Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 07.djvu/823

* FLORENCE. FLORENCE. performed, and the many political experiments of Florence were adjudged by the tribunal of popu- lar revolution. Until 1 s 7 :{ it contained Michel- angelo's "David," typical of Florentine liberty, and it still possesses Bandinelli's "Hercules and Cacus," Ammanati's "Fountain of Neptune," and Giovanni Bologna's slat if Cosmo 1. The centre of Florentine religious life was the l'iazza del Duomo, in which stand the Cathedral, the Campanile, and the venerable Baptistery where every true Florentine was baptised. The Florentines traded in the Mercato V :hio, now Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele, which contains a statue of the first monarch of thai name. Other famous ancient squares are that of the Annun- ziata, with its arcades and the fountains of Tacca, and the statue of Ferdinand I. by <;io- vanni Bologna; Santa Maria Novella, where public games were celebrated; and Santa Croce, with the monument to Dante. The new quarters of Florence extend beyond the ancient city walls, the site of which has been converted into fine driveways, the viali. The must beautiful of these is the Viale dei Colli, passing ever the hills on the southern border and offering fine views of the city. Among the most important modern squares are the Piazza d'Azeglio and the Piazza dell' Indipen- denza. The Piazzale di Michelangelo, near San Miniato, with its bronze cast of Michelangelo's "David," affords a marvelous panorama of Flor- ence and the vicinity. The principal public gar- dens are the Giardino di Boboli, beautifully laid out and containing numerous works of art, and the Cascine, where on Sundays and holidays the corso takes place. As regards both heat in sum- mer and cold in winter, the climate of Florence is extreme and, for Italy, subject to sudden changes. Churches and Palaces. Although the build- ings of old Florence are remarkable as works of architecture, in which some of them, indeed, were epoch making, they are no less so by reason of their historic associations, and especially for the works of painting and sculpture which they contain. The earliest surviving examples are constructed in a species of Romanesque, more closely related to the antique than this style is elsewhere, and characterized especially by beau- tiful marble incrustation. The most prominent examples are the exquisite little Church of San Miniato and the basilica Santi Apostoli — both probably dating from the eleventh century — and, especially, the Baptistery (San Giovanni), prob- ably originated in the seventh century, but in its present form dating principally from the twelfth century, its three bronze portals, one by An- drea Pisano and two by Ghiberti, one of which is the Paradise portal, mark epochs in the devel- opment of Florentine sculpture. A most remarkable activity in building was evinced in the last decades of the thirteenth cen- tury, from which date the principal Gothic build- ings of Florence. The oldest of the churches is Santa. Maria Novella (1278), the central seal of the Dominicans, constructed by two monks, Fra Sisto and Fra RistorO. A monument of simple architectural grandeur, it is even more famed for its Gothic paintings by Cimabue, Andrea Orcagna, and the Giotteschi in the Spanisli Chapel, and its Renaissance frescoes by Filippo Lippi and Ghirlandajo. Equally cele- brated is Santa Croce (q.v. ), church of the Franciscans, and the Florentine Pantheon. The Cathedral, begun probably in 129S continued throughout the fourteenth century, and com- pleted, excepting the facade, in the fifteenth, owed its construction to the patriotism oi the citizens. Lmong it architects were molfo di ('amino, the original designer, Giotto Fi Talenti, Ghiberti, and Brunelleschi. 1 ric ii' is celebrated for its marble incru I tl 1 interior for its wide vaulting and tl works of ;ut i1 contained, soi ,f which, like the "Singing Galleries" of Donatello and Lucca della Etobbia, have been removed. The celebrated cupola belongs to the Renaissance (see below), and the facade, though in the Gothic style,-is modern, The Campanile (bell-towei I, begun in 1334 and built after Giotto's designs, is pure Italian Gothic; light and airy in construction, adorned with reliefs and siatues by the mo-t celebrated Florentine sculptors of the fourteenth and fif- teenth centuries, this is the mosi beautiful tower of its kind in the world. Among the civic build- ings of the sana' epoch is the grim and fortress- like Bargello (c. 1250), once palace of the podesta. With its mighty bell-tower and walls of rough-hewn stone, the Palazzo Vecchio formed a typical Beal of the ever warlike and alert Gov- ernment of Florence. The usual ascription of this building to Arnolfo is not certain, and it was not erected in 1298, but in 1300-1301. Nor was Andrea Orcagna the architect of the Loggia dei Lanzi, which was begun in 1374, years after his death, by Simone Talenti. This fine open hall, once used to protect from the weather the participants in the great state ceremonies, which were conducted in the presence of the people, has become the model for such buildings. Half church, half guildhall, the I. ate Gothic Or San Michele, begun in 1337 by Orcagna, possesses in its tabernacle and in the statues of its niches an epitome of early Florentine sculpture. The entrance of the Renaissance into Fl< is associated with the many works of Brunel- leschi. First of all. and his principal construc- tive work, stands the cupola of the Cathedral (1421-34), the first great dome in the history of modern art. Modeled upon that of the Pan- theon, which somewhat exceeds it in diameter, though not in height, it is second only to Saint Peter's in magnitude. Other important churches are San Lorenzo (1421) and Santo Spirito (1443), and the beautiful little Pazzi Chapel (1420 1, while, in the grim Pitti Palace (q.v.), Brunelleschi erected a model of palac instruc- tion in rough-hewn stone. A frowning exterior, coupled, however, with light and attractive courtyards, is characteristic of Florentine pal- aces of the fifteenth century. The most impor- tant are Palazzo Riccardi by Michelozzo, i the residence of the Medici; Palazzo Strozzi (1489), perhaps the most beautiful in Florence, by Benedetto da Majano, and with cornice by Cronaca; and Palazzo Rucellai. by Leonbattista Alberti. The High Renaissance is not so well represented; among the besl examples are Ra- phael's Palazzo Pandolfini (1330) and the New Sacristj oi San Lorenzo, by Michelangelo. Educational Institutions. As a princi- pal centre of Italian science and art. Florence has always been the scat of a number of impor- tant educational institutions and art collections. The ancient university (1349) is now organized as an Institute of Higher Study; the time-hon- ored school for notaries is now combined with a