file which includes the original        
illustrations4       ,see #dbceb-;h4htm 
or #dbceb-;h4zip3                       
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu
b_/#dbceb_/pg#dbceb-;images4html7       
or                                      
7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#db
ceb_/dbceb-;h4zip7         ,images of   
the original pages are available through
       ,internet ,archive4 ,see         
https3_/_/archive4org_/details_/giottoqu
il#jjrich   ,transcriber's note3        
,text enclosed by underscores is in     
italics 7italics74        ,text enclosed
 by equal signs is in bold face 7bold74 
,illustration3 ,,madonna ,,and ,,saints1
 ,,attributed ,,to ,,giotto    ,in the  
lower church of ,assisi   ,,giotto  by  
,,harry ,,quilter        ,london        
,sampson ,low1 ,marston1 ,searle1       
,rivington ,crown ,buildings4 #ahh1     
,fleet ,street #ahhj  7,all rights      
reserved47  ,london3 ,r4 ,clay1 ,sons1  
and ,taylor1 ,bread ,street ,hill1      
,e4,c4          ,,to ,,the ,,memory     

,,of      ,,elizabeth ,,harriet         
,,quilter      ,,this ,,essay ,,is      
,,lovingly ,,dedicated      ,,by        
,,her ,,youngest ,,son4     ,,preface4  
,my only object in writing these few    
words of preface is to state plainly the
 share of originality which belongs to  
this essay4 ,this is rendered necessary 
because the subject of the work has     
occupied the attention of many authors  
of far greater ability and experience   
than that of which the present writer   
can boast4  ,the extent1 then1 to which 
this essay is original is as            
follows3--,the facts of ,giotto's life  
have been taken from ,vasari's ,lives of
 the ,painters and compared with those  
given by all later writers on the same  
subject4 ,as these later authors are    
mentioned throughout the book1 wherever 
their opinions are quoted1 ,i need not  
give a list of them here4 ,the          
descriptions of the pictures and        
sculptures of ,giotto are1 in all cases1
 written by myself after careful study  

of the originals4 ,in no case whatever  
is an opinion expressed upon the merit  
or meaning of a work which ,i have not  
personally examined2 this applies to all
 pictures and statues mentioned in the  
essay as well as to those of ,giotto4   
,the descriptions of ,padua1 ,assisi1   
and ,florence were written on the spot1 
and the vignettes of the two former     
towns are reduced from sketches made by 
myself on purpose for the present work4 
,the fresco of the ,unknown ,madonna1   
formerly attributed to ,giotto1 and     
still ascribed to him by the monks of   
,assisi1 is reproduced here1 by         
chromo-lithography1 from a watercolour  
drawing made by me at ,assisi in the    
spring of last year--its only use is to 
show readers the kind of colouring      
prevalent in ,giotto's work4  ,lastly1  
for all criticisms1 theories1 and       
illustrations given in the essay1 ,i am 
alone responsible1 except in cases where
 the name of the author is subjoined in 
a footnote4       ,,the ,,white ,,house1

 ,,chelsea1      ,may1 #ahhj4           
,,contents4         ,,chapter ,i4       
,,page       ,,introductory             
#a          ,,chapter ,,ii4       ,,art 
,,in ,,italy ,,in ,,the ,,thirteenth    
,,century               #aa             
,,chapter ,,iii4                        
,,fresco-,,painting                     
#bh          ,,chapter ,,iv4            
,,cimabue                               
#cc          ,,chapter ,v4              
,,giotto                                
#da          ,,chapter ,,vi4       ,,the
 ,,chief ,,function ,,of ,,painting     
#ec          ,,chapter ,,vii4           
,,the ,,early ,,work ,,of ,,giotto ,,at 
,,florence ,,and ,,rome        #ei      
,,chapter ,,viii4       ,,giotto ,,at   
,,padua                                 
#fh          ,,chapter ,,ix4            
,,giotto',s ,,style                     
#hf          ,,chapter ,x4              
,,giotto ,,at ,,assisi4 ,,the ,,upper   
,,church                   #id          
,,chapter ,,xi4       ,,the ,,lower     

,,church ,,of ,,assisi                  
#aaa          ,,chapter ,,xii4          
,,giotto',s ,,later ,,work ,,at         
,,florence                     #abh     
,,illustrations4                        
,,page       ,,the ,,unknown ,,madonna  
,,at ,,assisi4 ,,attributed ,,to        
,,giotto--,frontispiece       ,,the     
,,madonna ,,enthroned4 ,,by ,,cimabue4  
,,in ,,the ,,rucellai ,,chapel1         
,s4 ,,maria ,,novella1 ,,florence       
#cf       ,,pastoral ,,life4 ,,by       
,,giotto4 ,,bas-,,relief ,,on ,,the     
,,campanile1        ,,florence          
#db       ,,padua4 ,,from ,a ,,drawing  
,,by ,,the ,,author                     
#ga       ,,paradise4 ,,by ,,giotto4    
7,,greatly ,,restored47 ,,in ,,the      
,,arena        ,,chapel1 ,,padua4       
,photograph                             
#gd       ,,joachim ,,retires ,,to ,,the
 ,,sheepfold4 ,,by ,,giotto4 ,,in ,,the 
,,arena        ,,chapel1 ,,padua4 ,wood 
,engraving                              
#gf       ,,the ,,entombment ,,of       

,,christ4 ,,by ,,giotto4 ,,in ,,the     
,,arena ,,chapel1        ,,padua4       
,photograph                             
#hj       ,,the ,,resurrection4 ,,noli  
,,me ,,tangere4 ,,by ,,giotto4 ,,in     
,,the        ,,arena ,,chapel1 ,,padua4 
,photograph                             
#hb       ,,justice4 ,,by ,,giotto4 ,,in
 ,,the ,,arena ,,chapel1 ,,padua4       
,photograph   #hd       ,,the ,,church  
,,at ,,assisi4 ,,from ,a ,,drawing ,,by 
,,the ,,author             #ig          
,,view ,,of ,,florence1 ,,showing       
,,giotto',s ,,campanile ,,and ,,the     
,,duomo  #ace       ,,the ,,first       
,,arts4 ,,by ,,giotto4 ,,bas-,,relief   
,,on ,,the ,,campanile        #adj      
,,riding4 ,,by ,,giotto4 ,,bas-,,relief 
,,on ,,the ,,campanile                  
#adb     ,as in passing through life we 
learn many new things1 so do we forget  
many old things1 and gradually the      
remembrance of them is lost from among  
men4 ,therefore those persons do not    
reason well who do not study to         

perpetuate useful things by writing1    
because in such case posterity will     
hereafter seek in vain for their origin1
 perfection1 and use4--,tambroni4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,such as are ignorant of things done and
 past before themselves had any being   
continue still in the estate of         
children1 able to speak and behave      
themselves no otherwise2 and even within
 the bounds of their native countries   
7in respect of knowledge or manly       
capacity7 they are no more than         
well-seeming dumb images4--,from the    
,dedication of an anonymous translation 
of ,boccaccio's ,novels1 c4 #afcd4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,and so it is with all truths of the    
highest order3 they are separated from  
those of average precision by points of 
extreme delicacy1 which none but a      
cultivated eye can in the least feel1   
and to express which all words are      
absolutely meaningless and useless4 ,two
 lines are laid on canvas1 or cut on    

stone3 one is right and another wrong4  
,there is no difference between them    
appreciable by the compasses--none      
appreciable by the ordinary eye--none   
which can be pointed out if it is not   
seen4 ,one person feels it1 another does
 not2 but the feeling or sight of the   
one can by no words be communicated to  
the other4 ,that feeling and that sight 
have been the reward of years of        
labour4--,john ,ruskin4 #ahec4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,i offer this little work as long as ,i 
live to the correction of those who are 
more learned4 ,if ,i have done wrong in 
anything ,i shall not be ashamed to     
receive their admonitions2 and if there 
be anything which they like1 ,i shall   
not be slow to furnish more4--,wilhelm  
of ,bamberg1 circa #ajjj ,a4,d4         
,,errata4     ,page #bh1 line #c from   
bottom1 for ,tambrani        read       
,tambroni4        #df1    #bc     top   
hand                  panel4        #fh1
     #f                 ,o'er           

,o'erspread4        #gj1     #h         
chi                   ch4        #gf1   
#ab                 ,baptism of ,lazarus
    ,raising of          ,lazarus4      
#hd1    #af     bottom1      ,selvatia  
,selvatica4        #ie1     #a          
,sulasio               ,subasio4        
#aje1     #c            ,appendix ,c has
 been omitted for want of               
space4       #abc1     #h            for
 ,scavegni        read ,scrovegni4      
#abh1     #e     top          ,links    
,lamps4     ,,giotto4     ,,chapter ,i4 
,,introductory4   ,the biographies in   
this series#a are intended to help in   
the preservation of the memories of     
those great artists1 who1 leaving to the
 world the legacies of their genius1    
have not all died1 but live to this hour
 in the far-reaching influence their    
works exert4 ,that such men lived1      
worked1 and perished1 is almost the sum 
of knowledge that most of us can boast  
of with regard to them2 we here try to  
add the simple story of their lives1 and

 perhaps a few touches of description as
 to the friends they loved1 the country 
they lived in1 and the times in which   
they worked2 so that1 perhaps1 they may 
become in some measure to us1 not only  
wielders of the chisel and the brush1   
but men like ourselves1 with moments of 
frailty as well as exaltation1 with     
lives more or less difficult through    
fading ambitions and frequent failure1  
but nevertheless bound to us by the tie 
of a common humanity1 and claiming our  
sympathy and love1 not only for the     
beauty they have left us1 but because   
they also carried the burden1 and fought
 the fight that we are fighting to-day4 
,if it be true1 as ,george ,eliot tells 
us1 that the aspect of affairs for the  
race1 is largely altered by the         
influence of those who have lived       
faithfully hidden lives1 and rest in    
unvisited tombs1 it is none the less    
true1 that there is some danger in      
regarding those whose achievements are  
of historic magnitude1 as if they       

belonged to a separate order of         
humanity1 and were removed alike from   
its every-day joys and sorrows2 and we  
shall gain a knowledge by no means to be
 despised1 if we once bring fairly home 
to our consciousness the fact that the  
seeds of greatness flourish in no other 
soil than that which we all possess2    
that the divine light of genius         
glorifies natures that are subject to   
the like joys1 sorrows1 and passions as 
our own1 nay1 that even1 like the fierce
 light that beats upon a throne1 it     
often reveals faults of which the       
weakest of us might well be ashamed1 as 
well as virtues of which we are all     
capable4 ,it is not by elevating the    
great to a passionless region of        
undisturbed supremacy of life and       
action1 that we show them our truest    
reverence1 or learn from them our most  
worthy lesson1 but by seeing them as    
they were in sober truth4 ,if we would  
knit into firmer unison the varying     
struggles1 failures1 and triumphs of our

 great brotherhood1 we must learn to    
look upon genius1 not as some cold1     
unapproachable excellence that finds its
 work in alien spheres of imagination   
and action1 but rather as a keener      
insight into the truths of thought and  
feeling1 with its relations to the      
everyday aspects of life1 no less than  
to its most exalted phases4  ,it will   
not be wasted time to the busy dwellers 
in the ,england of the nineteenth       
century1 to be led back in spirit to    
those old ,italian days when as yet     
civilisation dozed upon the stream of   
time1 when the ,arno and the ,tiber ran 
their course unspanned by other bridges 
than those grey stone ones that remain  
to this day1 when under the shadows of  
the ,umbrian mountains1 the rushes of   
,thrasymene wavered not with the rush of
 the locomotive1 but the sighing of the 
breezes1 and on the hills of ,assisi the
 brethren of ,st4 ,francis chanted their
 earliest anthems1 and took their first 
solemn vows of poverty and obedience4   

,it will not be wasted time1 if a thrill
 of kindly sympathy can be raised within
 us for that old life without whose     
struggles our fuller knowledge could    
never have existed1 when the world was  
plainly divided into soldiers and       
scholars1 rulers and ruled1 men of      
action and men of thought1 when the good
 was encrusted with no uncertainties1   
and the evil mitigated by no doubts1 and
 all the lives of men were poured along 
a deeper and narrower channel than now4 
,though we should not regret1 we should 
still remember kindly those times and   
all that they wrought for us1 and the   
lessons that they teach1 though our     
lives be cast in a far different mould4 
,it is not possible now for a new       
regenerator of art to cause a new       
departure for art by plain reference to 
natural fact1 as did the subject of this
 book six hundred years ago2 but how    
long has it been impossible8 ,for little
 more than twenty years6 ,strange as it 
may seem to many of our readers1 a large

 portion of the very best art of the    
present day is based upon principles    
which were derived from the works of    
,giotto and his immediate successors1   
and such men as ,millais1 ,holman ,hunt1
 ,rossetti1 and ,burne ,jones1 would    
never have painted as they have done1#b 
had it not been for the ,umbrian        
shepherd boy1 whose story we are about  
to tell4 ,the quality which they found  
in ,giotto's work1 of simple unswerving 
truth to the facts of nature and life1  
this it is which lies at the root of all
 their work1 this it is which they      
sought to find in vain in the pictures  
of later artists1 however superior such 
might be1 and were1 in beauty of form   
and refinement of colouring4 ,forced and
 eccentric as the work of the modern    
pre-,raphaelites at first seemed1 it was
 indubitably based upon a sound         
principle--the principle of painting    
what they saw1 and consequently what    
they believed in1 rather than what they 
might have seen4 ,they took up the      

theory that nature was essentially      
beautiful and1 carrying it a step       
further than was usual1 drew the        
conclusion that if they were absolutely 
faithful to nature1 their work could not
 be ugly4#c  ,it is hardly too much to  
say that this principle has gone far to 
effect as great a change in modern art  
as the practice of ,giotto effected in  
that of six hundred years ago4 ,even    
those artists who have been most        
antagonistic to the pre-,raphaelite     
movement1 as it is called1 have had     
their practice modified by it2 and      
though they have continued to uphold the
 necessity for following rules of art1  
conventionally graceful arrangement of  
line1 and contrasts of light and shade  
as the chief elements of pictorial      
beauty1 have still been forced by their 
antagonists into bringing their works   
more into accordance with natural fact4 
,upon this point1 however1 this is not  
the place to dwell2 it is sufficient to 
bear in mind that the influence of      

,giotto1 of which we have spoken1 is one
 which is even now modifying our art1   
and that therefore it will be no small  
help to the right understanding of      
present pictures and picture theories1  
to understand clearly what reform it was
 that ,giotto introduced into ,italian  
painting1 and how it comes about that   
after so long an interval of time his   
work has come to form a sort of rallying
 point for young ,english artists of our
 own day4  ,there is still another      
reason for dwelling upon the work of    
this old pre-,raphaelite painter2 which 
is1 that there is one considerable      
section of the ,english art-world who   
unite in declaring the essential and    
necessary superiority of the ,venetian  
and ,florentine painting1 say of the    
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries1 and  
in speaking in despairing terms of the  
hopeless ugliness of modern             
civilisation4 ,i often wonder whether   
those worthy elders1 had they lived in  
the times of ,giotto1 would not have    

referred in terms of despairing eulogy  
to the old ,roman mosaics of the fifth  
and sixth centuries1 and contrasted     
their beauty with the innovating        
tendency of the shepherd painter1 who   
actually inserted portraits of living   
people into his sacred pictures1 and    
vulgarised the most holy subjects by the
 insertion of personages who looked     
actually glad1 or surprised1 or sorry1  
just as they might have done in actual  
life6  ,but it surely is not the case   
that art alone1 of all the great        
influences of the world1 reached its    
apogee in the ,middle ,ages1 and that   
nothing henceforth remains for it but   
stagnation or decline4 ,can we believe  
that progress will go on in all else1   
and that art alone is doomed to stand   
still for ever1 like a sort of ,lot's   
wife1 looking backward to ,venice and   
,florence1 as she to ,sodom8 ,such      
cannot be the belief of those who hold  
that progress is not the result of an   
accidental conjunction of fortunate     

circumstances1 but rather that of an    
universal law of nature1 which ordains  
that we move for ever forward1 though   
the steps of our advance are rarely     
perceptible4 ,it is possible that all   
the older forms of art must die--as they
 seem to be dying now1 of inanition--ere
 the fuller art be born1 but            
nevertheless the fuller art must come in
 its season1 and whatever be its        
distinguishing characteristic1 this at  
least is certain1 that it will be more  
in unison with the facts of nature and  
life1 as we now know them1 than a       
reflection of the faded beauties of     
ancient story4 ,so that we are justified
 in looking with special interest upon  
the works of the man who first asserted 
the principle of the broad relation of  
art to life1 and painted legends of the 
,madonna1 or whatever were his subjects1
 not in the ancient symbolical manner1  
but as incidents that happened in the   
work-a-day world1 and were witnessed by 
spectators1 such as might have really   

existed1 some of whom were curious1 some
 scornful1 and some indifferent4        
,whatever changes art may undergo in the
 future1 our debt will be none the less 
to those who have made it such as we    
know it now1 to those early workers who 
struggled against difficulties and      
solved them for us1 and whose           
imperfections formed the groundwork of  
our fuller knowledge4 ,and chief of     
these1 as the first who introduced a    
rational and verifiable manner of       
painting1 is ,giotto ,bondone1 the pupil
 of ,cimabue1 who not only cast on one  
side the arbitrary forms of             
representation handed down from the     
,byzantine artists1 but1 as we have     
said1 introduced into his pictures the  
element of natural life1 and carrying   
his reform into the very heart of his   
subject1 adopted for his characters not 
only appropriate action and natural     
positions1 but made the whole picture   
tell a story of human life1 instead of  
making it a composition of more or less 

graceful lines and variegated colours4  
,this will be treated of in subsequent  
portions of this essay1 it is sufficient
 to say here that painters were not slow
 to follow the example thus set1 nor the
 public to appreciate the change4 ,it   
was so sudden and of such marked        
importance1 the advantages gained were  
so great1 that the new method of        
painting1 completely vanquished the     
traditional one1 even in the artist's   
own lifetime2 and with the whole weight 
of tradition1 and with the ,church's    
dislike to innovation to contend with1  
it succeeded in permanently establishing
 itself in public favour4  ,from the    
time of ,giotto's early manhood to the  
death of ,titian1 the history of        
painting is mainly the history of the   
principles which the former artist      
taught his pupils and exemplified in his
 works4  ,even in landscape painting1   
which was hardly if at all practised in 
his time1 the advance made by ,giotto   
was remarkable1 as he substituted for   

the ordinary conventional background1   
scenes in which nature was represented  
faithfully1 though with many            
shortcomings of perspective and errors  
of proportion such as were inevitable in
 a first attempt4 ,however1 for two     
hundred years afterwards the advance in 
landscape was very slight1#d and in some
 respects his designs of leaves and     
foliage1 especially some of those in the
 sculptures on the ,campanile at        
,florence1 are still worthy of our      
admiration for their fidelity1 no less  
than for their beauty4  ,and lastly1 to 
conclude this introductory chapter1 it  
may be worth while to attempt to answer 
the question of what analogy we can find
 between the work of ,giotto and that of
 the present day1 and what lessons we   
can derive from the former4 ,now that we
 have had our road cleared of the many  
difficulties that beset the old ,italian
 artist1 have we any left that he can   
teach us how to master1 and if so1 what 
are they8  ,the answer is a very simple 

one4 ,in his time art was suffering its 
restriction to a certain class of       
subjects1 the religious2 and a certain  
way of representing those subjects1 the 
conventional4 ,this restriction had     
engendered a purely formal and          
unemotional art1 and an almost total    
suppression in pictures of the elements 
of fancy and the realisation of natural 
fact4 ,in the present day1 as in the    
thirteenth century1 art suffers from    
restrictions1 the difference being1 that
 instead of being imposed from without1 
they are imposed from within1 or in     
other words1 they are developments from 
her own practice4 ,the effect of the    
great advance in art made in the        
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries has   
been to make modern artists look at     
nature in a particular way1 i4e41 in the
 manner in which the painters of that   
day originated2 and instead of aiming at
 beauty through truth to nature and     
life1 they rather aim at it through an  
imitation of the works of ,raphael and  

,titian4 ,the perfection of technique   
reached by those masters and their      
contemporaries1 has raised the          
admiration of all later painters to such
 a degree that they have exalted the    
methods of this ,renaissance painting   
into a religion1 and seek to find in the
 laws of chiaroscuro1 composition1      
balance1 and harmony of colour1 which   
they can deduce from the pictures of    
that period1 the source of the          
inspiration that renders those works    
immortal4 ,thus art is still in service1
 in service to itself2 it has but burst 
one set of fetters that it might gather 
the links of the broken chain to fasten 
them proudly round her4 ,no longer bound
 by superstition and formalism2 she is  
bound by bonds of her own making1 and   
falls down1 like ,narcissus of old1 in  
worship of her own fair face4 ,indeed   
the present error is really a deeper one
 than that which ,giotto vanquished1 for
 throughout all the degradation of art  
in the early centuries of the ,christian

 era1 there was one principle which had 
been clung fast to1 and that was1 that  
pictures should represent things worthy 
to be represented2 it is true that the  
range was narrowed and its treatment    
governed by rule1 but it may be doubted 
whether this was not preferable to our  
present indifference of what it is that 
is painted1 or whether anything should  
be painted at all4  ,for it must be     
noticed that many modern writers on art 
seem to hold1 and artists to exemplify1 
the principle1 that one subject is as   
good as another2 in fact1 that the      
treatment is everything1 the meaning of 
the work wholly subsidiary4 ,art no     
longer exists to depict worthily worthy 
things1 but rather like an sthetic      
,blondin balances itself solemnly on a  
tight-rope of its own construction1     
seeming to pride itself upon its removal
 from the vulgar crowd1 and moves onward
 with abstracted gaze1 heedless of the  
oft repeated cries of ,come down4  ,yet 
now1 as in the older centuries1 men     

sorrow and hope1 succeed and fail1 and  
woman's beauty is as fair1 and her heart
 as tender1 as under the ,italian       
sunshine six hundred years ago2 there   
may be at the present hour in the       
cottages of ,england1 as then mid the   
hills of ,vespignano1 peasants' children
 in whom the inspiration of art is      
struggling for utterance1 needing but   
the chance that ,cimabue gave to        
,giotto1 to give to mankind new lessons 
of beauty and truth4 ,in a word1 now as 
then1 the subjects of art and its power 
are the same as they have ever been1 and
 men have not ceased to be the same     
because the fashion of their dress is   
changed1 and they no longer display     
their emotions with the frank egotism of
 the ,middle ,ages4 ,and1 as has been   
said1 the history of ,giotto is the     
history of the man who first in painting
 gave expression to all the diverse     
emotions of men1 who refused to believe 
that traditional arrangements of line1  
and profuseness of colouring1 could be  

efficient substitutes for the vital     
facts of nature and life2 who taught    
that painting is but one of the means by
 which man speaks to man1 and that      
therefore the words it says are as      
important1 perhaps more so1 as the way  
in which they are said4 ,so ,i repeat   
the history of this old pre-,raphaelite 
is doubly important to us at this day1  
not only as the founder of the great    
schools of ,italian painting1 but as the
 energetic reformer in whose works our  
artists may find an exhortation to cast 
away formulas for facts1 and rely for   
the beauty and attractiveness of their  
pictures1 more upon their correspondence
 with nature1 than their subservience to
 artistic tradition4  ,,footnotes3  #a  
,this essay was originally written for1 
and will ultimately appear in1 the      
series of ,illustrated ,biographies of  
the ,great ,artists1 published by       
,messrs4 ,sampson ,low1 and ,co4  #b    
,see ,pre-,raphaelitism1 by ,john       
,ruskin4 #ahfb4  #c ,in this connection 

the following quotation from ,mr4       
,ruskin's description of the origin of  
,english pre-,raphaelitism may be found 
interesting4 ,he is here speaking of    
,messrs4 ,millais1 ,hunt1 and ,rossetti3
 ,pupils in the same schools receiving  
precisely the same instruction1 which   
for so long a time has paralysed every  
one of our painters2 these boys agree in
 disliking to copy the antique statues  
set before them4 ,they copy them as they
 are bid1 and they copy them better than
 anybody else2 they carry off prize     
after prize1 and yet they hate their    
work4 ,at last they are admitted to     
study from the life1 they find the life 
very different from the antique1 and    
they say so4 ,their teachers tell them  
the antique is the best1 and they must  
not copy the life4 ,they agree among    
themselves that they like the life and  
that copy it they will4 ,they do copy it
 faithfully1 and their masters forthwith
 declare them to be lost men4 ,their    
fellow-students hiss them whenever they 

enter the room4 ,they cannot help it1   
they join hands and tacitly resist both 
the hissing and the instruction4        
,accidentally a few prints of the works 
of ,giotto1 a few casts from that of    
,ghiberti1 fall into their hands1 and   
they see in them something which they   
never saw before2 something eternally   
and everlastingly true4  #d ,from       
,giotto's old age to the youth of       
,raphael the advance consists           
principally in two great steps3 the     
first1 that distant objects were more or
 less invested with a blue colour2 the  
second1 that trees were no longer       
painted with a black ground but with a  
rich dark brown1 or dark green          
one4--,john ,ruskin4     ,,chapter ,,ii4
  ,,art ,,in ,,italy ,,in ,,the         
,,thirteenth ,,century4   ,if we would  
gain a true and adequate conception of  
the works and merit of any painter1 it  
is necessary for us not only to examine 
his special productions1 but to become  
in some measure acquainted with the     

state in which art was during his time4 
,and not only is it necessary to take   
into account the actual amount of       
progress then manifested in one         
particular branch1 such as painting1 but
 to consider also the tendencies of the 
age1 if we would separate the influence 
exercised by the artist's work1 and     
define its true significance4 ,therefore
 readers will not think it irrelevant to
 the right telling and understanding of 
the life of ,giotto1 if they are first  
asked to consider for a short time the  
condition of art in the year #abgf2 and 
in order to thoroughly comprehend this  
condition1 we must for a moment carry   
our thoughts back a thousand years      
further still1 and think of those days  
when art and paganism flourished side by
 side in the ,grecian republic4  ,it    
would be difficult at any time1         
impossible in the short space at our    
disposal1 to explain the peculiar action
 and reaction of ,greek art upon ,greek 
religion2 we must content ourselves with

 noting the fact that the two were      
absolutely inseparable--that the        
religion owed its influence over men's  
minds in no small degree to the power of
 art1 is as indisputable as that art    
gained enormously in dignity and        
strength by being considered as the     
greatest exponent of religion1 and by   
all its most important achievements     
being consecrated to that service4 ,but 
if the ,greek art was on the one hand   
indissolubly connected with the national
 religion1 it was1 on the other1 no less
 connected with the national life4 ,if  
the wisdom of ,zeus1 the pride of ,juno1
 and the tenderness of ,venus ornamented
 one side of the amphora1 the struggles 
of the chase and the contests of the    
gymnasia adorned the other2 nor did it  
seem to the people that there was       
anything extraordinary in thus mingling 
the doings of their neighbours1 and the 
actions of their gods4 ,why6 their gods1
 after all1 were but neighbours of a    
higher order1 and had even been known to

 succumb to the craft or bravery of men4
 ,the barrier between seen and unseen   
scarcely existed2 but nature passed     
through almost imperceptible gradations1
 from the dryad of the woodland1 to the 
ruler of ,olympus4 ,had their religion1 
their art1 and their life stood apart1  
as1 unhappily1 religion1 art1 and life  
stand apart now1 the rise of            
,christianity could never have produced 
the withering effect upon all works of  
imagination which we know occurred2 for 
it could not have taken away1 at one    
blow1 both the motives and the subjects 
of art1 however it might have changed   
the mode of their representation2 nor   
would ,christianity have been opposed to
 it in like manner1 had it not clearly  
perceived that it was one of the great  
instruments in the hands of the pagan   
priests4 ,unable to pervert to spiritual
 conceptions an art whose only          
conception of spiritual things was the  
perfection of bodily ones1 ascetic      
,christianity had no choice but to      

discourage the practice of art          
altogether1 and this is what actually   
happened4 ,gradually as the study of the
 nude figure was abandoned1 the         
ignorance of the artists of the real    
outlines of the human form increased2   
and gradually1 as the first broad       
,christian theory of fellowship and     
brotherhood1 faded through the help of  
the priest into a stern1 asceticism1    
enforced by ,church tradition1 all      
representations of vigour and manly     
beauty were considered to verge upon the
 profane1 till at last we find in the   
work of the fifth to the tenth          
centuries1 an almost total absence of   
all study of either nature or man2 the  
former being totally disregarded1 the   
latter represented under rude types1    
which were repeated from age to age     
without variety or improvement4         
,splendour of material and colouring    
were made to atone for poverty of       
conception and absence of thought1 and  
the great art of those ages was one     

which the ,greeks had only considered   
worthy to decorate the floors of their  
palaces4 ,this art of mosaic1 which     
about the fourth century#e began to     
supersede painting in tempera and       
encaustic1 was peculiarly fitted to be  
the servant of asceticism4 ,in the      
course of its practice all the flowing  
lines of drapery became harsh and stiff1
 the limbs lost their suppleness and    
movement1 the face its expression and   
life1 and in fact the whole picture     
became less a representation of an      
occurrence1 than a type to recall some  
subject to the mind4 ,if we remember    
that many of the facts of the ,christian
 religion were such as almost to defy   
absolute representation1 we shall       
discover another reason for the adoption
 of this work4 ,it is to be noted that1 
according to ,pliny1 mosaic began to be 
in vogue in ,rome about #agj years      
before ,christ4 ,kugler asserts that    
this art was an invention of the        
,alexandrian age1 but in this he appears

 to be mistaken1 and it is more probable
 that the ,greeks received it from      
,persia and ,assyria 7through their gean
 colonies and the histories of          
,phoenician merchants71 in which        
countries the art seems to have been of 
great antiquity1#f ,the finest examples 
of these wall mosaics are to be found in
 ,rome and ,ravenna1 and1 at a later    
date1 in the decoration of ,st4 ,mark's1
 at ,venice1 to which we shall hereafter
 have occasion to refer4 ,another kind  
of art of great importance at this time 
was ,illumination1 the earliest traces  
of which are found towards the close of 
the second century1 when the present    
form of leaves sewn together at the back
 superseded the rollers which had been  
previously used4 ,the first             
embellishments were simple enlargements 
and variety of colouring in the letters2
 from this1 the advance to borders and  
illustrative designs was comparatively  
rapid4#g ,the earliest examples of      
importance remaining at the present day1

 are the ,dioscorides1 in the library at
 ,vienna1 and the ,virgil1 in the       
,vatican1 both of which are supposed to 
be of the fourth century4  ,the         
influence of tradition1 asceticism1 and 
sacerdotalism1 acted in a precisely     
similar way to restrain the art of      
illumination1 as it did to destroy that 
of painting and sculpture4 ,at first the
 ,byzantine school of illuminators      
greatly surpassed those of the ,western 
world1 but1 as ,humphreys says1 ,they   
belonged to a sinking and not a rising  
civilisation1 and we find them gradually
 deteriorating after the tenth century1 
and never originating a new style or    
gradually progressing to more intricate 
or beautiful treatment of their         
subjects1 but on the contrary1          
uninfluenced by the change and progress 
that was at work in ,western ,europe1   
they plodded on in the traditional      
track2 the ancient costume and the      
bright gold of their miniatures of the  
fifth century still continuing in       

practice to the later period of         
,byzantine illumination2 and even in the
 year #ahdf1 ,m4 ,papetie found the     
monks of ,mount ,athos decorating       
portions of their monastery with figures
 of the apostles and evangelists of the 
old approved pattern1 and painted on the
 traditional gold grounds1 the exact    
counterpart of those of the fifth       
century4#h  ,we have spoken of the      
,byzantine mosaic and illumination1 and 
have only to mention their architecture 
to complete our account1 for it must be 
remembered that almost every artistic   
impulse of these centuries was due      
either mediately or immediately to the  
influence of ,constantinople1 which1    
however stationary1 or even declining in
 its civilisation1 was yet the great    
centre of enlightenment4  ,it is quite  
impossible ,i believe to give in a few  
lines any description of the            
peculiarities of ,byzantine             
architecture1 dependent as that style   
was upon a combination of the ,grecian1 

