were baffled in a design to come between Venice and her army.
Gattamelata's retreat was a victory of peace, less showy, perhaps,
than a victory of war, but requiring the finest qualities of
generalship. In recognition of his services the Venetian Signory
conferred the title of nobility upon him, with a palace and a pension.
In the following year, the Venetian cause was strengthened by alliance
with Florence, and Gattamelata yielded the first place in command to
Sforza, the general of the Florentine forces. In 1440 the united
armies succeeded in relieving Brescia, but in the same year a calamity
befell Gattamelata. Exposure to cold brought on paralysis, and after a
lingering illness of two years he died. The honor of a great funeral
was accorded him at the public expense, and he was buried in the
church of S. Antonio at Padua. The next year the sculptor, Donatello,
was commissioned to make an equestrian statue of the great condottiere
to be set up in the square in front of the church.[56]
With quiet dignity Gattamelata rides forward on his horse as if
reviewing his army. There is nothing pompous in his attitude or
manner. He seems a plain man intent upon his task, with no thought of
display. He has the strong face of one born for leadership, and we can
believe the stories of his troops' devotion to him. With his right
hand he lifts his wand in a gesture of command, letting it rest across
the horse's neck.
He is dressed in the picturesque war costume of the period, and wears
metal plates upon his arms. A long sword swings at his side, and spurs
are attached to his heels. Yet apparently he is not actually equipped
for the battle, for his head is uncovered. He has a high receding
forehead and thick curls. The peculiar shape of the head, looking
almost conical from some points of view, indicates a forcible
character. It is evident that this is a man of action rather than of
words. His appearance fits admirably the facts of his life as one
whose energy and courage could overcome any obstacle. Gattamelata was
not a patriot, as we understand patriotism, being but a mercenary
captain. But he showed a rare loyalty to the cause he espoused. It is
not as a fighting man that we admire him to-day, but as a man of
remarkable resources.
Obedient to the master's hand, the horse ambles at a moderate pace.
Except the bridle, he has no trappings, and we thus see to the best
advantage the fine proportions of his figure. Before undertaking this
work Donatello had had no experience in modelling the horse, and his
success is the more remarkable. It is, however, the man rather than
the horse which shows the full power of the sculptor's art. The
subject was one exactly suited to his taste, which preferred vigorous
masculine qualities to all others.
In ancient sculpture equestrian subjects were very important. On the
Parthenon at Athens a frieze of bas-relief contained rows of horsemen
riding in the Panathenaic procession.[57] In a public square in Rome
was a famous statue of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius on horseback.
Donatello was the first sculptor of the Christian era to revive this
noble form of art. The statue of Gattamelata is therefore the parent
of the long line of modern equestrian statues.
[Footnote 55: The literal meaning of this sobriquet is _Honeyed cat_.]
[Footnote 56: W. C. Hazlitt's _Venetian Republic_ furnishes the
quotations and information for this account of Gattamelata. Other
sources of material on the subject are Fabretti, _Biog. dei Capitani
dell' Umbria_, Hoefer's _Biog. universelle_, and Michaud's _Biog.
generale_. Symonds gives a general account of the condottieri in the
_Age of Despots_.]
[Footnote 57: See Chapter III. of the volume on _Greek Sculpture_, in
the Riverside Art Series.]
XV
SHRINE
BY MINO DA FIESOLE
We have seen from the examples in our collection that the art of
sculpture may be applied in many forms to the decoration of churches,
without and within. Statues like those in the niches on the church of
Or San Michele, sculptured altars like that by Donatello in the church
at Padua, organ galleries like that by Luca della Robbia in the
Florence cathedral, monumental tombs like those of Ilaria del Carretto
and the Cardinal of Portugal, medallions and lunettes on walls and
ceilings, are among the treasures enriching the churches of Italy.
Sculpture may also be used to ornament almost every article of church
furnishing: pulpits, fonts, and basins for holy water, wardrobes and
cabinets, chests and chairs, as well as a multitude of those smaller
objects wrought in metal which belong to the goldsmith's art. Upon all
such things as these the Italian artists of the fifteenth century
spent much careful and loving labor.
