Madonna, which was cut out of the wall that it might not be totally destroyed, and, being supported by beams and bars of iron, was thus carried away and secured, for its beauty, in the place wherein the pious love which the Florentine doctor, Messer Nicolo Acciainoli, has ever borne to the excellent in art, desired to see it enshrined, and where he has richly adorned this work of Giotto with a framework composed of modern pictures and of ornaments in stucco.* The picture in mosaic, known as the Navicella, and which stands above the three doors of the portico in the vestibule of St. Peter's, is also from the hand of Giotto,-a truly wonderful work, and deservedly eulogized by all enlightened judges; and this not only for the merit of the design, but also for that of the grouping of the apostles, who labour in various attitudes to guide their boat through the tempestuous sea, while the winds blow in a sail, which is swelling with so vivid a reality, that the spectator could almost believe himself to be looking at a real sail. Yet it must have been excessively difficult to produce the harmony and interchange of light and shadows. which we admire in this work, with mere pieces of glass, and that in a sail of such magnitude,— -a thing which, even with the pencil, could only be equalled by great effort. There is a fisherman, also, standing on a rock and fishing with a line, in whose attitude the extraordinary patience proper to that occupation is most obvious, while the hope of prey and his desire for it, are equally manifest in his countenance.+ Beneath this work are three small arches, painted in fresco; but as they are almost entirely destroyed, I will say no more of them; but the praises universally bestowed by artists on the mosaic above described, were, without doubt, fully merited.

Giotto afterwards painted a large picture of the Crucifixion, in distemper, for the church of Minerva, belonging to

This picture, as well as those preceding it, have all perished-as have those of St. John of the Lateran, excepting only the portrait of Pope Boniface VIII, which is preserved under glass in the church, with an inscription placed beneath it, in 1776, by the Gaetani family.

-Ed. Flor.

For the many dissertations on this mosaic-its restorations, changes of locality, etc., see Lanzi and other writers. It is at present placed within the portico of St. Peter's, over the centre arch and opposite the principal door, where, unless sought for it must escape attention.

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the Preaching Friars, which was very highly praised at the time he then returned to his native Florence, whence he had been absent six years. No long time after this, Benedict IX (XI) being dead, Clement V was elected pope at Perugia, when Giotto was obliged to depart again with that pontiff, who removed his court to Avignon, where our artist produced many admirable works; and not there only, but in Lany other parts of France, he painted many beautiful pictures and frescoes which infinitely delighted the pontiff and his whole court, insomuch that, when all were finished, Giotto was graciously dismissed with many presents, so that he returned home no less rich than honoured and renowned. Among other things, he brought back with him the portrait of the pontiff, which he afterwards presented to his disciple Taddeo Gaddi. The return of Giotto to Florence took place in the year 1316; but he was not long permitted to remain in that city, being invited to Padua by the Signori della Scala, for whom he painted a most magnificent chapel in the Santo,* a church just then erected.† From Padua he proceeded to Verona, where he painted certain pictures for Messer Cane, the father of Francesca di Rimini, in the palace of that noble, more particularly the portrait of Cane himself: he also executed a picture for the Fraternity of St. Francis. Having completed these works, Giotto departed for Tuscany, but was compelled to halt at Ferrara, where he painted certain works for the Signori d'Este, as well in their palace as in the church of Sant' Agostino, where they are still to be seen. Meanwhile, as it had come to the ears of Dante that Giotto was in Ferrara, he so contrived that the latter was induced to visit Ravenna, where the poet was then in exile, and where Giotto painted some frescoes, which are moderately good, in the church of San Francesco, for the Signori da Polenta.§ He then proceeded from Ravenna to Urbino, where he also painted some pictures. After this, as he was passing through Arezzo, he could

*The church of St. Anthony, of Padua, is so called pur eminence · St. Anthony being the patron saint of that city.

† Of these paintings there remains only a miserable relic, which scarcely suffices to give an idea of its composition.-Ed. Flor. 1846. The Can grande della Scala, famous in Dante.--Par. c. xvii.

§ These pictures, as well as those painted in Verona, have all perished.

not refuse to comply with the wishes of Piero Saccone, who had ever treated him with great kindness, and therefore painted a fresco for him in the principal chapel of the Epis copal church. The subject is St. Martin dividing his mantle in half, and bestowing one of the portions on a beggar, who stands before him almost entirely naked.* Having then executed a large Crucifixion, in distemper, on panel, for the abbey of Santa Fiore, which is still in the middle of that church,+ he returned at length to Florence, where, among many other works, he painted pictures, both in distemper and fresco, for the convent of the Nuns of Faenza, all of which have been lost in the destruction of that convent. In the year 1322, his most intimate frtend, Dante, having died, to his great sorthe year preceding; Giotto repaired to Lucca, and, at the request of Castruccio, then lord of that city, which was the place of his birth, he executed a picture, in the church of San Martino, representing Christ hovering in the air over the four saints, protectors of Lucca, namely, San Piero, San Regolo, San Martino, and San Paulino; they appear to be recommending to him a pope and an emperor, who, as many believe, are Frederick of Bavaria and the antipope, Nicholas V. Many also maintain that at San Frediano, in this same city of Lucca, Giotto likewise designed the castle and fortress of Giusta, which is impregnable.