,roman1 and ,arabian methods of         
building4 ,we know that one element in  
the style was the combination of the    
round dome with the ancient temple1 and 
that the shape and size of the building 
was in the first place determined by the
 necessities of its worship4 ,as is     
pointed out by ,professor ,brown1#i the 
,christian mode of worship required a   
style of building considerably different
 from the heathen temple4 ,instead of a 
mere sacristry for the priest1 the term 
at which the pomp of processions ended1 
and in the front of which1 under the    
vault of the sky1 sacrifices were       
performed1 shelter was now required for 
the multitude offering their prayers1   
according to ritual1 and receiving      
instruction from their pastors4 ,new    
places for sacred edifices were         
therefore required1 and those of great  
dimensions1 with ample space and        
superior accommodation within the       
interior4 ,the result of this demand led
 to the selection and adaptation of the 

most suitable buildings which were then 
available1 and these happened to be the 
ancient basilicas or halls of justice1  
of which1 as they are the origin of all 
,christian churches1 the following      
description may be interesting to some  
of my readers3#aj ,a basilica was a     
public edifice of the ancient ,romans1  
consisting of an oblong interior divided
 in its width into three divisions by   
two rows of columns4 ,at the upper end  
it had a large niche or tribune1 where  
courts of justice were held4 ,the       
basilica was a place of general resort1 
like an exchange of modern times4 ,these
 places also became to be used by the   
,christians for their place of meeting1 
and afterwards churches were built on   
the model of the basilic1 and the name  
of basilic is still affixed to the      
principal churches in ,rome4 ,to a      
building of this kind there was added a 
transept1 to give a cruciform shape2 and
 so the general plan of our churches    
came to be adopted4  ,if the exigencies 

of room and haste led to the            
transposition of these ancient exchanges
 into churches1 and fixed the form of   
the ,christian architecture of the      
future2 the zeal of the new faith also  
determined in no small measure the style
 of adornment of their interiors4 ,for1 
again1 the haste for their decoration   
was so great that the importation of    
marble from the quarries nearly twenty  
miles from ,rome was too slow a method  
for the ,christians to adopt1 and they  
immediately commenced the work of       
demolition among the classic edifices of
 antiquity erected by the pagan ,romans1
 chiefly for the value of the           
materials4#aa ,this was probably the    
origin of the method of incrustation1   
which forms such a remarkable feature in
 the ,byzantine architecture1 and indeed
 is1 according to ,ruskin1 its most     
typical feature4 ,the process of        
changing a basilica into a cathedral    
being somewhat akin to that of changing 
a barrack into a palace1 the rich       

materials had to be used as sparingly as
 possible1 in order to make them        
sufficient for the concealment of the   
original poverty of the structure1 and  
this naturally led to the blocks of     
marble being divided into thin slabs1 in
 order to gain as much surface          
decoration as possible1 and caused also 
the delicate proportions of symmetry and
 uniformity in the ,grecian temples to  
be neglected1 since the proportions had 
to be taken as they were found1 and made
 the best of4 ,if we then add to this   
first origin of the ,christian          
architecture1 the influences which were 
likely to attend upon its transference  
to the ,east1 we easily perceive how its
 more elaborate decorations and         
peculiarities arose4 ,the employment of 
coloured marbles1 which arose first from
 the necessity of making use of the     
scattered fragments of the ancient      
temples1 was continued1 through a love  
for the picturesqueness of the effect   
produced2 the elements of size1         

proportion1 and simplicity1 on which the
 structure of the ,grecian temples had  
been founded1 once lost sight of1 those 
of variety and intricacy took their     
place4 ,eastern magnificence covered the
 walls with gold and colours1 while the 
necessities of excluding the fierce     
sunshine of the ,east1 narrowed the     
windows1 and produced the chequered     
gloom1 through which the lustre of the  
golden crucifix1 and the silver lamp1   
alone shone clearly4 ,such was the rise 
of the ,byzantine architecture1 which1  
however lacking it may be in strictness 
of taste and correctness of method1 has 
always been powerful over men's minds to
 an almost unparalleled extent4#ab  ,and
 in this architecture and decoration    
everything was subordinated to the      
religious impression2 from its meanest  
detail1 to the very shape of the church 
itself1 everything was a type of the    
,christian faith and hope1 and was      
neither valuable nor precious1 save as  
the symbol of the unseen divinity4 ,it  

can be easily imagined how quickly art  
sank wholly under this influence1 and   
became the mere servant of the popular  
superstition4 ,as in ancient ,greece1 so
 in ,byzantium1 the priests used art for
 their great lever to move the          
imaginations of the people2 the         
difference being only that as the       
religion was of a different kind1 so was
 the art4 ,this world was a hospital2   
health and heaven were to come2#ac that 
was practically the belief of these     
early ages of the ,christian ,church4   
,it is indeed the theory of the ,church 
at the present day4 ,so art no longer   
sought to find her gods in an           
apotheothised humanity1 but substituted 
arbitrary types for the things          
unspeakable2 thus a hand reaching down  
from the sky typified the ,almighty2 a  
dove was the recognised symbol of the   
spirit1 and so on4#ad  ,and as the      
,church gradually encroached more and   
more upon the lives of the people1 and  
as with its increasing influence it     

asserted its supremacy on every domain  
of human life2 so it extended its power 
of repression upon the subjects as well 
as upon the methods of art4 ,not only   
was the barrier raised against all      
representations of bodily strength1     
grace1 and beauty1 but even in the      
delineation of sacred subjects1 the     
artist was forbidden to render them in  
any way human by using his powers of    
conception and modification4 ,hardly    
even was a variation of grouping or the 
introduction of a figure allowed in the 
treatment of the religious events2 and  
for hundreds of years ,st4 ,john and the
 ,virgin stood in the same attitude1 at 
the right and at the left hand of the   
cross1 and ,christ1 in the centre of the
 picture1 gazed upon the spectators with
 the placid eyes of divine power1 of    
which no agony could avail to dim the   
,godhead4 ,to the end of the eleventh   
century all expression of pain upon the 
face of the ,saviour was entirely       
absent1 absolutely forbidden by the     

priesthood4 ,he was depicted as standing
 upon the cross with erect head and     
widely open eyes1#ae and in aspect1 as  
,crowe says1 either erect or menacing4  
,while this spirit of representation    
continued1 it was manifestly impossible 
for art to improve4 ,all study of the   
nude discouraged1 if not forbidden1 all 
the worth of material beauty despised1  
all originality of conception sternly   
interdicted1 and all expression of human
 emotion considered as irreligious1 the 
unhappy painters had no opening left    
them for anything but slavish imitations
 of their predecessors4 ,it would take  
me too long to show how this            
anti-naturalism of the ,church came to  
be in some degree modified2 probably one
 of the chief causes was the recognition
 by the priesthood of the progressive   
tendency of the times1 and the          
consequent relaxation of the harsh      
restrictions which had fixed the limits 
of pictorial art4 ,in every age the     
essential principle of the ,catholic    

religion in its dealings with secular   
matters has been an adoption of the     
tendencies which it could not repress1  
and the endeavour to turn them to its   
own advancement4 ,it may well be that   
the growing naturalism of pictorial     
representation from the twelfth century 
to the end of the thirteenth was        
sanctioned by the ,church from this     
cause4 ,in any case1 during this period 
religious art took its first hesitating 
steps in the right direction4 ,slowly   
the crucifixes represented the ,saviour 
with downcast head and closed eyes1 and 
his body no longer stood erect upon the 
cross1 but swayed outward in the pain of
 death4  ,such was the state of painting
 at the beginning of the thirteenth     
century1 purely devoted to religious    
subjects1 and representing those        
subjects according to established       
forms--influenced chiefly by the        
traditions of ancient art which were    
received from the schools of ,byzantium1
 but fettered by those traditions being 

embodied in ,christian types1 and       
complicated by the introduction of      
,church symbolism4 ,thus1 for instance1 
in the treatment of the drapery in the  
mosaics executed at ,venice by the      
,greek1 ,apollonius1 something of the   
ancient manner may be observed through  
all the figures2 but the rigidity of the
 lines1 the meagreness of the bodies1   
and the lifelessness of the composition 
are entirely due to the influences of   
asceticism which prevailed in the early 
,church4  ,sculpture was in an identical
 position till the celebrated pulpit at 
,pisa was made by ,niccola ,pisano in   
#abfj2 in which the same imitation of   
the antique1 combined in a lesser degree
 with the restraining influences above  
mentioned1 forms a nearer approach to   
the ,gothic naturalism of ,giotto than  
we can trace elsewhere4 ,pisano's gift  
in design was a far lower one than      
,giotto's1 though he was much greater in
 sculptural skill1 for in his works the 
new element is not so much the rejection

 of tradition for the sake of nature1 as
 the partial rejection of ascetic       
religion for the sake of imitating the  
antique4 ,it is true that by this       
adherence to the form of ,grecian       
sculpture he far exceeds the works of   
his contemporaries and predecessors of  
the ,middle ,ages1 but that is only     
because the schools he imitated had     
studied nature so devotedly2 there is in
 his work much of the spirit of the     
antique1 but little of the spirit of    
nature on which the antique was founded4
 ,according to ,crowe1#af in the later  
work of ,niccola ,pisano there is a     
reference to natural models observable1 
but ,i have not seen the pulpit at      
,siena of which he is speaking2 and it  
is notable that there were several      
pupils of ,pisano engaged upon this     
work1 and that ,crowe admits that where 
the references to nature occur1         
precisely there is the master's ability 
least visible1 so it is at least        
possible that they may not have been the

 work of his own hand4 ,many other      
architects and sculptors of the         
thirteenth century there are2 but we    
cannot spare space to do more than      
mention their names4 ,arnolfo1 ,giovanni
 ,pisano1 ,fra ,guglielmo1 and the three
 ,florentines1 ,lapo1 ,donato1 and ,goro
 are the chief2 their doings are        
described by ,crowe in his chapter on   
the progress of sculpture in the first  
volume of the ,history of ,painting in  
,italy1 in which there is a full        
description of the manner of each1 and  
an examination of the questionable      
statements of ,vasari concerning them4  
,what is interesting with regard to the 
subject of our biography in respect of  
these sculptors is1 that they were the  
forerunners of that revival of the study
 of nature1 in which he subsequently    
played the most important part4 ,it does
 not appear to me that they actually    
attempted1 as is asserted by ,crowe1 to 
graft on the imitation of the antique a 
study of nature1 but rather that their  

imperfect naturalism arose from a       
misrepresentation of the antique work1  
and an almost total rejection of the    
,byzantine formalism4 ,it is a curious  
example of ,ruskin's dictum that the    
energy of growth in any people may be   
almost directly measured by their       
passion for sculpture or the drama1 that
 just at the time when ,italy was       
beginning that splendid forward movement
 which crowned1 with a blaze of light1  
the dark mountain of the ,middle ,ages2 
just then sculpture should have as it   
were leapt into full life after a sleep 
of nearly a thousand years4  ,according 
to ,lanzi#ag the improvement of mosaic  
followed that of sculpture1 and a       
,franciscan friar named ,fra ,jacopo    
,torriti1 surpassed all the contemporary
 ,greek and ,roman workers in mosaics4  
,on examining what remains of his works 
at ,santa ,maria ,maggiore at ,rome1 one
 can hardly believe that it is the      
production of so rude an age1 did not   
history compel us to believe it4 ,it    

appears probable that he took the       
ancients for his models1 and deduced his
 rules from the more chaste specimens of
 mosaic still remaining in several of   
the ,roman churches1 the design of which
 is less crude1 the attitudes less      
forced1 and the composition more        
skilful1 than were exhibited by the     
,greeks who ornamented the church of    
,san ,marco at ,venice4 ,mino surpassed 
them in everything4 ,from #abbe when he 
executed1 however feebly1 the mosaic of 
the tribune of the church of ,san       
,giovanni at ,florence1 he was          
considered at the head of living artists
 in mosaic4 ,he merited this praise much
 more by his works at ,rome2 and it     
appears that he long maintained his     
reputation4  ,there is no doubt that the
 art of mosaic was in full practice in  
,italy at this period1 and was not1 as  
has been supposed1 confined to the      
,greeks4 ,there is a curious passage in 
the work of the ,abb ,montfaucon#ah who 
made an extensive tour through ,italy in

 #afie1 to the effect that in the       
cathedral of ,spoleto above the front   
entrance1 he saw a piece of mosaic work 
made in the year #abjg1 with the        
following inscription3--       ,hic est 
pictura quam fecit sat placitura1       
,doctor ,solfernus hac summo in arte    
modernus4      ,annis inventis cum      
septem mille ducentis      ,operarij    
,palmenus1 c41 c4  ,translation of the  
above inscription--       ,this picture1
 which will please well1 was made by    
,doctor      ,solfernus1 the ablest of  
the moderns in this art1 in the year    
#abjg4 ,the workmen were ,palmenies1 c41
 c4  ,i can find no other record of this
 ,doctor ,solfernus1 but there can be   
little doubt that the art was at this   
time generally known throughout ,italy4 
,we need not pause here to examine the  
question of whether ,kugler is right in 
asserting that towards the close of the 
ninth century the art of mosaic had     
almost ceased in ,italy2 that it had    
done so at ,rome appears certain2 but at

 ,venice1 and also in southern ,italy   
and ,sicily1 the art1 if discontinued1  
was soon revived by the importation of  
,greek artists1 and continued in full   
practice from the eleventh to the end of
 the fifteenth century1 when it may be  
considered to have received its         
death-blow from the hand of oil         
painting4#ai ,it may1 ,i think1 be      
assumed that the arts of mosaic and     
painting were carried on at ,rome during
 the tenth century1 but were probably in
 a very declining state1 and were quite 
superseded by the superior skill of the 
,greek artists4  ,there was a school of 
painting at ,pisa as early1 according to
 ,lanzi1 as the beginning of the twelfth
 century1 and he gives an account of a  
parchment containing the exultet1 as    
usually sung upon ,sabbato ,santo       
7which7 is in the cathedral1 and we may 
here and there observe painted on it    
figures in miniature with plants and    
animals3 it is a relique of the early   
part of the twelfth century1 yet a      

specimen of art not altogether          
barbarous4 ,there are likewise some     
other paintings of that century in the  
same cathedral1 containing figures of   
our ,lady1 with the ,holy ,infant on her
 right arm3 they are rude1 but the      
progress of the same school may be      
traced from them to the time of ,giunta4
 ,we may notice that ,crowe and         
,cavalcaselle give the eleventh century 
as the date of the earliest pictures    
7crucifixes7 at ,pisa1 but their only   
authority for this is the negative one  
of the ,saviour's upright position1     
which1 as we have mentioned above1 was  
always observed up to the eleventh      
century4 ,there is1 however1 no         
sufficient ground for believing that    
after this date the erect position was  
invariably departed from4 ,giunta of    
,pisa painted in the first half of the  
thirteenth century1 and was the best of 
the ,pisan school as far as is at       
present known4 ,it is1 however1 supposed
 by some who are most conversant with   

early ,italian painting1 that this      
school subsequently developed some great
 artists whose works are still to be    
seen1 though their names have           
unfortunately perished2 this would1     
however1 be denied by ,cavalcaselle4  ,i
 have spoken as shortly as ,i could of  
the sort of art in painting1 mosaic1 and
 sculpture which preceded ,giotto2 but  
before ,i close this very imperfect1 and
 ,i fear confused and tedious1          
historical sketch1 there is one other   
source of artistic influence which ,i   
must briefly mention1 that is the       
influence of the ,lombardic architecture
 of the twelfth century1 which is seen  
to the greatest perfection in the cities
 of northern ,italy1 and which ,mr4     
,ruskin once asserted to be the root of 
all the medival art of ,italy--without  
which no ,giottos1 no ,angelicos1 and no
 ,raphaels would have been possible4    
,the influence of this architecture upon
 ,giotto1 and his intense liking for it1
 is evident from the frequency with     

which he introduced it into the         
frescoes4  ,the ,lombardic is the       
development in the ,west of the         
,romanesque architecture1 whose leading 
feature was the round arch2 it is the   
,byzantine style1 without some of its   
,eastern characteristics1 but with other
 peculiarities derived from ,western    
sources4  ,perhaps its most special     
feature1 the one in which it has been   
without a rival in any bygone age1 and  
is without a rival still1 is in the     
decorative use of brick and terra-cotta4
 ,the very name has reference to this1  
for in the great plains of ,lombardy    
where there is little stone1 clay was   
naturally used as far as it possibly    
could be1 to supply its place2 and      
mouldings and statues which would have  
been carved from the solid stone or     
marble under more favourable            
circumstances1 were here moulded out of 
brick4 ,hence arose a style which1 as it
 could not depend upon the richness of  
its material1 or the difficulty of its  

workmanship1 could gain its only reward 
from its delicacy of invention and grace
 of design1 and in which the actual     
building of its sculptured tiles formed 
no inconsiderable part4 ,this elevation 
of an ignoble material into value and   
dignity was1 as ,grner says1 actually   
effected in the ,lombardic churches1 and
 to them belongs that subtle charm which
 we involuntarily experience on         
discovering the perfect adaptation of   
simple things to great uses4 ,though    
nowhere carried to such perfection as by
 the ,lombards of the twelfth century1  
this decorative use of brick was by no  
means a discovery of the more modern    
times1 as we see from the following     
extract from ,thomas ,hope's ,historical
 ,essay on ,architecture3--,the ancient 
,romans wherever they found clay more   
abundant or easier to work than stone1  
used it plentifully1 both in regular    
layers throughout the body of the walls 
as we do1 and in an external reticulated
 coating1 which has proved to be as     

durable as stone itself1 from the       
fineness of its texture and the firmness
 of its joints4 ,indeed far from        
considering brick as a material fit only
 for the coarsest and most indispensable
 groundwork of architecture1 they       
regarded it as equally adapted for all  
the elegances of ornamental form--all   
the details of rich architraves1        
capitals1 friezes1 cornices1 and other  
embellishments4 ,sometimes it owed to   
the mould its various forms1 and at     
others1 as in the ,amphitheatrum        
,castrense1 and the temple of the god   
,ridiculus1 to the chisel4#bj  ,i almost
 despair of conveying an idea of the    
peculiarities of this architecture to   
those who have never seen any examples  
of it1 its chief elements being those of
 simplicity and intricacy1 solidity and 
lightness2 it appearing1 in fact1 to be 
a mass of contradictions4 ,its          
,byzantine origin1 or rather the        
influence on it at some time of         
,byzantine art1 is clearly perceptible  

in the variety of colour which is       
employed2 yellow1 and white1 and red1   
and green1 and black tiles and bricks   
being used alternately1 with the utmost 
skill and the greatest variety of       
effect4 ,but it is to the varieties of  
tower and cupola and dome that          
,lombardic architecture shows its most  
distinctive character2 every combination
 of round arch vaulting with square1    
hexagonal1 or circular towers1 was used 
by them with a boldness1 and a disregard
 of convention for which ,i know no     
parallel4 ,and the result justified     
their daring4  ,constructed first simply
 on the model of the old ,roman         
basilica1 then modified and extended by 
the influence of the art which ,greek   
workmen brought from ,constantinople1   
combining the fancy of the ,arab1 the   
roughness of the ,goth1 and the         
formalism of the ,greek1 this           
architecture grew from the seventh to   
the twelfth centuries1 like a flower or 
tree1 rejecting none of the influences  

with which it was surrounded4 ,it may be
 possible1 ,i have no doubt it is1 for  
those who are skilled in the science of 
architecture1 to discover the elements  
of a correct uniform style in these     
,lombardic buildings2 but ,i confess    
that to me it seems but as the result of
 people who were prepared to make use of
 anything that came in their way1 and   
had never formulated a method of        
building at all4 ,the ,roman arch1 the  
,byzantine dome1 the ,arabian minaret1  
the square tower1 the mosque1 the       
basilica1 and the temple1 were all      
mingled here in a confusion of detail1  
which was yet executed with the utmost  
simplicity1 we had almost said poverty1 
of material1 and of which it is         
difficult to say whether the first      
impression produced1 is wonder at the   
variety1 indignation at the             
eccentricity1 or delight at the effect  
of the whole building4#ba  ,i have now  
touched on the chief sources of artistic
 influence in ,italy towards the middle 

of the thirteenth century1 which1       
briefly summed up1 are these--an art of 
painting which had become little more   
than a handicraft1 carried on in ,rome  
after the recipes of long perished      
masters1 and in other parts of ,italy   
either dormant1 or kept alive only by   
such men as ,giunta of ,pisa1 and the   
pupils of the ,greek artists2 an art of 
mosaic work which also owed its chief1  
if not its only1 importance1 to         
,byzantine workmen1 and which was even  
then engaged in decorating the shrine of
 ,st4 ,mark at ,venice1 with ,grecian   
designs4 ,in sculpture1 the ,pisani1    
father and son1 and their pupils and    
fellow workers1 trying to revive        
classicalism as a barrier against the   
false state of religious art1 but       
failing to see that1 after all1 the     
strength of the ancients lay not in     
their ideal1 but in their real          
perfection of nature--and so losing     
itself in the wilds of imitative and    
traditional art2 and lastly1 there were 

flourishing in ,italy1 two great schools
 of architecture closely allied1 the    
,byzantine and the ,lombard1 and        
gradually spreading was a third school  
destined to destroy them both1 which we 
have nicknamed ,gothic4 ,try to realise 
the artistic state of the country       
amongst this medley of dead and dying   
styles1 with the whole influence of the 
classic past in favour of the           
traditional mode of painting and        
sculpture1 and the whole strength of the
 priesthood arrayed against any attempt 
to make fresh inroads upon the sacred   
realm of ,church symbolism and          
scriptural formalism2 the ,church still 
holding fast to the ascetic theory as   
the one saving grace1 perhaps even the  
more strongly1 because the ascetic      
practice had become a thing of the past4
  ,,footnotes3  #e ,see ,kugler's       
,handbook of ,painting1 edited by ,lady 
,eastlake1 #ahgd1 pp4 #ag and #ah1 for a
 description of the origin of mosaic    
art4  #f ,for origin of mosaic work see 

,pliny xxv41 xxxiii41 xxxv4 ,see also   
the ,iconographic ,encyclopdia1 by      
,heck1 translated from the ,german by   
,spencer ,f4 ,baird1 ,new ,york1 #ahea1 
vol4 ii4 p4 #gg1 c41 and ,fosbroke's    
,cyclopdia of ,antiquities1 #ahdj4  #g  
,see ,art of ,illumination1 #ahdd1 and  
,illuminated ,books of the ,middle      
,ages1 #ahdi4 ,by ,henry ,noel          
,humphreys4  #h ,for more on this       
subject see the ,nouveau ,trait de      
,diplomatie of the ,benedictines4  #i   
,brown's ,sacred ,architecture1 #ahde1  
pp4 #bd1 #be4  #aj ,brown's ,sacred     
,architecture1 #ahde4  #aa ,cadell's    
,italy1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cci4  #ab ,for a   
very interesting description of this    
feature in ,byzantine work see ,the     
,stones of ,venice1 by ,john ,ruskin1   
vol4 ii4  #ac ,ruskin's ,crown of ,wild 
,olive1 ,introduction4  #ad ,for an     
account of ,christian ,symbolism1 see   
,mrs4 ,jameson's ,sacred and ,legendary 
,art4  #ae ,see ,a ,new ,history of     
,painting in ,italy4 ,by ,j4 ,a4 ,crowe 

and ,g4 ,b4 ,cavalcaselle1 #ahfd2 vol4  
i4 chap4 #d4  #af ,lord ,lindsay1 in his
 ,history of ,christian ,art1 asserts   
that in painting1 the schools of        
,giotto1 ,siena1 and ,bologna spring    
immediately from the work of ,niccola   
,pisano4 ,vol4 ii41 p4 #aac4 ,see1 for  
an account of his pupils1 pages #aae et 
seq4 of vol4 ii4  #ag ,history of       
,painting in ,italy1 vol4 i4 p4 #i2     
,roscoe's translation1 #ahbh4  #ah ,see 
,the ,antiquities of ,italy1 translated 
from the original ,latin of ,bernard de 
,montfaucon4 ,london1 #agbe4  #ai ,for a
 full discussion of this question see   
,kugler's ,handbook of ,painting1       
,italian ,schools1 vol4 i4 pp4 #dc et   
seq4  #bj ,for an interesting account of
 building in terra-cotta1 and the       
various operations of drying1 baking the
 tiles1 c41 see ,grner's ,terra-,cotta  
,architecture of ,italy4 ,introductory  
,essay4 #ahfg4  #ba ,see also chapter   
xxii4 of ,hope's ,historical ,essay on  
,architecture4     ,,chapter ,,iii4     

,,fresco ,,painting4       ,ascend the  
right stair from the further nave       
,to muse in a small chapel scarcely lit 
,by ,cimabue's ,virgin4 ,bright and     
brave        ,that picture was          
accounted1 mark1 of old2      ,a king   
stood bare before its sovran grace1     
,a reverent people shouted to behold    
,the picture1 not the king1 and even the
 place        ,containing such a miracle
 grew bold4       --,,mrs4 ,,barrett    
,,browning4   ,as we shall have         
occasion1 in the following pages1 to    
speak of fresco1 secco1 and tempera1 as 
distinguished from oil painting1 it will
 be wise to try and understand clearly  
what these methods of work are1 and in  
what respects they differ from1 exceed1 
or fall short of1 the modern practice4  
,tempera#bb is the old name for any     
vehicle used in painting4 ,the two great
 divisions of painting in the ,middle   
,ages were fresco and secco2 shortly put
 fresco1 meaning the painting on walls  
when the plaster was wet2 secco1 the    

painting when it was dry4 ,in fresco    
painting no vehicle was used but water2 
in secco painting a tempera was used    
composed of white and yolk of egg4      
,thus1 in ,cennino ,cennini's ,treatise 
on ,painting1 written in #adcg1bc he    
says3--,two sorts are good1 but one is  
better than the other4 ,the first       
tempera consists in the white and yolk  
of an egg into which are put some       
cuttings from the top of a fig-tree2    
beat them well together1 then add some  
of this tempera1 and not in too great   
quantity1 to each of the vases 7of      
colour71 as if you were diluting them   
with water4 ,the second kind of tempera 
is the yolk of the egg only1 and you    
must know that this tempera is of       
universal application on walls1 on      
pictures1 and in fresco1 and you cannot 
use too much of it1 but it would be wise
 to take a middle course4  ,it is to be 
noted that in his instructions for      
colouring in fresco1 ,cennini is very   
particular to state several times that  

no vehicle is to be used except water4  
,all frescoes at this time were         
re-touched in secco1 with temperas such 
as above described2 the fresco seems to 
have been somewhat similar to the first 
painting in oil1 and to have received   
all its more minute details from the    
subsequent work in secco4 ,this was     
almost inevitably the case1 as from the 
haste with which large spaces of the    
wall had to be covered1 there could     
hardly be time to put in much detail1   
besides1 many of the colours employed   
could not be used in fresco1#bd though  
all were used to finish works originally
 painted in fresco4 ,secco had an       
especial province of its own2 all       
pictures1 as distinguished from wall    
paintings1 being executed in it4 ,it    
must be remembered that in the time of  
,giotto the use of canvas was not yet   
introduced1 and all small designs were  
painted upon linen cloths1 stretched    
tightly over the surface of a smooth    
panel1 and covered with coats of plaster

 carefully trimmed2#be the next step in 
the preparation of the ground was to    
substitute parchment stretched over wood
 for the prepared linen4  ,it must be   
noticed that from the time of ,cennini  
to that of ,raphael1 the practice of    
completing the fresco in secco grew     
gradually to be considered as a mark of 
an inferior artist1 though it was never 
wholly discontinued 7according to ,mrs4 
,merrifield's treatise71 except by a few
 very expert artists1 formed chiefly in 
the school of the ,carracci4 ,it is     
perhaps not always borne in mind by     
those unacquainted with painting1 that  
the range of colouring in fresco is     
strictly limited2 no colours being      
employed in it by the early ,italians   
except such as were natural1 and nearly 
all the more brilliant colours are      
artificial1 such1 for instance1 as lake1
 vermilion1 azure4 ,the blues were more 
fugitive than any other hues1 and in    
many cases have wholly disappeared1     
turned green or black1 or flaked off    

from the surface of the walls4  ,thus it
 will be clearly understood that the    
difference between painting in fresco   
and painting in secco1 or 7as it is more
 commonly called7 in distemper1 lies in 
two things1 the kind of vehicle         
employed--water in the first1 and glue  
of some sort 7chiefly of egg7 in the    
second method2 and in the nature of the 
colours used1 the first being restricted
 to tints comparatively simple and      
elementary1 the second able to make use 
of the most elaborate colours           
obtainable4 ,the first method is        
eminently suited to the expression of   
great thoughts in simple language1 the  
second is more adapted to give pleasure1
 from the exquisiteness of the colours  
employed1 and the skill with which the  
details are elaborated4 ,the latter is  
the painting of the studio2 the former  
the painting of the church1 the palace1 
or the market-place4 ,i do not think    
this difference is sufficiently         
understood in the present day2 it does  

not appear as if painters had grasped   
the fact that the greatest strength of  
fresco lay in its emancipation from all 
the necessities of minute detail and    
careful elaboration2 a freedom gained by
 the nature of the material4 ,it is not 
that in itself this freedom is a good   
thing1 but that it affords the artist a 
means of expression which he can hardly 
gain through the medium of painting in  
oil4 ,in much the same way as a modern  
dining-room1 however perfect in its     
decoration and gorgeous in its          
upholstery1 can never give us the same  
effect as the rough pillars of some     
ruined temple2 so does the comparative  
rough sublimity of fresco afford to a   
true artist a means of expressing great 
thoughts and lofty ideas in a           
comparatively facile manner4 ,for it    
must be remembered he has not only      
spaces to decorate of a size            
commensurate with his subject1 be it    
ever so important1 but he has hardly to 
do more than to express his great       

thought clearly1 and all small details  
are lost in the splendour of his        
conception4 ,this is the real power of  
size in painting2 a large picture1 if it
 be not finished with the care of a     
small one1 needs to be a representation 
of some thought which gains in grandeur 
from the size of its canvas2 there can  
be no justification for covering ten    
feet square with the representation of  
an incident of no particular importance1
 or a scene of no particular beauty2 for
 with every added foot of space which   
the artist takes up1 he really makes an 
added claim to importance1 and a subject
 which might have been of sufficient    
interest to have justified a painting on
 a minute scale1 does but betray its    
insignificance when delineated on a     
large one4 ,the whole of art being but  
the nicest possible adaptation of means 
to ends1 it rightly shocks and repels us
 when we find an artist wilfully        
violating these conditions1 and1 in     
order to appear of greater importance in

 our eyes1 making what might be a       
tolerable molehill1 into a very         
indifferent mountain4 ,this was very    
clearly seen by the old ,italian        
masters1 who almost invariably chose    
fresco as the medium for their most     
important works1 assigning to oil       
painting a lower province4  ,in         
connection with this subject the        
following quotation of ,michelangelo's  
opinion may be interesting3--,quand il  
fut question de peindre dans la         
,chapelle ,sextine1 le frre ,sebastiano1
 peintre ,vnitienne1 conseiller de le   
,pape1 de forcer ,michel ,ange  le faire
  l'huile1 et la mur fut prpar  cet     
effet4 ,le grand homme arrive1 et fait  
degrader cet apprt1 disait firement que 
la peinture  l'huile n'tait bonne que   
pour les dames1 les personnes lentes1 et
 qui se pique l'adresse1 tels que le    
frre ,sebastiano2 et l'ouvrage fut fait 
fresque1 parce que  genre de peinture   
mprise cette attention  manoeuvre2 vain 
merite qui est perdu pour elle4 ,la     

touche disparait dans l'enduit qui la   
dvore1 elle n'occupe pas l'me du grand  
artiste1 qui alors tout entire aux      
caractres1 aux formes1 aux expressions1 
et  la saillie des corps4 ,son got ne se
 manifeste pas sans science1 sa main ne 
s'occupe que d'exprience1 et il se livre
 tout entier  cette tche difficile--la  
seule digne de lui4 ,s'il la remplie1 la
 spectateur est transport1 et comme     
l'auteur1 il va cherche rien au-del4#bf 
,we cannot stay to define the limits1   
within which it seems to us that this is
 a correct expression of the merits of  
fresco1 but that it is in the main true 
is indisputable1 and it is impossible to
 tell the good effect which might be    
produced upon the art of the present    
day1 by encouraging our young painters  
to work in fresco1 simply requiring of  
them that they should have something to 
say1 and say it clearly4 ,no theories as
 to the production of a great school of 
painting1 will1 ,i think1 be able to map
 out a better means of attaining good   

art1 than this simple one of making     
clear expression of a great subject the 
first object4 ,curiously enough1 the    
only ,english artist who seems          
thoroughly to have understood the great 
scope of fresco painting was ,fuseli1   
and in his lectures at the ,royal       
,academy may be found a clear and       
enthusiastic exposition of this method4 
,,footnotes3  #bb ,though frequently    
wrongly used as synonymous with secco4  
#bc ,recent researches by ,signors      
,gaetano and ,carlo ,milanesi           
7,florence1 #ahei7 prove this date1     
which is given by ,tambroni and in ,mrs4
 ,merrifield's translation1 to be only  
that of the copy of the original ,,ms4  
,cennini's work was originally written  
in all probability at least ten years   
earlier4  #bd ,in fresco some colours   
cannot be used1 as artiemen1 cinnabar1  
azuno della magna1 mina1 biucca1        
verdesume1 and lacca4--,cennini4  #be   
,according to ,mrs4 ,jameson1 ,lives of 
the ,painters1 p4 #h1 all movable       

pictures were1 up to #addj1 painted on  
panels of prepared wood2 an evident     
mistake1 made from a superficial        
examination of the back of the pictures4
  #bf ,encyclopdie ,mthodique4 ,paris1  
#aghh4     ,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,cimabue4  
,i say ',consider it' in vain2 you      
cannot consider it1 for you      cannot 
conceive the sickness of heart with     
which a young      painter of deep      
feeling toils through his first         
obscurity2 his      sense of the strong 
voice within him1 which you will not    
hear2      his vain1 fond wondering     
witness to the things you will not      
see2 his far away perception of things  
that he could accomplish      if he had 
but peace and time1 all unapproachable1 
and all      vanishing from him1 because
 no one will leave him peace1 or        
grant him time4--,,john ,,ruskin1       
,political ,economy of ,art4   ,look    
back six hundred and forty years1 and   
linger in fancy by the side of the      
,arno1 where ,florence in the height of 

her power and beauty1 stood then as now1
 and you may hear the joy-bells ringing 
across the swift river for the birth of 
one of her proudest sons4 ,thirty years 
more1 and the whole city will rise in   
procession to honour him1 and bear his  
work in triumph to the quiet church of  
,st4 ,mary2 and six hundred years later1
 the representation of that honour will 
hang on the walls of an ,english        
gallery2 and people will talk1 question1
 and whisper about ,the ,cimabue        
,procession4 ,they may well admire it   
and ask its meaning2 for to the painter 
it commemorated we owe the art of       
,england as surely1 as that to ,leighton
 we owe the picture which represents the
 old master's triumph4  ,in two ways are
 we indebted to ,cimabue for the        
emancipation of painting2 first1 for the
 work which he did himself accomplish2  
and second and in chief1 for his        
discovery and education of the shepherd 
boy1 whose fame was ultimately to       
eclipse his own4#bg ,i say that the     

master's fame was to be eclipsed by his 
pupil1 but that must be taken with one  
most important reservation4 ,however    
much we may be convinced of ,giotto's   
superiority1 we are always forced to    
bear in mind the fact1 that had it not  
been for ,cimabue1 that superiority     
would in all probability never have been
 known4 ,differing in the particulars of
 the story1 all the accounts of         
,giotto's early life agree in this      
important fact1 that it was ,cimabue who
 discovered his early talent1 who       
persuaded his father to let him enter   
his profession1 and who educated him as 
a painter at his own expense1 from the  
time that he was ten years old4 ,is not 
this a greater monument to ,cimabue's   
name1 than any amount of ,madonnas      
carried in triumph through the street of
 gladness8 ,rightly understood1 is it   
not even a surer testimony to the fact  
of his being a true artist2 for does it 
not prove that the painter had more     
devotion to his art than his fame8 ,to  

see in a youth1 poor and unknown1 the   
signs of genius1 greater perhaps than   
your own1 to take him from his          
obscurity1 and to instruct his          
ignorance1 careless of the effect which 
may be thereby produced upon your own   
reputation1 and finally to stand aside  
while he wins the honour which is his   
due1 but which nevertheless would have  
fallen to your share1 had it not been   
for your own action2 this seems to me as
 great a sacrifice of petty pride1 and  
as great a triumph over natural         
selfishness1 as can well be conceived4  
,and this is what ,cimabue did1 urged by
 no duty1 and without possible reward1  
save that of doing his best for his art 
and his pupil4 ,we owe him then a double
 debt3 for his own work in loosening the
 bonds of tradition1 and for the        
instruction of the artist whose         
paintings and sculptures were to        
inaugurate the real methods of art1 and 
extend its province1 from the mere      
exponent of religious legend to the     

representation of the passions of       
humanity and the beauty of nature4      
,what little is known of the life of    
,cimabue we can give in a very few      
words4 ,even ,vasari1 garrulous as he   
is1 has little more to tell us1 than    
that he lived1 painted certain pictures1
 received certain honours1 had a pupil  
called ,giotto1 whose fame eclipsed his 
own1 and died4  ,in the year #abdj      
,giovanni ,cimabue1 of the noble family 
of that name was born at ,florence1 to  
give the first light to the art of      
painting4 ,then follows the account of  
his ,greek instruction in the art of    
painting1 which is doubted for various  
reasons by most modern authorities1     
chiefly1 it appears because ,vasari has 
made him paint in the chapel of the     
,gondi1 which was not built at that     
time4 ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle however  
do not give any other explanation of    
,cimabue's teaching2 and ,lindsay says  
he painted in the subterranean church   
under the instruction of the ,greeks2   

while ,lanzi1 in the ,history of        
,painting1 suggests that the paintings  
of the ,greeks who are supposed to have 
instructed ,cimabue1 may be seen in the 
chapels of the old church beneath the   
sacristy of ,s4 ,maria ,novella4  ,the  
point1 however1 is of little importance4
 ,after painting various works at       
,florence and ,pisa1 all of which have  
now perished1 he was invited to help in 
the decoration of the church at ,assisi4
 ,according to ,vasari1 he there painted
 in both the upper and lower churches1  
but1 with some few exceptions1 little of
 these frescoes remain2 and the whole   
question as to the authorship of the    
five remaining frescoes in these        
churches has long been a favourite      
battle-ground for critics4 ,vasari1     
,lanzi1 ,rumohr1 ,eastlake1 ,crowe and  
,cavalcaselle1 and many others having   
all theories more or less inconsistent  
with one another4 ,i shall content      
myself with noticing the chief theories 
on the subject when ,i speak later on of

 the work of ,giotto at ,assisi4 ,after 
this1 ,cimabue returned to ,florence1   
and executed his great panel1 the       
,virgin ,enthroned1 a picture of        
colossal size1 which was placed in the  
church of ,s4 ,maria ,novella2 this was 
the work which was carried through the  
city by a triumphant procession of the  
people4 ,it is further reported1 and may
 be read in certain records of old      
painters1 that whilst ,cimabue was      
painting this picture in a garden near  
the gate of ,s4 ,pietro1 ,king ,charles 
the ,elder of ,anjou passed through     
,florence1 and the authorities of the   
city1 among other marks of respect1     
conducted him to see the picture of     
,cimabue4 ,when this work was thus shown
 to the ,king it had not before been    
seen by any one2 wherefore all the men  
and women of ,florence hastened in great
 crowds to admire it1 making all        
possible demonstrations of delight4 ,the
 inhabitants of the neighbourhood1      
rejoicing in this occurrence1 ever      

afterwards called that place ,borgo     
,allegri1 and this name it has ever     
since retained1 although in process of  
time it became enclosed within the walls
 of the city4#bh  ,vasari has little to 
tell us of the incidents of ,cimabue's  
life1 nor can ,i find any other records 
likely to be authentic1 which have      
fuller details4 ,in a short time after  
the execution of this ,madonna1 the     
artist was appointed to superintend the 
building of ,santa ,maria del ,fiore1 in
 conjunction with a celebrated          
architect1 ,arnolfo ,lapo1 and he died1 
whilst the building was still           
unfinished1 at the age of sixty4#bi ,if 
he adopted ,giotto in #abhf1 i4e4 when  
the latter was ten years of age 7the    
time given by most of the authorities71 
his pupil must1 according to the time   
given by ,cennini1 have just finished   
his novitiate when his master died2 as1 
in his treatise on painting1 that author
 gives thirteen years as the time in    
which the art of painting can be        

