Tito and Baldassarre

Grayscale illustration of a prisoner clutching the arm of a nobly-dressed man in a crowd. The man’s eyes are wide in surprise and fear.

Festive crowds fill the Piazza del Duomo as French soldiers parade bound prisoners and Florentine hostility mounts in Romola. Baldassarre escapes, clutches Tito in recognition, and when Tito denies him as a madman, Baldassarre releases him and disappears into the church. “But in mounting the steps, his foot received a shock; he was precipitated towards the group of signori, whose backs were turned to him, and was only able to recover his balance as he clutched one of them by the arm. It was Tito Melema who felt that clutch. He turned his head, and saw the face of his adoptive father, Baldassarre Calvo, close to his own" ("The Prisoners", Chapter 22).

Dudley, Ambrose (1867-1951)

George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org

1908

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Dudley, Ambrose (1867-1951), Tito and Baldassarre, George Eliot Illustrations Gallery, George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/83511