decorate the ,vatican4  ,the account
 given us by ,vasari of the mode of his 
competition on this occasion1 is one of 
the few anecdotes of him which seem to  
be authentic 7especially as having given
 rise to an ,italian proverb71 and it   
has also great point and value4 ,i      
translate ,vasari's words literally4    
,this work 7his paintings in the ,campo 
,santo of ,pisa7 acquired for him1 both 
in the city and externally1 so much     
fame1 that the ,pope1 ,benedict ,,ix41  
sent a certain one of his courtiers into
 ,tuscany1 to see what sort of a man    
,giotto was1 and what was the quality of
 his works1 he 7the pope7 intending to  
have some paintings executed in ,st4    
,peter's2 which courtier1 coming to see 
,giotto1 and hearing that there were    
other masters in ,florence who excelled 
in painting and in mosaic1 spoke1 in    
,siena1 to many masters2 then1 having   
received drawings from them1 he came to 

,florence2 and having gone one morning  
into ,giotto's shop as he was at work1  
explained the pope's mind to him1 and in
 what way he wished to avail himself of 
his powers1 and finally requested from  
him a little piece of drawing to send to
 his ,holiness4 ,giotto1 who was most   
courteous1 took a leaf 7of vellum871 and
 upon this1 with a brush dipped in red1 
fixing his arm to his side1 to make it  
as the limb of a pair of compasses1 and 
turning his hand1 made a circle so      
perfect in measure and outline1 that it 
was a wonder to see3 which having done1 
he said to the courtier1 with a smile1  
',there is the drawing4' ,he1 thinking  
himself mocked1 said1 ',shall ,i have no
 other drawing than this8' ',this is    
enough1 and too much1' answered ,giotto2
 'send it with the others3 you will see 
if it will be understood4' ,the         
ambassador1 seeing that he could not get
 any thing else1 took his leave with    
small satisfaction1 doubting whether he 
had not been made a jest of4 ,however1  

when he sent to the pope the other      
drawings1 and the names of those who had
 made them1 he sent also that of        
,giotto1 relating the way in which he   
had held himself in drawing his circle1 
without moving his arm1 and without     
compasses4 ,whence the pope1 and many   
intelligent courtiers1 knew how much    
,giotto overpassed in excellence all the
 other painters of his time4            
,afterwards1 the thing becoming known1  
the proverb arose from it3 ',thou art   
rounder than the ,o of ,giotto2' which  
it is still in custom to say to men of  
the grosser clay2 for the proverb is    
pretty1 not only on account of the      
accident of its origin1 but because it  
has a double meaning1 'round' being     
taken in ,tuscany to express not only   
circular form1 but slowness and         
grossness of wit4  ,such is the account 
of ,vasari1 which1 at the first reading1
 might be gravely called into question1 
seeing that the paintings at ,pisa1 to  
which he ascribes the sudden extent of  

,giotto's reputation1 have been proved  
to be the work of ,francesco da         
,volterra2#e and since1 moreover1       
,vasari has even mistaken the name of   
the pope1 and written ,boniface ,,ix4   
for ,boniface ,,viii4 ,but the story    
itself must1 ,i think1 be true2 and1    
rightly understood1 it is singularly    
interesting4 ,i say1 rightly understood2
 for ,lord ,lindsay supposes the circle 
to have been mechanically drawn by      
turning the sheet of vellum under the   
hand1 as now constantly done for the    
sake of speed at schools4 ,but neither  
do ,vasari's words bear this            
construction1 nor would the drawing so  
made have borne the slightest testimony 
to ,giotto's power4 ,vasari says        
distinctly1 and turning his hand 7or1 as
 ,i should rather read it1 with a sweep 
of his hand7 not turning the vellum2    
neither would a circle produced in so   
mechanical a manner have borne distinct 
witness to any thing except the         
draughtsman's mechanical ingenuity2 and 

,giotto had too much common sense1 and  
too much courtesy1 to send the pope a   
drawing which did not really contain the
 evidence he required4 ,lord ,lindsay   
has been misled also by his own careless
 translation of pennello tinto di rosso 
7a brush dipped in red17 by the word    
crayon4 ,it is easy to draw the         
mechanical circle with a crayon1 but by 
no means easy with a brush4 ,i have not 
the slightest doubt that ,giotto drew   
the circle as a painter naturally would 
draw it2 that is to say1 that he set the
 vellum upright on the wall or panel    
before him1 and then steadying his arm  
firmly against his side1 drew the       
circular line with one sweeping but firm
 revolution of his hand1 holding the    
brush long4 ,such a feat as this is     
completely possible to a                
well-disciplined painter's hand1 but    
utterly impossible to any other2 and the
 circle so drawn1 was the most          
convincing proof ,giotto could give of  
his decision of eye and perfectness of  

practice4  ,footnote #e3 ,at least ,lord
 ,lindsay seems to consider the evidence
 collected by ,frster on this subject   
conclusive4 ,christian ,art1 vol4 ii4 p4
 #afh4  ,still1 even when thus          
understood1 there is much in the        
anecdote very curious4 ,here is a       
painter requested by the head of the    
,church to execute certain religious    
paintings1 and the only qualification   
for the task of which he deigns to      
demonstrate his possession is executive 
skill4 ,nothing is said1 and nothing    
appears to be thought1 of expression1 or
 invention1 or devotional sentiment4    
,nothing is required but firmness of    
hand4 ,and here arises the important    
question3 ,did ,giotto know that this   
was all that was looked for by his      
religious patrons8 and is there occult  
satire in the example of his art which  
he sends them8--or does the founder of  
sacred painting mean to tell us that he 
holds his own power to consist merely in
 firmness of hand1 secured by long      

practice8 ,i cannot satisfy myself on   
this point3 but yet it seems to me that 
we may safely gather two conclusions    
from the words of the master1 ,it is    
enough1 and more than enough4 ,the      
first1 that ,giotto had indeed a        
profound feeling of the value of        
precision in all art2 and that we may   
use the full force of his authority to  
press the truth1 of which it is so      
difficult to persuade the hasty workmen 
of modern times1 that the difference    
between right and wrong lies within the 
breadth of a line2 and that the most    
perfect power and genius are shown by   
the accuracy which disdains error1 and  
the faithfulness which fears it4  ,and  
the second conclusion is1 that whatever 
,giotto's imaginative powers might be1  
he was proud to be a good workman1 and  
willing to be considered by others only 
as such4 ,there might lurk1 as has been 
suggested1 some satire in the message to
 the pope1 and some consciousness in his
 own mind of faculties higher than those

 of draughtsmanship4 ,i cannot tell how 
far these hidden feelings existed2 but  
the more ,i see of living artists1 and  
learn of departed ones1 the more ,i am  
convinced that the highest strength of  
genius is generally marked by strange   
unconsciousness of its own modes of     
operation1 and often by no small scorn  
of the best results of its exertion4    
,the inferior mind intently watches its 
own processes1 and dearly values its own
 produce2 the master-mind is intent on  
other things than itself1 and cares     
little for the fruits of a toil which it
 is apt to undertake rather as a law of 
life than a means of immortality4 ,it   
will sing at a feast1 or retouch an old 
play1 or paint a dark wall1 for its     
daily bread1 anxious only to be honest  
in its fulfilment of its pledges or its 
duty1 and careless that future ages will
 rank it among the gods4  ,i think it   
unnecessary to repeat here any other of 
the anecdotes commonly related of       
,giotto1 as1 separately taken1 they are 

quite valueless4 ,yet much may be       
gathered from their general tone4 ,it is
 remarkable that they are1 almost       
without exception1 records of           
good-humoured jests1 involving or       
illustrating some point of practical    
good sense2 and by comparing this       
general colour of the reputation of     
,giotto with the actual character of his
 designs1 there cannot remain the       
smallest doubt that his mind was one of 
the most healthy1 kind1 and active1 that
 ever informed a human frame4 ,his love 
of beauty was entirely free from        
weakness2 his love of truth untinged by 
severity2 his industry constant1 without
 impatience2 his workmanship accurate1  
without formalism2 his temper serene1   
and yet playful2 his imagination        
exhaustless1 without extravagance2 and  
his faith firm1 without superstition4 ,i
 do not know1 in the annals of art1 such
 another example of happy1 practical1   
unerring1 and benevolent power4  ,i am  
certain that this is the estimate of his

 character which must be arrived at by  
an attentive study of his works1 and of 
the few data which remain respecting his
 life2 but ,i shall not here endeavour  
to give proof of its truth1 because ,i  
believe the subject has been            
exhaustively treated by ,rumohr and     
,frster1 whose essays on the works and  
character of ,giotto will doubtless be  
translated into ,english1 as the        
interest of the ,english public in      
medival art increases4 ,i shall         
therefore here only endeavour briefly to
 sketch the relation which ,giotto held 
to the artists who preceded and followed
 him1 a relation still imperfectly      
understood2 and then1 as briefly1 to    
indicate the general course of his      
labours in ,italy1 as far as may be     
necessary for understanding the value of
 the series in the ,arena ,chapel4  ,the
 art of ,europe1 between the fifth and  
thirteenth centuries1 divides itself    
essentially into great branches1 one    
springing from1 the other grafted on1   

the old ,roman stock4 ,the first is the 
,roman art itself1 prolonged in a       
languid and degraded condition1 and     
becoming at last a mere formal system1  
centered at the feet of ,eastern empire1
 and thence generally called ,byzantine4
 ,the other is the barbarous and        
incipient art of the ,gothic nations1   
more or less coloured by ,roman or      
,byzantine influence1 and gradually     
increasing in life and power4           
,generally speaking1 the ,byzantine art1
 although manifesting itself only in    
perpetual repetitions1 becoming every   
day more cold and formal1 yet preserved 
reminiscences of design originally      
noble1 and traditions of execution      
originally perfect4  ,generally         
speaking1 the ,gothic art1 although     
becoming every day more powerful1       
presented the most ludicrous experiments
 of infantile imagination1 and the most 
rude efforts of untaught manipulation4  
,hence1 if any superior mind arose in   
,byzantine art1 it had before it models 

which suggested or recorded a perfection
 they did not themselves possess2 and   
the superiority of the individual mind  
would probably be shown in a more       
sincere and living treatment of the     
subjects ordained for repetition by the 
canons of the schools4  ,in the art of  
the ,goth1 the choice of subject was    
unlimited1 and the style of design so   
remote from all perfection1 as not      
always even to point out clearly the    
direction in which advance could be     
made4 ,the strongest minds which appear 
in that art are therefore generally     
manifested by redundance of imagination1
 and sudden refinement of touch1 whether
 of pencil or chisel1 together with     
unexpected starts of effort or flashes  
of knowledge in accidental directions1  
gradually forming various national      
styles4  ,of these comparatively        
independent branches of art1 the        
greatest is1 as far as ,i know1 the     
,french sculpture of the thirteenth     
century4 ,no words can give any idea of 

the magnificent redundance of its       
imaginative power1 or of the perpetual  
beauty of even its smallest incidental  
designs4 ,but this very richness of     
sculptural invention prevented the      
,french from cultivating their powers of
 painting1 except in illumination 7of   
which art they were the acknowledged    
masters71 and in glass-painting4 ,their 
exquisite gift of fretting their        
stone-work with inexhaustible wealth of 
sculpture1 prevented their feeling the  
need of figure-design on coloured       
surfaces4  ,the style of architecture   
prevalent in ,italy at the same period1 
presented1 on the contrary1 large blank 
surfaces1 which could only be rendered  
interesting by covering them with mosaic
 or painting4  ,the ,italians were not  
at the time capable of doing this for   
themselves1 and mosaicists were brought 
from ,constantinople1 who covered the   
churches of ,italy with a sublime       
monotony of ,byzantine traditions4 ,but 
the ,gothic blood was burning in the    

,italian veins2 and the ,florentines and
 ,pisans could not rest content in the  
formalism of the ,eastern splendour4    
,the first innovator was1 ,i believe1   
,giunta of ,pisa1 the second ,cimabue1  
the third ,giotto2 the last only being a
 man of power enough to effect a        
complete revolution in the artistic     
principles of his time4  ,he1 however1  
began1 like his master ,cimabue1 with a 
perfect respect for his ,byzantine      
models2 and his paintings for a long    
time consisted only of repetitions of   
the ,byzantine subjects1 softened in    
treatment1 enriched in number of        
figures1 and enlivened in gesture4      
,afterwards he invented subjects of his 
own4 ,the manner and degree of the      
changes which he at first effected could
 only be properly understood by actual  
comparison of his designs with the      
,byzantine originals2#f but in default  
of the means of such a comparison1 it   
may be generally stated that the        
innovations of ,giotto consisted in the 

introduction1 ,a1 of gayer or lighter   
colours2 ,b1 of broader masses2 and1 ,c1
 of more careful imitation of nature    
than existed in the works of his        
predecessors4  ,footnote #f3 ,it might  
not1 ,i think1 be a work unworthy of the
 ,arundel ,society1 to collect and      
engrave in outline the complete series  
of these ,byzantine originals of the    
subjects of the ,arena ,chapel1 in order
 to facilitate this comparison4 ,the    
,greek ,,mss4 in the ,british ,museum   
would1 ,i think1 be amply sufficient2   
the ,harleian ,,ms4 numbered #ahaj alone
 furnishing a considerable number of    
subjects1 and especially a ,death of the
 ,virgin1 with the ,st4 ,john thrown    
into the peculiar and violent gesture of
 grief afterwards adopted by ,giotto in 
the ,entombment of the ,arena ,chapel4  
,a4 ,greater lightness of colour4 ,this 
was partly in compliance with a tendency
 which was beginning to manifest itself 
even before ,giotto's time4 ,over the   
whole of northern ,europe1 the colouring

 of the eleventh and early twelfth      
centuries had been pale3 in manuscripts1
 principally composed of pale red1      
green1 and yellow1 blue being sparingly 
introduced 7earlier still1 in the eighth
 and ninth centuries1 the letters had   
often been coloured with black and      
yellow only74 ,then1 in the close of the
 twelfth and throughout the thirteenth  
century1 the great system of perfect    
colour was in use2 solemn and deep2     
composed strictly1 in all its leading   
masses1 of the colours revealed by ,god 
from ,sinai as the noblest2--blue1      
purple1 and scarlet1 with gold 7other   
hues1 chiefly green1 with white and     
black1 being used in points or small    
masses1 to relieve the main colours74   
,in the early part of the fourteenth    
century the colours begin to grow paler2
 about #accj the style is already       
completely modified2 and at the close of
 the fourteenth century the colour is   
quite pale and delicate4  ,i have not   
carefully examined the colouring of     

early ,byzantine work2 but it seems     
always to have been comparatively dark1 
and in manuscripts is remarkably so2    
,giotto's paler colouring1 therefore1   
though only part of the great ,european 
system1 was rendered notable by its     
stronger contrast with the ,byzantine   
examples4  ,b4 ,greater breadth of mass4
 ,it had been the habit of the          
,byzantines to break up their draperies 
by a large number of minute folds4      
,norman and ,romanesque sculpture showed
 much of the same character4 ,giotto    
melted all these folds into broad masses
 of colour2 so that his compositions    
have sometimes almost a ,titianesque    
look in this particular4 ,this          
innovation was a healthy one1 and led to
 very noble results when followed up by 
succeeding artists3 but in many of      
,giotto's compositions the figures      
become ludicrously cumbrous1 from the   
exceeding simplicity of the terminal    
lines1 and massiveness of unbroken form4
 ,the manner was copied in illuminated  

manuscripts with great disadvantage1 as 
it was unfavourable to minute           
ornamentation4 ,the ,french never       
adopted it in either branch of art1 nor 
did any other ,northern school2 minute  
and sharp folds of the robes remaining  
characteristic of ,northern 7more       
especially of ,flemish and ,german7     
design down to the latest times1 giving 
a great superiority to the ,french and  
,flemish illuminated work1 and causing a
 proportionate inferiority in their     
large pictorial efforts4 ,even ,rubens  
and ,vandyke cannot free themselves from
 a certain meanness and minuteness in   
disposition of drapery4  ,c4 ,close     
imitation of nature4 ,in this one       
principle lay ,giotto's great strength1 
and the entire secret of the revolution 
he effected4 ,it was not by greater     
learning1 not by the discovery of new   
theories of art1 not by greater taste1  
nor by ideal principles of selection1   
that he became the head of the          
progressive schools of ,italy4 ,it was  

