. Italian wall decorations of the 15th and 16th centuries : A handbook to the models, illustrating interiors of Italian buildings, in the Victoria and Albert museum, South Kensington. eans of making an accurate comparative study of it,who knows how many portraits of eminent persons living atthat brilliant epoch might not be discovered in Gozzoliswork. It has, moreover, another most significant value, as aspeaking living testimony to, and a precious example of, thecostumes and ornaments of the fifteenth century, a faithfulimage of the character of our landscapes and of the buildingsof that time
. Italian wall decorations of the 15th and 16th centuries : A handbook to the models, illustrating interiors of Italian buildings, in the Victoria and Albert museum, South Kensington. eans of making an accurate comparative study of it,who knows how many portraits of eminent persons living atthat brilliant epoch might not be discovered in Gozzoliswork. It has, moreover, another most significant value, as aspeaking living testimony to, and a precious example of, thecostumes and ornaments of the fifteenth century, a faithfulimage of the character of our landscapes and of the buildingsof that time, so as to constitute a valuable subject forstudy. In the two frescoes decorating the lateral walls of thetribune, Gozzoli proves himself the faithful disciple of FraAngelico. In their conception and character, and in thegraceful groups of singing, praising and praying angels, themanner of the master is seen, but tempered by more human,more realistic sentiment. The figures possess not onlythat conventional mysticism which precludes every mundaneaspect, but they impress us with their youthful vitality and afeminine quality, devoid of any strange and Singing portion of the fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli. RICCARDI PALACE, FLORENCE. 99 There has been much exaggeration and hypercriticism inpointing out Gozzolis inferiority to Angelico, and this super-ficial criticism has taken into account certain crude andmonotonous traits, without weighing against these defects thevery precious qualities, a recognition of which might havenotably modified the severity of the verdict. To upset such a verdict it will suffice to devote a con-scientious and accurate study to these frescoes, in whichGozzoli is shown to be a powerful and vivacious member ofthat school in Florence, which, in freeing itself from theold fetters, raised Florentine painting to so high a pitch ofgreatness in the fifteenth century. The frescoes on the walls of this chapel, begun in 1459,and com
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectarchite, bookyear1901
