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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors &
+Architects, Volume 1 (of 8), by Giorgio Vasari
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors & Architects, Volume 1 (of 8)
+
+
+Author: Giorgio Vasari
+
+
+
+Release Date: April 24, 2007  [eBook #21212]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIVES OF THE PAINTERS,
+SCULPTORS & ARCHITECTS, VOLUME 1 (OF 8)***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Roy Brown
+
+
+
+THE LIVES OF THE PAINTERS, SCULPTORS & ARCHITECTS
+
+by
+
+GIORGIO VASARI
+
+In Eight Volumes
+
+Vol. One
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+   CIMABUE (1240-1302)
+   ARNOLFO DI LAPO (1232-1310)
+        BONANNO (fl. 1174-1186
+        LAPO (1190-1260)
+   NICCOLA AND GIOVANNI PISANI fl 1205, 1278, 1250-1328)
+   ANDREA TAFI (1250-1320)
+   GADDO GADDI (1259-1333)
+   MARGARITONE (1210-1293)
+   GIOTTO (1267-1337)
+        PUCCIO CAPANNA (fl. 1350)
+   AGOSTINO AND AGNOLO (fl. 1286-1330)
+   STEFANO AND UGOLINO (1301-1350, 1260-1339)
+   PIETRO LAURATI (died c. 1350)
+   ANDREA PISANO (1270-1348)
+   BUONAMICO BUFFALMACCO (fl. 1311-1351)
+   AMBRUOGIO LORENZETTI (died c. 1338)
+   PIETRO CAVALLINI (1259-1334)
+   SIMONE MARTINI AND LIPPO MEMMI (1285-1344; died 1357)
+
+
+
+PREFACE TO THE LIVES
+
+I am aware that it is commonly held as a fact by most writers that
+sculpture, as well as painting, was naturally discovered originally
+by the people of Egypt, and also that there are others who attribute
+to the Chaldeans the first rough carvings of statues and the first
+reliefs. In like manner there are those who credit the Greeks with
+the invention of the brush and of colouring. But it is my opinion
+that design, which is the creative principle in both arts, came into
+existence at the time of the origin of all things. When the Most High
+created the world and adorned the heavens with shining lights, His
+perfect intellect passing through the limpid air and alighting on the
+solid earth, formed man, thus disclosing the first form of sculpture
+and painting in the charming invention of things. Who will deny that
+from this man, as from a living example, the ideas of statues and
+sculpture, and the questions of pose and of outline, first took form;
+and from the first pictures, whatever they may have been, arose the
+first ideas of grace, unity, and the discordant concords made by the
+play of lights and shadows? Thus the first model from which the first
+image of man arose was a lump of earth, and not without reason, for
+the Divine Architect of time and of nature, being all perfection,
+wished to demonstrate, in the imperfection of His materials, what
+could be done to improve them, just as good sculptors and painters
+are in the habit of doing, when, by adding additional touches and
+removing blemishes, they bring their imperfect sketches to such a
+state of completion and of perfection as they desire. God also
+endowed man with a bright flesh colour, and the same shades may be
+drawn from the earth, which supplies materials to counterfeit
+everything which occurs in painting. It is indeed true that it is
+impossible to feel absolutely certain as to what steps men took for
+the imitation of the beautiful works of Nature in these arts before
+the flood, although it appears, most probable that even then they
+practised all manner of painting and sculpture; for Bel, son of the
+proud Nimrod, about 200 years after the flood, had a statue made,
+from which idolatry afterwards arose; and his celebrated
+daughter-in-law, Semiramis, queen of Babylon, in the building of that
+city, introduced among the ornaments there coloured representations
+from life of divers kinds of animals, as well as of herself and of
+her husband Ninus, with the bronze statues of her father, her
+mother-in-law, and her great-grandmother, as Diodorus relates,
+calling them Jove, Juno, and Ops--Greek names, which did not then
+exist. It was, perhaps, from these statues that the Chaldeans learned
+to make the images of their gods. It is recorded in Genesis how 150
+years later, when Rachel was fleeing from Mesopotamia with her
+husband Jacob, she stole the idols of her father Laban. Nor were the
+Chaldeans singular in making statues, for the Egyptians also had
+theirs, devoting great pains to those arts, as is shown by the
+marvellous tomb of that king of remote antiquity, Osimandyas,
+described at length by Diodorus, and, as the severe command of Moses
+proves, when, on leaving Egypt, he gave orders that no images should
+be made to God, upon pain of death. Moses also, after having ascended
+the Mount, and having found a golden calf manufactured and adored by
+his people, was greatly troubled at seeing divine honours accorded to
+the image of a beast; so that he not only broke it to powder, but, in
+the punishment of so great a fault, caused the Levites to put to
+death many thousands of the false Israelites who had committed this
+idolatry. But as the sin consisted in adoring idols and not in making
+them, it is written in Exodus that the art of design and of making
+statues, not only in marble but in all kinds of metal, was given by
+the mouth of God himself to Bezaleel, of the tribe of Judah, and to
+Aholiab, of the tribe of Dan, who made the two cherubim of gold, the
+candles, the veil, and the borders of the sacerdotal vestments,
+together with a number of other beautiful things in the tabernacle,
+for no other purpose than that people should put them on for their
+own adornment and delight. From the things seen before the flood, the
+pride of man found the means to make statues of those who wished
+their fame in the world to be immortal; and the Greeks, who give a
+different origin to this, say that the Ethiopians found the first
+statues, according to Diodorus, the Egyptians imitated these, while
+the Greeks followed the Egyptians. From this time until Homer's day
+it is clear that sculpture and painting were perfect, as we may see
+from the description of Achilles' shield by that divine poet, who
+represents it with such skill that the image of it is presented to
+our minds as clearly as if we had seen the thing itself. Lactantius
+Firmianus attributes the credit of the invention to Prometheus, who
+like God formed the human form out of dust. But according to Pliny
+this art was introduced into Egypt by Gyges of Lydia, who on seeing
+his shadow cast by the fire, at once drew a representation of himself
+on the wall with a piece of coal. For some time after that it was the
+custom to draw in outline only, without any colouring, Pliny again
+being our authority. This was afterwards introduced by Philocles of
+Egypt with considerable pains, and also by Cleanthes and Ardices of
+Corinth and by Telephanes of Sicyon. Cleophantes of Corinth was the
+first of the Greeks to use colours, and Apollodorus was the first to
+introduce the brush. Polignotus of Thasos, Zeuxis and Timagoras of
+Chalcis, Pythia and Aglaphon followed them, all most celebrated, and
+after them came the renowned Apelles who was so highly esteemed and
+honoured for his skill by Alexander the Great, for his wonderful
+delineation of Calumny and Favour, as Lucian relates. Almost all the
+painters and sculptors were of high excellence, being frequently
+endowed by heaven, not only with the additional gift of poetry, as
+we read in Pacuvius, but also with that of philosophy. Metrodorus is
+an instance in point, for he was equally skilled as a philosopher and
+as a painter, and when Apelles was sent by the Athenians to Paulus
+Emilius to adorn his triumph he remained to teach philosophy to the
+general's sons. Sculpture was thus generally practised in Greece,
+where there flourished a number of excellent artists, among them
+being Phidias of Athens, Praxiteles and Polycletus, very great
+masters. Lysippus and Pyrgoteles who were of considerable skill in
+engraving, and Pygmalion in ivory carving in relief, it being
+recorded of him that he obtained life by his prayers for the figure
+of a maid carved by him. The ancient Greeks and Romans also honoured
+and rewarded painting, since they granted the citizenship and very
+liberal gifts to those who excelled in this art. Painting flourished
+in Rome to such an extent that Fabius gave a name to his house,
+subscribing himself in the beautiful things he did in the temple of
+safety as Fabius the painter. By public decree slaves were prohibited
+from practising painting, and so much honour was continually afforded
+by the people to the art and to artists that rare works were sent to
+Rome among the spoils to appear in the triumphs; excellent artists
+who were slaves obtained their liberty and received notable rewards
+from the republic. The Romans bore such a reverence for the art that
+when the city of Syracuse was sacked Marcellus gave orders that his
+men should treat with respect a famous artist there, and also that
+they should be careful not to set fire to a quarter in which there
+was a very fine picture. This was afterwards carried to Rome to adorn
+his triumph. To that city in the course of time almost all the spoils
+of the world were brought, and the artists themselves gathered there
+beside these excellent works. By such means Rome became an
+exceedingly beautiful city, more richly adorned by the statues of
+foreign artists than by those made by natives. It is known that in
+the little island city of Rhodes there were more than 30,000 statues,
+in bronze and marble, nor did the Athenians possess less, while those
+of Olympus and Delphi were more numerous still, and those of Corinth
+were without number, all being most beautiful and of great price.
+Does not every one know how Nicomedes, king of Lycia, expended almost
+all the wealth of his people owing to his passion for a Venus by the
+hand of Praxiteles? Did not Attalus do the same? who without an
+afterthought expended more than 6000 sesterces to have a picture of
+Bacchus painted by Aristides. This picture was placed by Lucius
+Mummius, with great pomp to adorn Rome, in the temple of Ceres. But
+although the nobility of this art was so highly valued, it is
+uncertain to whom it owes its origin. As I have already said, it is
+found in very ancient times  among the Chaldeans, some attribute the
+honour to the Ethiopians, while the Greeks claim it for themselves.
+Besides this there is good reason for supposing that the Tuscans may
+have had it earlier, as our own Leon Batista Alberti asserts, and
+weighty evidence in favour of this view is supplied by the marvellous
+tomb of Porsena at Chiusi, where not long ago some tiles of
+terracotta were found under the ground, between the walls of the
+Labyrinth, containing some figures in half-relief, so excellent and
+so delicately fashioned that it is easy to see that art was not in
+its infancy at that time, for to judge by the perfection of these
+specimens it was nearer its zenith than its origin. Evidence to the
+same purport is supplied every day by the quantity of pieces of red
+and black Aretine vases, made about the same time, to judge by the
+style, with light carvings and small figures and scenes in
+bas-relief, and a quantity of small round masks, cleverly made by the
+masters of that age, and which prove the men of the time to have been
+most skilful and accomplished in that art. Further evidence is
+afforded by the statues found at Viterbo at the beginning of the
+pontificate of Alexander VI., showing that sculpture was valued and
+had advanced to no small state of perfection in Tuscany. Although the
+time when they were made is not exactly known, yet from the style of
+the figures and from the manner of the tombs and of the buildings, no
+less than by the inscriptions in Tuscan letters, it may be
+conjectured with great reason that they are of great antiquity, and
+that they were made at a time when such things were highly valued.
+But what clearer evidence can be desired than the discovery made in
+our own day in the year 1554 of a bronze figure representing the
+Chimĉra of Bellerophon, during the excavation of the fortifications
+and walls of Arezzo. This figure exhibits the perfection of the art
+attained by the Tuscans. Some small letters carved on a paw are
+presumed, in the absence of a knowledge of the Etruscan language, to
+give the master's name, and perhaps the date. This figure, on account
+of its beauty and antiquity, has been placed by Duke Cosimo in a
+chamber in his palace in the new suite of rooms which contains my
+paintings of the deeds of Pope Leo X. The Duke also possesses a
+number of small bronze figures which were found in the same place.
+But as the antiquity of the works of the Greeks, Ethiopians,
+Chaldeans, and Tuscans is enveloped in darkness, and because it is
+necessary in such matters to base one's opinions on conjectures,
+although these are not so ill founded that one is in danger of going
+very far astray, yet I think that anyone who will take the trouble to
+consider the matter carefully will arrive at the same conclusion as I
+have, that art owes its origin to Nature herself, that this beautiful
+creation the world supplied the first model, while the original
+teacher was that divine intelligence which has not only made us
+superior to the other animals, but like God Himself, if I may venture
+to say it. In our own time it has been seen, as I hope to show quite
+shortly, that simple children, roughly brought up in the woods, have
+begun to draw by themselves aided by the vivacity of their intellect,
+instructed solely by the example of these beautiful paintings and
+sculptures of Nature. Much more then is it probable that the first
+men, being less removed from their divine origin, were more perfect,
+possessing a brighter intelligence, and that with Nature as a guide,
+a pure intellect for master, and the lovely world as a model, they
+originated these noble arts, and by gradually improving them brought
+them at length, from small beginnings, to perfection. I do not deny
+that there must have been an originator, since I know quite well that
+there must have been a beginning at some time, due to some
+individual. Neither will I deny that it is possible for one person
+to help another, and to teach and open the way to design, colour, and
+relief, because I know that our art consists entirely of imitation,
+first of Nature, and then, as it cannot rise so high of itself, of
+those things which are produced from the masters with the greatest
+reputation. But I will say that an attempt to determine the exact
+identity of such men is a very dangerous task, and the knowledge when
+gained would probably prove unprofitable, since we have seen the true
+and original root of all. But the life and fame of artists depend
+upon their works which are destroyed by time one after the other in
+the order of their creation. Thus the artists themselves are unknown
+as there was no one to write about them and could not be, so that
+this source of knowledge was not granted to posterity. But when
+writers began to commemorate things made before their time, they were
+unable to speak of those of which they had seen no notice, so that
+those who came nearest to these were the last of whom no memorial
+remains. Thus Homer is by common consent admitted to be the first of
+the poets, not because there were none before him, for there were
+although they were not so excellent, and in his own works this is
+clearly shown, but because all knowledge of these, such as they were,
+had been lost two thousand years before. But we will now pass over
+these matters which are too vague on account of their antiquity and
+we will proceed to deal with clearer questions, namely, the rise of
+the arts to perfection, their decline and their restoration or rather
+renaissance, and here we stand on much firmer ground. The practice of
+the arts began late in Rome, if the first figures were, as reported,
+the image of Ceres made of the money of Spurius Caasius, who was
+condemned to death without remorse by his own father, because he was
+plotting to make himself king. But although the arts of painting and
+sculpture continued to flourish until the death of the last of the
+twelve Cĉsars, yet they did not maintain  that perfection and
+excellence which had characterised them before, as is seen as seen in
+the buildings of the time. The arts declined steadily from day to
+day, until at length by a gradual process they entirety lost all
+perfection of design. Clear testimony to this is afforded by the
+works in sculpture and architecture produced in Rome in the time of
+Constantine, notably in the triumphal arch made for him by the Roman
+people at the Colosseum, where we see, that for lack of good masters
+not only did they make use of marble works carved in the time of
+Trajan, but also of spoils brought to Rome from various places. These
+bas-reliefs, statues, the columns, the cornices and other ornaments
+which belong to another epoch only serve to expose the defects in
+those parts of the work which are entirely due to the sculptors of
+the day and which  are most rude. Very rude also are some scenes of
+small figures in marble under the circles and the pediment,
+representing victories, while between the side arches there are some
+rivers also very crude and so poor that they leave one firmly under
+the impression that the art of sculpture had been in a state of
+decadence for a long while. Yet the Goths and the other barbarous and
+foreign nations who combined to destroy all the superior arts in
+Italy had not then appeared. It is true that architecture suffered
+less than the other arts of design. The bath erected by Constantine
+at the entrance of the principal portico of the Lateran contains, in
+addition to its porphyry columns, capitals carved in marble and
+beautifully carved double bases taken from elsewhere, the whole
+composition of the building being very well ordered. On the other
+hand, the stucco, the mosaic and some incrustations of the walls made
+by the masters of the time are not equal to those which had been
+taken away for the most part from the temples of the gods of the
+heathen, and which Constantine caused to be placed in the same
+building. Constantine observed the same methods, according to report,
+with the garden of Ĉquitius in building the temple which he
+afterwards endowed and gave to Christian priests. In like manner the
+magnificent church of S. John Lateran, built by the same emperor, may
+serve as evidence of the same fact, namely, that sculpture had
+already greatly declined in his time, because the figures of the
+Saviour and of the twelve apostles in silver, which he caused to be
+made, were very base works, executed without art and with very little
+design. In addition to this, it is only necessary to examine the
+medals of this emperor, and other statues made by the sculptors of
+his day, which are now at the Capitol, to clearly perceive how far
+removed they are from the perfection of the medals and statues of the
+other emperors, all of which things prove that sculpture had greatly
+declined long before the coming of the Goths to Italy. Architecture,
+as I have said, maintained its excellence at a higher though not at
+the highest level. Nor is this a matter for surprise, since large
+buildings were almost entirely constructed of spoils, so that it was
+easy for the architects to imitate the old in making the new, since
+they had the former continually before their eyes. This was an easier
+task for them than far the sculptors, as the art of imitating the
+good figures of the ancients had declined. A good illustration of the
+truth of this statement is afforded by the church of the chief of the
+apostles in the Vatican, which is rich in columns, bases, capitals,
+architraves, cornices, doors and other incrustations and ornaments
+which were all taken from various places and buildings, erected
+before that time in very magnificent style. The same remarks apply to
+S. Croce at Jerusalem, which Constantine erected at the entreaty of
+his mother, Helena; of S. Lorenzo outside the wall, and of S. Agnesa,
+built by the same emperor at the request of his daughter Constance.
+Who also is not aware that the font which served for the baptism of
+the latter and of one of her sisters, was ornamented with fragments
+of great antiquity? as were the porphyry pillar carved with beautiful
+figures and some marble candelabra exquisitely carved with leaves,
+and some children in bas-relief of extraordinary beauty? In short, by
+these and many other signs, it is clear that sculpture was in
+decadence in the time of Constantine, and with it the other superior
+arts. If anything was required to complete their ruin it was supplied
+by the departure of Constantine from Rome when he transferred the
+seat of government to Byzantium, as he took with him to Greece not
+only all the best sculptors and other artists of the age, such as
+they were, but also a quantity of statues and other beautiful works
+of sculpture.
+
+After the departure of Constantine, the Caesars whom he left in
+Italy, were continually building in Rome and elsewhere, endeavouring
+to make these works as good as possible, but as we see, sculpture,
+painting and architecture were steadily going from bad to worse. This
+arose perhaps from the fact that when human affairs begin to decline,
+they grow steadily worse until the time comes when they can no longer
+deteriorate any further. In the time of Pope Liberius the architects
+of the day took considerable pains to produce a masterpiece when they
+built S. Maria Maggiore, but they were not very happy in the result,
+because although the building, which is also mostly constructed of
+spoils, is of very fair proportions, it cannot be denied that, not to
+speak of other defects, the decoration of the church with stucco and
+painting above the columns is of very poor design, and that many
+other things to be seen there leave no doubt as to the degradation of
+the arts. Many years later, when the Christians were suffering
+persecution under Julian the Apostate, a church was erected on the
+Celian Hill to SS. John and Paul, the martyrs, in so inferior a style
+to the others mentioned above that it is quite clear that at that
+time, art had all but entirely disappeared. The edifices erected in
+Tuscany at the same time bear out this view to the fullest extent.
+The church outside the walls of Arezzo, built to St Donato, bishop of
+that city, who suffered martyrdom with Hilarion the monk, under the
+same Julian the Apostate, is in no way superior to the others, and
+this is only one of many. It cannot be contended that such a state of
+affairs was due to anything but the lack of good architects, since
+the church in question, which is still standing, has eight sides, and
+was built of the spoils of the theatre, colosseum and other buildings
+erected in Arezzo before it was converted to the Christian faith. No
+expense has been spared, its columns being of granite and porphyry
+and variegated marble which, had formerly adorned the ancient
+buildings. For my own part, I have no doubt, seeing the expense
+incurred, that if the Aretines had been able to employ better
+architects they would have produced something marvellous, since what
+they actually accomplished proves that they spared themselves nothing
+in order to make this building as magnificent and complete as
+possible. But as architecture had lost less of its excellence than
+the other arts, as I have often said before, some good things may be
+seen there. At the same period the church of S. Maria in Grado was
+enlarged in honour of St Hilarion, who had lived in the city a long
+time before he accompanied Donato to receive the palm of martyrdom.
+But as Fortune, when she has brought men to the top of the wheel,
+either for amusement or because she repents, usually turns them to
+the bottom, it came to pass after these things that almost all the
+barbarian nations rose in divers parts of the world against the
+Romans, the result being the abasement of that great empire in a
+short time, and the destruction of everything, notably of Rome
+herself. That fall involved the complete destruction of the most
+excellent artists, sculptors, painters and architects who abandoned
+their profession and were themselves buried and submerged under the
+debris and ruins of that most celebrated city. The first to go were
+painting and sculpture, as being arts which served rather for
+pleasure than for utility, the other art, namely architecture, being
+necessary and useful for the welfare of the body, continued in use,
+but not in its perfection and purity. The very memory of painting and
+sculpture would have speedily disappeared had they not represented
+before the eyes of the rising generation, the distinguished men of
+another age. Some of them were commemorated by effigies and by
+inscriptions placed on public and private buildings, such as
+amphitheatres, theatres, baths, aqueducts, temples, obelisks,
+colosseums, pyramids, arches, reservoirs and treasuries, yes, and
+even on the very tombs. The majority of these were destroyed and
+obliterated by the barbarians, who had nothing human about them but
+their shape and name. Among others there were the Visigoths, who
+having made Alaric their king, invaded Italy and twice sacked Rome
+without respect for anything. The Vandals who came from Africa with
+Genseric, their king, did the like. But he, not content with his
+plunder and booty and the cruelties he inflicted, led into servitude
+the people there, to their infinite woe, and with them Eudoxia the
+wife of the Emperor Valentinian, who had only recently been
+assassinated by his own soldiers. These men had greatly degenerated
+from the ancient Roman valour, because a great while before, the best
+of them had all gone to Constantinople with the Emperor Constantine,
+and those left behind were dissolute and abandoned. Thus true men and
+every sort of virtue perished at the same time; laws, habits, names
+and tongues suffered change, and these varied misfortunes,
+collectively and singly, debased and degraded every fine spirit and
+every lofty soul. But the most harmful and destructive force which
+operated against these fine arts was the fervent zeal of the new
+Christian religion, which, after long and sanguinary strife, had at
+length vanquished and abolished the old faith of the heathen, by
+means of a number of miracles and by the sincerity of its acts. Every
+effort was put forth to remove and utterly extirpate the smaller
+things from which errors might arise, and thus not only were the
+marvellous statues, sculptures, paintings, mosaics and ornaments of
+the false pagan gods destroyed and thrown down, but also the
+memorials and honours of countless excellent persons, to whose
+distinguished merits statues and other memorials had been set up by a
+most virtuous antiquity. Besides all this, in order to build churches
+for the use of the Christians, not only were the most honoured
+temples of the idols destroyed, but in order to ennoble and decorate
+S. Peter's with more ornaments than it then possessed, the mole of
+Hadrian, now the castle of S. Angelo, was despoiled of its stone
+columns, as well as of many other things which are now seen in ruins.
+
+Now, although the Christian religion did not act thus from any hatred
+for talent, but only because of its contempt for the heathen gods,
+yet the utter ruin of these honourable professions, which entirely
+lost their form, was none the less entirely due to this burning zeal.
+That nothing might be wanting to these grave disasters there followed
+the rage of Totila against Rome, who destroyed the walls, ruined all
+the most magnificent and noble buildings with fire and sword, burned
+it from one end to another, and having stripped it of every living
+creature left it a prey to the flames, so that for the space of
+eighteen days not a living soul could be found there. He utterly
+destroyed the marvellous statues, paintings, mosaics and stuccos, so
+that he left Rome not only stripped of every trace of her former
+majesty, but destitute of shape and life. The ground floors of the
+palaces and other building had been adorned with paintings, stuccos
+and statues, and these were buried under the debris, so that many
+good things have come to light in our own day. Those who came after,
+judging everything to be ruined, planted vines over them so that
+these ruined chambers remained entirely underground, and the moderns
+have called them grottos and the paintings found there grotesques.
+The Ostrogoths being exterminated by Narses, the ruins of Rome were
+inhabited in a wretched fashion when after an interval of a hundred
+years there came the Emperor Constans of Constantinople, who was
+received in a friendly manner by the Romans. However he wasted,
+plundered and carried away everything that had been left in the
+wretched city of Rome, abandoned rather by chance than by the
+deliberate purpose of those who had laid it waste. It is true that
+he was not able to enjoy this booty, for being driven to Sicily by a
+storm at sea, he was killed by his followers, a fate he richly
+deserved, and thus lost his spoils, his kingdom and his life. But as
+if the troubles of Rome had not been sufficient, for the things which
+had been taken away could never return, there came an army of
+Saracens to ravage that island, who carried away the property of the
+Sicilians and the spoils of Rome to Alexandria, to the infinite shame
+and loss of Italy and of all Christendom. Thus what the popes had not
+destroyed, notably St Gregory, who is said to have put under the ban
+all that remained of the statues and of the spoils of the buildings,
+finally perished through the instrumentality of this traitorous
+Greek. Not a trace or a vestige of any good thing remained, so that
+the generations which followed being rough and material, particularly
+in painting and sculpture, yet feeling themselves impelled by nature
+and inspired by the atmosphere of the place, set themselves to
+produce things, not indeed according to the rules of art, for they
+had none, but as they were instructed by their own intelligence.
+
+The arts of design having arrived at this pitch, both before and
+during the time that the Lombards ruled Italy, they subsequently grew
+worse and worse, until at length they reached the lowest depths of
+baseness. An instance of their utter tastelessness and crudeness may
+be seen in some figures over the door in the portico of S. Peter's at
+Rome, in memory of some holy fathers who had disputed for Holy Church
+in certain councils. Further evidence is supplied by a number of
+examples in the same style in the city and in the whole of the
+Exarchate of Ravenna, notably some in S. Maria Rotonda outside that
+city, which were made shortly after the Lombards were driven from
+Italy. But I will not deny that there is one very notable and
+marvellous thing in this church, and that is the vault or cupola
+which covers it, which is ten braccia across and serves as the roof
+of the building, and yet is of a single piece and so large that it
+appears impossible that a stone of this description, weighing more
+than 200,000 pounds, could be placed so high up. But to return to our
+point, the masters of that day produced nothing but shapeless and
+clumsy things which may still be seen to-day. It was the same with
+architecture, for it was necessary to build, and as form and good
+methods were lost by the death of good artists and the destruction of
+good buildings, those who devoted themselves to this profession built
+erections devoid of order or measure, and totally deficient in grace,
+proportion or principle. Then new architects arose who created that
+style of building, for their barbarous nations, which we call German,
+and produced some works which are ridiculous to our modern eyes, but
+appeared admirable to theirs. This lasted until a better form
+somewhat similar to the good antique manner was discovered by better
+artists, as is shown by the oldest churches in Italy which are not
+antique, which were built by them, and by the palaces erected for
+Theoderic, King of Italy, at Ravenna, Pavia, and Modena, though the
+style is barbarous and rather rich and grand than well conceived or
+really good. The same may be said of S. Stefano at Rimini and of S.
+Martino at Ravenna, of the church of S. Giovanni Evangelista in the
+same city built by Galla Placida about the year of grace 438, of S.
+Vitale which was built in the year 547, and of the abbey of Classi di
+fuori, and indeed of many other monasteries and churches built after
+the time of the Lombards. All these buildings, as I have said, are
+great and magnificent, but the architecture is very rude. Among them
+are many abbeys in France built to S. Benedict and the church and
+monastery of Monte Casino, the church of S. Giovanni Battista built
+by that Theodelinda, Queen of the Goths, to whom S. Gregory the Pope
+wrote his dialogues. In this place that queen caused the history of
+the Lombards to be painted. We thus see that they shaved the backs of
+their heads, and wore tufts in front, and were dyed to the chin.