acquired4 ,as it may well be that       
amongst my readers there be some who are
 desirous of knowing the shortest time  
in which it is possible to learn to     
paint1 ,i will quote the words of the   
treatise4 ,they may perchance aid       
amateurs to think a little more justly  
of what the mechanical difficulties of  
painting were1 even in the rude days of 
early pre-,raphaelitism3--              
,illustration3 ,,the ,,madonna          
,,enthroned4 ,,by ,,cimabue4    ,in the 
,rucellai ,chapel1 ,s4 ,maria ,novella1 
,florence4  ,know that you cannot learn 
to paint in less time than that which ,i
 shall name to you4 ,in the first place 
you must study drawing for at least one 
year1 then you must remain with a master
 at the workshop for the space of six   
years1 at least1 that you may learn all 
the parts and members of the art2 to    
grind colours1 to boil down glues1 to   
grind plaster 7gesso71 to acquire the   
practice of laying grounds on pictures1 
to work in relief1 and to scrape 7or    

smooth7 the surface1 and to gild2       
afterwards to practise colouring1 to    
adorn with mordants1 paint cloths of    
gold1 and paint on walls for six more   
years1 drawing without intermission on  
holy days and work days4 ,and by this   
means you will acquire great experience4
 ,if you do otherwise you will never    
attain perfection4 ,there are many who  
say you may learn the art without the   
assistance of a master4 ,do not believe 
them2 let this book be an example to    
you1 studying it day and night4 ,and if 
you do not study under some master1 you 
will never be fit for anything2 nor will
 you be able to show your face among the
 masters4  ,there is another curious    
statement about ,cimabue1 and one which 
is very significant of his intense care 
for the best interests of art2 it occurs
 in an ,,ms4 commentary upon ,dante1    
called the ,anonimo1 and was written    
while ,giotto was still living1 that is 
before #accj4cj ,the author             
says3--,cimabue of ,florence1 a painter 

of the time of our author 7i4e4 ,dante7 
knew more of the noble art 7that of     
painting7 than any other man1 but he was
 so arrogant and proud withal1 that if  
any one discovered a fault in his work1 
or if he perceived one himself 7as will 
often happen to the artist who fails    
from the defects in the material that he
 uses1 or from insufficiency of the     
instrument with which he works71 he     
would instantly destroy that work1      
however costly it might be4 ,there could
 be no surer testimony to the light in  
which ,cimabue regarded his painting    
than this of the old ,florentine        
commentator's1 and it is amusing to see 
how1 six hundred years ago1 artists were
 liable to exactly the same amount of   
mistaken blame and misapprehension as   
they are to-day4 ,it is not six months  
ago since ,i heard one of the greatest  
of our living painters severely         
censured1 because he would not part with
 a portrait which did not come up to his
 standard of good work1 and though the  

opinion was expressed in the choicest   
slang of the nineteenth century1 it was 
almost an exact equivalent for the words
 of the author ,anonimo2 for ,i suppose 
he did it for swagger1 really means much
 the same as proud and arrogant4  ,the  
changes introduced by ,cimabue into the 
conventional representations of         
religious subjects were numerous1 and   
though each slight in itself1 formed1   
when taken as a whole1 a very marked    
progression from the ,byzantine manner1 
but whether owing to respect for his    
early masters1 or from the almost       
overpowering effect of ,church          
tradition1 the artist never wholly      
succeeded in shaking off the established
 forms of painting in the general       
arrangement of his figures and          
backgrounds4  ,if we compare his great  
picture in ,s4 ,maria ,novella with one 
of a similar subject by ,guido of       
,siena1 his predecessor1#ca in the      
,church of ,s4 ,domenico at ,siena1 we  
shall find that the main lines of the   

composition are much the same4          
,nevertheless the advance is very       
clearly marked4 ,the folds of the       
drapery have lost much of the stiffness 
and angularity1 and the attitude and    
expression of the ,virgin1 though still 
wanting life and energy1 are simple and 
comparatively natural4 ,a still greater 
improvement may be noticed in the       
gestures of the angels which support the
 throne1 and in the action of the child 
,saviour on the ,virgin's lap4 ,in this 
picture there is1 ,i think1 a direct    
contradiction to the assertion of       
,crowe#cb that in the flow of his       
drapery ,cimabue made no sensible       
progress2#cc though in other respects   
that author does full justice to the    
improvements introduced by the artist4  
,many other modifications of style are  
noticeable in ,cimabue's works1         
especially the manner in which he       
abandoned what we may call the          
mosaic-like manner of painting1 which   
had been in use for so long a time1 and 

blended one colour with another instead 
of leaving it as a bright patch1 divided
 by a sharp line4 ,much of his colour   
has either faded or disappeared         
entirely1 but enough is left to show    
that it must have been originally very  
rich in hue1 and though of a deep tone1 
free from the heaviness and obscurity   
which was so prevalent in the work of   
the ,byzantine artists4 ,in the         
,enthroned ,madonna of the ,lower       
,church at ,assisi1 which is            
indisputably one of his works1 the      
colouring is far richer and deeper than 
anything remaining of ,giotto's1 though 
it does not possess the exquisite       
clearness and delicacy of the latter2   
and is comparatively monotonous4 ,this  
picture has however suffered so severely
 from damp1 that it cannot be judged    
fair to say what the colour has1 or has 
not1 been1 though it is still beautiful1
 and fortunately unrestored4#cd  ,in the
 ,accademia of ,florence there is       
another colossal ,madonna by ,cimabue1  

also an altar-piece representing the    
same subject as that of the one in ,s4  
,maria ,novella1 the arrangement1       
however1 being slightly different4      
,instead of the six guardian angels who 
support the chair on which the ,virgin  
is seated 7in the former picture71 there
 are here eight1 and beneath the throne 
in niches stand four prophets2 the      
thirty medallions of saints which       
surround the frame in the former picture
 are here absent4 ,i am unable to give  
an accurate description of the          
differences between these two pictures1 
as ,i have only studied the one in the  
,accademia2#ce but there is1 according  
to ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle1 a more     
obstinate maintenance of the old types  
in the latter picture3 and it is        
certainly true1 from my own observation1
 that the colour has sustained such     
injuries from restoration and time1 as  
to be almost entirely destroyed4 ,this  
picture was originally of the gable     
form1 but some ingenious artist1 who    

considered that an unpleasant shape for 
a picture1 has supplied the two         
triangular pieces necessary to complete 
the oblong1 and painted thereon two     
cherubim1 as poor in conception1 colour1
 and execution as could well be         
imagined4 ,the old shape of the work is 
still clearly visible1 and in any other 
country than ,italy would be at once    
restored4#cf  ,,footnotes3  #bg ,i have1
 throughout this essay1 followed the    
mass of authority which describes       
,giotto's father as a poor tenant       
farmer1 or lower still in the social    
scale2 but the most recent researches go
 to prove that he was in well-to-do     
circumstances1 was1 in fact1 of the rank
 of ,cavaliere1 and it is certain that  
,giotto inherited some property from    
him4  #bh ,vasari1 ,lives of the most   
,eminent ,painters1 c41 vol4 i4 p4 #db4 
#bi ,lord ,lindsay gives the date of his
 death as #acjb1 on the authority of    
,ciampi4  #cj ,see notes to ,mrs4       
,foster's translation of ,vasari4  #ca  

,there are excellent engravings of both 
these pictures in ,kugler's ,handbook of
 ,painting1 pages #aje and #aji of the  
fifth edition4  #cb ,history of         
,painting in ,italy1 vol4 i4 p4 #bje4   
#cc ,look1 for instance1 at the natural 
manner in which the border of the       
,virgin's drapery falls into its folds4 
,the woodcut of this picture here given 
does little more than show the          
arrangement of the picture2 but even    
here the advance is perceptible4  #cd   
,vol4 i4 p4 #bjf4 ,vasari attributes the
 loss of colour in ,buffulmacco's       
pictures to the use of a peculiar purple
 mixed with salt1 which corroded the    
other colours2 possibly this may be the 
case with ,cimabue's4  #ce ,since       
writing the above sentence ,i have been 
to the ,rucellai ,chapel for the purpose
 of studying the great ,cimabue referred
 to above1 the description of which is  
accordingly given in a later chapter4   
#cf ,it is noticeable that in ,lindsay's
 ,christian ,art1 it is to the influence

 of the sculptor1 ,niccola ,pisano1     
rather than that of ,cimabue1 that      
,giotto owed his study of nature1 c41   
vol4 ii4 p4 #hb4     ,,chapter ,v4      
,,giotto4       ,where ,cimabue found   
the shepherd boy1      ,tracing his idle
 fancies on the ground4       ,,rogers's
 ,italy4   ,giotto was born#cg at the   
small village of ,vespignano1 about     
fourteen miles from ,florence1 amidst   
surroundings1 the chief characteristics 
of which are very beautifully described 
by ,mr4 ,ruskin in the following        
paragraph3--  ,few travellers can forget
 the peculiar landscape of that district
 of the ,apennines4 ,as they ascend the 
hill which rises from ,florence to the  
lowest peak in the ridge of ,fiesole1   
they pass continually beneath the walls 
of villas bright in perfect luxury1 and 
beside cypress hedges inclosing 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 colour and deep  
green breadth of shade1 studded with    
walls of gleaming silver2 and shining 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 mountains tossing         
themselves against the western distance1
 where the streaks of motionless clouds 
hover 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-sides2 
here and there a fragment of tower upon 
a distant rock2 but neither gardens nor 
flowers1 nor glittering palace exists4  
,only a gray extent of mountain-ground  
tufted irregularly with ilex and olive2 
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 sorrowful1 becoming    
wilder every instant as the road winds  
into its recesses1 ascending still1     
until the higher woods1 now partly oak  
and partly pine1 dropping back from the 
central crest of the ,apennines1 leave a
 partial wilderness of scathed rock and 
arid grass1 withered away here by frost1
 and there by strange lambent tongues of
 earth-fed fire4#ch  ,giotto's name is1 
according to ,lord ,lindsay1 a          
contraction of ,ambrogiotto4 ,in the    
modern sense of the word1 he appears to 
have had absolutely no education1 for we
 find him when ten years old engaged in 
tending sheep upon the hill-side4 ,it is
 noticeable that for one who was to     
effect the change in art which ,giotto  
subsequently produced1 no amount of     
early training could have been so       
beneficial1 as the silent undogmatic    
one1 that he received amongst the fresh 
meadows1 and under the blue skies4 ,the 
native genius within him grew gradually 
in strength1 unhelped save by the       

influences of rustic life1 and          
unhindered by tradition or example4 ,it 
was no doubt to these early shepherd    
days1 that he owed the strong sympathy  
with nature that he retained during his 
whole career1 and his power of          
representing simple facts of animal     
life4 ,throughout all his pictures1 even
 those of his latest period1 whenever he
 got a chance of introducing an animal  
he always seized it eagerly1 and the    
little touches of dog1 donkey1 and ox   
nature which may be found scattered here
 and there in his works1 form one of its
 most peculiar and pleasing features2   
especially when we consider that this   
was to artists an absolutely virgin     
soil4 ,thus in the fresco at ,assisi#ci 
representing the birth of ,christ1      
perhaps the most remarkable portion of  
the picture is the manner in which the  
two donkeys are poking their heads over 
the manger to examine the child1 with   
that expression of happy placid         
stupidity1 so well known to all who have

 ever had to do with these animals4 ,and
 again1 in the sculpture of the         
shepherd1 forming one of the series     
round the base of the ,campanile at     
,florence1 the expression of the puppy's
 face1 7grave consideration mixed with a
 sense of responsibility7 as he watches 
the sheep filing past the shepherd's    
tent1 is wonderfully natural1 and worthy
 of ,sir ,edwin ,landseer1 except that  
it is in one way much too good for him1 
in its thorough dogginess2 ,landseer    
always intensified his animals' feelings
 to the very verge of caricature4 ,hence
 one reason why he was so commonly and  
universally popular4    ,illustration3  
,,pastoral ,,life4 ,,bas-,,relief       
,,designed ,,by ,,giotto4    ,on the    
,campanile1 ,florence4  ,at any rate1   
such was ,giotto's early life1 spent in 
simple rural duties1 and untroubled by  
school-boards and science primers2 but  
when he was about ten years old1 a      
strange event occurred which changed the
 whole current of his history4 ,for     

there came riding through the valley the
 famous painter of ,florence1 ,cimabue1 
then at the height of his reputation1   
and passed close to where the boy       
shepherd was sitting neglectful of his  
duties1 trying to draw one of his flock 
with a piece of sharp slate upon the    
surface of rock4  ,we may suppose that  
there was something in the work which   
the painter knew to be genius1 for      
according to all the legends1 he does   
not appear to have hesitated in the     
least1 but after asking the boy if he   
would like to go with him1 and receiving
 a glad answer in the affirmative1 he   
obtained the father's permission1 took  
him to ,florence1 and installed him in  
his own studio4  ,it must be remembered 
that an artist's studio was a very      
different place in #abhf1 from what we  
call by the same name at the present    
time4 ,it resembled a workshop1 in which
 the pupils prepared and ground the     
colours under the master's direction1   
deriving what instruction they might    

from seeing him work and hearing him    
talk2 nor were they allowed to touch    
brush or pencil till they had rendered  
themselves thorough masters of the      
preparation of the various colours1     
temperas1 c4 ,a mastery which1 as we    
have seen1 was supposed at that time to 
take about six years to acquire4  ,so   
the boy lived with his master in        
,florence1 and worked1 much as a house  
painter's apprentice works now2 drawing1
 no doubt1 at every odd minute in the   
meantime1 in fear and trembling1 and    
thinking art was a very much longer     
business than he had bargained for1 when
 he left his home to become a painter4  
,many days no doubt he looked out from  
the rough building where he and his     
fellow pupils were grinding the master's
 colours1 and saw ,cimabue standing in  
the shady garden1 before a great glory  
of crimson drapery and golden           
background1 and many a time his heart   
sank within him as he looked1 and he    
thought it impossible that he could ever

 acquire that marvellous skill4 ,but on 
these early days all the biographies are
 alike silent1 there is not even an     
apocryphal anecdote of ,vasari's to     
enliven the darkness2 and whatever we   
may fancy1 we know absolutely nothing4  
,the next point of ,giotto's life where 
history takes up the record is at the   
incident of the ,o4 ,briefly told1 this 
is as follows4 ,about #abif1dj according
 to ,lord ,lindsay1 ,boniface ,,viii4#da
 was desirous of adding to the          
decorations of ,st4 ,peter's1 and sent  
one of his courtiers from ,treviso to   
,tuscany to ascertain what kind of man  
,giotto might be1 and what were his     
works4 ,on his way the messenger        
received designs from various artists in
 ,siena1 and then came to ,giotto1 told 
him of his mission1 and no doubt showed 
him the elaborate designs which he had  
received from the ,sienese artists4     
,whereupon ,giotto drew with one sweep  
of his arm a circle in red ink1 of      
perfect accuracy1 and gave it to the    

messenger1 refusing to send any other   
design1 whereby1 says ,vasari1 the ,pope
 and such of his courtiers as were well 
versed in the subject1 perceived how far
 ,giotto surpassed all the other        
painters of his time4  ,whatever truth  
there may be in the details of this     
incident1 it is1 as ,ruskin points      
out1#db significant in showing the      
manner in which the ,pope and his       
counsellors judged of art3 i4e41 that   
the best workman was the best man1 which
 for a rough and ready test is not      
altogether a bad one4  ,the date of     
,giotto's visit to ,rome is still       
further fixed by an assertion of        
,baldinucci's that there is a record in 
the ,vatican in a register1 to the      
effect that the mosaic of the ,navicella
 7which is still in the portico of ,st4 
,peter's though enormously damaged71 was
 executed at ,rome in #abih4 ,if this be
 true1 and though quoted by ,crowe it is
 not contradicted1 it fixes the date of 
,giotto's visit as at all events not    

later than that year4 ,of the works of  
,giotto at ,rome ,i shall speak in a    
subsequent chapter1 in which ,i shall   
endeavour to fix upon the analogy of    
style1 the order in which ,giotto       
painted at ,florence1 ,padua1 and       
,assisi4 ,it should have been noticed   
that ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle make the  
incident of the ,o occur in the time of 
,benedict ,,xi1 by supposing that that  
,pope sent from ,avignon at the request 
of ,petrarch1 to seek out the best      
artists of ,italy for the purpose of    
restoring and adorning the churches and 
palaces of ,rome which were falling into
 decay4 ,this1 however1 leaves ,giotto's
 first visit to ,rome in #abih          
unaccounted for1 and contradicts ,vasari
 and ,lindsay1 apparently without       
sufficient cause1 for it seems highly   
improbable that if the painter had been 
already engaged in painting and         
designing mosaics for ,st4 ,peter's1    
that in after years the ,pope should    
have thought it necessary to have a     

proof of his skill4  ,however1 the date 
of this visit to ,rome is of little     
importance1 as the whole of the works of
 ,giotto in that city have been long    
destroyed1 with the exception of the    
mosaic of the ,navicella1 and some small
 panel pictures in the ,sacristy of ,st4
 ,peter's4#dc  ,about the year #acjj it 
seems probable that ,giotto returned to 
,florence1 and in the following year    
painted in the ,chapel of the           
,podesta--commonly called the ,bargello4
 ,it was here that ,giotto introduced   
7,i believe for the first time in the   
history of medival ,italian art7        
accurate portraits of living people into
 his picture of ,paradise4 ,it is here  
that the famous portrait of ,dante in   
his early manhood was discovered after  
having been covered with whitewash for  
two hundred years4  ,it was with the    
greatest difficulty that an ,american   
named ,kirkup1 and ,signor ,bezzi       
obtained permission from the ,italian   
government to remove the whitewash from 

this fresco of ,paradise at their own   
expense4#dd ,all the frescoes in this   
chapel are very greatly injured by time 
and neglect1 whitewash and restoration1 
and especially the ,dante portrait1     
which has suffered most of all from the 
last-mentioned cause4 ,as ,i shall have 
little occasion to refer to the works in
 this chapel in subsequent chapters1 ,i 
may here say that in my opinion ,crowe  
and ,cavalcaselle have erred in         
attributing all of them to ,giotto4#de  
,there are many which show little1 if   
any1 trace of the master's hand1 and    
others which are apparently imitations  
by pupils2 as1 however1 the frescoes are
 all exceedingly defaced1 it is not     
worth while to dwell minutely on this   
point4#df  ,in less than two years from 
the date of this picture of the         
,paradise1 ,dante was exiled to ,verona1
 and for three or four years ,giotto did
 not see him again4 ,in the year #acjf1 
when ,giotto went to ,padua to paint the
 ,arena ,chapel1 ,dante also settled in 

that town4#dg  ,within a year from the  
painting of the ,bargello1 ,giotto      
married a lady1 of whom1 no matter what 
may have been her virtues or            
attractions1 posterity knows little or  
nothing1 save that she bore the painter 
several children1 and that her name was 
,ciuta di ,lapo4 ,it was shortly after  
this period of his life that he produced
 what must on the whole be considered   
the greatest work of his life--the      
decoration of the ,scrovegni ,chapel at 
,padua4 ,this was a small barn-like     
edifice of perfectly plain exterior1    
which had just been built by ,enrico    
,scrovegni on the site of an old ,roman 
amphitheatre1 and dedicated to the      
,madonna4  ,according to some accounts1 
,giotto himself was its architect2 but  
this has only been surmised from the    
fact of his decoration being so         
admirably suited to the building4 ,the  
fact probably being that had the        
building been of a different or more    
elaborate shape1 he would have treated  

it in a different manner4 ,as it was1   
the extreme simplicity of the           
arrangement of the frescoes1 is most    
happily in harmony with the simplicity  
of the architecture4 ,here he seems to  
have lived for several years1 and here  
as we have said came ,dante in #acjf1   
having passed the intervening years of  
his exile at ,bologna4 ,according to    
,baldinucci1 our painter had no less    
than six children1 all of whom were of a
 surpassing ugliness2 and it is recorded
 that ,dante remarked upon this         
circumstance to him1 pretending to be   
surprised that one who could paint such 
beautiful figures should have such ugly 
sons2 to which ,giotto replied by a jest
 more suited to his own times1 than to  
ours4 ,indeed1 all that the biography of
 ,giotto amounts to after this1 is an   
account of his various jokes and        
eccentricities1 most of which1 ,i must  
confess1 seem to me of very poor        
quality1 somewhat akin to the           
pleasantries told at the tea-table of a 

humorous schoolmaster1 or to those which
 are murmured between the pauses of the 
work1 at the weekly meetings of a       
,dorcas society4 ,however1 all the      
historians agree in asserting that he   
was a man of infinite jest1 and the     
humour of these anecdotes may well have 
evaporated in the course of six hundred 
years4 ,the following1 which ,i give as 
it occurs in ,vasari1 derives a certain 
interest from the quaint simplicity with
 which the biographer tells it1 and the 
nave way in which justice is depicted as
 of course being on the side of the best
 speaker1 is not without a certain      
amount of significance1 even in our     
enlightened nineteenth century4         
,giotto1 as we have said before1 was of 
an exceedingly jocund humour1 and       
abounded in witty and humorous remarks1 
which are still well remembered in      
,florence4 ,examples of these may be    
found not only in the writings of       
,messer ,giovanni ,boccaccio1 but also  
in the three hundred stories of ,franco 

,sacchetti1 who cites many amusing      
instances of his talent in this way4    
,and here ,i will not refuse the labour 
of transcribing some of these stories1  
giving them in ,franco's own words1 that
 my readers may be made acquainted with 
the peculiar phraseology and modes of   
speech used in those times1 together    
with the story itself4 ,he says there in
 one of these1 to set it forth with its 
proper title3--  ',to ,giotto1 the great
 painter1 is given a buckler to paint by
 a man of small account4 ,he1 making a  
jest of the matter1 paints in such sort 
that the owner is put out of            
countenance4'  ,every one has long since
 heard of ,giotto1 and knows how greatly
 he stood above all other painters4     
,hearing the fame of the master1 a rude 
artisan1 who desired to have a buckler  
painted1 perhaps because he was going to
 do watch and ward in some castle1      
marched at once to the workshop of      
,giotto1 with one bearing the shield    
behind him4 ,having got there he        

speedily found ,giotto1 to whom he said1
 ',god save thee1 master6 ,i would fain 
have thee paint me my arms on this      
shield4'  ,giotto1 having observed the  
man and considered his manner1 replied  
nothing more than--',when wilt thou have
 it finished8' which the other having   
told him1 he answered1 ',leave the      
matter to me2' and the fellow departed4 
,then ,giotto1 being left alone1 began  
to think within himself1 ',what may this
 mean8 ,hath some one sent this man to  
make a jest of me8 ,however it be1 no   
man before ever brought me a buckler to 
paint2 yet here is this simple fellow   
who brings me his shield1 and bids me   
paint his arms upon it as though he were
 of the royal family of ,france4 ,of a  
verity1 ,i must make him arms of a new  
fashion4' ,thinking thus within himself1
 he takes the said buckler1 and having  
designed what he thought proper1 called 
one of his scholars and bade him        
complete the painting4 ,this was a tin  
scullcap1 a gorget1 a pair of iron      

gauntlets1 with a cuirass1 cuishes1 and 
gandadoes1 a sword1 a dagger1 and a     
spear4 ,our great personage1 of whom    
nobody knew anything1 having returned   
for his shield1 marches forward and     
inquires1 ',master1 is the shield       
painted8' ',to be sure it is1' replied  
,giotto2 'bring it down here4' ,the     
shield being brought1 our wise gentleman
 that would be1 began to open his eyes  
and look at it1 calling out to ,giotto1 
',what trumpery is this that thou hast  
painted me here8' ',will it seem to thee
 a trumpery matter to pay for it8'      
answered ,giotto4 ',i will not pay five 
farthings for it all1' returned the     
clown4 ',and what didst thou require me 
to paint8' asked ,giotto4 ',my arms4'   
',and are they not here1' rejoined the  
painter2 'is there one wanting8' ',good1
 good1' quoth the man4 ',nay1 verily1   
but it is rather bad1 bad1' responded   
,giotto4 ',lord1 help thee1 for thou    
must needs be a special simpleton2 why1 
if a man were to ask thee1 ,who art     

thou8 it would be a hard matter for thee
 to tell him2 yet here thou comest and  
criest1 ,paint me my arms6 ,if thou wert
 of the house of the ,bardi1 that were  
enough2 but thou6 what arms dost thou   
bear8 ,who art thou8 ,who were thy      
forefathers8 ,art thou not ashamed of   
thyself8 ,begin at least to come into   
the world before thou talkest of arms1  
as though thou wert ,dusnam of ,bavaria 
at the very least4 ,i have made thee a  
whole suit of armour on thy shield1 if  
there be any other piece1 tell me1 and  
,i'll put that too4' ',thou hast given  
me rough words1 and hast spoiled my     
shield1' declared the other2 and going  
forth1 betook himself to the justice1   
before whom he caused ,giotto to be     
called4 ,the latter forthwith appeared1 
but on his side summoned the complainant
 for two florins1 the price of the      
painting1 and which he demands to be    
paid4  ,the pleadings being heard on    
both sides1 and ,giotto's story being   
much better told than that of our clown1

 the judge decided that the latter      
should take away his buckler1 and should
 pay six livres to ,giotto1 whom they   
declared to have the right4 ,thus the   
good man had to pay and take to his     
shield2 whereupon he was bidden to      
depart1 and not knowing his place had it
 taught to him on this wise4  ,in #acjg1
 ,giotto appears to have finished his   
work at the ,scrovegni ,chapel1 and     
removed to ,florence1 where he          
ultimately settled down4 ,of this period
 of his life little1 if anything1 is    
known4 ,he went to ,assisi some time    
after this1 when ,i have found it       
impossible to discover4#dh ,he painted  
during these latter years at ,florence1 
in four chapels of the ,santa ,croce1 at
 ,ravenna 7and at ,ferrara and ,verona1 
according to ,vasari72 probably also he 
made excursions from ,florence into many
 of the neighbouring towns1 but no      
certain traces of his work exist4 ,in   
#acbh he was commissioned to paint the  
portrait of ,charles of ,calabria1 the  

son of ,robert of ,naples1 and in #accj 
was sent for by the latter to adorn some
 of the ,neapolitan churches4 ,on his   
way back to ,florence1 he painted at    
,gaeta and ,rimini some frescoes which  
have quite perished4 ,these were his    
last works in painting1 with the        
exception of some produced during a     
brief visit to ,milan in #acce1 for     
which he obtained the permission of the 
government to absent himself from the   
superintendence of the ,cathedral and   
,campanile4 ,the year previous he had   
been made master of the works of the    
,cathedral1 and chief builder to the    
city of ,florence2 and while he was     
still engaged upon his bell tower and   
the cathedral faade1 before his eyes had
 lost their lustre1 or his hand its     
cunning1 he died suddenly in #accf4     
,such is the life of our old master as  
far as we can gather it from the scanty 
materials before us3 to what does it    
amount8 ,that a boy showed signs of     
genius2 that a man fulfilled his early  

promise2 that a great painter was for   
once a prophet in his own country and in
 his own time2 and that all history can 
tell us of him1 is that he made bad     
jokes1 and had six ugly children4 ,such1
 ,i say1 is the history of ,giotto as ,i
 have gathered it from the chronicles of
 ,vasari1 ,baldinucci1 and ,lanzi1      
,kugler1 ,rumohr1 ,crowe1 and ,jameson2 
but there is another history of the man1
 of greater worth and fuller meaning    
than can be found in these musty        
records2 there is that which the painter
 has written with his own hand1 in      
colours which yet retain much of their  
pristine brightness4 ,the best record of
 the artist is neither his questionable 
witticisms1 nor these rough outlines of 
his life1 but that which shines forth   
clearly still on the walls of ,santa    
,croce and the arches of ,assisi4 ,what 
that record means to us1 ,i will try to 
explain4  ,,footnotes3  #cg ,the date is
 disputed4 ,crowe now gives #abff1 but  
,i have1 throughout1 followed ,vasari   

and other writers who give #abgf4 ,all  
the chronology of ,giotto1 except the   
date of his death1 is highly            
uncertain4--,h4 ,q4  #ch ,at ,pietro    
,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--,j4 ,r4  #ci ,this    
fresco is1 ,i think1 the work of one of 
,giotto's pupils1 but probably executed 
from the master's design1 or under his  
superintendence1 or in any case is an   
imitation of ,giotto's method of        
introducing animal life into his        
compositions4  #dj ,after working at    
,assisi and ,pisa1 according to ,vasari1
 who is followed by ,kugler4 ,it is     
quite clear that ,kugler is wrong in    
supposing that when ,giotto visited     
,rome in #abih1 he had previously       
executed the frescoes on the ceiling of 
the ,lower ,church at ,assisi1 for those
 works are evidently later than those of
 the ,upper ,church1 and even in point  

of time it is impossible that both      
series could have been painted prior to 
#abih1 when the painter was but         
twenty-two4  #da ,vasari says ,benedict 
,,xi41 but ,rumohr shows it was         
,boniface who invited ,giotto to ,rome4 
,schorn1 in note to ,vasari4  #db       
,giotto and his ,works in ,padua4       
,published for the ,arundel ,society4   
#dc ,portions of what is called the     
,stefaneschi altar piece2 ,i am informed
 very fine in quality1 but cannot speak 
from experience4  #dd ,it was           
subsequently defrayed by the ,tuscan    
government4  #de ,crowe considers them  
to be undoubtedly his4  #df ,that the   
large fresco of ,paradise1 in which the 
portraits of ,dante and ,corso ,donati  
occur is by ,giotto1 is1 ,i think1 quite
 certain4  #dg ,the house where ,dante  
lived is still shown to strangers4  #dh 
,i may here say once for all that owing 
to my ignorance of the ,italian         
language1 and the small amount of time  
at my disposal1 it has been out of my   

power to undertake that research amongst
 the ,,mss4 stored in the public        
libraries of ,italy by which alone could
 the accurate chronology of ,giotto's   
life be determined4     ,,chapter ,,vi4 
,,the ,,chief ,,function ,,of           
,,painting4       ,all honour and       
reverence to the divine beauty of form6 
,let us      cultivate it to the utmost 
in men1 women1 and children--in our     
gardens and in our houses4 ,but let us  
love that other beauty      too1 which  
lies in no secret of proportion1 but in 
the secret      of deep human sympathy4 
,paint us an angel if you can1 with a   
floating violet robe and a face paled by
 the celestial light2      paint us yet 
oftener a ,madonna1 turning her mild    
face upward      and opening her arms to
 receive the divine glory2 but do not   
impose upon us any sthetic rules which  
shall banish from the      region of    
art1 those old women scraping carrots   
with their      work-worn hands1 those  
heavy clowns taking holiday in a dingy  

pot house1 those rounded backs and      
stupid weather-beaten faces      that   
have bent over the spade and done the   
rough work of the      world4--,,george 
,,eliot4   ,before ,i speak in detail of
 ,giotto's pictures1 it will be well to 
consider very shortly what are the chief
 characteristics of good painting1 and  
in what proportion the beauty of form1  
of colour1 sentiment and thought1 should
 be combined1 in order to give us work  
of the highest order4 ,and such a       
preliminary inquiry is the more needful1
 since the whole history of art is the  
history of the development of one or    
more of these characteristics1 rather   
than the development of their just      
combination4 ,if we look back at the    
greatest schools of the fifteenth       
century1 we find that each of them had  
one main object in their art1 which they
 pursued to the detriment of the others4
 ,however much1 for instance1 we may    
admire the feeling of ,raphael1 we      
perceive the lack of the qualities which

 we find in ,titian--however much we    
delight in ,titian or ,tintoretto1 we   
feel that there is something lacking    
which we had in ,raphael4 ,and so on    
with every school1 till at last we      
discover that the deficiency is not one 
in the individual painter1 but is rather
 owing to the end which he and those of 
his school proposed to themselves2 and  
whether it be the ,florentine striving  
after expression of emotion1 or the     
,venetian after expression of the truths
 of shade and colour1 each is alike     
defective4 ,in later times this becomes 
still more evident in the works of the  
,dutch painters1 and it may be seen at  
its utmost height in the works of the   
majority of modern artists1 whose aim is
 commonly restricted not only to one    
phase of feeling1 but to one special    
manifestation of such phase2 not to the 
seeking of colour1 say1 as the main     
object1 but to the seeking of one       
particular colour4  ,if then every art  
school which the world has hitherto     

known1 has been in some way partial in  
its choice of subject and the aims it   
has proposed to itself1 let us think    
which partiality is the least blameable1
 and1 in fact1 what is the best thing   
that a painter can give us4 ,is it      
perfection of form1 or of colour1       
intensity of feeling1 or depth of       
meaning8 ,if we can't have all1 what    
should we choose first and cling to most
 securely8  ,now1 at the present day1   
there is amongst those who care for art1
 a rapidly-increasing class who give a  
most decided answer to this question2   
one1 which if we can at all accept its  
reasoning1 will settle the matter for   
ever4 ,art1 they say1 has but one real  
province1 that of the simply sensuous2  
in whatever degree you admit other      
elements you so far weaken the art4 ,to 
use the expression of a member of this  
school1 what is wanted is a solid       
sensuousness4  ,now whatever else is    
true1 this is false--falser than all    
fancy painted2 and1 should it once come 

to be believed1 will reduce art to a    
worse slavery than the one from which   
,giotto rescued it4 ,it would really be 
hard to conceive that such a notion was 
really abroad did we not read it in     
book1 essay1 and article1 and see the   
consequences of its prevalence in the   
works of our painters4 ,just think3 here
 we have an influence notoriously one of
 the most powerful in the world1 one    
that appeals equally to both sexes1 to  
all classes1 ages1 and nations of men2  
and we are asked1 or rather told1 with  
the true sic volo1 sic jubeo accent1    
that we must use it for but one thing1  
and that is the encouragement of        
sensuous pleasure4 ,it is so utterly    
contrary to truth1 and productive of    
such evil results1 that ,i really lack  
the patience to speak of it and its     
exponents with common courtesy4 ,but    
leaving on one side the injurious       
effects of such a doctrine1 it is worth 
while to observe that it is really      
destructive of art itself4 ,the one     

vital principle of all art is its       
freedom2 its concern with every fact of 
nature or humanity1 whether it be the   
form of a cabbage or the sufferings of a
 ,christ4 ,take your solid sensuous     
feeling and welcome1 but don't forget   
that that's but one1 and a comparatively
 unimportant1 fragment of men's nature2 
and give us also their power of         
endurance1 their moments of rapture1    
their deeds of heroism1 their every-day 
sufferings1 and their rarer joys4 ,i put
 that quotation from ,george ,eliot at  
the top of the chapter1 because it      
expresses far more clearly and          
beautifully than any words that lie in  
my power1 this essential fact1 that art 
is concerned with no one phase of human 
feeling or external nature1 but finds   
adequate material in whatever is        
connected with men's lives4  ,well1     
then1 leaving on one side this          
pestilential heresy of art for art's    
sake1 this talk about gracious curves1  
and sensuous images1 secrets1 twilights1

 silences1 and all the rest of the      
jargon2 we find on thinking over the    
subject carefully1 that there is one    
truth1 which art from its very nature is
 more fitted to express than any other1 
and indeed that it is a truth which can 
and should enter into every work of art1
 and that is the truth of beauty4 ,the  
more we see of the world and its varying
 actions and interests1 the more        
certainly do we discover one fact1 that 
there is a kernel of beauty beneath     
almost the roughest husks and rinds of  
human nature1 and that in the natural   
world there is also a beauty far        
superior to that which lies on the      
surface1 a subtle essence of loveliness 
only to be perceived by earnest         
students1 after long and patient study4 
,all the subtler and rarer              
manifestations of this beauty1 are      
necessarily disregarded by the mass of  
men engaged in the hard struggle of     
life1 and it is these which form the    
great province of the artist4 ,his work 

is to say to us in his picture ,look at 
this subject6 ,it is beautiful1 not only
 as you would have thought1 for its     
arrangement of line and colour and the  
interest of its composition1 but because
 ,i have penetrated into the depth of   
the meaning involved2 ,i have seen      
something which you would not have seen1
 but yet something which was there1 and 
if you think1 you will see that it must 
have been so4 ,every picture worthy of  
the name of great1 is thus a record of  
penetrative insight as well as mere     
skill of painting2 and the greater it   
is1 the nearer it approaches in the     
complexity of its meaning to the        
personality of a human being1 and       
receives a different interpretation from
 every one who sees it4  ,again1 of     
landscape painting1 why is it that a    
picture of any natural scene will move  
hundreds of people who would have       
derived little or no enjoyment from the 
scene itself8 ,why1 for instance1 could 
,fred ,walker paint a street at ,cookham

 or a country lane in a shower1 so as to
 give an amount of pleasure quite       
incommensurate with the importance or   
loveliness of his subject8 ,it is       
because he saw in it a beauty which     
cannot be seen1 except through him2 for 
it is a beauty made up of the scene     
itself and his actual feelings about it4
 ,could you photograph instantaneously  
lane and figures1 and rain clouds1 in   
the very colours of nature1 you would   
not gain a picture which would affect   
you in as powerful a way4 ,who ever     
derived real pleasure from a photograph 
of a landscape8 ,nature is beautiful    
always1 but representations of nature   
made by machinery have little beauty1   
and no interest4 ,i cannot dwell upon   
this theme--it would lead me too far    
from my subject--suffice it to say1 that
 in landscape1 no less than in figure   
painting1 it is the spiritual insight of
 the painter which gives the highest    
value to his work4#di  ,to sum up       
shortly--truth of form1 and colour1 and 

expression1 will make a fine1 perhaps   
even an impressive picture1 but hardly a
 great one2 in order to do that the     
artist must be possessed of the power of
 seizing the essence of the scene1 of   
penetrating beneath the first           
commonplace view of the subject1 and    
finding every element of true meaning   
and beauty which lies in his subject4   
,if he once does this1 he is a true     
artist1 and his errors of detail will   
become fewer and fewer with time2 if he 
fails in this first requisite1 if he has
 no story to tell except one that every 
one of his spectators could tell equally
 well1 then1 no matter what may be his  
technical perfection1 he will never be a
 great artist to the end of time4 ,to   
close this somewhat long1 but1 ,i think1
 necessary digression1 just remember    
what art was when ,giotto's work began4 
,it was in a condition of double        
bondage1 first to the service of the    
,catholic ,church1 and second to itself1
 in the perpetuation of traditional     

methods of work4  ,always representing  
the same thing in the same way1 its     
records had become little more than     
variations in the arrangement of        
coloured draperies4 ,every detail of the
 composition was executed upon a given  
plan2 the very position of the ,virgin's
 head and the ,saviour's hands were     
absolutely conventional4 ,the study of  
animals was almost unknown2 that of     
landscape nature absolutely so2 all     
attempt at expression of any feeling but
 resignation1 devotion1 or divine       
peacefulness was perfectly discontinued2
 laughter1 curiosity1 or scorn1 might   
have had no existence1 for any trace of 
them which can be found in the pictures 
of the time4 ,a picture was then nothing
 but a composition of traditionally     
graceful lines and pleasant colours1 set
 against a gold background1 and offered 
generally to the service of the ,church1
 in much the same spirit as the coloured
 ,german prints of the ,madonna are hung
 up at the little road-side shrines in  

