MS.; but even this differs from Giotto's series in the order of the
visions, as the subject of the _next_ plate is recorded first in this
MS., under the curious heading, "_Disse Sancto Theofilo_ como l'angelo
de Dio aperse a Joachim lo qual li anuntia la nativita della vergene
Maria;" while the record of this vision and sacrifice is headed, "Como
l'angelo de Dio aparse _anchora_ a Joachim." It then proceeds thus:
"At this very moment of the day" (when the angel appeared to Anna),
"there appeared a most beautiful youth (_unno belitissimo zovene_)
among the mountains there, where Joachim was, and said to Joachim,
'Wherefore dost thou not return to thy wife?' And Joachim answered,
'These twenty years God has given me no fruit of her, wherefore I was
chased from the temple with infinite shame.... And, as long as I live,
I will give alms of my flocks to widows and pilgrims.'... And these
words being finished, the youth answered, 'I am the angel of God who
appeared to thee the other time for a sign; and appeared to thy wife
Anna, who always abides in prayer, weeping day and night; and I have
consoled her; wherefore I command thee to observe the commandments of
God, and his will, which I tell you truly, that of thee shall be born
a daughter, and that thou shalt offer her to the temple of God, and
the Holy Spirit shall rest upon her, and her blessedness shall be
above the blessedness of all virgins, and her holiness so great that
human nature will not be able to comprehend it.'...[14]
[Footnote 14: This passage in the old Italian of the MS. may interest
some readers: "E complice queste parole lo zovene respoxe, dignando,
Io son l'angelo de Dio, lo quale si te aparse l'altra fiada, in segno,
e aparse a toa mulier Anna che sempre sta in oration plauzando di e
note, e si lo consolada; unde io te comando che tu debie observare li
comandimenti de Dio, ela soua volunta che io te dico veramente, che de
la toa somenza insera una fiola, e questa offrila al templo de Dio, e
lo Spirito santo reposera in ley, ela soa beatitudine sera sovera tute
le altre verzene, ela soua santita sera si grande che natura humana
non la pora comprendere."]
"Then Joachim fell upon the earth, saying, 'My lord, I pray thee to
pray God for me, and to enter into this my tabernacle, and bless me,
thy servant.' The angel answered, 'We are all the servants of God: and
know that my eating would be invisible, and my drinking could not be
seen by all the men in the world; but of all that thou wouldest give
to me, do thou make sacrifice to God.' Then Joachim took a lamb
without spot or blemish ...; and when he had made sacrifice of it, the
angel of the Lord disappeared and ascended into heaven; and Joachim
fell upon the earth in great fear, and lay from the sixth hour until
the evening."
This is evidently nothing more than a very vapid imitation of the
scriptural narrative of the appearances of angels to Abraham and
Manoah. But Giotto has put life into it; and I am aware of no other
composition in which so much interest and awe has been given to the
literal "burnt sacrifice." In all other representations of such
offerings which I remember, the interest is concentrated in the
_slaying_ of the victim. But Giotto has fastened on the _burning_ of
it; showing the white skeleton left on the altar, and the fire still
hurtling up round it, typical of the Divine wrath, which is "as a
consuming fire;" and thus rendering the sacrifice a more clear and
fearful type not merely of the outward wounds and death of Christ, but
of his soul-suffering. "All my bones are out of joint: my heart is
like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels."[15]
[Footnote 15: (Note by a friend):--"To me the most striking part of it
is, that the skeleton is _entire_ ('a bone of him shall not be
broken'), and that the head stands up still looking to the skies: is
it too fanciful to see a meaning in this?"]
The hand of the Deity is seen in the heavens--the sign of the Divine
Presence.
* * * * *
V.
THE ANGEL (RAPHAEL) APPEARS TO JOACHIM.