+Their clothes were of broad linen, like those worn by the Angles and
+Saxons, and they wore a mantle of divers colours; their shoes were
+open to the toes and bound above with small leather straps. Similar
+to the churches enumerated above were the church of S. Giovanni,
+Pavia, built by Gundiperga, daughter of Theodelinda, and the church
+of S. Salvatore in the same city, built by Aribert, the brother of
+the same queen, who succeeded Rodoaldo, husband of Gundiberta, in the
+government; the church of S. Ambruogio at Pavia, built by Grimoald,
+King of the Lombards, who drove from the kingdom Aribert's son
+Perterit. This Perterit being restored to his throne after
+Grimoald's death built a nunnery at Pavia called the Monasterio
+Nuovo, in honour of Our Lady and of St Agatha, and the queen built
+another dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Pertica outside the walls.
+Cunibert, Perterit's son, likewise built a monastery and church to St
+George called di Coronato, in a similar style, on the spot where he
+had won a great victory over Alahi. Not unlike these was the church
+which the Lombard king Luit-prand, who lived in the time of King
+Pepin, the father of Charlemagne, built at Pavia, called S. Piero, in
+Cieldauro, or that which Desiderius, who succeeded Astolf, built to
+S. Piero Clivate in the diocese of Milan; or the monastery of S.
+Vincenzo at Milan, or that of S. Giulia at Brescia, because all of
+them were very costly, but in a most ugly and rambling style. In
+Florence the style of architecture was slightly improved somewhat
+later, the church of S. Apostolo built by Charlemagne, although
+small, being very beautiful, because the shape of the columns,
+although made up of pieces, is very graceful and beautifully made,
+and the capitals and the arches in the vaulting of the side aisles
+show that some good architect was left in Tuscany, or had arisen
+there. In fine the architecture of this church is such that Pippo di
+Ser Brunnellesco did not disdain to make use of it as his model in
+designing the churches of S. Spirito and S. Lorenzo in the same city.
+The same progress may be noticed in the church of S. Mark's at
+Venice, not to speak of that of S. Giorgio Maggiore erected by
+Giovanni Morosini in the year 978. S. Mark's was begun under the Doge
+Giustiniano and Giovanni Particiaco next to S. Teodosio, when the
+body of the Evangelist was brought from Alexandria to Venice. After
+the Doge's palace and the church had suffered severely from a series
+of fires, it was rebuilt upon the same foundations in the Byzantine
+style as it stands to-day, at a great cost and  with the assistance
+of many architects, in the time of the Doge Domenico Selvo, in the
+year 973, the columns being brought from the places where they could
+be obtained. The construction was  continued until the year 1140, M.
+Piero Polani being then Doge, from the plans of several masters who
+were all Greeks, as I have said. Erected at the same time, and also
+in the Byzantine style, were the seven abbeys built in Tuscany by
+Count Hugh, Marquis of Brandenburg, such as the Badia of Florence,
+the abbey of Settimo, and the others. All these structures and the
+vestiges of others which are not standing bear witness to the fact
+that architecture maintained its footing though in a very bastard
+form far removed from the good antique style. Further evidence is
+afforded by a number of old palaces erected in Florence in Tuscan
+work after the destruction of Fiesole, but the measurements of the
+doors and the very elongated windows and the sharp-pointed arches
+after the manner of the foreign architects of the day, denote some
+amount of barbarism. In the year after 1013 the art appears to have
+received an access of vigour in the rebuilding of the beautiful
+church of S. Miniato on the Mount in the time of M. Alibrando,
+citizen and bishop of Florence, for, in addition to the marble
+ornamentation both within and without, the façade shows that the
+Tuscan architects were making efforts to imitate the good ancient
+order in the doors, windows, columns, arches and cornices, so far as
+they were able, having as a model the very ancient church of S.
+Giovanni in their city. At the same period, pictorial art, which had
+all but disappeared, seems to have made some progress, as is shown by
+a mosaic in the principal chapel of the same church of S. Miniato.
+
+From such beginnings design and a general improvement in the arts
+began to make headway in Tuscany, as in the year 1016 when the Pisans
+began to erect their Duomo. For in that time it was a considerable
+undertaking to build such a church, with its five aisles and almost
+entirely constructed of marble both inside and out. This church,
+built from the plans and under the direction of Buschetto, a clever
+Greek architect from Dulichium, was erected and adorned by the Pisans
+when at the zenith of their power with an endless quantity of spoils
+brought by sea from various distant parts, as the columns, bases,
+capitals, cornices and other stones there of every description, amply
+demonstrate. Now since all these things were of all sizes, great,
+medium, and small, Buschetto displayed great judgment in adapting
+them to their places, so that the whole building is excellently
+devised in every part, both within and without. Amongst other things
+he devised the façade, which is made up of a series of stages,
+gradually diminishing toward the top and consisting of a great number
+of columns, adorning it with other columns and antique statues. He
+carried out the principal doors of that façade in the same style,
+beside one of which, that of the Carroccio, he afterwards received
+honourable burial, with three epitaphs, one being in Latin verse, not
+unlike other things of the time:
+
+        _Quod vix mille boum possent juga juncta movere
+        Et quod vix potuit per mare ferre ratis
+        Buschetti nisu, quod erat Mirabile visu
+        Dena puellarum turba levavit onus._
+
+As I have mentioned the church of S. Apostolo at Florence above, I
+will here give an inscription which may be read on a marble slab on
+one of the sides of the high altar, which runs:
+
+  VIII. v. Die vi. Aprilis in resurrectione Domini Karolus Francorum
+  Rex Roma revertens, ingressus Florentiam cum magno gaudio et
+  tripudio succeptus, civium copiam torqueis aureis decoravit.
+  Ecclesia Sanctorum Apostolorum in altari inclusa est laminea
+  plumbea, in qua descripta apparet praefacta fundatio et consecratio
+  facta per Archiepiscopum Turpinum, testibus Rolando et Uliverio.
+
+The edifice of the Duomo at Pisa gave a new impulse to the minds of
+many men in all Italy, and especially in Tuscany, and led to the
+foundation in the city of Pistoia in 1032 of the church of S. Paolo,
+in the presence of S. Atto, the bishop there, as a contemporary deed
+relates, and indeed of many other buildings, a mere mention of which
+would occupy too much space.
+
+I must not forget to mention either, how in the course of time the
+round church of S. Giovanni was erected at Pisa in the year 1060,
+opposite the Duomo and on the same piazza. A marvellous and almost
+incredible statement in connection with this church is that of an
+ancient record in a book of the Opera of the Duomo, that the columns,
+pillars and vaulting were erected and completed in fifteen days and
+no more. The same book, which may be examined by any one, relates
+that an impost of a penny a hearth was exacted for the building of
+the temple, but it does not state whether this was to be of gold or
+of base metal. The same book states that there were 34,000 hearths in
+Pisa at that time. It is certain that the work was very costly and
+presented formidable difficulties, especially the vaulting of the
+tribune, which is pear-shaped and covered outside with lead. The
+exterior is full of columns, carving, scenes, and the middle part of
+the frieze of the doorway contains figures of Christ and the twelve
+apostles in half-relief and in the Byzantine style.
+
+About the same time, namely in 1061, the Lucchese, in emulation of
+the Pisans, began the church of S. Martino at Lucea, from the designs
+of some pupils of Buschetto, there being no other artists then in
+Tuscany. The façade has a marble portico in front of it containing
+many ornaments and carvings in honour of Pope Alexander II., who had
+been bishop of the city just before he was raised to the pontificate.
+Nine lines in Latin relate the whole history of the façade and of the
+Pope, repeated in some antique letters carved in marble inside the
+doors of the portico. The façade also contains some figures and a
+number of scenes in half-relief below the portico relating to the
+life of St Martin executed in marble and in the Byzantine style. But
+the best things there, over one of these doors, were done by Niccola
+Pisano, 170 years later, and completed in 1233, as will be related in
+the proper place, Abellenato and Aliprando being the craftsmen at the
+beginning, as some letters carved in marble in the same place fully
+relate. The figures by Niccola Pisano show to what an extent the art
+was improved by him. Most of the buildings erected in Italy from this
+time until the year 1250 were similar in character to these, for
+architecture made little or no apparent progress in all these years,
+but remained stationary, the same rude style being retained. Many
+examples of this may be seen to-day, but I will not now enumerate
+them, because I shall refer to them again as the occasion presents
+itself.
+
+The admirable sculptures and paintings buried in the ruins of Italy
+remained hidden or unknown to the men of this time who were engrossed
+in the rude productions of their own age, in which they used no
+sculptures or paintings except such as were produced by the old
+artists of Greece, who still survived, making images of clay or
+stone, or painting  grotesque figures and only colouring the first
+lineaments. These artists were invited to Italy for they were the
+best and indeed the only representatives of their profession. With
+them they brought the mosaics, sculptures, and paintings which they
+themselves produced and thus they taught their methods to the
+Italians, after their own rough and clumsy style. The Italians
+practised the art in this fashion up to a certain time, as I shall
+relate.
+
+As the men of the age were not accustomed to see any excellence or
+greater perfection than the things thus produced, they greatly
+admired them, and considered them to be the type of perfection, base
+as they were. Yet some rising spirits aided by some quality in the
+air of certain places, so far purged themselves of this crude style
+that in 1250 Heaven took compassion on the fine minds that the Tuscan
+soil was producing every day, and directed art into its former
+channels. And although the preceding generations had before them the
+remains of arches, colossi, statues, pillars or stone columns which
+were left after the plunder, ruin and fire which Rome had passed
+through, yet they could never make use of them or derive any profit
+from them until the period named. Those who came after were able to
+distinguish the good from the bad, and abandoning the old style they
+began to copy the ancients with all ardour and industry. That the
+distinction I have made between old and ancient may be better
+understood I will explain that I call ancient the things produced
+before Constantine at Corinth, Athens, Rome and other renowned
+cities, until the days of Nero, Vaspasian, Trajan, Hadrian and
+Antoninus; the old works are those which are due to the surviving
+Greeks from the days of St Silvester, whose art consisted rather of
+tinting than of painting. For the original artists of excellence had
+perished in the wars, as I have said, and the surviving Greeks, of
+the old and not the ancient manner, could only trace profiles on a
+ground of colour. Countless mosaics done by these Greeks in every
+part of Italy bear testimony to this, and every old church of Italy
+possesses examples, notably the Duomo of Pisa, S. Marco at Venice
+and yet other places. Thus they produced a constant stream of
+figures in this style, with frightened eyes, outstretched hands and
+on the tips of their toes, as in S. Miniato outside Florence between
+the door of the sacristy and that of the convent, and in S. Spirito
+in the same city, all the side of the cloister towards the church,
+and in Arezzo in S. Giuliano and S. Bartolommeo and other churches,
+and at Rome in old S. Peter's in the scenes about the windows, all of
+which are more like monsters than the figures which they are supposed
+to represent. They also produced countless sculptures, such as those
+in bas-relief still over the door of S. Michele on the piazza Padella
+at Florence, and in Ognissanti, and in many places, in tombs and
+ornaments for the doors of churches, where there are some figures
+acting as corbels to carry the roof, so rude and coarse, so grossly
+made, and in such a rough style, that it is impossible to imagine
+worse.
+
+Up to the present, I have discoursed exclusively upon the origin of
+sculpture and painting, perhaps more at length than was necessary at
+this stage. I have done so, not so much because I have been carried
+away by my love for the arts, as because I wish to be of service to
+the artists of our own day, by showing them how a small beginning
+leads to the highest elevation, and how from so noble a situation it
+is possible to fall to utterest ruin, and consequently, how the
+nature of these arts resembles nature in other things which concern
+our human bodies; there is birth, growth, age, death, and I hope by
+this means they will be enabled more easily to recognise the progress
+of the renaissance of the arts, and the perfection to which they have
+attained in our own time. And again, if ever it happens, which God
+forbid, that the arts should once more fall to a like ruin and
+disorder, through the negligence of man, the malignity of the age, or
+the ordinance of Heaven, which does not appear to wish that the
+things of this world should remain stationary, these labours of mine,
+such as they are (if they are worthy of a happier fate), by means of
+the things discussed before, and by those which remain to be said,
+may maintain the arts in life, or, at any rate, encourage the better
+spirits to provide them with assistance, so that, by my good will and
+the labours of such men, they may have an abundance of those aids and
+embellishments which, if I may speak the truth freely, they have
+lacked until now.
+
+But it is now time to come to the life of Giovanni Cimabue, who
+originated the new method of design and painting, so that it is right
+that his should be the first of the Lives. And here I may remark that
+I shall follow the schools rather than a chronological order. And in
+describing the appearance and the arts of the artists, I shall be
+brief, because their portraits, which I have collected at great
+expense, and with much labour and diligence, will show what manner of
+men they were to look at much better than any description could ever
+do. If some portraits are missing, that is not my fault, but because
+they are not to be found anywhere. If it chance that some of the
+portraits do not appear to be exactly like others which are extant,
+it is necessary to reflect that a portrait of a man of eighteen or
+twenty years can never be like one made fifteen or twenty years
+later, and, in addition to this, portraits in black and white are
+never so good as those which are coloured, besides which the
+engravers, who do not design, always take something from the faces,
+because they are never able to reproduce those small details which
+constitute the excellence of a work, or to copy that perfection which
+is rarely, if ever, to be found in wood engravings. To conclude, the
+reader will be able to appreciate the amount of labour, expense, and
+care which I have bestowed upon this matter when he sees what efforts
+I have made in my researches.
+
+
+
+
+VASARI'S LIVES OF THE PAINTERS.
+
+
+
+Cimabue, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+The endless flood of misfortunes which overwhelmed unhappy Italy not
+only ruined everything worthy of the name of a building, but
+completely extinguished the race of artists, a far more serious
+matter. Then, as it pleased God, there was born in the year 1240 in
+the city of Florence, Giovanni, surnamed Cimabue, of the noble family
+of the Cimabui, to shed the first light on the art of painting. As he
+grew up he appeared to his father and others to be a boy of quick
+intelligence, so that he was accordingly sent to receive instruction
+in letters to a relation, a master at S. Maria Novella, who then
+taught grammar to the novices of that convent. Instead of paying
+attention to his lessons, Cimabue spent the whole day in drawing men,
+horses, houses, and various other fancies on his books and odd
+sheets, like one who felt himself compelled to do so by nature.
+Fortune proved favourable to this natural inclination, for some Greek
+artists were summoned to Florence by the government of the city for
+no other purpose than the revival of painting in their midst, since
+that art was not so much debased as altogether lost. Among the other
+works which they began in the city, they undertook the chapel of the
+Gondi, the vaulting and walls of which are to-day all but destroyed
+by the ravages of time. It is situated in S. Maria Novella, next the
+principal chapel. In this way Cimabue made a beginning in the art
+which attracted him, for he often played the truant and spent the
+whole day in watching the masters work. Thus it came about that his
+father and the artists considered him so fitted to be a painter that,
+if he devoted himself to the profession, he might look for honourable
+success in it, and to his great satisfaction his father procured him
+employment with the painters. Then, by dint of continual practice and
+with the assistance of his natural talent, he far surpassed the
+manner of his teachers both in design and in colour. For they had
+never cared to make any progress, and had executed their works, not
+in the good manner of ancient Greece, but in the rude modern style of
+that time. But although Cimabue imitated the Greeks he introduced
+many improvements in the art, and in a great measure emancipated
+himself from their awkward manner, bringing honour to his country by
+his name and by the works which he produced. The pictures which he
+executed in Florence bear testimony to this, such as the antipendium
+to the altar of St Cecilia, and a Madonna  in S. Croce, which was
+then and still is fastened to a pillar on the right hand side of the
+choir. Subsequently he painted on a panel a St Francis, on a gold
+ground. He drew this from nature, to the best of his powers, although
+it was a novelty to do so in those days, and about it he represented
+the whole of the saint's life in twenty small pictures full of little
+figures, on a gold ground. He afterwards undertook a large picture
+for the monks of Vallombrosa in their abbey of S, Trinita at
+Florence. This was a Madonna with the child in her arms, surrounded
+by many adoring angels, on a gold ground. To justify the high opinion
+in which he was already held, he worked at it with great industry,
+showing improved powers of invention and exhibiting our lady in a
+pleasing attitude. The painting when finished was placed by the monks
+over the high altar of the church, whence it was afterwards removed
+to make way for the picture of Alesso Baldovinetti, which is there
+to-day. It was afterwards placed in a small chapel of the south aisle
+in that church. Cimabue next worked in fresco at the hospital of the
+Porcellana, at the corner of the via Nuova which leads to the Borgo
+Ognissanti. On one side of the façade, in the middle of which is the
+principal door, he represented an Annunciation, and on the other
+side, Jesus Christ with Cleophas and Luke, life-size figures. In this
+work he abandoned the old manner, making the draperies, garments, and
+other things somewhat more life-like, natural and soft than the style
+of the Greeks, full as that was of lines and profiles as well in
+mosaics as in painting. The painters of those times had taught one
+another that rough, awkward and common-place style for a great number
+of years, not by means of study but as a matter of custom, without
+ever dreaming of improving their designs by beauty of colouring or by
+any invention of worth. After this was finished Cimabue again
+received a commission from the same superior for whom he had done the
+work at S. Croce. He now made him a large crucifix of wood, which may
+still be seen in the church. The work caused the superior, who was
+well pleased with it, to take him to their convent of S. Francesco at
+Pisa, to paint a picture of St Francis there. When completed it was
+considered most remarkable by the people there, since they recognised
+a certain quality of excellence in the turn of the heads and in the
+fall of the drapery which was not to be found in the Byzantine style
+in any work executed up to that time not only in Pisa but throughout
+Italy.
+
+For the same church Cimabue afterwards painted a large picture of Our
+Lady with the child in her arms, surrounded by several angels, on a
+gold ground. In order to make room for the marble altar which is now
+there it was soon afterwards removed from its original situation and
+placed inside the church, near the door on the left hand. For this
+work he was much praised and rewarded by the Pisans. In Pisa also he
+painted a panel of St Agnes surrounded by a number of small figures
+representing scenes from her life, at the request of the Abbot of S.
+Paolo in Ripa d'Arno. The panel is to-day over the altar of the
+Virgin in that church.
+
+The name of Cimabue having become generally known through these
+works, he was taken to Assisi, a city of Umbria, where, in
+conjunction with some Greek masters, he painted a part of the
+vaulting of the lower Church of S. Franceso, and on the walls, the
+life of Jesus Christ and that of St Francis. In these paintings he
+far surpassed the Greek masters, and encouraged by this, he began to
+paint the upper church in fresco unaided, and on the large gallery
+over the choir, on the four walls, he painted some subjects from the
+history of Our Lady, that is to say, her death, when her soul is
+carried to Heaven by Christ on a throne of clouds, and when He crowns
+her in the midst of a choir of angels, with a number of saints
+beneath. These are now destroyed by time and dust. He then painted
+several things at the intersections of the vaulting of that church,
+which are five in number. In the first one over the choir he
+represented the four Evangelists, larger than life-size, and so well
+done, that even to-day they are acknowledged to possess some merit;
+and the freshness of the flesh colouring shows, that by his efforts,
+fresco-painting was beginning to make great progress. The second
+intersection he filled with gilt stars on an ultramarine field. In
+the third he represented Jesus Christ, the Virgin his mother, St John
+the Baptist and St Francis in medallions, that is to say, a figure in
+each medallion and a medallion in each of the four divisions of the
+vault. The fourth intersection like the second he painted with gilt
+stars on ultramarine. In the fifth he represented the four Doctors of
+the church, and beside each of them a member of the four principal
+religious orders. This laborious undertaking was carried out with
+infinite diligence. When he had finished the vaults he painted the
+upper part of the walla on the left side of the church from one end
+to the other, also in fresco. Near the high altar between the windows
+and right up to the vaulting he represented eight subjects from the
+Old Testament, starting from the beginning of Genesis and selecting
+the most noteworthy incidents. In the space flanking the windows to
+the point where they terminate at the gallery which runs round the
+inside of the church, he painted the remainder of the Old Testament
+history in eight other subjects. Opposite  these  and corresponding
+to them he painted sixteen subjects representing the deeds of Our
+Lady and of Jesus Christ, while on the end wall over the principal
+entrance and about the rose window above it, he painted the Ascension
+and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. This work which
+is most extraordinary for richness and beauty, must, in my opinion,
+have astounded the people of those times, painting having been in
+such blindness for so long a apace. When I saw it again in the year
+1563 it seemed most beautiful, as I reflected how marvellous it was
+that Cimabue should see so much light in the midst of so great
+darkness. But it is worthy of note that of all these paintings those
+of the vaults are much the best preserved since they are less injured
+by the dust and other accidents. When these works were finished
+Giovanni set about painting the walls beneath, namely those beneath
+the windows, and he did some things there, but as he was summoned to
+Florence on some affairs of his own, he did not pursue the task,
+which was finished by Giotto many years after, as will be related
+when the time comes.
+
+Cimabue having thus returned to Florence painted in the cloister of
+S. Spirito, where the whole length of wall towards the church is done
+in the Byzantine style by other masters, events from the life of
+Christ, in three arches, with considerable excellence of design. At
+the same time, he sent to Empoli some things executed by him in
+Florence, which are held in great reverence to this day in the Pieve
+of that town. He next painted a picture of Our Lady for the church of
+S. Maria Novella, where it hangs high up between the chapel of the
+Rucellai and that of the Bardi of Vernio. The figure was of a larger
+size than any which had been executed up to that time, and the angels
+about it show that, although be still had the Byzantine style, he was
+making, some progress towards the lineaments and methods of modern
+times. The people of that day, who had never seen anything better,
+considered this work so marvellous, that they carried it to the
+church from Cimabue's house in a stately procession with great
+rejoicing and blowing of trumpets, while Cimabue himself was highly
+rewarded and honoured. It is reported, and some records of the old
+painters relate that while Cimabue was painting this picture in some
+gardens near the gate of S. Piero, the old king Charles of Anjou
+passed through Florence. Among the many entertainments prepared for
+him by the men of the city, they brought him to see the picture of
+Cimabue. As it had not then been seen by anyone, all the men and
+women of Florence flocked thither in a crowd, with the greatest
+rejoicings, so that those who lived in the neighbourhood called the
+place Borgo Allegri (Joyful Quarter), because of the rejoicing there.
+This name it has ever afterwards retained, being in the course of
+time enclosed within the walls of the city.
+
+At S. Francesco, at Pisa, where Cimabue executed some other works,
+which have been mentioned above, in the cloister, at a corner beside
+the doorway leading into the church, is a small picture in tempera by
+his hand, representing Christ on the cross, surrounded by some angels
+who are weeping, and hold in their hands certain words written about
+the head of Christ, and which they are directing towards the ears of
+our Lady, who is standing weeping on the right hand side; and on the
+other side to St John the Evangelist, who is there, plunged in grief.
+The words to the Virgin are: "_Mulier, ecce filius tuus_," and those
+to St John: "_Ecce mater tua_." Another angel, separated from these,
+holds in its hands the sentence: "_Ex illa hora accepit eam
+discipulus in suam_." In this we perceive how Cimabue began to give
+light and open the way to inventions, bringing words, as he does
+here, to the help of his art in order to express his meaning, a
+curious device certainly and an innovation.
+
+By means of these works Cimabue had now acquired a great name and
+much profit, so that he was associated with Arnolfo Lapi, an
+excellent architect of that time, in the building of S. Maria del
+Fiore, at Florence. But at length, when he had lived sixty years, he
+passed to the other life in the year 1300, having achieved hardly
+less than the resurrection of painting from the dead.
+
+He left behind a number of disciples, and among others Giotto, who
+was afterwards an excellent painter. Giotto dwelt in his master's old
+house in the via del Cocomero after Cimabue's death. Cimabue was
+buried in S. Maria del Fiore, with this epitaph made for him by one
+of the Nini:--
+
+     "Credidit ut Clmabos picturĉ castra tenere
+     Sic tenuit vivens, nunc tenet astra poli."
+
+I must not omit to say that if the greatness of Giotto, his pupil,
+had not obscured the glory of Cimabue, the fame of the latter would
+have been more considerable, as Dante points out in his Commedia in
+the eleventh canto of the Purgatorio, with an allusion to the
+inscription on the tomb, where he says:
+
+     "Credette Cimabue nella pintura
+     Tener lo campo, ed ora ha Giotto il grido
+     Si che la fama di colui oscura."
+
+A commentator on Dante, who wrote during Giotto's lifetime, about
+1334, some ten or twelve years after the poet's death, in his
+explanation of these lines, says the following words in speaking of
+Cimabue: "Cimabue was a painter of Florence in the time of our
+author, a man of unusual eminence and so arrogant and haughty withal,
+that if any one pointed out a fault or defect in his work, or if he
+discovered any himself, since it frequently happens that an artist
+makes mistakes through a defect in the materials which he employs, or
+because of some fault in the instrument with which he works, he
+immediately destroyed that work, however costly it might be. Giotto
+was, and is, the most eminent among the painters of the same city of
+Florence, as his works testify, at Rome, Naples, Avignon, Florence,
+Padua, and many parts of the world," etc. This commentary is now in
+the possession of the Very Rev. Vincenzio Borghini, prior of the
+Innocents, a man distinguished for his eminence, piety and learning,
+but also for his love for and skill in all the superior arts, so that
+he has well deserved his judicious selection by Duke Cosimo to be the
+ducal representative in our academy of design.
+
+Returning to Cimabue, Giotto certainly overshadowed his renown, just
+as a great light eclipses a much smaller one, and although Cimabue
+was, as it were, the first cause of the revival of the art of
+painting, yet Giotto, his disciple, moved by a praiseworthy ambition,
+and aided by Heaven and by Nature, penetrated deeper in thought, and
+threw open the gates of Truth to those who afterwards brought art to
+that perfection and grandeur which we see in our own age. In fact the
+marvels, miracles, and impossibilities executed at the present time
+by those who practise this art, and which are to be seen every day,
+have brought things to such a pitch, that no one marvels at them
+although they are rather divine than human, and those who make the
+most praiseworthy efforts may consider themselves fortunate, if,
+instead of being praised and admired, they escape censure, and even
+disgrace. The portrait of Cimabue by the hand of Simone of Siena may
+be seen in the chapter-house of S. Maria Novella, executed in profile
+in the picture of the Faith. The face is thin the small beard is
+somewhat red and pointed, and he wears a hood after the fashion of
+the day, bound gracefully round his head and throat. The one beside
+him is Simone himself, the designer of the work, who drew himself
+with the aid of two mirrors placed opposite each other, which have
+enabled him to draw his head in profile. The soldier in armour
+between them is said to be Count Guido Novello, lord of Poppi. In
+concluding this life I have to remark that I have some small things
+by Cimabue's hand in the beginning of a book in which I have
+collected drawings by the hand of every artist, from Cimabue onwards.
+These little things of Cimabue are done like miniatures, and although
+they may appear rather crude than otherwise to modern eyes, yet they
+serve to show to what an extent the art of design profited by his
+labours.
+
+
+
+
+Arnolfo di Lapo, Florentine Architect.