,italy to this day4  ,in fact1 art was  
very much in the way to which some good 
people of the present day would reduce  
it1 and represented nothing save in a   
partial and symbolical manner4 ,it was  
wholly unconnected with all the varying 
incidents and emotions of real life1 and
 existed only to give form to certain   
traditions1 and fulfil certain          
prescriptive offices4 ,its aim was not  
to become of real use to man1 to enter  
into his joys and griefs1 to console1   
and to enlighten him1 but only to serve 
as a faithful servant to the ,church4   
,painting had gazed so long at things   
heavenly1 as to have almost forgotten   
there was an earth at all1 and so to the
 very ordinary-minded people who        
fortunately compose nine-tenths of the  
world's population1 its influence was   
too remote to have much significance4   
,it might represent saints1 martyrs1 and
 angels faithfully1 but what was wanted 
were true representations of men and    
women4  ,bearing this well in mind1 let 

us examine ,giotto's works1 and see what
 change1 if any1 he effected in the     
popular practice1 and what is the       
peculiar merit of his works at this day1
 when we are six hundred years further  
on the march of progress4  ,,footnote3  
#di ,those who are interested in this   
subject will find an article discussing 
it in the ,spectator of ,november #ajth1
 #ahgg1 entitled ,the ,human ,element in
 ,landscape ,painting4     ,,chapter    
,,vii4  ,,the ,,early ,,work ,,of       
,,giotto ,,at ,,florence ,,and ,,rome4  
,but little remains to us of the work of
 ,giotto's student days1 and those years
 immediately following2 but sufficient  
is known to show that his first works   
were1 as we should naturally expect1    
executed in ,florence itself4  ,the     
following description of some of these  
frescoes is taken from ,vasari4 ,the    
first pictures of ,giotto were painted  
for the ,chapel of the ,high ,altar in  
the ,abbey of ,florence1 where he       
executed many works considered extremely

 fine4 ,among these an ,annunciation is 
particularly admired2 the expression of 
fear and astonishment in the countenance
 of the ,virgin1 when receiving the     
salutation of ,gabriel1 is vividly      
depicted2#ej she appears to suffer the  
extremity of terror1 and seems almost   
ready to take flight4 ,the altarpiece of
 that chapel is also by ,giotto2 but    
this has been1 and continues to be1     
preserved1#ea rather from the respect   
felt for the work of so distinguished a 
man1 than from any other motive4  ,the  
large ,madonna ,enthroned1 of which we  
speak at length a little further on1 was
 also executed at this period4 ,this was
 painted for the altar of the church of 
the ,ognissanti1 and is probably the    
first quite certain work which now      
remains of this master4 ,there is a     
,madonna in the ,brera ,gallery at      
,milan which1 if ,giotto's work1        
probably belongs to an early period1 but
 is 7according to ,professor ,dobbert7  
of a less formal character2 but ,i have 

not seen this work1 and cannot speak as 
to its authenticity or character4       
,giotto also painted at this time in the
 church of the ,carmine1#eb which was   
burnt in #agga1 but a few of these      
frescoes were rescued and engraved by   
,thomas ,patch2#ec according to ,waagen1
 two of these fragments are in          
,liverpool1 one in the collection of    
,mr4 ,rogers1 and others in the ,campo  
,santo of ,pisa4 ,the picture in the    
,national ,gallery attributed to ,giotto
 is a fragment of one of these frescoes1
 and represents the heads of two of the 
apostles4 ,whether these two heads are  
by ,giotto's own hand is almost         
impossible to say1 but they are in any  
case works of his school1 and of an     
early period4 ,judging by the type of   
face1 ,i should think it less probable  
of the two uncertainties that they were 
executed by ,giotto2 but the matter is  
of little importance1 as the qualities  
they possess chiefly are not those we   
find in ,giotto's work4 ,the two heads  

are genuine early fresco at all events4 
,there are several other works in the   
refectory1 ,pisa1 attributed to ,giotto 
by ,vasari1 amongst which are a ,tree of
 the ,cross1 a ,last ,supper1 and scenes
 from the life of ,st4 ,louis1 a figure 
of the ,virgin1 and a ,st4 ,john and the
 ,magdalene at the foot of the cross2   
the last three of which are now         
concealed by whitewash1 and the         
authorship of any of the pictures in the
 refectory is considered doubtful by    
,rumohr4 ,of the two series of panels   
illustrating the lives of ,christ and   
,st4 ,francis1 ,i have spoken at length 
below2 it is sufficient here to say that
 ,vasari assigns them to ,giotto4       
,vasari makes ,giotto execute various   
paintings1 amongst them the whole       
,assisi series1 and the frescoes 7since 
discovered not to be by this master7 in 
the ,campo ,santo of ,pisa1 between     
these early works and his visit to      
,rome4 ,this1 however1 is impossible1   
from the date of that visit being fixed 

by strong evidence between the years    
#abif and #abih1 which leaves the young 
painter the barest time possible to     
execute his numerous early works in     
,florence after his six years'          
apprenticeship to ,cimabue4 ,in #abif1  
however1 occurred the incident of the ,o
 related elsewhere1 and in that or the  
following year ,giotto visited ,rome at 
the invitation of ,pope ,boniface       
,,viii4#ed  ,according to ,vasari1 he   
here executed a large picture in the    
sacristy of ,st4 ,peter's1 with five    
others in the church itself--these last 
being passages from the life of ,christ2
 all of which he executed with so much  
care1 that no better work in distemper  
ever proceeded from his hands4444 ,the  
,pope having seen these works of        
,giotto1 whose manner pleased him       
infinitely1 commanded that he should    
paint subjects from the ,old and ,new   
,testaments entirely around the walls of
 ,st4 ,peter's2 and for a commencement  
the artist executed in fresco the angel 

seven toreccecia high1 which is now over
 the organ3 this was followed by many   
other pictures1 of which some have been 
restored in our own days1 while more    
have been either destroyed in laying the
 foundations of the new walls1 or have  
been taken from the old edifice of ,st4 
,peter's and set under the organ1 as is 
the case with a ,madonna that was cut   
out of the wall that it might not       
totally be destroyed1 and being         
supported with beams and bars of iron   
was thus carried away and secured for   
its beauty in the place wherein the     
pious love which the ,florentine doctor1
 ,messer ,nicolo ,acciainoli1 has ever  
borne to the excellent in art1 desired  
to see it enshrined1 and where he has   
richly adorned the work of ,giotto with 
a framework composed of modern pictures 
and of ornaments in stucco4 ,the picture
 in mosaic known as the ,navicella1 and 
which stands above the three doors of   
the portico in the vestibule of ,st4    
,peter's1 is also from the hand of      

,giotto--a truly wonderful work1 and    
deservedly eulogised by all enlightened 
judges2 and this not only for the merit 
of the design1 but also for that of the 
grouping of the apostles1 who labour in 
various attitudes to guide their boat   
through the tempestuous sea1 while the  
winds blow in a sail which is swelling  
with so vivid a reality that the        
spectator could almost believe himself  
to be looking at a real sail4 ,yet it   
must have been excessively difficult to 
produce the harmony and interchange of  
light and shadow which we admire in this
 work1 with mere pieces of glass1 and   
that in a sail of such magnitude--a     
thing which even with the pencil could  
only be equalled by great effort4 ,there
 is a fisherman also standing on a rock 
and fishing with a line1 in whose       
attitude the extraordinary patience     
proper to that occupation is most       
obvious1 while the hope of prey and his 
desire for it are equally manifest in   
his countenance4  ,the above must be    

taken for what it is worth1 as all the  
works named in the quotation have       
perished1 with the exception of the     
,navicella and one other4#ee ,i have    
preferred to quote ,vasari's description
 of the ,navicella to any more elaborate
 one1 for its simplicity1 and a certain 
strain of honest enthusiasm rare in     
contemporary criticism4 ,the remark     
about the extraordinary patience of the 
fisherman1 and his mingled hope and     
desire for prey1 is delightful in its   
unconscious satire4 ,this mosaic still  
remains1 but so defaced by restoration  
as to have little traces of the original
 which roused ,vasari's enthusiasm4     
,the production of these various works  
in ,rome occupied ,giotto six years1 at 
the end of which he returned to         
,florence in the year #acjb1 and was    
employed to paint frescoes in the hall  
of the ,podesta1 or as it is now more   
commonly called the ,bargello4 ,i found 
it impossible1 as ,i have said above1 on
 examining these frescoes carefully1 to 

believe that the greater portion of them
 were executed by ,giotto2#ef and owing 
to damp and restoration the majority    
have suffered so severely1 as to render 
it a question of little but antiquarian 
interest whose work they originally     
were4 ,the large fresco of the ,paradise
 at the end of the chapel1 in which are 
the famous portraits of ,dante and      
,corso ,donati1 has been greatly        
restored1 especially the ,dante head1   
which has been wholly re-painted4 ,the  
portrait1 nevertheless1 is one of great 
interest1 and the spirit of the         
composition has been preserved by the   
restorer1 though the painting itself is 
hard and heavy compared with the        
untouched work of our master4  ,it was  
shortly after the execution of this     
work1 that ,giotto prepared the designs 
for the faade of the ,duomo1 which were 
executed by ,andrea ,pisano2 and in the 
succeeding year ,giotto married1 and    
shortly afterwards removed to ,padua4   
,the large ,madonna ,enthroned1 by      

,giotto1 bears the greatest resemblance 
to the manner of ,cimabue of any of this
 master's work4 ,before the throne1     
which is raised on two high steps1 and  
surrounded with a canopy and pillars    
crowned by ,gothic arches1 kneel two    
angels in white1 each bearing a vase of 
flowers in her hand2 on either side of  
the throne appear six saints and angels4
 ,the ,madonna is heavily painted1 and  
clothed in a white under-robe1 with a   
long blue-green mantle covering the     
lower portion of the figure4 ,the       
,virgin gazes straight out of the       
picture with something of the peculiar  
lack-lustre gaze so invariably found in 
the pictures of the ,byzantine masters1 
and which was seldom absent from the    
faces of ,cimabue himself4 ,the two     
front angels on the east side of the    
throne are in green1 and offer to the   
,virgin a model of the church 7in which 
the picture was to serve as an          
altarpiece7 and a crown4 ,the infant    
,christ has his hand raised as if to    

address the spectator2 in his face there
 is little of the infantine playfulness 
or expression which is to be found in   
,giotto's later work1 as1 for instance1 
in the fresco of the ,presentation in   
the ,temple in the ,arena ,chapel1 where
 the infant ,christ is struggling to    
escape from the high priest to the      
,virgin1 who stretches her arms towards 
him4 ,indeed1 throughout this picture1  
there is hardly to be found a trace of  
the characteristic merits of ,giotto's  
later work1 and it must have been       
executed in the early days of his       
apprenticeship to ,cimabue1 whose method
 of arrangement has been almost         
slavishly copied4 ,the type of face1    
however1 both of the ,virgin and the    
,christ1 are of a broader1 heavier type 
than in the ,byzantine model1 the chin  
fuller and less retreating1 the eye less
 elliptical1 and the expression1 though 
somewhat blank1 has not that drooping1  
half-dreamy look of the older schools4  
,if we turn from this ,madonna1 to the  

gigantic one by ,cimabue which hangs on 
the opposite side of the entrance in the
 ,accademia1 we can see clearly the     
advance made by ,giotto even in this    
early work4 ,besides the differences    
above mentioned1 there is a fresher1    
more life-like air about the whole      
picture2 the figures are arranged less  
for graceful lines1 and more in         
accordance with nature2 the drapery is  
not so severely conventional in the     
arrangement of its folds1 there is a    
nearer approach to the sweeping curves  
of nature than to the formal vertical   
lines which had grown common from the   
imitation of ,byzantine mosaics4  ,when1
 however1 all these differences are     
noted and allowed their full value1 we  
can only conclude that this work of     
,giotto's is one of his earliest and    
least spontaneous productions1 and that 
the colour in it must have suffered     
great deterioration4 ,like nearly all   
the pictures painted upon panel of this 
period1 the colour has probably darkened

 and lost much of its original beauty1  
and this will perhaps account for the   
work having little of that purity of    
tint that is so noticeable in ,giotto's 
frescoes4 ,of the ten small scenes from 
the life of ,st4 ,francis1 which are    
generally attributed to ,giotto1 the    
same remarks apply as to the series of  
scenes from the ,new ,testament spoken  
of below1 and the assertion must be     
reiterated that there is no reason to   
attribute either of these series to the 
hand of ,giotto1 the colouring          
especially being contrary to the general
 work of that master4 ,there is a crude 
vermilion tint employed in almost every 
one of these panels that may be sought  
for in vain in any of the frescoes at   
,padua1 ,assisi1 or in the ,santa ,croce
 at ,florence4  ,with regard to the     
twenty-two small designs on panel which 
are in the ,accademia under the title of
 being portions of the great altarpiece 
at ,santa ,maria ,novella1 it scarcely  
admits of doubt that they are bad       

imitations of the master rather than    
specimens of even his earliest work4 ,if
 we take the slightest of the drawings  
in the ,arena ,chapel and compare them  
with one of these panels1 we shall find 
a total dissimilarity1 both in colour   
and design4 ,these works do not err on  
the side of incompleteness of design or 
a tentative method of execution4 ,they  
rather belong to a school which carries 
its execution farther than its thought1 
and is in fact a complacent imitation of
 the work of ,giotto4 ,i see in these no
 traces of ,giotto's work1 though many  
traces of his manner1 and feel sure that
 if these designs belong in any way to  
,giotto1 they must have been utterly    
spoilt in the re-painting4 ,they do not1
 however1 seem to me to have been his   
designs1 as even in the sadly-spoilt    
frescoes in the ,bargello1 can the      
traces of the master's handiwork be     
clearly seen1 despite damp1 whitewash1  
and restoration1 and it is excessively  
improbable that these smaller panels    

should have needed or received equal    
alteration4  ,they are in all           
probability the work of ,taddeo ,gaddi1 
or one of his pupils2 but this is hardly
 the place to enter upon the discussion 
of their authorship1 further than to    
explain it not to belong to the hand of 
,giotto4  ,in the chapel of the         
,castellani1 in the ,santa ,croce1 is   
the crucifix generally ascribed to      
,giotto by ,lord ,lindsay and other     
writers1 but it is difficult to discover
 any ground1 save such as is derived    
from popular tradition1 for such an     
assumption4 ,the lines of the figure are
 stiff and formal1 the colour lifeless  
and heavy1 and the whole work seems to  
belong to the ,sienese school in the    
character of the design4 ,it should be  
noted that this work is set far back    
behind a double row of huge pewter      
candlesticks1 and great branches of     
artificial flowers1 and is placed       
immediately beneath the only window that
 lights the chapel1 so that it is       

impossible to speak with certainty of   
the merits of the colouring4 ,a curious 
instance of the difficulty of deciding a
 work to be by ,giotto on account of the
 merit or originality of the design is  
to be seen in this very chapel1 where   
there are seven frescoes on the right of
 the crucifix1 by ,agnolo ,gaddi1 which 
are full of so-called ,giottesque       
traits4 ,very evidently ,giotto's       
influence was in the air1 and the very  
winds of heaven seem to have carried the
 matter4 ,in the ,baroncelli ,chapel we 
have an opportunity of comparing        
undoubted works by ,taddeo ,gaddi with  
those frescoes in the ,upper ,church at 
,assisi1 which ,i have refused to       
consider as ,giotto's2 but if these     
,florentine ones be by the same hand it 
has undoubtedly advanced in skill2 the  
architecture1 especially1 is of a       
considerably more elaborate character1  
and is more akin to that of the ,lower  
,church at ,assisi4 ,it must be noticed 
too that there is in these ,gaddi       

frescoes1 more observation of nature    
than in those of the ,upper ,church2 in 
one composition alone are there no less 
than four different species of trees    
introduced into the background2 orange1 
palm1 a species of laurel1 and a        
round-topped tree1 which might be       
anything from a sycamore to a cedar4    
,various characteristics of ,giotto's   
works are to be traced in these         
frescoes2 the colouring is evidently an 
unsuccessful imitation1 and gesture and 
action are used somewhat overmuch1      
without helping to tell the story1 as we
 can fancy would be done by one trying  
to follow ,giotto's method4             
,,footnotes3  #ej ,how a certain        
reviewer would have scoffed at ,giotto  
for representing the ,virgin in this    
manner6  #ea ,it has been removed since1
 and its whereabouts is not now known4  
#eb ,there is a dispute about the period
 when these frescoes were executed1 but 
the weight of evidence is in favour of  
their having been done at the earliest  

period of ,giotto's artistic career4    
#ec ,mr4 ,thomas ,patch does not seem to
 have appreciated the master much1 for  
he can see little difference between his
 work and that of the other painters of 
the same period1 e4g4 the ,sienese and  
,pisan schools4  #ed ,according to      
,baldinucci1 ,vasari says ,benedict     
,,ix41 and ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle1    
,benedict ,,xi 7#acjc74 ,vide supra1 p4 
#ce4  #ee ,portrait of ,boniface ,,viii4
 preserved under glass in the church4   
,ed4 ,flor4  #ef ,i may perhaps mention 
that ,mr4 ,fairfax ,murray1 who         
accompanied me to the ,bargello1 and    
gave me his valuable opinion as to the  
authorship of the frescoes1 also felt   
certain of ,giotto only having painted  
one or two of the number4     ,,chapter 
,,viii4  ,,giotto ,,at ,,padua4         
,these temples grew as grows the grass3 
,art might obey1 but not surpass2       
,the passive master lent his hand       
,to the vast soul that o'er him planned1
      ,and the same power that built the

 shrine      ,o'erspread the tribes that
 knelt therein4--,emerson4   ,fancy a   
wet1 cloudy1 spring day in an old       
,italian town2 the only objects visible 
in the little grass-grown square where  
the hotel stands1 being two or three    
mournful carriages1 with the sorriest   
steeds harnessed to them1 that even     
,italian feeding can produce1 and       
surrounding these1 houses of mildewed   
stone1 faced occasionally with brown    
plaster1 large flakes of which are      
peeling off in every direction4 ,the    
drivers have long since given up all    
hope of even a stray tourist1 and       
ensconced themselves in the low         
wine-shop that you may see at the corner
 of the square1 whence the sound of     
their voices and the smoke of their     
cigars1 break forth occasionally into   
the heavy atmosphere4  ,every now and   
then a slippered figure1 with white     
stockings down at heel1 and black stuff 
petticoat wrapped carefully over its    
head1 hurries by on some domestic       

errand1 or a stray dog limps dejectedly 
in and out of the carriage wheels1 in   
search of stray scraps of sausage or    
cheese1 which might indeed well be      
there1 since the drivers eat both1      
pretty well all day long4 ,to close the 
picture1 an ,englishman in a tweed suit1
 staring contemplatively at the prospect
 from the doorway of the principal      
hotel1 and wondering whether it was     
really worth while to travel half across
 ,europe1 in order to reach such a      
resting-place3 wondering also whom he   
shall get to direct him to the ,arena   
,chapel1 for this is ,padua1 once most  
learned of universities1 and now dullest
 of cities1 and it is here that ,giotto 
painted the ,scrovegni ,chapel from     
floor to ceiling4  ,after more or less  
contradictory directions and several    
fruitless attempts1 ,i discovered the   
entrance to the enclosure wherein the   
chapel stands1 and being by this time   
wet1 tired1 dirty1 and considerably out 
of temper1 immediately resolved to leave

 it to the next day to see the pictures1
 and returned to my hotel depressed in  
spirit1 but trying to look forward to   
the morrow4 ,all was unchanged in the   
square1 save that the dog had departed1 
and the vetturini grown a trifle more   
noisy2 so after a solitary dinner1      
wherein the landlord figured as sole    
attendant1 and macaroni formed the      
principal dish1 ,i turned into my room1 
and consoled myself with concocting an  
imaginary leader to the ,times on the   
fallacy of believing that ,italian      
weather was better than ,english1 and so
 to bed4  ,never was change more        
complete than that ,i woke to the next  
morning4 ,a blazing sun1 such as we see 
in ,july only1 shone in the midst of a  
blue sky1 and streamed brightly in upon 
the paved bedchamber1 and a fresh little
 breeze rattled cheerfully to and fro   
the big window-shutters1 and hinted at  
its being time to get up4 ,a glance into
 the square revealed my vetturino       
friends cheerfully cracking their whips 

at imaginary flies1 and1 seated by the  
side of the fountain1 a brown-skinned   
maiden in the whitest of linen and      
heaviest of earrings1 was amicably      
partaking of a chunk of sausage1 with   
the youngest of the party4 ,the very dog
 had turned up again1 and looked at     
least twice the size that he did        
yesterday1 and was sitting at a         
respectful distance from the last-named 
couple1 watching for scraps with        
cheerful confidence4  ,now1 if ever1 it 
appeared to me was the time for a first 
favourable impression of a great artist1
 and so1 hurrying through dressing and  
breakfast1 ,i started for the chapel4   
,venting the content of my soul as ,i   
went along1 in the solitary ,italian    
phrase ,i was master of1 ,i waved my    
hand to the young coachman1 and said1 ch
 bel' tempo4 ,he looked down at his     
dark-eyed damsel2 she was sitting on the
 step of the carriage by this time1 and 
if ever a coachman agreed with any one1 
which is doubtful1 that young fellow did

 with me2 though ,i gathered his assent 
merely from his eloquent looks1 for of  
what he said ,i have not the faintest   
conception4  ,so1 like neas1 with hope  
and fortune favouring me1 ,i drew near  
to the great wooden gate which marks the
 entrance to the ,arena4 ,the large     
gates are immovable1 but a little       
lattice door opens if you push it deftly
 at the right moment after having rung  
the bell1 and on entering1 you see a    
long garden1 where currants and         
apple-trees1 acacias and vines1 almonds 
and poplars1 are all mixed together in a
 confusion of greenery4 ,at the end of  
the narrow gravel walk rises a house1   
not unlike an ,english suburban villa1  
much out of repair1 in front of which   
two or three small children are tumbling
 about in perilous proximity to an old  
well1 while at what should be the       
dining-room window1 stands a girl       
twisting up her long1 black hair1 with  
the most perfect composure4 ,anything   
more delightfully unlike the usual      

aspect of a show place could hardly be  
imagined1 and at first 7not being able  
to see the chapel at all7 ,i thought ,i 
had mistaken my direction for the third 
time1 but there was the servant         
evidently getting ready to receive me1  
and1 as ,i had undoubtedly rung the     
bell1 ,i walked boldly up to the house4 
,illustration3 ,,padua4    ,from a      
drawing by the ,author4  ,a few steps   
explained the matter4 ,the chapel stands
 to the right of the house1 at the edge 
of the orchard1 and the servant was     
doing up her hair previous to bringing  
out the keys4 ,the chapel outside is    
simply a barn-shaped building1 with a   
gable roof1 absolutely undecorated in   
any way whatever1 unless a round-arched 
door1 with the remains of a very small  
fresco above it1 can be called          
decorative4 ,the entrance is at the west
 end of the building1 which is lighted  
from the south side only1 by six long   
narrow windows4 ,the gable roof hardly  
projects at all beyond the walls4 ,the  

whole appearance of the chapel being    
somewhat like those box-like            
constructions drawn by children1 to     
represent a house4 ,if it be a proper   
criticism to call a thing ugly which has
 only been constructed for a certain    
purpose1 and which has fulfilled that   
purpose fairly well for six hundred     
years1 the ,scrovegni ,chapel may fairly
 be called by that name2 but personally 
,i must confess to a feeling of         
gratification at finding there was      
absolutely no attempt at architectural  
embellishment in the whole building1 and
 many will probably share this feeling4 
,knowing that the interior was          
absolutely covered with frescoes1 each  
of which was almost priceless1 it seemed
 to me appropriate1 both to the         
pictures1 and the simplicity of style in
 the master who executed them1 that     
their covering should be not sculptured 
marble or vaulted stone1 but simply     
plain1 honest building4  ,after all the 
chapel was hardly more to the frescoes  

than is the canvas to the picture1 and  
it afforded a refreshing contrast to the
 way in which things are done nowadays1 
to remember that ,enrico ,scrovegni1#eg 
wishing to build a temple to the honour1
 and for the service of1 the ,virgin1   
thought it more necessary to give her   
the work of genius within her shrine1   
than to adorn its exterior with costly  
materials and sculptured ornament4      
,given that it was a choice between     
,giotto's frescoes and elaborate        
architectural design 7and we may suppose
 that a plain citizen could not afford  
both71 then we can look at this homely  
building with pleasure rather than      
repulsion1 as we do at the rough coating
 of some precious stone4 ,and if we do  
not grumble at the plainness of the     
building1 still less will we do so at   
its position in the quaint garden-close1
 where flickering shadows from the      
bright leaves of the acacias dot the    
gravel path1 and where from behind the  
chapel rises the humming of the         

custodian's bee-hives4#eh  ,is not this 
such a surrounding as we might best     
desire for our painter's work8 ,in front
 of his masterpieces1 an orchard green  
and gay1 with trembling leaves and      
flashing sunshine1 and human with the   
soft voices of laughing children2 and   
behind1 a rich meadow1 where a few      
cattle doze lazily through their time1  
and long ranges of bee-hives stand in   
the very shadow of the chapel2 and if   
the eye lifts its gaze from meadow and  
orchard1 with a sense of something      
wanting to the full agreement of the    
surroundings and the painter's mind1 it 
meets the great dome of the neighbouring
 church rising against the cloudless    
sky1 as it might in one of ,giotto's own
 frescoes1 and is satisfied4 ,so with   
the rustling of the leaves1 and the     
murmur of the bees in our ears1 and     
something of the bright sunshine in our 
hearts1 we enter the chapel where the   
custodian waits patiently enough1 having
 had experience of many tourists and    

their foolish ways4  ,a long vaulted    
chamber plainly divided by a high arch  
into nave and chancel1 lighted by six   
high narrow windows1 all on the right   
hand wall1 the entire interior surface  
covered with frescoes1 three tiers of   
which run from the ceiling to within    
about eight feet of the ground2 at      
intervals1 below this lowest tier1 there
 are other frescoes of smaller size in  
monochrome1 symbolical of the various   
,christian virtues and vices1 surrounded
 by craftily painted borders1 imitating 
mosaic of coloured marbles4  ,wherever  
the eye turns it meets a bewilderment of
 colour pure and radiant1 and yet       
restful to the eye2 tints which resemble
 in their perfect harmony of brightness 
the iridescence of a shell1 and seem to 
be possessed of something of the same   
strange quality of imprisoned light4    
,from the blue ceiling1 with its        
medallions and golden stars1 to the     
lowest range of mosaic1 there is        
literally not a spot where the eye      

cannot rest with pleasure2 and the whole
 interior1 owing perhaps to its perfect 
simplicity of form1 and the absence of  
all other decoration than the frescoes1 
presents less the aspect of a building  
ornamented with paintings1 than that of 
some gigantic opal in the midst of which
 the spectator stands4  ,it is difficult
 to speak without seeming exaggeration  
of the effect produced1 or to attempt to
 convey to those of my readers who are  
not familiar with the spot1 the peculiar
 qualities of the colouring in these    
paintings4 ,in ,england1 and to the     
majority of ,englishmen1 pure colour1   
bright colour1 and staring colour1 are  
almost interchangeable terms1 and depth 
of colour is but too frequently         
understood to mean depth of shadow4 ,now
 you must quite get rid of the idea that
 the colouring of these frescoes is     
crude or violent1 because ,i call it    
pure4  ,if there is one quality of our  
master's work which is more certain than
 another1 it is the general harmony of  

his tints1 the absence of any discordant
 effect from his paintings4 ,the great  
difference between his system of        
colouring and that of later masters is1 
that his harmony is gained by means of  
the combination of broad masses of      
comparatively simple tints1 while later 
artists discovered that by paying       
greater attention to the gradation of   
colour1 its subtle variations of light  
and shade1 and its enhancement by means 
of complementary tints1 they could      
produce a greater truth to nature1 as   
well as a greater amount of colour      
beauty1 than in any other way--and one1 
moreover1 which was applicable to all   
the varying conditions of nature4       
,giotto's system was one which he would 
have been the first to discard1 had it  
occurred to him to paint a picture save 
in full daylight1 for its beauty is     
incompatible with any other effect4 ,it 
must always be remembered in thinking of
 his work1 that he was the successor of 
men who absolutely banished shadow from 

their pictures2 for the gloomy hues of  
the older ,byzantine pictures were not  
representative of shadow1 any more than 
their rich tones represented light2 and 
,giotto's master1 ,cimabue1 had revolted
 from the darkness of his predecessors' 
pictures to comparatively light tints4  
,it was1 of course1 impossible for      
,giotto to work out an entire system of 
chiaroscuro for himself 7as a matter of 
fact it took another two hundred years  
to accomplish that advance72 the marvel 
is that by his exquisite arrangement of 
tint he was able to compose pictures    
which are to this day comparable in     
colour beauty to those of the great     
masters of succeeding ages1 though they 
are not comparable in subtlety of       
colour1 nor is there ever such beauty of
 a special colour gained as in the work 
of the later artists4#ei                
,illustration3 ,,paradise4    ,,fresco  
,,by ,,giotto4    ,,in ,,the ,,cappella 
,,dell' ,,arena1 ,,padua4    7,greatly  
restored47  ,the series of paintings    

comprises illustrations of the          
apocryphal history of ,joachim and      
,anna1 the ,virgin's parents1 the life  
of the ,virgin up to the period of the  
,annunciation1 and finally1 a set of    
illustrations of the life and passion of
 ,jesus ,christ1 culminating in a fresco
 above the choir showing ,him enthroned 
in glory4 ,thus the series forms one    
connected history1 supplementing which  
there is on the great wall above the    
door a representation of the last       
judgment4 ,every fresco is surrounded by
 a frame1 painted in imitation of       
coloured mosaic1 and at intervals1      
beneath the lowest row of the scenes    
from the life of ,christ1 there are     
representations of the ,virtues1 each of
 which has its corresponding ,vice      
facing it upon the opposite side of the 
chapel4 ,in the arrangement it should be
 noticed that each ,virtue has its head 
turned to the portion of the ,last      
,judgment fresco representing ,heaven1  
or to the fresco of ,christ in ,glory2  

each ,vice looks towards the portion    
representing ,hell4 ,these symbolical   
figures are in greyish green1 with      
occasionally a background of dull red2  
the historical works are in various     
colours4  ,this arrangement is probably 
due in some measure to the rules of     
,byzantine art1 but here the resemblance
 ends2 nothing can be more original1    
owing less to tradition1 than the       
composition of the various pictures in  
this series4 ,they are not so much an   
improvement upon ,byzantine art1 as a   
wholly new departure2 the difference is 
something like that between the gallop  
of a horse1 and the fierce rush of a    
locomotive1 not only a greater pace1 but
 a changed mode of progression4 ,it is  
difficult to see how the one could have 
ever developed into the other1 and there
 is no clue left1 save such as may be   
found in that lonely shepherd life led  
by the young artist1 amidst the olive   
groves and grey hills of ,vespignano4 ,i
 subjoin a table of the subjects of     

these series in the order in which they 
here occur2 but ,i do not propose to    
weary my readers with a description of  
the composition of each picture2 it will
 be sufficient if ,i indicate the main  
features of a few of the most           
important4#fj  ,the order of the        
drawings in the ,arena ,chapel is as    
follows3--       #a4 ,joachim's         
,offering rejected by the ,high ,priest4
      #b4 ,joachim retires to the       
,sheepfold4      #c4 ,the ,angel appears
 to ,anna4      #d4 ,the ,sacrifice of  
,joachim4      #e4 ,the ,angel appears  
to ,joachim4      #f4 ,the ,meeting of  
,joachim and ,anna4      #g4 ,the ,birth
 of the ,virgin ,mary4      #h4 ,the    
,presentation of the ,virgin4      #i4  
,the ,rods are brought to the ,high     
,priest4      #aj4 ,the ,watching of the
 ,rods at the ,altar4      #aa4 ,the    
,espousal of the ,virgin ,mary4         
#ab4 ,the ,virgin ,mary returns to her  
,home4      #ac4 ,the ,annunciation--the
 ,angel ,gabriel4      #ad4 ,the        