[Illustration: SHRINE (MINO DA FIESOLE) _Church of Santa Croce,
Florence_]
Our illustration shows a kind of church furniture common in this
period. It is a sculptured cabinet to contain articles used in the
altar services, such as the sacramental wafers or the holy oil. A
receptacle for objects so sacred is called a shrine. The architectural
framework is in the form styled a tabernacle, such as we have seen in
the niches on the outside of Or San Michele.[58]
The artist was Mino da Fiesole, whose decorative works were very
popular, both for the delicacy of their finish and the quality of
sentiment they expressed. His idea here was to make the design suggest
a sacred story, the story of Christ's resurrection. The opening into
the cabinet is the entrance of the tomb, and without, the angels await
the coming of the risen Lord.
Our thoughts turn to the Sunday morning in the garden of Joseph of
Arimathea, when the faithful women came to the rock-hewn tomb. The
stone had been rolled away, and angels greeted them with the glad
tidings, "He is risen."[59] The angels of our picture press forward
eagerly to peer into the shadowy depths of the interior. There are two
who are close to the door, while two more, with long torches, stand on
the step below. Above the door hovers a dove, the emblem of the Holy
Spirit.
Various features of the tabernacle illustrate characteristic qualities
of the Italian art of this period. The arched top is to be noticed as
much more common in Italy than the Gothic or pointed roof. The winged
cherub heads were a favorite decorative design. We have seen one
example of their use in the frame of the medallion on the Portuguese
cardinal's tomb. The decorated side pillars with Ionic capitals we
have seen in the altarpiece of the Annunciation by Andrea della
Robbia.
The shrine of our illustration was originally made for the nuns of the
convent of the Murate. It is mentioned by Vasari as a work which the
artist "conducted to perfection with all the diligence of which he was
capable." That its first purpose was to hold the sacramental wafers we
may be sure from the Latin inscription, "This is the living bread
which came down from heaven." The words are those used by our Lord
himself in one of the discourses recorded by St. John.[60]
In 1815 the shrine was removed to its present place in the church of
S. Croce, Florence, where it is in the chapel of the Medici, also
called the chapel of the Novitiate.
[Footnote 58: Chapter II.]
[Footnote 59: St. Mark, chapter xvi., verses 4-6.]
[Footnote 60: St. John, chapter vi., verse 51.]
XVI
IL MARZOCCO (THE HERALDIC LION OF FLORENCE)
BY DONATELLO
In the history of the several cities of Italy every town has chosen
some design to be inscribed upon a shield as a coat of arms. Florence
has the lily, as a reminder of the far-away days when the valley of
the Arno was filled with the red blossoms of the amaryllis. It was for
this that the name _Firenze_ was given to the city, the "City of
Flowers." The lily is drawn in three petals somewhat like those of the
fleur-de-lis of France; but the Florentine flower is broader than its
French counterpart, and has besides two slender flower-stalks
separating the larger petals. When represented in color it is always
red.
The tutelary genius of Florence is the lion. He stands for the noble
and heroic qualities in the Florentine citizen. Courage and patriotism
have many a time been magnificently illustrated in the history of the
city's struggles against tyranny. Like the king of beasts, the loyal
Florentine prefers death to the loss of liberty.
The choice of the lion as a civic emblem explains the fact that a
preserve of lions was once kept in Florence at the public expense.
This was given up centuries ago, but the Via de' Leoni, or street of
the lions, remains to remind us of the old custom. There was still
another way in which Florence kept the emblem continually before the
minds of her people. This was in the stone lion called the _Marzocco_,
set up in the piazza, or square, of the Signoria.
For many years the civic life of Florence centred in the Piazza della
Signoria, where stands the old gray stone palace called the Palazzo
Vecchio. Of some of the important events which took place here in the
fifteenth century we may read in George Eliot's "Romola." It was here
the Florentines gathered on all occasions of public interest, whether
connected with the political or the religious affairs of their city.
In front of the Palazzo Vecchio is a stone platform called the
_ringhiera_, and it was on this that the Marzocco was set up as a
stimulus to patriotism. The lion sits on his haunches in an attitude
of grave dignity. In this position he is much more alert than a
crouching lion, and less aggressive than the rampant lion. His duty is
to guard the honor of the city, and his pose is much like that of the
watchdog. With his right paw he supports a shield on which the
Florentine lily is engraved. We are reminded of our own national eagle
holding the shield of the stars and stripes.