+
+
+In the preface to these lives I have spoken of some edifices in the
+old but not antique style, and I was silent respecting the names of
+the artists who executed the work, because I did not know them. In
+the introduction to the present life I propose to mention some other
+buildings made in Arnolfo's time, or shortly before, the authors of
+which are equally unknown, and then to speak of those which were
+erected during his lifetime, the architects of which are known,
+either because they may be recognised through the style of the
+buildings, or because there is some notice of them in the writings
+and memorials left by them in the works done. This will not be beside
+the point, for although the buildings are neither beautiful nor in
+good style, but only very large and magnificent, yet they are none
+the less worthy of some consideration.
+
+In the time of Lapo, and of Arnolfo his son, many buildings of
+importance were erected in Italy and outside, of which I have not
+been able to find the names of the architects. Among these are the
+abbey of Monreale in Sicily, the Piscopio of Naples, the Certosa of
+Pavia, the Duomo of Milan, S. Pietro and S. Petrodio of Bologna, and
+many others, which may be seen in all parts of Italy, erected at
+incredible cost. I have seen and examined all these buildings, as
+well as many sculptures of these times, particularly at Ravenna, but
+I have never found any memorial of the masters, and frequently not
+even the date when they were erected, so that I cannot but marvel at
+the simplicity and indifference to fame exhibited by the men of that
+age. But to return to our subject. After the buildings just
+enumerated there arose some persons of a more exalted temper, who, if
+they did not succeed in lighting upon the good, at least made the
+attempt.
+
+The first was Buono, of whom I knew neither the country nor the
+surname, since he himself has put nothing beyond his simple name to
+the works which he has signed. He was both a sculptor and architect,
+and he worked at first in Ravenna, building many palaces and
+churches, and executing some sculptures, in the year of grace 1152.
+Becoming known by these things, he was summoned to Naples, where he
+began the Castel Capoano and the Castel  dell' Uovo, although they
+were afterwards finished by others, as will be related. Subsequently,
+in the time of the Doge Domenico Morosini, he founded the campanile
+of S. Marco at Venice, with much prudence and good judgment, and so
+well did he drive the piles and lay the foundations of that tower,
+that it has never moved a hair's breadth, as many buildings erected
+in that city before his time may be seen to have done. Perhaps it was
+from him that the Venetians learned their present method of laying
+the foundations of the rich and beautiful edifices which are erected
+every day to adorn that most noble city. At the same time it must be
+admitted that the tower has no other excellence of its own, either in
+style or decoration, or indeed anything which is worthy of much
+praise. It was finished under the Popes Anastasius IV. and Adrian IV.
+in the year 1154. Buono was also the architect of the Church of S.
+Andrea at Pistoia, and a marble architrave over the door, full of
+figures executed in the Gothic style, is his work; On this architrave
+his name is carved, as well as the date at which the work was done by
+him, which was in the year 1166. Being afterwards summoned to
+Florence, he prepared the design for enlarging the Church of S. Maria
+Maggiore, which was carried out. The church was then outside the
+city, and was held in veneration, because Pope Pelagius had
+consecrated it many years before, and because it was in size and
+style a building of considerable merit.
+
+Buono was next invited by the Aretines to their city, where he built
+the old residence of the lords of Arezzo, a palace in the Gothic
+style, and near it a tower for a bell. This building, which was very
+tolerable for that style, was thrown down in 1533 because it was
+opposite and too near the fortifications of the city.
+
+The art now began to receive some amount of improvement through the
+works of a certain Guglielmo, a German by race, as I believe, and
+some buildings were erected at a great expense and in a slightly
+better style. In the year 1174 this Guglielmo, in conjunction with
+Bonanno, a sculptor, is said to have founded the campanile of the
+Duomo at Pisa, where the following words are carved:
+
+   _A.D. M..C. 74 campanile hoc fuit fundatum Mense Aug._
+
+But these two architects had not much experience in laying
+foundations in Pisa, and since they did not drive in piles as they
+should have done, before they were half through the work, there was a
+subsidence on one side, and the building leant over on its weaker
+side, so that the campanile hangs 6-1/2 braccia out of the straight
+according to the subsidence on that side, and although this appears
+slight from below, it is very apparent above, so that one is filled
+with amazement that the tower can stand thus without falling and
+without the walls being cracked. The reason is that the building is
+round both within and without, and the stones are so arranged and
+bound together, that its fall is all but impossible, and it is
+supported moreover by foundations raised 3 braccia above the ground
+level, which were made to maintain it after the subsidence had taken
+place, as may be seen. Had it been square; I am convinced that it
+would not be standing, to-day, as the corners of the square would
+have pushed out the sides so that they would have fallen, a thing
+which frequently happens. And if the Carisenda tower at Bologna,
+which is square, leans without falling, that is because it is
+lighter and does not hang over so much, nor is it nearly so heavy a
+structure as this campanile, which is praised, not because of its
+design or good style, but simply by reason of its extraordinary
+position, since to a spectator it does not appear possible that it
+can remain standing. The Bonanno mentioned above, while he was
+engaged on the campanile, also executed in 1180 the principal door of
+the Duomo of Pisa in bronze. On it may be seen these words:
+
+   _Ego Bonannus Pis, mea arle hanc portam uno anno perfeci
+                tempore Benedicti operarii._
+
+That the art was making steady progress may be seen by the walls of
+S. Giovanni Lateran at Rome, which were constructed of the spoils of
+antiquity under Popes Lucius III. and Urban III., when the Emperor
+Frederick was crowned by the latter, because certain small temples
+and chapels there, made with these spoils, possess considerable merit
+of design and contain some things which are worth notice, and this,
+among others, that the vaults were made of small tubes with
+compartments of stucco, so as not to overload the side walls of the
+buildings, a very praiseworthy contrivance for those times. The
+cornices and other parts show that the artists were helping one
+another to find the good.
+
+Innocent III. afterwards caused two palaces to be erected on the
+Vatican hill, and from what can be seen of them they appear to have
+been in a fairly good style, but since they were destroyed by other
+popes, and especially by Nicholas V., who pulled down and rebuilt the
+greater part of the palace, I will say no more about them, except
+that a part of them may be seen in the great round tower, and a part
+in the old sacristy of St Peter's. This Innocent III., who wore the
+tiara for nineteen years, took great delight in architecture, and
+erected many buildings in Rome, notably the tower of the Conti, so
+called after the name of his family, from designs by Marchionne, an
+architect and sculptor of Arezzo. In the year that Innocent died this
+artist completed the Pieve of Arezzo, as well as the campanile. He
+adorned the front of the church with three rows of columns, one above
+the other, in great variety, not only in the shape of the capitals
+and bases, but even in the shafts, some being heavy, others slender,
+some bound together in pairs, others in fours. In like manner some
+are covered with representations of the vine, while others are made
+to become supporting figures, variously carved. He further introduced
+many animals of different kinds, which carry the weight of the
+columns on their backs, the whole exhibiting the strangest and most
+extravagant fantasies imaginable, not only altogether removed from
+the excellent antique order, but opposed to all good and reasonable
+proportion. Yet in spite of all this, anyone who will justly consider
+the matter will see that he was making strenuous efforts to do well,
+and possibly he imagined that he had discovered the way in this
+manner of work and in this wondrous variety. The same artist carved a
+rather large God the Father, with certain angels in half-relief in
+the arch over the door of that church in a rude style, together with
+the twelve months of the year, adding underneath his name, cut in
+round letters, as was customary, and the date, 1216. It is said that
+Marchionne also erected for Pope Innocent the old building and church
+of the hospital of S. Spirito in Sassia, in the Borgo Vecchio at
+Rome, where some part of the old work may still be seen. Indeed the
+old church remained standing to our own day, when It was restored in
+the modern style, with  more ornament and design, by Pope Paul III.
+of the house of the Farnese. In S. Maria Maggiore, also in Rome, he
+made the marble chapel, which contains the manger of Jesus Christ, in
+which he placed a portrait of Pope Honorius III., drawn from life. He
+also made that Pope's tomb, decorating it with ornaments which were
+somewhat better than, and very different from, the style then
+prevalent throughout Italy. At the same time also Marchionne made the
+lateral door of S. Pietro at Bologna, which truly was a very great
+work for those times, because of the number of sculptures which are
+seen in it, such as lions in relief, which sustain columns, with men
+and other animals, also bearing burdens. In the arch above he made
+the twelve months in relief, with varied fancies, each month with its
+zodiacal sign, a work which must have been considered marvellous in
+those times.
+
+About the same time the order of the friars minors of St Francis was
+established, which, after it had been confirmed by Pope Innocent
+III., increased the general devoutness and the number of friars, not
+only in Italy, but in every part of the world, to such an extent,
+that there was scarcely a city of note which did not build churches
+and convents for them at very great cost, each one according to its
+ability. Thus brother Elias, who was superior of that order at
+Assisi, founded a church, dedicated to Our Lady in that place, two
+years before the death of St Francis, while the saint, as general of
+the order, was away preaching. After the death of St Francis all
+Christendom crowded to visit the body of a man, who, both in life and
+in death, was known to have been so much beloved of God. As every man
+did alms to the saint according to his ability, it was determined
+that the church begun by friar Elias should be made much larger and
+more magnificent. But since there was a scarcity of good architects,
+and as the work demanded an excellent one, it being necessary to
+erect the building on a very high hill, round the base of which runs
+a torrent called Tescio, a German master named Jacopo was brought to
+Assisi after much deliberation, as being the best man who was then to
+be found. After he had examined the site and understood the wishes of
+the friars, who held a chapter general at Assisi for the purpose, he
+designed a most beautiful church and convent, making it in three
+stories. One of these was underground, while the two others served as
+churches, the lower one to be a vestibule with a portico of
+considerable size about it, the other as the church proper. The
+ascent from the first to the second was managed by means of a very
+convenient arrangement of steps, which encircled the chapel and which
+were divided into two flights for the sake of greater comfort,
+leading up to the second church. He built this in the form of the
+letter T, making it five times as long as it was broad, dividing one
+nave from the other by great stone pillars, uniting them with stout
+arches, between which he set up the vaulting. This truly monumental
+work then was carried out from such plans in every detail, except
+that he did not use the Cross vaulting on the walls between the body
+of the church and the principal chapel, but employed barrel vaulting
+for the sake of greater strength. He afterwards placed the altar
+before the principal chapel of the lower church, and when this was
+finished he deposited the body of St Francis beneath, after a most
+solemn translation. And because the tomb of the glorious saint is in
+the first or lower church, where no one ever goes, and which has its
+doors walled up, there is a magnificent iron railing about the altar,
+richly adorned with marble and mosaic which permits the tomb to be
+seen. On one side of the building were erected two sacristies and a
+lofty campanile, five times as high as it is broad. Above it there
+was originally a lofty spire of eight sides, but it was removed
+because it threatened to fall down. The work was brought to a
+conclusion in the space of four years and no more by the ability of
+Master Jacopo the German, and by the industry of friar Elias. After
+the friar's death twelve strong towers were erected about the lower
+church in order that the vast erection should never be destroyed; in
+each of these is a spiral staircase ascending from the ground to the
+summit. In the course of time, moreover, several chapels were added
+and other rich ornaments, of which it is not necessary to speak
+further, as enough has been said about the matter for the present,
+especially as it is in the power of every one to see how much that is
+useful, ornamental, and beautiful has been added to this beginning of
+Master Jacopo, by popes, cardinals, princes, and many other great
+persons of all Europe.
+
+And now to return to Master Jacopo. By means of this work he acquired
+such renown throughout Italy that he was invited to Florence by the
+government of the city, and was afterwards received there with the
+utmost goodwill. But the Florentines, in accordance with a custom of
+abbreviating names which they practised then as they do now, called
+him not Jacopo, but Lapo, all his life, for he settled permanently in
+that city with all his family. And although at divers times he went
+away to erect a number of buildings in Tuscany his residence was
+always at Florence. As examples of such buildings I may cite the
+palace of the Poppi at Casentino which he built for the count there,
+who had married the beautiful Gualdrada, with the Casentino as her
+dower; the Vescovado for the Aretines, and the Palazzo Vecchio of the
+lords of Pietramela. It was at Florence that he laid the piles of the
+ponte alla Carraia, then called the ponte Nuovo, in 1218, and
+finished them in two years. A short while afterwards it was completed
+in wood, as was then the custom. In the year 1221 he prepared plans
+for the church of S. Salvadore del Vescovado which was begun under
+his direction, as was the church of S. Michele on the piazza Padella
+where there are some sculptures in the style of those days. He next
+designed a system of drainage for the city, raised the piazza S.
+Giovanni, and in the time of M. Rubaconte da Mandella of Milan,
+constructed the bridge which still bears his name. It was he who
+discovered the useful method of paving the streets with stone, when
+they had previously been paved only with bricks. He designed the
+existing Podesta palace, which was originally built for the
+_amziani_, and finally, after he had designed the tomb of the Emperor
+Frederick for the abbey of Monreale in Sicily, by the order of
+Manfred, he died, leaving Arnolfo, his son, heir to his ability, no
+leas than to his fortune.
+
+Arnolfo, by whose talents architecture was no less improved than
+painting had been by Cimabue, was born in the year 1232, and was
+thirty-two years of age at his father's death. He was at that time
+held in very great esteem, because, not only had he learned all that
+his father had to teach, but had studied design under Cimabue in
+order to make use of it in sculpture, so that he was reputed the best
+architect in Tuscany. Thus not only did the Florentines found, under
+his direction, the last circuit of the walls of their city in the
+year 1284, but they also built, after his design, the loggia and
+pillars of Or San Michele, where grain is sold, constructing it of
+brick with a simple roof above. It was also in conformity with his
+advice that when the cliff of the Magnoli fell, on the slope of S,
+Giorgio above S. Lucia in the via dei Bardi, a public decree was
+issued the same year that no walls or edifices should ever more be
+erected in that place seeing that they would always be in danger
+owing to the undermining of the rock by water. That this is true has
+been seen in our day in the fall of many buildings and fine houses of
+the aristocracy. The year after, 1285, he founded the loggia and
+piazza of the priors, and in the Bödia of Florence he constructed the
+principal chapel and those on either side of it, restoring both the
+church and choir, which had originally been built on a much smaller
+scale by Count Ugo, the founder. For the cardinal Giovanni degli
+Orsini, papal legate in Tuscany, he built the campanile of that
+church, which woo some praise among the works of those times, but it
+did not receive its stone finishing until after the year 1303. His
+next work was the foundation, in  1294, of the church of S, Croce,
+where the friars minors are. Arnolfo designed the nave and side
+aisles of this church on such a large scale that he was unable to
+vault the space under the roof owing to the great distances, so with
+much judgment he made arches from pillar to pillar, and on these he
+placed the roof with stone gutters along the top of the arches to
+carry off the water, inclined at such an angle that the roof should
+be safe, as it is, from the danger of damp. This thing was so novel
+and ingenious that it well deserves the consideration of our day. He
+next prepared plans for the first cloisters of the old convent of
+that church, and shortly after he removed from the outside of the
+church of S. Giovanni all the arches and tombs of marble and stone
+which were there and put a part of them behind the campanile in the
+façade of the Canonical Palace, beside the oratory of S. Zanobi, when
+he proceeded to incrust all the eight sides of the exterior of the
+church with black Prato marble, removing the rough stone which was
+originally used with the antique marbles.
+
+In the meantime the Florentines were desirous of erecting buildings
+in Valdarno above the castle of S. Giovanni and Castelfranco for the
+convenience of the city and for the supply of victuals to their
+markets. Arnolfo prepared the plan for this in the year 1295, and
+gave such general satisfaction, as indeed he had in his other works,
+that he was awarded the citizenship of Florence.
+
+After these things the Florentines took counsel together, as Giovanni
+Villani relates in his History, to build a principal church for their
+city, and to make it so grand and magnificent that nothing larger or
+finer could be desired by the industry and power of man; and thus
+Arnolfo prepared the plans for the church of S. Maria del Fiore, a
+building which it is impossible to praise too highly. He provided
+that the exterior should be entirely incrusted with polished marble,
+with all the cornices, pillars, columns, carvings of leaves, figures,
+and other things which may be seen to-day, and which were brought
+very near completion, although not quite. But the most marvellous
+circumstance of all in this undertaking was the care and judgment
+with which he made the foundations, for in clearing the site, which
+is a very fine one, other small churches and houses about S. Reparata
+were involved beside that edifice itself. He made the foundations of
+this great structure both broad and deep, filling them with good
+materials, such as gravel and lime, with large stones at the bottom,
+so that they have been able without difficulty to bear the weight of
+the  huge dome with which Filippo di Ser Brunellesco vaulted the
+church, as may be seen to-day. The excellence of this initial work
+was such that the place is still called Lungo i Fondamenti (beside
+the foundations). The laying of the foundations and the initiation of
+so great a church was celebrated with much ceremony. The first stone
+was laid on the day of the Nativity of Our Lady 1298 by the cardinal
+legate of the Pope, in the presence not only of many bishops and of
+all the clergy, but also of the podesta, captains, priors, and other
+magistrates of the city, and indeed of all the people of Florence,
+the church being called S. Maria del Fiore. Now, as it was estimated
+that the expenses of this work would be very heavy, as they
+afterwards proved to be, a tax of four deniers the pound was imposed
+at the chamber of the commune on everything exported from the city,
+as well as a tax of two soldi per head yearly. In addition to this,
+the Pope and the legate offered the most liberal indulgences to those
+who would contribute alms towards the work. I must not omit to
+mention, however, that besides the broad foundations of 15 braccia
+deep, buttresses were, with great  foresight, placed at each angle of
+the eight sides, and it was the presence of these which encouraged
+Brunellesco to impose a much greater weight there than Arnolfo had
+originally contemplated.
+
+It is said that when Arnolfo began the two first lateral doors of S.
+Maria del Fiore, he caused some fig leaves to be carved in a frieze,
+which were the armorial bearings of his father Lapo, from which it
+may be inferred that the family of the Lapi, now among the nobility
+of Florence, derives its origin from him. Others say that Filippo di
+Ser Brunellesco was also among the descendants of Arnolfo. But I let
+this pass for what it is worth, and return to Arnolfo, for there are
+some who say that the Lapi originally came from Figaruolo, a castle
+situated at the mouth of the Po. I say that for this magnificent
+achievement he deserved unstinted praise and an immortal renown,
+since he caused the exterior of the building to be incrusted with
+marble of various colours, and the interior with hard stone, making
+even the most insignificant corners of the building of the same
+stone. But, in order that every one may know the proportions of this
+marvellous edifice, I will add that from the doorway to the far end
+of the chapel of St Zanobi the length is 260 braccia, the breadth at
+the transepts is 166 braccia, that of nave and aisles 66. The nave is
+72 braccia high, and the aisles 48. The external circumference of the
+entire church is 1280 braccia; the cupola, from the ground to the
+base of the lantern, is 154 braccia; the lantern, without the ball,
+is 36 braccia high, the ball 4 braccia high, and the cross 8 braccia;
+the entire cupola, from the ground to the top of the cross, is 202
+braccia. But to return to Arnolfo, I say that he was considered so
+excellent, and so much confidence was felt in him, that nothing of
+importance was discussed without his advice being first asked. Thus
+the foundation of the final circuit of the city walls having been
+finished that same year by the community of Florence, the
+commencement of which was referred to above, and also the gate
+towers, and the work being well forward, he began the palace of the
+Signori, making it similar in design to that which his father Lapo
+had erected for the counts of Poppi. But he was unable to realise the
+grand and magnificent conception which he had formed in that
+perfection which his art and judgment required, because a piazza had
+been made by the dismantling and throwing down of the houses of the
+Uberti, rebels against the Florentine people and Ghibellines, and the
+blind prejudice of certain persons prevailed against all the
+arguments brought forward by Arnolfo to such an extent that he could
+not even obtain permission to make the palace square, because the
+rulers of the city were most unwilling to allow the building to have
+its foundations in the land of the Uberti, and they would rather
+suffer the destruction of the south nave of S. Piero Scheraggio than
+give him free scope in the space designated. They were also desirous
+that he should include and adapt to the palace the tower of the
+Fieraboschi, called the Torre della Vacca (Cow Tower), 50 braccia in
+height, in which the great bell was hung, together with some houses
+bought by the commune for such a building. For these reasons it is no
+marvel if the foundations of the palace are awry and out of the
+square, as, in order to get the tower in the middle and to make it
+stronger, he was obliged to surround it with the walls of the palace.
+These were found to be in excellent condition in the year 1561 by
+Giorgio Vasari, painter and architect, when he restored the palace in
+the time of Duke Cosimo, Thus, as Arnolfo filled the tower with good
+materials, it was easy for other masters to erect upon it the lofty
+campanile which we see to-day, since he himself finished no more than
+the palace in the space of two years. It was in later years that the
+building received those improvements to which it owes its present
+grandeur and majesty.
+
+After all these things, and many others not less useful than
+beautiful, Arnolfo died at the age of seventy, in the year 1300,
+about the time when Giovanni Villani began to write the general
+history of his times. And since he left S. Maria del Fiore not only
+with its foundations laid, but saw three principal apses under the
+cupola vaulted in, to his great praise, he deserves the memorial set
+up to him in the church on the side opposite the campanile, with
+these lines carved in the marble in round letters:--
+
+    "Anno millenis centum bis octo nogenis
+     Venit legatus Roma bonitate donatus
+     Qui lapidem fixit fundo, simul et benedixit
+     Praesule Francisco, gestante pontificatum
+     Istud ab Arnolpho templum fuit aedificatum
+     Hoc opus insigne decorans Florentia digne
+     Reginĉ coeli construxit mente fideli
+     Quam tu, Virgo pia, semper defende, Maria,"
+
+I have written the life of Arnolfo with the greatest possible brevity
+because, although his works do not nearly approach the perfection of
+those of the present time, yet he none the less deserves to be
+remembered with affection, since, in the midst of so great darkness,
+he pointed out the road to perfection to those who came after him.
+The portrait of Arnolfo, by the hand of Giotto, may be seen in S.
+Croce, next to the principal chapel, where the friars are mourning
+the death of St Francis. He is represented in the foreground as one
+of the two men who are talking together. A representation of the
+exterior of the church of S. Maria del Fiore, with the dome, by the
+hand of Simon of Siena, may be seen in the chapter-house of S. Maria
+Novella. It was taken from the actual model of wood which Arnolfo
+made. From this representation it is clear that Arnolfo proposed to
+begin to vault his space, starting immediately above the first
+cornice, whilst Filippo di Ser Brunellesco, desiring to lighten the
+weight and make the appearance of the structure more graceful, added
+above this the whole of the space which contains the round windows
+before he began his vaulting. This matter would be even more obvious
+than it is had not the negligence and carelessness of those who had
+charge of the works of S. Maria del Fiore in past years allowed
+Arnolfo's own model, as well as those of Brunellesco and others, to
+be lost.
+
+
+
+
+Niccola and Giovanni Pisani, Sculptors and Architects.
+
+
+Having discussed the arts of design and painting in dealing with
+Cimabue, and that of architecture in the life of Arnolfo Lapo, we now
+propose to treat of sculpture, and of the very important
+architectural works of Niccola and Giovanni Pisani. Their
+achievements in both sculpture and architecture are alike remarkable
+for the manner in which they have been conceived as well as for the
+style in which they are executed, since to a great extent they
+emancipated themselves from the clumsy  and ill-proportioned
+Byzantine style in both arts, showing more originality in the
+treatment of their subjects and arranging their figures in better
+postures.
+
+Niccola Pisani was originally associated with some  Greek sculptors
+who were engaged upon the figures and other ornaments in relief for
+the Duomo at Pisa and the church of San Giovanni there. Among the
+spoils brought home by the Pisan fleet was a very fine sarcophagus
+on which was an admirable representation of the chase of Meleager,
+hunting the Calydonian boar. Both the nude and the draped figures of
+this composition are executed with much skill, while the design is
+perfect. This sarcophagus, on account of its beauty, was afterwards
+placed by the Pisans in the façade of the Duomo opposite S, Rocco,
+against the principal door on that side. It originally served as a
+tombstone for the mother of the Countess Matilda, if we may credit
+the inscription cut in the marble:
+
+_Anno Domini MCXVI. Kal. Aug. obiit D. Matilda felisis memoriae
+comitissa, quae pro anima genetricis suae D. Beatricis comitissae
+venerabilis in hoc tumba honorabili quiescsnts in multis partis
+mirificc hanc dotavit ecclesiam, quarum animae requiescent in pace_.
+
+And then follows:
+
+_Anno Domini MCCCIII. sub dignissimo optrario Burgundio Tadi
+occasione graduum fiendorum per ipsum circa ecclesiam supradictam
+tumba superius notata bis trantlata fuit, nunc de sedibus primis in
+ecclesiam, nunc de ecclesia in hunc locum, ut cernitis eccelentem_.
+
+Niccola, considering the excellence of this work, which greatly
+delighted him, applied such diligence in imitating that style,
+studying carefully both the sarcophagus and other excellent
+sculptures on other antique sarcophagi, that before long he was
+considered the best sculptor of his time. There was indeed, after
+Arnolfo, no other sculptor of repute in Tuscany except Fuccio, a
+Florentine architect and sculptor. Fuccio designed S. Maria sopra
+Arno at Florence in 1229, putting his name over the door. The marble
+tomb of the queen of Cyprus in the church of St Francis of Assisi is
+also his work. It contains a number of figures, the principal one
+being the queen herself, seated on a lion, as emblematical of her
+strength of mind. She had bequeathed a large sum of money for the
+completion of these works.
+
+Niccola having proved himself a much greater master than Fuccio, was
+summoned to Bologna in 1225 to make a marble tomb for St Domenic
+Calagora, founder of the order of the Friars Preachers, then
+recently deceased. Having, arranged with those who had charge of the
+work, he designed a  tomb  full  of figures, as may be seen at this
+day. The task was completed in 1231, and the finished tomb was
+greatly praised, it being considered a remarkable work, and the best
+piece of sculpture executed up to that time. He further made plans
+for the church there and for a great part of the convent. On
+returning to Tuscany, he learned that Fuccio had set out from
+Florence and was gone to Rome, at the time when the Emperor Frederick
+was crowned there by Honorius. From Rome Fuccio accompanied Frederick
+to Naples, where he finished the castle of Capoana, now called "la
+Vicheria," where all the courts of that kingdom are held. He also
+completed the Castel del' Uovo, founding the towers, made the gate on
+the side of the River Volturno at Capua, constructed a park near
+Gravina for fowling, enclosing it by a wall, and made another at
+Amalfi for winter hunting, besides many other things which are
+omitted for the sake of brevity.
+
+Meanwhile Niccola was staying at Florence, obtaining practice not
+only in sculpture but also in architecture by means of the works
+which were in progress throughout Italy, but especially in Tuscany,
+with some amount of good design. Thus he contributed not a little to
+the abbey of Settimo, left unfinished by the executors of Count Hugh
+of Brandenburg, as the other six had been, as we have noticed above.
