The second painting is of greatly later date. It is a fresco in the
chapter-house of the Dominican convent of Santa Maria Novella[146] at
Florence, usually known as the Capellone degli Spagnuoli. It has been
commonly ascribed, on Vasari's authority, to Simone Martini of Siena,
but an examination of the dates of his life seems to discredit this
view[147]. Most probably it was executed between A.D. 1340 and 1350.
It is a huge work, covering one whole wall of the chapter-house, and
filled with figures, some of which, but seemingly on no sufficient
authority, have been taken to represent eminent persons of the
time--Cimabue, Arnolfo, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Laura, and others. In it
is represented the whole scheme of man's life here and hereafter--the
Church on earth and the Church in heaven. Full in front are seated
side by side the Pope and the Emperor: on their right and left, in a
descending row, minor spiritual and temporal officials; next to the
Pope a cardinal, bishops, and doctors; next to the Emperor, the king
of France and a line of nobles and knights. Behind them appears the
Duomo of Florence as an emblem of the Visible Church, while at their
feet is a flock of sheep (the faithful) attacked by ravening wolves
(heretics and schismatics), whom a pack of spotted dogs (the
Dominicans[148]) combat and chase away. From this, the central
foreground of the picture, a path winds round and up a height to a
great gate where the Apostle sits on guard to admit true believers:
they passing through it are met by choirs of seraphs, who lead them on
through the delicious groves of Paradise. Above all, at the top of the
painting and just over the spot where his two lieutenants, Pope and
Emperor, are placed below, is the Saviour enthroned amid saints and
angels[149].
[Sidenote: Anti-national character of the Empire.]
Here, too, there needs no comment. The Church Militant is the perfect
counterpart of the Church Triumphant: her chief danger is from those
who would rend the unity of her visible body, the seamless garment of
her heavenly Lord; and that devotion to His person which is the sum of
her faith and the essence of her being, must on earth be rendered to
those two lieutenants whom He has chosen to govern in His name.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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