Girolamo Savonarola

Grayscale profile portrait of a Dominican friar. He gazes forward with little expression on his face and covers his head with a hood.

In early Renaissance Florence, Girolamo Savonarola stands as a hooded Dominican preacher whose stern presence dominates public thought. As his prophecies of divine judgment circulate among the people, they instill fear and expectation, establishing the moral tension that frames Romola’s opening. "And it were well for thee, Nello,' replied Nanni, 'If thou couldst empty thyself of thy scoffs and thy jests, and take in that liquor too. The warning is ringing in the ears of all men: and it's no new story; for the Abbot Joachim prophesied of the coming time three hundred years ago, and now Fra Girolamo has got the message afresh. He has seen it in a vision, even as the prophets of old: he has seen the sword hanging from the sky.'"("The Shipwrecked Stranger", Chapter 1).

Unknown

Unger, William (1837-1932), etcher

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

1888

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Unknown, Girolamo Savonarola, 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/83635