"Now Joachim being in this pain, the Lord God, Father of mercy, who
abandons not his servants, nor ever fails to console them in their
distresses, if they pray for his grace and pity, had compassion on
Joachim, and heard his prayer, and sent the angel Raphael from heaven
to earth to console him, and announce to him the nativity of the
Virgin Mary. Therefore the angel Raphael appeared to Joachim, and
comforted him with much peace, and foretold to him the birth of the
Virgin in that glory and gladness, saying, 'God save you, O friend of
God, O Joachim! the Lord has sent me to declare to you an everlasting
joy, and a hope that shall have no end.'... And having finished these
words, the angel of the Lord disappeared from him, and ascended into
the heaven." (MS. Harl.)
The passage which I have omitted is merely one of the ordinary
Romanist accounts of the immaculate conception of the Virgin, put
into the form of prophecy. There are no sufficient details of this
part of the legend either in the Protevangelion or Gospel of St. Mary;
but it is quite clear that Giotto followed it, and that he has
endeavoured to mark a distinction in character between the angels
Gabriel and Raphael[16] in the two subjects,--the form of Raphael
melting back into the heaven, and being distinctly recognised as
angelic, while Gabriel appears invested with perfect humanity. It is
interesting to observe that the shepherds, who of course are not
supposed to see the form of the Angel (his manifestation being only
granted to Joachim during his sleep), are yet evidently under the
influence of a certain degree of awe and expectation, as being
conscious of some presence other than they can perceive, while the
animals are unconscious altogether.
[Footnote 16: The MS. makes the angel Raphael the only messenger.
Giotto clearly adopts the figure of Gabriel from the Protevangelion.]
* * * * *
VI.
THE MEETING AT THE GOLDEN GATE.
"And Joachim went down with the shepherds, and Anna stood by the gate,
and saw Joachim coming with the shepherds. And she ran, and hanging
about his neck, said, 'Now I know that the Lord hath greatly blessed
me.'" (Protevangelion, iv. 8, 9.)
This is one of the most celebrated of Giotto's compositions, and
deservedly so, being full of the most solemn grace and tenderness. The
face of St. Anna, half seen, is most touching in its depth of
expression; and it is very interesting to observe how Giotto has
enhanced its sweetness, by giving a harder and grosser character than
is usual with him to the heads of the other two principal female
figures (not but that this cast of feature is found frequently in the
figures of somewhat earlier art), and by the rough and weather-beaten
countenance of the entering shepherd. In like manner, the falling
lines of the draperies owe a great part of their value to the abrupt
and ugly oblongs of the horizontal masonry which adjoins them.
* * * * *
VII.
THE BIRTH OF THE VIRGIN.
"And Joachim said, 'Now I know that the Lord is propitious to me, and
hath taken away all my sins.' And he went down from the temple of the
Lord justified, and went to his own house.
"And when nine months were fulfilled to Anna, she brought forth, and
said to the midwife, 'What have I brought forth?' And she told her, a
girl.
"Then Anna said, 'The Lord hath this day magnified my soul.' And she
laid her in the bed." (Protevangelion, v. 4-8.)
The composition is very characteristic of Giotto in two respects:
first, in its natural homeliness and simplicity (in older designs of
the same subject the little Madonna is represented as born with a
golden crown on her head); and secondly, in the smallness of the
breast and head of the sitting figure on the right,--a fault of
proportion often observable in Giotto's figures of children or young
girls.
For the first time, also, in this series, we have here two successive
periods of the scene represented simultaneously, the babe being
painted twice. This practice was frequent among the early painters,
and must necessarily become so wherever painting undertakes the task
of lengthened narrative. Much absurd discussion has taken place
respecting its propriety; the whole question being simply whether the
human mind can or cannot pass from the contemplation of one event to
that of another, without reposing itself on an intermediate gilt
frame.
* * * * *
VIII.
THE PRESENTATION OF THE VIRGIN.
"And when three years were expired, and the time of her weaning
complete, they brought the Virgin to the temple of the Lord with
offerings.
"And there were about the temple, according to the fifteen Psalms of
Degrees, fifteen stairs to ascend.