+For although an inscription on the campanile of the abbey reads
+"_Gugliel me fecit_" yet it is clear from the style of the work that
+it was carried out under the control of Niccola. At the same time he
+was building  the  old  palace of the _anziani_ at Pisa. This
+building  has  been dismantled at the present time by Duke Casino,
+who has used a part of the old edifice for the erection of the
+magnificent palace and convent of the new order of the knights of St
+Stephen, after the designs  of Giorgio Vasari, Aretine painter and
+architect, who has done his best with the old walls, to adapt them to
+the modern style. Niccola designed many other palaces and churches at
+Pisa, and he was the first, after the loss of good methods of
+construction, who introduced the founding of buildings at Pisa upon
+pillars connected by arches, first driving piles in under the
+pillars. This method renders the building absolutely secure, as is
+shown by experience, whereas without the piles, the foundations are
+liable to give way, causing the walls to fall down. The church of S.
+Michele in Borgo of the monks of Gamaldoli was also built after his
+plans. But the most beautiful, ingenious and fanciful piece of
+architecture that Niccola ever constructed was the campanile of S.
+Niccola at Pisa, where the friars of St Augustine are. Outside it is
+octagonal, but the interior is round with a winding staircase rising
+to the top leaving the middle space void like a well, while on every
+fourth step there are columns with lame arches, which follow the
+curve of the building. The spring of the vaulting rests upon these
+arches, and the ascent is of such sort that anyone on the  ground
+always sees those who are going up, those who are at  the top see
+those who are on the ground, while those who are in the middle see
+both those who are above and those below. This curious invention was
+afterwards adopted by Bramante in a better style with more balanced
+measurements and richer ornamentation, for Pope Julius II. in the
+Belvedere at Rome, and by Antonio da Sangallo for Pope Clement VII.
+in the well at Orvieto, as will be said when the time comes.
+
+To return to Niccola who excelled no less as a sculptor than as an
+architect. For the church of S. Martino at Lucca he executed a
+deposition from the Cross, which is under the portico above the minor
+doorway on the left hand as one enters the church. It is executed in
+marble, and is full of figures in half relief, carried out with great
+care, the marble being pierced through, and the whole finished in
+such style as to give rise to hopes in those who first practised this
+art with the most severe labour, that one would soon come who would
+give them more assistance with greater ease. It was Niccola also who
+in the year 1240 designed the church of S. Jacopo at Pistoia, and set
+some Tuscan masters to work there in mosaic, who did the vaulting of
+the apse. But although it was considered a difficult and costly thing
+at the time, it rather moves one to laughter and compassion to-day,
+and not to admiration, oh account of the poorness of the design, a
+defect which was prevalent not only in Tuscany, but throughout Italy,
+where the number of buildings and other things erected without method
+and without design betray the poverty of their minds no less than the
+bountiful riches lavished on them by the men of their day; a wasteful
+expenditure of wealth, because there was no masters capable of
+executing in a good style the things which they made for them. Now
+Niccola was steadily increasing his renown in both sculpture and
+architecture, and was of greater account than the sculptors and
+architects who were then at work in the Romagna, as one may see in
+S. Ippolito and S. Giovanni at Faenza, in the Duomo of Ravenna, in
+S. Francesco, in the houses of the Traversari, and in the church of
+Prato, and at Rimini, in the public palace, in the houses of the
+Malatesti, and in other buildings which are much worse than the old
+buildings erected in Tuscany at the same time; and what is here said
+of the Romagna, may be repeated with even more truth of a part of
+Lombardy. It is only necessary to see the Duomo of Ferrara and the
+other buildings erected for the Marquis Azzo, to perceive at once how
+different they are from the Santo of Padua, built from Niccola's
+model, and from the church of the friars minors at Venice, both of
+them magnificent and famous buildings.
+
+In Niccola's day there were many moved by a laudable spirit of
+emulation, who applied themselves more diligently to sculpture than
+they had done before, especially in Milan, where many Lombards and
+Germans were gathered for the building of the Duomo. These were
+afterwards scattered throughout Italy by the dissensions which arose
+between the Milanese and the Emperor Frederick. They then began to
+compete among themselves, both in carving marble and in erecting
+buildings, and produced works of some amount of excellence. The same
+thing happened in Florence after the works of Arnolfo and Niccola
+were seen. The latter, while the little church of the Misericordia on
+the piazza S. Giovanni was being built after his designs, carved a
+marble statue of Our Lady with St Domenic and another saint on either
+side, which may still be seen on the façade of that church. It was
+also in Niccola's time that the Florentines began to demolish many
+towers, erected previously in a rude style in order that the people
+should suffer less by their means in the frequent collisions between
+the Guelphs and Ghibellines, or for the greater security of the
+commonweal. One of these, the tower of Guardamorto, situated on the
+piazza S; Giovanni, presented unusual difficulty to those who wished
+to destroy it because the walls were so well knit that the stones
+could not be removed with the pickaxe, and also because the tower was
+a very high one. Niccola, however, caused a piece to be cut out of
+one of the sides of the tower and closed the gap with wooden
+supports, a braccia and a half long, he then set fire to the props,
+and so soon as these were consumed the tower fell down and was
+totally destroyed. The idea seemed so ingenious and so well adapted
+for such emergencies, that it afterwards came into general use, so
+that whenever it was necessary to destroy a building, the task was
+speedily accomplished in this most facile manner.
+
+Niccola was present when the foundations of the Duomo of Siena were
+laid, and he designed the Church of S. Giovanni in that city. He went
+back to Florence in the year of the return of the Guelphs, and
+designed the church of S. Trinita, and the women's convent at Faenza,
+pulled down in  recent years to make the citadel. Being subsequently
+summoned to Naples, and not wishing to abandon his enterprises in
+Tuscany, he sent thither his pupil Maglione, sculptor and architect,
+who in the time of Conrad afterwards built the church of S. Lorenzo
+at Naples, finished a part of the Vescorado, and made some tombs
+there, in which he closely imitated the manner of his master,
+Niccola. In the meantime Niccola went to Volterra, in the year that
+the people of that place came under the dominion of the Florentines
+(1254), in response to a summons, because they wished him to enlarge
+their Duomo, which was small; and although it was very irregular, he
+improved its appearance, and made it more magnificent than it was
+originally. Then at length he returned to Pisa and made the marble
+pulpit of S. Giovanni, devoting all his skill to it, so that he might
+leave a memory of himself in his native place. Among other things in
+it he carved the Last Judgment, filling it with a number of figures,
+and if they are not perfectly designed they are at any rate executed
+with patience and diligence, as may be seen; and because he
+considered that he had completed a work which was worthy of praise,
+as indeed he had, he carved the following lines at the foot:
+
+     "Anno milleno bis centum bisque trideno.
+      Hoc opus insigne sculpsit Nicola Pisanus."
+
+The people of Siena, moved by the fame of this work, which greatly
+delighted not only the Pisans, but whoever saw it, assigned to
+Niccola the task of making for their Duomo the pulpit from which the
+gospel is sung, at the time when Guglielmo Mariscotti was praetor. In
+this Niccola introduced a number of subjects from the life of Jesus
+Christ, especially remarkable for the figures which they contain,
+which stand out in high relief, all but severed from the background,
+a work of great difficulty. He likewise designed the church and
+convent of S. Domenico at Arezzo, for the lords of Pietramela who
+built it, and at the request of the bishop Ubertini he restored the
+Pieve of Cortona, and founded the church of S. Margherita for the
+friars of St Francis, on the highest ground in that city. The fame of
+Niccola was continually on the increase, owing to these works, so
+that in 1267 he was invited by Pope Clement IV. to Viterbo, where,
+among many other things he restored the church and convent of the
+Friars Preachers. From Viterbo he went to Naples to King Charles, who
+having defeated and slain Curradino on the plain of Tagliacozzo,
+founded a wealthy church and abbey on the spot, for the burial-place
+of the large number of men who had fallen on that day, ordaining that
+prayers should be offered for their souls both day and night by many
+monks. King Charles was so delighted with the work of Niccola in this
+building that he loaded him with honours and rewards. On the way back
+from Naples to Tuscany Niccola stayed to take part in the building of
+S. Maria at Orvieto, where he worked in the company of some Germans,
+making figures in high relief in marble for the front of that church,
+and more particularly a Last Judgment, comprising both Paradise and
+Hell; and as he took the greatest pains to render the souls of the
+blessed in Paradise as beautifully as he possibly could, so he
+introduced into his Hell the most fantastic shape of devils
+imaginable, all intent on tormenting the souls of the damned. In this
+work not only did he surpass the Germans who were working there, but
+even himself, to his great glory, and  because he introduced a great
+number of figures and spared no pains, it has been praised even to
+our own day by those whose judgment does not extend beyond such
+circumstances.
+
+Among other children Niccola had a son called Giovanni, who was
+always with his father, and under his care learned both sculpture and
+architecture, so that in the course of a few years he became not only
+the equal of his father, but his superior in some things. Thus, as
+Niccola was already old, he withdrew to Pisa and lived quietly there,
+leaving the control of everything to his son. At the death in Perugia
+of Pope Urban IV., Giovanni was sent for to make the tomb, which he
+executed in marble; but it was afterwards thrown down, together with
+that of Pope Martin IV., when the Perugians enlarged their Vescovado,
+so that only a few remains may be seen to-day dispersed about the
+church. At the same time the Perugians, thanks to the skill and
+industry of a friar of the Silvestrini, had brought to their city
+from the hill of Pacciano, two miles away, an abundance of water. The
+ornamentation of the fountain in both bronze and marble was entrusted
+to Giovanni, so that he thereupon set his hand to the work, making
+three basins, one above the other, two in marble and one in bronze.
+The first is placed at the top of a flight of steps of twelve faces,
+the second rests on some pillars which rise from the centre of the
+first, while the third, which is of bronze, is supported by three
+figures; and in the middle are griffins, also of bronze, which throw
+out water on every side. And as Giovanni considered that he had
+executed an excellent piece of work, he put his name to it. The
+arches and conduits of this fountain, which cost 160,000 gold ducats,
+were found to be very much worn and broken about the year 1560, but
+Vincenzio Danti, sculptor of Perugia, contrived a means, to his great
+glory, of bringing water to the fountain in the original way, without
+rebuilding the arches, which would have been very costly. When the
+work was finished Giovanni felt anxious to return to see his old
+father, who was sick, and he set out from Perugia intending to return
+to Pisa; but on his way through Florence he was compelled to stay
+there, to assist with others at the mills of the Arno, which were
+being made at S. Gregorio, near the piazza dei Mozzi. But at length
+receiving word that his father Niccola was dead, he departed for
+Pisa, where he was received with great honour by all the city, on
+account of his worth, since everyone rejoiced that although Niccola
+was lost to them, yet they still possessed Giovanni, who inherited
+his father's ability as well as his property. Nor were they deceived
+in him when the time of testing arrived, for when it was necessary to
+do some few things for the tiny but highly-ornate church of S. Maria
+della Spina, the task was entrusted to Giovanni. He therefore put his
+hand to the work and brought the ornamentation of that oratory to the
+state of perfection which it possesses to-day, the more so as he
+introduced the portrait of Niccola, taken from life, executed to the
+best of his ability. When the Pisans had seen this they decided to
+entrust him the construction of the Campo Santo, which is against the
+piazza del Duomo towards the walls, as they had long desired and
+talked of having a place for the burial of all their dead, both
+gentle and simple, so that the Duomo should not be filled with tombs,
+or for other reasons. Thus Giovanni with good designs and great
+judgment erected the building as we now see it, in style, size, and
+marble ornamentation, and as no expense was spared, it was roofed
+with lead. On the outside of the principle entrance may be read
+these words, carved in the marble:
+
+    "A.D. MCCLXXVIII. tempore Domini Federigi archiepiscopi
+    Pisani, et Domini Terlati potestatis operario Orlando Sardella,
+    Johanne magistro aedificante."
+
+In the completion of this work, 1283, Giovanni went to Naples, where
+he erected the Castel Nuovo for King Charles; and in order to enlarge
+it and add to its strength, he was compelled to pull down a number of
+houses and churches, among them a convent of the friars of St
+Francis, which was afterwards rebuilt on a larger and grander scale
+at some distance from the castle, with the title of S. Maria della
+Nuova. After these building had been set on foot and were well
+advanced, Giovanni left Naples to return to Tuscany, but when he
+reached Siena he was not allowed to go farther, but was induced to
+design the façade of the Duomo of that city, which was subsequently
+erected from his plans in a very rich and magnificent style. In the
+following year, 1286, while the bishop's palace at Arezzo was being
+built from the design of Margaritone, architect of Arezzo, Giovanni
+was fetched from Sienna to that city by Guglielmo Ubertini, the
+bishop there. He there executed in marble the table of the high
+altar, full of figures cut in relief of leaves and other ornaments,
+dividing the work into compartments by fine mosaics and enamels on
+silver plates, fixed into the marble with great care. In the midst is
+Our Lady with the child at her neck, and on one side of her is St
+Gregory the Pope (which is a portrait of Pope Honorius IV. drawn from
+life), and on the other side St Donato, the bishop and protector of
+that city, whose body, with those of St Antilia and other saints,
+rest under that same altar. And as the altar stands out by itself,
+the sides are decorated with small representations in bas-relief from
+the life of St Donato, and the work is crowned with a series of
+niches, full of marble figures in relief, of exquisite workmanship.
+On the Madonna's breast is an ornament shaped like a gold casket,
+containing, if report be true, jewels of great value, although it is
+believed that they, as well as some other small figures on the top
+and about the work, were taken away by the soldiers, who do not often
+respect the even most Holy Sacrament. On these works the Aretines
+expended 30,000 florins, as is found in some records. Nor does this
+appear impossible, because at that time it was considered to be a
+thing of the most precious and rare description, so that when
+Frederick Barbarossa returned from his coronation at Rome, and was
+passing through Arezzo many years after its completion, he praised
+and admired it infinitely, and indeed with good cause, since the
+joints are constructed of tiny pieces so excellently welded
+together, that to an inexperienced eye, the whole work seems to be
+made in one piece. In the same church Giovanni made the chapel of the
+Ubertini, a noble family, and lords of a castle, as they still are,
+though they were formerly of greater estate. He adorned this with
+many marble ornaments, which are to-day covered over by many large
+ornaments of stone, placed there in the year 1535, after plans by
+Giorgio Vasari, for the support of an organ of extraordinary
+excellence and beauty which rests upon them. Giovanni Pisano also
+designed the church of S. Maria dei Servi, which has been destroyed
+in our day, together with many palaces of the noblest families of the
+city, for the reasons mentioned above. I must not omit to note that
+in the construction of the marble altar Giovanni was assisted by some
+Germans, who associated with him, rather for the sake of learning the
+art, than for gain, and who profited so much by his instruction, that
+when they went to Rome, after the completion of that work, they
+served Pope Boniface VIII. in many works of sculpture executed for St
+Peter's, and also in architecture, when he made Civita Castellana.
+They were, moreover, sent by that Pope to S. Maria at Orvieto, where
+they made a number of marble figures for the façade of the church,
+which were very tolerable for those times. But among the others who
+assisted Giovanni in his undertakings for the Vescovado at Arezzo,
+were Agostino and Agnolo, sculptors and architects of Siena, who far
+surpassed all the others, as will be said in the proper place. But
+to return to Giovanni. When he left Orvieto he came to Florence to
+see Arnolfo's building of S. Maria del Fiore, and also to see Giotto,
+of whom he had heard a great deal elsewhere; but no sooner had he
+arrived in Florence than he was appointed by the intendants of the
+fabric of S. Maria del Fiore to make the Madonna, which stands
+between two small angels above the door of that church, which leads
+into the canons' quarters, a work much praised at the time. He next
+made the small font for S. Giovanni, containing representations from
+the life of that saint in half-relief. Proceeding thence to Bologna
+he directed the construction of the principal chapel of the church of
+St Domenico, in which he was also commissioned to make the marble
+altar by Teodorico Borgognoni of Lucca, then bishop, a friar of that
+order. Later on (1298), in the same place, he made the marble table
+in which are Our Lady and eight other figures, all of very tolerable
+workmanship. In the year 1300, when Niccola da Prato was at Florence
+as cardinal legate of the Pope, for the purpose of settling the
+discords among the Florentines, he caused Giovanni to build a nunnery
+for him at Prato, which was called S. Niccola after him, and in the
+same district he made him restore the convent of S. Domenico, as well
+as that of Pistoia, in both of which the arms of that cardinal may
+still be seen. And since the Pistolese held the name of Niccola,
+Giovanni's father, in great respect, because he had displayed his
+talents in that city, they commissioned Giovanni to make a marble
+pulpit for the church of S. Andrea, similar to that which he had made
+for the Duomo of Siena, and in competition with one which had been
+made shortly before for the church of S. Giovanni Evangelista by a
+German, which had been much praised. Giovanni finished his task in
+four years, dividing the work into four subjects from the life of
+Jesus Christ, and further introducing a Last Judgment, working with
+the utmost diligence in order to equal, and perhaps surpass, that
+celebrated pulpit of Orvieto. About the pulpit above some columns
+which support it and in the architrave he carved the following lines,
+since he thought that he had completed a great and beautiful work, as
+indeed he had, considering the attainments of the age:
+
+     Hoc opus sculpsit Johannes, qui res non egit inanes.
+     Nicoli natus . . . meliora beatus
+     Quam genuit Pisa, doctum super omnia visa.
+
+At the same time Giovanni made the holy water vessel in marble for
+the same church of S. Giovanni Evangelista, borne by three figures,
+Temperance, Prudence and Justice, and as it was then considered a
+work of great beauty, it was placed in the middle of the church as a
+remarkable object. Before he left Pistoia he made the model for the
+campanile of S. Jacopo, the principal church of the city, although
+the work was not then begun. The tower is situated beside the church
+in the piazza of S. Jacopo, and bears the date A.D. 1301. On the
+death of Pope Benedict IX. at. Perugia, Giovanni was sent for to make
+his tomb, which he executed in marble in the old church of S.
+Domenico of the Friars Preachers, placing the Pope's effigy, taken
+from life, and in his pontifical habit, upon the sarcophagus with two
+angels holding a curtain, one on either side, and Our Lady above,
+between two saints, executed in relief, as well as many other
+ornaments carved on the tomb. Similarly in the new church of the same
+order he made the tomb of M. Niccolo Guidalotti of Perugia, bishop of
+Recanati, who was the founder of the new University of Perugia. In
+this same new church, which had been previously founded by others, he
+directed the construction of the principal nave, and this part of the
+building was much more securely founded than the rest, which leans
+over to one side, and threatens to fall down, owing to the faulty
+laying of the foundations. And in truth he who undertakes to build or
+perform any things of importance ought always to take the advice, not
+of those who know little, but of those most competent to help him, so
+that he may not afterwards have to repent with loss and shame that he
+was ill-directed when he was in most need of assistance.
+
+When he had completed his labours in Perugia, Giovanni wished to go
+to Rome to learn from the few antique things there, as his father had
+done, but being hindered by good reasons, he was never able to fulfil
+his desire, chiefly because he heard that the court had just gone to
+Avignon. So he returned to Pisa, where Nello di Giovanni Falconi,
+craftsman, entrusted to him the great pulpit of the Duomo, which is
+fixed to the choir on the right hand side as one approaches the high
+altar. He set to work on this, and on a number of figures in full
+relief, three braccia high, which he intended to use for it, and
+little by little he brought it to its present form, resting in part
+on the said figures and in part upon lions, while on the sides he
+represented scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. It is truly a sin
+that so much money, such diligence and labour should not be
+accompanied by good design, and that it should lack that perfection,
+invention, grace, and good style which any work of our own day would
+possess, even were it executed at much less cost and with less
+difficulty. Yet it must have excited no small admiration among the
+men of the time, who had only been accustomed to see the rudest
+productions. It was finished in the year 1320, as appears in certain
+lines which run round the pulpit and read thus:
+
+      "Laudo Deum verum, per quem sunt optima rerum
+       Qui dedit has puras homini formate figuras;
+       Hoc opus, his annis Domini sculpsere Johannis
+       Arte manus sole quandam, natique Nicole.
+       Cursis undenis tercentum milleque plenis."
+
+There are thirteen other lines, which I do not write here, because I
+do not wish to weary the reader, and because these are sufficient to
+show not only that the pulpit is by the hand of Giovanni, but that
+the men of that time were alike in their shortcomings. A Madonna
+between St John the Baptist and another saint may be seen over the
+principal of the door of the Duomo; it is in marble, and by the hand
+of Giovanni, and the figure kneeling at her feet is said to be Piero
+Gambacorti, the warden. However this may be, the following words are
+cut in the pedestal, on which the image of Our Lady stands:
+
+      "Sub Petri cura haec pia fuit scutpta figura
+       Nicoli nato sculptore Johanne vocato."
+
+Moreover there is another marble Madonna, by Giovanni, over the side
+door, which is opposite the campanile, while on one side of her kneel
+a lady and two children, representing Pisa, and on the other side the
+Emperor Henry. On the base are these words:
+
+       Ave gratia plena, Dominus teum,
+
+and then--
+
+       Nobilis arte manus sculpsit Johannes Pisanus
+       Sculpsit sub Burgundio Tadi benigno.
+
+And about the base of Pisa:
+
+       Virginis ancilla sum Pisa quieta sub illa,
+
+and about the base of Henry:
+
+       Imperat Henricus qui Cliristo fertur amicus.
+
+In the old Pieve at Prato, beneath the altar of the principal chapel,
+was preserved for many years the girdle of Our Lady, which Michele da
+Prato had brought back with him from the Holy Land, and had deposited
+it with Uberto, provost of the church, who laid it in the said place,
+where it was always held in great veneration. In the year 1312 an
+attempt to steal it was made by a native of Prato, a man of a most
+evil life, another Ser Ciappelletto, but he was discovered and put to
+death for sacrilege. Moved by this deed, the people of Prato proposed
+to make a strong and suitable receptacle in which the girdle should
+be kept with greater security, and sent for Giovanni, who was now an
+old man. Acting upon his advice, they constructed the chapel in the
+principal church, where Our Lady's girdle now reposes. They then
+greatly increased their church also from his plans, and incrusted
+both the church and the campanile with white and black marble on the
+outside, as may be seen. At length Giovanni died at a ripe old age in
+the year 1320, after having completed many works in sculpture and
+architecture besides those which are mentioned here. And in truth a
+great debt is due to him and to Niccola his father, since in an age
+which lacked every element of good design, in the midst of all the
+darkness they threw so much light on those arts in which they were
+really excellent.
+
+Giovanni was honourably buried in the Campo Santo, in the same tomb
+in which his father Niccola was laid. Many disciples of his
+flourished after him, but especially Lino, sculptor and architect of
+Siena, who made the chapel which contains the body of St Ranieri in
+the Duomo of Pisa, richly decorated with marble; and also the
+baptismal font of that cathedral which bears his name. Let no one
+marvel that Niccola and Giovanni executed so many works, for besides
+the fact that they lived to a good age, they were the foremost
+masters in Europe of their time, so that nothing of importance was
+undertaken without their taking part in it, as may be seen in many
+inscriptions besides those which have been quoted. Whilst speaking of
+these two sculptors and architects, I have often referred to Pisa, so
+that I do not hesitate at this stage to quote some words written on
+the pedestal of a vase mounted on a column of porphyry and supported
+by a lion, which is situated on the steps of the new hospital there.
+They are as follows:
+
+"This is the talent which the Emperor Cĉesar gave to Pisa, to the
+intent that the tribute which they rendered to him should be
+regulated thereby. The talent was set upon this column and lion in
+the time of Giovanni Rosso, master of the work of S. Maria Maggiore,
+Pisa, A.D. MCCCXIII., the second Indiction, in March."
+
+
+
+
+Andrea Tafi, Florentine Painter.
+
+
+Just as the works of Cimabue excited no small amount of wonder in the
+men of that time, since he introduced a better design and form into
+the art of painting, whereas they had only been accustomed to  see
+things executed on the Byzantine style, so the mosaics of Andrea
+Tafi, who was a contemporary, were much admired and even considered
+divine, for the people of that day, who had not been used to see
+anything different did not think that it was possible to produce
+better works in that art. But in truth, as he was not the most
+capable man in the world, and having reflected that working in mosaic
+was more valued on account of its greater durability, be left
+Florence for Venice, where some Greek painters were working in mosaic
+at S. Marco. There he formed a close intimacy with them, and by dint
+of persuasion, money, and promises he at length contrived to bring to
+Florence Master Apollonio, a Greek painter, who taught him how to
+bake the glass of the mosaic, and how to make the cement in which to
+fix it. With him Andrea worked at the tribune of S. Giovanni, doing
+the upper part which contains the Dominions, Principalities, and
+Powers. Afterwards when he had gained more experience, he did the
+Christ which is in the same church above the principal chapel as will
+be related below. But as I have mentioned S. Giovanni, I will take
+this opportunity of saying that that ancient sanctuary is incrusted
+both within and without with marbles of the Corinthian order, and not
+only is it perfectly proportioned and finished in all its parts, but
+most beautifully adorned with doors and windows. Each face is
+supplied with two columns of granite, 11 braccia high, forming three
+compartments, above which are the architraves, which rest on the
+columns, to carry the whole weight of the double roof, which is
+praised by modern architects as a remarkable thing, and justly,
+because this church helped to demonstrate to Filippo di Ser
+Brunellesco, Donatello, and the  other masters of their time what
+possibilities there were in that art. They all studied architecture
+from this building and  from the church of S. Apostolo at Florence, a
+work of such a good style that it approaches the true antique, since,
+as I have said before, all the columns are measured and arranged with
+such care that much may be learned from a careful examination of the
+entire structure. But I will refrain from saying more about the good
+architecture of this church, though much might be added to what
+precedes, and  I will content myself by saying that those who rebuilt
+the marble façade of the church of S. Miniato del Monte, deviated
+widely from this model and from this excellent style. This work was
+carried out in honour of the conversion of the blessed Giovanni
+Gualberto, citizen of Florence and founder of the congregation of the
+monks of Vallombrosa, because these and many other works erected
+afterwards are not to be compared for excellence to those two
+buildings. The art of sculpture experienced a similar fate because
+all the masters of the time who were then working in Italy, as has
+been said in the preface to the lives, were very rude. This may be
+seen in many places, but especially in S. Bartolommeo of the regular
+canons at Pistoia where there is a pulpit very rudely executed by
+Guido da Como, containing the beginning of the life of Jesus Christ,
+with these words inscribed there by the artist himself in the year
+1199:
+
+      "Sculptor laudatur, quod doctus in arte probatur,
+       Guido da Como me cunctis carmine promo."
+
+But to return to S. Giovanni, I pass by the history of its foundation
+because that has been written by Giovanni Villani and other authors,
+and, as I have already remarked that the good architecture in use
+to-day is derived from that building, I will now add that, to judge
+by appearances, the tribune is of a later date. At the time when
+Alesso Baldovinetti, succeeding the Florentine painter Lippo,
+repaired the mosaics it appeared as if it had anciently been painted
+in red, the designs being executed on the stucco. Now Andrea Tafi and
+Apollonius the Greek, in their scheme for the decoration of the
+tribune, divided it into compartments. Starting from the top of the
+vault next to the lantern these became gradually larger until they
+reached the cornice below. The upper part is divided into rings
+representing various subjects. The first contains all the ministers
+and performers of the Divine will, such as the Angels, Archangels,
+Cherubim, Seraphim, Dominions, Principalities, Powers. The second, in
+which the mosaics are executed in the Byzantine style, are the
+principal acts of God from the creation of light to the flood. The
+circle underneath this which descends with increased space to the
+eight faces of the tribune contains the history of Joseph and his
+twelve brethren. These are followed by other spaces of the same size
+and a like situation containing the life of Jesus Christ in mosaic
+from the Conception of Mary to the Ascension. Next, following the
+same order, under the three friezes, is the life of St John the
+Baptist, beginning with the apparition of the angel to Zacharias the
+priest and continuing to John's beheading and the burial of his body
+by the disciples. All these things are rude, without design and
+without art, and they are no advance upon the Byzantine style of the
+time so that I cannot praise them absolutely, though they merit some
+commendation, when one considers the methods in use at the time and
+the imperfect state in which pictorial art then was. Besides, the
+work is sound and the pieces of mosaic are very well set. In short,
+the latter part of the work is much better or rather less bad than is
+the beginning, although the whole, when compared with the works
+of to-day rather excites laughter than pleasure or admiration.
