Memoirs of the early Italian painters / by Anna Jameson; thoroughly revised and in part rewritten by Estelle M. Hurll.
- Anna Brownell Jameson
- Date:
- 1899
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Memoirs of the early Italian painters / by Anna Jameson; thoroughly revised and in part rewritten by Estelle M. Hurll. Source: Wellcome Collection.
77/335 page 41
![by [Pietro Lorenzetti].1 Paradise and the Blessedness of the Just Avere to have followed, but these were never exe- cuted ; and at a later period the Legends of the patron saints of Pisa, St. Kanieri, St. Efeso, and St. Potito, were painted on this portion of the Avail. It is clear that, to understand the religious significance of these decorations of the Campo Santo, the subjects must be considered in the order I have folloAved. The first is styled the Triumph of Death (II Trionfo della Morte). It is full of poetry, and abounding in ideas then neAV in pictorial art. On the right is a festive company of ladies and cavaliers, aa'Iio by their falcons and dogs appear to be re- turned from the chase. They are seated under orange-trees, and splendidly attired; rich carpets are spread at their feet. A troubadour and singing-girl amuse them with flattering songs ; Cupids flutter around them and wave their torches. All the pleasures of sense and joys of earth are here united. On the left Death approaches Avitli rapid flight—a fearful-look- ing Avoman Avith Avild streaming hair, claws instead of nails, large bats’ Avings, and indestructible Avire-Avoven drapery. She SAvings a scythe in her hand, and is on the point of moAving doAvn the joys of the company. (This female impersonation of Death is supposed to be borroAved from Petrarch, Avhose “ Trionfo della Morte ” Avas Avritten about this time.) A host of corpses closely pressed together lie at her feet; by their in- signia they are almost all to be recognized as the former rulers of the Avorld, kings, queens, cardinals, bishops, princes, Avar- riors, etc. Their souls rise out of them in the form of neAv- born infants; angels and demons are ready to receive them: the souls of the pious fold their hands in prayer, those of the condemned shrink back in horror. The angels are peculiarly yet happily conceived, Avitli bird-like forms and variegated plumage; the demons have the semblance of beasts of prey or of disgusting reptiles. They fight Avith each other. On the right the angels ascend to heaven with those they have saved ; while the demons drag their prey to a fiery mountain, visible • on the left, and hurl the souls down into the. flames. Next to these corpses is a crowd of beggars and cripples, Avho Avitli out- stretched arms call upon Death to end their sorrows; but she 1 [These frescoes were Ion# attributed to Orcagna, and it was under his name that the description which follows appeared in the original edition.]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b24877888_0077.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
