The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-03
The Artist In Italy.

The Artist In Italy.
italian Cities" by Edwin Rowland
! Blashfield and Evangeline Wilbour Blash-
field. is book which will be pure delight
to those who enjoy books of travel. Each
Italian city is taken up in turn, and de-
scribed In picturesque and vivid language.
and its history considered. Naturally, a
much greater space is devoted to some of
the cities than to others, but none is
neglected. The first volume is devoted to
Ravenna. Siena, Florence and Parma; the
second to Perugia. Cortona. Spoleto. As
sisi, Rome, and Mantua. The point Of
| view is throughout that of the artist, and
there is no attempt to give any but the
artistic aspects of the places described
History is taken up only in 50 far as it
relates TO art This, while 1t necessarily
, makes the work incomplete as guide
| book, secures continuity and harmony
which make it delightful to read; and one
can get guide books enough.
The method of the authors is often the
peculiarly happy one of tracing the asso-
Citations OF some particular writer or
painter through the streets OF a certain
town; thus. one whole chapter is given up
to the subject indicated in the title In
Florence With Romola.'' Ever detail of
the local color is here traced, and we are
told Just what old landmarks mentioned
by George Eliot exist today, and what
have been swept away 10y time. To those
who feel. as many do, that in this novel
George Eliot gave an especial proof Of her
greatness as . romance writer, since she
could thus reproduce the atmosphere Of
four hundred years ago in an alien city
the afectionate care with which the au-
thors have followed her footsteps through
the old Tuscan townis particularly attrac-
tive.
There is another chapter of "F'lorentine
| Sketches besides, and Florence somehow
seems to have been the favorite city of
the authors. One of the best bits Of de-
scription in the book is that of the Duomo
-Brunelieschi dome A part of 1t is as
follows:
The traveller who, turning his back on the
gates Of Gilbert, passes, for the first time,
sndeT the glittering new mossics and through
the main doors OF Santa Maria del Fiore expert
enccs sensation He leaves behind him the
facade dazzling in its patterns Of black and
white marble. ali laced with sculpture; ne en-
tiers TO dim bare vastness-surely never was
bleaker lining to a splendid exterior. Across a
floor thai seems unending he makes long Journeys
nom monument TO monument; to gigantic con
dottieri. riding ghGstlike in the semi-darlness
against the upper walls; to Lucas saints and
angel, in the sscristies; 10 DonatelO's saint John
grand and tranquil in his niche, and 10 Michel
angeles group, grand and troubled in its rough
hewn marble
At length. in the north transept he comes to
a small door. and entering there he may il legs
and wind hold out. climb SIS steps to the top
OF the rnighriest dome in tht%ayorld, the widest
in span, and the highest from spring TO sum
nit For the first $50 steps or so, there
square turnings, and the stone looks sharp, and
new. and solid, space yau!ted by dulnical
roof follows and is apparently above one of the
spsidal domes to the church: then narrow
spiral staircase leads TO where a second door
opens upon very narrow balustraded walk that
around the inner side Of the dome.
He il at an altitude Of sXty-sevcn metres,
exactly at the spring Of the cupola and the be-
ginning OF the Nasari frescoos; the feet are at
elevation Of metre less than j. that OF
the tower tops Of NGtfe Dame de Paris. and yet
the dome hollows away overhead, huge enough,
high enough. to contain second church piled.
Peiion like, upon the first. Before, in the
dimncss. is the vastest roof-cov void in the
world; il is terrific; and if the visitor DE
ceptible. his knees shake, and his diaphragm
seems to sink TO meet them.
The impression IL tremendous; wonder that
the Tiscans felt Bnneleschi to be the central
figure of the Renaissance. Again and again,
whether in the gallery or between the walls of
the dome the thought cones Men built this,
and one man dared and planned it. Not even
the Pyramids impress more strongly; for il
Brunellesch built lesser pyramid, he followed
his and hung it in the air.
On the other side of the space a small black
circled half the dome; il opens upon another
staircasf NJ which he climbs between the two
skins Of The cupoa, or rather between two OF the
three like parasite upon monster. Some
times the place suggests ship. with the oculi
as gunports piercing to the outer day, else, his
mind fresh from that red inferno Of Fasaris fres-
Goes the traveller is tunnelipg up through a vol
cano crater with whole Typhonic, Ence!adus
! buried world below. To right and left, the
smooihed ccmented surface curves away and
upward. brick i'uttresses appear constantly, but
ALWAYS with the courses Of brick laid santing to
the earfh's level and perpendicular 10 the
thrust Of the dome. Every possible effect OF light
aud ob.curity make the strange yistas yet more
weird and now and then there is feeling Of
standing upon the vast rounding slope OF some
planet HAT shines at ones feet. then gradually
falls away into the surrounding blaekness.
This is fairly good example Of the gem
eral style Of the book Although there are
no Illustrations, the descriptions are so
graphic that one somehow feels as If the
book were full Of pictures. (New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons. $1,000