simply by being interested in what was  
going on around him1 by substituting the
 gestures of living men for conventional
 attitudes1 and portraits of living men 
for conventional faces1 and incidents of
 every-day life for conventional        
circumstances1 that he became great1 and
 the master of the great4 ,giotto was to
 his contemporaries precisely what      
,millais is to his contemporaries1--a   
daring naturalist1 in defiance of       
tradition1 idealism1 and formalism4 ,the
 ,giottesque movement in the fourteenth1
 and ,pre-,raphaelite movement in the   
nineteenth centuries1 are precisely     
similar in bearing and meaning3 both    
being the protests of vitality against  
mortality1 of spirit against letter1 and
 of truth against tradition3 and both1  
which is the more singular1 literally   
links in one unbroken chain of feeling2 
for exactly as ,niccola ,pisano and     
,giotto were helped by the classical    
sculptures discovered in their time1 the
 ,pre-,raphaelites have been helped by  

the works of ,niccola and ,giotto at    
,pisa and ,florence3 and thus the fiery 
cross of truth has been delivered from  
spirit to spirit1 over the dust of      
intervening generations4  ,but what1 it 
may be said by the reader1 is the use of
 the works of ,giotto to us8 ,they may  
indeed have been wonderful for their    
time1 and of infinite use in that time2 
but since1 after ,giotto1 came ,leonardo
 and ,correggio1 what is the use of     
going back to the ruder art1 and        
republishing it in the year #ahed8 ,why 
should we fret ourselves to dig down to 
the root of the tree1 when we may at    
once enjoy its fruit and foliage8 ,i    
answer1 first1 that in all matters      
relating to human intellect1 it is a    
great thing to have hold of the root3   
that at least we ought to see it1 and   
taste it1 and handle it2 for it often   
happens that the root is wholesome when 
the leaves1 however fair1 are useless or
 poisonous4 ,in nine cases out of ten1  
the first expression of an idea is the  

most valuable3 the idea may afterward be
 polished and softened1 and made more   
attractive to the general eye2 but the  
first expression of it has a freshness  
and brightness1 like the flash of a     
native crystal compared to the lustre of
 glass that has been melted and cut4    
,and in the second place1 we ought to   
measure the value of art less by its    
executive than by its moral power4      
,giotto was not indeed one of the most  
accomplished painters1 but he was one of
 the greatest men1 who ever lived4 ,he  
was the first master of his time1 in    
architecture as well as in painting2 he 
was the friend of ,dante1 and the       
undisputed interpreter of religious     
truth1 by means of painting1 over the   
whole of ,italy4 ,the works of such a   
man may not be the best to set before   
children in order to teach them drawing2
 but they assuredly should be studied   
with the greatest care by all who are   
interested in the history of the human  
mind4  ,one point more remains to be    

noticed respecting him4 ,as far as ,i am
 aware1 he never painted profane        
subjects4 ,all his important existing   
works are exclusively devoted to the    
illustration of ,christianity4 ,this was
 not a result of his own peculiar       
feeling or determination2 it was a      
necessity of the period4 ,giotto appears
 to have considered himself simply as a 
workman1 at the command of any employer1
 for any kind of work1 however humble4  
,in the sixty-third novel of ,franco    
,sacchetti we read that a stranger1     
suddenly entering ,giotto's study1 threw
 down a shield1 and departed1 saying1   
',paint me my arms on that shield4'     
,giotto looking after him1 exclaimed1   
',who is he8 ,what is he8 ,he says1     
,paint me my arms1 as if he was one of  
the ,,bardi4 ,what arms does he bear8'#g
 ,but at the time of ,giotto's eminence1
 art was never employed on a great scale
 except in the service of religion2 nor 
has it ever been otherwise employed1    
except in declining periods4 ,i do not  

mean to draw any severe conclusion from 
this fact2 but it is a fact             
nevertheless1 which ought to be very    
distinctly stated1 and very carefully   
considered4 ,all progressive art        
hitherto has been religious art2 and    
commencements of the periods of decline 
are accurately marked1 in illumination1 
by its employment on romances instead of
 psalters2 and in painting1 by its      
employment on mythology or profane      
history instead of sacred history4 ,yet 
perhaps ,i should rather have said1 on  
heathen mythology instead of ,christian 
mythology2 for this latter term--first  
used1 ,i believe1 by ,lord ,lindsay--is 
more applicable to the subjects of the  
early painters than that of sacred      
history4 ,of all the virtues commonly   
found in the higher orders of human     
mind1 that of a stern and just respect  
for truth seems to be the rarest2 so    
that while self-denial1 and courage1 and
 charity1 and religious zeal1 are       
displayed in their utmost degrees by    

myriads of saints and heroes1 it is only
 once in a century that a man appears   
whose word may be implicitly trusted1   
and who1 in the relation of a plain     
fact1 will not allow his prejudices or  
his pleasure to tempt him to some       
colouring or distortion of it4 ,hence   
the portions of sacred history which    
have been the constant subjects of fond 
popular contemplation have1 in the lapse
 of ages1 been encumbered with          
fictitious detail2 and their various    
historians seem to have considered the  
exercise of their imagination innocent1 
and even meritorious1 if they could     
increase either the vividness of        
conception or the sincerity of belief in
 their readers4 ,a due consideration of 
that well-known weakness of the popular 
mind1 which renders a statement credible
 in proportion to the multitude of local
 and circumstantial details which       
accompany it1 may lead us to look with  
some indulgence on the errors1 however  
fatal in their issue to the cause they  

were intended to advance1 of those weak 
teachers1 who thought the acceptance of 
their general statements of ,christian  
doctrine cheaply won by the help of some
 simple 7and generally absurd7          
inventions of detail respecting the life
 of the ,virgin or the ,apostles4       
,footnote #g3 ,notes to ,rogers' ,italy4
  ,indeed1 ,i can hardly imagine the    
,bible to be ever read with true        
interest1 unless1 in our reading1 we    
feel some longing for further knowledge 
of the minute incidents of the life of  
,christ1--for some records of those     
things1 which if they had been written  
every one1 the world could not have     
contained the books that should be      
written3 and they who have once felt    
this thirst for further truth1 may      
surely both conceive and pardon the     
earnest questioning of simple disciples 
7who knew not1 as we do1 how much had   
been indeed revealed71 and measure with 
some justice the strength of the        
temptation which betrayed these teachers

 into adding to the word of ,revelation4
 ,together with this specious and subtle
 influence1 we must allow for the       
instinct of imagination exerting itself 
in the acknowledged embellishment of    
beloved truths4 ,if we reflect how much1
 even in this age of accurate knowledge1
 the visions of ,milton have become     
confused in the minds of many persons   
with scriptural facts1 we shall rather  
be surprised1 that in an age of legends 
so little should be added to the ,bible1
 than that occasionally we should be    
informed of important circumstances in  
sacred history with the collateral      
warning1 ,this ,moses spake not of4#h   
,footnote #h3 ,these words are gravely  
added to some singular particulars      
respecting the life of ,adam1 related in
 a ,,ms4 of the sixteenth century       
preserved in the ,herald's ,college4    
,more especially in the domain of       
painting1 it is surprising to see how   
strictly the early workmen confined     
themselves to representations of the    

same series of scenes2 how little of    
pictorial embellishment they usually    
added2 and how1 even in the positions   
and gestures of figures1 they strove to 
give the idea rather of their having    
seen the fact1 than imagined a          
picturesque treatment of it4 ,often1 in 
examining early art1 we mistake         
conscientiousness for servility1 and    
attribute to the absence of invention   
what was indeed the result of the       
earnestness of faith4  ,nor1 in a merely
 artistical point of view1 is it less   
important to note1 that the greatest    
advance in power was made when painters 
had few subjects to treat4 ,the day has 
perhaps come when genius should be shown
 in the discovery of perpetually various
 interest amidst the incidents of actual
 life2 and the absence of inventive     
capacity is very assuredly proved by the
 narrow selection of subjects which     
commonly appear on the walls of our     
exhibitions4 ,but yet it is to be always
 remembered1 that more originality may  

be shown in giving interest to a        
well-known subject than in discovering a
 new one2 that the greatest poets whom  
the world has seen have been contented  
to retouch and exalt the creations of   
their predecessors2 and that the        
painters of the middle ages reached     
their utmost power by unweariedly       
treading a narrow circle of sacred      
subjects4  ,nothing is indeed more      
notable in the history of art than the  
exact balance of its point of           
excellence1 in all things1 midway       
between servitude and license4 ,thus1 in
 choice and treatment of subject it     
became paralysed among the ,byzantines1 
by being mercilessly confined to a given
 series of scenes1 and to a given mode  
of representing them4 ,giotto gave it   
partial liberty and incipient life2 by  
the artists who succeeded him the range 
of its scenery was continually extended1
 and the severity of its style slowly   
softened to perfection4 ,but the range  
was still1 in some degree1 limited by   

the necessity of its continual          
subordination to religious purposes2 and
 the style1 though softened1 was still  
chaste1 and though tender1              
self-restrained4 ,at last came the      
period of license3 the artist chose his 
subjects from the lowest scenes of human
 life1 and let loose his passions in    
their portraiture4 ,and the kingdom of  
art passed away4  ,as if to direct us to
 the observation of this great law1     
there is a curious visible type of it in
 the progress of ornamentation in       
manuscripts1 corresponding with the     
various changes in the higher branch of 
art4 ,in the course of the #abth and    
early #acth centuries1 the              
ornamentation1 though often full of high
 feeling and fantasy1 is sternly        
enclosed within limiting                
border-lines2--at first1 severe squares1
 oblongs1 or triangles4 ,as the grace of
 the ornamentation advances1 these      
border-lines are softened and broken    
into various curves1 and the inner      

design begins here and there to overpass
 them4 ,gradually this emergence becomes
 more constant1 and the lines which thus
 escape throw themselves into curvatures
 expressive of the most exquisite       
concurrence of freedom with             
self-restraint4 ,at length the restraint
 vanishes1 the freedom changes          
consequently into license1 and the page 
is covered with exuberant1 irregular1   
and foolish extravagances of leafage and
 line4  ,it only remains to be noticed1 
that the circumstances of the time at   
which ,giotto appeared were peculiarly  
favourable to the development of genius2
 owing partly to the simplicity of the  
methods of practice1 and partly to the  
navet with which art was commonly       
regarded4 ,giotto1 like all the great   
painters of the period1 was merely a    
travelling decorator of walls1 at so    
much a day2 having at ,florence a       
bottega1 or workshop1 for the production
 and sale of small tempera pictures4    
,there were no such things as studios in

 those days4 ,an artist's studies were  
over by the time he was eighteen2 after 
that he was a lavoratore1 labourer1 a   
man who knew his business1 and produced 
certain works of known value for a known
 price2 being troubled with no          
philosophical abstractions1 shutting    
himself up in no wise for the reception 
of inspirations2 receiving1 indeed1 a   
good many1 as a matter of course1--just 
as he received the sunbeams which came  
in at his window1 the light which he    
worked by2--in either case1 without     
mouthing about it1 or much concerning   
himself as to the nature of it4 ,not    
troubled by critics either2 satisfied   
that his work was well done1 and that   
people would find it out to be well     
done2 but not vain of it1 nor more      
profoundly vexed at its being found     
fault with1 than a good saddler would be
 by some one's saying his last saddle   
was uneasy in the seat4 ,not1 on the    
whole1 much molested by critics1 but    
generally understood by the men of      

sense1 his neighbours and friends1 and  
permitted to have his own way with the  
walls he had to paint1 as being1 on the 
whole1 an authority about walls2        
receiving at the same time a good deal  
of daily encouragement and comfort in   
the simple admiration of the populace1  
and in the general sense of having done 
good1 and painted what no man could look
 upon without being the better for it4  
,thus he went1 a serene labourer1       
throughout the length and breadth of    
,italy4 ,for the first ten years of his 
life1 a shepherd2 then a student1       
perhaps for five or six2 then already in
 ,florence1 setting himself to his      
life's task2 and called as a master to  
,rome when he was only twenty4 ,there he
 painted the principal chapel of ,st4   
,peter's1 and worked in mosaic also2 no 
handicrafts1 that had colour or form for
 their objects1 seeming unknown to him4 
,then returning to ,florence1 he painted
 ,dante1 about the year #acjj1i the     
#ceth year of ,dante's life1 the #bdth  

of his own2 and designed the faade of   
the ,duomo1 on the death of its former  
architect1 ,arnolfo4 ,some six years    
afterwards he went to ,padua1 there     
painting the chapel which is the subject
 of our present study1 and many other   
churches4 ,thence south again to        
,assisi1 where he painted half the walls
 and vaults of the great convent that   
stretches itself along the slopes of the
 ,perugian hills1 and various other     
minor works on his way there and back to
 ,florence4 ,staying in his native city 
but a little while1 he engaged himself  
in other tasks at ,ferrara1 ,verona1 and
 ,ravenna1 and at last at ,avignon1     
where he became acquainted with         
,petrarch--working there for some three 
years1 from #acbd to #acbg2aj and then  
passed rapidly through ,florence and    
,orvieto on his way to ,naples1 where he
 received the kindest welcome from the  
good king ,robert4 ,the king1 ever      
partial to men of mind and genius1 took 
especial delight in ,giotto's society1  

and used frequently to visit him while  
working in the ,castello dell',uovo1    
taking pleasure in watching his pencil  
and listening to his discourse2 'and    
,giotto1' says ,vasari1 'who had ever   
his repartee and bon-mot ready1 held him
 there1 fascinated at once with the     
magic of his pencil and pleasantry of   
his tongue4' ,we are not told the length
 of his sojourn at ,naples1 but it must 
have been for a considerable period1    
judging from the quantity of works he   
executed there4 ,he had certainly       
returned to ,florence in #accb4 ,there  
he was immediately appointed chief      
master of the works of the ,duomo1 then 
in progress1 with a yearly salary of one
 hundred gold florins1 and the privilege
 of citizenship4 ,he designed the       
,campanile1 in a more perfect form than 
that which now exists2 for his intended 
spire1 #aej feet in height1 never was   
erected4 ,he1 however1 modelled the     
bas-reliefs for the base of the         
building1 and sculptured two of them    

with his own hand4 ,it was afterwards   
completed1 with the exception of the    
spire1 according to his design2 but he  
only saw its foundations laid1 and its  
first marble story rise4 ,he died at    
,florence1 on the #hth of ,january1     
#accg1 full of honour2 happy1 perhaps1  
in departing at the zenith of his       
strength1 when his eye had not become   
dim1 nor his natural force abated4 ,he  
was buried in the cathedral1 at the     
angle nearest his campanile2 and thus   
the tower1 which is the chief grace of  
his native city1 may be regarded as his 
own sepulchral monument4  ,footnote #i3 
,lord ,lindsay's evidence on this point 
7,christian ,art1 vol4 ii4 p4 #agd7     
seems quite conclusive4 ,it is          
impossible to overrate the value of the 
work of ,giotto in the ,bargello1 both  
for its own intrinsic beauty1 and as    
being executed in this year1 which is   
not only that in which the ,divina      
,commedia opens1 but1 as ,i think1 the  
culminating period in the history of the

 art of the middle ages4  ,footnote #aj3
 ,christian ,art1 vol4 ii4 p4 #bdb4  ,i 
may refer the reader to the close of    
,lord ,lindsay's letter on ,giotto1#aa  
from which ,i have drawn most of the    
particulars above stated1 for a very    
beautiful sketch of his character and   
his art4 ,of the real rank of that art1 
in the abstract1 ,i do not feel myself  
capable of judging accurately1 having   
not seen his finest works 7at ,assisi   
and ,naples71 nor carefully studied even
 those at ,florence4 ,but ,i may be     
permitted to point out one or two       
peculiar characteristics in it which    
have always struck me forcibly4         
,footnote #aa3 ,christian ,art1 p4 #bfj4
  ,in the first place1 ,giotto never    
finished highly4 ,he was not1 indeed1 a 
loose or sketchy painter1 but he was by 
no means a delicate one4 ,his lines1 as 
the story of the circle would lead us to
 expect1 are always firm1 but they are  
never fine4 ,even in his smallest       
tempera pictures the touch is bold and  

somewhat heavy3 in his fresco work the  
handling is much broader than that of   
contemporary painters1 corresponding    
somewhat to the character of many of the
 figures1 representing plain1 masculine 
kind of people1 and never reaching any  
thing like the ideal refinement of the  
conceptions even of ,benozzo ,gozzoli1  
far less of ,angelico or ,francia4 ,for 
this reason1 the character of his       
painting is better expressed by bold    
wood-engravings than in general it is   
likely to be by any other means4        
,again1 he was a very noble colourist2  
and in his peculiar feeling for breadth 
of hue resembled ,titian more than any  
other of the ,florentine school4 ,that  
is to say1 had he been born two         
centuries later1 when the art of        
painting was fully known1 ,i believe he 
would have treated his subjects much    
more like ,titian than like ,raphael2 in
 fact1 the frescoes of ,titian in the   
chapel beside the church of ,st4        
,antonio at ,padua1 are1 in all         