"The parents of the blessed Virgin and infant Mary put her upon one of
these stairs; but while they were putting off their clothes in which
they had travelled, in the meantime, the Virgin of the Lord in such a
manner went up all the stairs, one after another, without the help of
any one to lead her or lift her, that any one would have judged from
hence that she was of perfect age." (Gospel of St. Mary, iv. 1-6.)
There seems nothing very miraculous in a child's walking up stairs at
three years old; but this incident is a favourite one among the
Roman-Catholic painters of every period: generally, however,
representing the child as older than in the legend, and dwelling
rather on the solemn feeling with which she presents herself to the
high-priest, than on the mere fact of her being able to walk alone.
Giotto has clearly regarded the incident entirely in this light; for
St. Anna touches the child's arm as if to support her; so that the
so-called miraculous walking is not even hinted at.
Lord Lindsay particularly notices that the Virgin is "a dwarf woman
instead of a child; the delineation of childhood was one of the latest
triumphs of art." Even in the time of those latest triumphs, however,
the same fault was committed in another way; and a boy of eight or ten
was commonly represented--even by Raffaelle himself--as a dwarf
Hercules, with all the gladiatorial muscles already visible in stunted
rotundity. Giotto probably felt he had not power enough to give
dignity to a child of three years old, and intended the womanly form
to be rather typical of the Virgin's advanced mind, than an actual
representation of her person.
* * * * *
IX.
THE RODS ARE BROUGHT TO THE HIGH-PRIEST.
"Then he (the high-priest) appointed that all the men of the house and
family of David who were marriageable, and not married, should bring
their several rods to the altar. And out of whatsoever person's rod,
after it was brought, a flower should bud forth, and on the top of it
the Spirit of the Lord should sit in the appearance of a dove, he
should be the man to whom the Virgin should be given, and be betrothed
to her." (Gospel of St. Mary, v. 16, 17.)
There has originally been very little interest in this composition;
and the injuries which it has suffered have rendered it impossible for
the draughtsman to distinguish the true folds of the draperies amidst
the defaced and worn colours of the fresco, so that the character of
the central figure is lost. The only points requiring notice are,
first, the manner in which St. Joseph holds his rod, depressing and
half-concealing it,[17] while the other suitors present theirs boldly;
and secondly, the graceful though monotonous grouping of the heads of
the crowd behind him. This mode of rendering the presence of a large
multitude, showing only the crowns of the heads in complicated
perspective, was long practised in mosaics and illuminations before
the time of Giotto, and always possesses a certain degree of sublimity
in its power of suggesting perfect unity of feeling and movement among
the crowd.
[Footnote 17: In the next chapter, it is said that "Joseph drew back
his rod when every one else presented his."]
* * * * *
X.
THE WATCHING OF THE RODS AT THE ALTAR.
"After the high-priest had received their rods, he went into the
temple to pray.
"And when he had finished his prayer, he took the rods and went forth
and distributed them; and there was no miracle attended them.
"The last rod was taken by Joseph; and, behold, a dove proceeded out
of the rod, and flew upon the head of Joseph." (Protevangelion, viii.
9-11.)
This is among the least graceful designs of the series; though the
clumsiness in the contours of the leading figures is indeed a fault
which often occurs in the painter's best works, but it is here
unredeemed by the rest of the composition. The group of the suitors,
however, represented as waiting at the outside of the temple, is very
beautiful in its earnestness, more especially in the passionate
expression of the figure in front. It is difficult to look long at the
picture without feeling a degree of anxiety, and strong sympathy with
the silent watching of the suitors; and this is a sign of no small
power in the work. The head of Joseph is seen far back on the extreme
left; thus indicating by its position his humility, and desire to
withdraw from the trial.
* * * * *
XI.
THE BETROTHAL OF THE VIRGIN.
There is no distinct notice of this event in the apocryphal Gospel:
the traditional representation of it is nearly always more or less
similar. Lord Lindsay's account of the composition before us is as
follows:
"The high-priest, standing in front of the altar, joins their hands;
behind the Virgin stand her bridesmaids; behind St. Joseph the
unsuccessful suitors, one of whom steps forward to strike him, and
another breaks his rod on his knee. Joseph bears his own rod, on the
flower of which the Holy Spirit rests in the semblance of a dove."
