More Books of the Week
(Continued front page 166.)
At a moment in which the history and culture of Renais- sance Italy is making a special appeal to us, and many are secretly wishing that they knew or remembered a little more about the life in which her art arose, there is sure to be a welcome for English translations of Piero Misciattelli's well- known studies of Savonarola and The Mystics of Siena (Hefter, 10s. 6d. each). These books, and especially the first, have been widely read in Italy; and though the attempt of the translator to convey the highly-coloured style of the original is sometimes distressing, on the whole they can be recommen- ded in their Rnglish dress to those who want an unexacting introduction to the world of Sano di Pietro and of Botticelli. Savonarola gives a vivid impressionistic picture of fifteenth- century Florence and its Prophet-Saint. The. Mystics of Siena consists of a number of rather superficial studies of the great Sienese saints—Giovanni Colombini, Catherine, and Bernardino—and certain less known figures, such as St. Galgano and the founder of. Monte Oliveto. The author's understanding of mysticism is slight, but his eye for the pictur- esque is keen. Both volumes are fully and delightfully illustrated, chiefly from contemporary sources.
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