technical qualities1 and in many of     
their conceptions1 almost exactly what  
,i believe ,giotto would have done1 had 
he lived in ,titian's time4 ,as it was1 
he of course never attained either      
richness or truth of colour2 but in     
serene brilliancy he is not easily      
rivalled2 invariably massing his hues in
 large fields1 limiting them firmly1 and
 then filling them with subtle          
gradation4 ,he had the ,venetian        
fondness for bars and stripes1 not      
unfrequently casting barred colours     
obliquely across the draperies of an    
upright figure1 from side to side 7as   
very notably in the dress of one of the 
musicians who are playing to the dancing
 of ,herodias' daughter1 in one of his  
frescoes at ,santa ,croce72 and this    
predilection was mingled with the truly 
medival love of quartering4#ab ,the     
figure of the ,madonna in the small     
tempera pictures in the ,academy at     
,florence is always completely divided  
into two narrow segments by her         

dark-blue robe4  ,footnote #ab3 ,i use  
this heraldic word in an inaccurate     
sense1 knowing no other that will       
express what ,i mean1--the division of  
the picture into quaint segments of     
alternating colour1 more marked than any
 of the figure outlines4  ,and this is  
always to be remembered in looking at   
any engravings from the works of        
,giotto2 for the injury they sustain in 
being deprived of their colour is far   
greater than in the case of later       
designers4 ,all works produced in the   
fourteenth century agree in being more  
or less decorative2 they were intended  
in most instances to be subservient to  
architectural effect1 and were executed 
in the manner best calculated to produce
 a striking impression when they were   
seen in a mass4 ,the painted wall and   
the painted window were part and parcel 
of one magnificent whole2 and it is as  
unjust to the work of ,giotto1 or of any
 contemporary artist1 to take out a     
single feature from the series1 and     

represent it in black and white on a    
separate page1 as it would be to take   
out a compartment of a noble coloured   
window1 and engrave it in the same      
manner4 ,what is at once refined and    
effective1 if seen at the intended      
distance in unison with the rest of the 
work1 becomes coarse and insipid when   
seen isolated and near2 and the more    
skilfully the design is arranged1 so as 
to give full value to the colours which 
are introduced in it1 the more blank and
 cold will it become when it is deprived
 of them4  ,in our modern art we have   
indeed lost sight of one great principle
 which regulated that of the middle     
ages1 namely1 that chiaroscuro and      
colour are incompatible in their highest
 degrees4 ,wherever chiaroscuro enters1 
colour must lose some of its brilliancy4
 ,there is no shade in a rainbow1 nor in
 an opal1 nor in a piece of             
mother-of-pearl1 nor in a well-designed 
painted window2 only various hues of    
perfect colour4 ,the best pictures1 by  

subduing their colour and               
conventionalising their chiaroscuro1    
reconcile both in their diminished      
degrees2 but a perfect light and shade  
cannot be given without considerable    
loss of liveliness in colour4 ,hence the
 supposed inferiority of ,tintoret to   
,titian4 ,tintoret is1 in reality1 the  
greater colourist of the two2 but he    
could not bear to falsify his light and 
shadow enough to set off his colour4    
,titian nearly strikes the exact mean   
between the painted glass of the #acth  
century and ,rembrandt2 while ,giotto   
closely approaches the system of painted
 glass1 and hence his compositions lose 
grievously by being translated into     
black and white4  ,but even this        
chiaroscuro1 however subdued1 is not    
without a peculiar charm2 and the       
accompanying engravings possess a marked
 superiority over all that have hitherto
 been made from the works of this       
painter1 in rendering this chiaroscuro1 
as far as possible1 together with the   

effect of the local colours4 ,the true  
appreciation of art has been retarded   
for many years by the habit of trusting 
to outlines as a sufficient expression  
of the sentiment of compositions2       
whereas in all truly great designs1 of  
whatever age1 it is never the outline1  
but the disposition of the masses1      
whether of shade or colour1 on which the
 real power of the work depends4 ,for   
instance1 in ,plate ,,iii4 7,the ,angel 
appears to ,anna71 the interest of the  
composition depends entirely upon the   
broad shadows which fill the spaces of  
the chamber1 and of the external passage
 in which the attendant is sitting4     
,this shade explains the whole scene in 
a moment3 gives prominence to the       
curtain and coverlid of the homely bed1 
and the rude chest and trestles which   
form the poor furniture of the house2   
and conducts the eye easily and         
instantly to the three figures1 which1  
had the scene been expressed in outline 
only1 we should have had to trace out   

with some care and difficulty among the 
pillars of the loggia and folds of the  
curtains4 ,so also the relief of the    
faces in light against the dark sky is  
of peculiar value in the compositions   
,no4 ,x4 and ,no4 ,,xii4  ,the drawing  
of ,giotto is1 of course1 exceedingly   
faulty4 ,his knowledge of the human     
figure is deficient2 and this1 the      
necessary drawback in all works of the  
period1 occasions an extreme difficulty 
in rendering them faithfully in an      
engraving4 ,for wherever there is good  
and legitimate drawing1 the ordinary    
education of a modern draughtsman       
enables him to copy it with tolerable   
accuracy2 but when once the true forms  
of nature are departed from1 it is by no
 means easy to express exactly the      
error1 and no more than the error1 of   
his original4 ,in most cases modern     
copyists try to modify or hide the      
weaknesses of the old art1--by which    
procedure they very often wholly lose   
its spirit1 and only half redeem its    

defects2 the results being1 of course1  
at once false as representations1 and   
intrinsically valueless4 ,and just as it
 requires great courage and skill in an 
interpreter to speak out honestly all   
the rough and rude words of the first   
speaker1 and to translate deliberately  
and resolutely1 in the face of attentive
 men1 the expressions of his weakness or
 impatience2 so it requires at once the 
utmost courage and skill in a copyist to
 trace faithfully the failures of an    
imperfect master1 in the front of modern
 criticism1 and against the inborn      
instincts of his own hand and eye4 ,and 
let him do the best he can1 he will     
still find that the grace and life of   
his original are continually flying off 
like a vapour1 while all the faults he  
has so diligently copied sit rigidly    
staring him in the face1--a terrible    
caput mortuum4 ,it is very necessary    
that this should be well understood by  
the members of the ,arundel ,society1   
when they hear their engravings severely

 criticised4 ,it is easy to produce an  
agreeable engraving by graceful         
infidelities2 but the entire endeavour  
of the draughtsmen employed by this     
society has been to obtain accurately   
the character of the original3 and he   
who never proposes to himself to rise   
above the work he is copying1 must most 
assuredly often fall beneath it4 ,such  
fall is the inherent and inevitable     
penalty on all absolute copyism2 and    
wherever the copy is made with          
sincerity1 the fall must be endured with
 patience4 ,it will never be an utter or
 a degrading fall2 that is reserved for 
those who1 like vulgar translators1     
wilfully quit the hand of their master1 
and have no strength of their own4      
,lastly4 ,it is especially to be noticed
 that these works of ,giotto1 in common 
with all others of the period1 are      
independent of all the inferior sources 
of pictorial interest4 ,they never show 
the slightest attempt at imitative      
realisation3 they are simple suggestions

 of ideas1 claiming no regard except for
 the inherent value of the thoughts4    
,there is no filling of the landscape   
with variety of scenery1 architecture1  
or incident1 as in the works of ,benozzo
 ,gozzoli or ,perugino2 no wealth of    
jewellery and gold spent on the dresses 
of the figures1 as in the delicate      
labours of ,angelico or ,gentile da     
,fabriano4 ,the background is never more
 than a few gloomy masses of rock1 with 
a tree or two1 and perhaps a fountain2  
the architecture is merely what is      
necessary to explain the scene2 the     
dresses are painted sternly on the      
heroic principle of ,sir ,joshua        
,reynolds--that drapery is to be        
drapery1 and nothing more1--there is no 
silk1 nor velvet1 nor distinguishable   
material of any kind3 the whole power of
 the picture is rested on the three     
simple essentials of painting--pure     
,colour1 noble ,form1 noble ,thought4   
,we moderns1 educated in reality far    
more under the influence of the ,dutch  

masters than the ,italian1 and taught to
 look for realisation in all things1    
have been in the habit of casting scorn 
on these early ,italian works1 as if    
their simplicity were the result of     
ignorance merely4 ,when we know a little
 more of art in general1 we shall begin 
to suspect that a man of ,giotto's power
 of mind did not altogether suppose his 
clusters of formal trees1 or diminutive 
masses of architecture1 to be perfect   
representations of the woods of ,judea1 
or of the streets of ,jerusalem3 we     
shall begin to understand that there is 
a symbolical art which addresses the    
imagination1 as well as a realist art   
which supersedes it2 and that the powers
 of contemplation and conception which  
could be satisfied or excited by these  
simple types of natural things1 were    
infinitely more majestic than those     
which are so dependent on the           
completeness of what is presented to    
them as to be paralysed by an error in  
perspective1 or stifled by the absence  

of atmosphere4  ,nor is the healthy     
simplicity of the period less marked in 
the selection than in the treatment of  
subjects4 ,it has in these days become  
necessary for the painter who desires   
popularity to accumulate on his canvas  
whatever is startling in aspect or      
emotion1 and to drain1 even to          
exhaustion1 the vulgar sources of the   
pathetic4 ,modern sentiment1 at once    
feverish and feeble1 remains unawakened 
except by the violences of gaiety or    
gloom2 and the eye refuses to pause1    
except when it is tempted by the luxury 
of beauty1 or fascinated by the         
excitement of terror4 ,it ought not1    
therefore1 to be without a respectful   
admiration that we find the masters of  
the fourteenth century dwelling on      
moments of the most subdued and tender  
feeling1 and leaving the spectator to   
trace the under-currents of thought     
which link them with future events of   
mightier interest1 and fill with a      
prophetic power and mystery scenes in   

themselves so simple as the meeting of a
 master with his herdsmen among the     
hills1 or the return of a betrothed     
virgin to her house4  ,illustration  ,it
 is1 however1 to be remembered that this
 quietness in character of subject was  
much more possible to an early painter1 
owing to the connection in which his    
works were to be seen4 ,a modern        
picture1 isolated and portable1 must    
rest all its claims to attention on its 
own actual subject3 but the pictures of 
the early masters were nearly always    
parts of a consecutive and stable       
series1 in which many were subdued1 like
 the connecting passages of a prolonged 
poem1 in order to enhance the value or  
meaning of others4 ,the arrangement of  
the subjects in the ,arena ,chapel is in
 this respect peculiarly skilful2 and to
 that arrangement we must now direct our
 attention4  ,illustration3 ,,interior  
,,of ,,the ,,arena ,,chapel1 ,,padua1   
,,looking ,,eastward4  ,it was before   
noticed that the chapel was built       

between #acjj and #acjf4 ,the           
architecture of ,italy in the beginning 
of the fourteenth century is always     
pure1 and often severe2 but this chapel 
is remarkable1 even among the severest  
forms1 for the absence of decoration4   
,its plan1 seen in the marginal figure  
on p4 #bf1 is a pure oblong1 with a     
narrow advanced tribune1 terminating in 
a trilateral apse4 ,selvatico quotes    
from the ,german writer ,stieglitz some 
curious observations on the apparent    
derivation of its proportions1 in common
 with those of other buildings of the   
time1 from the number of sides of its   
apse4 ,without entering into these      
particulars1 it may be noted that the   
apse is just one-half the width of the  
body of the chapel1 and that the length 
from the extremity of the tribune to the
 west end is just seven times the width 
of the apse4 ,the whole of the body of  
the chapel was painted by ,giotto2 the  
walls and roof being entirely covered   
either with his figure-designs1 or with 

various subordinate decorations         
connecting and enclosing them4  ,the    
woodcut on p4 #bg represents the        
arrangement of the frescoes on the      
sides1 extremities1 and roof of the     
chapel4 ,the spectator is supposed to be
 looking from the western entrance      
towards the tribune1 having on his right
 the south side1 which is pierced by six
 tall windows1 and on which the frescoes
 are therefore reduced in number4 ,the  
north side is pierced by no windows1 and
 on it therefore the frescoes are       
continuous1 lighted from the south      
windows4 ,the several spaces numbered #a
 to #ch are occupied by a continuous    
series of subjects1 representing the    
life of the ,virgin and of ,christ2 the 
narrow panels below1 marked a1 b1 c1 c41
 are filled by figures of the cardinal  
virtues and their opponent vices3 on the
 lunette above the tribune is painted a 
,christ in glory1 and at the western    
extremity the ,last ,judgment4 ,thus the
 walls of the chapel are covered with a 

continuous meditative poem on the       
mystery of the ,incarnation1 the acts of
 ,redemption1 the vices and virtues of  
mankind as proceeding from their scorn  
or acceptance of that ,redemption1 and  
their final judgment4  ,the first twelve
 pictures of the series are exclusively 
devoted to the apocryphal history of the
 birth and life of the ,virgin4 ,this   
the ,protestant spectator will observe1 
perhaps1 with little favour1 more       
especially as only two compartments are 
given to the ministry of ,christ1       
between his ,baptism and ,entry into    
,jerusalem4 ,due weight is1 however1 to 
be allowed to ,lord ,lindsay's remark1  
that the legendary history of the       
,virgin was of peculiar importance in   
this chapel1 as especially dedicated to 
her service2 and ,i think also that     
,giotto desired to unite the series of  
compositions in one continuous action1  
feeling that to have enlarged on the    
separate miracles of ,christ's ministry 
would have interrupted the onward course

 of thought4 ,as it is1 the mind is led 
from the first humiliation of ,joachim  
to the ,ascension of ,christ in one     
unbroken and progressive chain of       
scenes2 the ministry of ,christ being   
completely typified by his first and    
last conspicuous miracle3 while the very
 unimportance of some of the subjects1  
as for instance that of the ,watching   
the ,rods1 is useful in directing the   
spectator rather to pursue the course of
 the narrative1 than to pause in        
satisfied meditation upon any single    
incident4 ,and it can hardly be doubted 
that ,giotto had also a peculiar        
pleasure in dwelling on the             
circumstances of the shepherd life of   
the father of the ,virgin1 owing to its 
resemblance to that of his own early    
years4  ,the incidents represented in   
these first twelve paintings are        
recorded in the two apocryphal gospels  
known as the ,protevangelion and ,gospel
 of ,st4 ,mary4#ac ,but on comparing the
 statements in these writings 7which1 by

 the by1 are in nowise consistent with  
each other7 with the paintings in the   
,arena ,chapel1 it appeared to me that  
,giotto must occasionally have followed 
some more detailed traditions than are  
furnished by either of them2 seeing that
 of one or two subjects the apocryphal  
gospels gave no distinct or sufficient  
explanation4 ,fortunately1 however1 in  
the course of some other researches1 ,i 
met with a manuscript in the ,british   
,museum 7,harl4 #cega17 containing a    
complete ,history of the most ,holy     
,family1 written in ,northern ,italian  
of about the middle of the #adth        
century2 and appearing to be one of the 
forms of the legend which ,giotto has   
occasionally followed in preference to  
the statements of the ,protevangelion4  
,i have therefore1 in illustration of   
the paintings1 given1 when it seemed    
useful1 some portions of this           
manuscript2 and these1 with one or two  
verses of the commonly received         
accounts1 will be found generally enough

 to interpret sufficiently the meaning  
of the painter4  ,footnote #ac3 ,it has 
always appeared strange to me1 that     
ecclesiastical history should possess no
 more authentic records of the life of  
the ,virgin1 before the period at which 
the narrative of ,st4 ,luke commences1  
than these apocryphal gospels1 which are
 as wretched in style as untrustworthy  
in matter2 and are evidently nothing    
more than a collection1 in rude         
imitation of the style of the           
,evangelists1 of such floating          
traditions as became current among the  
weak ,christians of the earlier ages1   
when their inquiries respecting the     
history of ,mary were met by the        
obscurity under which the ,divine will  
had veiled her humble person and        
character4 ,there must always be        
something painful1 to those who are     
familiar with the ,scriptures1 in       
reading these feeble and foolish        
mockeries of the manner of the inspired 
writers2 but it will be proper1         

nevertheless1 to give the exact words in
 which the scenes represented by ,giotto
 were recorded to him4  ,the following  
complete list of the subjects will at   
once enable the reader to refer any of  
them to its place in the series1 and on 
the walls of the building2 and ,i have  
only now to remind him in conclusion1   
that within those walls the greatest    
painter and greatest poet of medival    
,italy held happy companionship during  
the time when the frescoes were         
executed4 ,it is not difficult1 says the
 writer already so often quoted1 ,lord  
,lindsay1 gazing on these silent but    
eloquent walls1 to repeople them with   
the group once1 as we know1 five hundred
 years ago1 assembled within them3      
,giotto intent upon his work1 his wife  
,ciuta admiring his progress2 and       
,dante1 with abstracted eye1 alternately
 conversing with his friend1 and        
watching the gambols of the children    
playing on the grass before the door4   
99       99       99       99       99  