The development of this subject by Perugino (for Raffaelle's picture
in the Brera is little more than a modified copy of Perugino's, now at
Caen,) is well known; but notwithstanding all its beauty, there is
not, I think, any thing in the action of the disappointed suitors so
perfectly true or touching as that of the youth breaking his rod in
this composition of Giotto's; nor is there among any of the figures
the expression of solemn earnestness and intentness on the event which
is marked among the attendants here, and in the countenances of the
officiating priests.
* * * * *
XII.
THE VIRGIN MARY RETURNS TO HER HOUSE.
"Accordingly, the usual ceremonies of betrothing being over, he
(Joseph) returned to his own city of Bethlehem to set his house in
order, and to make the needful provisions for the marriage. But the
Virgin of the Lord, Mary, with seven other virgins of the same age,
who had been weaned at the same time, and who had been appointed to
attend her by the priest, returned to her parents' house in Galilee."
(Gospel of St. Mary, vi. 6, 7.)
Of all the compositions in the Arena Chapel I think this the most
characteristic of the noble time in which it was done. It is not so
notable as exhibiting the mind of Giotto, which is perhaps more fully
seen in subjects representing varied emotion, as in the simplicity and
repose which were peculiar to the compositions of the early fourteenth
century. In order to judge of it fairly, it ought first to be compared
with any classical composition--with a portion, for instance, of the
Elgin frieze,--which would instantly make manifest in it a strange
seriousness and dignity and slowness of motion, resulting chiefly from
the excessive simplicity of all its terminal lines. Observe, for
instance, the pure wave from the back of the Virgin's head to the
ground; and again, the delicate swelling line along her shoulder and
left arm, opposed to the nearly unbroken fall of the drapery of the
figure in front. It should then be compared with an Egyptian or
Ninevite series of figures, which, by contrast, would bring out its
perfect sweetness and grace, as well as its variety of expression:
finally, it should be compared with any composition subsequent to the
time of Raffaelle, in order to feel its noble freedom from pictorial
artifice and attitude. These three comparisons cannot be made
carefully without a sense of profound reverence for the national
spirit[18] which could produce a design so majestic, and yet remain
content with one so simple.
[Footnote 18: _National_, because Giotto's works are properly to be
looked on as the _fruit_ of their own age, and the _food_ of that
which followed.]
The small _loggia_ of the Virgin's house is noticeable, as being
different from the architecture introduced in the other pictures, and
more accurately representing the Italian Gothic of the dwelling-house
of the period. The arches of the windows have no capitals; but this
omission is either to save time, or to prevent the background from
becoming too conspicuous. All the real buildings designed by Giotto
have the capital completely developed.
* * * * *
XIII.
THE ANNUNCIATION.--THE ANGEL GABRIEL.
This figure is placed on one side of the arch at the east end of the
body of the chapel; the corresponding figure of the Virgin being set
on the other side. It was a constant practice of the mediæval artists
thus to divide this subject; which, indeed, was so often painted, that
the meaning of the separated figures of the Angel and Mary was as well
understood as when they were seen in juxtaposition. Indeed, on the two
sides of this arch they would hardly be considered as separated, since
very frequently they were set to answer to each other from the
opposite extremities of a large space of architecture.[19]
[Footnote 19: As, for instance, on the two opposite angles of the
façade of the Cathedral of Rheims.]
The figure of the Angel is notable chiefly for its serenity, as
opposed to the later conceptions of the scene, in which he sails into
the chamber upon the wing, like a stooping falcon.
The building above is more developed than in any other of the Arena
paintings; but it must always remain a matter of question, why so
exquisite a designer of architecture as Giotto should introduce forms
so harsh and meagre into his backgrounds. Possibly he felt that the
very faults of the architecture enhanced the grace and increased the
importance of the figures; at least, the proceeding seems to me
inexplicable on any other theory.[20]
[Footnote 20: (Note by a friend:) "I suppose you will not admit as an
explanation, that he had not yet turned his mind to architectural
composition, the Campanile being some thirty years later?"]