,annunciation--the ,virgin ,mary4       
#ae4 ,the ,marriage of the ,virgin4     
#af4 ,the ,salutation4      #ag4 ,the   
,nativity4      #ah4 ,the ,wise ,men's  
,offering4      #ai4 ,the ,presentation 
in the ,temple4      #bj4 ,the ,flight  
into ,egypt4      #ba4 ,the ,massacre of
 the ,innocents4      #bb4 ,the ,young  
,christ in the ,temple4      #bc4 ,the  
,baptism of ,christ4      #bd4 ,the     
,marriage in ,cana4      #be4 ,the      
,raising of ,lazarus4      #bf4 ,the    
,entry into ,jerusalem4      #bg4 ,the  
,expulsion from the ,temple4      #bh4  
,the ,hiring of ,judas4      #bi4 ,the  
,last ,supper4      #cj4 ,the ,washing  
of the ,feet4      #ca4 ,the ,kiss of   
,judas4      #cb4 ,christ before        
,caiaphas4      #cc4 ,the ,scourging of 
,christ4      #cd4 ,christ bearing ,his 
,cross4      #ce4 ,the ,crucifixion4    
#cf4 ,the ,entombment4      #cg4 ,the   
,resurrection4      #ch4 ,the           
,ascension4      #ci4 ,the ,descent of  
the ,holy ,spirit4  ,the first of this  

series which deserves especial attention
 is that numbered two in the above      
table1 the representation of ,joachim's 
retirement to the sheepfold1 after his  
offering has been rejected by the high  
priest4 ,this is especially remarkable  
as being the first of his series of the 
,arena frescoes in which ,giotto's early
 training shows itself4 ,nothing can be 
more marked than the evident delight of 
the painter in depicting any form of    
this shepherd life4 ,throughout his     
works every opportunity of introducing  
animal nature1 especially sheep nature1 
is eagerly seized and made the most of1 
and1 as in this fresco1 the animals have
 invariably a character of their own1   
and are by no means walking gentlemen in
 the scene represented4 ,look1 for      
instance1 at the varied action of the   
sheep in this composition1 and the eager
 welcome that ,joachim's dog is giving  
to his master4 ,in the third and fourth 
pictures1 too1 of the ,sacrifice of     
,joachim1 and the subsequent appearance 

of the angel1 is the delight of the     
painter in animal idiosyncrasies        
apparent1 as in the two rams butting at 
one another1 and the air of quiet       
watchfulness in which the dog lies down1
 with a sense of responsibility strong  
upon him4    ,illustration3 ,,joachim   
,,retires ,,to ,,the ,,sheepfold4 ,,by  
,,giotto4    ,in the ,cappella dell'    
,arena1 ,padua4  ,the ,meeting of       
,joachim and ,anna1 chiefly remarkable  
for the grace and beauty of the two     
leading figures2 it is somewhat curious 
to notice how the position of ,anna's   
head suggests that of a famous modern   
picture1 perhaps the most celebrated    
ever painted in ,england1 the           
,huguenots1 by ,mr4 ,j4 ,e4 ,millais1   
,r4,a4 ,a propos of this fresco1 ,mr4   
,ruskin remarks1 that the artist has    
heightened the effect of the leading    
figures by wilfully coarsening the      
features of the subordinate characters1 
and that the horizontal lines of the    
architecture enhance by contrast the    

beauty of the curved draperies4 ,i am1  
however1 inclined to think that the     
first of these contrasts is accidental1 
as the type of face of the servants in  
this composition1 is found throughout   
the minor characters in ,giotto's       
pictures2 indeed1 it may be noticed     
that1 whether from his own uncomeliness1
 or some other more recondite reason1   
the painter had a curious difficulty in 
depicting beautiful faces1 that belongs 
to him alone of contemporary masters4   
,this does not apply to beauty of       
gesture or line1 to which he was        
excessively sensitive4  #h4 ,the        
,presentation of the ,virgin--the       
,virgin represented not as a child1 but1
 as ,lord ,lindsay remarks1 a dwarf     
woman4 ,the figure of ,anna in this     
picture is one of the least graceful in 
,giotto's works4  #aj4 ,the ,watching of
 the ,rods at the ,altar4--,chiefly     
characteristic as showing ,giotto's     
power of seizing the expression in the  
simplest actions1 which is most         

characteristic of the subject2 in this  
fresco the eagerness of the watchers is 
shown with a quite unmistakeable        
plainness1 especially in the three      
centre figures1 though all of these have
 their backs more or less turned to the 
spectator4  #aa4 ,the ,espousal of the  
,virgin4--,some of the figures in this  
composition are very fine1 such1 for    
instance1 as those of ,joseph1 the high 
priest1 and the youth behind1 who is in 
the act of breaking the rod over his    
knee4 ,mr4 ,ruskin remarks of this last 
figure that in ,perugino's treatment of 
the same subject 7at ,cannes7 there is  
nothing in the action of the            
disappointed suitors so perfectly true  
and touching as that of the youth       
breaking his rod in this composition of 
,giotto4  #ab4 ,the ,return of the      
,virgin ,mary to her ,home4--,the figure
 of the violin-player in this           
composition is remarkable1 not only for 
its beauty1 but for being identical with
 that of one of the attendants in the   

fresco of the ,daughter of ,herodias    
dancing before ,herod1 in the ,santa    
,croce at ,florence4 ,it is a very quiet
 picture1 full of slow movement and     
dignified grace1 but a little wanting in
 the variety of action which is         
generally characteristic of ,giotto's   
work1 and more severe in the lines of   
the drapery4  #ac4 ,the                 
,annunciation--the ,angel ,gabriel and  
the ,virgin ,mary4 ,these are two single
 figures which together encircle the    
arch above the entrance to the choir of 
the chapel1 and are as beautiful as any 
of the compositions2 especially fine is 
the attitude of the lines of drapery of 
the angel's figure4 ,giotto seems not to
 have attempted to render the ,virgin's 
face beautiful either in expression or  
feature4  #af4 ,the ,salutation--almost 
the first fresco where ,giotto's full   
powers are seen4 ,i know no two figures 
more finer in their way than those of   
the ,virgin and ,elizabeth4 ,here the   
plainness of ,mary's face seems quite   

obscured by the beauty of its           
expression1 and every line of the two   
figures helps to tell the story4 ,this  
picture is smaller than the others1     
owing to its place beneath the figure of
 the ,virgin in the ,annunciation1 and  
is nearly bare of all background4  #ag4 
,the ,nativity4--,this ,nativity is     
doubly interesting from the fact of the 
subject being repeated at ,assisi in the
 lower church#fa in the series generally
 attributed to ,giotto4 ,the one at     
,padua is as beautiful as any of the    
,arena frescoes1 and in every way finer 
than the ,assisi rendering1 which latter
 is almost certainly the work of one of 
,giotto's pupils1 and is as stiff and   
mechanical in its general arrangement as
 the former is easy and natural4  ,i    
need not enter into the reasons which   
have convinced me of ,giotto not having 
personally executed the ,assisi         
,nativity1 as they are given at length  
in a subsequent chapter4#fb ,the varied 
action of the angels1 the natural       

gestures of the ,virgin and the         
shepherds and the quiet harmony of blue 
and grey colour 7in which this fresco is
 almost entirely painted71 are          
especially worthy of notice4 ,very      
noticeable too are the attentive        
animals1 and the natural manner in which
 the ,virgin turns half round in her bed
 to place the child in its attendant's  
arms4 ,on the right are the shepherds   
listening to the angels1 who fly hither 
and thither above the mountain          
background2 on the left1 the ox and ass 
stretching their heads towards the      
,virgin's couch4  #ah4 ,the ,adoration  
of the ,magi4--,the composition of this 
fresco in its leading figures is very   
fine1 and somewhat more elaborate than  
customary in this series4 ,the artist   
has tried very hard to get some         
expression of interest in the camel1 who
 is being held by an attendant on the   
left of the picture1 and has actually   
succeeded to some extent1 despite the   
,noah's-ark-like appearance of the      

animal1 caused no doubt by ,giotto's    
insufficient acquaintance with its      
shape4  #ai4 ,the ,presentation in the  
,temple4--,there are two incidents in   
this scene1 for the right interpretation
 of the latter of which ,i am indebted  
to ,mr4 ,ruskin4 ,the first of them is  
the naturalism of the child1 which is   
evidently struggling to leave the high  
priest's arms and get back to its       
mother1 who holds out her arms to       
receive it2 the second being the        
approach of an angel to ,simeon1 who is 
supposed by ,mr4 ,ruskin to typify the  
angel of death1 sent in visible         
fulfilment of the thankful words of     
,simeon3 ',lord1 now lettest ,thou ,thy 
servant depart in peace4' ,the drapery  
of the ,virgin in this fresco1 though   
simple1 is very fine4  #bj4 ,the ,flight
 into ,egypt4--,one of the simplest of  
the series4 ,the colour in several      
places completely gone1 as1 for         
instance1 in the ,virgin's robe1 which1 
originally blue1 is now a yellowish     

white1 the dark shadow of the drapery   
alone remaining4 ,the patient pace of   
the tired ass on which the ,virgin is   
seated1 if contrasted with that of the  
one on which ,christ is riding in the   
fresco of the ,entry into ,jerusalem1   
will show how minute was ,giotto's      
observation and appreciation of animal  
life4  #ba4 ,the ,murder of the         
,innocents4--,perhaps the least pleasing
 of the series1 though no doubt much of 
its lack of beauty is owing to the      
change of colour which this fresco has  
sustained1 a change which1 from some    
unknown cause1 has been much more       
radical than in most of this series4    
,the composition could1 however1 have   
been at no time a beautiful one1 and the
 heap of stiff wooden dolls 7for such   
they seem7 that represents the          
slaughtered innocents is simply ugly4   
,the fresco1 however1 is full of action1
 and the figure of the leading          
executioner1 who stands drawing back his
 sword to pierce the child1 whom he     

holds head downwards in his left hand1  
is one of the most vigorous ,giotto ever
 conceived4  #bb4 ,the ,teaching of     
,christ in the ,temple4--,this fresco is
 so much injured by damp as to be       
practically destroyed4  #bc4 ,the       
,baptism of ,christ by ,john4--,wholly  
,byzantine in its arrangement1          
especially in the water1 which is       
depicted as a heavy green wall1 reaching
 half way up the fresco and covering    
,christ's body as high as the chest4    
,mary and ,joseph stand on the right    
bank1 attendants on the left1 ,christ in
 the centre of the picture1 with a glory
 streaming down upon him4 ,it is        
somewhat curious to observe that ,giotto
 has made a compromise in the garments  
of the ,apostle ,john1 and while        
clothing him in a pink robe1 for the    
sake of the fresco's colour1 has allowed
 a little bit of the camel's-hair       
garment to be seen beneath the long     
drapery4  #bd4 ,the ,wedding in         
,cana4--,a touch of nature in the fat   

butler in the foreground1 who is        
swigging away at the wine before taking 
it to the table2 otherwise this fresco  
is one of the most commonplace of the   
series4 ,it is worthy of notice that in 
all cases where ,giotto has to represent
 a scene in which the actors are seated1
 the artist seems to lose much of his   
attractiveness2 to become more          
commonplace4 ,it is as if the dramatic  
instinct in him refused to work freely  
except when he could depict varied      
actions4  #be4 ,the ,raising of         
,lazarus4--,this is another fresco full 
of the various attitudes of surprise and
 energy in which ,giotto delighted so   
much4 ,the pose of the principal figure 
of the disciples should be noticed1 as  
it is very characteristic of our artist1
 and occurs in many of his frescoes     
where surprise or grief has to be       
indicated4 ,the body is bent slightly   
forward with the arms thrown abruptly   
back1 the hand hollowed with the palm   
towards the ground1 the fingers held    

together and the thumb as much spread   
out as possible4 ,the figures of the two
 attendants in this fresco1 who are     
raising the heavy slab which covered the
 tomb of ,lazarus1 are of very marked   
action2 the one on the right trying to  
raise the slab to his shoulder1 while   
the left-hand one1 with feet planted    
firmly wide apart1 is just bending to   
the strain of lifting his end of the    
stone from the ground1 or as a rowing   
man would say1 is just getting his      
weight on4  #bf4 ,the ,entry into       
,jerusalem4--,greatly injured by damp   
but still interesting4 ,notice the      
figure of the woman1 whose cloak has    
tumbled over her head in her excitement1
 and the haste with which the two boys  
in the background are climbing the      
palm-trees to get a good view4  #bg4    
,the ,expulsion of the                  
,money-changers4--,like the last this   
composition is one of varied interest1  
but the left-hand portion of it having  
been considerably damaged by damp is    

scarcely intelligible4 ,the attitude of 
,christ is energetic1 and there is a    
fine contrast in feeling between the two
 money-changers on the right hand of the
 picture1 one of whom shrinks away1     
while the other seems inclined to stand 
his ground1 while the precipitation with
 which the goat is leaping out of the   
little pen is one of those little       
semi-burlesque touches of animal life   
which ,giotto introduces whenever he    
gets a chance4     ,illustration3 ,,the 
,,entombment ,,of ,,christ4     ,,fresco
 ,,by ,,giotto4     ,,in ,,the          
,,cappella ,,dell' ,,arena1 ,,padua4    
#bh4 ,the ,hiring of ,judas4--,a small  
composition of four figures1 placed on  
the wall beneath the arch of the choir1 
immediately beneath the ,angel of the   
,annunciation4 ,judas has already       
received the bag of money1 and the high 
priest1 with one finger raised1 like a  
sort of ecclesiastical ,dogberry1 is    
just giving him his last instructions4  
,the ,devil1 too1 in the shape of a     

black hobgoblin1 with claws and tail1 is
 also giving the apostate advice1       
whispering it into his ear4 ,the small  
fresco beneath this and in the          
corresponding place on the other side of
 the choir is simply painted with a     
representation of an arched ceiling1    
wall1 and window1 apparently intended to
 give the impression from a distance of 
there being a side transept to the      
choir4  #bi4 ,the ,last ,supper4--,in   
this1 as in all his frescoes of seated  
figures1 ,giotto is less at home than   
usual4 ,it is curious to notice that the
 attitude of ,john in this fresco is the
 same as was adopted in all the later   
renderings of this scene4 ,the moment   
chosen is the usual one of the          
,saviour's speech--,he that dippeth his 
hand in the dish with me1 the same shall
 betray me4#fc  #cj4 ,the ,washing of   
the ,feet4--,very characteristic of     
,giotto and wonderfully true to life in 
the positions and actions of all        
concerned4 ,notice the apostle tying his

 sandal on the left of the picture1 and 
the one who is about to have his feet   
washed1 holding up his long robe lest it
 should get wet4  #ca4 ,the             
,betrayal4--,this composition is much   
more thickly filled with figures than   
most of the series1 and is one of the   
finest1 though hardly one of the most   
beautiful4 ,the figures of ,christ and  
,judas are both grand in their          
respective ways1 and stand out vividly  
from the crowd that surrounds them4     
,there is no mistake about what is      
transpiring2 one does not have to look  
for the action in a middle of graceful  
lines1 but it presents itself strongly  
and at the first glance4 ,the figure of 
the high priest who points out ,christ  
to the soldiery is also very fine1      
dignified and yet eager in action1 and  
with a mixed expression of triumph and  
anxiety4 ,in colour this fresco bears   
comparison with any in the chapel4  #cb4
 ,the ,trial4--,and ,pilate rent his    
garments1 c4 ,chiefly interesting for   

the very beautiful figure of ,christ1   
who stands with hands tied and body     
slightly bent1 half turned away from his
 judge1 the face expressing resignation1
 but in an even greater degree          
removedness from the scene around1      
possessed by some over-mastering idea4  
#cc4 ,the ,crown of ,thorns4--,here     
,giotto is again in a somewhat burlesque
 humour3 the delight of those who are   
here mocking1 tickling1 pinching1 and   
smiting ,christ is evidently the ruling 
motive of the picture4 ,it is noticeable
 that here there are only servants      
engaged in the derision and tormenting1 
not soldiers1 according to the commoner 
rendering4  #cd4 ,the ,bearing of the   
,cross4--,in this fresco the figures of 
both ,christ and ,mary are fine1 that of
 ,christ being similar to the attitude  
at the trial above referred to4  #ce4   
,the ,crucifixion4--,one of the most    
beautiful of the series4 ,the ,magdalen 
kneels at the foot of the cross1 weeping
 bitterly2 ,st4 ,john1 half fainting1 is

 supported by two disciples on the left 
of the picture2 on the right the        
soldiers squabble over the division of  
,christ's robe2 the ,saviour looks down 
upon the ,magdalen1 and above the cross 
fly here and there angels4  #cf and #cg4
 ,the ,entombment and the               
,resurrection4--,these are the two most 
beautiful frescoes in the chapel1 so    
beautiful that they throw all the others
 into comparative shade1 and fortunately
 they are both little injured by damp4  
,in the first1 ,christ is being prepared
 for burial by the disciples and the two
 ,maries4 ,the ,magdalen supports his   
feet upon her knees2 the ,mother lays   
one arm upon his breast1 whilst she     
raises his head towards her with the    
other in a last embrace4 ,st4 ,john     
bends over the body in ,giotto's usual  
attitude of grief and horror2 other     
disciples and attendants stand round    
weeping and watching2 in the background 
are mountains1 and above them a choir of
 angels4  ,in the ,resurrection1 the    

soldiers sleep beside the red porphyry  
tomb where ,christ was laid1 and on     
which1 at head and foot1 sit the        
white-winged1 white-robed angels4       
,nearly in the centre kneels the        
,magdalen in a long robe of crimson1    
which shrouds her form from head to foot
 all but her face2 to the extreme right 
of the picture stands ,christ1 half     
turning away from the kneeling woman1   
one arm outstretched as though warning  
her noli me tangere4  #ch and #ci4 ,the 
,ascension1 and the ,descent of the     
,holy ,spirit4--,the former of these two
 frescoes1 which form the concluding    
ones of the series1 is very formal in   
its arrangement--the ,christ being in   
the centre of the picture1 with hands   
raised to the choir of angels1 who hover
 on both sides4 ,below1 the disciples   
are also in two groups1 nor is there    
very much to dwell upon in their        
expression or gestures4 ,the whole      
fresco seems as if ,giotto had felt     
himself more fettered by the traditional

 manner of representing the scene1 or   
less at liberty to treat it in his own  
peculiar fashion1 than in the preceding 
scenes of the series4 ,the ,descent of  
the ,holy ,spirit is very similar in the
 arrangement of the seated figures to   
that of the ,last ,supper1 and is only  
remarkable for its very delicate        
colouring4    ,illustration3 ,,noli ,,me
 ,,tangere4    ,,fresco ,,by ,,giotto4  
,,in ,,the ,,cappella ,,dell' ,,arena1  
,,padua4  ,this picture of the ,descent 
of the ,holy ,spirit completes the      
series of the history of the ,virgin and
 our ,saviour1 and we have only now to  
mention the symbolical figures in       
monochrome1 which are painted at        
intervals beneath the lowest row of     
frescoes1 and which it is probable were 
an after thought of ,giotto's1 possibly 
suggested to him by ,dante1 who1 as ,i  
have said1 was living at ,padua during  
the time when ,giotto was occupied in   
painting the ,arena ,chapel4  ,be that  
as it may1 it is the fact that in no    

other place does ,giotto show much      
tendency towards symbolical             
representation2 these are the only      
figures of the kind that we know to have
 been executed by his hand4 ,in this    
arrangement all the ,virtues are painted
 upon the right side of the chapel1 and 
have their faces turned to the heavenly 
side of the great fresco above the door2
 the ,vices are on the left1 and look in
 like manner to the part of that fresco 
representing hell4 ,the list is as      
follows3--       ,,virtues4       #a4   
,hope4      #b4 ,charity4      #c4      
,faith4      #d4 ,justice4      #e4     
,temperance4      #f4 ,fortitude4       
#g4 ,prudence4       ,,vices4       #h4 
,folly4      #i4 ,inconstancy4      #aj4
 ,anger4      #aa4 ,injustice4      #ab4
 ,infidelity4      #ac4 ,avarice4       
#ad4 ,despair4  ,this list is in the    
order in which the frescoes are placed  
round the chapel1 beginning on the right
 hand of the doorway and returning to   
the left of the entrance2 it will be    

seen1 therefore1 that the corresponding 
,virtue and ,vice face each other       
throughout the series4  ,some of these  
allegorical figures are very beautiful2 
especially there should be noticed      
,charity1 holding a basket of fruit in  
one hand and stretching forth the other 
to the ,almighty1 who bends down from   
heaven to place some fruit in her hand4 
,as ,mr4 ,ruskin has remarked1 the      
figure is made to trample upon          
money-bags1 as if in contempt4 ,hope    
also is a very beautiful figure flying  
upward with outstretched arms1 and an   
expression of rapture and longing upon  
her face4 ,after these ,justice and     
,temperance are the finest4 ,of the     
,vices1 ,injustice is perhaps the most  
interesting1 if it is only for the sake 
of giving a clear example of how far    
,giotto understood the nature of trees4 
,the foreground of this fresco being a  
wood1 behind which sits ,injustice in a 
cave1 with a sword in his left hand and 
a grappling-hook in his right1 to catch 

the unwary traveller1 who is represented
 in a small predella to the picture1    
being robbed and stripped of his        
clothes4 ,anger too is a fine figure1   
rending her garment apart in futile     
wrath1 and so is ,despair1 with clenched
 fists and downcast head4 ,on the whole1
 this series of ,virtues and ,vices is a
 remarkable one for the plainness with  
which the thing symbolised is shown1 and
 the penetration which has led ,giotto  
in almost every case to the real root of
 the ,virtue or ,vice4 ,for a full      
description of these most interesting   
frescoes the reader cannot do better    
than refer to the little book written   
for the ,arundel ,society by ,mr4       
,ruskin1 entitled ,giotto and his ,works
 in ,padua4         99       99       99
       99       99       ,,note4--,this 
chapel1 built in1 or about1 the year    
#acjc1 appears      to have been        
intended to replace one which had long  
existed      upon the spot2 and in which
 from the year #abgh an annual          

festival had been held on ,ladyday1 in  
which the ,annunciation      was        
represented in the manner of our        
,english mysteries 7and      under the  
same title3 ',una sacra rappresentazione
 di quel      mistero'71 with dialogue  
and music1 both vocal and               
instrumental4 ,scrovegni's purchase of  
the ground would 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      
,scrovegni 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 ,selvatica states it1   
but1 more accurately1 the      'dignity'

 of the ,virgin against the various     
heretics by whom it      was beginning  
to be assailed4 ,his knights were at    
first called      ',cavaliers of ,st4   
,mary2' but soon increased in power and 
riches      to such a degree that from  
their general habits of life they       
received the nickname of the ',merry    
,brothers4'       ,federici gives       
powerful reasons for his opinion that   
the ,arena      ,chapel was employed in 
the ceremonies of their order2 and ,lord
      ,lindsay observes 'that the       
fulness with which the history of       
the ,virgin is recounted on its walls1  
adds to the plausibility      of his    
supposition4'       ,enrico ,scrovegni  
was1 however1 towards the close of his  
life      driven into exile1 and died at
 ,venice in #acbj4 ,but he was          
buried in the chapel he had built1 and  
has one small monument      in the      
sacristy as the founder of the building1
 in which he is      represented under a
 ,gothic niche1 standing with his hands 

clasped and his eyes raised1 while      
behind the altar is his      tomb1 on   
which1 as usual at this 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      to the    
,reformation2 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 martyrdom of the 
,albigenses in the ,dominican crusades1 
and      the murmurs of those           
'heretics1' 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 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--,from ,the ,arena ,chapel 
at ,padua1 by ,,john ,,ruskin4          

,illustration3 ,,justicia4    ,,fresco  
,,by ,,giotto4    ,,in ,,the ,,cappella 
,,dell' ,,arena1 ,,padua4  ,,footnotes3 
#eg ,see note at the end of this chapter
 for ,ruskin's account of the chapel's  
use and its founder4  #eh ,i beg the    
custodian's pardon1 for on going to the 
chapel again this year1 ,i find that it 
is the ,royal ,society of ,api-,culture 
who are responsible for the dozen or so 
of hives4  #ei ,it would take me at     
least a page to justify and define this 
assertion4 ,i must trust my readers to  
understand that it is written in no     
depreciation of later artists1 and that 
it only refers to colour as seen in     
light1 scarcely modified at all by      
shade4  #fj ,throughout this book ,i    
have purposely avoided1 wherever it was 
possible1 long descriptions of the      
subject matter of the pictures          
mentioned4 ,the almost inevitable       
tendency of such description1 unless it 
is done with the greatest reticence as  
well as skill1 is to withdraw the       

reader's attention from the artist1     
either to the author or the subject     
spoken of1 and as my main endeavour in  
writing this book has been to bring the 
peculiarities of the artist into        
constant prominence1 it would have      
defeated my purpose to enter into       
descriptive writing4  #fa ,see ,lower   
,church of ,assisi1 ,chapter ,x4  #fb   
,see ,chapter on the ,lower ,church of  
,assisi1 p4 #aaa4  #fc ,almost the only 
artist who ever thoroughly vanquished   
the difficulty of representing the ,last
 ,supper1 without stiffness of          
arrangement1 was ,tintoretto in his     
great picture in the ,scuola ,san       
,rocco4 ,the celebrated ,leonardo fresco
 at ,milan of this subject suffers in a 
measure from the same difficulty as     
,giotto's work1 though in a less degree4
     ,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,giotto',s       
,,style4       ,there is in truth a holy
 purity1 an innocent navet1 a           
child-like grace and simplicity1 a      
freshness1 a fearlessness1 a            

yearning after all things truthful1     
lovely1 and of good report1      in the 
productions of this early time which    
invest them with a      charm peculiar  
in its kind1 and which few even of the  
most      perfect works of the maturer  
era can boast of2 and hence the         
risk and danger 7which ,i warn you of at
 the outset7 of becoming      too       
passionately attached to them1 of losing
 the power of      discrimination1 of   
admiring and imitating their defects as 
well      as their beauties1 of running 
into affectation in seeking after       
simplicity1 and into exaggeration in our
 efforts to be in      earnest2 in a    
word of forgetting that in art1 as in   
human      nature1 it is the balance1   
harmony and co-equal development1 of    
sense1 intellect1 and spirit1 which     
constitutes      perfection4--,,lord    
,,lindsay',s ,christian ,art4   ,i feel 
my inability to convey to my readers any
 adequate idea of the general style of  
,giotto's painting1 and this not so much

 because it is a complicated one or     
difficult to understand1 as because of  
its very simplicity4 ,a few points may  
be mentioned in which it differed from  
that of his predecessors in ,italy1 from
 the pictures of the ,renaissance       
period1 and lastly from those of our own
 time2 but when all is said1 the        
peculiar beauty of the colouring1 the   
simplicity and purity of the feeling1   
the strength and directness of the      
painter's aim1 and the unstudied grace  
of his compositions will remain to      
baffle any description that can be      
given4  ,first let me note that previous
 to the time of ,giotto 7since the decay
 at least of ,greek art7 colour in      
painting meant almost exclusively the   
arrangement of gorgeous hues on a golden
 background4 ,the tints used being      
little1 if at all1 gradated1 but laid on
 more in the manner of a mosaic than a  
modern picture4 ,derived1 as were the   
traditions of painting1 from manuscripts
 of ,mount ,athos and mosaics of        

,byzantium1 they were almost wholly     
confined to the composition of pure     
colours in pleasing juxtaposition1 and  
these colours were almost invariably    
full and deep4 ,it may1 perhaps1 make my
 meaning clearer if ,i take an          
antithetical example from the art of the
 present day4 ,everybody knows the      
characteristics of ,french landscape    
painting1 a beautiful tone of grey and  
black1 and perhaps a few other tertiary 
tints1 and no form or colour whatever1  
depending entirely on the gradation for 
its beauty4 ,well1 before ,giotto there 
was no such thing as tone1 save in pure 
colours2 and gradation of colour was    
practically unknown4 ,the colours used  
were dark and rich1 purples and crimsons
 and deep blues1 and here and there     
orange and green and heavy blue-blacks4 
,these1 laid upon a gold ground1 more or
 less ornamented with chased designs1   
formed the chief portion of the         
pictorial art of the centuries preceding
 ,giotto4 ,looking into one of these    

pictures was like looking into a        
decaying fire1 where amidst masses of   
dark shade there still burnt gloomily   
here and there1 patches of glowing      
cinders and bright flame4 ,hung in the  
dim recess of a chapel or an oratory1   
lighted by the faint glimmer of the     
silver lamps1 these works of ,christian 
art may well have harmonised with the   
dark ages of superstition which gave    
them life1 but they were essentially    
unsuitable for having any real effect   
upon men's minds1 apart from their      
religious uses4 ,they had no connection 
with the real life of the world1 full of
 varying emotions and conflicting       
passions2 they had no affinity with the 
times when the hardbound earth cracked  
at the close of winter1 and the sun     
shone once more in a blue sky1 and all  
men's pulses throbbed together with the 
fulness of the spring4  ,this was the   
first change that ,giotto made in       
artistic method4 ,away with the gold    
background1 he said2 let us have the    

blue sky1 and1 as in the days of        
creation1 it was so4 ,this we may fancy 
was the first step1 but with it came    
many others4 ,with the introduction of  
the sky came a corresponding lightening 
of the tones used throughout the        
picture1 a corresponding increase in the
 amount of light depicted in the        
composition4  ,and1 as over the whole of
 ,byzantine art1 there had brooded a    
gorgeous gloom1 through which the tints 
only revealed themselves dimly and      
slowly1 as we may see at the present    
day1 the hues of tropic sea-weed glow   
faint beneath the waves of the ,china   
,sea1 so over ,giotto's frescoes there  
shone a calm1 full light1 not bathed in 
sunshine or enhanced by contrasted      
shade1 but a plain clear breadth of day1
 sufficient to reveal clearly each      
object in the picture4  ,just think what
 a change this one alteration in tone   
must have brought about6 what an        
instrument it was for the correcting of 
the absurd traditions which then        

governed the practice of painting4 ,it  
must have been like that produced by a  
,times leader upon the iniquities of    
local boards of guardians2 namely1      
delight and amazement to the world at   
large1 horror and consternation to the  
idiots who had done ill by stealth      
7though strictly in accordance with     
rule71 and blushed to find it fame4  ,so
 keep this fact well in view1 that the  
great change effected by ,giotto was the
 change from rush-light to daylight1 and
 it was only after this that further    
advance became possible4 ,do not run    
away with the idea that he gained       
thereby the whole truth2 far from it4   
,there were two centuries and a half of 
painters to come after him before the   
whole truth of light and shade was      
mastered1 for ,giotto may be said to    
have practically ignored shade          
altogether4  ,nor did he advance much   
further in the gradation of colour than 
his predecessors had done2 his paint is 
generally put on in broad flat washes1  

with little attempt at gradation2 its   
beauty depends chiefly upon the         
exquisite manner in which these washes  
are combined with one another4 ,thus he 
never reaches to the utmost beauty of   
colour1 which is only obtainable with   
the utmost gradation of light and shade2
 but his work presents itself like a    
landscape1 ere the sun rises1 on a fine 
summer's morning1 when each object lies 
clearly and a little coldly defined1 in 
the shadowless air4  ,it must be        
remembered that with the attempt to     
master the intricacies and gradation of 
light and shade1 came also the use of   
secondary and tertiary tints1 to an     
extent unknown in the time of ,giotto1  
who may almost be described as the last 
of the pure colourists1 taking pure in  
the sense of primary4 ,chiaroscuro went 
on gradually advancing in importance1   
relatively to colour and subject1 till  
in the times of ,rembrandt we find it   
absolutely thrusting colour and subject 
out of the field altogether1 and making 

the flash upon a tin pannikin1 or the   
obscurity of a cottage kitchen1 of equal
 importance with the grandest traditions
 of our race4  ,what is perhaps best    
known as the special quality of         
,giotto's art is his study of nature2   
and it is right that ,i should say a few
 words upon this somewhat indefinite    
phrase1 and try to show in what         
,giotto's study of nature consisted1 and
 wherein it differed from that of       
preceding painters4  ,if we were able to
 return in reality to the old times when
 our painter lived1 ,i do not fancy we  
should find--as many good people        
suppose--that the folk of that day were 
ignorant that there were such things as 
domesticated animals and birds1 trees   
and flowers1 clouds and sunsets4 ,you   
may be very sure that medival           
,florentines on the ridge of ,fiesole1  
have often paused to watch the sun      
gilding the spires of ,florence1 much as
 the ,english traveller does2 and young 
lovers wandering idly amongst the       

almond-trees by the ,arno1 plucked the  
blossoms1 and admired their loveliness1 
as we do to-day4 ,it was only that      
somehow the idea had never occurred to  
any one that these things were suitable 
for pictures2 there was a notion that it
 would be a sort of irreverence to put  
such vulgar details into religious      
scenes--arising perhaps from a similar  
feeling to that which makes many        
well-trained ,christians dislike to pray
 for any specially desired object4      
,perhaps it was owing to ,giotto's early
 training1 or rather no training1 in the
 midst of a wild mountain country1      
perhaps only to his rough humorous1     
anti-reverential character1 but probably
 to the combination of circumstance and 
individuality1 that made him introduce  
into his compositions all sorts of      
extraneous matter4 ,that to the last he 
entertained a strong sympathy with his  
early shepherd life1 it is impossible to
 doubt1 and in the designs for the      
decoration of the base of the           

,campanile1 only two of which he lived  
to execute with his own hand1 there is a
 singularly beautiful bas-relief1       
illustrating the pastoral life1 in which
 the sheep1 and the puppy watching them1
 are as fine as anything we have from   
his hand4  ,the great difficulty of     
accounting for ,giotto's introduction of
 hitherto unused matter into his        
pictures1 lies in the fact that it does 
not seem to have been due especially to 
any partiality on his part for this or  
that branch of nature1 as to a principle
 of getting to the bottom of his        
subject1 whatever it was4 ,he appears to
 have had a power of grasping the spirit
 of whatever scene he was engaged upon1 
and illustrating that appropriately1    
which is1 as far as ,i know1 unequalled 
in the records of painting4 ,and it is  
noteworthy that this spirit is with him 
always the reverse of eclectic3 no      
painter can be more entirely free from  
all principles of aristocracy2 his      
sympathies are always with the people2  

the view he takes of any subject is the 
plain1 common-sense view1 such as plain1
 common-sense people can understand4    
,connected with this is the third great 
characteristic of ,giotto1 perhaps the  
strongest in his whole nature1 and      
certainly the one which was least in    
accordance with the spirit of his time4 
,this is his strong dramatic power4     
,this power shows itself in almost every
 work of the master's we have left us1  
and even survives his death1 and lives  
in the work of his pupils4 ,his pictures
 are not alone scenes1 they are         
,,situations1 on each the curtain might 
fall without any sense of incongruity4  
,besides their appropriateness of       
gesture and oneness of feeling1 they    
possess the great characteristic of     
dramatic art1 in making the scene live  
before you1 subduing its various        
incidents into one strain of meaning1   
yet keeping each incident complete and  
individual1 as well as making it help   
the main purpose4 ,in most of ,giotto's 

pictures there will be found a diversity
 of action and expression1 all of which 
lead up to the main action1 and help to 
enforce and illustrate it4 ,a minor     
point in which the same quality shows1  
is in the amount of emotion which this  
painter is capable of expressing by a   
single gesture1 an amount so great that 
it occasionally runs some danger of     
lapsing into caricature4 ,this is       
especially plain in such pictures as the
 ,betrayal and the ,entombment1 in the  
,arena ,chapel4 ,but where this dramatic
 quality is most strongly marked is in  
the bas-reliefs on the base of the      
,campanile2 in all these ,giotto has    
succeeded1 not only in choosing the most
 appropriate figures for illustrating   
his meaning1 but in seizing the very    
moment which is most significant4  ,to  
sum up these three main characteristics 
of ,giotto's style1 they are--,first1 a 
lighter1 purer tone of colour than had  
been in use before the time of ,cimabue1
 and a greater variety and purity of    

tint than had been attained by that     
master1 especially in the more distant  
portions of the picture4 ,second1 the   
introduction into his compositions of a 
certain amount of natural detail which  
had been before totally neglected1 and  
the substitution of the portraits of    
actual men and women for the imaginary  
beings that had formerly filled up the  
backgrounds of the ,byzantine pictures4 
,third1 comes the power of illustrating 
the real meaning of his subject1 and not
 merely suggesting it1 as had formerly  
been the case1 allied to which is the   
dramatic quality of which ,i have just  
spoken4  ,i feel how barren is all this 
description to explain the progress in  
art made by this artist--the progress   
from stagnation to movement1 from death 
to life1 from symbolical types1 to the  
things themselves4 ,it would appear     
unnecessary to dwell upon the few points
 in which his work was technically      
deficient1 or those in which he but     
repeated the errors of his predecessors1

 but the following may just be          
mentioned4  ,the comparative dulness of 
the reds in use at that time1 the lack  
of depth of hue1 and variation of colour
 in differing aspects of light and      
shade2 the comparative poorness of the  
drapery1 as compared with that of the   
later ,venetian and ,florentine masters2
 the deficiency in the rendering of     
form1 and the elementary amount of      
knowledge of perspective and anatomy--on
 all these points might exception be    
taken to his work with perfect justice1 
and yet when each had been given its due
 amount of criticism1 the wonder would  
still be that he accomplished so much1  
and not so little4 ,for two hundred     
years after the death of ,giotto the    
advance in the drawing of landscape was 
so slight as to be almost imperceptible1
 and yet1 compared with his landscape1  
that of those that preceded him was as  
moonlight unto sunlight1 and as water   
unto wine4  ,i have omitted in this     
description the main characteristic of  

,giotto's style1 and ,i have done so    
because it is so intangible that it can 
only be felt1 not described4 ,this      
characteristic1 hinted at by ,lord      
,lindsay in the quotation which is      
placed at the head of this chapter1 is  
the simple faith in which each of these 
compositions abounds2 the feeling       
conveyed to the spectator that thus1 and
 no otherwise1 did the occurrence take  
place1 and that the painter has not     
altered it a jot or tittle for his own  
purposes4 ,this must be felt to be      
believed1 and ,i only call attention to 
it here lest it should be supposed that 
it has failed to impress me4            
,,chapter ,x4  ,,giotto ,,at            
,,assisi4--,,the ,,upper ,,church4   ,of
 all the minor disadvantages of travel  
which have accompanied the substitution 
of the locomotive for the coach1 perhaps
 none is so real an evil as the very    
partial impression an ordinary traveller
 derives from a short visit to some     
interesting land4 ,when ,rome and       