+Ultimately Andrea made the Christ, 7 braccia high, for the tribune on
+the wall of the principal chapel, which may be seen there to-day, and
+this he did by himself without the aid of Apollonio, to his great
+glory. Having become famous throughout Italy by these works and being
+reputed excellent in his own land, he received the richest honours
+and rewards. It was certainly a great good fortune for Andrea to be
+born at a time when only rude works were produced, so that things
+which should have been considered of very slight account or even
+worthless, were held in reasonable repute. The same thing happened
+to fra Jacopo da Turrita, of the order of St Francis, who received
+extraordinary rewards for the mosaics which he executed for the
+small choir behind the altar of S. Giovanni, although they deserved
+little praise, and he was afterwards invited to Rome as a great
+master, where he was employed on some works in the chapel of the high
+altar of S. Giovanni Lateram and in that of S. Maria Maggiore. He was
+next invited to Pisa, where he did the Evangelists and other things
+which are in the principal tribune of the Duomo, in the same style as
+the other things which he executed, although he was assisted by
+Andrea Tafi and Gaddo Gaddi. These were finished by Vicino, for
+Jacopo left them in a very imperfect state. The works of these
+masters obtained credit for some time, but when the productions of
+Andrea, Cimabue, and the rest had to bear comparison with those of
+Giotto, as will be said when the time comes, people came to recognise
+in which direction perfection in art lay, for they saw how great a
+difference there was between the first manner of Cimabue and that of
+Giotto in the delineation of figures, a difference equally strongly
+marked in the case of their pupils and imitators. From this time
+others gradually sought to follow in the footsteps of the better
+masters, surpassing each other more and more every day, so that art
+rose from these humble beginnings to that summit of perfection to
+which it has attained to-day. Andrea lived eighty-one years and died
+before Cimabue in 1294. The reputation and honour which he won by his
+mosaics, because it was he who had first brought to Tuscany the
+better manner of executing and who had taught it to the men of that
+province, led to the execution of the excellent works in that art by
+Gaddo Gaddi, Giotto, and the rest, which have brought them fame and
+immortality. After Andrea's death his merits were magnified in the
+following inscription:
+
+    Here lies Andrea, who produced graceful and beautiful works
+    In all Tuscany. Now he has gone.
+    To adorn the realm of the stars.
+
+Buonamico Buffalmacco was a pupil of Andrea, and played many pranks
+on him when a youth. From his master Buonamico had the portraits of
+Pope Celestine IV. and Innocent IV., both of which he afterwards
+introduced in the paintings which he made in S. Paolo a Ripa d'Arno
+at Pisa. Another pupil was Antonio di Andrea Tafi, who may possibly
+have been his son. He was a fair painter, but I have not been able to
+find any works by his hand, and there is nothing beyond a bare
+mention of him in the old book of the company of artists in design.
+
+But Andrea Tafi deserves a high place among the old masters, because,
+although he learned the principles of mosaic from the craftsman whom
+he brought from Venice to Florence, yet he introduced such
+improvements into the art, uniting the pieces with great care, and
+making his surfaces as smooth as a table (a very important thing in
+mosaics), that he prepared the way for Giotto among others, as will
+be said in that artist's life; and not for Giotto alone, but for all
+those who have since practised this branch of pictorial art to our
+own day. Thus it may be asserted with perfect truth that the
+marvellous works in mosaic, which are now being carried out in S.
+Marco, at Venice, owe their origin to Andrea Tafi.
+
+
+
+
+Gaddo Gaddi, Florentine Painter.
+
+
+Gaddo, painter of Florence, who flourished at this same time, showed
+more design in the works which he produced in the Byzantine style,
+and which he executed with great care, than did Andrea Tafi and the
+other painters who preceded him. This was possibly due to his close
+friendship and intercourse with Cimabue, for, whether it was through
+congeniality of disposition or through the goodness of their hearts,
+they became very much attached to each other, and their frequent
+conversations together, and their friendly discussions upon the
+difficulties of the arts, gave rise to many great and beautiful ideas
+in their minds. This came to pass the more readily, because they were
+aided by the quality of the air of Florence, which usually produces
+ingenious and subtle spirits, and which made them strangers to that
+ruggedness and coarseness from which Nature cannot entirely free
+herself even when assisted by the rivalry of the good craftsmen and
+the precepts laid down by them in every age. It is, indeed,
+abundantly clear that, when things have been talked over in a
+friendly way, without any reserve of convention, although this rarely
+happens, they may be brought to a great state of perfection. The same
+remark applies to those who study the sciences; for, by discussing
+difficulties among themselves when they arise, they remove them,
+rendering the path so clear and easy, that the greatest glory may be
+won thereby. But, on the other hand, there are some who, with
+devilish arts, and led by envy and malice, make profession of
+friendship under the guise of truth and affection, give the most
+pernicious advice, so that the arts do not attain to excellence so
+soon as they do where the minds of noble spirits are united by such a
+bond of love as that which drew together Gaddo and Cimabue, and, in
+like manner, Andrea Tafi and Gaddo. It was Andrea who took Gaddo into
+his companionship to finish the mosaics of S. Giovanni. Here Gaddo
+learned so much, that he was able, without assistance, to make the
+prophets, which may be seen round the walls of that sanctuary, in the
+squares under the windows; and, as he executed these unaided and in a
+much improved style, they brought him great renown. Encouraged by
+this, he prepared himself to work alone, and devoted himself
+constantly to the study of the Byzantine style, combined with that of
+Cimabue. By such means, it was not long before he became an excellent
+artist; so that the wardens of S. Maria del Fiore entrusted to him
+the semi-circular space within the building above the principal
+entrance, where he introduced a Coronation of the Virgin, in mosaic.
+Upon its completion, it was pronounced by all the foreign and native
+masters to be the finest work of its kind that had yet been seen in
+Italy, for they recognised that it possessed more design and more
+judgment, and displayed the results of more study, than were to be
+found in all the remaining works in mosaic then in existence in the
+peninsula. Thus, his fame being spread abroad by this work, he was
+summoned to Rome  by Clement V. in the year 1308,--that is to say, in
+the year following the great fire, in which the church and palaces of
+the Lateran were destroyed. There he completed for the Pope some
+works in mosaic, which had been left unfinished by Jacopo da Turrita.
+
+His next work, also in mosaic, was in the church of St Peter's, where
+he executed some things in the principal chapel and for other parts
+of the church; but especially a God the Father, of large size with
+many figures, which he did for the façade. He also assisted in the
+completion of some mosaics on the façade of S. Maria Maggiore,
+somewhat improving the style, and departing slightly from the
+Byzantine manner, which was entirely devoid of merit. On his return
+to Tuscany, he did some work in mosaic for the Tarlati, lords of
+Pietramala, in the old Duomo, outside Arezzo, in a vault entirely
+constructed of spungite. He covered the  middle  part  of this
+building with mosaics; but the church fell down in the time of Bishop
+Gentile  Urbinate, because the old stone vaulting was too heavy for
+it, and it was afterwards  rebuilt in  brick by that bishop. On his
+departure from Arezzo, Gaddo went to Pisa, where he made, for a niche
+in the chapel of the Incoronata in the Duomo, the Ascension of Our
+Lady into Heaven, where Jesus Christ is awaiting her, with a richly
+appareled throne for her seat. This work was executed so well and so
+carefully for the time, that it is in an excellent state of
+preservation to-day. After this, Gaddo returned to Florence,
+intending to rest. Accordingly he amused himself in making some small
+mosaics, some of which are composed of egg-shells, with incredible
+diligence and patience, and a few of them, which are in the church of
+S. Giovanni at Florence, may still be seen. It is related that he
+made two of these for King Robert, but nothing more is known of the
+matter. This much must suffice for the mosaics of Gaddo Gaddi. Of
+pictures he painted a great number, among them that which is on the
+screen of the chapel of the Minerbetti in S. Maria Novella, and many
+others sent to different places in Tuscany. Thus, by producing now
+mosaics and now paintings, he executed many very tolerable works in
+both mediums, which will always assure him good credit and
+reputation. There is a great deal more which I might say about Gaddo,
+but I will pass it over in silence, because the manner of the
+painters of those days cannot be of great assistance to artists; and
+I shall dwell at greater length upon the lives of those who may be of
+some help, because they introduced improvements into the art.
+
+Gaddo lived seventy-three years, and died in 1312. He was honourably
+buried in S. Croce by his son Taddeo. This Taddeo, who had Giotto for
+his godfather, was the only one of all Gaddo's children who became a
+painter, learning the rudiments of the art from his father and the
+rest from Giotto. Besides Taddeo, a Pisan painter named Vicino was
+also a pupil of Gaddo. He did some excellent work in mosaic for the
+great tribune of the Duomo of Pisa, where the following words still
+testify to his authorship:
+
+  "Tempore Domini Johannis Rossi operarii istius ecclesiĉ, Vicinus
+   pictor incepit et perfecit hanc imaginem B. Mariĉ, sed Majestatis,
+   et Evangelistae per alios inceptĉ, ipse complevit et perfecit.
+   Anno Domini 1321. De mense Septembris. Benedictum sit nomen Domini
+   Dei nostri Jesu Christi. Amen."
+
+The portrait of Gaddo, by the hand of Taddeo his son, may be seen in
+the Baroncelli chapel in the church of S. Croce, where he stands by
+the side of Andrea Tafi, in the marriage of the Virgin. In the book,
+which I have mentioned above, there is a miniature by Gaddo, like
+those of Cimabue, and which serves to show his ability as a
+draughtsman.
+
+Now, because an old book from which I have extracted these few
+notices about Gaddo Gaddi, speaks of the building of the church of S.
+Maria Novella in Florence for the Friars Preachers, a truly
+magnificent and imposing structure, I will take this opportunity of
+relating the circumstances of its erection. While St Dominic was at
+Bologna, the place of Ripoli outside Florence was granted to him.
+Accordingly he sent twelve friars thither under the care of the
+blessed Giovanni da Salerno. Not many years after they came to
+Florence, to the church and place of S. Pancrazio, and established
+themselves there. When Dominic himself came to Florence they left it,
+and went to stay in the church of S. Paolo, as he wished them to do.
+Subsequently when the place of S. Maria Novella and all its
+possessions were granted to Blessed Giovanni by the papal legate and
+by the bishop of the city, they entered into possession and began to
+live in that place on the last day of October 1221. But as this
+church was rather small, with a western aspect and the entrance on
+the old piazza, the friars, who had increased in numbers and who were
+in great credit in the city, began to think of enlarging their church
+and convent. So, having collected a great sum of money, and many
+people of the city having promised every assistance, they began the
+construction of a new church on St Luke's day, 1278, when the first
+stone was laid with great ceremony by the Cardinal Latino degli
+Orsini, legate of Pope Nicholas III. to the Florentines. The
+architects of the church were fra Giovanni of Florence, and fra
+Ristoro of Campi, lay brethren of the order, who had restored the
+ponte alia Carraia, and that of S. Trinita, after their destruction
+by the flood of October 1264. The greater part of the land covered by
+the church and convent was given to the friars by the heirs of M.
+Jacopo, de' Tornaquinci knight. The cost, as has been said, was
+defrayed partly by alms, partly by the money of various persons who
+gave assistance readily, but especially by the good offices of friar
+Aldobrandino Cavalcanti, who was, afterwards bishop of Arezzo, and
+who is buried over the gate of the Virgin. Besides other things this
+friar is said to have collected by his industry all the labour and
+materials required for the church. It was completed when fra Jacopo
+Passavanti was prior of the convent, who thus deserved his marble
+tomb which is on the left hand side in front of the principal chapel.
+The church was consecrated by Pope Martin V. in the year 1470, as
+appears by an inscription on marble on a pillar on the right of the
+principal chapel, which runs:
+
+   Anno Domini 1420 die Septembris, Dominus Martinus divina
+   providentia Papa V personaliter hanc ecclesiam consecravit, et
+   magnas indulgentias contulit visitantibus eamdem.
+
+All these things and many more are related in a chronicle of the
+building of this church, which is in the possession of the fathers of
+S. Maria Novella, as well as in the history of Giovanni Villani. I
+did not wish to omit these few particulars, because the church is one
+of the finest and most important in Florence, and also because it
+contains many excellent works of the most famous artists of a later
+time, as will be related hereafter.
+
+
+
+
+Margaritone, Painter, Sculptor and Architect of Arezzo.
+
+
+Among the other painters of old time, in whom the well-deserved
+praise accorded to Cimabue and his pupil Giotto aroused a great deal
+of fear, for their good workmanship in painting was hailed throughout
+Italy, was one Margaritone, painter of Arezzo, who recognised equally
+well with the others who previously occupied the foremost positions
+in painting in that unhappy age, that the work of these two men would
+probably all but obliterate his own reputation. Margaritone was
+considered excellent among the painters of the age who worked in the
+Byzantine style, and he did a number of pictures in tempera at
+Arezzo. He worked in fresco also, painting almost the whole of the
+church of S. Clemente, an abbey of the order of the Camaldolites, but
+these occupied him a long time and cost him much trouble. The church
+is entirely destroyed to-day, together with many other buildings,
+including a strong fortress called S. dementi, because the Duke
+Cosimo de' Medici not only here, but round the whole circuit of the
+city, pulled down many buildings and the old walls which had been
+restored by Guido Petramalesco, a former bishop and lord of the city,
+in order to reconstruct them with curtains and bastions much stronger
+and of less circuit than the former ones had been, and consequently
+more easy to defend with a smaller number of men. Margaritone's
+pictures in this church contained many figures both small and great,
+and although they were executed in the Byzantine style, yet they were
+admitted to show evidence of having been executed with good judgment
+and with love of art, as may be inferred from the works of this
+painter which are still extant in that city. Of these the principal
+is a picture, now in the chapel of the Conception in S. Francesco,
+representing a Madonna with modern ornamentation, which is held in
+great veneration by the friars there. In the same church he did a
+large crucifix, also in the Byzantine style, which is now placed in
+the chapel where the quarters of the superintendent are situated. The
+Saviour is delineated upon the axes of the cross, and Margaritone
+made many such crucifixes in that city. For the nuns of S.
+Margherita he painted a work which is now placed in the transept of
+their church. This is canvas stretched on a panel, containing
+subjects from the life of Our Lady and of St John the Baptist in
+small figures, executed in a much better style, and with more
+diligence and grace than the large ones. This work is noteworthy, not
+only because the little figures in it are so carefully finished that
+they resemble the work of an illuminator, but because it is a
+wonderful thing that a picture on canvas should have lasted three
+hundred years. He did an extraordinary number of pictures for all the
+city, and a St Francis drawn from life at Sargiano, a convent of the
+bare-footed friars. To this he placed his name, because he considered
+that it was more than usually well done. He afterwards made a large
+crucifix in wood, painted in the Byzantine manner, and sent it to
+Florence to M. Farinata degli Uberti, a most famous citizen who, in
+addition to many other notable exploits, had saved his native city
+from imminent danger and ruin. This crucifix is now in S. Croce,
+between the chapel of the Peruzzi and that of the Giugni. In S.
+Domenico, at Arezzo, a church and convent built by the lords of
+Pietramela in the year 1275, as their coat of arms proves, he did
+many things before returning to Rome, where he had already given
+great satisfaction to Pope Urban IV. by doing some things in fresco
+for him in the portico of St Peter's; for although in the Byzantine
+style of the time, they were not without merit. After he had
+finished a St Francis at Ganghereto, a place above Terranuova in the
+Valdarno, he devoted himself to sculpture, as he was of an ambitious
+spirit, and he studied with such diligence that he succeeded much
+better than he had done in painting; for although his first
+sculptures were in the Byzantine style, as may be seen in four
+figures in wood of a Deposition from the Cross in the Pieve, and some
+other figures in relief which are in the chapel of St Francis above
+the baptismal font, yet he adopted a much better manner after he had
+visited Florence and had seen the works of Arnolfo, and of the other
+more celebrated sculptors of the time. In the year 1275 he returned
+to Arezzo in the suite of Pope Gregory, who passed through Florence
+on his journey from Avignon to Rome. Here an opportunity presented
+itself to make himself better known, for the Pope died at Arezzo
+after having given 30,000 scudi to the Commune wherewith to finish
+the building of the Vescovado which had been begun by Master Lapo,
+and had made but little progress. The Aretines therefore ordained
+that the chapel of St Gregory should be made in memory of the Pope in
+the Vescovado, in which Margaritone afterwards placed a picture, and
+in addition that Margaritone should make a marble tomb for the Pope
+in the Vescovado. He set to work upon the task and brought it to such
+a successful completion, introducing the Pope's portrait from life
+both in marble and in painting, that it was considered to be the best
+work which he had ever produced.
+
+Margaritone then set to work to complete the Vescovado, following the
+design of Lapo, and he displayed great activity; but he did not
+complete it, for a few years later, in 1289, war broke out again
+between the Florentines and Aretines, through the fault of Guglielmo
+Ubertini, bishop and lord of Arezzo, aided by the Tarlati of
+Pietramela and by the Pazzi of Val d'Arno, when all the money left by
+the Pope for the building of the Vescovado was expended upon the war,
+while evil befell the leaders, who were routed and slain at
+Campaldino. The Aretines then ordained that the tolls paid by the
+surrounding country, called a _dazio_, should be set aside for the
+use of the building, and this toll has lasted to our own day. To
+return to Margaritone, he seems to have been the first, so far as one
+can judge by his works, who thought it necessary to take precautions,
+when painting on wood, that the joints should be secure, so that no
+cracks or fissures should appear after the completion of the
+painting, and it was his practice to cover the panel completely with
+canvas, fastened on by a strong glue made of shreds of parchment and
+boiled in the fire; he then treated the surface with gypsum, as may
+be seen in many of his own pictures and in those of others. Over the
+gypsum, thus mixed with the glue, he made lines and diadems and other
+rounded ornaments in relief; and it was he who invented the method of
+grounding in bol-ar-moniac, on which he laid gold leaf which he
+afterwards burnished. All these things which had never been seen
+before may be noticed in his works, especially in an antependium in
+the Pieve of Arezzo, which contains scenes from the life of St
+Donate, and also in S. Agnesa and S. Niccolo in the same city.
+
+Margaritone produced many works in his own country which were sent
+out of it, part of which were at Rome in S. Giovanni and in St
+Peter's, and some at S. Caterina at Pisa, where there is a St
+Catherine of his over an altar in the transept, containing many small
+figures in a representation of her life, and also a panel of St
+Francis with many subjects from his life, on a gold ground. In the
+upper church of S. Francesco at Assisi is a crucifix by his hand
+painted in the Byzantine style, on a beam which spans the church. All
+these works were greatly prized by the people of the time, although
+they are not valued to-day, except as being curious on account of
+their age; indeed they could only be considered good in an age when
+art was not at its zenith, as it is to-day. Margaritone also paid
+some attention to architecture, although I have not mentioned any
+things made from his designs because they are of slight importance.
+However, I must not forget to say that he designed the palace of the
+governors of the city of Ancona, as I have found, in 1270, in the
+Byzantine style; and what is more, he carved in sculpture eight
+windows for the façade, each of which has two columns in the middle,
+which support two arches. Over each window is a representation in
+half relief, occupying the space between the arches and the top of
+the window, of an Old Testament subject, carved in a species of stone
+found in the country. Under the windows and on the façade are some
+letters, the purport of which must be conjectured, so badly are they
+done, which give the date and time at which the work was executed.
+The design of the church of S. Ciriaco at Ancona was also by his
+hand. Margaritone died at the age of seventy-seven, regretting, it is
+said, that he had lived long enough to see the changes of the age and
+the honours accorded to the new artists. He was buried in the old
+Duomo of Arezzo, in a tomb of Travertine, which has been destroyed in
+our own time by the demolition of that church. The following epitaph
+was written for him:
+
+       Hic jacet ille bonus pictura Margaritonus,
+       Cui requiem Dominus tradat uhique plus.
+
+Margaritone's portrait was in the old Duomo by the hand of Spinello,
+in the Adoration of the Magi, and was copied by me before the church
+was pulled down.
+
+
+
+
+Giotto, Painter, Sculptor, and Architect of Florence.
+
+
+The debt which painters owe to Nature, which serves continually as an
+example to them, that from her they may select the best and finest
+parts for reproduction and imitation, is due also to the Florentine
+painter, Giotto; because, when the methods and outlines of good
+painting had been buried for so many years under the ruins caused by
+war, he alone, although born in the midst of unskilful artists, was
+able, through God's gift in him, to endow art with a proper form
+after it had been revived in a bad style. Certainly it was nothing
+short of a miracle, in so gross and unskilful an age, that Giotto
+should have worked to such purpose that design of which the men of
+the time had little or no conception, was revived to a vigorous life
+by his means. The birth of this great man took place in the year
+1276, fourteen miles from Florence, in the town of Vespignano, his
+father, who was a simple field labourer, being named Bondone. He
+brought up Giotto as well as his position in life allowed. When the
+boy had attained the age of ten years he exhibited, in all his
+childish ways, an extraordinary quickness and readiness of mind,
+which made him a favourite, not only with his father, but with all
+who knew him, both in the village and beyond it. Bondone then set him
+to watch a few sheep, and while he was following these from place to
+place to find pasture, he was always drawing something from nature or
+representing the fancies which came into his head, with a stone on
+the ground or on sand, so much was he attracted to the art of design
+by his natural inclination. Thus one day when Cimabue was going on
+some business from Florence to Vespignano, he came upon Giotto, who,
+while his sheep were grazing, was drawing one of them from life with
+a pointed piece of stone upon a smooth surface of rock, although he
+had never had any master but nature. Cimabue stopped in amazement at
+the sight, and asked the boy if he would like to come and stay with
+him. Giotto replied he would go willingly if his father would
+consent. Cimabue lost no time in finding Bondone, who joyfully
+consented and allowed his son to accompany Cimabue to Florence.
+After his arrival there, assisted by his natural talent and taught by
+Cimabue, the boy not only equalled his master's style in a short
+time, but became such a good imitator of nature that he entirely
+abandoned the rude Byzantine manner and revived the modern and good
+style of painting, introducing the practice of making good portraits
+of living persons, a thing which had not been in use for more than
+two hundred years. And although there were some few portraits made in
+this manner, as has been said above, yet they had not been very
+successful, nor were they nearly so well executed as those of Giotto.
+Among other portraits which he made, the chapel of the Podesta palace
+at Florence still contains that of Dante Aligheri, his close
+companion and friend, no less famous as a poet than Giotto then was
+as a painter. This poet has been warmly praised by M. Giovanni
+Boccaccio in the introduction to the story of M. Forese da Rabatta.
+In this same chapel Giotto has also painted his own portrait as well
+as those of Ser Brunetto Latini, Dante's master, and M. Corso Donati,
+a famous citizen of the time. Giotto's first paintings were in the
+chapel of the high altar of the Badia at Florence, in which he made a
+number of things which were considered beautiful, but especially an
+Annunciation. In this he has represented with extraordinary truth the
+fear and astonishment of the Virgin Mary at the salutation of
+Gabriel, who, in her terror seems ready to run away. The picture of
+the high altar in the same chapel is also by Giotto's hand, and it
+has continued to retain its position there, rather because of a
+certain reverence which is felt for the work of such a man than for
+any other reason. In S. Croce there are four chapels decorated by his
+hand, three between the sacristy and the principal chapel, and one on
+the other side. In the first of these, that of M. Ridolfo de' Bardi,
+in which the bell ropes hang, is the life of St Francis, at whose
+death a number of friars exhibit the effect of weeping with
+considerable fidelity to nature. In the second, which is that of the
+family of the Peruzzi, are two subjects from the life of St John the
+Baptist, to whom the chapel is dedicated. Here is a very life-like
+representation of the dancing of Herodias, and of the promptitude
+with which some servants are performing the service of the table. In
+the same chapel are two miracles of St John the Evangelist, the one
+representing the raising of Drusiana, the other his being caught up
+into Heaven. The third chapel, that of the Giugni and dedicated to
+the Apostles, contains representations by Giotto of the martyrdom of
+many of them. In the fourth, that of the Tosinghi and Spinelli, which
+is on the north side of the church and is dedicated to the Assumption
+of Our Lady, Giotto painted the Nativity of the Virgin, her marriage,
+the Annunciation, the adoration of the Magi, and the presentation of
+the Christ child to Simeon. This last is a most beautiful thing, for
+not only is the warmest love depicted in the face of the old man as
+he receives the Christ, but the action of the child, who is afraid of
+him and stretches out his arms to return to his mother, could not be
+represented with more tenderness or greater beauty. In the Death of
+Our Lady the Apostles are represented with a number of very beautiful
+angels. The Baroncelli chapel in the same church contains a painting
+in tempera by Giotto's hand, in which he has represented with great
+care the coronation of Our Lady. It contains a very large number of
+small figures and a choir of angels and saints, produced with great
+diligence. On this work he has written his name and the date in gold
+letters. Artists who reflect that at this time Giotto was laying the
+foundations of the proper method of design and of colouring, unaided
+by the advantages of seeing the light of the good style, will be
+compelled to hold him in the highest veneration. In the same church
+of S. Croce there are in addition a crucifix above the marble tomb of
+Carlo Marzuppini of Arezzo, Our Lady with St John and the Magdalene
+at the foot of the cross, and opposite on the other side of the
+building an Annunciation towards the high altar over the tomb of
+Lionardo Aretino, which has been restored by modern artists with
+great lack of judgment. In the refectory he has done the history of
+St Louis, a Last Supper, and a Tree of the Cross, while the presses
+of the sacristy are decorated with some scenes from the lives of
+Christ and of St Francis in small figures. At the church of the
+Carmine in the chapel of St John the Baptist he represented the whole
+of that saint's life in several pictures; and in the Palazzo della
+parte Guelfa at Florence there is the history of the Christian faith
+painted admirably by him in fresco, and containing the portrait of
+Pope Clement IV., who founded that monastery to which he gave his
+arms, retained by them ever since.