* * * * *
XIV.
THE ANNUNCIATION.--THE VIRGIN MARY.
Vasari, in his notice of one of Giotto's Annunciations, praises him
for having justly rendered the _fear_ of the Virgin at the address of
the Angel. If he ever treated the subject in such a manner, he
departed from all the traditions of his time; for I am aware of no
painting of this scene, during the course of the thirteenth and
following centuries, which does not represent the Virgin as perfectly
tranquil, receiving the message of the Angel in solemn thought and
gentle humility, but without a shadow of fear. It was reserved for the
painters of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to change angelic
majesty into reckless impetuosity, and maiden meditation into panic
dread.
The face of the Virgin is slightly disappointing. Giotto never reached
a very high standard of beauty in feature; depending much on distant
effect in all his works, and therefore more on general arrangement of
colour and sincerity of gesture, than on refinement of drawing in the
countenance.
* * * * *
XV.
THE SALUTATION.
This picture, placed beneath the figure of the Virgin Annunciate at
the east end of the chapel, and necessarily small, (as will be seen by
the plan), in consequence of the space occupied by the arch which it
flanks, begins the second or lower series of frescoes; being, at the
same time, the first of the great chain of more familiar subjects, in
which we have the power of comparing the conceptions of Giotto not
only with the designs of earlier ages, but with the efforts which
subsequent masters have made to exalt or vary the ideas of the
principal scenes in the life of the Virgin and of Christ. The two
paintings of the Angel Gabriel and the Virgin Annunciate hardly
provoke such a comparison, being almost statue-like in the calm
subjection of all dramatic interest to the symmetrical dignity and
beauty of the two figures, leading, as they do, the whole system of
the decoration of the chapel; but this of the Salutation is treated
with no such reference to the architecture, and at once challenges
comparison with the works of later masters.
Nor is the challenge feebly maintained. I have no hesitation in
saying, that, among all the renderings of this scene which now exist,
I remember none which gives the pure depth and plain facts of it so
perfectly as this of Giotto's. Of majestic women bowing themselves to
beautiful and meek girls, both wearing gorgeous robes, in the midst of
lovely scenery, or at the doors of Palladian palaces, we have enough;
but I do not know any picture which seems to me to give so truthful an
idea of the action with which Elizabeth and Mary must actually have
met,--which gives so exactly the way in which Elizabeth would stretch
her arms, and stoop and gaze into Mary's face, and the way in which
Mary's hand would slip beneath Elizabeth's arms, and raise her up to
kiss her. I know not any Elizabeth so full of intense love, and joy,
and humbleness; hardly any Madonna in which tenderness and dignity
are so quietly blended. She not less humble, and yet accepting the
reverence of Elizabeth as her appointed portion, saying, in her
simplicity and truth, "He that is mighty hath magnified me, and holy
is His name." The longer that this group is looked upon, the more it
will be felt that Giotto has done well to withdraw from it nearly all
accessories of landscape and adornment, and to trust it to the power
of its own deep expression. We may gaze upon the two silent figures
until their silence seems to be broken, and the words of the question
and reply sound in our ears, low as if from far away:
"Whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?"
"My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Saviour."
* * * * *
XVI.
THE NATIVITY.
I am not sure whether I shall do well or kindly in telling the reader
anything about this beautiful design. Perhaps the less he knows about
early art or early traditions, the more deeply he will feel its purity
and truth; for there is scarcely an incident here, or anything in the
manner of representing the incidents, which is not mentioned or
justified in Scripture. The bold, hilly background reminds us that
Bethlehem was in the hill-country of Judah. But it may seem to have
two purposes besides this literal one: the first, that it increases
the idea of _exposure_ and loneliness in the birth of Christ; the
second that the masses of the great hills, with the angels floating
round them in the horizontal clouds, may in some sort represent to our
thoughts the power and space of that heaven and earth whose Lord is
being laid in the manger-cradle.