In such a figure we do not look for a close resemblance to nature. The
subjects of heraldic art are treated in a decorative way with a
certain stiffness of form. The device of the lily is not an actual
picture of the flower, but a kind of floral diagram, or what we call a
conventionalized form. So, too, the lion is of a formal or emblematic
type. Yet there is a certain expressiveness in the face of the old
fellow which makes us like him. Like the winged lion of St. Mark's in
Venice, he has made many friends.
Il Marzocco is carved out of soft gray stone which the Italians call
_pietra serena_. It is believed to have been made by Donatello, and it
stands on a beautiful carved pedestal. Like the same sculptor's statue
of St. George it was deemed too precious to leave exposed in the open
air, and was therefore removed to a museum. A bronze copy now stands
in its place on the platform of the old palace.
PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY OF PROPER NAMES AND FOREIGN WORDS
The Diacritical Marks given are those found in the latest
edition of Webster's International Dictionary.
EXPLANATION OF DIACRITICAL MARKS.
A Dash ([=]) above the vowel denotes the long sound, as in f[=a]te,
[=e]ve, t[=i]me, n[=o]te, [=u]se.
A Dash and a Dot ([.=]) above the vowel denote the same sound, less
prolonged.
A Curve ([)]) above the vowel denotes the short sound, as in [)a]dd,
[)e]nd, [)i]ll, [)o]dd, [)u]p.
A Dot ([.]) above the vowel a denotes the obscure sound of a in
p[.a]st, [.a]b[=a]te, Am[)e]ric[.a].
A Double Dot ([:])above the vowel a denotes the broad sound of a in
faether, aelms.
A Double Dot ([:]) below the vowel a denotes the sound of a in
b[a:]ll.
A Wave ([~]) above the vowel e denotes the sound of e in h[~e]r.
A Circumflex Accent ([^]) above the vowel o denotes the sound of o in
born.
A dot (.) below the vowel u denotes the sound of u in the French
language.
=N= indicates that the preceding vowel has the French nasal tone.
=G= and =K= denote the guttural sound of ch in the German language.
_th_ denotes the sound of th in the, this.
c sounds like s.
[-c] sounds like k.
_[s+]_ sounds like _z_.
_[=g]_ is hard as in [=g]et.
_[.g]_ is soft as in [.g]em.
Alger ([)a]l'j[~e]r).
Ambrosi, Marietta (mae-r[=e]-[)e]t'tae aem-br[=o]'z[=e]).
Andrea (aen-dr[=a]'ae).
Angelico, Fra (frae aen-j[)e]l'[=e]-k[=o]).
Annunziata (aen-n[=oo]n-ts[=e]-ae'tae).
Antonio (aen-t[=o]'n[=e]-[=o]).
Apollo ([.a]-p[)o]l'l[=o]).
Arezzo (ae-r[)e]t's[=o]).
Arimathea ([)a]r-[)i]-m[.a]-th[=e]'[.a]).
Aristotle ([)a]r'[)i]s-t[)o]tl).
Arras (aer-raes').
Baldovinetti (bael-d[=o]-v[=e]-n[)e]t't[=e]).
Bambino (baem-b[=e]'n[=o]).
Bartolommeo (baer-t[=o]-l[)o]m-m[=a]'[=o]).
B[)e]th'[.a]ny.
B[)e]th'l[=e]h[)e]m.
Bethsaida (b[)e]th-s[=a]'[)i]-d[.a]).
Bisticci, Vespasiano (v[)e]s-pae-z[=e]-ae'n[=o] b[=e]s-t[=e]t' ch[=e]).
Bologna (b[=o]-l[=o]n'y[.a]).
Borghini, Vicenzo (v[=e]-ch[)e]nd's[=o] bor-g[=e]'n[=e]).
Botticelli (b[)o]t-t[=e]-ch[)e]l'l[=e]).
Brescia (br[=a]'sh[=e]-ae).
Brunelleschi (br[=oo]-n[)e]l-l[)e]s'k[=e]).
Buonarroti (b[=oo]-[=o]-naer-r[=o]'t[=e]).
Cammina (kaem'm[=e]-nae).