,,series ,,of ,,subjects4   #a4 ,the    
,rejection of ,joachim's ,offering4  #b4
 ,joachim retires to the ,sheepfold4    
#c4 ,the ,angel appears to ,anna4  #d4  
,the ,sacrifice of ,joachim4  #e4 ,the  
,vision of ,joachim4  #f4 ,the ,meeting 
at the ,golden ,gate4  #g4 ,the ,birth  
of the ,virgin4  #h4 ,the ,presentation 
of the ,virgin4  #i4 ,the ,rods are     
brought to the ,high ,priest4 #aj4 ,the 
,watching of the ,rods4 #aa4 ,the       
,betrothal of the ,virgin4 #ab4 ,the    
,virgin returns to her ,house4 #ac4 ,the
 ,angel ,gabriel4 #ad4 ,the ,virgin     
,annunciate4 #ae4 ,the ,salutation4 #af4
 ,the ,angel ,appearing to the          
,shepherds4 #ag4 ,the ,wise ,men's      
,offering4 #ah4 ,the ,presentation in   
the ,temple4 #ai4 ,the ,flight into     
,egypt4 #bj4 ,the ,massacre of the      
,innocents4 #ba4 ,the ,young ,christ in 
the ,temple4 #bb4 ,the ,baptism of      
,christ4 #bc4 ,the ,marriage in ,cana4  
#bd4 ,the ,raising of ,lazarus4 #be4    
,the ,entry into ,jerusalem4 #bf4 ,the  

,expulsion from the ,temple4 #bg4 ,the  
,hiring of ,judas4 #bh4 ,the ,last      
,supper4 #bi4 ,the ,washing of the      
,feet4 #cj4 ,the ,kiss of ,judas4 #ca4  
,christ before ,caiaphas4 #cb4 ,the     
,scourging of ,christ4 #cc4 ,christ     
bearing his ,cross4 #cd4 ,the           
,crucifixion4 #ce4 ,the ,entombment4    
#cf4 ,the ,resurrection4 #cg4 ,the      
,ascension4 #ch4 ,the ,descent of the   
,holy ,spirit4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,i4  ,,the        
,,rejection ,,of ,,joachim',s           
,,offering4  ,at that time1 there was a 
man of perfect holiness1 named ,joachim1
 of the tribe of ,juda1 and of the city 
of ,jerusalem4 ,and this ,joachim had in
 contempt the riches and honours of the 
world2 and for greater despite to them1 
he kept his flocks1 with his shepherds4 
444 ,and he1 being so holy and just1    
divided the fruits which he received    
from his flocks into three parts3 a     
third part--wool1 and lambs1 and such   
like--he gave to ,god1 that is to say1  

to those who served ,god1 and who       
ministered in the temple of ,god2       
another third part he gave to widows1   
orphans1 and pilgrims2 the remaining    
third he kept for himself and his       
family4 ,and he persevering in this1    
,god so multiplied and increased his    
goods that there was no man like him in 
the land of ,israel4444 ,and having come
 to the age of twenty years1 he took to 
wife ,anna1 the daughter of ,ysaya1 of  
his own tribe1 and of the lineage of    
,david4  ,this precious ,st4 ,anna had  
always persevered in the service of ,god
 with great wisdom and sincerity2 444   
and having received ,joachim for her    
husband1 was subject to him1 and gave   
him honour and reverence1 living in the 
fear of ,god4 ,and ,joachim having lived
 with his wife ,anna for twenty years1  
yet having no child1 and there being a  
great solemnity in ,jerusalem1 all the  
men of the city went to offer in the    
temple of ,god1 which ,solomon had      
built2 and ,joachim entering the temple 

with 7incense87 and other gifts to offer
 on the altar1 and ,joachim having made 
his offering1 the minister of the       
temple1 whose name was ,issachar1 threw 
,joachim's offering from off the altar1 
and drove ,joachim out of the temple1   
saying1 ',thou1 ,joachim1 art not worthy
 to enter into the temple1 seeing that  
,god has not added his blessing to you1 
as in your life you have had no seed4'  
,thus ,joachim received a great insult  
in the sight of all the people2 and he  
being all ashamed1 returned to his      
house1 weeping and lamenting most       
bitterly4 7,,ms4 ,harl47  ,the ,gospel  
of ,st4 ,mary differs from this ,,ms4 in
 its statement of the respective cities 
of ,joachim and ,anna1 saying that the  
family of the ,virgin's father was of   
,galilee and of the city of ,nazareth1  
the family of her mother was of         
,bethlehem4 ,it is less interesting in  
details2 but gives a better1 or at least
 more graceful1 account of ,joachim's   
repulse1 saying that ,issachar despised 

,joachim and his offerings1 and asked   
him why he1 who had no children1 would  
presume to appear among those who had3  
adding1 that his offerings could never  
be acceptable to ,god1 since he had been
 judged by ,him unworthy to have        
children2 the ,scripture having said1   
,cursed is every one who shall not beget
 a male in ,israel4  ,giotto seems to   
have followed this latter account1 as   
the figure of the high priest is far    
from being either ignoble or ungentle4  
,the temple is represented by the two   
most important portions of a ,byzantine 
church2 namely1 the ciborium which      
covered the altar1 and the pulpit or    
reading desk2 with the low screen in    
front of the altar enclosing the part of
 the church called the cancellum4 ,lord 
,lindsay speaks of the priest within    
this enclosure as confessing a young man
 who kneels at his feet4 ,it seems to   
me1 rather1 that he is meant to be      
accepting the offering of another       
worshipper1 so as to mark the rejection 

of ,joachim more distinctly4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,,ii4    
,,joachim ,,retires ,,to ,,the          
,,sheepfold4  ,then ,joachim1 in the    
following night1 resolved to separate   
himself from companionship2 to go to the
 desert places among the mountains1 with
 his flocks2 and to inhabit those       
mountains1 in order not to hear such    
insults4 ,and immediately ,joachim rose 
from his bed1 and called about him all  
his servants and shepherds1 and caused  
to be gathered together all his flocks1 
and goats1 and horses1 and oxen1 and    
what other beasts he had1 and went with 
them and with the shepherds into the    
hills2 and ,anna his wife remained at   
home disconsolate1 and mourning for her 
husband1 who had departed from her in   
such sorrow4 7,,ms4 ,harl47  ,but upon  
inquiry1 he found that all the righteous
 had raised up seed in ,israel4 ,then he
 called to mind the patriarch           
,abraham1--how that ,god in the end of  
his life had given him his son ,isaac3  

upon which he was exceedingly           
distressed1 and would not be seen by his
 wife2 but retired into the wilderness  
and fixed his tent there1 and fasted    
forty days and forty nights1 saying to  
himself1 ',i will not go down to eat or 
drink till the ,lord my ,god shall look 
down upon me2 but prayer shall be my    
meat and drink4' 7,protevangelion1 chap4
 i47  ,giotto seems here also to have   
followed the ordinary tradition1 as he  
has represented ,joachim retiring       
unattended1--but met by two of his      
shepherds1 who are speaking to each     
other1 uncertain what to do or how to   
receive their master4 ,the dog hastens  
to meet him with joy4 ,the figure of    
,joachim is singularly beautiful in its 
pensiveness and slow motion2 and the    
ignobleness of the herdsmen's figures is
 curiously marked in opposition to the  
dignity of their master4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,,iii4   
,,the ,,angel ,,appears ,,to ,,anna4    
,afterwards the angel appeared to ,anna 

his wife1 saying1 ',fear not1 neither   
think that which you see is a spirit4   
,for ,i am that angel who hath offered  
up your prayers and alms before ,god1   
and am now sent to tell you that a      
daughter will be born unto you4444      
,arise1 therefore1 and go up to         
,jerusalem2 and when you shall come to  
that which is called the ,golden ,gate  
7because it is gilt with gold71 as a    
sign of what ,i have told you1 you shall
 meet your husband1 for whose safety you
 have been so much concerned4' 7,gospel 
of ,st4 ,mary1 chap4 iii4 #a-g47  ,the  
accounts in the ,protevangelion and in  
the ,harleian ,,ms4 are much expanded3  
relating how ,anna feared her husband   
was dead1 he having been absent from her
 five months2 and how ,judith1 her maid1
 taunted her with her childlessness2 and
 how1 going then into her garden1 she   
saw a sparrow's nest1 full of young1    
upon a laurel-tree1 and mourning within 
herself1 said1 ,i am not comparable to  
the very beasts of the earth1 for even  

they are fruitful before thee1 ,o       
,lord4444 ,i am not comparable to the   
very earth1 for the earth produces its  
fruits to praise thee4 ,then the angel  
of the ,lord stood by her1 c4  ,both the
 ,protevangelion and ,harleian ,,ms4    
agree in placing the vision in the      
garden2 the latter adding1 that she fled
 into her chamber in great fear1 and    
fell upon her bed1 and lay as in a      
trance all that day and all that night1 
but did not tell the vision to her maid1
 because of her bitter answering4       
,giotto has deviated from both accounts 
in making the vision appear to ,anna in 
her chamber1 while the maid1 evidently  
being considered an important personage1
 is at work in the passage4 ,apart from 
all reference to the legends1 there is  
something peculiarly beautiful in the   
simplicity of ,giotto's conception1 and 
in the way in which he has shown the    
angel entering at the window1 without   
the least endeavour to impress our      
imagination by darkness1 or light1 or   

clouds1 or any other accessory2 as      
though believing that angels might      
appear any where1 and any day1 and to   
all men1 as a matter of course1 if we   
would ask them1 or were fit company for 
them4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,,iv4  ,,the ,,sacrifice   
,,of ,,joachim4  ,the account of this   
sacrifice is only given clearly in the  
,harleian ,,ms42 but even this differs  
from ,giotto's series in the order of   
the visions1 as the subject of the next 
plate is recorded first in this ,,ms41  
under the curious heading1 ,disse       
,sancto ,theofilo como l'angelo de ,dio 
aperse a ,joachim lo qual li anuntia la 
nativita della vergene ,maria2 while the
 record of this vision and sacrifice is 
headed1 ,como l'angelo de ,dio aparse   
anchora a ,joachim4 ,it then proceeds   
thus3 ,at this very moment of the day   
7when the angel appeared to ,anna71     
there appeared a most beautiful youth   
7unno belitissimo zovene7 among the     
mountains there1 where ,joachim was1 and

 said to ,joachim1 ',wherefore dost thou
 not return to thy wife8' ,and ,joachim 
answered1 ',these twenty years ,god has 
given me no fruit of her1 wherefore ,i  
was chased from the temple with infinite
 shame4444 ,and1 as long as ,i live1 ,i 
will give alms of my flocks to widows   
and pilgrims4'444 ,and these words being
 finished1 the youth answered1 ',i am   
the angel of ,god who appeared to thee  
the other time for a sign2 and appeared 
to thy wife ,anna1 who always abides in 
prayer1 weeping day and night2 and ,i   
have consoled her2 wherefore ,i command 
thee to observe the commandments of     
,god1 and his will1 which ,i tell you   
truly1 that of thee shall be born a     
daughter1 and that thou shalt offer her 
to the temple of ,god1 and the ,holy    
,spirit shall rest upon her1 and her    
blessedness shall be above the          
blessedness of all virgins1 and her     
holiness so great that human nature will
 not be able to comprehend it4'444#ad   
,footnote #ad3 ,this passage in the old 

,italian of the ,,ms4 may interest some 
readers3 ,e complice queste parole lo   
zovene respoxe1 dignando1 ,io son       
l'angelo de ,dio1 lo quale si te aparse 
l'altra fiada1 in segno1 e aparse a toa 
mulier ,anna che sempre sta in oration  
plauzando di e note1 e si lo consolada2 
unde io te comando che tu debie         
observare li comandimenti de ,dio1 ela  
soua volunta che io te dico veramente1  
che de la toa somenza insera una fiola1 
e questa offrila al templo de ,dio1 e lo
 ,spirito santo reposera in ley1 ela soa
 beatitudine sera sovera tute le altre  
verzene1 ela soua santita sera si grande
 che natura humana non la pora          
comprendere4  ,then ,joachim fell upon  
the earth1 saying1 ',my lord1 ,i pray   
thee to pray ,god for me1 and to enter  
into this my tabernacle1 and bless me1  
thy servant4' ,the angel answered1 ',we 
are all the servants of ,god3 and know  
that my eating would be invisible1 and  
my drinking could not be seen by all the
 men in the world2 but of all that thou 

wouldest give to me1 do thou make       
sacrifice to ,god4' ,then ,joachim took 
a lamb without spot or blemish 4442 and 
when he had made sacrifice of it1 the   
angel of the ,lord disappeared and      
ascended into heaven2 and ,joachim fell 
upon the earth in great fear1 and lay   
from the sixth hour until the evening4  
,this is evidently nothing more than a  
very vapid imitation of the scriptural  
narrative of the appearances of angels  
to ,abraham and ,manoah4 ,but ,giotto   
has put life into it2 and ,i am aware of
 no other composition in which so much  
interest and awe has been given to the  
literal burnt sacrifice4 ,in all other  
representations of such offerings which 
,i remember1 the interest is            
concentrated in the slaying of the      
victim4 ,but ,giotto has fastened on the
 burning of it2 showing the white       
skeleton left on the altar1 and the fire
 still hurtling up round it1 typical of 
the ,divine wrath1 which is as a        
consuming fire2 and thus rendering the  

sacrifice a more clear and fearful type 
not merely of the outward wounds and    
death of ,christ1 but of his            
soul-suffering4 ,all my bones are out of
 joint3 my heart is like wax2 it is     
melted in the midst of my bowels4#ae    
,footnote #ae3 7,note by a friend73--,to
 me the most striking part of it is1    
that the skeleton is entire 7'a bone of 
him shall not be broken'71 and that the 
head stands up still looking to the     
skies3 is it too fanciful to see a      
meaning in this8  ,the hand of the      
,deity is seen in the heavens--the sign 
of the ,divine ,presence4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,v4      
,,the ,,angel 7,,raphael7 ,,appears ,,to
 ,,joachim4  ,now ,joachim being in this
 pain1 the ,lord ,god1 ,father of mercy1
 who abandons not his servants1 nor ever
 fails to console them in their         
distresses1 if they pray for his grace  
and pity1 had compassion on ,joachim1   
and heard his prayer1 and sent the angel
 ,raphael from heaven to earth to       

console him1 and announce to him the    
nativity of the ,virgin ,mary4          
,therefore the angel ,raphael appeared  
to ,joachim1 and comforted him with much
 peace1 and foretold to him the birth of
 the ,virgin in that glory and gladness1
 saying1 ',god save you1 ,o friend of   
,god1 ,o ,joachim6 the ,lord has sent me
 to declare to you an everlasting joy1  
and a hope that shall have no end4'444  
,and having finished these words1 the   
angel of the ,lord disappeared from him1
 and ascended into the heaven4 7,,ms4   
,harl47  ,the passage which ,i have     
omitted is merely one of the ordinary   
,romanist accounts of the immaculate    
conception of the ,virgin1 put into the 
form of prophecy4 ,there are no         
sufficient details of this part of the  
legend either in the ,protevangelion or 
,gospel of ,st4 ,mary2 but it is quite  
clear that ,giotto followed it1 and that
 he has endeavoured to mark a           
distinction in character between the    
angels ,gabriel and ,raphael#af in the  

two subjects1--the form of ,raphael     
melting back into the heaven1 and being 
distinctly recognised as angelic1 while 
,gabriel appears invested with perfect  
humanity4 ,it is interesting to observe 
that the shepherds1 who of course are   
not supposed to see the form of the     
,angel 7his manifestation being only    
granted to ,joachim during his sleep71  
are yet evidently under the influence of
 a certain degree of awe and            
expectation1 as being conscious of some 
presence other than they can perceive1  
while the animals are unconscious       
altogether4  ,footnote #af3 ,the ,,ms4  
makes the angel ,raphael the only       
messenger4 ,giotto clearly adopts the   
figure of ,gabriel from the             
,protevangelion4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,,vi4  ,,the      
,,meeting ,,at ,,the ,,golden ,,gate4   
,and ,joachim went down with the        
shepherds1 and ,anna stood by the gate1 
and saw ,joachim coming with the        
shepherds4 ,and she ran1 and hanging    

about his neck1 said1 ',now ,i know that
 the ,lord hath greatly blessed me4'    
7,protevangelion1 iv4 #h1 #i47  ,this is
 one of the most celebrated of ,giotto's
 compositions1 and deservedly so1 being 
full of the most solemn grace and       
tenderness4 ,the face of ,st4 ,anna1    
half seen1 is most touching in its depth
 of expression2 and it is very          
interesting to observe how ,giotto has  
enhanced its sweetness1 by giving a     
harder and grosser character than is    
usual with him to the heads of the other
 two principal female figures 7not but  
that this cast of feature is found      
frequently in the figures of somewhat   
earlier art71 and by the rough and      
weather-beaten countenance of the       
entering shepherd4 ,in like manner1 the 
falling lines of the draperies owe a    
great part of their value to the abrupt 
and ugly oblongs of the horizontal      
masonry which adjoins them4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,,vii4   
,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,the ,,virgin4  ,and

