Florence Expects a Guest
Title
Florence Expects a Guest
Alt Text Description
Grayscale illustration of a guard standing at the Florence city gate. He balances a crossbow, standing chest high, in front of him.
Description
At the Florence city gate, a lone guard stands rigid beneath the archway, holding a crossbow across his chest as the towers and walls loom above him. The fortified entrance and watchful posture visually register a city on edge, prepared for the arrival of the French king and the unrest his coming is expected to bring.
“But now, a week later, the great palace in the Via Larga had been prepared for the reception of another tenant; and if drapery roofing the streets with unwonted colour, if banners and hangings pouring out from the windows, if carpets and tapestry stretched over all steps and pavement on which exceptional feet might tread, were an unquestionable proof of joy, Florence was very joyful in the expectation of its new guest" ("Florence Expects a Guest," Chapter 21).
“But now, a week later, the great palace in the Via Larga had been prepared for the reception of another tenant; and if drapery roofing the streets with unwonted colour, if banners and hangings pouring out from the windows, if carpets and tapestry stretched over all steps and pavement on which exceptional feet might tread, were an unquestionable proof of joy, Florence was very joyful in the expectation of its new guest" ("Florence Expects a Guest," Chapter 21).
Illustrator
Leighton, Frederic (1830-1896)
Contributor
Swain, Joseph (1820-1909), engraver
Publisher
George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org
Date
1863, 1880
Rights
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Work Illustrated
Romola
Citation
Leighton, Frederic (1830-1896), Florence Expects a Guest, 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/83597
Illustration