_cantoria_ (kaen-t[=o]-r[=e]'ae).
Cappadocia (k[)a]p-[.a]-d[=o]'sh[)i]-ae).
Carderara (kaer-d[=a]-rae'rae).
Carrara (kaer-rae'rae).
Carretto (kaer-r[)e]t't[=o]).
Cavalucci (kae-vae-l[=oo]t'ch[=e]).
Cleodolinda (kl[=e]-[)o]d-[=o]-l[)i]n'd[.a]).
Colvin, Sidney (s[)i]d'n[)i] k[)o]l'v[)i]n).
Correggio (kor-r[)e]d'j[=o]).
_Cortile_ (k[=o]r-t[=e]'l[.=a]).
Croce (kr[=o]'ch[=a]).
Della Robbia (d[)e]l'lae r[)o]b'b[=e]-ae).
Didron (d[=e]-droN').
Diocletian (d[=i]-[=o]-kl[=e]'sh[)i]-[.a]n).
D[=o]m[)i]n'[)i]c[.a]n.
D[)o]m'[)i]n[)i]ck.
D[=o]naet[)e]l'l[=o].
D[=o]nae't[=o].
Ecce ancilla Domini fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum ([)e]k'k[)e]
aenk[=e]l'lae d[=o]'m[=e]-n[=e] f[=e]'aet m[.=e]'h[.=e]
s[=a]k[=oo]n'd[=oo]m w[=a]r'b[=oo]m t[=oo]'[=oo]m).
Ecco il Giovannino ([)e]k'k[=o] [=e]l j[=o]-vaen-n[=e]'n[=o]).
Ego sum Lux Mundi ([)e]g'[=o] s[)oo]m l[=oo]x m[=oo]n'd[=e]).
Elias ([=e]-l[=i]'[.a]s).
Elisabeth ([=e]-l[)i]z'[.a]-b[)e]th).
Eloi ([=a]-lwae').
_episcopus_ ([=a]-p[=e]'sk[=o]-p[)oo]s).
Erasmo da Narni ([=a]-raes'm[=o] dae naer'n[=e]).
Fabretti (fae-br[)e]t't[=e]).
Firenze (f[=e]-r[)e]nd's[.=a]).
Florentine (flor'[)e]n-t[=e]n).
Franciscan (fr[)a]n-s[)i]s'k[.a]n).
Frati Minori (frae't[=e] m[=e]-n[=o]'r[=e]).
Frati Predicatori (frae't[=e] pr[=a]-d[=e]-kae-t[=o]'r[=e]).
Galilee (g[)a]l'[)i]-l[=e]).
Garda (gaer'dae).
Gattamelata (gaet-tae-m[=a]-lae'tae).
_genre_ (zhaeNr).
Gonzaga (g[)o]nd-sae'gae).
Gr[)e]g'[=o]r[)y].
Guinigi, Paolo (pae'[=o]-l[=o] gw[=e]-n[=e]'g[=e]).
H[)a]z'l[)i]tt.
H[~e]r'm[=e][s+].
H[)e]r'[)o]d.
Hewlett, Maurice (m[a:]'r[)i]s h[=u]'l[)e]t).
Hieropolis (h[=i]-[=e]-r[)o]p'[=o]-l[)i]s).
Hoefer (h[~e]'f[~e]r).
Iconografia Espanola ([=e]-k[=o]-n[=o]-grae-f[=e]'ae
[)e]s-paen-y[=o]'lae).
Iconography ([=i]-k[=o]-n[)o]g'r[.a]-f[)i]).
Ilaria ([=e]-lae'r[=e]-ae).
Jacopo della Quercia (yae'k[=o]-p[=o] d[)e]l'lae kw[)e]r'chae).
Jor'd[.a]n.
Jourdain (zh[=oo]r-d[)a]N').
Judaea (j[=u]-d[=e]'[.a]).
L[)e]g'horn.
L[)i]b'[)y][.a].
Lisbon (l[)i]z'b[)u]n).
Loggia (l[)o]d'jae).
L[)o]m'b[.a]rd[)y].
Luca della Robbia (l[)oo]'kae d[)e]l'lae r[)o]b'b[=e]-ae).
Lucca (l[=oo]k'kae).
