deposed cantorie even worth preservation, so that they were broken up and occasionally levied upon for cornices and so forth.  The fragments were collected and taken to the Bargello in the middle of the last century, and in 1883 Signer del Moro, the then architect of the Duomo (whose bust is in the courtyard of this museum), reconstructed them to the best of his ability in their present situation.  It has to be remembered not only that, with the exception of the figures, the galleries are not as their artists made them, lacking many beautiful accessories, but that, as Vasari tells us, Donatello deliberately designed his for a dim light.  None the less, they remain two of the most delightful works of the Renaissance and two of the rarest treasures of Florence.

The dancing boys behind the small pillars with their gold chequering, the brackets, and the urn of the cornice over the second pair of pillars from the right, are all that remain of Donatello’s own handiwork.  All else is new and conjectural.  It is supposed that bronze heads of lions filled the two circular spaces between the brackets in the middle.  But although the loss of the work as a whole is to be regretted, the dancing boys remain, to be for ever an inspiration and a pleasure.  The Luca della Robbia cantoria opposite is not quite so triumphant a masterpiece, but from the point of view of suitability it is perhaps better.  We can believe that Luca’s children hymn the glory of the Lord, as indeed the inscription makes them, whereas Donatello’s romp with a gladness that might easily be purely pagan.  Luca’s design is more formal, more conventional; Donatello’s is rich and free and fluid with personality.  The two end panels of Luca’s are supplied in the cantoria by casts; the originals are on the wall below and may be carefully studied.  The animation and fervour of these choristers are unforgettable.

It is well, while enjoying Donatello’s work, to remember that Prato is only half an hour from Florence, and that there may be seen the open-air pulpit, built on the corner of the cathedral, which Donatello, with Michelozzo, his friend and colleague, made at the same time that the cantoria was in progress, and which in its relief of happy children is very similar, although not, I think, quite so remarkable.  It lacks also the peculiarly naturalistic effect gained in the cantoria by setting the dancing boys behind the pillars, which undoubtedly, as comparison with the Luca shows, assists realism.  The row of pillars attracts the eye first and the boys are thus thrown into a background which almost moves.

Although the cantorie dominate the museum they must not be allowed to overshadow all else.  A marble relief of the Madonna and Children by Agostino di Duccio (1418-1481) must be sought for:  it is No. 77 and the children are the merriest in Florence.  Another memorable Madonna and Child is No. 94, by Pagno di Lapo Portigiani (1406-1470), who has interest for us in this place as being one of Donatello’s