 ,joachim said1 ',now ,i know that the  
,lord is propitious to me1 and hath     
taken away all my sins4' ,and he went   
down from the temple of the ,lord       
justified1 and went to his own house4   
,and when nine months were fulfilled to 
,anna1 she brought forth1 and said to   
the midwife1 ',what have ,i brought     
forth8' ,and she told her1 a girl4      
,then ,anna said1 ',the ,lord hath this 
day magnified my soul4' ,and she laid   
her in the bed4 7,protevangelion1 v4    
#d-h47  ,the composition is very        
characteristic of ,giotto in two        
respects3 first1 in its natural         
homeliness and simplicity 7in older     
designs of the same subject the little  
,madonna is represented as born with a  
golden crown on her head72 and secondly1
 in the smallness of the breast and head
 of the sitting figure on the right1--a 
fault of proportion often observable in 
,giotto's figures of children or young  
girls4  ,for the first time1 also1 in   
this series1 we have here two successive

 periods of the scene represented       
simultaneously1 the babe being painted  
twice4 ,this practice was frequent among
 the early painters1 and must           
necessarily become so wherever painting 
undertakes the task of lengthened       
narrative4 ,much absurd discussion has  
taken place respecting its propriety2   
the whole question being simply whether 
the human mind can or cannot pass from  
the contemplation of one event to that  
of another1 without reposing itself on  
an intermediate gilt frame4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,,viii4  
,,the ,,presentation ,,of ,,the         
,,virgin4  ,and when three years were   
expired1 and the time of her weaning    
complete1 they brought the ,virgin to   
the temple of the ,lord with offerings4 
,and there were about the temple1       
according to the fifteen ,psalms of     
,degrees1 fifteen stairs to ascend4     
,the parents of the blessed ,virgin and 
infant ,mary put her upon one of these  
stairs2 but while they were putting off 

their clothes in which they had         
travelled1 in the meantime1 the ,virgin 
of the ,lord in such a manner went up   
all the stairs1 one after another1      
without the help of any one to lead her 
or lift her1 that any one would have    
judged from hence that she was of       
perfect age4 7,gospel of ,st4 ,mary1 iv4
 #a-f47  ,there seems nothing very      
miraculous in a child's walking up      
stairs at three years old2 but this     
incident is a favourite one among the   
,roman-,catholic painters of every      
period3 generally1 however1 representing
 the child as older than in the legend1 
and dwelling rather on the solemn       
feeling with which she presents herself 
to the high-priest1 than on the mere    
fact of her being able to walk alone4   
,giotto has clearly regarded the        
incident entirely in this light2 for    
,st4 ,anna touches the child's arm as if
 to support her2 so that the so-called  
miraculous walking is not even hinted   
at4  ,lord ,lindsay particularly notices

 that the ,virgin is a dwarf woman      
instead of a child2 the delineation of  
childhood was one of the latest triumphs
 of art4 ,even in the time of those     
latest triumphs1 however1 the same fault
 was committed in another way2 and a boy
 of eight or ten was commonly           
represented--even by ,raffaelle         
himself--as a dwarf ,hercules1 with all 
the gladiatorial muscles already visible
 in stunted rotundity4 ,giotto probably 
felt he had not power enough to give    
dignity to a child of three years old1  
and intended the womanly form to be     
rather typical of the ,virgin's advanced
 mind1 than an actual representation of 
her person4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,,ix4  ,,the ,,rods 
,,are ,,brought ,,to ,,the              
,,high-,,priest4  ,then he 7the         
high-priest7 appointed that all the men 
of the house and family of ,david who   
were marriageable1 and not married1     
should bring their several rods to the  
altar4 ,and out of whatsoever person's  

rod1 after it was brought1 a flower     
should bud forth1 and on the top of it  
the ,spirit of the ,lord should sit in  
the appearance of a dove1 he should be  
the man to whom the ,virgin should be   
given1 and be betrothed to her4 7,gospel
 of ,st4 ,mary1 v4 #af1 #ag47  ,there   
has originally been very little interest
 in this composition2 and the injuries  
which it has suffered have rendered it  
impossible for the draughtsman to       
distinguish the true folds of the       
draperies amidst the defaced and worn   
colours of the fresco1 so that the      
character of the central figure is lost4
 ,the only points requiring notice are1 
first1 the manner in which ,st4 ,joseph 
holds his rod1 depressing and           
half-concealing it1#ag while the other  
suitors present theirs boldly2 and      
secondly1 the graceful though monotonous
 grouping of the heads of the crowd     
behind him4 ,this mode of rendering the 
presence of a large multitude1 showing  
only the crowns of the heads in         

complicated perspective1 was long       
practised in mosaics and illuminations  
before the time of ,giotto1 and always  
possesses a certain degree of sublimity 
in its power of suggesting perfect unity
 of feeling and movement among the      
crowd4  ,footnote #ag3 ,in the next     
chapter1 it is said that ,joseph drew   
back his rod when every one else        
presented his4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,x4  ,,the        
,,watching ,,of ,,the ,,rods ,,at ,,the 
,,altar4  ,after the high-priest had    
received their rods1 he went into the   
temple to pray4  ,and when he had       
finished his prayer1 he took the rods   
and went forth and distributed them2 and
 there was no miracle attended them4    
,the last rod was taken by ,joseph2 and1
 behold1 a dove proceeded out of the    
rod1 and flew upon the head of ,joseph4 
7,protevangelion1 viii4 #i-aa47  ,this  
is among the least graceful designs of  
the series2 though the clumsiness in the
 contours of the leading figures is     

indeed a fault which often occurs in the
 painter's best works1 but it is here   
unredeemed by the rest of the           
composition4 ,the group of the suitors1 
however1 represented as waiting at the  
outside of the temple1 is very beautiful
 in its earnestness1 more especially in 
the passionate expression of the figure 
in front4 ,it is difficult to look long 
at the picture without feeling a degree 
of anxiety1 and strong sympathy with the
 silent watching of the suitors2 and    
this is a sign of no small power in the 
work4 ,the head of ,joseph is seen far  
back on the extreme left2 thus          
indicating by its position his humility1
 and desire to withdraw from the trial4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,,xi4  ,,the ,,betrothal ,,of ,,the     
,,virgin4  ,there is no distinct notice 
of this event in the apocryphal ,gospel3
 the traditional representation of it is
 nearly always more or less similar4    
,lord ,lindsay's account of the         
composition before us is as follows3    

,the high-priest1 standing in front of  
the altar1 joins their hands2 behind the
 ,virgin stand her bridesmaids2 behind  
,st4 ,joseph the unsuccessful suitors1  
one of whom steps forward to strike him1
 and another breaks his rod on his knee4
 ,joseph bears his own rod1 on the      
flower of which the ,holy ,spirit rests 
in the semblance of a dove4  ,the       
development of this subject by ,perugino
 7for ,raffaelle's picture in the ,brera
 is little more than a modified copy of 
,perugino's1 now at ,caen17 is well     
known2 but notwithstanding all its      
beauty1 there is not1 ,i think1 any     
thing in the action of the disappointed 
suitors so perfectly true or touching as
 that of the youth breaking his rod in  
this composition of ,giotto's2 nor is   
there among any of the figures the      
expression of solemn earnestness and    
intentness on the event which is marked 
among the attendants here1 and in the   
countenances of the officiating priests4
         99       99       99       99  

99  ,,xii4  ,,the ,,virgin ,,mary       
,,returns ,,to ,,her ,,house4           
,accordingly1 the usual ceremonies of   
betrothing being over1 he 7,joseph7     
returned to his own city of ,bethlehem  
to set his house in order1 and to make  
the needful provisions for the marriage4
 ,but the ,virgin of the ,lord1 ,mary1  
with seven other virgins of the same    
age1 who had been weaned at the same    
time1 and who had been appointed to     
attend her by the priest1 returned to   
her parents' house in ,galilee4 7,gospel
 of ,st4 ,mary1 vi4 #f1 #g47  ,of all   
the compositions in the ,arena ,chapel  
,i think this the most characteristic of
 the noble time in which it was done4   
,it is not so notable as exhibiting the 
mind of ,giotto1 which is perhaps more  
fully seen in subjects representing     
varied emotion1 as in the simplicity and
 repose which were peculiar to the      
compositions of the early fourteenth    
century4 ,in order to judge of it       
fairly1 it ought first to be compared   

with any classical composition--with a  
portion1 for instance1 of the ,elgin    
frieze1--which would instantly make     
manifest in it a strange seriousness and
 dignity and slowness of motion1        
resulting chiefly from the excessive    
simplicity of all its terminal lines4   
,observe1 for instance1 the pure wave   
from the back of the ,virgin's head to  
the ground2 and again1 the delicate     
swelling line along her shoulder and    
left arm1 opposed to the nearly unbroken
 fall of the drapery of the figure in   
front4 ,it should then be compared with 
an ,egyptian or ,ninevite series of     
figures1 which1 by contrast1 would bring
 out its perfect sweetness and grace1 as
 well as its variety of expression3     
finally1 it should be compared with any 
composition subsequent to the time of   
,raffaelle1 in order to feel its noble  
freedom from pictorial artifice and     
attitude4 ,these three comparisons      
cannot be made carefully without a sense
 of profound reverence for the national 

spirit#ah which could produce a design  
so majestic1 and yet remain content with
 one so simple4  ,footnote #ah3         
,national1 because ,giotto's works are  
properly to be looked on as the fruit of
 their own age1 and the food of that    
which followed4  ,the small loggia of   
the ,virgin's house is noticeable1 as   
being different from the architecture   
introduced in the other pictures1 and   
more accurately representing the        
,italian ,gothic of the dwelling-house  
of the period4 ,the arches of the       
windows have no capitals2 but this      
omission is either to save time1 or to  
prevent the background from becoming too
 conspicuous4 ,all the real buildings   
designed by ,giotto have the capital    
completely developed4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,,xiii4  
,,the ,,annunciation4--,,the ,,angel    
,,gabriel4  ,this figure is placed on   
one side of the arch at the east end of 
the body of the chapel2 the             
corresponding figure of the ,virgin     

being set on the other side4 ,it was a  
constant practice of the medival artists
 thus to divide this subject2 which1    
indeed1 was so often painted1 that the  
meaning of the separated figures of the 
,angel and ,mary was as well understood 
as when they were seen in juxtaposition4
 ,indeed1 on the two sides of this arch 
they would hardly be considered as      
separated1 since very frequently they   
were set to answer to each other from   
the opposite extremities of a large     
space of architecture4#ai  ,footnote    
#ai3 ,as1 for instance1 on the two      
opposite angles of the faade of the     
,cathedral of ,rheims4  ,the figure of  
the ,angel is notable chiefly for its   
serenity1 as opposed to the later       
conceptions of the scene1 in which he   
sails into the chamber upon the wing1   
like a stooping falcon4  ,the building  
above is more developed than in any     
other of the ,arena paintings2 but it   
must always remain a matter of question1
 why so exquisite a designer of         

architecture as ,giotto should introduce
 forms so harsh and meagre into his     
backgrounds4 ,possibly he felt that the 
very faults of the architecture enhanced
 the grace and increased the importance 
of the figures2 at least1 the proceeding
 seems to me inexplicable on any other  
theory4#bj  ,footnote #bj3 7,note by a  
friend37 ,i suppose you will not admit  
as an explanation1 that he had not yet  
turned his mind to architectural        
composition1 the ,campanile being some  
thirty years later8         99       99 
99       99       99  ,,xiv4  ,,the     
,,annunciation4--,,the ,,virgin ,,mary4 
,vasari1 in his notice of one of        
,giotto's ,annunciations1 praises him   
for having justly rendered the fear of  
the ,virgin at the address of the       
,angel4 ,if he ever treated the subject 
in such a manner1 he departed from all  
the traditions of his time2 for ,i am   
aware of no painting of this scene1     
during the course of the thirteenth and 
following centuries1 which does not     

represent the ,virgin as perfectly      
tranquil1 receiving the message of the  
,angel in solemn thought and gentle     
humility1 but without a shadow of fear4 
,it was reserved for the painters of the
 sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to 
change angelic majesty into reckless    
impetuosity1 and maiden meditation into 
panic dread4  ,the face of the ,virgin  
is slightly disappointing4 ,giotto never
 reached a very high standard of beauty 
in feature2 depending much on distant   
effect in all his works1 and therefore  
more on general arrangement of colour   
and sincerity of gesture1 than on       
refinement of drawing in the            
countenance4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,,xv4  ,,the      
,,salutation4  ,this picture1 placed    
beneath the figure of the ,virgin       
,annunciate at the east end of the      
chapel1 and necessarily small1 7as will 
be seen by the plan71 in consequence of 
the space occupied by the arch which it 
flanks1 begins the second or lower      

series of frescoes2 being1 at the same  
time1 the first of the great chain of   
more familiar subjects1 in which we have
 the power of comparing the conceptions 
of ,giotto not only with the designs of 
earlier ages1 but with the efforts which
 subsequent masters have made to exalt  
or vary the ideas of the principal      
scenes in the life of the ,virgin and of
 ,christ4 ,the two paintings of the     
,angel ,gabriel and the ,virgin         
,annunciate hardly provoke such a       
comparison1 being almost statue-like in 
the calm subjection of all dramatic     
interest to the symmetrical dignity and 
beauty of the two figures1 leading1 as  
they do1 the whole system of the        
decoration of the chapel2 but this of   
the ,salutation is treated with no such 
reference to the architecture1 and at   
once challenges comparison with the     
works of later masters4  ,nor is the    
challenge feebly maintained4 ,i have no 
hesitation in saying1 that1 among all   
the renderings of this scene which now  

exist1 ,i remember none which gives the 
pure depth and plain facts of it so     
perfectly as this of ,giotto's4 ,of     
majestic women bowing themselves to     
beautiful and meek girls1 both wearing  
gorgeous robes1 in the midst of lovely  
scenery1 or at the doors of ,palladian  
palaces1 we have enough2 but ,i do not  
know any picture which seems to me to   
give so truthful an idea of the action  
with which ,elizabeth and ,mary must    
actually have met1--which gives so      
exactly the way in which ,elizabeth     
would stretch her arms1 and stoop and   
gaze into ,mary's face1 and the way in  
which ,mary's hand would slip beneath   
,elizabeth's arms1 and raise her up to  
kiss her4 ,i know not any ,elizabeth so 
full of intense love1 and joy1 and      
humbleness2 hardly any ,madonna in which
 tenderness and dignity are so quietly  
blended4 ,she not less humble1 and yet  
accepting the reverence of ,elizabeth as
 her appointed portion1 saying1 in her  
simplicity and truth1 ,he that is mighty

 hath magnified me1 and holy is ,his    
name4 ,the longer that this group is    
looked upon1 the more it will be felt   
that ,giotto has done well to withdraw  
from it nearly all accessories of       
landscape and adornment1 and to trust it
 to the power of its own deep           
expression4 ,we may gaze upon the two   
silent figures until their silence seems
 to be broken1 and the words of the     
question and reply sound in our ears1   
low as if from far away3  ,whence is    
this to me1 that the ,mother of my ,lord
 should come to me8  ,my soul doth      
magnify the ,lord1 and my spirit hath   
rejoiced in ,god my ,saviour4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,,xvi4  ,,the ,,nativity4  ,i am not    
sure whether ,i shall do well or kindly 
in telling the reader anything about    
this beautiful design4 ,perhaps the less
 he knows about early art or early      
traditions1 the more deeply he will feel
 its purity and truth2 for there is     
scarcely an incident here1 or anything  

in the manner of representing the       
incidents1 which is not mentioned or    
justified in ,scripture4 ,the bold1     
hilly background reminds us that        
,bethlehem was in the hill-country of   
,judah4 ,but it may seem to have two    
purposes besides this literal one3 the  
first1 that it increases the idea of    
exposure and loneliness in the birth of 
,christ2 the second that the masses of  
the great hills1 with the angels        
floating round them in the horizontal   
clouds1 may in some sort represent to   
our thoughts the power and space of that
 heaven and earth whose ,lord is being  
laid in the manger-cradle4  ,there is an
 exquisite truth and sweetness in the   
way the ,virgin turns upon the couch1 in
 order herself to assist in laying the  
,child down4 ,giotto is in this exactly 
faithful to the scriptural words3 ,she  
wrapped the ,child in swaddling-clothes1
 and laid ,him in a manger4 ,joseph sits
 beneath in meditation2 above1 the      
angels1 all exulting1 and1 as it were1  

