Produced by Jeroen Hellingman & the Distributed Proofreaders Team
By E.V. Lucas
Preface
A sentence from a "Synthetical Guidebook" which is circulated in theFlorentine hotels will express what I want to say, at the thresholdof this volume, much better than could unaided words of mine. It runsthus: "The natural kindness, the high spirit, of the Florentine people,the wonderful masterpieces of art created by her great men, who inevery age have stood in the front of art and science, rivalize withthe gentle smile of her splendid sky to render Florence one of thefinest towns of beautiful Italy". These words, written, I feel sure,by a Florentine, and therefore "inspirated" (as he says elsewhere) bya patriotic feeling, are true; and it is my hope that the pages thatfollow will at once fortify their truth and lead others to test it.
Like the synthetical author, I too have not thought it necessaryto provide "too many informations concerning art and history," butthere will be found a few, practically unavoidable, in the gatheringtogether of which I have been indebted to many authors: notably Vasari,Symonds, Crowe and Cavalcaselle, Ruskin, Pater, and Baedeker. Amongmore recent books I would mention Herr Bode's "Florentine Sculptors ofthe Renaissance," Mr. F.M. Hyett's "Florence," Mr. E.L.S. Horsburgh's"Lorenzo the Magnificent" and "Savonarola," Mr. Gerald S. Davies'"Michelangelo," Mr. W.G. Waters' "Italian Sculptors," and Col. Young's"The Medici".
I have to thank very heartily a good English Florentine for theconstruction of the historical chart at the end of the volume.
May, 1912
Contents
Preface
Chapter I The Duomo I: Its Construction
Chapter II The Duomo II: Its Associations
Chapter III The Duomo III: A Ceremony and a Museum
Chapter IV The Campanile and the Baptistery
Chapter V The Riccardi Palace and the Medici
Chapter VI S. Lorenzo and Michelangelo
Chapter VII Or San Michele and the Palazzo Vecchio
Chapter VIII The Uffizi I: The Building and the Collectors
Chapter IX The Uffizi II: The First Six Rooms
Chapter X The Uffizi III: Botticelli
Chapter XI The Uffizi IV: Remaining Rooms
Chapter XII "Aèrial Fiesole"
Chapter XIII The Badia and Dante
Chapter XIV The Bargello
Chapter XV S. Croce
Chapter XVI The Accademia
Chapter XVII Two Monasteries and a Procession
Chapter XVIII S. Marco
Chapter XIX The SS. Annunziata and the Spedale Degli
Innocenti
Chapter XX The Cascine and the Arno
Chapter XXI S. Maria Novella
Chapter XXII The Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele to S. Trinità
Chapter XXIII The Pitti
Chapter XXIV English Poets in Florence
Chapter XXV The Carmine and San Miniato
Historical Chart of Florence and Europe, 1296-1564
List of Illustrations
In Colour
The Duomo and Campanile, From the Via Pecori
The Cloisters of San Lorenzo, Showing the Windows of the Biblioteca
Laurenziana
The Via Calzaioli, from the Baptistery, Showing the Bigallo and the
Top of Or San Michele
The Palazzo Vecchio
The Loggia of the Palazzo Vecchio and the Via de' Leoni
The Loggia de' Lanzi, the D