THE CERTOSA OF FLORENCE 
face is singularly noble, the serene brow, which had 
met so many perils in life unmoved, seems to have 
won a new majesty in the repose of death. Below, 
the lion rampant of the Acciaiuoli holds between his 
paws the Angevin fleur-de-lys, which Niccolo was 
privileged to wear, and a long inscription records his 
titles and great deeds, while on either side we read 
Zanobi’s motto, “ Contemsit omnia ille qui mortem 
prius,” and that other saying with which the Grand 
Seneschal was wont to console himself in dark days, 
“ Nescimus quia petamus, omnia pro meliori.” 
On the floor of the same chapel are three monu¬ 
mental slabs, which, although different in form, are 
almost equal to the former in beauty ; they are those 
of Acciaiuolo, his father, of his son Lorenzo, and of 
Lapa, his sister, the only woman to whom, by special 
favour, the right of burial in Niccolb’s sepulchre was 
granted. All three are remarkable for the rich cos¬ 
tumes and embroidery of the recumbent figures, in 
all three we see the same slender spiral columns 
and pointed arches. The effigy of Lorenzo is 
especially beautiful. The young knight sleeps in his 
coat of mail with his sword at his side, and his grace¬ 
ful head bent a little forward over his clasped hands. 
His flowing locks fall on his shoulders, and the intricate 
tracery of the armour is a marvel of delicate workman¬ 
ship, as if the sculptor had lavished all the wealth of 
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