South by East: Notes of Travel in Southern Europe

The Catacombs of Naples

The Catacombs of Naples are of great interest even after those of Rome; they are said to extend for several miles underground; and they consist of broad arched passages hollowed out of the rock, containing on either side niches which once contained the bodies of the dead. They were without doubt [says Rodwell] excavated by the early Christians; many [...] original fresco has been covered with a coating of plaster, and a second fresco has been painted over the first, occasionally even a third. (p. 141) [more...]

Front Cover

Red buckram (I think) with gold leaf.

Decorative chapter head with winged creatures

A decorative woodcut used at the start of the chapter on Milan; there are dragons, or possibly gryphons but with tails like serpents, and in the centre a face with hair done in pigtails; the whole is [...]sarcophagus. [more...]

Decorative initial letter “M” – Roman military standard

This decorative initial letter “M” was used sa a drop cap at the start of the chapter; it is in the shape of a Roman standard that might have been carried by a legion of soldiers, and contains [...] [more...]

Milan Cathedral

A very fine engraving of the exceptionally beautiful Milan Cathedral; the scaled-down versions don’t do it justice.

Cathedral of S. Mark, Venice

“The centre of life in Venice is the Piazza of S. Mark, which is not altogether unlike the Palais Royal in Paris. It is surrounded on three sides by lofty houses, the lowest parts of which are shops or cafés, while on its east side stands the Cathedral of S. Mark, in front of which the three lofty masts which once bore the [...] [more...]

Portrait of Michael Angelo

“Memorials of Michael Angelo meet one at every turn in Florence. His city is justly proud of him. Mrs. Oliphant speaks of him as “the greatest Florentine master, he who stands alone among the crowd, exceeding all as his gigantic statues tower over all other works, alone at once in greatness and in [...] [more...]

Decorative Chapter Head

A decorative panel above the opening of Chapter VI. A man and a woman—more properly a merman and mermaid—meet in the centre. And don’t tell me the man isn’t gay with that wrist, darlings! [more...]

Initial Letter S

A drop cap, or initial letter, from the start of Chapter VI, showing a monk kneeling at prayer, with tonsure, robe and sandals. The desk at which he kneels is shaped like a carved wooden letter S. [more...]

Writing Desk

A small illustration to enliven the space at the end of Chapter VI. A bearded man sits writing at a mediæval writing desk; there are scrolls in the foreground, and a gargoyle’d trifoliate carving on his bench along with a small statue in the [...] [more...]

The Catacombs at Palermo

At the end of a long dark corridor, lined with coffins, chests, skulls, and the standing dead, we see an archway, and, through the arch, an old man, a monk, standing in a pool of light. This is a very cinematic engraving, even though it predates [...] [more...]