LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Plate I. A Group Of Angels Frontispiece In the Uffizi Gallery, Florence Page II. A Figure of Christ 14 In the San Marco Convent, Florence III. Two Angels with Trumpets 24 In the Uffizi Gallery, Florence IV. Christ as a Pilgrim met by Two Dominicans 34 In the San Marco Convent, Florence V. The Coronation of the Virgin 40 In the San Marco Convent, Florence VI. Detail from the Coronation of the Virgin 50 In the Uffizi Gallery, Florence VII. The Infant Christ 60 In the San Marco Convent, Florence VIII. St. Peter the Martyr 70 In the San Marco Convent, Florence [Illustration] I INTRODUCTION Round the peaceful life and delicately imaginative work of Guido da Vicchio, the Florentine artist who is known to the world at large as Fra Angelico, critics and laymen continue to wage a fierce controversy. While few are heard to deny the merit of the artist's exquisite achievement, it is hard to find, even among those who are interested in early Florentine religion and art, men who can agree about Fra Angelico's positions between the monastery and the studio. "He was a man with a beautiful mind," says one; "a light of the Church, a saint by temperament, and he chanced to be a painter." "You are entirely wrong," says the supporter of the opposing theory; "he was a Heaven-sent artist who chanced to take the vows." So the schools of art and theology rage furiously together, after the fashion of the two men who approached a statue from opposite sides and quarrelled because one said that the shield carried by the bronze figure was made of gold, and the other said it was made of silver. Incensed by each other's obstinacy they drew swords and fought until they both fell helpless to the ground, only to be assured by a third traveller, who chanced to pass by, that the shield had gold on one side and silver on the other. [Illustration: PLATE II.--A FIGURE OF CHRIST Detail from San Marco's Convent in Florence. This striking example of the master's mature art reveals in most favourable light his exquisite conception of Christ. Although this is no more than part of a picture, it has been reproduced here in order that the details of the handling may be appreciated.]