f COPYRIGHT A. C. McCLURo 1904 M W October 5, 1 904 With four exceptions, the photographs reproduced in this work are li r r l r n h em the ate e of the Brothers Alina i, F o e ce, and are used b y rr n ement wi ir r and consent Th special a a g th the app oval . e Casa ” “ ” i armin l r and th Book - Stall in Piazza Guid , the C e C oiste , e San Lorenzo are b y Miss Una Mcmahan ; the Piazza and Church of ” Fl n San Lorenzo is b y Manelli, ore ce. T il l UNIVI RSIT Y P81 88 CAM BRIDGI U . 8. A , , . ANNIE H OW ELL ANNIS L O V E ] ! OF F LO RENC E AND OF B B OW NING C O N T E N T S INTRODUCTION B Y ELIZ ABETH BARRE T T B ROWNIN G CASA GUIDI WINDOWS THE DAN CE B Y ROB ERT BROWNIN G OLD PICTURES IN FLORENCE FRA LIPPO LIPPI ANDREA DEL SARTO TEE STATUE AND THE BUST HE R G THE B K BOOK I T IN AND OO . ONE WORD MORE I L L U S T RA T I O N S Casa Guidi Windows F rontispiece Bridges of the Arno To face page 24 ’ Monument to Giuliano de Medici 26 New Sacristy of San Lorenzo ’ Monument to Lorenzo de Medici New Sacristy of San Lorenzo Martyrdom of Savonarola Museum of San Marco Statue Of Savonarola Palazzo Vecchio Cell of Savonarola Museum of San Marco Church of Santa Maria Novella Fresco of Inferno ndrea r a n , by A O c g a Strozzi Chapel of Santa Maria Novella Madonna Encollai Chapel of Santa Maria Novella rucifixion b ar her tone C , y M g i Church of Santa Croce Portrait of Fra Angelico Academy of Fine Arts The Pitti Palace Loggia dei Lanzi Monument to Dante Church of Santa Croce [ iX ] ILLUSTRATIONS Fresco of Dante Toface page 59 Gate of San Niccolb Gate of San Gallo Bust ofBrutus Piazza in the Caseine View of Florence am anile with athedral and Ba tistr C p , C p y Portrait of Michel Angelo Cfizi Gallery Portrait of Raphael Sanzio Ufliz i Gallery Portrait OfLeonardo da Vinci Uflizi Gallery Statue of Niobe Uflizi Gallery The Dying Alexander or iott and addeo Gaddi P traits of Cimabue, G o, T Spanish Chapel of Santa Maria Novella Statue OfNiccola Pisauo Portico of Ufizi Portrait of Ghiberti Palazzo Vecchio Portrait Of Ghirlandajo Santa Maria Novella Portrait Of Botticelli Ufizi Gallery Portrait Of Filippino Lippi Ufiizi Gallery r n of the Vir in b orenzo onaco Co onatio g , y L M Uffizi Gallery X l ILLUSTRATIONS Madonna and Sain s b Baldovinetti t , y Church of San Spirito The Cloisters of the Carmine ortrait of osimo the Elder b on rm P C , y P to o Ufizi Gallery St. Jerome b Fra Fili o i i , y pp L pp Academy of Fine Arts Church of the Carmine Grou of An els b Giotto p g , y Medici Chapel in Santa Croce Portrait of Masaccio Brancacci Chapel in Church of the Carmine The ri ute one b asaccio T b M y, y M Brancacci Chapel in Church of the Carmine orona ion of the Vir in b Fili o i i C t g , y pp L pp Academy of Fine Arts Portrait of Filippo Lippi Academy of Fine Arts Portrait of Andrea del Sarto and his Wife Pitti Gallery View of Fiesole adonna b Andrea del Sarto M , y Pitti Gallery Palace Riccardi- Mannelli ’ Piazza dell Annunziata Villa Petraja ’ ici Statue of Ferdinand I. de Med ’ Piazza dell Annunz iata Piazza and Church of San Lorenzo Book- stall in Piazza San Lorenzo [ xi ] ILLUSTRATIONS Interior of San Lorenzo Strozzi Palace Piazza Santa Trinita Bridge of Santa Trinita Porta Romans M ’ m rs. Brownings To b Protestant Cemetery Donna Velata Pitti Gallery Madonna del Granduca Pitti Gallery ’ Galileo s Tower The Protestant Cemetery Piazza Donatello I ntr odu ction LTHOUGH n ish e s ir h the ci O a E gl po t