The Marble Faun

Hawthorne describes the Renaissance palazzo in which Miriam lives and keeps her studio. Donatello visits there after the episode at the Capitol and tries to cheer Miriam up, but she insists that artists are naturally dark and gloomy. After showing him her artwork, she tells him to meet her in the grounds of the Villa Borghese that afternoon.

Miriam pays a visit to Hilda in her “old and shabby palace” surmounted by a tower with a shrine to the Virgin Mary (39). The shrine contains a lamp that has been kept burning for centuries and that Hilda now tends.

Hawthorne describes Hilda’s travels to the galleries of Rome to paint and make skillful copies of the Old Masters. The narrative then returns to Miriam’s visit to Hilda from Chapter 6. Hilda shows Miriam her copy of a portrait of Beatrice Cenci, which she has reproduced from memory. Miriam praises Hilda for the accurate and profound likeness. Hilda explains that she sees Beatrice as a “fallen angel” who is profoundly sorrowful because of a sin. Miriam says that she wishes to “penetrate poor Beatrice’s mystery” (50); as she says this, Hilda notices that Miriam’s expression matches that of the portrait.