confused with joy1 flutter and circle in
 the air like birds1--three looking up  
to the ,father's throne with praise and 
thankfulness1 one stooping to adore the 
,prince of ,peace1 one flying to tell   
the shepherds4 ,there is something to me
 peculiarly affecting in this disorder  
of theirs2 even angels1 as it were1     
breaking their ranks with wonder1 and   
not knowing how to utter their gladness 
and passion of praise4 ,there is        
noticeable here1 as in all works of this
 early time1 a certain confidence in the
 way in which the angels trust to their 
wings1 very characteristic of a period  
of bold and simple conception4 ,modern  
science has taught us that a wing cannot
 be anatomically joined to a shoulder2  
and in proportion as painters approach  
more and more to the scientific1 as     
distinguished from the contemplative    
state of mind1 they put the wings of    
their angels on more timidly1 and dwell 
with greater emphasis upon the human    
form1 and with less upon the wings1     

until these last become a species of    
decorative appendage1--a mere sign of an
 angel4 ,but in ,giotto's time an angel 
was a complete creature1 as much        
believed in as a bird2 and the way in   
which it would or might cast itself into
 the air1 and lean hither and thither   
upon its plumes1 was as naturally       
apprehended as the manner of flight of a
 chough or a starling4 ,hence ,dante's  
simple and most exquisite synonym for   
angel1 ,bird of ,god2 and hence also a  
variety and picturesqueness in the      
expression of the movements of the      
heavenly hierarchies by the earlier     
painters1 ill replaced by the powers of 
foreshortening1 and throwing naked limbs
 into fantastic positions1 which appear 
in the cherubic groups of later times4  
,it is needless to point out the frank  
association of the two events1--the     
,nativity1 and appearance of the ,angel 
to the ,shepherds4 ,they are constantly 
thus joined2 but ,i do not remember any 
other example in which they are joined  

so boldly4 ,usually the shepherds are   
seen in the distance1 or are introduced 
in some ornamental border1 or other     
inferior place4 ,the view of painting as
 a mode of suggesting relative or       
consecutive thoughts1 rather than a     
realisation of any one scene1 is seldom 
so fearlessly asserted1 even by ,giotto1
 as here1 in placing the flocks of the  
shepherds at the foot of the ,virgin's  
bed4  ,this bed1 it will be noticed1 is 
on a shelf of rock4 ,this is in         
compliance with the idea founded on the 
,protevangelion and the apocryphal book 
known as the ,gospel of ,infancy1 that  
our ,saviour was born in a cave1        
associated with the scriptural statement
 that ,he was laid in a manger1 of which
 the apocryphal gospels do not speak4   
,the vain endeavour to exalt the awe of 
the moment of the ,saviour's birth has  
turned1 in these gospels1 the outhouse  
of the inn into a species of            
subterranean chapel1 full of incense and
 candles4 ,it was after sunset1 when the

 old woman 7the midwife71 and ,joseph   
with her1 reached the cave2 and they    
both went into it4 ,and behold1 it was  
all filled with light1 greater than the 
light of lamps and candles1 and greater 
than the light of the sun itself4       
7,infancy1 i4 #i47 ,then a bright cloud 
overshadowed the cave1 and the midwife  
said3 ,this day my soul is magnified4   
7,protevangelion1 xiv4 #aj47 ,the       
thirteenth chapter of the               
,protevangelion is1 however1 a little   
more skilful in this attempt at         
exaltation4 ,and leaving her and his    
sons in the cave1 ,joseph went forth to 
seek a ,hebrew midwife in the village of
 ,bethlehem4 ,but as ,i was going1 said 
,joseph1 ,i looked up into the air1 and 
,i saw the clouds astonished1 and the   
fowls of the air stopping in the midst  
of their flight4 ,and ,i looked down    
towards the earth and saw a table       
spread1 and working-people sitting      
around it2 but their hands were on the  
table1 and they did not move to eat4    

,but all their faces were fixed upwards4
 7,protevangelion1 xiii4 #a-g47  ,it    
would1 of course1 be absurd to endeavour
 to institute any comparison between the
 various pictures of this subject1      
innumerable as they are2 but ,i must at 
least deprecate ,lord ,lindsay's        
characterising this design of ,giotto's 
merely as the ,byzantine composition4   
,it contains1 indeed1 nothing more than 
the materials of the ,byzantine         
composition2 but ,i know no ,byzantine  
,nativity which at all resembles it in  
the grace and life of its action4 ,and1 
for full a century after ,giotto's time1
 in northern ,europe1 the ,nativity was 
represented in a far more conventional  
manner than this2 usually only the heads
 of the ox and ass are seen1 and they   
are arranging1 or holding with their    
mouths1 the drapery of the couch of the 
,child2 who is not being laid in it by  
the ,virgin1 but raised upon a kind of  
tablet high above her in the centre of  
the group4 ,all these early designs1    

without exception1 however1 agree in    
expressing a certain degree of languor  
in the figure of the ,virgin1 and in    
making her recumbent on the bed4 ,it is 
not till the fifteenth century that she 
is represented as exempt from suffering1
 and immediately kneeling in adoration  
before the ,child4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,,xvii4  ,,the    
,,wise ,,men',s ,,offering4  ,this is a 
subject which has been so great a       
favourite with the painters of later    
periods1 and on which so much rich      
incidental invention has been lavished1 
that ,giotto's rendering of it cannot   
but be felt to be barren4 ,it is1 in    
fact1 perhaps the least powerful of all 
the series2 and its effect is further   
marred by what ,lord ,lindsay has partly
 noted1 the appearance--perhaps         
accidental1 but if so1 exceedingly      
unskilful--of matronly corpulence in the
 figure of the ,madonna4 ,the           
unfortunate failure in the              
representation of the legs and chests of

 the camels1 and the awkwardness of the 
attempt to render the action of kneeling
 in the foremost king1 put the whole    
composition into the class--not in      
itself an uninteresting one--of the     
slips or shortcomings of great masters4 
,one incident in it only is worth       
observing4 ,in other compositions of    
this time1 and in many later ones1 the  
kings are generally presenting their    
offerings themselves1 and the ,child    
takes them in ,his hand1 or smiles at   
them4 ,the painters who thought this an 
undignified conception left the presents
 in the hands of the attendants of the  
,magi4 ,but ,giotto considers how       
presents would be received by an actual 
king2 and as what has been offered to a 
monarch is delivered to the care of his 
attendants1 ,giotto puts a waiting angel
 to receive the gifts1 as not worthy to 
be placed in the hands of the ,infant4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,,xviii4  ,,the ,,presentation ,,in     
,,the ,,temple4  ,this design is one of 

those which are peculiarly              
characteristic of ,giotto as the head of
 the ,naturalisti4#ba ,no painter before
 his time would have dared to represent 
the ,child ,jesus as desiring to quit   
the arms of ,simeon1 or the ,virgin as  
in some sort interfering with the       
prophet's earnest contemplation of the  
,child by stretching her arms to receive
 ,him4 ,the idea is evidently a false   
one1 quite unworthy of the higher       
painters of the religious school2 and it
 is a matter of peculiar interest to see
 what must have been the strength of    
,giotto's love of plain facts1 which    
could force him to stoop so low in the  
conception of this most touching scene4 
,the ,child does not1 it will be        
observed1 merely stretch its arm to the 
,madonna1 but is even struggling to     
escape1 violently raising the left foot4
 ,but there is another incident in the  
composition1 witnessing as notably to   
,giotto's powerful grasp of all the     
facts of his subject as this does to his

 somewhat hard and plain manner of      
grasping them2--,i mean the angel       
approaching ,simeon1 as if with a       
message4 ,the peculiar interest of the  
,presentation is for the most part      
inadequately represented in painting1   
because it is impossible to imply the   
fact of ,simeon's having waited so long 
in the hope of beholding his ,lord1 or  
to inform the spectator of the feeling  
in which he utters the song of hope     
fulfilled4 ,giotto has1 it seems to me1 
done all that he could to make us       
remember this peculiar meaning of the   
scene2 for ,i think ,i cannot be        
deceived in interpreting the flying     
angel1 with its branch of palm or lily1 
to be the ,angel of ,death1 sent in     
visible fulfilment of the thankful words
 of ,simeon3 ,lord1 now lettest ,thou   
,thy servant depart in peace4 ,the      
figure of ,anna is poor and             
uninteresting2 that of the attendant1 on
 the extreme left1 very beautiful1 both 
in its drapery and in the severe and    

elevated character of the features and  
head-dress4  ,footnote #ba3 ,see account
 of his principles above1 p4 #ac1 head  
,c4         99       99       99        
99       99  ,,xix4  ,,the ,,flight     
,,into ,,egypt4  ,giotto again shows1 in
 his treatment of this subject1 a juster
 understanding of the probable facts    
than most other painters4 ,it becomes   
the almost universal habit of later     
artists to regard the flight as both    
sudden and secret1 undertaken by ,joseph
 and ,mary1 unattended1 in the dawn of  
the morning1 or by night1 so soon as    
,joseph had awaked from sleep4 7,matt4  
ii4 #ad47 ,without a continuous miracle1
 which it is unnecessary in this case to
 suppose1 such a lonely journey would   
have been nearly impracticable4 ,nor was
 instant flight necessary2 for ,herod's 
order for the massacre could not be     
issued until he had been convinced1 by  
the protracted absence of the ,wise     
,men1 that he was mocked of them4 ,in   
all probability the exact nature and    

extent of the danger was revealed to    
,joseph2 and he would make the necessary
 preparations for his journey with such 
speed as he could1 and depart by night  
indeed1 but not in the instant of       
awakening from his dream4 ,the ordinary 
impression seems to have been received  
from the words of the ,gospel of        
,infancy3 ,go into ,egypt as soon as the
 cock crows4 ,and the interest of the   
flight is rendered more thrilling1 in   
late compositions1 by the introduction  
of armed pursuers4 ,giotto has given a  
far more quiet1 deliberate1 and probable
 character to the whole scene1 while he 
has fully marked the fact of divine     
protection and command in the figure of 
the guiding angel4 ,nor is the picture  
less interesting in its marked          
expression of the night4 ,the figures   
are all distinctly seen1 and there is no
 broad distribution of the gloom2 but   
the vigorous blackness of the dress of  
the attendant who holds the bridle1 and 
the scattered glitter of the lights on  

the ,madonna's robe1 are enough to      
produce the required effect on the mind4
  ,the figure of the ,virgin is         
singularly dignified3 the broad and     
severe curves traced by the hem and     
deepest folds of her dress materially   
conducing to the nobleness of the group4
 ,the ,child is partly sustained by a   
band fastened round the ,madonna's neck4
 ,the quaint and delicate pattern on    
this band1 together with that of the    
embroidered edges of the dress1 is of   
great value in opposing and making more 
manifest the severe and grave outlines  
of the whole figure1 whose              
impressiveness is also partly increased 
by the rise of the mountain just above  
it1 like a tent4 ,a vulgar composer     
would have moved this peak to the right 
or left1 and lost its power4  ,this     
mountain background is also of great use
 in deepening the sense of gloom and    
danger on the desert road4 ,the trees   
represented as growing on the heights   
have probably been rendered indistinct  

by time4 ,in early manuscripts such     
portions are invariably those which     
suffer most2 the green 7on which the    
leaves were once drawn with dark        
colours7 mouldering away1 and the lines 
of drawing with it4 ,but even in what is
 here left there is noticeable more     
careful study of the distinction between
 the trees with thick spreading foliage1
 the group of two with light branches   
and few leaves1 and the tree stripped   
and dead at the bottom of the ravine1   
than an historical painter would now    
think it consistent with his dignity to 
bestow4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,,xx4  ,,massacre ,,of     
,,the ,,innocents4  ,of all the series1 
this composition is the one which       
exhibits most of ,giotto's weaknesses4  
,all early work is apt to fail in the   
rendering of violent action3 but ,giotto
 is1 in this instance1 inferior not only
 to his successors1 but to the feeblest 
of the miniature-painters of the        
thirteenth century2 while his imperfect 

drawing is seen at its worst in the nude
 figures of the children4 ,it is1 in    
fact1 almost impossible to understand   
how any ,italian1 familiar with the     
eager gesticulations of the lower orders
 of his countrywomen on the smallest    
points of dispute with each other1      
should have been incapable of giving    
more adequate expression of true action 
and passion to the group of mothers2    
and1 if ,i were not afraid of being     
accused of special pleading1 ,i might   
insist at some length on a dim faith of 
my own1 that ,giotto thought the actual 
agony and strivings of the probable     
scene unfit for pictorial treatment1 or 
for common contemplation2 and that he   
chose rather to give motionless types   
and personifications of the soldiers and
 women1 than to use his strength and    
realistic faculty in bringing before the
 vulgar eye the unseemly struggle or    
unspeakable pain4 ,the formal           
arrangement of the heap of corpses in   
the centre of the group2 the crowded    

standing of the mothers1 as in a choir  
of sorrow2 the actual presence of       
,herod1 to whom some of them appear to  
be appealing1--all seem to me to mark   
this intention2 and to make the         
composition only a symbol or shadow of  
the great deed of massacre1 not a       
realisation of its visible continuance  
at any moment4 ,i will not press this   
conjecture2 but will only add1 that if  
it be so1 ,i think ,giotto was perfectly
 right2 and that a picture thus         
conceived might have been deeply        
impressive1 had it been more            
successfully executed2 and a calmer1    
more continuous1 comfortless grief      
expressed in the countenances of the    
women4 ,far better thus1 than with the  
horrible analysis of agony1 and detail  
of despair1 with which this same scene1 
one which ought never to have been made 
the subject of painting at all1 has been
 gloated over by artists of more        
degraded times4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,,xxi4  ,,the     

,,young ,,christ ,,in ,,the ,,temple4   
,this composition has suffered so       
grievously by time1 that even the       
portions of it which remain are seen to 
the greatest disadvantage4 ,little more 
than various conditions of scar and     
stain can be now traced1 where were once
 the draperies of the figures in the    
shade1 and the suspended garland and    
arches on the right hand of the         
spectator2 and in endeavouring not to   
represent more than there is authority  
for1 the draughtsman and engraver have  
necessarily produced a less satisfactory
 plate than most others of the series4  
,but ,giotto has also himself fallen    
considerably below his usual standard4  
,the faces appear to be cold and hard2  
and the attitudes are as little graceful
 as expressive either of attention or   
surprise4 ,the ,madonna's action1       
stretching her arms to embrace her ,son1
 is pretty2 but1 on the whole1 the      
picture has no value2 and this is the   
more remarkable1 as there were fewer    

precedents of treatment in this case    
than in any of the others2 and it might 
have been anticipated that ,giotto would
 have put himself to some pains when the
 field of thought was comparatively new4
 ,the subject of ,christ teaching in the
 ,temple rarely occurs in manuscripts2  
but all the others were perpetually     
repeated in the service-books of the    
period4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,illustration  ,,xxii4     
,,the ,,baptism ,,of ,,christ4  ,this is
 a more interesting work than the last2 
but it is also gravely and strangely    
deficient in power of entering into the 
subject2 and this1 ,i think1 is common  
with nearly all efforts that have       
hitherto been made at its               
representation4 ,i have never seen a    
picture of the ,baptism1 by any painter 
whatever1 which was not below the       
average power of the painter2 and in    
this conception of ,giotto's1 the       
humility of ,st4 ,john is entirely      
unexpressed1 and the gesture of ,christ 

has hardly any meaning3 it neither is in
 harmony with the words1 ,suffer it to  
be so now1 which must have been uttered 
before the moment of actual baptism1 nor
 does it in the slightest degree        
indicate the sense in the ,redeemer of  
now entering upon the great work of ,his
 ministry4 ,in the earlier              
representations of the subject1 the     
humility of ,st4 ,john is never lost    
sight of2 there will be seen1 for       
instance1 an effort at expressing it by 
the slightly stooping attitude and bent 
knee1 even in the very rude design given
 in outline on the opposite page4 ,i    
have thought it worth while to set      
before the reader in this outline one   
example of the sort of traditional      
representations which were current      
throughout ,christendom before ,giotto  
arose4 ,this instance is taken from a   
large choir-book1 probably of ,french1  
certainly of ,northern execution1       
towards the close of the thirteenth     
century2#bb and it is a very fair       

average example of the manner of design 
in the illuminated work of the period4  
,the introduction of the scroll1 with   
the legend1 ,this is ,my beloved ,son1  
is both more true to the scriptural     
words1 ,lo1 a voice from heaven1 and    
more reverent1 than ,giotto's           
introduction of the visible figure1 as a
 type of the ,first ,person of the      
,trinity4 ,the boldness with which this 
type is introduced increases precisely  
as the religious sentiment of art       
decreases2 in the fifteenth century it  
becomes utterly revolting4  ,footnote   
#bb3 ,the exact date1 #abij1 is given in
 the title-page of the volume4  ,i have 
given this woodcut for another reason   
also3 to explain more clearly the mode  
in which ,giotto deduced the strange    
form which he has given to the stream of
 the ,jordan4 ,in the earlier ,northern 
works it is merely a green wave1 rising 
to the ,saviour's waist1 as seen in the 
woodcut4 ,giotto1 for the sake of       
getting standing-ground for his figures1