by b t , ty f rence in a was the h me of Ro er and Flo , It ly, o b t . Elizabeth Barrett Browning during the fifteen h ir w i e ears e e e . For h his was a eri y Of t dd d l f bot , t p od not only Of supreme happiness but of continual literary r uc i n m s which was r un and ess n ia p od t o , o t Of p ofo dly e t lly influence a ian c n i i ns and a ian a m s here d by It l o d t o It l t o p . The most distinctively lyrical poetry of Robert Browning belongs almost entirely to these years ; whoever would see him as a sin er in is inc i n r m the rama is g , d t t o f o d t t Of his earlier period or the philosophical and religious poet Of his a er i e mus urn to the ems wri en urin l t l f , t t po tt d g this ” ime of li e e and a TO h e s th . e his r t f , lov , It ly bot po t to y, the scener the art rence was a c n inua ins ira y, Of Flo , o t l p tion ; poems and correspondence alike show the supreme place it held in their affections. The most beautiful ” Of t e ci ies e ise man sa s Mrs r wnin in o h . ne t d v d by , y B o g, ” Of her e ers c m e in rence as rence a l tt ; o pl t g Flo Flo It ly, sa s R er r wnin s ea in the cam ani e of the y ob t B o g, p k g Of p l ’ r wnin s i e- n in eres in a ian o i i Mrs. B o g l f lo g t t It l p l t cs and in popular liberty are too well known to need further [ 13 ] INTRODUCT ION ex si i po t on; b ut the large part played by the local color the ci the mu i u e a usi ns the Churches Of ty, lt t d of ll o to , th e iazzas the ic ures the s a ues the ra i i ns p , p t , t t , t d t o of Florence can be understood fully only by a somewhat int imae n w e e the Ci k o l dg of ty . ’ The same is rue of n o r r wnin s ems t ma y of R be t B o g po . Fo r e am e his O i s n rence is c un e x pl , ld P cture i Flo o t d am n o g the most obscure of his shorter poems ; b ut it is s ob cure only because it assumes a larger amount of infor m a i n in the his r f m s rea ers ssess t o to y o art than o t d po . i It s true that nearly every line has some allusion to an ar is t t or an art- principle more or less unknown ; b ut there is n o Obscurity either of thought or expression when we ar e once as well informed as Browning presupposes us all to b e. u ar imse Do btless it was a mistake on his p t . H lf i l ving am n hese hin s which were a ar his ai o g t t g , p t of d ly W a and h u h it was unwise assume an e ua am un lk t o g t, to q l o t O f in eres and n is ea er But t t knowledge o the part of h r d . the err r is en ar nd s irin isi in o both complim t y a in p g . V t g rence one of th firs m i i ns a er r wnin Flo , e t a b t o of lov of B o g ” is to o a u wi ic res in rence and her g bo t th Old P tu Flo , ot ems as a ui - m the hin s es w r h po , g de book to so e Of t g b t o t seein g. But even such a person finds no small difficulty in ca in t n h s he s ecia ic ure or s a ue or sce e. i lo t g p l p t , t t , T book is an attempt to aid him and also the still larger num ber of persons who may never see the city itself. The poems of the Brownings already have been annotated ably and sufficiently as far as words can serve ; the pres ent work aims to set before the eye pictures Of the places [ 1 4 ] or ers ns men i ned so that each reader ma see p o t o , y Flor ' ence for himself as nearly as pom ble as the two poets saw it ma a roach as cl se as ever is ossible to an ut , y pp , o ly p o si er the s urces of oetieal ins ira i d , o p p t on.