,florence1 for instance1 are brought    
within the compass of a day's journey1  
the tourist is little likely to care to 
break his journey for comparatively     
obscure cities1 much less villages1     
scurries past reedy ,thrasymene without 
recognition1 and scarce notices the     
towers and churches of ,perugia1 rising 
green and grey on the mountain side4    
,still less likely is our tourist to    
arrest his comet-like progression at a  
rough country station1 some fourteen    
miles from the old ,etruscan city1 a    
station where very obviously1 neither   
guard nor porter expects him to alight1 
and which he has some difficulty in     
identifying by the help of a nearly     
illegible inscription1 as ,assisi4 ,and 
yet there was a time when this forgotten
 town played no inconsiderable part in  
the world's history1 and was the central
 seat of an ,order that reckoned princes
 among its followers1 and practically   
divided with the ,dominicans the        
spiritual sovereignty of ,europe4#fd    

,and even now1 if any very strong-minded
 traveller should be able to defy the   
ominous silence of ,bradshaw1#fe and the
 neglect of ,cook1 and more regardful of
 what has been1 than what is1 spend a   
few days in the home of poverty1 he will
 not regret1 we think1 in after years   
his deviation from the accustomed       
routine of travel2 nay1 if he gain no   
other advantage1 he will at least have  
had a brief space in which to take quiet
 breath1 ere the red-books and the valet
 de place are again in requisition1 ere 
,st4 ,peter's becomes ,no4 #ag in the   
often consulted plan1 and ,rome takes at
 least a week to see properly4 ,for at  
,assisi there is no hurry1 and so strong
 is the spirit of the place that the    
most energetic tourist quickly succumbs 
to it2 even those who rush over here    
from ,perugia for a day's excursion1    
treading softly ere they have been a    
couple of hours in the city of ,st4     
,francis4 ,and now we will suppose that 
our uncommercial traveller has safely   

escaped the clutches of the three or    
four inn touts whom his arrival has     
roused into unwonted energy1 and        
consigning his bag to the least         
ill-favoured1 has set out manfully along
 the dusty road leading from the station
 to the town2 for be it noted that      
,assisi is not strong in equipages1 and 
the solitary rough wooden box           
denominated omnibus1 is hardly an       
attractive conveyance at first sight1   
though ere long the traveller begins to 
look upon it as an old friend1 as it is 
to be found during the greater part of  
the day1 standing about in various      
unexpected parts of the town1 being     
apparently left wherever it has taken a 
passenger4 ,one further violence we must
 do to the mind of the well-instructed  
tourist1 namely1 to beg that he will not
 accept guidance1 nor torment himself   
with details1 archological or otherwise1
 but simply open his eyes to all the    
quiet influences of past devotion and   
present beauty which he will find around

 him4 ,and first1 he will see by the    
side of the road a vast church1 in the  
most uninteresting style of ,renaissance
 architecture1 not unlike a small       
edition of ,st4 ,peter's4 ,this is ,st4 
,mary of the ,angels1 little notable1   
save for its size1 and a small chapel it
 contains1 where ,st4 ,francis first    
assembled his few followers4 ,in it     
there is only to be seen--a spoilt      
fresco1 by ,perugino2 walls dark with   
age1 save where1 here and there1 the dim
 lamplight falls upon the silver        
offerings of penitence and thanksgiving2
 and some carved doors1 more curious    
than beautiful4 ,these need not delay us
 much from the steep ascent to the town4
 ,another dusty mile of road1 and       
,assisi lies before and above us1 rising
 a confused mass of tiled roofs and     
massive walls1 from the grey depths of  
the olive-groves which surround it4 ,not
 only on a mountain1 but of the         
mountain1 does the town seem to be      
built1 the ponderous blocks of dim red  

and dusty yellow stone1 scarcely seeming
 to have more the characteristics of    
houses than of the cliffs above1 save   
where1 here and there1 a square tower of
 church or fortification lifts itself   
into clear pre-eminence of definition   
from the tumbled confusion of roofs1    
walls1 and buttresses4 ,another turn in 
the long1 winding road1 and the great   
attraction of the few sightseers who    
visit ,assisi1 the ,convent of ,st4     
,francis--with what ,bradshaw calls its 
three superb churches1 which are1 in    
fact1 two--stands revealed4 ,picture to 
yourself a long mass of building1       
standing upon a double range of tall    
arches1 and pierced with a multitude of 
small windows4 ,this is the convent     
building itself2 beyond it1 on a level  
with its roof1 rises the ,church of ,st4
 ,francis1 with its square campanile4   
,of the same dull-yellowish colour as   
the other buildings of the town1 there  
is little beauty in the church from this
 point of view1 save that of massive    

strength1 and a certain simplicity of   
design which1 when carried out upon so  
large a scale1 almost amounts to        
grandeur4 ,so1 leaving the convent on   
our left1 we enter beneath a massive    
square tower the first street of the    
city4 ,it is difficult to say whence    
comes the sense of extreme desolation   
which oppresses us1 not from the absence
 of life certainly1 for at this point   
there are commonly a few of the         
villagers and townspeople chatting round
 an old fountain1 and on every side     
resounds the squeaking of the pigs1 that
 every well-to-do inhabitant of ,assisi 
keeps tethered on the ground-floor of   
his house4 ,nor is it that there are no 
signs of commercial enterprise1 for we  
notice the hammered brass and copper    
jars and cauldrons glimmering dimly in  
the recesses of one of the dark shops1  
and some strings of onions and other    
vegetables in another4 ,is it something1
 we wonder1 in the construction of the  
town itself1 in its rough-hewn blocks of

 dusty stone1 its huge buttresses1 its  
blocked-up arches1 its weather-beaten   
tiles1 the defacement of its ruined     
fountains1 and the general appearance of
 enormous toil with which the city must 
have been constructed8 ,or is it still  
more the case1 that even at the first   
glance we connect the appearance of the 
town with the state of the superstition 
to which it owes its existence2 whose   
power changed the small ,etrurian       
village into a shrine of the deepest    
sanctity and proudest priesthood1 and   
having done its work for good and evil1 
faded gradually away1 and now finds     
voice only on the trembling lips of the 
half-dozen monks who are all that remain
 at ,assisi of the famous ,brotherhood8 
,for whatever reason1 the place is      
desolate--desolate as no place can be   
which has not once been great2 and as we
 ascend the street1 the impression      
deepens4 ,few of the houses have glass  
to their windows2 the old arched        
entrances are blocked up with rough     

stone1 and low1 square doorways supply  
their place2 the ground-floor of the    
house is commonly used as a store-room1 
a stable1 or a piggery4 ,the upper      
windows show us nothing within that we  
are accustomed to connect with ideas of 
domestic comfort4 ,even the massive     
ironwork seems to partake of the general
 desolation1 and is coated with the grey
 dust of centuries4 ,here and there we  
pass a fountain1 generally situated in a
 small grass-grown open space1 with a   
couple of earthen pitchers left to fill 
themselves leisurely2 and over all there
 is still the sense of death in life1   
needing a vigorous effort on our part to
 endure4 ,we begin to think there was   
some sense in that philistine ,american 
we met at ,florence1 who smiled so      
scornfully at our determination to visit
 ,assisi1 and to have thoughts of the   
next train to a more lively spot4       
,however1 food and wine at the modest   
little hotel quickly dissipate our      
loneliness2 our musings on ,st4 ,francis

 and his monks assume a more pleasant   
complexion1 and by the time we find our 
way down the long street to the convent1
 we are in a fit mood to appreciate any 
beauty or pleasure which we may chance  
to find there4 ,and indeed he would be  
hard to please who could be discontented
 with the enjoyment here provided1 for  
whether it be ,nature or ,art for which 
his thirsty soul doth pine1 here he may 
satiate himself at leisure4             
,illustration3 ,,assisi4    ,from a     
drawing by the ,author4  ,everything on 
our way seems to tell the same story of 
departed grandeur2 the city is almost as
 deserted as one of those we read of in 
the ,arabian ,nights4 ,a beautiful      
arcade1 each capital of whose pillars is
 carved to represent a different species
 of vegetation1 incloses nothing2 the   
house of the poet ,metastasio is falling
 into ruins1 and scarcely can one       
decipher his coat of arms sculptured    
above the door4 ,no dogs bark1 nor      
children scream1 nor loungers stare as  

the unwonted stranger passes through the
 market-place2 the very caf has been    
fain to part with its chairs and little 
tables1 and now is only a gaunt1 bare   
room1 in a corner of which sits1 in half
 obscurity1 a melancholy woman sewing   
slowly4 ,the market-place is certainly  
the most gloomy part of the town1 were  
it only from its contrast to the        
market-places we are accustomed to see2 
and so let us hurry down the long1      
grass-grown street1 till at last a      
sudden breadth of light opens before us1
 and straight in front1 across a patch  
of green meadow1 rises the ,church of   
,st4 ,francis1 while a little to the    
left a steep incline leads down to the  
entrance of the ,lower ,church1 called  
incorrectly1 in some works1 the crypt1  
as the real crypt is beneath this lower 
edifice4 ,the ,lower ,church stands upon
 a shelf of rock1 the side of which     
slopes abruptly upward1 against which   
one end of the church is built4 ,the    
position of the two churches may perhaps

 be understood by thinking of them as   
situated upon two successive steps of a 
staircase1 the floor of the ,upper      
,church being merely a continuation of  
the upper step1 and being thus          
immediately above the roof of the ,lower
 ,church4  ,let us pause before entering
 the church1 and cast our eyes over the 
scene before us4 ,we stand on a little  
terrace half-way up the town1 looking   
down upon tiled roofs1 grey walls1 and  
greyer olive groves1 interspersed with  
some brighter greens of acacia and      
poplar4 ,beneath us1 winding away in    
long perspective1 is the road to the    
station1 with the tall dome of ,st4     
,mary of the ,angels forming a prominent
 blot upon the landscape1 and breaking  
the level monotony of the plain4 ,on the
 right a broad river-bed1 nearly dry at 
the present season1 stretches a         
snake-like course towards ,perugia1 the 
towers of which are just visible in the 
distance4 ,in front of us1 the valley of
 the ,tiber stretches away for miles and

 miles1 broken only by long lines of    
poplars and tiny villages1 which1 from  
the height at which we stand1 only show 
as gleaming spots in the sunshine4 ,in  
the extreme distance1 purple mountains  
enclose the valley on every side1 and   
immediately behind us rises the mountain
 on which ,assisi is built1 crowned with
 a ruined citadel1 and black against the
 sky1 the sharp pinnacles of            
cypress-trees4 ,whichever way one turns1
 there is beauty--in the quaint         
architecture of the old town1 in the    
wild growth of the ancient olive-trees1 
and their delicate tints of             
greyish-green and silver2 in the        
brighter colours of the plain1 with its 
broad stretches of sunshine and little  
shadows of cloud2 in the ranges of      
mountains1 the darkness of the          
cypresses1 and the brightness of the    
sky4 ,and so murmuring within ourselves 
that the old monk was no bad judge of   
scenery1 after all1 we turn in beneath  
the broad portico of the church4  ,it is

 not known when this church first began 
to receive pictorial adornment2 but it  
is probably true that ,giunta ,pisano   
painted there in #abcf1 though there can
 be little doubt that anterior to this  
period there were paintings the         
authorship of which is unknown1 and     
whose date is uncertain4 ,the whole     
question of the authorship of the       
frescoes at ,assisi is discussed by     
,crowe and ,cavalcaselle2#ff but it is  
difficult to extract their real         
conclusion from the mass of verbiage in 
which it is enveloped1 and the          
limitations with which it is encumbered4
 ,nor can ,i attach much importance to  
the conclusion which these authors have 
drawn from frescoes in such a terrible  
state of decay1 as those in the northern
 and southern transepts of the ,upper   
,church4 ,but ,i do not propose to enter
 here upon the question of the          
authorship of any of these frescoes1    
except such as are attributed to        
,giotto2 and even this had better be    

deferred till ,i have given my readers  
some idea of the general appearance of  
the church4 ,its shape is the usual     
,latin cross formed by a nave and       
transepts1 without chapels or side      
aisles4 ,from the entrance1 which is at 
the east end of the church1 to the      
choir1 the building is divided into four
 portions by grouped shafts1 five in    
number1 only half of which project from 
the walls from the capitals2 from each  
group spring to right and left pointed  
arches1 in the centre of each of which  
is a long narrow window reaching from   
the ceiling to within about twenty-four 
feet of the ground1 and from the        
capitals there also spring arches which 
cross the building diagonally1 and      
intersect at the summit of the ceiling1 
thus forming triangular openings with   
curved bases1 each of which is filled   
with a fresco1 most of them greatly     
obliterated4 ,the shafts and capitals   
have all been painted in various        
colours1 as have also the spaces within 

the side arches on each side of the     
narrow windows above mentioned1 and so  
have the faces and sides of each arch4  
,the four main portions1 into which the 
ceiling is thus divided1 are alternately
 painted blue with golden stars1 or     
filled with medallions and figure       
subjects4 ,the painting of the arches is
 in imitation of marble mosaic4 ,the    
intersecting arches of the roof are     
round 7as in the ,lower ,church71 not   
pointed like the side arches1 and on the
 sides of the latter1 which are double  
in width of the centre arches1 there are
 busts of various saints and martyrs of 
the church connected by rich ornament   
and involved geometrical design4 ,on    
either side of the windows1 in the      
second row from the roof1 are the       
frescoes ascribed to ,cimabue1 all of   
which are considerably defaced2 above   
these are the ones assigned by ,vasari  
and ,lord ,lindsay to ,giunta ,pisano4  
,the roof was1 while ,i was there1 in   
process of utter destruction 7by        

restoration71 and its ruin is by this   
time probably completed4  ,underneath   
the windows there is a third row of     
paintings1 thirty-six in number1        
commonly supposed to be the work of     
,giotto1 and beneath this again painted 
bands of mosaic1 and so to the floor1   
which is alternately inlaid with squares
 and octagons of marble originally red  
and white1 but which has worn into the  
warm dusty yellow which seems to        
overspread the whole of ,assisi4  ,the  
choir is built and decorated in a       
similar manner1 and its centre occupied 
by a very elaborately worked iron screen
 7once bronzed and gilt7 erected upon a 
marble das1 inlaid with glass mosaic1   
the patterns of each step being         
different1 but all intricate and        
beautiful4 ,the das is about ten feet   
high and thirty-eight feet long1 and the
 screen about nine feet high4           
,surmounting the screen there is a      
narrow marble canopy1 supported upon    
twelve marble pillars1 with capitals of 

acanthus leaves richly gilt1 the convex 
side of the leaves in the upper portion 
of each capital being very deeply cut   
and painted vermilion4 ,the screen      
surrounds a plain marble altar4  ,the   
arrangement of the choir is similar to  
that of the body of the church1 each of 
the transepts being similar in size and 
arrangement to one of the four divisions
 already spoken of2 the only difference 
is in the size of the windows1 which are
 exactly double of those in the nave1   
though of identical shape1 each having  
one pointed archivault2 but at the choir
 end of the church the window is treble 
in size4 ,the two sides of the choir    
which have no windows1 are ornamented   
with small galleries of tre-foiled      
,gothic arches supporting canopies4     
,underneath these galleries are a row of
 paintings corresponding with the lowest
 row of frescoes in the nave4 ,there is 
a recess of about two feet running the  
whole length of the church between the  
groups of shafts just above the lowest  

row of frescoes1 which serves to measure
 the depth of the side arches1 and also 
as a domain to the two lower rows of    
frescoes4 ,the colour on the shafts1 and
 on the lowest portion of the side      
walls1 has almost entirely disappeared1 
and the whole of the paintings in the   
church are much injured by damp4 ,so    
much is this the case1 that it makes me 
doubt whether it is worth while going   
very deeply into the question of their  
authorship1 though this is a favourite  
battleground with the biographers of    
early ,italian painters4  ,vasari boldly
 ascribes the whole upper portion of the
 church to ,cimabue1 and the lower to   
,giotto3 ,lindsay asserts that ,giunta  
,pisano had painted the upper1 ,cimabue 
the middle1 and ,giotto the lower range 
of compartments3 ,kugler1 though        
somewhat indefinite1 holds that he      
worked out his apprenticeship in the    
,upper ,church of ,assisi1 and          
afterwards came again and laboured in   
the ,lower one4  ,to sum up then the    

discussion of this matter1 which is     
hardly an interesting one to the general
 reader1 my explanation of the probable 
authorship of the lower row of frescoes 
would be the following4 ,that they have 
been painted by a pupil of ,giotto's at 
the same time that the master himself   
was at work on the frescoes in the      
,lower ,church1 and that the only       
frescoes by ,giotto in the ,upper       
,church1 are the two almost monochrome  
compositions that are placed one on each
 side of the principal entrance4 ,it    
should be noted that these two are far  
more conspicuous1 owing to their        
isolated position1 than any other       
frescoes in the church1 which may well  
have been the reason for their execution
 by the master himself4 ,and it is      
somewhat curious to observe that they   
are both painted in little more than two
 shades of colour1 and are the only     
frescoes in the church so painted1 as if
 ,giotto were purposely restraining his 
hand1 so as not to spoil by contrast the

 cruder work of his pupil4 ,this pupil  
,i believe to have been ,taddeo ,gaddi2 
but ,i have not seen sufficient         
undoubted works by his hand1 to render  
this more than a mere conjecture1 and   
there is no evidence on the subject     
whatever1 save such as may be inferred  
from the fact that ,gaddi was almost    
certainly present with ,giotto at the   
time he painted in the ,lower ,church4  
,leaving the question of the actual     
authorship undecided just now1 notice   
how far this hypothesis1 besides having 
strong internal evidence in its favour1 
goes to solve the difficulties of this  
matter2 by it we account easily and     
naturally for the ,giottesque qualities 
which we find in these works1 and also  
for their comparative feeble            
significance4 ,and by the effort to     
combine the ,byzantine manner of        
,cimabue with the simplicity of ,giotto1
 we account for all the very inferior   
architecture with which these pictures  
are crowded3 architecture which is to a 

certain extent ,giottesque in form1 but 
seems to be wholly conventional in      
colouring and arrangement4  ,giotto     
would naturally say to his pupil        
something of this sort3 ,look here1     
,gaddi1 this a great chance for you to  
distinguish yourself2 mind you make the 
most of it4 ,don't forget that what you 
have to do is to complete ,cimabue's    
work2 you must not make his compositions
 look more absurd and unnatural than you
 can help2 above all1 your work must be 
in keeping with his in colour1 or you'll
 spoil the church4 ,mind you preserve   
the character of the architecture1 and  
keep it uniform throughout2 and if you  
let your work be a little conventional1 
it will be all the better4  ,so we may  
imagine ,giotto talking to his pupil2   
and the compositions are exactly such as
 might have been produced after such an 
exhortation1 by an earnest1 but not very
 brilliant pupil1 in attempting to      
combine as much as possible of the      
character of ,giotto's work1 with the   

form of ,cimabue's compositions4        
,indeed1 these frescoes frequently fall 
between the two stools of naturalism and
 conventionalism1 and have the merits of
 neither4 ,the architecture is          
throughout utterly absurd1 worse1       
because not so refined as that of the   
,byzantine1 and quite without the beauty
 of ,giotto2 an effort towards the      
simplicity of the buildings in the      
frescoes of the ,arena ,chapel being    
nevertheless observable1 though it      
results only in a toy-shop architecture 
of the lowest order1 yellow and blue    
towers being stuck one against another4 
,the figures1 too1 show the attempt to  
depict emotion1 but without success2 and
 lastly1 the colouring1 as at present   
seen1 is crude1 to the verge of         
discordancy2 but upon this last it would
 be unsafe to lay much stress1 as it is 
impossible to say what deterioration may
 not have resulted from the damp1 which 
in some places has actually obliterated 
the composition altogether4 ,this       

execution by a pupil would also account 
for ,giotto having restricted himself to
 shades of grey1 green1 and blue in the 
two frescoes at the end of the chapel to
 which ,i have above referred4 ,the     
subjects of these are ,st4 ,francis     
preaching to the ,birds1 and ,st4       
,francis' ,dream2 and amongst all the   
,giottos ,i have seen1 there is no more 
harmonious piece of colouring than in   
the last named of these works4#fg       
,there is one piece of corroborative    
evidence in favour of these works being 
by ,taddeo ,gaddi that ,i may quote for 
what it is worth1 which is1 that in the 
series of panels in the ,gallery at     
,berlin which formerly were part of the 
frescoes in the ,santa ,croce of        
,florence1 and which are certainly1     
according to ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle1  
the work of ,gaddi2 the subjects are1 in
 fact1 more or less repetitions of those
 in the ,upper ,church of ,assisi4 ,now 
it seems more probable that ,gaddi      
should have repeated his own            

compositions than that he should have   
repeated those of some unknown master1  
especially one of such comparatively    
feeble powers4  ,here ,i must leave the 
consideration of the authorship of these
 frescoes2 as ,i said in the beginning1 
it is a much vexed question1 and one    
that there is at present no positive    
evidence for deciding2 the one thing    
that is certain is that in a very short 
time1 if it has not happened already1   
the frescoes will1 to all intents and   
purposes1 have entirely vanished4       
,crowe and ,cavalcaselle hold that there
 were a series of painters who worked at
 the ,upper ,church1 and that the whole 
history of the revival of early ,italian
 art is comprised and explained in these
 paintings1 and seem to hold that       
,giotto painted only one or two of these
 frescoes2 while1 lastly1 in one of ,dr4
 ,dohme's ,german series of biographies1
 which is the latest work issued on this
 subject1 we have the author maintaining
 the thesis that ,giotto painted all    

these frescoes 7in the lower row71 and  
that when he had finished this series he
 began again upon those of the ,lower   
,church4  ,of the various opinions1     
those of ,vasari and ,lindsay can1 ,i   
think1 be shown to be wrong from a      
comparison of the dates of ,giotto's    
works4 ,in the first place there is no  
evidence whatever to hint at two visits 
to ,assisi1 except ,vasari's statement  
that ,giotto was invited to ,assisi by  
,fra ,mure4 ,now ,fra ,mure1 who was    
general of the ,franciscan order1 only  
held that post between #abif and #acjb1 
and therefore if he invited ,giotto to  
complete the frescoes of the ,upper     
,church1 it must have been between those
 years2 but from a register preserved in
 the ,vatican1 the famous ,navicella    
mosaic was executed by ,giotto in #abih1
 and that he was still at ,rome in      
#acjj1 is proved by a portion of a      
fresco representing ,pope ,boniface     
announcing the opening of the ,jubilee1 
which took place #acjj1 and upon the    

completion of which work ,giotto betook 
himself to ,florence1 and painted the   
famous frescoes in the ,bargello1 in one
 of which the portrait of ,dante occurs4
 ,dante was exiled in #acjb1 and this1  
and many minor considerations1 point to 
the date #acja-b for the execution of   
these frescoes4 ,it is therefore easy to
 see that ,giotto could not have had the
 possibility of accepting ,fra ,mure's  
invitation between the dates of #abif   
and #acjb4 ,the question remains whether
 the lower row of frescoes were executed
 by ,giotto at any subsequent period8   
,now there is a consensus of testimony  
that in ,florence1 in the year #acjc1   
,giotto executed the designs for the    
faade of the ,duomo1 afterwards carried 
out by ,andrea ,pisano2 and that in the 
same year he married4 ,what happened    
during the next two years is matter of  
conjecture3 ,vasari states that he      
proceeded to ,avignon1 which is         
contradicted by ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle
 on the authority of ,abertini2 and we  

can find nothing certain till we        
discover our painter at ,padua between  
#acje-f painting in the ,chapel of the  
,arena4  ,if the frescoes in the ,upper 
,church be compared at all carefully    
with those of the ,arena ,chapel1 it is 
at once evident that if they be the work
 of the same hand1 it must have worked  
in a far earlier stage of progress1 and 
it is equally evident1 that the         
transition from the frescoes of the     
,upper ,church to those of the ,lower1  
is marked by an abrupt interval of time4
  ,it is impossible that ,giotto could  
have so far fallen away in skill as to  
execute the frescoes in the ,upper      
,church subsequent to his painting of   
the ,arena ,chapel at ,padua2 and it is 
nearly impossible from the dates of his 
work that he could have found time to do
 them before4 ,the only hypothesis that 
seems to be left1 if we wish to believe 
that ,giotto executed this series in the
 upper church1 is that ,giotto          
accompanied ,cimabue when he worked at  

,assisi1 and painted the lower row of   
frescoes under the direction of his     
master4  ,this theory does not seem to  
me likely for many reasons2 first1 it   
would have been most probable that had  
,giotto and ,cimabue visited ,assisi    
together1 some evidence of such a visit 
would have been discovered2 secondly1 it
 seems improbable that ,cimabue would   
have allowed his apprentice such license
 in composition and incident as is here 
shown2 and thirdly1 the manner of the   
pictures is not as was ,giotto's early  
manner1 semi-,byzantine1 but rather errs
 in the opposite direction1 and seems a 
coarse imitation of ,giotto's natural   
method of depicting events4 ,it will be 
noticed1 in careful examination of these
 works1 that1 as far as can be judged   
from the damaged state in which they at 
present exist1 the composition1 and what
 artists call motive1 of the pictures   
are1 as a rule1 very superior to their  
execution1 which is blundering and      
unmasterly4 ,i am led by this1 and other

 considerations of style and time1 to   
come to the conclusion that these works 
are not from the hand of ,giotto        
himself1 but were probably executed by  
his pupils1 while the master himself was
 painting in the ,lower ,church4 ,the   
likelihood of this hypothesis will be   
greater if we remember that there are in
 the ,castellani ,chapel of ,santa      
,croce1 frescoes which are undoubtedly  
by the hand of ,agnolo ,gaddi1 which    
betray many of the so-called ,giottesque
 traits that we find in these frescoes2 
and indeed the wonder would rather be   
demanded if this were not the case1 and 
if the inaugurator of a new style of    
painting did not have his merits        
imitated by the students working under  
his tuition4  ,again1 it seems to be a  
gratuitous assumption on the part of    
,messrs4 ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle to    
hold that this lower row of scenes from 
the life of ,st4 ,francis must be the   
work of successive artists merely       
because they exhibit differences of     

merit4 ,we should rather expect that the
 same workman1 or workmen1 would improve
 in the course of so long a series1     
especially if they were painted more or 
less under the direction of a master    
like ,giotto4 ,in any case1 a comparison
 of dates renders it excessively        
improbable that ,giotto paid two visits 
to ,assisi1 and if this be so1 we are1  
,i think1 justified in concluding that  
the utmost connection he had with the   
frescoes of the ,upper ,church was      
through the medium of his pupils4       
,whether or no ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle 
are right in believing that other       
painters besides ,giunta and ,cimabue   
had a hand in the upper rows of         
frescoes1 and1 if so1 who those painters
 were1 are questions which are just now 
beyond our subject2 and very soon they  
will be beyond any one's interest or    
power to answer1 for the last traces of 
colour yet remaining in these works are 
rapidly fading away4 ,it is1 however1   
impossible to imagine with ,vasari that 

all these upper rows of pictures were   
executed by one hand1 for the very      
strongest differences in style1         
composition1 and even 7traces of7 colour
 exists between them4  ,thus in the     
fresco of the ,creation1 there is not   
the slightest approach to naturalism of 
treatment2 the ,almighty stands within a
 circle of vermilion and gold surrounded
 by a halo1 which is apparently intended
 to represent the sun2 beneath him is   
the moon1 with a man's face in it1 so   
that there should be no mistaking what  
it was intended for2 beneath the moon1  
floating in the air in a lozenge-shaped 
patch of red1 is ,adam1 while beneath   
him again are some sheep1 and an animal 
that may be either ox1 dog1 or fox1 for 
it partakes of the character of all     
three2 and to the right of the picture  
is the sea1 with several gigantic fishes
 half in1 half out of the water4 ,the   
only other fresco in this compartment   
which is yet decipherable1 represents   
the building of the ark1 and is of like 

character4 ,compare1 however1 with these
 the picture in the next compartment    
eastwards1 representing the sacrifice of
 ,isaac4 ,large portions of the         
left-hand side of this work are         
destroyed1 but sufficient are left to   
show an attempt1 rough1 it is true1 but 
quite unmistakable1 to represent a      
mountain landscape1 with a temple in the
 distance4 ,turn to the right hand of   
the picture3 ,isaac is half sitting1    
half lying on the sacrificial altar1 and
 ,abraham stands beside him with one    
hand upon the child's head1 his left    
foot firmly planted on the step of the  
altar1 and his right arm swung up to its
 fullest height above his head4 ,seldom 
have ,i seen a more vivid bit of        
arrested motion depicted in any work of 
art2 the painter has actually caught the
 pause caused by the sudden appearance  
of the angel1 bidding the father to stay
 his hand4 ,the action of all the limbs 
is most remarkable in its intensity1    
even ,abraham's long robes fly out      

wildly behind his outstretched arm4 ,it 
is impossible that these two pictures   
can belong to the same hand1 or even to 
the same school--the first is entirely  
,byzantine in manner1 and might have    
been copied from a fifth century ,,ms42 
the latter lacks nothing but a certain  
amount of fuller detail and a little    
more anatomical knowledge1 to stand as a
 faithful representation of the event it
 depicts4  ,we now come to the question 
of whether this fresco be one of the    
works of ,giotto1 and again must answer 
it in the negative4 ,in none of the     
undoubted works by this master is there 
so advanced a naturalism as here1       
especially in the treatment of the      
drapery1 which is far nearer to that of 
the ,renaissance period than that of the
 ,byzantine4 ,it will be found on a     
careful examination of the works in the 
,arena ,chapel at ,padua1 that the main 
lines of the drapery are either straight
 7or very slightly curved71 and in some 
measure stiff2 it would have been almost

 folly to expect that this should be    
otherwise1 remembering that anterior to 
,giotto the treatment of drapery had    
been exclusively founded upon the formal
 parallel lines of the ,byzantine       
mosaics4  ,in all probability the       
,renaissance painters have here supplied
 the place of a vacant or faded fresco  
with one of their own compositions1 and 
this is rendered the more likely as     
there are in the ,lower ,churches       
several wretchedly bad ,renaissance     
pictures4  ,,footnotes3  #fd ,a small   
portion of this chapter appeared in the 
,spectator last year under the title of 
,the ,shrine of ,poverty1 and is here   
reprinted by the kind permission of the 
editors of that paper4  #fe ,i may as   
well mention that the hotel given by    
,bradshaw1 though the largest1 is very  
poor in its accommodation1 and the      
visitor would probably do better to go  
to the ,albergo ,subasio close to the   
monastery4  #ff ,pages #afh-agd and     
#baj-bbh1 vol4 i4  #fg ,in ,appendix ,c1

 at the end of this book1 will be found 
a list of the works attributed to       
,giotto by ,lord ,lindsay1 ,crowe and   
,cavalcaselle1 ,ruskin1 and ,dohme4     
,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,the ,,lower ,,church 
,,of ,,assisi4   ,at first sight the    
church seems of small extent1 as the    
entrance is in a transept at the north  
side1 and the eye looks across the nave 
without perceiving it2 but a few steps  
forward1 and an abrupt turn to the left1
 brings the church before us--a vast dim
 cave1 glowing with rich colour and     
subdued light4 ,looking up the nave1 the
 building appears to be lighted only by 
the narrow windows in the thick wall of 
the apse1 save where here and there a   
dull gleam from one of the side chapels 
steals across1 but hardly lightens1 the 
gloom4  ,nor is it alone in shape of    
roof and dimness of light that the      
resemblance to a cavern exists1 for it  
is visible too in the low walls1 whence 
the arched roof springs in massive      
curves1 and in the seeming absence of   

all support for the great arches1 for   
the plain stone pillars that support    
them1 half embedded in the walls1 and   
only reaching to a height of eight feet 
from the ground1 attract little notice1 
and the arches seem to grow out of the  
walls as if in a building of nature's   
own construction4  ,the division of the 
church1 and the arrangement of the      
arches1 is the same as in the ,upper    
,church2 but everything which is there  
arranged so as to give appearance of    
lightness and unsubstantiality1 is here 
made as ponderous in appearance as      
possible4 ,the two churches might stand 
for embodiments of light and shade1 of  
graceful symmetry and rock-hewn         
strength4 ,and it is easy to see that   
this is no chance contrast caused by the
 circumstances of the case1 for where   
the windows give upon the church1 they  
are deep sunken in arched recesses1     
while the large windows in the side     
chapel are more than half veiled by the 
arched entrances to the chapels1 which  

last form almost a separate row of      
chambers1 so wholly are they cut off    
from the nave4 ,half way up the nave a  
massive iron grating divides the church1
 and further on1 beneath the centre of  
the great arches that form the body of  
the choir1 the high altar stands upon a 
das of four steps1 its only decoration  
being six massive candlesticks1 whose   
huge lights reach almost to the roof4   
,the apse is the usual semicircle1      
pierced with narrow arched windows1 and 
within its shadow1 are the desks and    
pulpits where sit all that are left of  
the ,franciscan ,brethren4 ,we will not 
attempt to describe more than its       
general effect1 and indeed that is best 
done by simply saying that it closely   
resembles that of ,st4 ,mark1 at        
,venice4 ,in detail1 there is hardly the
 least similarity2 but in depth of light
 and shade1 in profusion of rich colour 
gleaming on every hand1 in the general  
effect of its round arches1 mosaic      
pavement1 and glimmering lamps1 the     

similarity is striking4 ,if the lover of
 nature found the prospect without to   
his mind1 the lover of art can hardly   
fail to be satisfied with the prospect  
within4 ,above the high-altar shine the 
four greatest works of ,giotto1 and to  
right and left of the choir1 roof and   
wall are covered with frescoes by       
,giotto1 ,cimabue1 ,memmi1 ,gaddi1 and  
others1 every inch of space being filled
 with paintings4 ,chapel after chapel   
opens in long series from the choir1    
each rich in paintings1 even the huge   
round arches of the nave are painted in 
delicately-involved patterns to         
represent mosaics of coloured marble4   
,here our traveller may well rest in    
silent wonder1 that so much beauty      
remains unvisited1 for unvisited it is  
by nine out of every ten tourists who   
pass by the gates of ,assisi4 ,there is1
 perhaps--we will even say probably--no 
building within the limits of the       
civilised world in which so much        
colour-beauty is concentrated as in that

 of the ,lower ,church4 ,for six hundred
 years have these walls glowed like     
jewels through the dim1 religious light1
 and the setting sun has lighted up with
 still greater glory the golden halos of
 their pictured saints2 for six hundred 
years have prayer and praise rung along 
these massive arches and echoed up the  
mountain-side2 and now prayer and       
picture are fading alike2 the most      
damaged fresco on the walls is hardly so
 maimed as the rite it witnesses1 the   
vilest restoration no greater parody on 
the original than are those few poor    
monks parodies of their ancient ,order4 
,it is1 we think1 impossible for any one
 with a heart which is not entirely dead
 to all human sympathies not to be      
somewhat moved at this combination of   
fading art and faded faith1 but it is a 
feeling the power of which we can hardly
 hope to explain to our readers1 apart  
from the influences which produced it4  
,the religio loci is1 of all other      
influences1 the one which is least      

capable of deliberate analysis1 and the 
combination between colour-beauty and a 
peculiar solemnity of feeling1 one of   
which many people even deny the         
existence4  ,it is worth noticing that  
though the whole effect of the church   
is1 as ,i have said1 excessively similar
 to that of ,st4 ,mark's at ,venice1    
especially in the richness of subdued   
colouring1 the effect which is produced 
in ,st4 ,mark's by elaborate ,byzantine 
mosaics1 and the lavish use of gold and 
precious marbles1 is here gained only by
 the lovely colouring of the frescoes1  
which cover every available space1 and  
even are continued on the arches        
themselves1 which are painted in        
elaborate imitations of marble mosaic4  
,the richness of hue of these painted   
mosaics is very great1 and the patterns 
frequently of great delicacy and beauty4
 ,on the first arch1 for instance1 there
 is a running border of vine leaves     
drawn with a freedom and truth which is 
remarkable1 if we compare it with the   

representation of natural foliage in the
 frescoes4#fh ,most of the patterns1    
however1 both on the arches and the     
borders surrounding the pictures are    
more or less geometrical1 and are       
interspersed with medallions of the     
heads of various prophets and saints of 
the ,church4  ,the most westerly portion
 of the building1 including the         
entrance1 is destroyed by bad           
,renaissance work of the most vulgar    
type1 and any one who wishes to see the 
two styles 7pre- and post-,raphael7 most
 strongly contrasted in favour of the   
former1 could hardly have a better      
opportunity than is given by the series 
of frescoes 7representing the ,popes7 in
 this part of the church4  ,let us next 
look in detail at the arrangement of the
 frescoes4  ,it is in the four          
triangular spaces of the roof           
immediately above the altar1 that the   
four great ,giotto frescoes1            
illustrating the three vows of the      
,order of ,st4 ,francis--,obedience1    