Magnificat (m[)a]g-n[)i]f'[)i]-k[)a]t).
_Mandorla_ (maen'dor-lae).
Manetti, Antonio (aen-t[=o]'n[=e]-[=o] mae-n[)e]t't[=e]).
Marcel-Reymond (maer-s[)e]l' r[=a]-moN').
Marzocco, Il ([=e]l maerd-s[)o]k'k[=o]).
Medici (m[=a]'d[=e]-ch[=e]).
Michaud (m[=e]-sh[=o]').
Michelangelo (m[=e]-k[)e]l-aen'j[.=a]-l[=o]).
Milan (m[)i]l'[.a]n or m[)i]-l[)a]n').
Mino da Fiesole (m[=e]'n[=o] dae f[=e]-[=a]'s[=o]-l[.=a]).
Molinier (m[=o]-l[=e]-n[=e]-[=a]').
Murate (m[=oo]-rae't[.=a]).
Murillo (m[=oo]-r[=e]l'y[=o]).
Nanni di Banco (naen'n[=e] d[=e] baen'k[=o]).
N[=a]th[)a]n'[.=a][)e]l.
N[)a]z'[.a]r[)e]th.
Niccolo (n[=e]-k[=o]-l[=o]').
Or San Michele (or saen m[=e]-k[)a]'l[.=a]).
P[)a]d'[=u][.a].
Palazzo Vecchio (pae-laet's[=o] v[)e]k'k[=e]-[=o]).
P[=a]'t[~e]r.
Petronio (p[=a]-tr[=o]'n[=e]-[=o]).
Phrygia (fr[)i]j'[)i][.a]).
Piazza (p[=e]-aet'sae).
Piccinino, Niccolo (n[=e]-k[=o]-l[=o]' p[=e]t-ch[=e]-n[=e]'n[=o]).
_pietra serena_ (p[=e]-[=a]'trae s[=a]-r[=a]'nae).
Pisa (p[=e]'zae).
Pistoja (p[=e]s-t[=o]'yae).
Planche (plaeN-sh[=a]').
Pollaiuolo (p[=o]l-lae-y[=oo]-[=o]'l[=o]).
Portogallo, Jacopo di (yae'k[=o]-p[=o] d[=e] p[=o]r-t[=o]-gael'l[=o]).
P[=o]rt'[=u]g[.a]l.
Pr[)a]x'[)e]d.
Pre-Raphaelite (pr[=e]-rae'f[=a]-[)e]l-[=i]t).
Raphael (rae'f[=a]-[)e]l).
Rea (r[=a]).
Rembrandt (r[)e]m'br[)a]nt).
Renaissance (r[~e]-n[=a]s-saeNs').
_ringhiera_ (r[=e]n-g[=e]-[=a]'rae).
Romola (r[)o]m'[=o]-l[.a]).
Rossellino (r[)o]s-s[)e]l-l[=e]'n[=o]).
Rossetti (r[)o]s-s[)e]t't[=e]).
Sabatier (sae-bae-t[=e]-[=a]').
Salutati, Leonardo (l[=a]-[=o]-naer'd[=o] sae-l[=oo]-tae't[=e]).
San Miniato (saen m[=e]-n[=e]-ae't[=o]).
Scythia (s[)i]th'[)i]-[.a]).
Sforza (sf[=o]rd'sae).
Siena (s[=e]-[=a]'nae).
Signor (s[=e]n'y[=o]r).
Signory (s[=e]n'y[=o]-r[)i]).
S[=i]l[=e]'n[=e].
Spedale degli Innocenti (sp[)a]-dae'l[=a] d[=a]'ly[=e]
[=e]n-n[=o]-ch[=a]n't[=e]).
St[)i]g'm[.a]tae.
Symonds (s[)i]m'[)u]ndz).
Syndics (s[)i]n'd[)i]x).
T[)i]l'l[)i]ng-h[)a]st.
Titian (t[)i]sh'[.a]n).
T[)u]s'c[.a]n[)y].
Vasari (vae-sae'r[=e]).
Via de' Leoni (v[=e]'ae d[=a] l[=a]-[=o]'n[=e]).
Zacharias (z[)a]k-[.a]-r[=i]'[.a]s).
Zuccone (ds[=oo]k-k[=o]'n).