The Portraits of Dante. By F. Jewett Mather. (Princeton University
Press ; London : Humphrey Milford. 21s.)—The greatest poet of his age, Dante, was painted by its greatest painter, Giotto, and in 1840 two Englishmen were instrumental to the resurrection of the portrait from under its coat of
whitewash. It was at once destroyed by an Italian restorer,who daubed the work out of all recognition. Fortunately, one of the discoverers, Kirkup, had made a tracing and a water-colour sketch, which were the basis of the well-known Arundel print. The accuracy of the copy is vouched for by another copy made before the destruction. But besides Giotto, Taddeo Gaddi also painted Dante, probably before his death. This picture perished in 1566, and, as in the other instance, a copy remains. This copy is from the fifteenth century and is the frontispiece of a manu- script in the Biblioteca Nazionale at Florence. The so-called death mask is a coloured plaster work, probably made in the early part of the sixteenth century. It is a very beautiful thing, but of no historic importance as a portrait. The whole subject is discussed in detail by Mr. Mather, whose book is well illustrated.
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