,chastity1 ,poverty1 and one of the     
,enthronement of ,st4 ,francis in       
,heaven1 are seen4  ,in the right-hand  
transept of the choir there are a series
 of designs by ,gaddi1 ,memmi1 ,cimabue1
 and ,giotto1 of various ,new ,testament
 subjects1 the most prominent of which  
is a magnificent ,enthronement of the   
,virgin1 by ,cimabue1 underneath which  
,giotto has painted ,st4 ,francis and   
four brethren of his order1 who gaze at 
the ,madonna with reverent ecstasy4     
,the most interesting portion of the    
church is undoubtedly the choir1 though1
 owing to the narrow arched windows and 
the altar being placed at the west      
instead of the east end1 it is only     
towards sundown that there is sufficient
 light to thoroughly illuminate the     
frescoes on the roof4  ,first let me    
give a description of these four works1 
and then examine the question of the    
authorship of the other frescoes in the 
choir which are attributed to ,giotto4  
,the ,frescoes above the ,high ,altar in

 the ,lower ,church of ,assisi4--,the   
subjects chosen for illustration typify1
 as might be expected1 the vows and the 
reward of the ,franciscan brotherhood2  
the four frescoes representing--first1  
the ,vow of ,poverty2 second1 that of   
,chastity2 third1 ,obedience2 and       
fourth1 the ,enthronement of ,st4       
,francis in ,heaven4 ,the first three of
 these subjects are all treated in the  
manner of allegories1 the interpretation
 of which is sufficiently obvious4  ,the
 first and last frescoes represent ,st4 
,francis himself as the protagonist of  
the allegory1 the second and third only 
introduce him incidentally4 ,thus1 in   
the first fresco1 the subject is ,st4   
,francis wedded to ,poverty1 typifying  
the course which must be followed by all
 disciples of the order4 ,the chief     
features of this composition are as     
follows3--,towards the centre of the    
fresco1 slightly to the left-hand side1 
are the three chief actors in the       
scene--,christ1 ,st4 ,francis1 and      

,poverty1 the saint in the dress of his 
order1 his bride in a thin short robe   
with naked feet2 around the group stand 
the angels in whose presence the        
marriage is being solemnised4 ,on the   
left hand of the composition1 in the    
foreground of the picture1 a beggar     
appeals to a young man for alms1 in     
answer to which the youth is taking off 
his cloak1 while his guardian angel pats
 him on the shoulder approvingly1 and   
points to the marriage ceremony as if to
 confirm his charitable intention4 ,on  
the right hand of the picture two       
figures1 with money-bags clutched firmly
 in their hands1 seem to resist the     
pleading of an angel1 who points to ,st4
 ,francis1 and apparently urges them to 
follow his example4 ,the centre of the  
foreground is occupied by two figures of
 children1 one of whom1 with garments   
held tightly round him1 is throwing     
stones at ,poverty1 whilst the other is 
pointing at her scornfully with a long  
stick4 ,the figure of ,poverty herself1 

which is the central one of the fresco1 
has at her feet a barking dog and a     
thicket of brambles1 the thorns of which
 have torn rents in her robe1 but in the
 background a flowering rose-tree seems 
to symbolise the advantages which the   
saint promises to her followers4 ,the   
upper part of the composition represents
 one angel bearing a model of the church
 up to heaven1 and another carrying the 
cloak which the young man on the left   
has given to the beggar1 to receive both
 of which gifts the ,almighty bends down
 from the clouds4#fi  ,there is in this 
fresco a praise of poverty which is by  
no means in accordance with the ideas   
which the painter himself entertained1  
and must have been a very perfunctory   
performance on his part2 for1 curiously 
enough1 there is in existence a canzone 
on the subject of poverty by ,giotto1 in
 which he clearly states his opinion of 
it as a very dangerous thing1 and one   
that tended towards vice rather than led
 to its abstention4 ,this canzone may be

 found in ,vasari4#gj  ,the ,vow of     
,chastity4--,this fresco also falls into
 three chief divisions1 as              
follows3--,the left-hand group is       
composed of eight figures1 of whom three
 are aspirants who wish to join the     
,franciscan brotherhood4 ,one of these  
is being welcomed by ,st4 ,francis      
himself1 while another1 a nun1 is       
presented with a cross by one of the    
attendant female figures1 possibly      
intended to typify ,sta4 ,chiara2 behind
 these are two more figures of saints4  
,a soldier1 with a shield in one hand   
and a scourge in the other1 stands by   
the side of ,st4 ,francis1 and indicates
 the struggle and the means of victory  
which those who desire to excel in      
chastity must endure--the rocky ground  
upon which the group stands showing the 
difficulty of the first approach4 ,the  
centre of the foreground is occupied by 
a group which has in its midst a naked  
figure in a font being baptised by      
angels1 behind whom stand two attendant 

angels with the garments of the novice1 
and two soldiers1 holding scourges1 seem
 to wait for the ceremony to be         
completed4 ,the third group1 in the     
foreground1 symbolises the victory of   
the angels and monks over the evil      
desires of the flesh1 and consists of   
several figures1 the chief of which is a
 monk1 with wings already sprouting out 
of his brown robe and a halo round his  
cowled head1 who is driving away with   
his trident a figure symbolical of      
love--love as understood by the         
priests--half cupid1 half devil4 ,a     
winged beast1 something between horse   
and pig1 has been already vanquished by 
the same stout monk1 and is falling     
backwards into an abyss of flame2 a     
third figure beyond1 also symbolical of 
lust1 is having his arm seized by a     
winged skeleton1 who plants his foot    
firmly upon the figure's thigh and      
apparently intends to kick him into the 
flames below4 ,the background of the    
picture is filled with the fortress in  

which ,chastity sits securely guarded   
behind double walls1 to whom angels are 
bearing the crown and palm of heavenly  
victory4 ,beneath her seat two angels   
offer her banner and shield to the      
novice below4  ,these are undoubtedly   
the two finest of the allegorical       
series1 being both more varied in       
composition and incident and finer in   
individual figures than the frescoes of 
,obedience and ,st4 ,francis in ,glory1 
both of which are a little formal in    
their arrangement4  ,in the ,obedience  
the action takes place within a shrine1 
divided into three compartments1 to the 
right and left hand of which large      
groups of ministering angels are        
kneeling4 ,this shrine symbolises the   
,monastery of ,st4 ,francis1 or the     
house of all those who join his         
brotherhood4 ,in its left-hand          
compartment1 which is presided over by a
 double-faced figure with mirror and    
shield labelled ,prudence1 a saint with 
a halo exhorts two monks1 who seem to   

wait their turn to take the required    
vow4 ,in the centre1 ,obedience1 a      
winged female figure in a man's robe1   
imposes the yoke of obedience upon a    
kneeling figure1 laying at the same time
 her finger upon her lips4 ,on the right
 hand are three figures--a kneeling     
saint1 ,humility holding a torch in her 
hand1 and a centaur1 who1 with arm      
upraised1 is witnessing the vow taken by
 the monk with despair1 and whose       
advance seems checked by a reflection   
cast upon him from the mirror of        
,prudence4  ,the fourth fresco--,st4    
,francis enthroned in                   
,heaven--represents the saint sitting in
 a shrine1 a sceptre in one hand1 and a 
breviary in the other1 above him a      
legend to the effect that this is his   
reward1 and around groups of angels     
bearing lilies and palms1 trumpets and  
harps4 ,of all the four frescoes1 this  
is the least interesting1 ,st4 ,francis 
himself in his heavy robe1 covered with 
gold embroidery1 being almost comically 

stiff and unnatural4  ,having spoken    
very briefly of the main incidents of   
these four great frescoes1 ,i must say a
 few words upon their special           
characteristics4 ,they are in my opinion
 the greatest works which ,giotto has   
left to us1 though a good deal of the   
naf grace and freshness of the artist's 
early work has disappeared4  ,though    
single figures in the ,santa ,croce     
frescoes may perhaps be favourably      
compared with any in these ,assisi      
compositions1 yet for scope of          
imagination and variety of detail1 they 
stand easily pre-eminent1 and owing to  
their fortunate position beneath the    
floor of the ,upper ,church1 they have  
been almost entirely preserved from the 
effects of damp1 which has ruined nearly
 all ,giotto's later works in ,florence4
 ,there is to be seen in these          
symbolical paintings the fulfilment of  
all that was promised in the work of the
 ,arena ,chapel2 accompanied by a more  
daring ambition1 and a far higher power 

of realising the conceptions of the     
artist4 ,the key of colour is the       
same--pure and delicate2 perhaps1 as    
compared with later artists1 a trifle   
faint2 but it is here much more         
extended1 and there is much more variety
 in the individual tints4 ,gradation1   
that great secret of beautiful colour1  
is more diligently sought for2 tints are
 more broken up1 more numerous1 and more
 skilfully combined1 and the effect of  
the fresco1 as a whole1 is infinitely   
richer4 ,similar advance is noticeable  
in the composition1 which is studied    
with an elaboration suitable to the     
masses of figures introduced into each  
work1 and which though occasionally a   
little formal1 is in the highest degree 
excellent1 if it be contrasted with that
 which was prevalent before and         
contemporary with our ,painter4  ,other 
merits there are1 such as might have    
been expected in an older artist1 of    
which the chief are a fuller knowledge  
of form1 and a greater attention to its 

details1 to which must certainly be     
added an increase in the richness and   
disposition of the folds of the drapery1
 and a little concession to the claims  
of elegance in the arrangement of the   
attitudes and robes4 ,the old grace is  
still there1 but it is hardly as        
unconscious as of old2 it owes less to  
feeling1 and more to skill2 it is more  
wonderful1 but hardly so charming4      
,these frescoes are1 we may say in      
conclusion1 by far the most important   
uninjured works which remain to us from 
,giotto's hand1 and fortunately they    
seem from their position to stand a good
 chance of preservation4 ,neither dust  
nor damp can well affect them2 the      
little light that suffices to illumine  
the poor ritual of ,assisi1 will take   
many a year to darken the tints of these
 pictures above the altar2 and the old  
church above them will have crumbled    
into ruin before any accident can       
disturb the massive arches on whose     
interstices ,giotto has painted these   

pictures4 ,the only other fresco of     
,giotto's maturity which ,i have heard  
of as being of nearly equal importance  
with these1 is one in the shop of       
,francesco ,pittipaldi1 at ,naples1     
which was originally a part of the      
convent of ,sta ,chiara4 ,this fresco   
7which ,i have not seen7 is quoted by   
,crowe and ,cavalcaselle as being one of
 those beautiful compositions by ,giotto
 which are his grand claim to the       
admiration of the world4 ,it represents 
the miracles of the loaves and fishes1  
and is symbolical of the almsgiving of  
the ,franciscans4  ,i may here mention  
the other later works of this painter1  
which circumstances have prevented me   
from examining1 and of which therefore  
,i have given no description4 ,these    
are3--#ast4 ,works in the ,brera        
,gallery at ,milan1 and in the          
,pinacoteca of ,bologna--originally     
parts of an altarpiece for the church of
 ,st4 ,maria degli ,angeli at ,bologna4 
#bnd4 ,st4 ,francis receiving the       

,stigmata1 now in the ,louvre1 formerly 
belonging to the convent of ,st4        
,francesco at ,pisa4 #crd4 ,an          
,entombment of the ,virgin1 belonging to
 a ,mr4 ,martin4 ,these works are given 
as ,giotto's on the authority of ,crowe 
and ,cavalcaselle4  ,we may observe     
generally with regard to the pictures in
 the north transept1 that they are in   
every way more elaborate than those of  
the ,arena at ,padua1 the drapery       
especially being more varied in its     
folds and colours4 ,another very        
characteristic difference in these later
 pictures is the greater preponderance  
of the architectural element in the     
designs4 ,in the ,arena ,chapel what    
little architecture is introduced1 is   
simple in form and excessively plain in 
colour1 serving for little more than a  
bare indication of the meaning of the   
composition1 and being in no wise an    
important portion of the picture4 ,but  
at ,assisi1 in six at least out of the  
nine pictures attributed to ,giotto in  

the northern transept1 architecture has 
a very important place assigned to it1  
and it is noticeable that the           
architectural portions of the           
composition are decorated with mosaic   
borders in some way corresponding to    
those used in the decoration of the     
actual church4 ,the attempt seems to    
have been at ,assisi to glorify the     
building of the church1 and to render   
the pictures subordinate to the         
architectural unity of decoration1      
whereas in the ,arena ,chapel the       
attempt was evidently to obliterate the 
building through the beauty of the      
pictures1 or rather to make the         
spectator forget the plain shell which  
inclosed the frescoes in tracing the    
story which their compositions pictured4
 ,the figures1 too1 in these ,assisi    
frescoes are comparatively small1 and   
possess but slight individual interest2 
here and there we see attempts at       
animation of gesture1 but they are      
comparatively slight1 and the chief     

interest of the frescoes depends upon   
the grace of the composition1 and the   
richness of the colouring used4  ,the   
colouring1 too1 is perceptibly different
 from that of the ,arena ,chapel1 where1
 though very delicate1 it is simple in  
the extreme1 while in many of these     
pictures1 the hues used are deep and    
rich in general effect1 but have lost   
much of the fresh purity which formerly 
distinguished them4  ,at the ,arena     
,chapel the picture stood out at a      
glance1 every superfluous detail giving 
instant place to the main spirit of the 
scene2 here the treatment is much more  
elaborate1 but a considerable portion of
 the earnestness and oneness of the     
,arena frescoes is gone2 the work1      
though beautiful1 is not striking1 not  
that it is exactly confused1 but seems  
rather to be that of a conscientious    
workman carrying out directions         
faithfully1 with a little painful       
effort4  ,of course this alteration in  
architecture and colour was caused to   

some considerable extent by the         
necessity of the work being in harmony  
with the very elaborate decoration of   
the church1 and by the fact of the      
construction of the building being far  
more intricate and elaborate than the   
plain oblong box of the ,arena ,chapel4 
,the simple magnificence of tint which  
makes each fresco in the latter building
 tell as if it were of a perfect jewel1 
and the breadth of composition and      
treatment1 owing to which the picture   
denotes as forcibly as possible the fact
 depicted1 would perhaps have been out  
of harmony if adopted here2 but there   
can be little doubt which treatment is  
the most admirable in itself or most    
like that of ,giotto's usual style4     
,however this may be1 there is another  
and a simpler reason for the differences
 we have noted1 which is1 that in all   
probability the only frescoes executed  
by ,giotto's own hand were those in the 
four triangular spaces above the choir1 
and two others presently to be          

mentioned2 the majority of the works    
attributed to him were probably executed
 by ,taddeo ,gaddi and ,simon ,memmi1   
under his superintendence4 ,this would  
render it probable that greater         
elaboration should be bestowed upon the 
more mechanical portions of the         
composition which could be executed     
almost equally well by the pupil1 and   
would likewise account for the pictures 
being treated more from the point of    
view of portions of the building1 and   
the figures being kept subordinate1 as  
it will of course account for the work  
being both more varied in colouring1 and
 also for its having less of the        
master's delicate beauty4  ,it must be  
noted that the scale of colouring in the
 ,vows of ,st4 ,francis is a much more  
extended one than the painter was       
possessed of at the time of his         
decoration of the ,arena ,chapel1 and   
this alone should have made ,messrs4    
,crowe and ,cavalcaselle hesitate before
 attributing these works to an earlier  

period4#ga ,very certainly growth in    
years and genius would be likely to     
increase the richness and variety of his
 tints1 and no doubt most of these north
 transept frescoes were executed by his 
pupils1 and only had the final touches  
laid on by the master4 ,the most        
noticeable quality in these frescoes1   
compared with the undoubted work of     
,giotto1 both in the ,arena ,chapel and 
the frescoes in the ceiling of ,assisi1 
is the lack of that life in every line  
which was so excellent a merit in       
,giotto's work4 ,in the frescoes of     
,padua every line is perfectly          
unfaltering and necessary1 and endowed  
with a force and deliberate intention to
 which it is difficult to find a        
parallel in the history of art4 ,no man1
 says ,mr4 ,ruskin1 somewhere1 has      
expressed so much action in a single    
gesture as ,giotto has done4 ,of this   
vivid expression the frescoes in the    
north transept appear to me to retain   
few traces2 they have just the same     

relation to the early work that a clever
 imaginary landscape has to a rough     
sketch from nature4 ,the first may not  
be wrong1 but we feel that the latter is
 right4  ,a good deal of the difference 
is no doubt also due to the fact of the 
influence of ,cimabue1 who had painted  
here before ,giotto's time1 and         
something perhaps to the genius loci2   
the darkened air1 the fragrant incense1 
the mixed influences of priestcraft and 
superstition1 that fill the place4  ,a  
painter is but a man after all1 and qu  
painter he is necessarily a more        
susceptible man than the rest--an       
instrument prone to echo to various     
influences4 ,no doubt there must have   
been a far different spirit in this     
half-lighted cave to that which dwelt in
 the fair open hall of the ,arena2 as   
different as the somewhat barren        
mountain1 on which the convent stands1  
was from the bee-haunted1 flowery       
inclosure in which stands ,scrovegni's  
chapel4  ,some or all of these various  

reasons may serve to explain the        
difference in feeling between these     
works and those executed by ,giotto both
 in earlier and later times1 especially 
the excessive use of gold and lustrous  
richness2 and some of the lifeless      
expressions of the figures may probably 
be attributed to the influences of      
monastic discipline and want of fresh   
air and sunlight4  ,the pictures in the 
north transept1 attributed to ,giotto by
 ,professor ,dobbert 7the latest writer 
on this subject1 and1 as far as critical
 opinion goes1 little more than an echo 
of ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle7 are as     
follows3--#a4 ,the ,visitation2 #b4 ,the
 ,adoration of the ,shepherds2 #c4 ,the 
,magi2 #d4 ,the ,presentation in the    
,temple2 #e4 ,the ,flight into ,egypt2  
#f4 ,the ,massacre of the ,innocents2   
#g4 ,the ,return of the ,family2 #h4    
,the ,crucifixion4  ,the ,salutation 7or
 ,visitation74--,this composition is in 
its main figures a repetition of the one
 in the ,arena chapel4 ,there are1      

however1 more people introduced2 the    
background is altered1 the figures are  
slighter and stiffer1 the lines of the  
drapery less flowing1 and with less     
action in them4 ,the faces are thinner  
and larger1 and the figures are smaller 
in proportion to the size of the        
picture4  ,the ,nativity4--,this        
composition is altogether inferior in   
interest and dramatic power to that in  
the ,arena4 ,the natural action of the  
,virgin1 as she half turns on her bed to
 place the ,child in the nurse's arms1  
is changed to a stiff sitting posture2  
the angels are arranged in four groups1 
instead of flying hither and thither as 
in the ,arena picture4 ,indeed the      
picture is wholly symmetrical in its    
arrangements1 ,joseph being in one      
corner1 the shepherds and their flocks  
in another2 the two attendants and the  
,child in the centre4 ,above these come 
again the ,virgin and ,child1 with a row
 of angels hovering on each side2 and   
above these again the roof of the shed1 

with two more groups of angels2 down the
 centre of the picture a glory streams  
upon the ,infant ,christ4 ,it may be    
noticed that the ,virgin's face in this 
and the other pictures in this transept 
is much more of the ,greek type than    
that used by ,giotto at ,padua4 ,the    
only real ,giottesque traits in this    
composition are1 first1 the natural     
actions and expressions of the two      
attendants engaged in purifying the     
,child2 and1 second1 the actions of the 
ox and the ass1 who poke their heads    
across the manger with the patient      
stupidity1 and                          
wonder-what-it's-all-about1 look of     
nature4  ,the ,adoration of the         
,magi4--,in this and the following      
fresco of the ,presentation in the      
,temple we find perhaps the strongest   
proof of these works being more probably
 imitations of ,giotto's manner than    
original works4 ,i cannot conceive how  
it is possible for any artist 7or indeed
 any one with an eye for a picture at   

all7 to imagine that these stiff1 formal
 draperies1 falling in folds1 which seem
 as if each had a leaden weight attached
 to it1 so straight and stiff are they1 
and those inexpressive faces1 chiefly of
 the aquiline type1 could have proceeded
 from the same hand as the frescoes of  
,obedience and ,poverty4  ,standing1 as 
,i did1 here on the steps of the high   
altar1 by the side of the one fresco1   
and beneath the others1 it appeared     
inconceivable that a question should    
ever have been raised as to the         
authorship of the frescoes of the north 
transept1 or at least as to their being 
by ,giotto's own hand4 ,the misleading  
fact has1 ,i suppose1 been the          
reproduction of so many of the master's 
figures and attitudes in these frescoes2
 but1 rightly understood1 this should   
rather have created the contrary        
presumption1 for it is far more likely  
that a pupil should repeat his master's 
figures1 than that a man of such        
inventive genius as ,giotto undoubtedly 

was at a later time1 should deliberately
 set himself to copy his earlier work1  
as he must have done if these pictures  
were by him4  ,but apart from all such  
priori considerations1 the difference in
 the work and the style is so great as  
to put the matter beyond a question4    
,there is not to be found in any of the 
hundreds of figures in the four large   
compositions in the ceiling of this     
church1 one in which the faces are of   
the same type1 the figures of the same  
long1 lean kind1 and the drapery of the 
straight1 angular nature that we find in
 these two frescoes of the ,adoration   
and the ,presentation4 ,the same thing  
applies to the ,flight into ,egypt1     
though in this composition there is a   
greater approach in some respects to the
 master's manner4 ,it is worthy of      
notice that the various trees and ferns 
in this picture are painted without the 
dark background employed by ,giotto in  
his ,arena pictures2 each leaf is now   
painted dark against the background1    

instead of light on a background of a   
dark patch1 the rough outside shape of  
the tree4 ,this is no inconsiderable    
advance1 and a still greater may be     
noticed in the painting of the bramble  
in the fresco of ,st4 ,francis' ,wedding
 to ,poverty4  ,the only other picture  
in this series of which it is necessary 
to speak is the ,crucifixion1 which is  
incomparably the finest of these        
paintings1 and bears most likeness to   
the master's work4 ,i am inclined to    
think that this composition was in great
 measure1 if not wholly1 executed by    
,giotto himself1 though even this work  
shows traces of inferiority to that of  
the ,arena ,chapel in some respects2 and
 the painting has suffered a good deal  
from damp and apparently1 in some       
places1 from restoration1 though being  
unable to examine it in a very good     
light1 ,i am not certain upon the latter
 point4  ,it only remains to sum up my  
remarks upon these works4 ,from the     
considerations ,i have given1 and many  

other differences on which it were too  
long to enter here1 ,i am led to the    
inevitable conclusion1 that the only    
composition actually painted by ,giotto 
in the ,lower ,church of ,st4 ,francis  
at ,assisi1 besides the four allegorical
 works in the ceiling of the choir1 is  
the ,crucifixion1 and a small predella  
to it in monochrome1 representing ,st4  
,francis and four monks of the order    
gazing towards the cross in the above   
picture4  ,professor ,dobbert's         
conjecture1 that ,giotto visited ,assisi
 a second time1 and then designed both  
the allegorical pictures and those in   
the transept1 and left them to be       
executed by his pupils1 seems to be     
refuted by the excessive superiority of 
the ceiling frescoes to those of the    
transept1 and the unlikeness of the     
former to the work of any of ,giotto's  
pupils4 ,it must be repeated here that  
there is not at present the slightest   
evidence of ,giotto having been twice at
 ,assisi1 and that the professor's      

conjecture is not supported by anything 
but ,crowe's idea that the transept     
frescoes were done at a later period    
than those of the ceiling4  ,i should   
have liked to dwell a little upon the   
other interesting portions of the town1 
of its quaint and often beautiful       
architecture1 or of the many glorious   
walks along the mountain to be taken    
therefrom1 but it would lead me too far 
from my subject1 and ,i must be content 
with mentioning that it would be        
difficult to find more impressive hill  
scenery than that which surrounds       
,assisi1 though it is of a somewhat     
gloomy character4 ,the olive and the    
cypress are almost the only trees to be 
seen on one side of the town1 and the   
mountains slope abruptly down to a      
narrow valley1 through which foams a    
mountain torrent4 ,in the immediate     
neighbourhood are the spots connected   
with the actual life of ,st4 ,francis   
and ,sta ,chiara 7the saint who was the 
first of his female followers71 the most

 interesting of which is the ,hermitage 
of ,st4 ,francesco1 lying in a cleft of 
the mountain1 some two miles from the   
town4 ,many another church and monument 
is there of interest in this place1 but 
we have outstayed our space1 and1 we    
fear1 our readers' patience2 so let us  
take the midnight train to more         
civilised ,florence1 throw behind us the
 dreamy idleness of the few hours we    
have spent amongst traditions of saint  
and miracle1 and leave ,assisi sleeping 
upon the mountain-side in its accustomed
 solitude4 ,in one last look from our   
comfortable first-class carriage1 we see
 the convent and the sharp points of its
 surrounding cypresses1 dark against the
 clear starlight1 and in another instant
 the train has swept on out of the      
shadow of the mountain1 and we are in   
the nineteenth century once more4       
,,footnotes3  #fh ,it would1 however1 be
 unsafe to found any conclusion on the  
naturalism found here1 as it is certain 
that painters of many later periods     

worked in this lower church4  #fi       
,according to ,crowe and ,cavalcaselle1 
the original drawing for this fresco is 
in the possession of ,h4,r4,h4 the ,duc 
d',aumale4 ,it is a pen drawing on      
vellum4  #gj ,vasari1 vol4 i4 p4 #cdh4  
#ga ,it is in no spirit of carping      
criticism that ,i must here express my  
inability to discover clearly when      
,crowe and ,cavalcaselle do intend to   
make ,giotto visit ,assisi4 ,i have     
found so much difficulty in finding any 
definite statements throughout their    
work that ,i have almost ceased to      
expect them4 ,i believe they mean that  
the ,assisi frescoes were previously    
executed to those of ,padua4            
,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,giotto',s ,,later   
,,work ,,at ,,florence4       ,the      
characteristics of ,power and ,beauty   
occur more or less in      different    
buildings1 some in one and some in      
another2 but all      together1 and all 
in their highest possible relative      
degrees1      they exist1 as far as ,i  

know1 only in one building in the       
world1 the ,campanile of                
,giotto4--,,john ,,ruskin1 ,the ,seven  
,lamps4   ,the later work of ,giotto at 
,florence falls into two distinct       
divisions1 the one consisting of his    
frescoes and his great panel picture of 
the ,coronation of the ,virgin1 the     
other of his sculpture and architecture1
 both of which last have as their sole  
remaining example1 the ,campanile1 in   
the ,piazza del ,duomo1 better known as 
,giotto's tower4 ,the limits of my space
 compel me to speak very briefly upon   
each of these divisions1 which ,i regret
 the less because they are by far the   
best known and most frequently written  
about of ,giotto's works2 and when ,mr4 
,ruskin has put forth his whole strength
 in description1 an inferior writer may 
be well pardoned for unwillingness to   
make his inferiority manifest4 ,with    
this brief word of apology then1 ,i     
speak first of the frescoes in the      
,santa ,croce4  ,giotto painted four    

chapels here1 but the only remaining    
frescoes are those in the chapels of the
 ,peruzzi and the ,bardi1 the former    
containing scenes from the lives of ,st4
 ,john the ,evangelist and ,st4 ,john   
the ,baptist1 the latter representations
 of the life and death of ,st4 ,francis4
 ,both these chapels have suffered a    
good deal from restoration1 especially  
that of the ,bardi1 which has been so   
coarsely repainted as to have entirely  
lost all beauty of colour1 and which ,i 
shall not therefore dwell upon in       
detail4  ,the top fresco on the right   
hand wall of the ,peruzzi ,chapel1 has  
also been quite ruined by coarse        
repainting1 and when examined with a    
good glass shows a coarse black line    
round every portion of the composition1 
not unlike that used by the disciples of
 a certain modern school of decorative  
painting1 who seek to gain the effect   
which their incompetence otherwise      
denies them by outlining their          
compositions in this manner4  ,the two  

lower frescoes on the right hand wall1  
however1 representing respectively the  
,healing of ,drusiana by ,st4 ,john1 and
 the ,ascension from the grave of that  
,evangelist1 though they have been a    
good bit restored1 have had the         
restoration1 carefully and sparingly    
done1 and retain still a beauty of      
colour as great as is to be found in any
 of ,giotto's works4 ,the chief         
differences observable between these    
frescoes and those of the earlier years 
are such as we might expect to find in  
the later work of an earnest painter1   
and are briefly as follows3--,first1 a  
loss of the semi-burlesque spirit       
observable in the ,arena ,chapel1 and   
not wholly absent from the four great   
frescoes of the ,lower ,church at       
,assisi4 ,all is grave and dignified in 
treatment2 the action proceeds in a     
still vivid1 but not eager1 manner2 it  
is the difference between the ,stabat   
,mater played on the organ1 and ,the    
,campbells are coming1 on the bagpipes  

of a ,highland regiment4 ,allied to this
 change1 and dependent upon it1 is the  
loss of a good deal of the incidental   
drama of the composition1 a certain     
diminution of interest in the           
spectators1 who are now more parts of   
the general scene1 and less individual  
characters affected in different ways by
 what is happening4 ,the composition    
gains1 perhaps1 in dramatic unity1 gains
 certainly if judged by the canons of   
later art1 but loses in dramatic        
intensity1 and1 it seems to me1 in truth
 to life4 ,again1 there is much more    
composition1 and that of a more         
elaborate kind1 than in the ,arena work3
 the figures are larger proportionately 
to the fresco in which they are placed1 
and possessed of a uniform grace and    
dignity which were absent from the      
earlier frescoes4 ,increased knowledge  
of form and power of arrangement1 is    
seen in the figures of the men1 and the 
treatment of the draperies2 the latter  
especially1 while still being drawn with

 comparative breadth and simplicity1    
have gained in beauty of line1 and      
slightly in attention to the form       
beneath them4 ,lastly1 there is to be   
noticed an advance in the treatment of  
colour which is the most important of   
all the changes4 ,it is with the        
greatest diffidence ,i speak upon this  
point1 as it is nearly impossible1 in   
the dim light of this chapel 7whose only
 window is covered with a yellow        
curtain71 to be sure of what is the     
painter's original work and what is     
restoration2 but while making every     
allowance for error1 it seems to me that
 there is here shown1 in places where   
the work is almost certainly genuine1 a 
great increase in the power of gradation
 of colour1 a capability of making each 
portion more beautiful in itself1       
besides being beautiful as a part of the
 whole4 ,there is not found in these    
frescoes 7in the ,peruzzi71 any longer  
those broad masses of comparatively     
ungradated tint which are so common in  

the ,arena series2 and there is further 
to be found an extension of the scale of
 colouring1 a power of combining more   
delicate and more varied hues than in   
the earlier frescoes4  ,the whole tone  
of the picture is sharper and more      
mellow than before1 and though this is  
by no means an unmixed gain1 for much of
 the crystalline purity and freshness of
 the earlier pictures is lost thereby1  
yet on the whole the gain is greater    
than the loss1 much in the same way that
 though we may regret the absence of the
 bright eye and ardent impetuosity of   
youth1 we must needs give greater honour
 to manhood which has fulfilled the     
promise1 though it may have lost        
something of the freshness1 of the wild 
gladness of morning4  ,on the left hand 
wall of this chapel there are also three
 frescoes of which the uppermost is of  
comparatively little importance2 the    
remaining two are--first1 ,the ,birth of
 ,john2 second1 ,the ,daughter of       
,herodias dancing before ,herod4 ,the   

lower of these is a good deal faded1 but
 7,i believe7 not at all restored1 and  
both are of exceeding beauty4 ,in the   
first1 the picture is divided into two  
parts by pillars supporting the section 
of a house similar to those of which    
,giotto generally formed his interiors4 
,the larger portion of the fresco       
represents the mother of the ,evangelist
 lying upon her bed surrounded by       
friends and attendants1 and in the      
smaller part the nurse is presenting the
 infant to the father1 who is apparently
 deep in thought4 ,the figure of the    
nurse holding out the child1 and all the
 attendants and friends who press round 
the bed1 are full of interest1 and the  
whole composition of the picture very   
fine4  ,more beautiful1 however1 to me1 
is the lowest fresco of ,herodias1 if it
 were only for the figure of the violin 
7for it is a sort of violin7 player1 a  
figure whose grace and truth of action  
has1 ,i think1 never been surpassed4    
,in this picture the daughter of        

,herodias is represented twice1 the     
first time in the main body of the      
fresco1 dancing in front of the table at
 which the king is seated1 while in the 
centre an attendant brings in the       
,baptist's head upon a dish1 and offers 
it to the king2 and again on the extreme
 right of the fresco1 where1 in a sort  
of inner room1 the dancer kneels to her 
mother1 and presents her with the head4 
,there are in the ,bardi ,chapel        
frescoes of ,sta4 ,chiara and ,st4      
,louis1 also by ,giotto2 but both have  
been restored especially the latter1#gb 
which is wholly ruined thereby4         
,formerly in the ,baronzelli ,chapel1   
but now in a small room close to the    
sacristy1 hangs the greatest masterpiece
 of our artist upon panel2 indeed the   
only one of his works executed in that  
manner which can fairly be called worthy
 of his powers4#gc ,this is the famous  
,coronation of the ,virgin1 a picture in
 five compartments1 the four outer ones 
of which represent a choir of angels    

with various musical instruments1 and an
 attendant company of saints1 prophets1 
and martyrs1 while the centre division  
shows the ,virgin dressed as a bride    
seated upon a throne1 and bending her   
head to receive the crown from ,christ4 
,it is wholly beyond my power to convey 
to my readers any idea of the exceeding 
loveliness of this work1 and no         
description could1 ,i think1 give more  
than a faint shadow of its beauty4      
,descriptions of pictures are stupid    
things at the best1 and when the attempt
 is made to describe a work whose beauty
 consists less in any hard tangible     
perfection of form and colour1 than in a
 delicate purity of feeling and an      
intense belief in the subject treated   
of1 when we have to catalogue as        
beauties1 the expressions of a choir of 
angels1 and the raptures of the         
surrounding saints1 words seem totally  
inadequate to the task4  ,perhaps some  
faint idea of the picture may be gained 
by likening it to the ,paradise of ,fra 

,angelico1 which hangs in the ,uffizi   
,gallery1 and which is probably familiar
 to most of my readers1 if only through 
the medium of the innumerable copies    
which have been made of the figures of  
the playing and singing angels which    
surround its frame4 ,fancy these        
,angelico figures enlarged slightly and 
made human1 instead of angelic2 fancy   
them arranged in rows1 one above the    
other1 the first row kneeling1 and the  
second standing behind them1 while      
further in the background1 tier above   
tier1 rise the heads of prophets and    
martyrs almost to the top of the golden 
background4 ,put two pictures of this   
sort on each side of a central one of   
,christ and the ,virgin1 lower ,fra     
,angelico's key of colour just a little1
 till his pinks1 blues1 and yellows have
 shades of neutral colour toning them   
down1 let the types of the saints and   
angels be rather heavier in the jaw1 and
 broader in the face than his1 and then 
you have the bones1 so to speak1 of     

