The Makers of Florence
Dante, Giotto, Savonarola; and their City

An engaging 1876 picture of the cultural development of Florence during the Renaissance through vibrant biographical sketches of key figures.

Margaret Oliphant (Author)

9781108054829, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 23 August 2012

438 pages, 54 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 2.5 cm, 0.55 kg

An influential and prolific Victorian author, Margaret Oliphant (1828–97) is best remembered for her 'Chronicles of Carlingford' - novels which sketch the religious and domestic politics of a provincial community - particularly the most popular in the cycle, Miss Marjoribanks (1866), and for her many book reviews, essays and serialised fiction for Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. Her output included ninety-eight novels, some fifty short stories, works of biography and non-fiction, and a series of cultural histories of European cities, of which this is the first. Originally published in 1876, the book paints a vivid picture of the cultural development of the great city of Florence during the Renaissance through biographical sketches of its key figures. They include Dante, Giotto, Savonarola, and 'he who stands alone amongst the crowd': Michelangelo. Written in an engaging style and illustrated throughout with many fine engravings, this is a work of lasting interest and popular appeal.

Introduction
Part I. The Poet, Dante: 1. His youth
2. His public life
3. In exile
Part II. The Cathedral Builders: 4. Arnolfo, Giotto
5. Ghiberti, Donatello, Brunelleschi
6. A peaceful citizen
Part III. The Monks of San Marco: 7. The angelical painter
8. The good archbishop
9. Girolamo Savonarola: his probation
10. Girolamo Savonarola: the preacher
11. Savonarola as a politician
12. The sperimento
13. The prophet's end
14. The Piagnoni painters
15. Michel Angelo
Index.

Subject Areas: European history [HBJD]