The Vision of S. Bernard. 
By Fra Bartolommeo, in the Accademia

Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Saints. 
By Botticelli, in the Accademia

Primavera. 
By Botticelli, in the Accademia

The Coronation of the Virgin. 
By Fra Angelico, in the Convent of S. Marco

The Annunciation. 
By Luca della Robbia, in the Spedale degli Innocenti

The Birth of the Virgin. 
By Ghirlandaio, in S. Maria Novella

The Madonna del Granduca. 
By Raphael, in the Pitti

The Madonna della Sedia. 
By Raphael, in the Pitti

The Concert. 
By Giorgione, in the Pitti

Madonna Adoring. 
By Botticini, in the Pitti

The Madonna and Children. 
By Perugino, in the Pitti

A Gipsy.  By Boccaccio Boccaccini, in the Pitti

All the illustrations are from photographs by G. Brogi, except those marked , which are by Fratelli Alinari, and that marked *, which is by R. Anderson.

A WANDERER IN FLORENCE

CHAPTER I

The Duomo I:  Its Construction

The City of the Miracle—­The Marble Companions—­Twilight and Immensity—­Arnolfo di Cambio—­Dante’s seat—­Ruskin’s “Shepherd”—­Giotto the various—­Giotto’s fun—­The indomitable Brunelleschi—­Makers of Florence—­The present facade.

All visitors to Florence make first for the Duomo.  Let us do the same.

The real name of the Duomo is the Cathedral of S. Maria del Fiore, or St. Mary of the Flowers, the flower being the Florentine lily.  Florence herself is called the City of Flowers, and that, in the spring and summer, is a happy enough description.  But in the winter it fails.  A name appropriate to all the seasons would be the City of the Miracle, the miracle being the Renaissance.  For though all over Italy traces of the miracle are apparent, Florence was its very home and still can point to the greatest number of its achievements.  Giotto (at the beginning of this quickening movement) may at Assisi have been more inspired as a painter; but here is his campanile and here are his S. Maria Novella and S. Croce frescoes.  Fra Angelico and Donatello (in the midst of it) were never more inspired than here, where they worked and died.  Michelangelo (at the end of it) may be more surprising in the Vatican; but here are his wonderful Medici tombs.  How it came about that between the years 1300 and 1500 Italian soil—­and chiefly Tuscan soil—­threw up such masters, not only with the will and spirit to do what they did but with the power too, no one will ever be able to explain.  But there it is.  In the history of the world two centuries were suddenly given mysteriously to the activities of Italian men of humane genius and as suddenly the Divine gift was withdrawn.  And to see the very flower of these two centuries it is to Florence we must go.