+
+After these works Giotto set out from Florence for Assisi in order to
+finish what Cimabue had begun there. On his way through Arezzo he
+painted the chapel of St Francis, which is above the baptistery in
+the Pieve there, and a St Francis and a St Dominic, portraits from
+life, on a round pillar near to a most beautiful antique Corinthian
+capital. In the Duomo outside Arezzo he decorated the interior of a
+large chapel with the Stoning of St Stephen, an admirable composition
+of figures. On completing these things he proceeded to Assisi, a
+city of Umbria, whither he was summoned by fra Giovanni di Muro della
+Marca, at that time general of the friars of St Francis. In the upper
+church of this town he painted a series of thirty-two frescoes of the
+life of St Francis, under the corridor which traverses the windows,
+sixteen on each side, with such perfection that he acquired the
+highest reputation thereby. In truth the work exhibits great variety,
+not only in the postures of the different figures, but in the
+composition of each subject, besides which it is very interesting to
+see the various costumes of those times and certain imitations and
+observations of Nature. One of the most beautiful of these represents
+a thirsty man, whose desire for water is represented in the most
+lively manner as he kneels on the ground to drink from a spring, with
+such wonderful reality that one might imagine him to be a real
+person. There are many other things most worthy of notice into which
+I will not enter now, because I do not wish to be tedious. Let it
+suffice to say that by these works Giotto acquired the highest
+reputation for the excellence of his figures, for his arrangement,
+sense of proportion, fidelity to Nature, and his innate facility
+which he had greatly increased by study, while in addition to this he
+never failed to express his meaning clearly. Giotto indeed was not so
+much the pupil of any human master as of Nature herself, for in
+addition to his splendid natural gifts, he studied Nature diligently,
+arid was always contriving new things and borrowing ideas from her.
+
+When these works were completed Giotto painted in the lower church of
+the same place the upper part of the walls beside the high altar, and
+all four angles of the vaulting over the spot where the body of St
+Francis lies, the whole displaying his beautiful and inventive
+imagination. The first contains St Francis glorified in Heaven,
+surrounded by those Virtues which are required of those who wish to
+be perfect in the sight of God. On the one side Obedience puts a yoke
+on the neck of a friar who kneels before her, the bands of which are
+drawn by hands to Heaven. With one finger on her mouth she signifies
+silence, and her eyes are turned towards Jesus Christ, who is
+shedding blood from his side. Beside her are Prudence and Humility to
+show that where true obedience exists, there also will be humility
+and prudence, causing everything to prosper. In the second angle is
+Chastity, who will not allow herself to be won by the kingdoms,
+crowns, or palms which are being offered to her. At her feet stands
+Purity who is washing the naked, while Fortitude is bringing others
+to be washed and cleansed. On one side of Chastity is Penitence,
+chasing a winged Love with the cord of discipline and putting to
+flight Uncleanness. Poverty occupies the third space, treading on
+thorns with her bare feet; behind her barks a dog, while a boy is
+throwing stones at her and another is pushing thorns into her legs
+with a stick. Poverty here is espoused by St Francis, while Jesus
+Christ holds her hand in the mystical presence of Hope and Chastity.
+In the fourth and last of these places is a St Francis in glory,
+clothed in the white tunic of a deacon, in triumph and surrounded by
+a multitude of angels who form a choir about him and hold a banner on
+which are a cross and seven stars, while over all is the Holy Spirit.
+In each of these angles are some Latin words explanatory of the
+subject. Besides these four angles the paintings on the side walls
+are most beautiful, and deserve to be highly valued both for the
+perfection which they exhibit and because they were produced with
+such skill that they are in an excellent state of preservation
+to-day. These paintings contain an excellent portrait of Giotto
+himself, and over the door of the sacristy is a fresco by his hand of
+St Francis receiving the stigmata, so full of tenderness and devotion
+that it seems to me to be the most excellent painting that Giotto has
+produced here, though all are really beautiful and worthy of praise.
+
+When S. Francesco was at length finished Giotto returned to Florence,
+where he painted with extraordinary care, a picture of St Francis in
+the fearful desert of Vernia, to be sent to Pisa. Besides a landscape
+full of trees and rocks, a new thing in those days, the attitude of
+the saint, who is receiving the stigmata on his knees with great
+eagerness, exhibits an ardent desire to receive them and an infinite
+love towards Jesus Christ, who is in the air surrounded by seraphim
+granting them to him, the varied emotions being all represented in
+the most telling manner imaginable. The predella of the picture
+contains three finely executed subjects from the life of the same
+saint. The work may now be seen in S. Francesco at Pisa, on a pillar
+beside the high altar, where it is held in high veneration in memory
+of so great a man. It led the Pisans, on the completion of their
+Campo Santo from the plan of Giovanni di Niccola Pisano, as already
+related, to entrust to Giotto the painting of a part of the walls.
+For as the exterior of the walls was incrusted with marble and
+sculptures at a great cost, the roof being of lead, and the interior
+filled with antique sarcophagi and tombs of Pagan times, gathered
+together in that city from all parts of the world, the Pisans wished
+the walls to be decorated with a series of noble paintings.
+Accordingly Giotto went to Pisa, and beginning at the end of one of
+the walls of the Campo Santo he depicted the life of the patient Job
+in six frescoes. Now it occurred to him that the marbles of the part
+of the building in which he was at work were turned towards the sea,
+and being exposed to the south-east wind, they are always moist and
+throw out a certain saltness, as do nearly all the bricks of Pisa,
+and because the colours and paintings are eaten away by these causes,
+and as he wished to protect his work from destruction as far as
+possible, he prepared a coating for the whole of the surface on which
+he proposed to paint his frescoes, which consisted of a plaster or
+incrusture made up of lime, chalk and brick-dust. This device has
+proved so successful, that the paintings which he subsequently
+executed on this surface, have endured to this day, and they would
+have stood better had not the neglect of those who should have taken
+care of them, allowed them to be much damaged by the damp. The want
+of attention to this detail, which would have involved little
+trouble, has caused the pictures to suffer a great deal in some
+places where the damp has converted the crimsons into black and
+caused the plaster to fall off. Besides this it is the nature of
+chalk when mixed with lime to become corroded and to peel, whence it
+happens that the colours are destroyed, although they may originally
+appear to take well. These frescoes contain the portrait of M.
+Farinata degli Uberti, besides many fine figures, among which one may
+remark some countrymen, who in bringing the sad news to Job, exhibit
+the utmost sorrow for the lost animals and the other misfortunes.
+There is also much grace in the figure of a servant, who with a fan
+of branches stands near the bowed figure of Job, abandoned by
+everyone else, for in addition to the figure being well executed in
+every particular, his attitude is wonderful, as with one hand he
+drives away the flies from his leprous and noisome master, and holds
+his nose with the other with disgust, to escape the smell. Very fine
+also are the other figures of these pictures and the heads of both
+men and women, and the delicate treatment of the drapery, so that it
+is small wonder that the work brought Giotto such renown in that city
+and elsewhere; that Pope Benedict IX., who was proposing to decorate
+St Peter's with some paintings, sent a courtier from Treviso to
+Tuscany, to see what manner of man Giotto was, and to report on the
+quality of his work. On the way the courtier learned that there were
+other excellent masters in painting and mosaic in Florence, and he
+interviewed a number of artists at Siena. When he had received
+designs from these, he proceeded to Florence. Entering Giotto's shop
+one morning, as he was at work, the envoy explained to him the Pope's
+intention, and the manner in which he wished to make use of his work,
+and finally asked Giotto for some small specimen of work to send to
+His Holiness. Giotto, who was always courteous, took a sheet of paper
+and a red pencil, pressed his arm to his side to make a compass of
+it, and then with a turn of his hand, produced a circle so perfect in
+every particular that it was a marvel to see. This done, he turned
+smiling to the courtier and said: "Here is the design." The latter,
+who thought he was joking, said: "Am I to have no other design but
+this?" "It is enough and more than enough," replied Giotto; "send it
+in with the others and you will see if it is recognised." The
+messenger perceived that he would obtain nothing else, and left in a
+state of considerable dissatisfaction, imagining that he had been
+laughed at. However, when he sent in the other designs with the names
+of their authors, he included that of Giotto, and related how the
+artist had executed it without moving his arm and without compasses.
+From this the Pope and all the courtiers present recognised to what
+an extent Giotto surpassed all the other painters of the time in
+excellence. When the story became public it gave rise to a saying
+which is still used for people of dull wits: "You are more round
+(_tondo_) than Giotto's O." This proverb deserves to be considered a
+good one, not only from the circumstances out of which it arose, but
+much more for its meaning, which is due to the two-fold significance
+of the word _tondo_ in Tuscany, that of a perfect circle, and
+slowness and heaviness of mind. Accordingly the Pope sent for Giotto
+to Rome, where he received him with great honour, and recognised his
+worth. He caused him to paint for the tribune of St Peter's five
+subjects from the life of Christ, and the principal picture for the
+sacristy, all of which were executed with great care, nothing in
+tempera ever leaving his hands before it was perfectly finished; thus
+he richly deserved the reward of 600 gold ducats which the delighted
+Pope gave to him, bestowing many other favours upon him, so that it
+became the talk of all Italy.
+
+As I do not wish to omit a memorable circumstance concerning art, I
+will notice here that there happened to be in Rome at this time a
+great friend of Giotto named Oderigi d'Aggobbio, an excellent
+illuminator of the day, who adorned many books for the Pope for the
+palace library, though they are now mostly destroyed by time. In my
+own book of old designs there are some remnants by his hand, and he
+certainly was a clever artist. But a much better master than he was
+Francis, an illuminator of Bologna, who did some very fair things for
+the Pope for the same library at that very time, in a like style, as
+may be seen in my book, where I have some designs by his hand, both
+for painting and illuminations, among them an eagle, excellently
+done, and a fine lion tearing up a tree. These two excellent
+illuminators are referred to by Dante in the passage on the
+vainglorious in the eleventh chapter of the Purgatorio, in these
+lines:
+
+          "Oh, dissi lui, non se' tu Oderisi
+           L'onor d'Aggobbio e l'onor di quell' arte
+           Ch' alluminare è chimata in Parisi?
+           Frate, diss' egli, più ridon le carte,
+           Che pennelleggia Franco Bolognese
+           L'onor è tutto or suo, e mio in parte."
+
+When the Pope had seen these works he was so enchanted by Giotto's
+style that he commissioned him to surround the walls of St Peter's
+with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Giotto therefore began
+these, and painted the fresco of the angle, seven braccia high, which
+is above the organ, and many other paintings, of which some have been
+restored by other artists in our own day, and some have been either
+destroyed or carried away from the old building of St Peter's during
+the founding of the new walls and set under the organ. Among these
+was a representation of Our Lady on a wall. In order that it might
+not be thrown down with the rest, it was cut out, supported by beams
+and iron, and so taken away. On account of its great beauty, it was
+afterwards built into a place selected by the devotion of M. Niccolo
+Acciancoli, a Florentine doctor enthusiastic over the excellent
+things of art, who has richly adorned it with stucco and other modern
+paintings. Giotto is also the author of the mosaic known as the
+Navicella, which is over the three doors of the portico in the
+courtyard of St Peter's. This is a truly marvellous work, well
+deserving its high reputation among all persons of taste. In addition
+to its excellent design, the apostles are admirably disposed, toiling
+in different ways in the midst of the tempest, while the winds fill
+the sail, which bellies out exactly like a real one; and yet it is a
+difficult task so to unite those pieces of glass to form the light
+and shade of so real a sail, which, even with the brush, could only
+be equalled by a great effort. Besides all this, there is a fisherman
+who is standing on a rock and fishing with a line, whose attitude is
+expressive of the extreme patience proper to that art, while his face
+betrays his hope and desire to catch something. Beneath the Navicella
+are three small arches painted in fresco, but as they are almost
+entirely effaced, I will say no more about them. All artists,
+however, unite in praise of these works.
+
+At last, when Giotto had painted a large crucifix in tempera in the
+Minerva, a church of the Friars Preachers, which was then much
+admired, he returned to his own country, from which he had been
+absent for six years. But soon after Pope Clement V. was elected at
+Perugia, on the death of Pope Benedict IX., and Giotto was obliged to
+accompany the new pontiff to his court at Avignon to execute some
+works there. Thus, not only in Avignon, but in several other places
+of France, he painted many very beautiful frescoes and pictures,
+which greatly delighted the Pope and all his court. When he at length
+received his dismissal, he was sent away kindly with many gifts, so
+that he returned, home no less rich than honoured and famous. Among
+other things which he brought away with him was the Pope's portrait,
+which he afterwards gave to Taddeo Gaddi, his pupil. The date of this
+return to Florence was the year 1316. But he was not long permitted
+to remain in Florence, as he was invited to Padua to do some work for
+the lords della Scala, for whom he painted a beautiful chapel in the
+Santo, a church built in those times. He thence proceeded to Verona,
+where he did some pictures for the palace of Messer Cane,
+particularly the portrait of that lord, and a picture for the friars
+of S. Francesco. On the completion of these things he was detained at
+Ferrara, on his way back to Tuscany, to paint for the lords of Esti
+in their palace and S. Agostino some things which may be seen there
+to this day. When the news of Giotto's presence at Ferrara reached
+the Florentine poet Dante, he succeeded in inducing his friend to
+visit Ravenna, where the poet was exiled, and caused him to paint
+some frescoes about the church of S. Francesco for the lords of
+Polenta, which are of considerable merit. From Ravenna Giotto
+proceeded to Urbino, and did a few things there. Afterwards he
+happened to be passing through Arezzo, and being unable to refuse a
+favour to Piero Saccone, who had been very kind to him, he executed
+in fresco, on a pillar of the principal chapel of the Vescovado, a St
+Martin, who is cutting his mantle in two and giving part of it to a
+beggar who is all but naked. Then, when he had painted in tempera a
+large crucifix in wood for the Abbey of S. Fiore, which is now in the
+middle of that church, he at length reached Florence. Here, among
+many other things, he painted some pictures in fresco and tempera for
+the Nunnery of Faenza, which no longer exist owing to the destruction
+of that house.
+
+In 1321 occurred the death of Giotto's dearest friend Dante, to his
+great grief; and in the following year he went to Lucca, where, at
+the request of Castruccio, then lord of that city, his birthplace, he
+made a picture of St Martin, with Christ above in the air, and the
+four patron saints of the city--St Peter, St Regulus, St Martin, and
+St Paulinus--who seem to be presenting a pope and an emperor,
+believed by many to be Frederick of Bavaria and the anti-Pope
+Nicholas V. There are also some who believe that Giotto designed the
+impregnable fortress of the Giusta at S. Fridiano at Lucca. When
+Giotto had returned to Florence, King Robert of Naples wrote to his
+eldest son Charles, King of Calabria, who was then in that city, to
+use every means to induce the painter to go to Naples, where the king
+had just completed the building of the Nunnery of S. Chiara and the
+royal church, which he wished to have decorated with noble paintings.
+When Giotto learned that he was wanted by so popular and famous a
+king, he departed to serve him with the greatest alacrity, and on his
+arrival he painted many scenes from the Old and New Testaments in
+some chapels of the monastery. It is said that the scenes from the
+Apocalypse which he made in one of those chapels were suggested by
+Dante, as also perchance were some of the much-admired works at
+Assisi, of which I have already spoken at length; and although Dante
+was dead at this time, it is possible that they had talked over these
+things, as friends frequently do. To return to Naples, Giotto did
+many works in the Castel dell' Uovo, especially in the chapel, which
+greatly delighted the king, who became so fond of him that he often
+came to talk with the artist while he was at work, and took delight
+in seeing him at work and in listening to his conversation. Giotto,
+who always had a jest ready or some sharp retort, entertained the
+king with his hand in painting and with his tongue by his pleasant
+discourse. Thus it once happened that the king told him it was his
+intention to make him the first man in Naples, to which Giotto
+replied: "No doubt that is why I am lodged at the Porta Reale to be
+the first man in Naples." Another day the king said to him: "Giotto,
+if I were you, this hot day, I would leave off painting for a while."
+He answered: "So I should, certainly, if I were you." Being thus on
+very friendly terms with the king, he painted a good number of
+pictures for him in the chamber which King Alfonso I. pulled down to
+make the castle, and also in the Incoronata, and among those in the
+chamber were the portraits of many famous men, Giotto among the
+number. One day, by some caprice, the king asked Giotto to paint his
+kingdom. It is said that Giotto painted for him a saddled ass, with
+another new saddle at its feet at which it was sniffing, as if he
+wished for it in place of the one he had on. On each saddle were the
+royal crown and the sceptre of power. When the king asked Giotto for
+the meaning of this picture, he replied: "Such are your subjects and
+such is the kingdom, where every day they are wanting to change their
+master."
+
+On his departure from Naples for Rome, Giotto stayed at Gaeta, where
+he was constrained to paint some subjects from the New Testament in
+the Nunziata, which have suffered from the ravages of time, but not
+to such an extent that it is not possible to distinguish a portrait
+of Giotto himself near a large crucifix of great beauty. This done,
+he remained a few days at Rome, in the service of the Signor
+Malatesta, whom he could not refuse this favour, and then he went on
+to Rimini, of which city Malatesta was lord, and there in the church
+of S. Francesco he painted a large number of pictures, which were
+afterwards destroyed by Gismondo, son of Pandolfo Malatesta, who
+rebuilt the whole of that church. In the cloister of the same church,
+towards the church front, he painted in fresco the life of the
+Blessed Michelina, which ranks with the best things which he ever
+did, on account of the many fine things which he took into
+consideration in executing it, for, quite apart from the beauty of
+the drapery and the grace and vigour of the heads, which are truly
+marvellous, there is a young woman of the most exquisite beauty, who
+in order to free herself from an accusation of adultery, takes a most
+solemn oath upon a book, keeping her eyes fixed on those of her
+husband, who has made her swear because his suspicions had been
+aroused by her giving birth to a black son, whom he could not be
+persuaded to acknowledge as his own. Just as the husband shows his
+anger and mistrust in his face, so his wife betrays, to those who
+look carefully at her, her innocence and simplicity, by the trouble
+in her face and eyes, and the wrong which is done to her in making
+her swear and in proclaiming her publicly as an adulteress. Giotto
+has also expressed with great realism a man afflicted with sores, as
+all the women who are about him, disgusted by the stench, turn away
+with various contortions in the most graceful manner imaginable. Then
+again the foreshortening in a picture containing a number of lame
+beggars is highly praiseworthy, and should be much prized by artists,
+since it is from these works that the origin of foreshortening is
+derived; and when it is remembered that they are the first, they must
+be considered very tolerable achievements. But the most remarkable
+thing of all in this series is the action of the saint with regard to
+certain usurers who are paying her the money realised by the sale of
+her possessions, which she intends to give to the poor. Her face
+displays contempt for money and other earthly things, which she seems
+to abhor, while the usurers are the very picture of human avarice and
+greed. Similarly the face of one who is counting the money, which he
+appears to be communicating to the notary who is writing, is very
+fine, for although his eyes are turned towards the notary, yet he
+keeps his hand over the money, thus betraying his greed, avarice, and
+mistrust. Also the three figures in the air representing Obedience,
+Patience, and Poverty, who are holding up the habit of St Francis,
+are worthy of the highest praise, chiefly on account of the natural
+folds of the drapery, showing that Giotto was born to throw light on
+the art of painting. Finally he has introduced into this work a
+portrait of the Signor Malatesta in a ship, which is most life-like;
+and his excellence is also displayed in the vigour, disposition, and
+posture of the sailors and other people, particularly of one figure
+who is speaking with others and putting his hand to his face spits
+into the sea. Certainly these things may be classed among the very
+best works in painting produced by the master, because, in spite of
+the large number of figures, there is not one which is not produced
+with the most consummate art, being at the same time exhibited in an
+attractive posture. Accordingly there is small need for wonder that
+the Signor Malatesta loaded him with rewards and praise. When Giotto
+had completed his works for this Signor, he did a St Thomas Aquinas
+reading to his brethren for the outside of the church door of S.
+Cataldo at Rimini at the request of the prior, who was a Florentine.
+Having set out thence he returned to Ravenna, where he executed a
+much admired painting in fresco in a chapel of S. Giovanni
+Evangelista. When he next returned to Florence, laden with honours
+and riches, he made a large wooden crucifix in tempera for S. Marco,
+of more than life-size, with a gold ground, and it was put on the
+right-hand side of the church. He made another like it for S. Maria
+Novella, in which his pupil Puccio Capanna collaborated with him.
+This is now over the principal entrance to the church, on the
+right-hand side, above the tomb of the Gaddi. For the same church he
+made a St Louis, for Paolo di Lotto Ardinghelli, with portraits of
+the donor and his wife at the saint's feet. This picture is placed on
+the screen.
+
+In the following year, 1327, occurred the death of Guido Tarlati da
+Pietramala, bishop and lord of Arezzo, at Massa di Maremma, on his
+return from Lucca, where he had been visiting the Emperor. His body
+was brought to Arezzo, where it received the honour of a stately
+funeral, and Pietro Saccone and Dolfo da Pietramala, the bishop's
+brother, determined to erect a marble tomb which should be worthy of
+the greatness of such a man, who had been both spiritual and temporal
+lord and the leader of the Ghibelline party in Tuscany. Accordingly
+they wrote to Giotto, desiring him to design a very rich tomb, as
+ornate as possible; and when they had supplied him with the necessary
+measurements, they asked him to send them at once the man who was, in
+his opinion, the most excellent sculptor then living in Italy, for
+they relied entirely upon his judgment. Giotto, who was very
+courteous, prepared the design and sent it to them, and from it the
+tomb was made, as will be said in the proper place. Now Pietro
+Saccone was a great admirer of Giotto's worth, and when, not long
+after, he took the Borgo a S. Sepolero, he brought from that place to
+Arezzo a picture by the artist's hand, of small figures, which was
+afterwards broken into fragments; but Baccio Gondi, a Florentine of
+gentle birth, a lover of the noble arts and of every kind of virtue,
+made a diligent search for the pieces of this picture when he was
+commissioner at Arezzo, and succeeded in finding some. He brought
+them to Florence, where he holds them in great veneration, as well as
+some other things in his possession, also by Giotto, who produced so
+much that an enumeration of all his works would excite incredulity.
+It is not many years since that I happened to be at the hermitage of
+Camaldoli, where I have done a number of things for the fathers, and
+in a cell to which I was taken by the Very Rev. Don Antonio da Pisa,
+then general of the congregation of Camaldoli, I saw a very beautiful
+crucifix, on a gold ground, by Giotto, with his signature. I am
+informed by the Rev. Don Silvano Razza, a Camaldolian monk, that this
+crucifix is now in the cell of the principal, where it is treasured
+for its author's sake as a most precious thing, together with a very
+beautiful little picture by the hand of Raphael of Urbino.
+
+For the Umiliati brethren of Ognissanti at Florence Giotto painted a
+chapel and four pictures, one of them representing Our Lady
+surrounded by a number of angels, with the child at her neck, on a
+large crucifix of wood, the design of which was subsequently copied
+by Puccio Capanna, and reproduced in every part of Italy, for he
+closely followed Giotto's style. When this work of the Lives was
+printed for the first time, the screen of that church contained a
+picture painted in tempera by Giotto, representing the death of Our
+Lady, surrounded by the apostles, while Christ receives her soul into
+His arms. The work has been much praised by artists, and especially
+by Michelagnolo Buonarotti who declared, as is related elsewhere,
+that it was not possible to represent this scene in a more realistic
+manner. This picture, being as I say held in great esteem, has been
+carried away since the publication of the first edition of this work,
+by one who may possibly have acted from love of art and reverence for
+the work, which may have seemed then to be too little valued, and who
+thus from motives of pity showed himself pitiless, as our poet says.
+It is certainly a marvel that Giotto should have produced such
+beautiful paintings in those times, especially when it is considered
+that he may in a certain sense be said to have learned the art
+without a master.
+
+After these things, in the year 1334, on the ninth day of July, he
+began work on the campanile of S. Maria del Fiore, the foundations of
+which were laid on a surface of large stones, after the ground had
+been dug out to a depth of 20 braccia, the materials excavated being
+water and gravel. On this surface he laid 12 braccia of concrete, the
+remaining 8 braccia being filled up with masonry. In the inauguration
+of this work the bishop of the city took part, laying the first stone
+with great ceremonial in the presence of all the clergy and
+magistrates. As the work was proceeding on its original plan, which
+was in the German style in use at the time, Giotto designed all the
+subjects comprised in the ornamentation, and marked out with great
+care the distribution of the black, white, and red colours in the
+arrangement of the stones and lines. The circuit of the tower at the
+base was 100 braccia, or 25 braccia on each side, and the height 144
+braccia. If what Lorenzo di Cione Giberti has written be true, and I
+most firmly believe it, Giotto not only made the model of this
+campanile, but also executed some of the marble  sculptures in
+relief, which represent the origin of all the arts. Lorenzo asserts
+that he had seen models in relief by the hand of Giotto, and
+particularly those of these works, and this may readily be credited,
+since design and invention are the father and mother of all the fine
+arts, and not of one only. According to Giotto's model, the campanile
+should have received a pointed top or quadrangular pyramid over the
+existing structure, 50 braccia in height, but because it was a German
+thing, and in an old-fashioned style, modern architects have always
+discountenanced its construction, considering the building to be
+better as it is. For all these things Giotto received the citizenship
+of Florence, in addition to a pension of one hundred gold florins
+yearly from the Commune of Florence, a great thing in those days. He
+was also appointed director of the work which was carried on after
+him by Taddeo Gaddi, as he did not live long enough to see its
+completion.
+
+While the campanile was in progress, Giotto made a picture for the
+nuns of S. Giorgio, and three half-length figures in the Badia of
+Florence, in an arch over the doorway inside, now whitewashed over to
+lighten the church. In the great hall of the podesta at Florence, he
+painted a representation of the Commune, which has been appropriated
+by many people. The figure represents a judge, seated with a sceptre
+in his hand, over whose head are the scales, equally poised to
+indicate the just measures meted out by him, while he is assisted by
+four Virtues, Fortitude with the soul, Prudence with the laws,
+Justice with arms, and Temperance with words; a fine painting, and an
+appropriate and plausible idea.
+
+Giotto made a second visit to Padua, where besides painting a number
+of chapels and other things, he executed a famous series of pictures
+in the place of the Arena, which brought him much honour and profit.
+In Milan also he left a few things which are scattered about the
+city, and which are considered very beautiful to this day. At length,
+shortly after his return from Milan, he rendered his soul to God in
+the year 1336, to the great grief of all his fellow-citizens, and of
+all those who had known him or even heard his name, for he had
+produced so many beautiful works in his life, and was as good a
+Christian as he was an excellent painter. He was buried with honour,
+as his worth deserved, for in his life he was beloved by everyone,
+and especially by distinguished men of every profession. Besides
+Dante, of whom we have spoken above, he and his works were highly
+esteemed by Petrarch, who in his will left to Signor Francesco da
+Carrara, lord of Padua, among other things which were held in the
+greatest veneration, a Madonna by Giotto's hand, as a rare thing, and
+the gift most worthy to be offered to him. The words of this part of
+the will ran thus:--_Transeo ad dispositionem aliarum rerum; et
+predicto igitur domino meo Paduano, quia et ipse per Dei gratiam nan
+eget, et ego nihil aliud habeo dignum se, mitto tabulam meam sive
+historiam Beatĉ Vlrginis Mariae, operis Jocti pictoris egregii, quĉ
+mihi ab amico meo Michaele Vannis de Florentia missa est, in cujus
+pulchritudinem ignorantes non intelligunt, magistri autem artis
+stupent: hanc iconem ipsi domino lego, ut ipsa  Virgo benedicta sibi
+sit propitia apud filium suum Jesum Christum, &c_. It was Petrarch
+also who said the following words in the fifth book of his Familiari
+written  to his intimate friends: _Atquc (ut a veteribus ad nova, ab
+externis ad nostra transgrediar) duos ego  novi pictores egregios,
+nec formosos, Jottum Florentinorum civem, cujus inter modernos fama
+urgens est, et Simonem Sanensem. Novi scultores aliquot, &c_. Giotto
+was buried in S. Maria del Fiore, on the left hand as one enters the
+church, where a white marble slab is set up to the memory of this
+great man. As I remarked in the life of Cimabue, a contemporary
+commentator of Dante said: "Giotto was, and is the chief among the
+painters in that same city of Florence, as his works in Rome, Naples,
+Avignon, Florence, Padua, and many other parts of the world testify."