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Some time after this, and when Giotto had returned to Florence, Robert, king of Naples, wrote to his eldest son Charles, king of Calabria, who was then in Florence, desiring that he would, by all means, send Giotto to him at Naples, he having just completed the convent and church of Santa Clara, which he desired to see adorned by him with noble paintings. Giotto, therefore, being thus invited by so great and renowned a monarch, departed with the utmost readiness to do him service, and being arrived, he painted various sub

* In the time of Bottani, this picture was still in existence, though much decayed; but the latest Florentine edition of Vasari declares it to have perished.

†This work is still in good condition.

Properly called Augusta, and corrupted to Gosta or Giusta.— Ed. Flo. 1846.

§ Vasari has here omitted to mention, that Giotto, in his way to Naples, went to see the sculptures in Orvieto,-and what resulted from that visit, which is afterwards alluded to in the lives of Agostino and Agnolo of Siena-Ed. Flor. 1846.

jects, from the Old and New Testaments, in the different chapels of the building. It is said that the passages from the Apocalypse, which he has painted in one of these chapels,* were inventions of Dante, as were probably those so highly eulogized of Assisi, respecting which we have already spoken at sufficient length. It is true that Dante was then dead, but it is very probable that these subjects may have been discussed between Giotto and him: a thing which so frequently happens among friends.

But to return to Naples. Giotto executed many works in the Castel dell' Uovo, particularly in the chapel,† which greatly pleased the king, by whom Giotto was indeed so much beloved, that while at his work he was frequently held in conversation by that monarch, who took pleasure in watching the progress of his labours and in hearing his remarks. Now Giotto had always a jest ready, and was never at a loss for a witty reply, so that he amused the king with his hand while he painted, and also by the acuteness of his pleasant conversation. Thus, one day, the king telling him that he would make him the first man in Naples, Giotto replied that he already was the first man in Naples, "for to that end it is that I dwell at the Porta Reale", where the first houses of the city stand. Another time, the king saying to him, "Giotto, if I were in your place, now that it is so hot, I would give up painting for a time, and take my rest." "And so I would do, certainly," replied Giotto, "if I were in your place." Giotto being thus so acceptable to King Robert, was employed by him to execute numerous paintings in a hall (which King Alfonso afterwards destroyed to make room for the castle), and also in the church of the Incoronata. Among those of the hall, were many portraits of celebrated men, Giotto himself being of the number. One day the king, desiring to amuse himself, requested Giotto to depict his kingdom, when the painter, * All these works have since been whitewashed.-Roman ed. 1759. These paintings are also lost.

For the many controversies to which these paintings, which are for the most part in tolerably good preservation, have given rise, see Waagen, Kestner, Kugler, Rumohr, Nagler, Förster, Count Vilani XIV, and others, who maintain that these works are by Giotto; see also Aloe, of Berlin, and Domenico Ventimiglia, on the same side. Riccio, on the contrary, Saggio Storico, &c., Naples, 1845, denies them to be by Giotto-and his opinion he supports by arguments to which the reader 18 referred.

as it is said, drew an ass, bearing a pack-saddle loaded with a crown and sceptre, while a similar saddle lay at his feet, also bearing the ensigns of sovereignty: these last were all new; and the ass scented them with an expression of desire to change them for those he then bore. The king inquired what this picture might signify; when Giotto replied, "Such is the kingdom, and such the subjects, who are every day desiring a new lord." Leaving Naples to proceed to Rome, Giotto was detained at Gaeta, where he was persuaded to paint certain subjects from the New Testament for the church of the Annunciation. These works are now greatly injured by time, but not to such a degree as to prevent us from clearly distinguishing the portrait of Giotto himself, which will be found near a large and very beautiful crucifix. These works being completed, he passed some days in Rome, in the service of the Signor Malatesta, to whom he could not refuse this favour: he then repaired to Rimini, of which city the said Malatesta was lord, and painted numerous pictures in the church of San Francesco; but these works were afterwards destroyed by Gismondo, son of Pandolfo Malatesta, who rebuilt the entire edifice. He also painted a fresco on the cloisters in front of the church. This was the history of the Beata Michelina,* one of the best and most beautiful works that Giotto ever produced; for to say nothing of the grace and life of the heads, which are nevertheless wonderful, or of the draperies, which are admirably done, there is the evidence of so much varied thought in the composition, and care in the execution, that it cannot be too highly praised. The principal figure is a young woman, lovely as it is possible to conceive that a woman can be, and who is in the act of freeing herself by oath from the calumnious charge of adultery. She takes the oath on a book, while she keeps her eyes fixed on her husband in an attitude of inexpressible grace, and with the expression of the most assured innocence; he having compelled her to make oath, from doubts respecting a black infant to which she had given birth, and which he

* The story of the Beata Michelina has been whitewashed; but is supposed to have been by a pupil of Giotto, rather than by himself, since Michelina lived twenty years after Giotto, who is thus not likely to have painted her history. Sea Marcheselli, Pitturi di Rimini. Rimini, 1754.