“THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN ART” 235

from Fra Angelico’s incapability, always visible, of drawing the head of life size. He is, in this respect, the exact reverse of Giotto; he was essentially a miniature painter, and never attained the mastery of muscular play in the features

to support it. This is also not an unfrequent error in him; it occurs painfully in the Incoronazione of the Virgin [also in the Accademia] ... and it is by its entire freedom from this defect that the Madonna of San Domenico in Fiesole assumes such superiority over all his large works. In his smaller works, from necessity, this line is not so conspicuous, and even when not filled in, it only gives greater transparency to the eye. Thus the small dancing angels of the Incoronazione have lovely dark eyes, while the larger figures have the circular line.

“The Madonna of which we are at present speaking, besides these defects, is too calm and cold in expression, and in her gorgeous draperies approaches more to the character of an idol, and less to that of a saint than I like to see. The dress of the Christ is brown, with golden girdle; that of the Madonna blue and red.

“Of the surrounding angels, the first on the right beating the drum is to be noted for the glorious crimson of the plumes of its wings, graduated down to the extremities darker and richer almost to blackness. It seems enamel over the gold. The face is turned full front, the eyes looking forward; the flame of fire on the head is a triangle with concave sides. It is remarkable how much of the refinement of the face would have been lost had these lines been straight instead of curved. There is a curious white baton in the left hand, with which the drum is touched, apprently to modify the sound. The second is blowing a trumpet upwards; the third, which is almost the finest of all, is beating a tambourine with a quiet continuous motion the second rising up from his hand as he floats through heaven: the hair ringlets over the brow falling lower and lower on the neck to the back of the head. Theses do not so much as tremble, but the tongue of fire on the forehead waves with his motion. The dress greenish blue, embroidered with gold; the wings alternately scarlet and brown starred with gold. These stars which are frequently used by the painter, are obtained by single blow with a gouge through the enamel on the gold, which, being indented, reflects the light, which plays on different parts of the wing according to the postion of the spectator. The workmanship of this kind through his works, considered as mere jewellery, is of the most exquisite kind, and all other jewellery looks coarse beside it. The fourth angle has a psaltery; the fifth bends forwards and down, looking up at the same time while he clashes the cymbals; one see that the stoop is in accordance with a cadence of music, a divine figure.

“The angels on the opposite side are perhaps not quiet so perfect, except two-the second who is also beating tambourine, his head bent aside in listening, and who in expression of rapture surpasses all; and the third who has just removed the trumpet from his lips, and with his right hand listens to the last blast of it passing away in space. I have said ‘his’ and ‘he’ in speaking of these angles, but they have no sex; they have the power and majesty of men with female delicacy of feature and softness of expression. Of the beauty of their faces no words can give any idea; they are to my mind, after the ‘Annunciation’ of Sta. Maria Novella, the most exalted and faultless conception which the human mind has ever reached of divine things.”]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]