Addressesthecelestialpresence,”nay——
Hemadeyouanddevisedyou,afterall,Thoughhe’snoneofyou!couldSaintJohnthere,draw——
Hiscamel-hairmakeupapainting-brush?
WecometobrotherLippoforallthat,Isteperfecitopus!”So,allsmile——
IshufflesidewayswithmyblushingfaceUnderthecoverofahundredwingsThrownlikeaspreadofkirtleswhenyou’regay[380]
Andplayhotcockles,allthedoorsbeingshut,Till,whollyunexpected,intherepopsThehot-headhusband!ThusIscuttleoffTosomesafebenchbehind,notlettinggoThepalmofher,thelittlelilythingThatspokethegoodwordformeinthenick,LikethePrior’sniece……SaintLucy,Iwouldsay。
Andsoall’ssavedforme,andforthechurchAprettypicturegained。Go,sixmonthshence!
Yourhand,sir,andgood-bye:nolights,nolights![390]
Thestreet’shushed,andIknowmyownwayback,Don’tfearme!There’sthegraybeginning。Zooks!——
17。CosimooftheMedici:Cosimo,orCosmo,de’Medici,surnamedtheElder,acelebratedFlorentinestatesman,andapatronoflearningandthearts;b。1389,d。1464。
23。pilchards:akindoffish。
34。JohnBaptist’shead:animaginarypicture。
67。SaintLawrence:churchofSanLorenzo,inFlorence,famousforthetombsoftheMedici,adornedwithMichelAngelo’sDayandNight,MorningandEvening,etc。See`Hawthorne’sItalianNote-Books’。
88。OldauntLapaccia:MonaLapaccia,hisfather’ssister。
121。theEight:`gliOttodiguerra’,surnamed`iSanti’,theSaints;
amagistracycomposedofEightcitizens,institutedbytheFlorentines,duringtheirwarwiththeChurch,in1376,fortheadministrationofthecitygovernment。Twowerechosenfromthe`Signori’,three,fromthe`Mediocri’MiddleClasses,andthree,fromthe`Bassi’LowerClasses。Fortheirsubsequenthistory,see`LeIstorieFiorentinediNiccoloMachiavelli’。
122。HowsayI?:——nay,worsethanthat,whichdogbites,etc。
127。remarks:observations。
139。Camaldolese:monksofthecelebratedconventofCamaldoli。
143。Thankyou!:there’saremarkinterposedherebyoneofthemen,perhaps”YOU’REnodauber”,towhichhereplies,”Thankyou”。
145etseq。Therealisticpainter,whodisdainsnothing,isshownhere。
189。GiottodiBondone1266-1337:apupilofCimabue,andregardedastheprincipalreviverofartinItaly。HewasapersonalfriendofDante。Seenoteunder`OldPicturesinFlorence’,St。2。
223。I’mgrownamannodoubt,I’vebrokenbounds:alltheeditionsaresopunctuated;butitseemsthecommashouldbeafter”man”,connecting”nodoubt”with”I’vebrokenbounds”。
235。”GiovannidaFiesole,betterknownasFraAngelico1387-1455。
Angelicowasincomparablythegreatestofthedistinctivelymediaevalschool,whose`dicta’thePriorinthepoemhasallathistongue’send。To`paintthesoulsofmen’,to`makethemforgetthere’ssuchathingasflesh’,wastheendofhisart。And,sidebysidewithAngelico,Masacciopainted。Hisshortlifetaughthimadifferentlesson——`thevalueandsignificanceofflesh’。
HewouldpaintbypreferencetheBODIESofmen,andwouldgiveusNOMOREOFSOULthanthebodycanreveal。Sohe`laboured’,saiththechronicler,`innakeds’,andhisfrescoesmarkanepochinart。”——ErnestBradfordB。S。Illustrations。”Oneartistintheseclusionofhiscloister,remainedtruetothetraditionsandmodeofexpressionofthemiddleages,intowhich,nevertheless,theincomparablebeautyandfeelingofhisnaturebreathedfreshlife。FraGiovanniAngelico,calleddaFiesolefromtheplaceofhisbirth,occupiesanentirelyexceptionalposition。
Heisthelate-bloomingflowerofanalmostby-gonetimeamidthepulsationsofanewlife。Never,inthewholerangeofpictorialart,havetheinspiredfervorofChristianfeeling,theangelicbeautyandpurityofwhichthesouliscapable,beensogloriouslyinterpretedasinhisworks。Theexquisiteatmosphereofanalmostsupernaturallyideallifesurroundshispictures,irradiatestherosyfeaturesofhisyouthfulfaces,orgreetsus,likethepeaceofGod,inthedignifiedfiguresofhisdevoutoldmen。