+
+Giotto's pupils were Taddeo Gaddi, his godson as I  have already
+said, and Puccio Capanna, a Florentine, who painted for the Dominican
+church of S. Cataldo at Rimini a most perfect fresco representing a
+ship apparently about to sink, while the men are throwing their goods
+into the water. Puccio has here portrayed himself in the midst of the
+sailors. After Giotto's death, the same artist painted a number of
+things in the church of S. Francesco at Assisi, and for the chapel of
+the Strozzi, beside the door on the river front of the church of
+Trinita he did in fresco a coronation of the Virgin with a choir of
+angels, in which he followed Giotto's style rather closely, while on
+the side walls are some very well executed scenes from the life of St
+Lucy. In the Badia of Florence he painted the chapel of S. Giovanni
+Evangelista of the family of the Covoni, which is next to the
+sacristy. At Pistoia he did frescoes in the principal chapel of S.
+Francesco, and the chapel of S. Ludovico, with scenes from the lives
+of the patron saints, which are very tolerable productions. In the
+middle of the church of S. Domenico in the same city is a crucifix
+with a Madonna and St John, executed with much softness, and at the
+feet an entire human skeleton, an unusual thing at that time, which
+shows that Puccio had made efforts to understand the principles of
+his art. This work contains his name, written after this fashion:
+_Puccio di Fiorenza me Fece_. In the same church, in the tympanum
+above the door of S. Maria Nuova are three half-length figures,--Our
+Lady, with the Child on her arm, St Peter on the one side and St
+Francis on the other, by the same artist. In the lower church of S.
+Francesco at Assisi he further painted in fresco some scenes from the
+passion of Jesus Christ, with considerable skill and much vigour, and
+in the chapel of S. Maria degli Angeli of that church he executed in
+fresco a Christ in glory, with the Virgin, who is interceding with
+Him for Christian people, a work of considerable merit, but much
+smoked by the lamps and candles which are always burning there in
+great quantity. In truth, so far as one can judge, although Puccio
+adopted the style and methods of his master Giotto, yet he did not
+make sufficient use of them in his works, although, as some assert,
+he did not live long, but sickened and died through working too much
+in fresco. His hand may also be recognised in the chapel of St Martin
+in the same church, in the history of the saint, done in fresco for
+the Cardinal Gentile. In the middle of a street called Portica may
+also be seen a Christ at the Column, and a picture of Our Lady
+between St Catherine and St Clare. His works are scattered about in
+many other places, such as Bologna, where there is a picture of the
+passion of Christ in the transept of the church, and scenes from the
+life of St Francis, besides other things which I omit for the sake of
+brevity. But at Assisi, where the majority of his works are, and
+where I believe he helped Giotto to paint, I found that they consider
+him to be a fellow-citizen, and there are some members of the family
+of the Capanni in that city to this day. From this we may gather that
+he was born in Florence, since he himself wrote that he was a pupil
+of Giotto, but that he took his wife from Assisi, and had children
+there, whose descendants still inhabit the town. But this matter is
+of very slight importance, and it is enough to know that he was a
+skilful master. Another pupil of Giotto, and a very skilful painter
+was Ottaviano da Faenza, who painted many things in  S. Giorgio at
+Ferrara, a convent of the monks of Monte Oliveto. In Faenza, where he
+lived and died, he painted in the tympanum above the door of S.
+Francesco, Our Lady and St Peter and St Paul, and many other things
+in his own country and at Bologna.
+
+Another pupil was Pace di Faenza, who was often with his master, and
+helped him in many things. At Bologna there are some scenes in fresco
+by his hand on the outside front of S. Giovanni Decollato. This Pace
+was a clever artist, especially in painting small figures, as may be
+seen to-day in the church of S. Francesco at Forli, in a tree of the
+cross and in a panel in tempera containing the life of Christ, and
+four small subjects from the life of Our Lady, which are all very
+well executed. It is said that he executed in fresco for the chapel
+of St Anthony at Assisi, some scenes from the life of that saint for
+a duke of Spoleto, who is buried there with a son. These two princes
+had been killed while fighting in the suburbs of Assisi, as may be
+seen by a long inscription on the sarcophagus of their tomb. The old
+book of the company of painters records that one Francesco, called
+"of Master Giotto," was another pupil of the master, but I know
+nothing more about him.
+
+Yet another pupil of Giotto was Guglielmo da Forli, who, besides many
+other works, painted the chapel of the high altar for S. Domenico at
+Forli, his native place. Other pupils were Pietro Laureati, Simone
+Memmi of Siena, Stefano of Florence, and Pietro Cavallini of Rome.
+But as I intend to deal fully with these in their lives, I shall
+content myself here with simply saying that they were pupils of
+Giotto. That the master drew extremely well for his day may be seen
+on a number of parchments containing some water colours, pen and ink
+drawings, chiaroscuros with the lights in white, by his hand, in our
+book of designs, which are truly marvellous when compared with those
+of the masters who preceded him, and afford a good example of his
+style.
+
+As has been said, Giotto was a very witty and pleasant person, very
+ready in speech, many of his sayings being still fresh in the memory
+of his fellow-citizens. Besides the one related by M. Giovanni
+Boccaccio, several very good stories are told by Franco Sacchetti in
+his "Three Hundred Tales." I give one in the author's own words,
+because it contains many expressions and phrases characteristic of
+the time. The rubric of this one runs: "Giotto, the great painter, is
+requested by a person of low birth to paint his buckler. Making a
+jest of the matter, he paints it so as to cover the applicant with
+confusion."
+
+TALE LXIII.
+
+Every one must have heard of Giotto, and how as a painter he
+surpassed all others. His fame came to the ears of a rude artizan,
+who, having to do service in some castle, wanted his buckler painted.
+Accordingly he presented himself abruptly at Giotto's workshop, with
+a man to carry the buckler behind him. He found Giotto in, and began:
+"God save thee, Master, I want to have my arms painted on this
+buckler." Giotto took stock of the man and his manners, but he said
+nothing except "When do you want it," and the man told him. "Leave it
+to me," said Giotto, and the man departed. When Giotto was alone he
+reflected: "What is the meaning of this? Has someone sent him here to
+play a trick on me? Be that as it may, no one has ever before brought
+me a buckler to paint. And the fellow who brought it is a simple
+creature, and asks me to paint his arms as if he was of the royal
+house of France. Decidedly I shall have to make him some new arms."
+Reflecting thus with himself he sat down before the buckler, and
+having designed what he thought proper, he called a pupil and told
+him to complete the painting of it, which he accordingly did. The
+painting represented a light helmet, a gorget, a pair of arm pieces,
+a pair of iron gauntlets, a pair of cuirasses, a pair of cuisses and
+gambadoes, a sword, a knife, and a lance. When the worthy man
+returned, who knew nothing of all this, he came up and said: "Master,
+is the buckler finished." "Oh yes," said Giotto, "go you and bring it
+here." When it arrived this gentleman by proxy looked hard at it and
+said to Giotto: "What rubbish have you painted here?" "Will you think
+it rubbish to pay for it?" said Giotto. "I won't pay you four
+deniers," said the man. "What did you ask me to paint?" asked Giotto.
+"My arms," replied the man. "Well," said Giotto, "are they not here,
+are any wanting?" "That is  so," said the man. "A plague on you,"
+said  Giotto, "you must needs be very simple. If anyone asked you who
+you were you would be at a loss to tell him, and yet you come here
+and say, 'paint me my arms.' If you had been one of the Bardi, well
+and good, but what arms do you bear? Where do you come from? Who were
+your ancestors? Begin at least by coming into the world before you
+talk of arms as if you were the Dusnam of Bavaria. I have represented
+all your arms on the buckler, and if you have any more tell me and I
+will have them painted." "You have given me rough words," said the
+man, "and spoilt my buckler." He then departed to the justice, and
+procured a summons against Giotto. The latter appeared, and on his
+side issued a summons against the man for two florins, as the price
+of the painting. When the magistrates had heard the arguments, which
+were much better advanced on Giotto's side, they adjudged that the
+man should take away his buckler, and give six lire to Giotto,
+because he was in the right. Accordingly the rustic took his buckler,
+paid the money, and was allowed to go. Thus this man, who did not
+know his place, had it pointed out to him, and may this befall all
+such fellows who wish to have arms and found houses, and whose
+antecedents have often been picked up at the foundling hospitals!
+
+It is said that while Giotto was still a boy, and with Cimabue, he
+once painted a fly on the nose of a figure which Cimabue had made, so
+naturally that when his master turned round to go on with his work,
+he more than once attempted to drive the fly away with his hand,
+believing it to be real, before he became aware of his mistake. I
+could tell many more of Giotto's practical jokes, and relate many of
+his sharp retorts, but I wish to confine myself to the things which
+concern the arts, and I must leave the rest to Franco and the others.
+
+In conclusion, in order that Giotto should not be without a memorial,
+in addition to the works which came from his hand, and to the notices
+left by the writers of his day, since it was he who found once again
+the true method of painting, which had been lost many years before
+his time, it was decreed by public order that his bust in marble,
+executed by Benedetto da Maiano, an Excellent sculptor, should be
+placed in S. Maria del Fiore. This was due to the activity and zeal
+displayed by Lorenzo dei Medici, the Magnificent, the elder, who
+greatly admired Giotto's talents. The following verses by that divine
+man, Messer Angelo Poliziano, were inscribed on the monument, so that
+all men who excelled in any profession whatever, might hope to earn
+such a memorial, which Giotto, for his part, had most richly deserved
+and earned:
+
+     Ille ego sum, per quem pictura extincta revixit,
+     Cui quam recta manus. tam fuit et facilis.
+     Naturae deerat nostrae, quod defait arti:
+     Plus licuit nulli pingere, nec melius.
+     Miraris turrim egregiam sacro aere sonantem?
+     Haec quoque de modulo crevit ad astra meo.
+     Denique sum Jottus, quid opus fuit illa referre?
+     Hoc nomen longi carminis instar erit.
+
+And in order that those who come after may see by Giotto's own
+designs the nature of the excellence of this great man, there are
+some magnificent specimens in my book, which I have collected with
+great care as well as with much trouble and expense.
+
+
+
+
+Agostino and Agnolo, Sculptors and Architects of Siena.
+
+
+Among the others who worked in the school of the sculptors Giovanni
+and Niccola Pisani were Agostino and Agnolo, sculptors of Siena,
+whose lives we are now writing, and who achieved great success
+according to the standard of the time. I have discovered that their
+father and mother were both Sienese, and their antecedents were
+architects, for the Fontebranda was completed by them in the year
+1190, under the government of the three Consols, and in the following
+year they founded the Custom House and other buildings of Siena,
+under the same consulship. Indeed it is often seen that where the
+seeds of talent have existed for a long time they often germinate and
+put forth shoots so that they afterwards produce greater and better
+fruit than the first plants had done. Thus Agostino and Agnolo added
+many improvements to the style of Giovanni and Niccola Pisani, and
+enriched art with better designs and inventions, as their works
+clearly show. It is said that when Giovanni Pisano returned to Pisa
+from Naples in the year 1284, he stopped at Siena to design and found
+the façade of the Duomo, where the three principal doors are, so that
+it should be entirely adorned with marble. It was then that Agostino,
+who was not more than fifteen years of age at the time, associated
+with him in order to study sculpture, of which he had learned the
+first principles, being no less attracted by that art than by
+architecture. Under Giovanni's instruction and by means of
+unremitting study he surpassed all his fellow-pupils in design, grace
+and style, so that everyone remarked that he was his master's right
+eye. And because it is natural to desire for those whom one loves
+beyond all other gifts of nature, mind or fortune, that quality of
+worth which alone renders men great and noble in this life and
+blessed in the next, Agostino took advantage of Giovanni's presence
+to secure the same advantages for his younger brother Agnolo; nor was
+if very difficult to do so, for the practice already enjoyed by
+Agnolo with Agostino and the other sculptors, and the honour and
+benefits which he perceived could be gained from this art, had so
+inflamed him with a desire to take up the study of sculpture, that he
+had already made a few things in secret before the idea had occurred
+to Agostino. The elder brother was engaged with Giovanni in making
+the marble reliefs for the high altar of the Vescovado of Arezzo,
+which has been mentioned above, and he succeeded in securing the
+co-operation of Agnolo in that work, who did so well, that when it
+was completed, it was found that he had surpassed Agostino in
+excellence. When this became known to Giovanni, he employed both
+brothers in many other works undertaken by him subsequently in
+Pistoia, Pisa, and other places. And because Agostino practised
+architecture as well as sculpture, it was not long before he designed
+a palace in Malborghetto for the Nine who then ruled in Siena, that
+is to say, in the year 1308. The execution of this work won the
+brothers such a reputation in their native place, that, when they
+returned to Siena after the death of Giovanni, they were both
+appointed architects of the State, so that in the year 1317 the north
+front of the Duomo was made under their direction, and in 1321 the
+building of the wall of the porta Romana, then known as the porta S.
+Martino, was begun from their plans in its present style, being
+finished in 1326. They restored the Tufi Gate, originally called the
+Gate of S. Agata all Arco, and in the same year the church and
+convent of S. Francesco were begun from their design, in the presence
+of the cardinal of Gaeta, the papal legate. Not long afterwards
+Agostino and Agnolo were invited by means of some of the Tolomei who
+were staying in exile at Orvieto, to make some sculptures for the
+work of S. Maria in that city. Going thither they made in sculpture
+some prophets which are now on the façade, and are the finest and
+best proportioned parts of that celebrated work. Now in the year 1326
+it chanced that Giotto was summoned to Naples by means of Charles,
+Duke of Calabria, who was then staying in Florence, to do some things
+in S. Chiara and other places there for King Robert, as has been
+related in that master's life. On his way to Naples Giotto stopped at
+Orvieto to see the work which had been executed there and which was
+still being carried on by so many men, wishing to examine everything
+minutely. But the prophets of Agostino and Agnolo of Siena pleased
+him more than all the other sculptures, from which circumstance it
+arose that Giotto not only commended them, but counted them among
+the number of his friends, to their great delight, and further
+recommended them to Piero Saccone of Pietramala, as the best
+sculptors of the day, and the best fitted to make the tomb of Guido,
+the lord and bishop of Arezzo, a matter referred to in the life of
+Giotto. Thus the fact that Giotto had seen the work of many sculptors
+at Orvieto and had considered that of Agostino and Agnolo of Siena to
+be the best, gave rise to their being commissioned to make this tomb
+after his designs and in accordance with the model which he had sent
+to Piero Saccone. They finished the tomb in the space of four years,
+conducting the work with great care, and they set it up in the chapel
+of the Sacrament in the church of the Vescovado of Arezzo. Above the
+sarcophagus, which rests on brackets carved in a really admirable
+manner, is stretched the form of the bishop, in marble, while at the
+side are some angels drawing curtains, done with considerable skill.
+Twelve square panels contain scenes of the life and acts of the
+bishop in an infinite number of small figures carved in half-relief.
+I do not think it too much trouble to relate the subjects of these
+scenes, so that it may appear with what labour they were executed,
+and how these sculptors endeavoured to discover the good style by
+study.
+
+The first shows how the bishop, aided by the Ghibelline party of
+Milan, who sent him 400 masons and money, entirely rebuilt the wall
+of Arezzo, lengthening it more than it had previously been so that it
+took the shape of a galley. The second is the taking of Lucignano di
+Valdichiana; the third, that of Chiusi; the fourth, that of Fronzoli,
+a strong castle of that time above Poppi, held by the sons of the
+count of Battifolle. The fifth contains the final surrender to the
+bishop of the castle of Rondine, after it had been besieged by the
+Aretines for many months. The sixth is the capture of the castle del
+Bucine in Valdarno. The seventh contains the storming of the Rocca di
+Caprese, which belonged to the Count of Romena, after it had been
+besieged for several months. In the eighth the bishop is dismantling
+the castle of Laterino, and causing the hill which rises above it to
+be cut in form of a cross, so that it should not be possible to make
+another fortress there. The ninth represents the destruction and
+burning of Monte Sansavino and the driving out of all the
+inhabitants. The eleventh contains the bishop's coronation, with a
+number of richly dressed  soldiers, both horse and foot, and of other
+people. The twelfth and last represents the bishop being carried by
+his men from Montenero, where he fell sick, to Massa, and thence,
+after his death, to Arezzo. In many places about the tomb are the
+Ghibelline insignia and the bishop's arms, which are six-squared
+stones or on a field _azure_, following the same arrangements as the
+six balls in the arms of the Medici. These arms of the bishop's house
+were described by friar Guittone, knight and poet of Arezzo, when he
+wrote of the site of the castle of Pietramala, whence the family
+derived its origin, in the lines:
+
+        Dove si scontra il Giglion con la Chiassa
+        Ivi furon i miei antecessori,
+        Che in campo azzurro d'or portan sei sassa.
+
+Agnolo and Agostino displayed more art, invention, and diligence in
+this work than had ever been employed on anything before their time.
+And indeed they deserve the highest praise, having introduced into it
+so many figures, such a variety of landscapes, places, towns, horses,
+men, and other things, that it is a veritable marvel. And although
+the tomb has been almost entirely destroyed by the French of the Duke
+of Anjou, who sacked the greater part of the city in revenge for some
+injuries received by them from their enemies, yet it is still clear
+that it was executed with the most excellent judgment by Agostino and
+Agnolo, who carved on it in rather large letters: _Hoc opus fecit
+magister Augustinus et magister Angelus de Senis_. In 1329 they did a
+marble bas-relief for the church of S. Francesco at Bologna, which is
+in a very fair manner, and besides the  carved ornamentation, which
+is very fine, they introduced figures a braccia and a half high, of
+Christ crowning Our Lady, with three similar figures on either side,
+St Francis, St James, St Domenic, St Anthony of Padua, St Petronio,
+and St John the Evangelist, and under each of these figures is carved
+in bas-relief a scene from the life of the saint above. All these
+scenes contain a great number of half-length figures, which make a
+rich  and  beautiful ornamentation after the manner of those times.
+It is very apparent that Agostino and Agnolo threw an immense amount
+of labour into this work, and that they applied all their care and
+knowledge to make it worthy of praise, as it truly was, and even now
+when it is half destroyed, it is possible to read their names and the
+date, by means of which and of a knowledge of the time when they
+began it, one may see that they spent eight whole years upon it,
+although it is true that at the  same  time they made many other
+small things in different places for various persons.
+
+Now while they were at work at Bologna, that city gave itself freely
+to the Church, through the mediation of the papal legate, and the
+Pope in return promised that he and his court would go to live at
+Bologna, but that for his security he wished to build a castle or
+fortress there. This was granted by the Bolognese, and the castle was
+quickly built under the direction and from the design of Agostino and
+Agnolo; but it had a very short life, for when the Bolognese
+discovered that all the promises made by the Pope were vain, they
+dismantled and destroyed it much more quickly than it had been made.
+
+It is said that while these two sculptors were staying at Bologna,
+the Po impetuously burst its banks, doing incredible damage to the
+territories of Mantua and Ferrara, causing the death of more than ten
+thousand persons, and wasting the country for miles around. Being
+clever and worthy men, the assistance of Agostino and Agnolo was
+requested, and they succeeded in finding means of reducing that
+terrible river to its bed, and of confining it there with ditches and
+other effective remedies. This brought them much praise and benefit,
+for besides the fame which they acquired thereby, their services were
+acknowledged by the lords of Mantua and by the house of Este with
+most liberal rewards.
+
+When they next returned to Siena in the year 1338, the new church of
+S. Maria, near the old Duomo, towards the piazza Manetti, was made
+under their direction from their design, and not long after, the
+Sienese, who were greatly pleased with all the works which they
+executed for them, decided to seize this excellent opportunity of
+carrying into effect a plan which they had long discussed, but till
+then without any result, namely, the erection of a public fountain on
+the principal piazza opposite the palace of the Signoria. The charge
+of this undertaking was entrusted to Agostino and Agnolo, and
+although it was a matter of great difficulty they brought water to
+the fountain by pipes made of lead and earth, and the first jet of
+water was thrown up on 1st June 1343, to the great delight and
+contentment of all the city, which on this account was under a great
+obligation to the talent of these two citizens. At the same time the
+hall of the greater council was made in the Palazzo del Pubblico, and
+the same artists directed and designed the building of the tower of
+that palace, which they completed in the year 1344, hanging two great
+bells on it, one of which came from Grosseto, while the other was
+made at Siena. In the course of time Agnolo arrived at Assisi, where
+he made a chapel in the lower church of S. Francesco, and a marble
+tomb for a brother of Napoleone Orsini, a cardinal and a Franciscan
+friar, who had died in that place. Agostino, who had remained at
+Siena in the service of the State, died while he was engaged upon the
+designs for the ornamentation of the piazza fountain, mentioned
+above, and was buried in the Duomo with honour. I have not been able
+to discover how or when Agnolo died, so that I can say nothing about
+it, nor do I know of any other works of importance by his hand, and
+so this is the end of their lives. It would, however, be an error, as
+I am following a Chronological order, not to make mention of some,
+who, although they have not done things which would justify a
+narration of their whole life, have nevertheless in some measure
+added things of utility and beauty to art and to the world. Therefore
+in connection with the mention made above of the Vescovado and Pieve
+of Arezzo, let me here relate that Pietro and Paolo, goldsmiths of
+Arezzo, who learned design from Agnolo and Agostino of Siena, were
+the first who executed great works of any excellence with the chisel;
+for they made for the head priest of the Pieve of Arezzo a silver
+head of life-size, in which was put the head of St Donato, bishop and
+protector of that city, a work which was certainly praiseworthy, if
+only because they introduced into it some figures in enamel, which
+were, as I have said, among the first things executed with the
+chisel.
+
+About the same time, or shortly before, the art of the Calimara at
+Florence, entrusted to Master Cione, an excellent goldsmith, the
+greater part, if not the whole, of the silver altar of S. Giovanni
+Batista, which contains many scenes from the life of that saint,
+engraved in a very creditable manner on a silver plate. This work, on
+account of its dimensions, and the novelty of its execution, was
+considered marvellous by everyone who saw it. The same Master Cione,
+in 1330, when the body of St Zenobius was found under the vaults of
+St Reparata, placed in a silver head of life-size, the piece of the
+head of that saint which is still preserved therein, and is carried
+in procession. This head was considered a most beautiful thing at the
+time, and brought much reputation to the artist, who died soon after,
+a wealthy man, and held in high esteem.
+
+Master Cione left many pupils, and among others, Forzore di Spinello
+of Arezzo, who did all manner of engraving excellently, but was
+especially good in making scenes in enamel on silver, such as may be
+seen in the Vescovado at Arezzo, for which he made a mitre with a
+beautiful border of enamel, and a fine pastoral staff in silver. He
+also executed many things in silver for the Cardinal Galeotto da
+Pietramala, who bequeathed them to the friars of la Vernia, where he
+wished to be buried, and where, besides the wall, which the Count
+Orlando, lord of Chiusi, a small castle below la Vernia, had caused
+to be set up, he built the church and many rooms in the convent, and
+all this without leaving any notice or other memorial of himself in
+any part of that place. Another pupil of Master Cione was Lionardo di
+Ser Giovanni of Florence, who executed a number of works with the
+chisel and with solder, with a better design than those who preceded
+him, especially the altar and silver bas-reliefs of S. Jacopo at
+Pistoia, where, beside a large number of subjects, the half-length
+figure of St James, more than a braccia high, is much admired. It is
+in full relief, and finished with such elaboration, that it seems to
+have been cast rather than engraved. The figure is placed in the
+midst of the scenes of the altar table, about which runs a legend in
+letters of enamel:
+
+  Ad honorem Dei et S. Jacobi Apostoli, hoc opus factum fuit tempore
+  Domini Franc. Pagni dictae operae operarii sub anno 1371 per me
+  Leonardum Ser Jo. de Floren. aurific.
+
+Now to return to Agostino and Agnolo, they had many pupils who
+produced many works after them in architecture and sculpture in
+Lombardy and other places in Italy. Among them was Jacopo Lanfrani of
+Venice, who founded S. Francesco of Imola, and executed the
+sculptures for the principal door, where he carved his name and the
+date, 1343; for the church of S. Domenico at Bologna the same Master
+Jacopo made a marble tomb for Gio. Andrea Calduino, doctor of law and
+secretary of Pope Clement VI., and another very well executed also in
+marble and in the same church for Taddeo Peppoli, protector of the
+people and of justice at Bologna. In the same year, that is to say in
+1347, after the completion of this tomb, or shortly before, Master
+Jacopo returned to his native Venice and there founded the church of
+S. Antonio, which was originally of wood, at the request of a
+Florentine abbot of the ancient family of the Abati, M. Andrea
+Dandolo, being doge at the time. This church was completed in the
+year 1349.
+
+Then again Jacobello and Pietro Paolo, Venetians, who were pupils of
+Agostino and Agnolo, erected in S. Domenico at Bologna a marble tomb
+for M. Giovanni da Lignano, doctor of laws, in the year 1383. All
+these and many other sculptors continued for a long space of time to
+employ the same manner, so that they filled all Italy with examples
+of it. It is further believed that the native of Pesaro, who besides
+many other things did the door of the church of S. Domenico in his
+native town, with the three marble figures of God the Father, St John
+the Baptist and St Mark, was a pupil of Agostino and Agnolo, and the
+style of the work gives colour to the supposition. This work was
+completed in the year 1385. But since it would take much too long to
+enter into particulars of the works made in this style by many
+masters of the time, I will let what I have said, in this general
+way, suffice, chiefly because they have not exercised a great
+influence upon our arts. Yet I thought it good to mention these men,
+because even if they do not deserve a long notice, yet they are not
+so insignificant as to be altogether passed over in silence.
+
+
+
+
+Stefano, Painter of Florence, and Ugolino of Siena.
+
+
+Stefano, painter of Florence and pupil of Giotto, was so excellent
+that not only did he surpass all the artists who had studied the arts
+before him, but he so far surpassed his master himself that he was
+deservedly considered the best of the painters up to that time, as
+his works clearly prove. He painted the Madonna in fresco for the
+Campo Santo at Pisa, and it is somewhat superior in design and
+colouring to the work of Giotto. In the cloister of S. Spirito at
+Florence he painted three arches in fresco, in the first of which,
+containing the Transfiguration with Moses and Elias, he represented
+the three disciples in fine and striking attitudes. He has formed a
+fine conception of the dazzling splendour which astonished them,
+their clothes being in disorder, and falling in new folds, a thing
+first seen in this picture, as he tried to base his work upon the
+nude figures, an idea which had not occurred to anyone before, no not
+even to Giotto himself. Under that arch, in which he made a Christ
+releasing a demoniac, he drew an edifice in perspective, perfectly,
+in a style then little known, displaying improved form and more
+science. He further executed it in the modern manner with great
+judgment, and displayed such art and such invention and proportion in
+the columns, doors, windows and cornices, and such different methods
+from the other masters that it seemed as if he had begun to see some
+glimpses of the light of the good and perfect manner of the moderns.
