Tito Melema

Grayscale portrait of a young man with curly hair leaning an elbow on a wall. He wears a small fez cap and looks to his left side

In a Florentine barber’s shop, Tito Melema leans against the wall as others admire his appearance. When the barber jokes about turning him into a saint or classical figure, the scene highlights Tito’s charm and hints at how easily he will move through Florentine society. "Tito Melema started and looked round with a pale astonishment in his face as if at a sudden accusation; but Nello left him no time to feel at a loss for an answer: 'Piero,' said the barber, 'thou art the most extraordinary compound of humours and fancies ever packed into a human skin. What trick wilt thou play with the fine visage of this young scholar to make it suit thy traitor?'" ("First Impressions", Chapter 4).

Satterlee, Walter (1844-1908)

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

1888

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Satterlee, Walter (1844-1908), Tito Melema, 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/83636