HisprevailingthemesarethehumilityofsoulofthosewhohavejoyfullyacceptedthewillofGod,andthetranquilSabbathcalmofthosewhoarelovinglyconsecratedtotheserviceoftheHighest。
Themovementandthechangingcourseoflife,theenergyofpassionandactionconcernhimnot。”——`OutlinesoftheHistoryofArt’。
ByDr。Wilh。Luebke。
236。LorenzoMonaco:amonkoftheorderofCamaldoli;
aconservativeartistofthetime,whoadheredtothemannerofTaddeoGaddiandhisdisciples,butFraAngelicoappearslikewisetohaveinfluencedhim。
238。Flowero’thepine,etc。:thissnatchofsongappliestowhathehasjustbeentalkingabout:youhaveyourownnotionsofart,andIhavemine。
276。TommasoGuidi1401-1428,betterknownasMasaccio,i。e。,Tommasaccio,SlovenlyorHulkingTom。”Fromhistime,andforward,”saysMr。ErnestRadfordB。S。Illustrations,”religiouspaintingintheoldsensewasatanend。Paintersnolongerattemptedtotranscendnature,buttocopyher,andtocopyherinherloveliestaspects。Thebreachbetweentheoldorderandthenewwascomplete。”ThepoetmakeshimlearnofLippi,not,asVasaristates,Lippiofhim。”WhenBrowningwrotethispoem,heknewthatthemastershiporpupilshipofFraLippotoMasacciocalled`Guidi’inthepoem,andviceversa,wasamootpoint;butinmakingFraLippithemaster,hefollowedthebestauthorityhehadaccessto,thelasteditionofVasari,ashestatedinaLettertothe`PallMall’atthetime,inanswertoM。Etienne[awriterinthe`RevuedesdeuxMondes’。]
Sincethen,hefindsthatthelatestenquirerintothesubject,Morelli,believesthefactistheotherway,andthatFraLippowasthepupil。”——B。Soc。Papers,Pt。II,p。160。
Thelettertothe`PallMallGazette’Ihavenotseen。
M。Etienne’sArticleisinTome85,pp。704-735,ofthe`RevuedesDeuxMondes’,1870,andtheletterprobablyappearedsoonafteritspublication。WhateditionofVasariisreferredto,intheabovenote,asthelast,isuncertain;butinVasari’sowneditionsof1550and1568,andinMrs。Foster’stranslation,1855,Lippiismadethepupil,andnotthemaster,ofMasaccio。
323。SaintLaurence:sufferedmartyrdominthereignoftheEmperorValerian,A。D。258。Hewasbroiledtodeathonagridiron。
327。Alreadynotonephizofyourthreeslaves……but’sscratched:
thepeoplearesoindignantatwhattheyaredoing,inthelife-likepicture。
336。Thatis——:hefearshehasspokentooplainly,andwillbereported。
339。Chianti:awinenamedfromthepartofItalysocalled。
345。There’sforyou:hetipsthem。
346。Sant’Ambrogio’s:aconventinFlorence。
354。SaintJohn:JohntheBaptistismeant;seev。375。
355。SaintAmbrose:bornabout340;madearchbishopofMilanin374;
died397;institutedthe`AmbrosianChant’。
377。Isteperfecitopus!:thisisonascroll,inthepicture,heldbythe”sweetangelicslipofathing”。
389。Thepicturereferredtois`TheCoronationoftheVirgin’,inthe`AccademiadelleBelleArti’,inFlorence。Thereisaphotographofitin`IllustrationstoBrowning’sPoems’,PartI。,publishedbytheBrowningSociety,withaninterestingdescriptionofthepicture,byMr。ErnestRadford。There’sno”babe”inthepicture。
392。Zooks!:it’shightimeIwasbackandinbed,thatmynight-larkingbenotknown。
AFace。
IfonecouldhavethatlittleheadofhersPainteduponabackgroundofpalegold,SuchastheTuscan’searlyartprefers!
NoshadeencroachingonthematchlessmouldOfthosetwolips,whichshouldbeopeningsoftInthepureprofile;notaswhenshelaughs,Forthatspoilsall:butratherasifaloftYonhyacinth,shelovesso,leaneditsstaff’sBurthenofhoney-coloredbuds,tokissAndcapture’twixtthelipsapartforthis。[10]
Thenherlitheneck,threefingersmightsurround,Howitshouldwaver,onthepalegoldground,Uptothefruit-shaped,perfectchinitlifts!