 gives shores to this wave1 retaining   
its swelling form in the centre1--a very
 painful and unsuccessful attempt at    
reconciling typical drawing with laws of
 perspective4 ,or perhaps it is less to 
be regarded as an effort at progress1   
than as an awkward combination of the   
,eastern and ,western types of the      
,jordan4 ,in the difference between     
these types there is matter of some     
interest4 ,lord ,lindsay1 who merely    
characterises this work of ,giotto's as 
the ,byzantine composition1 thus        
describes the usual ,byzantine manner of
 representing the ,baptism3  ,the       
,saviour stands immersed to the middle  
in ,jordan 7flowing between two deep and
 rocky banks71 on one of which stands   
,st4 ,john1 pouring the water on ,his   
head1 and on the other two angels hold  
,his robes4 ,the ,holy ,spirit descends 
upon ,him as a dove1 in a stream of     
light1 from ,god the ,father1 usually   
represented by a hand from ,heaven4 ,two
 of ,john's disciples stand behind him  

as spectators4 ,frequently the river-god
 of ,jordan reclines with his oars in   
the corner4444 ,in the ,baptistery at   
,ravenna1 the rope is supported1 not by 
an angel1 but by the river-deity        
,jordann 7,iordanes871 who holds in his 
left hand a reed as his sceptre4  ,now  
in this mode of representing rivers     
there is something more than the mere   
,pagan tradition lingering through the  
wrecks of the ,eastern ,empire4 ,a      
river1 in the ,east and ,south1 is      
necessarily recognised more distinctly  
as a beneficent power than in the ,west 
and ,north4 ,the narrowest and feeblest 
stream is felt to have an influence on  
the life of mankind2 and is counted     
among the possessions1 or honoured among
 the deities1 of the people who dwell   
beside it4 ,hence the importance given1 
in the ,byzantine compositions1 to the  
name and specialty of the ,jordan       
stream4 ,in the ,north such peculiar    
definiteness and importance can never be
 attached to the name of any single     

fountain4 ,water1 in its various forms  
of streamlet1 rain1 or river1 is felt as
 an universal gift of heaven1 not as an 
inheritance of a particular spot of     
earth4 ,hence1 with the ,gothic artists 
generally1 the personality of the       
,jordan is lost in the green and        
nameless wave2 and the simple rite of   
the ,baptism is dwelt upon1 without     
endeavouring1 as ,giotto has done1 to   
draw the attention to the rocky shores  
of ,bethabara and non1 or to the fact   
that there was much water there4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,,xxiii4  ,,the ,,marriage ,,in ,,cana4 
,it is strange that the sweet           
significance of this first of the       
miracles should have been lost sight of 
by nearly all artists after ,giotto2 and
 that no effort was made by them to     
conceive the circumstances of it in     
simplicity4 ,the poverty of the family  
in which the marriage took              
place1--proved sufficiently by the fact 
that a carpenter's wife not only was    

asked as a chief guest1 but even had    
authority over the servants1--is shown  
further to have been distressful1 or at 
least embarrassed1 poverty by their want
 of wine on such an occasion4 ,it was   
not certainly to remedy an accident of  
careless provision1 but to supply a need
 sorrowfully betraying the narrow       
circumstances of ,his hosts1 that our   
,lord wrought the beginning of miracles4
 ,many mystic meanings have been sought 
in the act1 which1 though there is no   
need to deny1 there is little evidence  
to certify3 but we may joyfully accept1 
as its first indisputable meaning1 that 
of simple kindness2 the wine being      
provided here1 when needed1 as the bread
 and fish were afterwards for the hungry
 multitudes4 ,the whole value of the    
miracle1 in its serviceable tenderness1 
is at once effaced when the marriage is 
supposed1 as by ,veronese and other     
artists of later times1 to have taken   
place at the house of a rich man4 ,for  
the rest1 ,giotto sufficiently implies1 

by the lifted hand of the ,madonna1 and 
the action of the fingers of the        
bridegroom1 as if they held sacramental 
bread1 that there lay a deeper meaning  
under the miracle for those who could   
accept it4 ,how all miracle is accepted 
by common humanity1 he has also shown in
 the figure of the ruler of the feast1  
drinking4 ,this unregarding             
forgetfulness of present spiritual power
 is similarly marked by ,veronese1 by   
placing the figure of a fool with his   
bauble immediately underneath that of   
,christ1 and by making a cat play with  
her shadow in one of the wine-vases4    
,it is to be remembered1 however1 in    
examining all pictures of this subject1 
that the miracle was not made manifest  
to all the guests2--to none indeed1     
seemingly1 except ,christ's own         
disciples3 the ruler of the feast1 and  
probably most of those present 7except  
the servants who drew the water71 knew  
or observed nothing of what was passing1
 and merely thought the good wine had   

been kept until now4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,,xxiv4    
,,the ,,raising ,,of ,,lazarus4  ,in    
consequence of the intermediate position
 which ,giotto occupies between the     
,byzantine and ,naturalist schools1 two 
relations of treatment are to be        
generally noted in his work4 ,as        
compared with the ,byzantines1 he is a  
realist1 whose power consists in the    
introduction of living character and    
various incidents1 modifying the        
formerly received ,byzantine symbols4   
,so far as he has to do this1 he is a   
realist of the purest kind1 endeavoring 
always to conceive events precisely as  
they were likely to have happened2 not  
to idealise them into forms artfully    
impressive to the spectator4 ,but in so 
far as he was compelled to retain1 or   
did not wish to reject1 the figurative  
character of the ,byzantine symbols1 he 
stands opposed to succeeding realists1  
in the quantity of meaning which        
probably lies hidden in any composition1

 as well as in the simplicity with which
 he will probably treat it1 in order to 
enforce or guide to this meaning3 the   
figures being often letters of a        
hieroglyphic1 which he will not         
multiply1 lest he should lose in force  
of suggestion what he gained in dramatic
 interest4  ,none of the compositions   
display more clearly this typical and   
reflective character than that of the   
,raising of ,lazarus4 ,later designers  
dwell on vulgar conditions of wonder or 
horror1 such as they could conceive     
likely to attend the resuscitation of a 
corpse2 but with ,giotto the physical   
reanimation is the type of a spiritual  
one1 and1 though shown to be miraculous1
 is yet in all its deeper aspects       
unperturbed1 and calm in awfulness4 ,it 
is also visibly gradual4 ,his face was  
bound about with a napkin4 ,the nearest 
,apostle has withdrawn the covering from
 the face1 and looks for the command    
which shall restore it from wasted      
corruption1 and sealed blindness1 to    

living power and light4  ,nor is it1 ,i 
believe1 without meaning1 that the two  
,apostles1 if indeed they are intended  
for ,apostles1 who stand at ,lazarus'   
side1 wear a different dress from those 
who follow ,christ4 ,i suppose them to  
be intended for images of the ,christian
 and ,jewish ,churches in their         
ministration to the dead soul3 the one  
removing its bonds1 but looking to      
,christ for the word and power of life2 
the other inactive and helpless--the    
veil upon its face--in dread2 while the 
principal figure fulfils the order it   
receives in fearless simplicity4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,,xxv4  ,,the ,,entry ,,into            
,,jerusalem4  ,this design suffers much 
from loss of colour in translation4 ,its
 decorative effect depends on the deep  
blue ground1 relieving the delicate     
foliage and the local colours of dresses
 and architecture4 ,it is also one of   
those which are most directly opposed to
 modern feeling3 the sympathy of the    

spectator with the passion of the crowd 
being somewhat rudely checked by the    
grotesque action of two of the foremost 
figures4 ,we ought1 however1 rather to  
envy the deep seriousness which could   
not be moved from dwelling on the real  
power of the scene by any ungracefulness
 or familiarity of circumstance4 ,among 
men whose minds are rightly toned1      
nothing is ludicrous3 it must1 if an    
act1 be either right or wrong1 noble or 
base2 if a thing seen1 it must either be
 ugly or beautiful3 and what is either  
wrong or deformed is not1 among noble   
persons1 in anywise subject for         
laughter2 but1 in the precise degree of 
its wrongness or deformity1 a subject of
 horror4 ,all perception of what1 in the
 modern ,european mind1 falls under the 
general head of the ludicrous1 is either
 childish or profane2 often healthy1 as 
indicative of vigorous animal life1 but 
always degraded in its relation to manly
 conditions of thought4 ,it has a       
secondary use in its power of detecting 

vulgar imposture2 but it only obtains   
this power by denying the highest       
truths4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,,xxvi4  ,,the ,,expulsion 
,,from ,,the ,,temple4  ,more properly1 
the ,expulsion from the outer ,court of 
the ,temple 7,court of ,gentiles71 as   
,giotto has indicated by placing the    
porch of the ,temple itself in the      
background4  ,the design shows1 as      
clearly as that of the ,massacre of the 
,innocents1 ,giotto's want of power1 and
 partly of desire1 to represent rapid or
 forceful action4 ,the raising of the   
right hand1 not holding any scourge1    
resembles the action afterwards adopted 
by ,oreagna1 and finally by ,michael    
,angelo in his ,last ,judgment3 and my  
belief is1 that ,giotto considered this 
act of ,christ's as partly typical of   
the final judgment1 the ,pharisees being
 placed on the left hand1 and the       
disciples on the right4 ,from the faded 
remains of the fresco1 the draughtsman  
could not determine what animals are    

intended by those on the left hand4 ,but
 the most curious incident 7so far as ,i
 know1 found only in this design of the 
,expulsion1 no subsequent painter       
repeating it71 is the sheltering of the 
two children1 one of them carrying a    
dove1 under the arm and cloak of two    
disciples4 ,many meanings might easily  
be suggested in this2 but ,i see no     
evidence for the adoption of any        
distinct one4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,,xxvii4  ,,the   
,,hiring ,,of ,,judas4  ,the only point 
of material interest presented by this  
design is the decrepit and distorted    
shadow of the demon1 respecting which it
 may be well to remind the reader that  
all the great ,italian thinkers         
concurred in assuming decrepitude or    
disease1 as well as ugliness1 to be a   
characteristic of all natures of evil4  
,whatever the extent of the power       
granted to evil spirits1 it was always  
abominable and contemptible2 no element 
of beauty or heroism was ever allowed to

 remain1 however obscured1 in the aspect
 of a fallen angel4 ,also1 the          
demoniacal nature was shown in acts of  
betrayal1 torture1 or wanton hostility2 
never in valiancy or perseverance of    
contest4 ,i recollect no medival demon  
who shows as much insulting1 resisting1 
or contending power as ,bunyan's        
,apollyon4 ,they can only cheat1        
undermine1 and mock2 never overthrow4   
,judas1 as we should naturally          
anticipate1 has not in this scene the   
nimbus of an ,apostle2 yet we shall find
 it restored to him in the next design4 
,we shall discover the reason of this   
only by a careful consideration of the  
meaning of that fresco4         99      
99       99       99       99  ,,xxviii4
  ,,the ,,last ,,supper4  ,i have not   
examined the original fresco with care  
enough to be able to say whether the    
uninteresting quietness of its design is
 redeemed by more than ordinary         
attention to expression2 it is one of   
the least attractive subjects in the    

,arena ,chapel1 and always sure to be   
passed over in any general observation  
of the series3 nevertheless1 however    
unfavourably it may at first contrast   
with the designs of later masters1 and  
especially with ,leonardo's1 the reader 
should not fail to observe that         
,giotto's aim1 had it been successful1  
was the higher of the two1 as giving    
truer rendering of the probable fact4   
,there is no distinct evidence1 in the  
sacred text1 of the annunciation of     
coming treachery having produced among  
the disciples the violent surprise and  
agitation represented by ,leonardo4     
,naturally1 they would not at first     
understand what was meant4 ,they knew   
nothing distinctly of the machinations  
of the priests2 and so little of the    
character or purposes of ,judas1 that   
even after he had received the sop which
 was to point him out to the others as  
false2--and after they had heard the    
injunction1 ,that thou doest1 do        
quickly1--the other disciples had still 

no conception of the significance1      
either of the saying1 or the act3 they  
thought that ,christ meant he was to buy
 something for the feast4 ,nay1 ,judas  
himself1 so far from starting1 as a     
convicted traitor1 and thereby betraying
 himself1 as in ,leonardo's picture1 had
 not1 when ,christ's first words were   
uttered1 any immediately active         
intention formed4 ,the devil had not    
entered into him until he received the  
sop4 ,the passage in ,st4 ,john's       
account is a curious one1 and little    
noticed2 but it marks very distinctly   
the paralysed state of the man's mind4  
,he had talked with the priests1        
covenanted with them1 and even sought   
opportunity to bring ,jesus into their  
hands2 but while such opportunity was   
wanting1 the act had never presented    
itself fully to him for adoption or     
rejection4 ,he had toyed with it1       
dreamed over it1 hesitated1 and         
procrastinated over it1 as a stupid and 
cowardly person would1 such as traitors 

are apt to be4 ,but the way of retreat  
was yet open2 the conquest of the temper
 not complete4 ,only after receiving the
 sop the idea finally presented itself  
clearly1 and was accepted1 ,to-night1   
while ,he is in the garden1 ,i can do   
it2 and ,i will4 ,and ,giotto has       
indicated this distinctly by giving     
,judas still the ,apostle's nimbus1 both
 in this subject and in that of the     
,washing of the ,feet2 while it is taken
 away in the previous subject of the    
,hiring1 and the following one of the   
,seizure3 thus it fluctuates1 expires1  
and reillumines itself1 until his fall  
is consummated4 ,this being the general 
state of the ,apostles' knowledge1 the  
words1 ,one of you shall betray me1     
would excite no feeling in their minds  
correspondent to that with which we now 
read the prophetic sentence4 ,what this 
giving up of their ,master meant became 
a question of bitter and self-searching 
thought with them1--gradually of intense
 sorrow and questioning4 ,but had they  

understood it in the sense we now       
understand it1 they would never have    
each asked1 ,lord1 is it ,i8 ,peter     
believed himself incapable even of      
denying ,christ2 and of giving him up to
 death for money1 every one of his true 
disciples knew themselves incapable2 the
 thought never occurred to them4 ,in    
slowly-increasing wonder and sorrow     
7,greek3 rxanto lupeisthai1 ,mark xiv4  
#ai71 not knowing what was meant1 they  
asked one by one1 with pauses between1  
,is it ,i8 and another1 ,is it ,i8 and  
this so quietly and timidly that the one
 who was lying on ,christ's breast never
 stirred from his place2 and ,peter1    
afraid to speak1 signed to him to ask   
who it was4 ,one further circumstance1  
showing that this was the real state of 
their minds1 we shall find ,giotto take 
cognisance of in the next fresco4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,,xxix4  ,,the ,,washing ,,of ,,the     
,,feet4  ,in this design1 it will be    
observed1 there are still the twelve    

disciples1 and the nimbus is yet given  
to ,judas 7though1 as it were1 setting1 
his face not being seen74  ,considering 
the deep interest and importance of     
every circumstance of the ,last ,supper1
 ,i cannot understand how preachers and 
commentators pass by the difficulty of  
clearly understanding the periods       
indicated in ,st4 ,john's account of it4
 ,it seems that ,christ must have risen 
while they were still eating1 must have 
washed their feet as they sate or       
reclined at the table1 just as the      
,magdalen had washed ,his own feet in   
the ,pharisee's house2 that1 this done1 
,he returned to the table1 and the      
disciples continuing to eat1 presently  
gave the sop to ,judas4 ,for ,st4 ,john 
says1 that he having received the sop1  
went immediately out2 yet that ,christ  
had washed his feet is certain1 from the
 words1 ,ye are clean1 but not all4     
,whatever view the reader may1 on       
deliberation1 choose to accept1         
,giotto's is clear1 namely1 that though 

not cleansed by the baptism1 ,judas was 
yet capable of being cleansed4 ,the     
devil had not entered into him at the   
time of the washing of the feet1 and he 
retains the sign of an ,apostle4  ,the  
composition is one of the most beautiful
 of the series1 especially owing to the 
submissive grace of the two standing    
figures4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,,xxx4  ,,the ,,kiss ,,of  
,,judas4  ,for the first time we have   
,giotto's idea of the face of the       
traitor clearly shown4 ,it is not1 ,i   
think1 traceable through any of the     
previous series2 and it has often       
surprised me to observe how impossible  
it was in the works of almost any of the
 sacred painters to determine by the    
mere cast of feature which was meant for
 the false ,apostle4 ,here1 however1    
,giotto's theory of physiognomy1 and    
together with it his idea of the        
character of ,judas1 are perceivable    
enough4 ,it is evident that he looks    
upon ,judas mainly as a sensual dullard1

 and foul-brained fool2 a man in no     
respect exalted in bad eminence of      
treachery above the mass of common      
traitors1 but merely a distinct type of 
the eternal treachery to good1 in vulgar
 men1 which stoops beneath1 and opposes 
in its appointed measure1 the life and  
efforts of all noble persons1 their     
natural enemies in this world2 as the   
slime lies under a clear stream running 
through an earthy meadow4 ,our careless 
and thoughtless ,english use of the word
 into which the ,greek ,diabolos has    
been shortened1 blinds us in general to 
the meaning of ,deviltry1 which1 in its 
essence1 is nothing else than slander1  
or traitorhood2--the accusing and giving
 up of good4 ,in particular it has      
blinded us to the meaning of ,christ's  
words1 ,have not ,i chosen you twelve1  
and one of you is a traitor and accuser8
 and led us to think that the one of you
 is a devil indicated some greater than 
human wickedness in ,judas2 whereas the 
practical meaning of the entire fact of 

