Fra Filippo's Madonna and Child, with Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Francis
and Antony, painted for the Medicean chapel in Santa Croce (55), is an
earlier and less characteristic work. Over the door is St. Vincent
preaching, by Fra Bartolommeo (58), originally painted to go over the
entrance to the sacristy in San Marco--a striking representation of a
Dominican preacher of repentance and renovation, conceived in the
spirit of Savonarola, but terribly "restored." The Trinità (63) is one
of Mariotto Albertinelli's best works, but sadly damaged. The two
child Angels (61) by Andrea del Sarto, originally belonged to his
picture of the Four Saints, in the last room; the Crucifixion, with
the wonderful figure of the Magdalene at the foot of the Cross (65),
ascribed to Luca Signorelli, does not appear to be from the master's
own hand; Ghirlandaio's predella (67), with scenes from the lives of
Sts. Dionysius, Clement, Dominic, and Thomas Aquinas, belongs to a
great picture which we shall see presently.
The _Sala seconda del Botticelli_ contains three pictures ascribed to
the master, but only one is authentic--the Madonna and Child enthroned
with six Saints, while Angels raise the curtain over her throne or
hold up emblems of the Passion (85); it is inscribed with Dante's
line--
"Vergine Madre, Figlia del tuo Figlio."
The familiar Three Archangels (84), though attributed to Sandro, is
not even a work of his school. There is a charming little predella
picture by Fra Filippo (86), representing a miracle of San Frediano,
St. Michael announcing her death to the Blessed Virgin, and a friar
contemplating the mystery of the Blessed Trinity--pierced by the
"three arrows of the three stringed bow," to adopt Dante's phrase. The
Deposition from the Cross (98), was commenced by Filippino Lippi for
the Annunziata, and finished after his death in 1504 by Perugino, who
added the group of Maries with the Magdalene and the figure on our
right. The Vision of St. Bernard (97), by Fra Bartolommeo, is the
first picture that the Friar undertook on resuming his brush, after
Raphael's visit to Florence had stirred him up to new efforts;
commenced in 1506, it was left unfinished, and has been injured by
renovations. Here are two excellent paintings by Lorenzo di Credi (92
and 94), the former, the Adoration of the Shepherds, being his very
best and most perfectly finished work. High up are two figures in
niches by Filippino Lippi, the Baptist and the Magdalene (93 and 89),
hardly pleasing. The Resurrection (90), by Raffaellino del Garbo, is
the only authentic work in Florence of a pupil of Filippino's, who
gave great promise which was never fulfilled.
At the end of the hall are three Sale _dei Maestri Toscani_, from the
earliest Primitives down to the eighteenth century. Only a few need
concern us much.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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