,giotto's ,coronation4  ,more than this 
,i cannot tell you of the beauty of this
 picture1 and it were useless to dwell  
upon the tender gravity of the singing  
angels1 the devotion of the listening   
saints1 the exquisite balance of the    
groups1 and the pure brightness of the  
colouring4 ,in a picture the whole of   
whose effect depends upon such subtle   
combination of faith and skill as does  
this ,coronation1 it is worse than      
useless to attempt to catalogue its     
merits as if for an auctioneer's        
programme4 ,it is best to say1 simply1  
that in a devotional age a great painter
 put forth his whole strength1 to embody
 his faith in the loveliest design he   
could conceive1 and that the result was 
worthy of him4  ,in the cloisters of the
 ,s4 ,maria ,novella there are some     
frescoes attributed to ,giotto much     
injured by damp1 and one1 the ,birth of 
the ,virgin1 spoilt by restoration2 one1
 however1 remains1 of great beauty1     
which in its leading figures is as fine 

as any of ,giotto's work2 this is the   
,meeting of ,joachim and ,anna at the   
,golden ,gate4 ,the leading figures here
 are fortunately comparatively uninjured
 by the damp1 though ,anna's blue robe  
has lost a little of its colour2 the    
faces are full of expression1 tender and
 loving to a degree1 and the attitudes  
of both figures both graceful and       
natural4 ,in this work the painter has  
gained a nearer approach to female      
beauty than in any other fresco which ,i
 have seen4 ,after a long and careful   
examination of these frescoes ,i am     
unwillingly forced to come to the       
conclusion that they are not by ,giotto1
 but are later works of his school4 ,i  
say unwillingly1 for it is with the     
greatest reluctance that ,i differ on   
this point from ,mr4 ,ruskin1 who has in
 one of his small series1 called        
,mornings in ,florence1 expatiated very 
enthusiastically upon the merit of these
 works4 ,the technical reasons which    
have most certainly lead me to this     

conclusion can hardly be stated so as to
 interest the general reader1 but the   
main points which are evident upon the  
surface of the matter are--#ast1 the    
comparative crudeness and poorness of   
colour in three out of the four         
frescoes1 a crudity which is scarcely to
 be accounted for by any amount of      
restoration4 ,the colour is not so much 
violent as it is weak and uninteresting2
 #bnd1 the exaggeration in gesture never
 used by ,giotto in subordinate figures1
 and a certain wilful ugliness of       
attitude which ,i have never found in   
that painter's works2 #crd1 the         
difference in the drawing of the        
drapery1 which is sharp and thin in its 
folds1 the folds being far more numerous
 than in ,giotto's work1 and their      
angles much more abrupt4 ,the last      
difference is one of beauty4 ,as far as 
,i know ,giotto was incapable of drawing
 a face of the slender rounded type such
 as ,anna's in the second of these      
frescoes which ,i have referred to4     

,both the drawing of that face and its  
delicate modelling belong to another and
 a later hand than his4 ,lastly ,i may  
state for whatever it is worth1 that ,i 
heard only a few days since that it is  
probably the case1 according to the best
 opinion of the archologists1 that the  
cloister in which these frescoes are1 is
 of a later date than that of ,giotto's 
death4 ,if this be so of course it sets 
the matter at rest1 but whether it be so
 or not ,i think a careful examination  
of the frescoes will satisfy any one    
interested in the matter that they      
cannot fairly be attributed to our      
artist4 ,it must be remembered that the 
work of the ,giotteschi1 as they are    
called1 is exceedingly puzzling and     
confused and liable to be mistaken very 
easily even by one who is devoting his  
whole attention to the subject4 ,mr4    
,ruskin has in two former instances been
 led to attribute works to ,giotto which
 are not by that artist according to    
almost indisputable evidence3 the       

instances ,i allude to are1 one in      
speaking of the frescoes at ,avignon as 
by this artist1 the other in attributing
 to him a picture now discovered to be  
by ,lorenzo ,monaco in the ,uffizi      
,gallery4    ,illustration3 ,,florence4 
,showing ,giotto's ,campanile1 and the  
,duomo4   ,,the ,,campanile4  ,from my  
window au troisime1 in the ,piazza del  
,duomo1 the look-out this gray ,april   
afternoon cannot be called altogether   
gay4 ,the sellers of flowers and oranges
 have withdrawn well into the shelter of
 their little awnings1 through which the
 rain slowly trickles upon the bright   
mass of fruit2 in the great square1 the 
restless population of ,florence move   
aimlessly to and fro with cloaks        
muffling their faces2 there are five    
close cabs stationed just beneath my    
window1 the drivers of which sit on     
their respective boxes1 beneath the     
shelter of four large green umbrellas   
and one blue one2 behind them the       
,baptistery lifts its conical roof by   

the side of the scaffolding which marks 
the restoration of the cathedral1 and   
beyond and above everything the         
,campanile#gd in the square of the      
,signoria raises its grim castellated   
head1 dark and threatening4 ,one        
building alone refuses to succumb to the
 influences of cloud and rain1 refuses  
to lose its beauty or be deprived of its
 colours2 its delicate traceries1 and   
its shades of red1 yellow1 black1 white1
 and green marble still standing out    
clearly perceptible through the heavy   
atmosphere4 ,this is the building with  
the account of which closes the story of
 ,giotto's life2 this is the last and   
greatest achievement of that great      
genius who joined to his skill of hand a
 heart tender enough to enter into every
 human weakness1 and sympathies which   
extended to the animal and vegetable    
creation1 and drew1 with as much simple 
fidelity and honest enjoyment the dog   
watching the sheep and the oxen drawing 
the wain1 as the sufferings of the      

,saviour1 or the faith of the disciples4
  ,in shape the ,campanile is a square  
tower without buttress of any kind1     
rising #bib feet straight from the      
pavement of the piazza4 ,it has four    
stories1 but does not diminish towards  
the top1 the only difference being that 
the windows increase in size1 and in    
this way an appearance of superior      
lightness is gained by the upper        
stories4 ,the style of the architecture 
is ,gothic in so far as it makes use of 
the pointed arch1 but can hardly be     
described as such without giving a false
 impression to those who are accustomed 
to the ,gothic of the north2 and who    
think of that style as one of varied1 if
 somewhat gloomy1 masses1 of irregular  
arches1 pinnacles1 and buttresses2      
colourless save for the lichen that     
grows between the grey stones1 and owing
 their beauty more to the unwearied     
inventiveness of their builders' fancy  
than to any symmetrical unity of design4
  ,it seems to me that this ,campanile1 

as does the cathedral1 partakes much    
more of the ,lombardic element than the 
,gothic1 especially in its use of       
coloured marbles1 which are here        
employed throughout the whole surface of
 the tower4 ,one thing is certain1 that 
whatever be the style of the            
architecture it has a character of its  
own which renders it a thing apart4 ,in 
the course of many years' travel in     
every quarter of the globe1 ,i have come
 upon but one building which had at all 
the same sort of power over the         
imagination which is possessed by this  
tower of ,giotto4 ,that structure was   
the ,taj1 at ,agra1 which in its        
exquisiteness of finish1 its delicacy of
 involved ornament1 its perfectly       
unsullied whiteness1 and above all1 in  
its completeness of design1 resembled   
the ,florentine ,campanile1 though for  
beauty of proportion1 no less than for  
that of colour1 the ,indian tomb must   
yield precedence to the ,italian        
bell-tower4 ,the ,taj1 too1 owes much of

 its effect to the beauty of its        
surroundings2 to the stately entrance1  
the long paved approach of white marble1
 the great das of the same1 on which the
 tomb stands1 and last1 not least1 to   
thick rows of dark cypress trees which  
surround it to right and left1 and toss 
their fretted spires towards the sky1 a 
hundred feet below the great dome4 ,the 
,campanile has no such proud            
surroundings1 no such adventitious helps
 to its beauty1 but stands in simple    
strength1 in the busiest square in      
,florence1 in the midst of the          
fruit-sellers and flower-sellers1 where 
the street boys can play at             
hide-and-seek round its base1 and wonder
 idly perhaps at the inlaid marbles4 ,in
 either case the surroundings are such  
as one should be loth to change2 for the
 tomb which marks the pride and love of 
an ,eastern monarch1 the quiet inclosed 
garden1 with its marble terraces and    
clustering groups of cypress2 and for   
the ,campanile--which was the last gift 

of a great artist to his native         
city--the busy square1 the thronging    
people1 the hundred cries of ,florence  
sounding about its base1 and fading into
 a faint scarce-heard murmur long ere   
they reach the great overhanging        
battlements1 round whose massive        
sculpture resound only the whispering of
 the breeze and the fluttering of       
white-winged birds4  ,the building is in
 four stories1 the two lowest of which  
are entirely without windows1 the first 
being adorned with bas-reliefs by       
,giotto1 and with statues by ,donatello 
and others4 ,intermediate between the   
lowest series of bas-reliefs and the    
statues1 are four series of bas-reliefs1
 each seven in number1 representing the 
beatitudes1 the works of mercy1 the     
virtues1 and the sacraments4  ,the      
second and third stories have each two  
pointed-arched windows of the same size 
and design1 each of which is divided in 
the usual ,gothic manner by a centre    
shaft4 ,this shaft is of exquisite      

delicacy1 in design a richly carved     
spiral1 ending in a capital1 from which 
spring two trefoiled arches4 ,the sides 
of these windows are also enriched with 
a similar shaft1 then a rich border of  
mosaic1 inclosed again by a spiral1     
terminating in a second pointed arch    
which forms the outer border to the     
window1 above which is a triangular     
canopy thickly carved4 ,the whole of    
these windows1 with the exception of the
 mosaic band1 are executed in white     
marble1 and surrounded by slabs of green
 serpentine and red porphyry4  ,the     
fourth story has but one window1 rather 
larger than both those in the second or 
third story1 and divided by two spirals 
instead of one4 ,it is noticeable that  
the sides and canopy of this highest    
aperture are comparatively simple in    
form and devoid of sculpture1 which     
practically ceases with the third story4
 ,giotto was too thorough an artist to  
put elaborate sculpture at a height     
where it could not be seen1 and         

preferred1 instead of substituting      
coarser work1 to depend for the beauty  
of this upper story1 almost entirely    
upon the effect of boldly designed      
mosaic4 ,instead1 therefore1 of a single
 narrow band of mosaic above the arch of
 the window1 there are in the fourth    
story four comparatively wide ones1 and 
above this the triangular space beneath 
the plain arch is filled with the same  
work1 as are also the spaces beside and 
above the canopy4 ,above the canopy is a
 still broader band of mosaic1 on which 
the jagged arches of the battlements    
seem to rest2 and above these again1 a  
last band of mosaic is surmounted by a  
gallery of white marble about six feet  
high1 pierced with quartre-foils along  
its whole length4  ,it is wholly        
impossible to describe the delicacy and 
finish which the crest of this campanile
 possesses2 the eye is led on from story
 to story1 the mosaic being used more   
and more freely1 the sculpture more     
sparingly1 as the ascent is made1 till  

at last the sculpture ends in one       
perfectly shaped window1 and the mosaic 
blossoms forth like a flower into       
fullest beauty4 ,gradually the massive  
base1 with its dark bas-reliefs1 changes
 into lighter sculpture1 with           
backgrounds of blue marble1 then into   
figures of the saints1 prophets1 and    
patriarchs1 breaking the uniformity of  
which are two long vertical pierced     
panels of quartre-foils in circles1     
serving to give light to the interior1  
but not telling as windows1 then two    
rich bands of mosaic carry on the effect
 up to the first range of windows4      
,there is no difference between the     
first and second stories1 except that   
the lower one has a rich band of        
sculpture beneath the window1 which is  
replaced by plain marble in the second2 
but above the second1 as ,i have said1  
the sculpture ceases to be the main     
feature1 the mosaic takes its place1 and
 succeeds in carrying out the unison of 
rich work and lightness of effect in a  

way which is as novel as it is          
beautiful4  ,a few words must be said of
 the famous range of bas-reliefs1 the   
lowest1 all of which were designed by   
,giotto1 though he only lived to execute
 two4 ,this series is twenty-eight in   
number1 exclusive of those on the small 
half towers which form the corners of   
the ,campanile4 ,they represent first   
the creation of man and woman1 then the 
gradual development of knowledge1 the   
gradual increase of man's power over    
nature1 and discovery of his own        
capacities4 ,of three of these1         
illustrations are given which may be    
relied upon for fidelity to the main    
points of the design1 though they do    
little justice to the exquisite delicacy
 of the work4  ,these bas-reliefs are in
 lozenge form1 about eighteen inches in 
height and slightly less in breadth1 and
 entirely surround the tower2 nearly the
 whole of these were sculptured by ,luca
 della ,robbia and ,andrea ,pisano1 to  
whom was entrusted the carrying out of  

,giotto's designs4  ,i shall not        
endeavour here to classify these reliefs
 according to their authorship for two  
reasons2 one1 that the carrying out of  
,giotto's design1 whether by ,andrea    
,pisano1 ,luca della ,robbia1 or any    
other sculptor1 is as to each special   
relief a pure matter of conjecture1 and 
is besides little connected with the    
subject ,i have in hand2 and the other  
reason is that this classification1     
though attempted with great ingenuity1  
and after close investigation by ,mr4   
,ruskin1 in his pamphlet on the         
,shepherd's ,tower1 appears to me to    
have yielded no satisfactory results1   
but rather to have involved the subject 
in further obscurity1 insomuch as it has
 led him to attribute various reliefs in
 the series to ,giotto's own hand1      
wholly on internal evidence1 and that   
moreover in my judgment of a most       
unsatisfactory nature4 ,i content       
myself1 therefore1 with observing that  
the three first frescoes of the series  

and the one representing the drunkenness
 of ,noah are almost certainly the work 
of a different hand to that of the rest 
of the bas-reliefs1 and that that hand  
has probably modified ,giotto's original
 design to a considerable extent in the 
relative importance of the landscape    
portions of the composition4  ,in these 
last designs of ,giotto's life1 there is
 a curious recurrence to the ideas of   
his earliest time1 a curious delight in 
depicting natural objects1 and treating 
his subject from the humorously dramatic
 point of view2 such as indeed he never 
altogether lost1 but which lies very    
much in the shade in the later frescoes 
of this master4 ,in fact1 in some of    
these bas-reliefs1 the comic element    
almost entirely predominates1 as1 for   
instance1 in that which is entitled     
,logic1 in which two furious disputants 
stand face to face1 the countenances    
inflamed with passion1 one apparently   
being just on the eve of proceeding to  
the argumentum ad hominem1 the other    

rapping an open book querulously with   
his finger4 ,others show a depth of     
perception of character which perhaps   
would hardly have been expected from the
 artist1 as in the relief of            
,arithmetic1 where a master is          
instructing two of his pupils in that   
gentle science4 ,one of the boys is     
evidently intelligent enough1 and bends 
happily over his book2 the other is of a
 heavy bovine type1 and is listening    
with a puzzled expression to the        
master's explanation4 ,of all the       
designs1 perhaps the finest are simply  
narrative1 and of such1 the three first 
of the series1 the creation of ,adam1   
the creation of ,eve1 and the relief    
called ,the ,first ,arts1 are singularly
 beautiful4 ,it should be noticed here  
that ,giotto's knowledge of1 and skill  
in depicting1 trees1 made great advances
 from the time of the frescoes in the   
,arena to that of these reliefs4 ,no    
doubt something must be allowed for the 
genius of those who executed the        

reliefs2 but if they were done from     
,giotto's designs1 and there is a       
concensus of opinion that such was the  
case1 the advance is a very marked one4 
,i am the more inclined to believe in   
this progress as in the drawing of the  
brambles1 in the great fresco of ,st4   
,francis wedding ,poverty in the ,lower 
,church of ,assisi1 there are the       
elements of such leaf and bough drawing 
as are seen here2 and even at ,assisi1  
the advance from the ,arena1 in the     
drawing is very evident4 ,especially    
fine in design1 and as far as it goes1  
true to nature1 is the drawing of the   
vine in the relief of ,noah's           
,drunkenness1 or as it is sometimes     
called1 the ,convention of ,wine4 ,the  
drawing of the leaves and grapes1 and   
their disposition in the panel1 is      
perhaps the finest piece of good        
sculptural design to be found at such an
 early date2 and ,i should have selected
 this relief for reproduction1 had it   
not been1 owing to ,giotto's intense    

perception of the essential meaning of  
his subject1 so unpleasing in the       
degradation of the drunken figure1 as to
 unfit it for purposes of illustration4 
,illustration3 ,,the ,,first ,,arts4    
,,bas-,,relief ,,designed ,,by ,,giotto4
    ,on the ,campanile1 ,florence4  ,our
 artist's sympathy with animal life1    
also revives in these works in its full 
force1 and may be seen in many          
instances4 ,look for example at the     
fresco of ploughing1 where the driver is
 guiding the oxen by the simple1 yet    
perfectly efficient plan1 of twisting   
the tail round his wrist1 and pulling it
 one way or the other1 when he wishes to
 turn4 ,or look at the puppy in the     
bas-relief of ,shepherd ,life1 as he    
sits outside the patriarch's tent       
watching the sheep file past4 ,what a   
sense of comical responsibility and     
mischief there is in his face1 the      
quintessence1 so to speak1 of puppydom4 
,or look1 for another kind of truth1 at 
the action of the horse in the fresco of

 ,riding1 and the manner in which the   
rider is urging him with hand and voice 
at the same time1 and the wind is       
blowing out his mantle behind4 ,there is
 a curious circumstance with regard to  
this last design1 which ,i discovered by
 chance a few weeks ago when walking in 
the sculptor's rooms of the ,british    
,museum4 ,that is1 that there is a      
figure in one of the great friezes      
there1 not that of the ,parthenon1 but  
the next in beauty1 that of the         
,erectheum1 which is almost identical in
 the figure of its man and his action   
with this of ,giotto's4 ,the very lines 
of the cloak blowing out behind are     
almost identical1 and the grasp of the  
rider's knees1 the pose of his figure   
and the outstretched arm 7what is left  
of it in the ,greek sculpture1 it has   
been taken just below the elbow7 are all
 exactly similar4 ,the whole spirit of  
the ,greek frieze is as vivid in        
,giotto's work as it is in the original 
sculpture1 executed more than a thousand

 years before4 ,it merely shows the     
extraordinary unity of all good art1    
that a medival ,italian1 working purely 
from nature and life1 should be able to 
arrive by himself1 at a representation  
which has all the feeling of that which 
is acknowledged to be the finest art the
 world has ever seen4 ,it must be       
noticed that where ,giotto falls short  
of his ,grecian predecessor1 is chiefly 
in the nobility of the types both of man
 and horse4 ,giotto's horse is going1   
and his man is urging him as certainly  
as in the frieze1 but his horse is      
comparatively a common every-day        
cabhorse and is going in something of   
the same rocking-time manner we may see 
in ,hyde ,park any day of the week4 ,and
 the man is like most of ,giotto's men1 
a very ordinary individual1 somewhat of 
what hunting men call a tailor1 perhaps1
 though he is evidently accustomed to   
riding4 ,the ,grecian sculptor has      
refined the types of both man and horse1
 and given the latter a grand sweeping  

action1 such as would be promptly       
stopped by the police1 if indulged in   
within the limits of the park4 ,this    
difference1 however1 is a difference in 
aim1 not a difference in feeling2 the   
beauty of line1 and the meaning of the  
scene are given with almost as much     
intensity by our artist as by the       
unknown sculptor who preceded him4 ,most
 unfortunately ,i only found this       
similarity too late to permit me to make
 use of it in the book2 for a drawing of
 these two figures side by side would   
have shown the likeness and             
dissimilarity more than pages of        
description4    ,illustration3 ,,riding4
 ,,bas-,,relief ,,designed ,,by         
,,giotto4    ,on the ,campanile1        
,florence4  ,many other bas-reliefs of  
this series are of great interest1 but  
there is no space left for me to dwell  
upon them1 nor are their merits other   
than those which ,i have spoken of so   
frequently throughout this book1 of     
simple truth1 of keen discernment1 and  

of genuine feeling4 ,at every step the  
work seems to say to us1 ,here is the   
representation of something true2 and   
the artist seems to say1 ,i have only   
tried to give you facts in the most     
beautiful arrangement consistent with   
truth2 if you want more1 or less1 why1  
you must go elsewhere4  ,and so it is   
that from the time when he draws the    
meditations of a puppy1 to that in which
 he hangs his massive tower of coloured 
marble1 between the earth and heaven1   
his work seems simple1 grand1 and       
sincere4 ,he is not painting pictures to
 aggrandise himself1 he is only lovingly
 recording what he knows1 feels1 or     
hopes4 ,he is not above1 nor below his  
work2 his work is himself2 it is        
himself1 in joy1 or sorrow1 or          
curiosity1 or surprise2 in mirth1 or    
indifference4 ,he is human in his       
failings as well as in his greatness1   
and pretends to no greater merit1 than  
that of doing good work in a            
straightforward manner4  ,therefore we  

look back across the centuries with     
pleasure1 to catch a glimpse of the     
homely figure whose dreams of beauty    
were mingled with tenderness and mirth1 
who lived in a coarse age1 and made     
coarse jokes at odd times2 but who      
walked hand in hand with ,dante1 as     
great1 if not as sublime a genius1 and  
whose life1 as we can read it in his    
paintings1 was one of sympathy with all 
things living1 and perfect devotion to  
his art4 ,neither a ,philistine1 nor a  
humbug1 he seems to have trod the narrow
 path of art with secure footsteps1 a   
good workman1 as well as a great        
imaginative painter2 a merry as well as 
an honest man4 ,such are the men whom   
,art wants nowadays1 as it wanted them  
then1 those who are men as well as      
artists1 who will not dream in courtly  
isolation of beauties which never       
existed1 but will go down into the      
markets1 and the streets1 where men sin 
and sorrow1 or by the rivers and fields1
 where they toil and hope1 and use their

 genius to brighten the facts of every  
day1 to interpret the strange gleams of 
beauty1 which fall here and there upon a
 weary world4  ,i like to think that    
that ,campanile of porphyry and jasper  
was not raised by one who dwelt amidst  
cold dreams of architectural proportion 
and gave his life to the designing of   
geometrical ornament1 but by the man who
 could feel the humour of the dog1 the  
patience of the oxen1 and love to have  
such things carved about the base of his
 tower2 and as ,i sit here in its very  
shadow1 it seems to me as if the most   
fitting meed of praise with which to    
conclude an essay on the old painter1   
is1 not that he painted the purest and  
loveliest frescoes in the world2 not    
that he raised above ,florence a tower1 
which has been the wonder and delight of
 all succeeding ages1 but that he was   
the first to show by his work1 that ,art
 was useful to man1 not only as a       
teacher1 but as a friend4  ,,footnotes3 
#gb ,mr4 ,ruskin has here been mistaken 

in asserting that this fresco has not   
suffered from restoration2 a good opera 
glass will satisfy any one of this fact1
 as the restoration has not only been   
great in amount1 but most execrable in  
the quality of its work4  #gc ,amongst  
those with which ,i am personally       
acquainted ,i hear on good authority    
that the panel picture known as the     
,stefaneschi altarpiece1 at ,rome1 is of
 exceeding beauty4  #gd ,of the ,palazzo
 ,vecchio4     ,,index4                 
,,page       ,annunciation4 ,by ,giotto1
                            #ei         
,arena ,chapel1 ,padua1                 
#fi            ,frescoes in1            
#gf            ,note by ,mr4 ,ruskin on1
                          #hd           
,arnolfo di ,cambio1                    
#ba       ,arnolfo di ,lapi 7,cambio871 
#ba       ,assisi1 ,lower ,church of1   
#aaa       ,assisi1 ,upper ,church of1  
#id        ,byzantine ,architecture1    
#ae        ,campanile1 ,the1 at         
,florence1                         #ace 

,cennini1                               
#bi       ,christian ,architecture1     
#af       ,cimabue1                     
#cc       ,coronation of the ,virgin4   
,by ,giotto1               #abh         
,florence1 ,santa ,croce1               
#fe1 #ff1 #aah1 #abh           ,santa   
,maria ,novella1                        
#fe1 #acc           ,campanile at1      
#ace       ,fresco ,painting1           
#bh       ,frescoes in ,arena ,chapel1  
,padua1                      #gf        
,frescoes at ,assisi1                   
#aae1 #abd       ,frescoes in ,santa    
,croce1                             #abh
       ,frescoes in ,santa ,maria       
,novella1                     #acc      
,giotto1 born at ,vespignano 7#abff871  
#da           taken by ,cimabue to      
,florence1                    #dc       
story of his ,o1                        
#de           visits ,rome1             
#de           returns to ,florence1     
#df           paints portrait of ,dante1
                        #df             

marries ,ciuta di ,lapo1                
#dg           frescoes in the ,arena    
,chapel at ,padua1           #dg        
paints a buckler1                       
#di           visits ,assisi1           
#ea           frescoes in ,santa ,croce1
 ,florence1               #ea           
designs the ,campanile1 ,florence1      
#eb           dies at ,florence in      
#accf1                        #eb       
latest works of1                        
#abj       ,giunta of ,pisa1            
#bc1 #ajj       ,greek ,art1            
#ab       ,guido of ,siena1             
#ch        ,illuminated ,manuscripts1   
#ad        ,lombardic ,architecture1    
#bd        ,madonna ,enthroned4 ,by     
,cimabue1                      #cf      
,madonna ,enthroned4 ,by ,giotto1       
#ei1 #fc       ,mosaics1                
#ac1 #ba        ,navicella1 ,the1       
#de1 #fb        ,padua1 ,arena ,chapel  
at1                               #fa   
,painting1 ,chief function of1          
#ec       ,pisa1 ,campo ,santo of1      

#fa       ,pisano1 ,andrea1             
#aci       ,pisano1 ,niccolo1           
#bj        ,robbia1 ,luca della1        
#aci       ,ruskin1 ,john1              
#bd1 #hd        ,scrovegni ,chapel at   
,padua1                            #fi  
,venice1 ,saint ,mark's1                
#bb1 #bg1 #aab        ,,the ,,end4   ,r4
 ,,clay1 ,,sons1 ,,and ,,taylor1        
,,printers4 ,,bread ,,street ,,hill1    
,e4,c4     ,published in ,monthly       
,volumes4  ,a ,,new ,,series ,,of       
,,illustrated ,,biographies ,,of ,,the  
,,great ,,artists4   ,the increasing    
love of art in our own country and the  
great desire for knowledge in all       
matters connected with the literature of
 art and the lives of the ,great        
,masters called for the publication of  
the very important information which    
modern research has gathered together on
 every side1 and which has now attracted
 the attention of all students of       
art-biography both at home and abroad4  
,the intention of the projectors of this

 ,series has been to produce1 in an     
easily accessible form and at a price   
within reach of every one1 the results  
of the recent investigations which have 
been made by many well-known critics1   
especially those of ,germany and the    
,netherlands4  ,dr4 ,woltmann lately    
published a new edition of his great    
work on ,,hans ,,holbein2 ,professor    
,carl ,lemcke on ,,rubens and on ,,van  
,,dyck2 ,dr4 ,anton ,springer on        
,,raphael and ,,michelangelo2 ,herr     
,vosmaer has issued a revision of his   
celebrated treatise on ,,rembrandt1 and 
,herr ,thausing an elaborate ,life of   
,,albrecht ,d,,rer4 ,these works correct
 old statements that have been proved to
 be untrue1 impart new facts1 and add   
materially to our interest in the       
histories of the painters4 ,many of the 
,italian art-critics have likewise      
recently issued treatises on the great  
artists of their own country2 and in    
,france scarcely a week passes without  
the appearance of some new contribution 

to the ,history of ,art4 ,all this      
matter has been carefully studied4  ,the
 ,series is issued in the form of       
handbooks4 ,each work contains a        
monograph of a ,,great ,,artist--or a   
brief history of a ,,group ,,of         
,,artists of one school--a portrait of  
the ,master1 and as many examples of his
 art as could be readily procured4      
,cheapness of price having been         
especially aimed at1 the introduction of
 expensive new engravings was thought to
 be unadvisable4 ,arrangements were     
therefore made with the proprietors of  
the most important art publications on  
the ,continent for the reproduction of  
many of their costly woodcuts4 ,these   
have been printed with great care1 and  
each biography of the ,series has been  
illustrated with at least twelve to     
twenty full-page engravings4 ,the price 
of each volume is #cs4 #f;d4  ,the      
following ,biographies are now ready3-- 
,,italian ,,painters4       ,,leonardo  
,,da ,,vinci4 ,by ,dr4 ,j4 ,,paul       

,,richter1 ,author of ,die              
,mosaiken von ,ravenna4 ,with #af       
,illustrations4 ,from recent            
researches4       ,,michelangelo4 ,by   
,,charles ,,cl,,ment1 ,author of        
,michel-,ange1      ,lonard et ,raphael4
 ,with many large ,engravings4          
,,raphael4 ,from the text of ,j4 ,d4    
,,passavant4 ,by ,n4 ,d',,anvers1       
,author of ,an ,elementary ,history of  
,art4 ,with #bj ,engravings4            
,,titian4 ,from the most recent         
researches4 ,by ,,richard ,,ford        
,,heath1      ,m4,a41 ,hertford         
,college1 ,oxford4 ,with #af            
,engravings4       ,,tintoretto4 ,from  
investigations at ,venice4 ,by ,w4      
,,roscoe ,,osler1      ,author of       
occasional ,essays on ,art4 ,with many  
,engravings4   ,,german1 ,,flemish1     
,,dutch1 c4       ,,holbein4 ,from the  
text of ,dr4 ,a4 ,,woltmann4 ,by        
,,joseph ,,cundall1      ,author of     
,life and ,genius of ,rembrandt4 ,with  
#bj ,engravings4       ,,the ,,little   

,,masters ,,of ,,germany4 ,by ,w4 ,b4   
,,scott1 ,author of      ,lectures on   
,fine ,arts4 ,with #af ,engravings4     
999999 ,an ,edition de luxe1 containing 
#ad extra plates      from rare         
engravings in the ,british ,museum1 and 
bound in      ,roxburgh style1 may be   
had1 price #ajs4 #f;d4                  
,,rembrandt4 ,from the text of ,c4      
,,vosmaer4 ,by ,j4 ,w4 ,,mollett1       
,b4,a41      ,officier de l',instruction
 ,publique 7,france74 ,with #af         
,engravings4       ,,rubens4 ,from      
recent authorities4 ,by ,c4 ,w4 ,,kett1 
,m4,a41 ,hertford      ,college1        
,oxford4 ,with #af ,engravings4         
,,van ,,dyck and ,,hals4 ,from recent   
authorities4 ,by ,,percy ,r4 ,,head1    
,lincoln ,college1 ,oxford4 ,with #af   
,engravings4       ,,figure ,,painters  
,,of ,,holland4 ,by ,lord ,,ronald      
,,gower1 ,trustee of      ,national     
,portrait ,gallery4 ,with #ah           
,engravings4       ,,vernet             
,,delaroche4 ,from ,,charles ,,blanc4   

,by ,j4 ,,ruutz ,,rees1      ,author of 
various ,essays on ,art4 ,with #af      
,engravings4   ,,english ,,painters4    
,,hogarth4 ,from recent researches4 ,by 
,,austin ,,dobson1 ,author of           
,vignettes in ,rhyme4 ,with #af         
,illustrations4       ,,reynolds4 ,from 
the most recent authorities4 ,by ,f4 ,s4
 ,,pulling1      ,m4,a41 ,exeter        
,college1 ,oxford4 ,with #af            
,illustrations4       ,,turner4 ,from   
recent investigations4 ,by ,,cosmo      
,,monkhouse1 ,author      of ,studies of
 ,sir ,e4 ,landseer4 ,with #bj          
,engravings4       ,,landseer4 ,a       
,memoir1 by ,,frederick ,g4 ,,stephens1 
,author of      ,flemish ,relics1 c4    
,with many ,illustrations4   ,the       
,volumes preparing for ,early           
,publication are3--       ,,fra         
,,angelico and the ,,early ,,painters of
 ,,florence4 ,by ,,catherine            
,,phillimore4 ,with #af ,illustrations4 
,,fra ,,bartolommeo and ,,albertinelli4 
,by ,,leader ,,scott1 ,author of ,a     

,nook in the ,apennines4 ,with #af      
,illustrations4       ,,velazquez4 ,by  
,,edwin ,,stowe1 ,m4,a41 ,brasenose     
,college1 ,oxford4      ,with many      
,illustrations4       ,,gainsborough and
 ,,constable4 ,by ,g4 ,m4               
,,brock-,,arnold1 ,hertford             
,college1 ,oxford4 ,with many           
,illustrations4       ,,albrecht        
,d,,rer4 ,from recent authorities4 ,by  
,r4 ,f4 ,,heath1 ,m4,a41      ,hertford 
,college1 ,oxford4 ,with many           
,illustrations4       ,,van ,,eyck and  
,,the ,,flemish ,,school4 ,by ,,mary    
,,heaton1 ,author of ,the      ,history 
of ,albrecht ,drer4 ,with many          
,illustrations4       ,,giotto4 ,by     
,,harry ,,quilter1 ,m4,a41 ,trinity     
,col41 ,cambridge4 ,from      recent    
investigations at ,padua and ,assisi4   
,with many      ,illustrations4         
,,cornelius and ,,overbeck4 ,by ,j4     
,,beavington ,,atkinson1 ,author of     
,the ,schools of ,modern ,art in        
,germany4   ,,notices ,,of ,,the        

,,press4  #a4 ,from a ,review in the    
,spectator1 ,july #e1 #ahgi4       ,it  
is high time that some thorough and     
general acquaintance      with the works
 of these mighty painters should be     
spread      abroad1 and it is also      
curious to think how long their names   
have occupied sacred niches in the      
world's heart1 without the      presence
 of much popular knowledge about the    
collective work of      their lives4444 
,if the present series of biographies1  
which      seems to be most thoroughly  
and tastefully edited1 succeeds in      
responding to the wants of modest1 if   
ardent1 art-knowledge1      its aim will
 be accomplished4  #b4 ,reprinted from  
the ,times1 ,january #bb1 #ahhj4        
,few things in the way of small books   
upon great subjects1      avowedly cheap
 and necessarily brief1 have been       
hitherto so      well done as these     
biographies of the ,great ,masters in   
painting4 ,they afford just what a very 
large proportion of      readers in     

these hurrying times wish to be provided
 with--a      sort of concentrated food 
for the mind4 ,the ,liebigs of          
literature1 however1 especially in that 
of the fine arts1 need      no small    
amount of critical acumen1 much         
experience in the art      of system1   
and something of the bee-like instinct  
that guesses      rightly where the     
honey lies4 ,the mere 'boiling down' of 
great      books will not result in     
giving us a good little book1 unless    
the essence is properly diluted and set 
before us in a form      that can be    
readily assimilated1 so to speak1 and   
not in an      indigestible lump of     
details4 ,the writers of these          
biographies      have1 on the whole1    
succeeded in giving an excellent aperu  
of the painters and their works1 and    
better where they have      adhered to  
the lives written by acknowledged       
specialists--such      as ,m4 ,vosmaer  
for ,rembrandt1 ,passavant for ,raphael1
 and ,dr4      ,woltmann for ,holbein4  

,the life of ,holbein is by the editor1 
with whom the idea of such a series     
originated1 and to whose      great     
experience is to be attributed the very 
valuable copies      of all the         
important pictures contained in the     
different      biographies4 ,these have 
been selected with great taste and      
judgment1 and being taken generally from
 less well-known works      by the      
masters1 they enhance the interest and  
add much to the      practical utility  
of the books4 ,the chronological lists  
of the      works of the masters are    
also very useful additions4  #c4 ,from  
,la ,chronique des ,arts1 ,march #bj1   
#ahhj4       ,a un prix d'extrme bon    
march1 #d francs environ1 en petits     
volumes joliment cartonns1 et orns de   
quinze  vingt      planches1 la maison  
,sampson ,low1 ,marston et ,cie41       
,londres1 a      entrepris de publier   
une srie de biographies des grands      
artistes1 rsumes d'aprs les travaux les 
plus rcents et les      plus estims4    

,une bibliographie1 une liste des       
gravures      excutes par ou d'aprs     
l'artiste1 une liste de ses oeuvres     
ou de leurs prix2 enfin1 un index       
accompagnant ces rsums      confis  des 
crivains distingus verss dans l'histoire
 de      l'art4 ,ont paru ou sont en    
prparation dans cette srie de           
notices3 ,titien1 ,rembrandt1 ,raphal1  
,van ,dyck et ,hals1 ,holbein1          
,tintoret1 ,turner1 ,rubens1            
,michel-,ange1 ,lonard1 ,giotto1        
,gainsborough1 ,velazquez1 ,prugin1     
,reynolds1 ,landseer1 ,delaroche      et
 ,vernet1 les ,petit ,matres1 les       
,peintres de figure en      ,hollande4  
,peut-tre la maison ,sampson ,low1      
,marston et ,cie1 devrait-elle          
tenter une dition franaise de ces jolis 
et intressants      petits volumes      
srieusement tudis1 dont la brivet       
substantielle et le bon march deviennent
 une bndiction par      ce temps        
d'normes publications  prix non moins   
normes4--,,duranty4         99       99 

99       99       99       ,,sampson    
,,low1 ,,marston1 ,,searle  ,,rivington1
      ,,crown ,,buildings1 #ahh4 ,,fleet
 ,,street4            99       99       
99       99       99     ,transcriber's 
note3    ,inconsistent hyphenation and  
spelling in the original document have  
been preserved4 ,obvious typographical  
errors have been corrected4    ,the     
,errata list has been corrected in this 
text4