Iknow,Correggiolovestomass,inriftsOfheaven,hisangelfaces,orbonorbBreakingitsoutline,burningshadesabsorb:
Buttheseareonlymassedthere,Ishouldthink,WaitingtoseesomewondermomentlyGrowout,standfull,fadeslowagainsttheskyThat’sthepalegroundyou’dseethissweetfaceby,[20]
Allheaven,meanwhile,condensedintooneeyeWhichfearstolosethewonder,shoulditwink——
1。Ifonecouldhave:Oh,ifonecouldonlyhave,etc。
9,10。tokissandcapture:gerundives:tobekissedandcaptured。
14。Correggio:AntonioAllegridaCorreggio,born1494,died1534。”Hewasthefirstmaster——theVenetiansnotwithstanding——
totakeaschemeofcolorandchiaro-scuroasthe`raisond’etre’
ofacompletecomposition,andhisbrush,respondingtotheidea,blendslightandshadeindeliciousharmony。”——WoltmannandWoermann’s`HistoryofPainting’。
TheBishopordershisTomb。
[Rome,15。]——
*Thetombisimaginary;thoughitissaidtobepointedouttovisitorstoSaintPraxed’swhodesireparticularlytoseeit——
Vanity,saiththepreacher,vanity!
Drawroundmybed:isAnselmkeepingback?
Nephews——sonsmine……ahGod,Iknownot!Well——
She,menwouldhavetobeyourmotheronce,OldGandolfenviedme,sofairshewas!
What’sdoneisdone,andsheisdeadbeside,Deadlongago,andIamBishopsince,Andasshediedsomustwedieourselves,Andthenceyemayperceivetheworld’sadream。
Life,howandwhatisit?AshereIlie[10]
Inthisstate-chamber,dyingbydegrees,Hoursandlonghoursinthedeadnight,Iask”DoIlive,amIdead?”Peace,peaceseemsall。
SaintPraxed’severwasthechurchforpeace;
Andso,aboutthistombofmine。IfoughtWithtoothandnailtosavemyniche,yeknow:——
OldGandolfcozenedme,despitemycare;
ShrewdwasthatsnatchfromoutthecornerSouthHegracedhiscarrionwith,Godcursethesame!
Yetstillmynicheisnotsocrampedbutthence[20]
Oneseesthepulpitontheepistle-side,Andsomewhatofthechoir,thosesilentseats,AndupintotheaerydomewhereliveTheangels,andasunbeam’ssuretolurk;
AndIshallfillmyslabofbasaltthere,And’neathmytabernacletakemyrest,Withthoseninecolumnsroundme,twoandtwo,TheoddoneatmyfeetwhereAnselmstands:
Peach-blossommarbleall,therare,theripeAsfresh-pouredredwineofamightypulse。[30]——
OldGandolfwithhispaltryonion-stone,PutmewhereImaylookathim!Truepeach,Rosyandflawless:howIearnedtheprize!
Drawclose:thatconflagrationofmychurch——Whatthen?Somuchwassavedifaughtweremissed!
Mysons,yewouldnotbemydeath?GodigThewhite-grapevineyardwheretheoil-pressstood,Dropwatergentlytillthesurfacesink,Andifyefind……AhGod,Iknownot,I!……
Beddedinstoreofrottenfig-leavessoft,[40]
Andcordedupinatightolive-frail,Somelump,ahGod,oflapislazuli,BigasaJew’sheadcutoffatthenape,Blueasaveino’ertheMadonna’sbreast……
Sons,allhaveIbequeathedyou,villas,all,ThatbraveFrascativillawithitsbath,So,letthebluelumppoisebetweenmyknees,LikeGodtheFather’sglobeonbothhishandsYeworshipintheJesuChurchsogay,ForGandolfshallnotchoosebutseeandburst![50]
Swiftasaweaver’sshuttlefleetouryears:
Mangoethtothegrave,andwhereishe?
DidIsay,basaltformyslab,sons?Black——
’Twaseverantique-blackImeant!HowelseShallyecontrastmyfriezetocomebeneath?
Thebas-reliefinbronzeyepromisedme,ThosePansandNymphsyewotof,andperchanceSometripod,thyrsus,withavaseorso,TheSaviourathissermononthemount,SaintPraxedinaglory,andonePan[60]
ReadytotwitchtheNymph’slastgarmentoff,AndMoseswiththetables……butIknowYemarkmenot!Whatdotheywhisperthee,Childofmybowels,Anselm?Ah,yehopeToreveldownmyvillaswhileIgaspBrickedo’erwithbeggar’smouldytravertineWhichGandolffromhistomb-topchucklesat!
Nay,boys,yeloveme——allofjasper,then!
’Tisjasperyestandpledgedto,lestIgrieveMybathmustneedsbeleftbehind,alas![70]
Oneblock,puregreenasapistachio-nut,There’splentyjaspersomewhereintheworld——
AndhaveInotSaintPraxed’seartoprayHorsesforye,andbrownGreekmanuscripts,Andmistresseswithgreatsmoothmarblylimbs?——
That’sifyecarvemyepitapharight,ChoiceLatin,pickedphrase,Tully’severyword,NogaudywarelikeGandolf’ssecondline——
Tully,mymasters?Ulpianserveshisneed!
AndthenhowIshallliethroughcenturies,[80]
Andheartheblessedmutterofthemass,AndseeGodmadeandeatenalldaylong,Andfeelthesteadycandle-flame,andtasteGoodstrongthickstupefyingincense-smoke!