,judas' ministry and fall is1 that out  
of any twelve men chosen for the        
forwarding of any purpose1--or1 much    
more1 out of any twelve men we          
meet1--one1 probably1 is or will be a   
,judas4  ,the modern ,german renderings 
of all the scenes of ,christ's life in  
which the traitor is conspicuous are    
very curious in their vulgar            
misunderstanding of the history1 and    
their consequent endeavours to represent
 ,judas as more diabolic than selfish1  
treacherous1 and stupid men are in all  
their generations4 ,they paint him      
usually projected against strong effects
 of light1 in lurid                     
chiaroscuro2--enlarging the whites of   
his eyes1 and making him frown1 grin1   
and gnash his teeth on all occasions1 so
 as to appear among the other ,apostles 
invariably in the aspect of a ,gorgon4  
,how much more deeply ,giotto has       
fathomed the fact1 ,i believe all men   
will admit who have sufficient purity   
and abhorrence of falsehood to recognise

 it in its daily presence1 and who know 
how the devil's strongest work is done  
for him by men who are too bestial to   
understand what they betray4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,,xxxi4  
,,christ ,,before ,,caiaphas4  ,little  
is to be observed in this design of any 
distinctive merit2 it is only a somewhat
 completer version of the ordinary      
representation given in illuminated     
missals and other conventual work1      
suggesting1 as if they had happened at  
the same moment1 the answer1 ,if ,i have
 spoken evil1 bear witness of the evil1 
and the accusation of blasphemy which   
causes the high-priest to rend his      
clothes4  ,apparently distrustful of his
 power of obtaining interest of a higher
 kind1 ,giotto has treated the          
enrichments more carefully than usual1  
down even to the steps of the           
high-priest's seat4 ,the torch and      
barred shutters conspicuously indicate  
its being now dead of night4 ,that the  
torch is darker than the chamber1 if not

 an error in the drawing1 is probably   
the consequence of a darkening          
alteration in the yellow colours used   
for the flame4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,,xxxii4  ,,the   
,,scourging ,,of ,,christ4  ,it is      
characteristic of ,giotto's rational and
 human view of all subjects admitting   
such aspect1 that he has insisted here  
chiefly on the dejection and humiliation
 of ,christ1 making no attempt to       
suggest to the spectator any other      
divinity than that of patience made     
perfect through suffering4 ,angelico's  
conception of the same subject is higher
 and more mystical4 ,he takes the moment
 when ,christ is blindfolded1 and       
exaggerates almost into monstrosity the 
vileness of feature and bitterness of   
sneer in the questioners1 ,prophesy unto
 us1 who is he that smote thee2 but the 
bearing of the person of ,christ is     
entirely calm and unmoved2 and his eyes1
 open1 are seen through the binding     
veil1 indicating the ceaseless          

omniscience4  ,this mystical rendering  
is1 again1 rejected by the later        
realistic painters2 but while the       
earlier designers1 with ,giotto at their
 head1 dwelt chiefly on the humiliation 
and the mockery1 later painters dwelt on
 the physical pain4 ,in ,titian's great 
picture of this subject in the ,louvre1 
one of the executioners is thrusting the
 thorn-crown down upon the brow with his
 rod1 and the action of ,christ is that 
of a person suffering extreme physical  
agony4  ,no representations of the scene
 exist1 to my knowledge1 in which the   
mockery is either sustained with        
indifference1 or rebuked by any stern or
 appealing expression of feature2 yet   
one of these two forms of endurance     
would appear1 to a modern habit of      
thought1 the most natural and probable4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,,xxxiii4  ,,christ ,,bearing ,,his     
,,cross4  ,this design is one of great  
nobleness and solemnity in the isolation
 of the principal figure1 and removal of

 all motives of interest depending on   
accessories1 or merely temporary        
incidents4 ,even the ,virgin and her    
attendant women are kept in the         
background2 all appeal for sympathy     
through physical suffering is disdained4
 ,christ is not represented as borne    
down by the weight of the ,cross1 nor as
 urged forward by the impatience of the 
executioners4 ,the thing to be          
shown1--the unspeakable mystery1--is the
 simple fact1 the ,bearing of the ,cross
 by the ,redeemer4 ,it would be vain to 
compare the respective merits or value  
of a design thus treated1 and of one    
like ,veronese's of this same subject1  
in which every essential accessory and  
probable incident is completely         
conceived4 ,the abstract and symbolical 
suggestion will always appeal to one    
order of minds1 the dramatic            
completeness to another4                
,unquestionably1 the last is the greater
 achievement of intellect1 but the      
manner and habit of thought are perhaps 

loftier in ,giotto4 ,veronese leads us  
to perceive the reality of the act1 and 
,giotto to understand its intention4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,,xxxiv4  ,,the ,,crucifixion4  ,the    
treatment of this subject was1 in       
,giotto's time1 so rigidly fixed by     
tradition that it was out of his power  
to display any of his own special modes 
of thought2 and1 as in the ,bearing of  
the ,cross1 so here1 but yet more       
distinctly1 the temporary circumstances 
are little regarded1 the significance of
 the event being alone cared for4 ,but  
even long after this time1 in all the   
pictures of the ,crucifixion by the     
great masters1 with the single exception
 perhaps of that by ,tintoret in the    
,church of ,san ,cassano at ,venice1    
there is a tendency to treat the        
painting as a symmetrical image1 or     
collective symbol of sacred mysteries1  
rather than as a dramatic               
representation4 ,even in ,tintoret's    
great ,crucifixion in the ,school of    

,st4 ,roch1 the group of fainting women 
forms a kind of pedestal for the ,cross4
 ,the flying angels in the composition  
before us are thus also treated with a  
restraint hardly passing the limits of  
decorative symbolism4 ,the fading away  
of their figures into flame-like cloud  
may perhaps be founded on the verse1 ,he
 maketh ,his angels spirits2 ,his       
ministers a flame of fire 7though       
erroneously1 the right reading of that  
verse being1 ,he maketh the winds ,his  
messengers1 and the flaming fire ,his   
servant72 but it seems to me to give a  
greater sense of possible truth than the
 entire figures1 treading the clouds    
with naked feet1 of ,perugino and his   
successors4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,,xxxv4  ,,the      
,,entombment4  ,i do not consider that  
in fulfilling the task of interpreter   
intrusted to me1 with respect to this   
series of engravings1 ,i may in general 
permit myself to unite with it the duty 
of a critic4 ,but in the execution of a 

laborious series of engravings1 some    
must of course be better1 some worse2   
and it would be unjust1 no less to the  
reader than to ,giotto1 if ,i allowed   
this plate to pass without some         
admission of its inadequacy4 ,it may    
possibly have been treated with a little
 less care than the rest1 in the        
knowledge that the finished plate1      
already in the possession of the members
 of the ,arundel ,society1 superseded   
any effort with inferior means2 be that 
as it may1 the tenderness of ,giotto's  
composition is1 in the engraving before 
us1 lost to an unusual degree4  ,it may 
be generally observed that the          
passionateness of the sorrow both of the
 ,virgin and disciples1 is represented  
by ,giotto and all great following      
designers as reaching its crisis at the 
,entombment1 not at the ,crucifixion4   
,the expectation that1 after            
experiencing every form of human        
suffering1 ,christ would yet come down  
from the cross1 or in some other visible

 and immediate manner achieve for       
,himself the victory1 might be conceived
 to have supported in a measure the     
minds of those among ,his disciples who 
watched by ,his cross4 ,but when the    
agony was closed by actual death1 and   
the full strain was put upon their      
faith1 by their laying in the sepulchre1
 wrapped in ,his grave-clothes1 ,him in 
whom they trusted1 that it had been ,he 
which should have redeemed ,israel1     
their sorrow became suddenly hopeless2 a
 gulf of horror opened1 almost at       
unawares1 under their feet2 and in the  
poignancy of her astonied despair1 it   
was no marvel that the agony of the     
,madonna in the ,piet became            
subordinately associated in the mind of 
the early ,church with that of their    
,lord ,himself2--a type of consummate   
human suffering4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,,xxxvi4  ,,the   
,,resurrection4  ,quite one of the      
loveliest designs of the series4 ,it was
 a favourite subject with ,giotto2      

meeting1 in all its conditions1 his love
 of what was most mysterious1 yet most  
comforting and full of hope1 in the     
doctrines of his religion4 ,his joy in  
the fact of the ,resurrection1 his sense
 of its function1 as the key and primal 
truth of ,christianity1 was far too deep
 to allow him to dwell on any of its    
minor circumstances1 as later designers 
did1 representing the moment of bursting
 the tomb1 and the supposed terror of   
its guards4 ,with ,giotto the leading   
thought is not of physical reanimation1 
nor of the momentarily exerted power of 
breaking the bars of the grave2 but the 
consummation of ,christ's work in the   
first manifesting to human eyes1 and the
 eyes of one who had loved ,him and     
believed in ,him1 ,his power to take    
again the life ,he had laid down4 ,this 
first appearance to her out of whom ,he 
had cast seven devils is indeed the very
 central fact of the ,resurrection4 ,the
 keepers had not seen ,christ2 they had 
seen only the angel descending1 whose   

countenance was like lightning3 for fear
 of him they became as dead2 yet this   
fear1 though great enough to cause them 
to swoon1 was so far conquered at the   
return of morning1 that they were ready 
to take money-payment for giving a false
 report of the circumstances4 ,the      
,magdalen1 therefore1 is the first      
witness of the ,resurrection2 to the    
love1 for whose sake much had been      
forgiven1 this gift is also first given2
 and as the first witness of the truth1 
so she is the first messenger of the    
,gospel4 ,to the ,apostles it was       
granted to proclaim the ,resurrection to
 all nations2 but the ,magdalen was     
bidden to proclaim it to the ,apostles4 
,in the chapel of the ,bargello1 ,giotto
 has rendered this scene with yet more  
passionate sympathy4 ,here1 however1 its
 significance is more thoughtfully      
indicated through all the accessories1  
down even to the withered trees above   
the sepulchre1 while those of the garden
 burst into leaf4 ,this could hardly    

escape notice when the barren boughs    
were compared by the spectator with the 
rich foliage of the neighbouring        
designs1 though1 in the detached plate1 
it might easily be lost sight of4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,,xxxvii4  ,,the ,,ascension4  ,giotto  
continues to exert all his strength on  
these closing subjects4 ,none of the    
,byzantine or earlier ,italian painters 
ventured to introduce the entire figure 
of ,christ in this scene3 they showed   
the feet only1 concealing the body2     
according to the text1 a cloud received 
,him out of their sight4 ,this          
composition1 graceful as it is daring1  
conveys the idea of ascending motion    
more forcibly than any that ,i remember 
by other than ,venetian painters4 ,much 
of its power depends on the continuity  
of line obtained by the half-floating   
figures of the two warning angels4  ,i  
cannot understand why this subject was  
so seldom treated by religious painters3
 for the harmony of ,christian creed    

depends as much upon it as on the       
,resurrection itself2 while the         
circumstances of the ,ascension1 in     
their brightness1 promise1              
miraculousness1 and direct appeal to all
 the assembled ,apostles1 seem more     
fitted to attract the joyful            
contemplation of all who received the   
faith4 ,how morbid1 and how deeply to be
 mourned1 was the temper of the ,church 
which could not be satisfied without    
perpetual representation of the tortures
 of ,christ2 but rarely dwelt on ,his   
triumph6 ,how more than strange the     
concessions to this feebleness by its   
greatest teachers2 such as that of      
,titian1 who1 though he paints the      
,assumption of the ,madonna rather than 
a ,piet1 paints the ,scourging and the  
,entombment of ,christ1 with his best   
power1--but never the ,ascension6       
99       99       99       99       99  
,,xxxviii4  ,,the ,,descent ,,of ,,the  
,,holy ,,spirit4  ,this last subject of 
the series1 the quietest and least      

interesting in treatment1 yet           
illustrates sadly1 and forcibly1 the    
vital difference between ancient and    
modern art4  ,the worst characters of   
modern work result from its constant    
appeal to our desire of change1 and     
pathetic excitement2 while the best     
features of the elder art appealed to   
love of contemplation4 ,it would appear 
to be the object of the truest artists  
to give permanence to images such as we 
should always desire to behold1 and     
might behold without agitation2 while   
the inferior branches of design are     
concerned with the acuter passions which
 depend on the turn of a narrative1 or  
the course of an emotion4 ,where it is  
possible to unite these two sources of  
pleasure1 and1 as in the ,assumption of 
,titian1 an action of absorbing interest
 is united with perfect and perpetual   
elements of beauty1 the highest point of
 conception would appear to have been   
touched3 but in the degree in which the 
interest of action supersedes beauty of 

form and colour1 the art is lowered2 and
 where real deformity enters1 in any    
other degree than as a momentary shadow 
or opposing force1 the art is           
illegitimate4 ,such art can exist only  
by accident1 when a nation has forgotten
 or betrayed the eternal purposes of its
 genius1 and gives birth to painters    
whom it cannot teach1 and to teachers   
whom it will not hear4 ,the best talents
 of all our ,english painters have been 
spent either in endeavours to find room 
for the expression of feelings which no 
master guided to a worthy end1 or to    
obtain the attention of a public whose  
mind was dead to natural beauty1 by     
sharpness of satire1 or variety of      
dramatic circumstance4  ,the work to    
which ,england is now devoting herself  
withdraws her eyes from beauty1 as her  
heart from rest2 nor do ,i conceive any 
revival of great art to be possible     
among us while the nation continues in  
its present temper4 ,as long as it can  
bear to see misery and squalor in its   

streets1 it can neither invent nor      
accept human beauty in its pictures2 and
 so long as in passion of rivalry1 or   
thirst of gain1 it crushes the roots of 
happiness1 and forsakes the ways of     
peace1 the great souls whom it may      
chance to produce will all pass away    
from it helpless1 in error1 in wrath1 or
 in silence4 ,amiable visionaries may   
retire into the delight of devotional   
abstraction1 strong men of the world may
 yet hope to do service by their rebuke 
or their satire2 but for the clear sight
 of ,love there will be no horizon1 for 
its quiet words no answer2 nor any place
 for the art which alone is faithfully  
,religious1 because it is ,lovely and   
,true4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,the series of engravings  
thus completed1 while they present no   
characters on which the members of the  
,arundel ,society can justifiably pride 
themselves1 have1 nevertheless1 a real  
and effective value1 if considered as a 
series of maps of the ,arena frescoes4  

,few artists of eminence pass through   
,padua without making studies of        
detached portions of the decoration of  
this ,chapel1 while no artist has time  
to complete drawings of the whole4 ,such
 fragmentary studies might now at any   
time be engraved with advantage1 their  
place in the series being at once       
determinable by reference to the        
woodcuts2 while qualities of expression 
could often be obtained in engravings of
 single figures1 which are sure to be   
lost in an entire subject4 ,the most    
refined character is occasionally       
dependent on a few happy and light      
touches1 which1 in a single head1 are   
effective1 but are too feeble to bear   
due part in an entire composition1      
while1 in the endeavour to reinforce    
them1 their vitality is lost4 ,i believe
 the members of the ,arundel ,society   
will perceive1 eventually1 that no      
copies of works of great art are        
worthily representative of them but such
 as are made freely1 and for their own  

purposes1 by great painters3 the best   
results obtainable by mechanical effort 
will only be charts or plans of         
pictures1 not mirrors of them4 ,such    
charts it is well to command in as great
 number as possible1 and with all       
attainable completeness2 but the        
,society cannot be considered as having 
entered on its true functions until it  
has obtained the hearty co-operation of 
,european artists1 and by the increase  
of its members1 the further power of    
representing the subtle studies of      
masterly painters by the aid of         
exquisite engraving4