+Among other ingenious things he contrived a very difficult flight of
+steps, which are shown both in painting and in relief, and possess
+such design, variety, and invention, and are so useful and convenient
+that Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent, the elder, made use of the
+design for the steps outside the palace of Poggio a Caiano, now the
+principal villa of the Most Illustrious Duke. In the other arch is a
+representation of Christ saving St Peter from the fury of the waters,
+so well done that one seems to hear the voice of Peter saying:
+_Domine, salva nos, perimus_. This work is considered much finer than
+the other, because, besides the grace of the draperies, there is a
+sweetness in the bearing of the heads, a fear of the fortunes of the
+sea, while the terror of the apostles at various motions and
+appearances of the water, are represented in very suitable attitudes
+and with great beauty. And although time has partly destroyed the
+labour expended  by Stefano on this work, one may still discern
+confusedly that the apostles are defending themselves with spirit
+from the fury of the winds and waves. This work, which has been
+highly praised by the moderns, must certainly have appeared a miracle
+in all Tuscany at the time when it was  produced, Stefano then
+painted in the first cloister of S. Maria Novella a St Thomas
+Aquinas, next a door, where he also made a crucifix which has since
+been much damaged by other painters in restoring it. He also left
+unfinished a chapel in the church, which he began, now much damaged
+by time. In it may be seen the fall of the angels through the pride
+of Lucifer, in divers forms. Here it is noteworthy that the
+foreshortening of the arms, busts, and legs of the figures is much
+better done than ever before, and this shows us that Stefano began to
+recognise and had partially overcome the difficulties which stand in
+the way of the highest excellence, the mastery of which by his
+successors, by means of unremitting study, has rendered their works
+so remarkable. For this cause artists have well named him the ape of
+nature.
+
+Some time after Stefano was invited to Milan where he began many
+things for Matteo Visconti, but was not able to complete them,
+because having fallen sick owing to the change of air, he was
+compelled to return to Florence. There he regained his strength and
+executed in fresco in the chapel of the Asini in S. Croce, the story
+of the martyrdom of St Mark by being drawn asunder, with many figures
+which possess merit. As a pupil of Giotto he was then invited to Rome
+where he did in fresco for the principal chapel of St Peter's, which
+contains the altar of that saint, some scenes from the life of Christ
+between the windows of the large apse, with such care that he
+approaches very closely to the modern style and surpasses his master
+Giotto in design and other things. After this he executed in fresco,
+at Araceli, on a pillar beside the principal chapel on the left, a St
+Louis, which is much admired because it possesses a vivacity which
+had not been apparent in any works up to that time, not even in those
+of Giotto. Indeed Stefano had great facility in design, as  may be
+seen in a drawing by his hand in our book, in which the
+transfiguration is represented which he made for the cloister of S.
+Spirito, and indeed in my opinion he designed much better than
+Giotto. He next went to Assisi and in the apse of the principal
+chapel of the lower church, where the choir is, he began a
+representation in fresco of the Heavenly Glory; and although he did
+not finish it, what he did perform shows that he used the utmost
+diligence. In this work he began a series of saints with such
+beautiful variety in the faces of the youths, the men of middle age
+and the old men, that nothing better could be desired, and those
+blessed spirits exhibit so sweet and so united a style that it
+appears all but impossible that they could have been done by Stefano
+at that time. He however did execute them, although no more than the
+heads of the figures are finished. Above them is a choir of angels
+rejoicing in various attitudes, appropriately carrying theological
+symbols in their hands. All are turned towards a crucified Christ who
+is in the midst of the work immediately above a St Francis, who is
+surrounded by a multitude of saints. Besides this he made some angels
+as a border for the work, each of them holding one of those churches
+of which St John the Evangelist writes in the Apocalypse. These
+angels are represented with such grace that I am amazed to find a man
+of that age capable of producing them. Stefano began this work with
+the intention of thoroughly completing it, and he would have
+succeeded had he not been forced to leave it imperfect and to return
+to Florence on some important affairs of his own. During this stay at
+Florence and in order to lose no time, he painted for the
+Granfigliazzi lung' Arno, between their houses and the ponte alle
+Carraia in a small tabernacle on one side, Our Lady seated sewing, to
+whom a clothed child who is seated, is offering a bird, done with
+such care that although it is small it merits no less praise than the
+more ambitious efforts of the master.
+
+On the completion of this work and the settling of his affairs,
+Stefano was summoned to Pistoia by the lords there, and was set by
+them to paint the chapel of St James in the year 1346. In the vault
+he did a God the Father with some apostles, and on the side walls the
+life of the saint, notably the scene where his mother, the wife of
+Zebedee, asks Jesus Christ to permit that her two sons shall sit, one
+on His right hand and the other on His left in the kingdom of His
+Father. Near this is a fine presentation of the beheading of the
+saint. It is thought that Maso, called Giottino, of whom I shall
+speak afterwards, was the son of this Stefano, and although, on
+account of his name, many believe him to be the son of Giotto, I
+consider it all but certain that he was rather the son of Stefano,
+both because of certain documents which I have seen, and also because
+of some notices written in good faith by Lorenzo Ghiberti and by
+Domenico del Grillandaio. However, this may be, and to return to
+Stefano, to him is due the credit of the greatest improvement in
+painting since the days of Giotto; because, besides being more varied
+in his inventions, he showed more unity in colouring and more shading
+than all the others, and above all, in diligence he had no rival. And
+although the foreshortenings which he  made exhibit, as I  have said,
+a bad manner owing to the difficulties of execution, yet as the first
+investigator of these difficulties he deserves a much higher place
+than those who follow after the path has been made plain for them.
+Thus a great debt is due to Stefano, because he who presses on
+through the darkness and shows the way, heartens the others, enabling
+them to overcome the difficulties of the way, so that in time they
+arrive at the desired haven. In Perugia also, in the church of S.
+Domenico, Stefano began in fresco the chapel of St Catherine which
+is still unfinished.
+
+At the same time there lived a Sienese painter, called Ugolino, of
+considerable repute, and a great friend of Stefano. He did many
+pictures and chapels in all parts of Italy. But he kept in great part
+to the Byzantine style, to which he had become attached by habit, and
+always preferred, from a caprice of his own, to follow the manner of
+Cimabue rather than that of Giotto, which was held in such esteem.
+His works consist of a picture for the high altar of S. Croce, on a
+gold ground, and another picture which stood for many years on the
+high altar of S. Maria Novella, and which is now in the
+chapter-house, where every year the Spanish nation celebrates with a
+solemn feast the day of St James and its other offices and burial
+services. Besides these he did many other things in a good style, but
+without in the least departing from the manner of his master. It was
+he who painted on a pillar of bricks in the loggia, which Lapo had
+built on the piazza of Orsanmichele, that Madonna which, not many
+years after, worked so many miracles that the loggia was for a great
+time full of images, and to this day is held in the highest
+veneration. Finally, in the chapel of M. Ridolfo de' Bardi, in S.
+Croce, where Giotto painted the life of St Francis, he did a
+crucifix in tempera with the Magdalene and St John weeping, and two
+friars on either side. Ugolino died at an advanced age in the year
+1349, and was honourably buried at Siena, his native place.
+
+But to return to Stefano, who, they say, was also a good architect,
+and what has been said above makes this likely; he died, it is said,
+at the beginning of the Jubilee of 1350, at the age of forty-nine,
+and was buried at S. Spirito in the tomb of his ancestors with this
+epitaph:
+
+   Stephano Florentino pictori, faciundis imaginibus ac colorandis
+   figuris nulli unquam inferiori; Affines moestiss. pos. vix. an.
+   XXXXIX.
+
+
+
+
+Pietro Laurati, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+Pietro Laurati, an excellent painter of Siena, proved by his life how
+great may be the contentment of men of undoubted talent, who realise
+that their works are valued, both in their native land and outside
+it, and who see themselves in request by all men; for in the course
+of his life he was employed and caressed by all Tuscany. The first
+works which brought him into notice were the scenes which he painted
+in fresco in la  Scala, a hospital of Siena, in which he imitated the
+style of Giotto so successfully that these paintings became known
+throughout Tuscany and gave rise to the well-founded belief that he
+would become a better master than Cimabue, Giotto, and the others, as
+he actually did. In these scenes he represented the Virgin mounting
+the steps of the Temple, accompanied by Joachim and Anna, and
+received by the priest; then her marriage, both remarkable for good
+ornamentation, well-draped figures with simple folds of the clothes,
+and a majesty in the carnage of the heads, while the disposition of
+the figures is in the finest style. During the progress of this work,
+which introduced the good style of painting to Siena, being the first
+gleam of light for the many fine spirits who have flourished in that
+land in every age, Pietro was summoned to Monte Oliveto di Chiusuri,
+where he painted a picture in tempera which is now placed in the
+paradiso under the church. He next painted a tabernacle at Florence,
+opposite the left door of the church of S. Spirito, on the side where
+a butcher's shop  now stands, which merits the highest praise from
+every attentive artist, on account of the grace of the heads and the
+smoothness which it exhibits. Proceeding from Florence to Pisa, he
+did for the Campo Santo on the wall next the principal door, all the
+life of the Holy Fathers, with such striking reality and in such fine
+attitudes, that they rival Giotto. For this work he won the highest
+praise, having expressed in some heads, in drawing and colour, all
+the vivacity of which the manner of the time was capable. From Pisa
+he passed to Pistoia, and in S. Francesco did a picture of Our Lady
+in tempera, surrounded by some angels, very well arranged, the
+predella beneath containing some scenes with small figures, presented
+with a vigour and life remarkable for those times. This work
+satisfied him as much as it delighted others, and accordingly he put
+his name to it in these words: _Petrus Laurati de Senis_. Afterwards,
+in the year 1355, Pietro was summoned to Arezzo by M. Guglielmo, head
+priest, and by Margarito  Boschi and the other wardens of the Pieve
+of Arezzo. This church had been brought to an advanced stage in a
+better style and manner than had been practised in Tuscany up to that
+time, being ornamented with squared stones and carvings by the hand
+of Margaritone, as has been said. There Pietro painted in fresco the
+tribune and all the great apse of the chapel of the high altar,
+representing twelve scenes from the life of Our Lady, with life-size
+figures, from the chasing of Joachim out of the Temple, to the birth
+of Jesus Christ. In these works in  fresco  one meets with the ideas,
+lineaments, carriage of the heads, and attitudes of the figures
+characteristic of Giotto, his master. And although the whole of this
+work is beautiful, yet the paintings in the vault of the apse are
+certainly much better than the  rest, because, in the place where he
+represented the ascent of Our Lady to heaven, besides making the
+apostles four braccia high each, in which he showed his greatness of
+mind, being the first artist who attempted to aggrandise his style,
+he gave such a beautiful turn to the heads and such grace to the
+vestments that more could not have been desired in those days. In
+like manner he painted in the vaulting a choir of angels flying in
+the air about a Madonna. As they gracefully dance they appear to be
+singing, with a joy truly angelic and divine; whilst they are playing
+various instruments their eyes are fixed and intent on another choir
+of angels, sustained by a cloud of almond shape bearing the Madonna
+to heaven arranged in beautiful attitudes and surrounded by rainbows.
+This work, which was deservedly popular, procured him a commission to
+paint in tempera the picture of the high altar of that Pieve, where
+in five panels of life-size figures, represented to the knees, he
+made Our Lady with the Child on her arm, with St John the Baptist and
+St Matthew on one side of her, and on the other the Evangelist and St
+Donate. In the predella are many small figures, as well as in the
+frame of the picture above, all really fine and executed in the best
+style. I have entirely restored this altar at my own expense and with
+my own hands, so that this picture has been placed above the altar of
+St Christopher, at the bottom of the church. I may take this
+opportunity, without appearing to be impertinent, of saying in this
+place that I have myself restored this ancient collegiate church,
+moved by Christian piety and by the affection which I bear to the
+venerable building, because it was my first instructress in my early
+childhood. This I did also because it appeared to me to be as it were
+abandoned, and it may now be said to have been called back to life
+from the dead. Besides increasing the light, for it was very dark, by
+enlarging the original windows and making new ones, I also took away
+the choir, which used to occupy a great part of the church, and put
+it behind the high altar, to the great satisfaction of the canons
+there. The new altar stands alone, and has on the table before it a
+Christ calling Peter and Andrew from their nets, and on the side next
+the choir is another picture of St George killing the serpent. On the
+sides are four panels, each of which contains two saints of
+life-size. Above and below in the predella are numerous other
+figures, which are omitted for the sake of brevity. The ornamentation
+of the altar is thirteen braccia high, and the predella two braccia.
+The interior is hollow and is approached by a staircase through a
+small iron door, very well arranged. Many valuable relics are
+preserved there, which may be seen from the outside through two iron
+gratings in the front. Among others is the head of St Donato, bishop
+and protector of Arezzo. In a chest of various materials, three
+braccia high, which I have caused to be newly made, are the bones of
+four saints. The predella of the altar, which entirely surrounds it,
+has in front of it the tabernacle or _ciborium_ of the Sacrament,  in
+carved wood, all gilt, about three braccia high, and it may be seen
+from the choir side as well as from the front. As I have spared
+neither pains nor expense, since I considered myself bound to do my
+best to honour God, I may venture to affirm that, so far as my
+ability would allow, this work lacks nothing in the way of ornament,
+whether of gold, carving, painting, marble, trevertine, porphyry, or
+other stones.
+
+Now to return to Pietro Laurati. When he had completed the picture
+mentioned above, he did many things for St Peter's at Rome, which
+were afterwards destroyed in building the new church. He also
+executed some works at Cortona and at Arezzo, besides those already
+mentioned, and some others in the church of S. Fiore e Lucilla, a
+monastery of black monks, notably a representation in a chapel of St
+Thomas putting his hand into the wound in Christ's side.
+
+A pupil of Pietro was Bartolommeo Bologhini of Siena, who executed
+many pictures at Siena and other places in Italy. There is one by his
+hand at Florence, on the altar of the chapel of St Silvester in S.
+Croce. The paintings of this man were executed about the year 1350.
+In my book, which I have so often referred to, may be seen a drawing
+by Pietro, representing a shoemaker sewing in a simple but most
+natural manner with an admirable expression. It affords a good
+example of Pietro's peculiar style. His portrait by the hand of
+Bartolommeo Bologhini was in a picture at Siena, where not many years
+ago I copied it, in the manner seen above.
+
+
+
+
+Andrea Pisano, Sculptor and Architect.
+
+
+While the art of painting has flourished, sculptors have never been
+lacking who could produce excellent work. To the attentive mind, the
+works of every age bear testimony to this fact, for the two arts are
+really sisters, born at the same time and nourished and animated by
+the same spirit. This is seen in Andrea Pisano, who practised
+sculpture in the time of Giotto, and made so much improvement in that
+art, both by practice and study, that he was considered the best
+exponent of the profession who had until then appeared in Tuscany,
+especially in casting bronze. For this reason his works were so
+honoured and prized by those who knew him, and especially by the
+Florentines, that he was able without a pang to change his country,
+relations, property, and friends. It was a great advantage to him
+that the masters who had preceded him in sculpture had experienced so
+much difficulty in the art that their works were rough and common, so
+that those who saw his productions, judged him a miracle by
+comparison. That these first works were rude may be credited, as has
+been said elsewhere, upon an examination of some which are over the
+principal door of S. Paolo at Florence, and some stone ones in the
+church of Ognissanti, which are so executed as to move to laughter
+those who regard them, rather than to excite in them any admiration
+or pleasure. It is certain that it was much more easy to recover the
+art of sculpture when the statues had been lost, as a man is a round
+figure by nature, and is so represented by that art, whereas in
+painting, on the other hand, it is not so easy to find the right
+shapes and the best manner of portraying them, which are essential to
+the majesty, beauty, grace, and ornament of a picture. In one
+circumstance fortune was favourable to Andrea, because, as has been
+said elsewhere, by means of the numerous victories won by the Pisans
+at sea, many antiquities and  sarcophagi were brought to Pisa, which
+are still about the Duomo and Campo Santo. These gave him great
+assistance and much light, advantages which could not be enjoyed by
+Giotto, because the ancient paintings which have been preserved are
+not so numerous as the sculptures. And although statues have
+frequently been destroyed by fire, devastation, and the fury of war,
+or buried or transported to various places, yet it is easy for a
+connoisseur to recognise the productions of all the different
+countries by their various styles. For example, the Egyptian is
+slender, with long figures; the Greek is artificial, and much care is
+displayed on the nude, while the heads nearly always have the same
+turn; and the ancient Tuscan is careful in the treatment of hair and
+somewhat rude. As regards the Romans, and I call Roman for the most
+part those things which were brought to Rome after Greece was
+subjugated, as all that was good and beautiful in the world was
+carried thither; this Roman work, I say, is so beautiful in
+expression, attitudes, movements both in nude figures and in
+draperies, that the Romans may be said to have extracted the
+beautiful from all the other provinces and gathered it into a
+single style, making it the best and the most divine of all the arts.
+
+At the time of Andrea all these good methods and arts were lost, and
+the only style in use was that which had been brought to Tuscany by
+the Goths and the rude Greeks. Thus he noted the new style of Giotto
+and such few antiquities as were known to him, and somewhat refined a
+great part of the grossness of that wretched manner by his own
+judgment, so that he began to work in better style, and endow his
+works with far more beauty than had hitherto been seen. When his
+intelligence, skill, and dexterity had become known he was assisted
+by many of his compatriots, and while he was still a young man, he
+was commissioned to make some small figures in marble for S. Maria a
+Ponte. These brought him such a good name that he was most earnestly
+desired to come to work at Florence by those in charge of the
+building of S. Maria del Fiore, as after the façade of the three
+doors had been begun, there was a lack of masters to execute the
+subjects which Giotto had designed for the beginning of that
+structure. Accordingly Andrea went to Florence in order to undertake
+that work, and because at that time the Florentines were desirous of
+making themselves agreeable and friendly to Pope Boniface VIII., who
+was then chief pontiff of the church of God, they wished Andrea,
+before everything else, to make his statue in marble. Andrea
+therefore set to work, and did not rest until he had finished the
+Pope's figure placed between St Peter and St Paul, the three figures
+being set up on the façade of S. Maria del Fiore, where they still
+are. Afterwards Andrea made some figures of prophets for the middle
+door of that church, in some tabernacles or niches. These showed that
+he had made great improvements in the art, and that in excellence and
+design he surpassed all those who had laboured for that structure up
+to that time. Hence it was decided that all works of importance
+should be entrusted to him and not to others. Soon after he was
+commissioned to make four statues of the principal doctors of the
+church--St Jerome, St Ambrose, St Augustine, and St Gregory. When
+these were finished they brought him favour and renown with the
+craftsmen and throughout the city, and he was commissioned to make
+two other figures in marble of the same size. These were St Stephen
+and St Laurence, which are on the front of S. Maria del Fiore at the
+outside angle. By Andrea's hand also is the marble Madonna, three and
+a half braccia high with the child at her neck, which is over the
+altar of the little church and company of the Misericordia on the
+piazza of S. Giovanni at Florence. This was much praised in those
+times, especially as on either side of the Madonna he put an angel
+two and a half braccia high. A setting of very finely carved wood has
+been made for this in our own day by Maestro Antonio called "Il
+Carota," with a predella beneath, full of most beautiful figures
+coloured in oil by Ridolfo, son of Domenico Grillandai. In like
+manner the half-length Madonna in marble which is over the
+side-door of the Misericordia, on the façade of the Cialdonai, is by
+Andrea's hand, and was highly praised, because in it he had imitated
+the good antique manner, contrary to his habit, which was always
+different from it, as shown by some designs of his which are in our
+book, and in which he represents all the scenes from the Apocalypse.
+Now Andrea had studied architecture in his youth, and an opportunity
+occurred for his employment in this art by the commune of Florence,
+for as Arnolfo was dead and Giotto absent, he was entrusted with the
+preparation of plans for the castle of Scarperia, which is in Mugello
+at the foot of the Alps. Some say, though I will not vouch for the
+truth of it, that Andrea stayed a year at Venice, and there executed
+some small marble figures which are on the façade of S. Marco, and
+that in the time of M. Piero Gradenigo, doge of that republic, he
+designed the Arsenal. But as I know nothing of this beyond the bare
+mention of it which occurs in some writers, I must leave the matter
+to the judgment of my readers. From Venice he returned to Florence,
+where the city, fearing the coming of the emperor, with Andrea's
+co-operation, hastily added eight braccia to part of the wall between
+S. Gallo and the Prato Gate, and in other places he made bastions,
+palisades and works in earth and wood. Now some three years before,
+he had shown his skill in casting bronze in a much admired cross
+which he had sent to the Pope at Avignon, by means of his close
+friend Giotto; accordingly he was commissioned to make in bronze one
+of the doors of the church of S. Giovanni, for which Giotto had
+already made a very fine design. This, as I say, was given to him to
+finish, because he was considered the most talented, skilful, and
+judicious master of all those who had worked until then, not only in
+Tuscany, but throughout Italy. He set to work, resolved to spare
+neither time, pains, nor diligence upon the completion of a task of
+such importance. Fate was propitious to him in his casting, at a time
+when men were ignorant of the secrets known today, so that in the
+space of twenty-two years he brought the door to its present stage of
+perfection; and what is more, at the same time he made not only the
+tabernacle of the high altar of S. Giovanni, with an angel on either
+side which were considered most beautiful, but also the small marble
+figures about the base of the door of the campanile of S. Maria del
+Fiore, after Giotto's design, and about that campanile, in certain
+mandorle, the seven planets, the seven virtues, and the seven works
+of mercy in small figures in half-relief, which were then much
+admired. At the same time he made the three figures of four braccia
+high, which were placed in niches in that campanile, on the side
+towards the place where the Pupilli now are, that is towards the
+south, figures which were considered at the time to be of
+considerable merit. But to return to my starting-point, I say that
+the bronze door contains scenes in bas-relief from the life of St
+John the Baptist, from his birth to his death, most happily conceived
+and executed with great care. And  although many are of opinion that
+these stories do not exhibit that fine design nor that high art which
+should be put into figures, yet Andrea merits the highest praise,
+because he was the first who undertook to complete a work which
+rendered it possible for those who came after him to produce what is
+beautiful, difficult and good in the other two doors, and in the
+exterior ornaments now to be seen. This work was set in the middle
+door of the church, and remained there until Lorenzo Ghiberti made
+the present one, when it was removed and set up opposite the
+Misericordia, where it is at the present time. I must not omit to say
+that in making this door Andrea was assisted by his son Nino, who
+afterwards became a much better master than his father had been, and
+that it was finished in the year 1339--that is to say, not only
+polished and cleaned, but gilt at the fire. It is thought that the
+metal was cast by some Venetian masters very skilful in founding; and
+a record of this is in the library of the art of the Calimara,
+guardians of the work of S. Giovanni. Whilst the door was being made,
+Andrea not only made the altars aforesaid, but many others, and in
+particular the model of the church of S. Giovanni at Pistoia, which
+was founded in the year 1337. In this same year, on the 25th day of
+January, was found the body of St Atto, bishop of that city, in
+excavating the foundations of the church. The body had been buried in
+that place for 137 years. The architecture of that temple, which is
+round, was meritorious for the time. Also by the hand of Andrea is a
+marble tomb in the principal church of Pistoia, the body of the
+sarcophagus of which is full of small figures, with some larger ones
+above. In this tomb rests the body of M. Cino d'Angibolgi, doctor of
+laws, and a very famous man of letters in his day, as M. Francesco
+Petrarca testifies in the sonnet:
+
+          "Piangette donne, e con voi pianga Amore;"
+
+and in the fourth chapter of the _Trionfo d'Amore_, where he says:
+
+          "Ecco Cin da Pistoia; Guitton d'Arezzo,
+           Che di non esser primo per ch' ira aggia."
+
+This marble tomb of Andrea's contains the portrait of M. Cino, who is
+represented as teaching a number of his scholars, who are about him,
+with such a fine attitude and style that it must have been considered
+a marvellous thing in those days, although it would not be valued
+now.
+
+Walter, Duke of Athens and tyrant of Florence, also employed Andrea
+to enlarge the piazza, and to fortify his palace by barring the
+bottom of all the windows on the first floor, where the hall of the
+Two Hundred now is, with very strong square iron bars. The same duke
+also added, opposite S. Piero Scheraggio, the rough stone walls which
+are beside the palace to augment it, and in the thickness of the wall
+he made a secret staircase, to mount and descend unperceived. At the
+bottom face of the wall he made a great door, which now serves for
+the Customs, and over this he set his arms, the whole after the
+designs and with the advice of Andrea. Although the arms were defaced
+by the magistracy of the twelve, who took pains to obliterate every
+memorial of that duke, yet on the square shield there remained the
+form of the lion rampant with two tails, as any attentive observer
+may see. For the same duke Andrea made many towers about the city,
+and not only began the fine gate of S. Friano, leaving it in its
+present form, but also made the walls of the portals and all the
+gates of the city, and the smaller gates for the convenience of the
+people. And, because the duke purposed to make a fortress on the hill
+of S. Giorgio, Andrea prepared a model for it, which was never used,
+as the work was not begun, the duke being driven out in the year
+1343. The duke's plan to convert the palace into a strong castle was
+in great measure effected, for a considerable addition was made to
+the original building, as may be seen to-day, the circuit comprising
+the houses of the Filipetri, the tower and houses of the Amidei, and
+Mancini, and those of the Bellaberti. And because, after this great
+undertaking was begun, all the materials required for it and for the
+great walls and barbicans were not ready, he kept back the building
+of the Ponte Vecchio, which was being hurried forward as a necessary
+thing, and made use of the dressed stones and timber designed for
+this without any consideration. Although Taddeo Gaddi was probably
+not inferior to Andrea Pisano as an architect, the duke would not
+employ him on these works because he was a Florentine, but made use
+of Andrea. The same Duke Walter wished to pull down S. Cicilia, in
+order to obtain a view of the Strada Romana and the Mercato Nuovo
+from his palace, and would also have destroyed S. Piero Scheraggio
+for his convenience, but the Pope would not grant him licence. At
+length, as has been said above, he was driven out by the fury of the
+people.
+
+For his honoured labours of so many years Andrea not only deserved
+the highest rewards, but also civil honours. Accordingly he was made
+a Florentine citizen by the Signoria, offices and magistracies in the
+city were given to him, and his works were valued during his life and
+after his death, as no one was found to surpass him in workmanship
+until the advent of Niccolo of Arezzo, Jacopo della Quercia of Siena,
+Donatello, Filippo di Ser Brunellesco, and Lorenzo Ghiberti, whose
+sculptures and other works were such that people recognised in what
+error they had been living up till then, as these men had again
+discovered the true excellence which had been hidden for so great a
+number of years. The works of Andrea were executed about the year of
+grace 1340.
+
+The pupils of Andrea were numerous, and, among others, Tommaso,
+architect and sculptor, of Pisa, who finished the chapel of the Campo
+Santo, and brought the campanile of the Duomo to completion--that is
+to say, the last part, where the bells are. This Tommaso was Andrea's
+son, if we may believe an inscription on the high altar of S.
+Francesco at Pisa, on which a Madonna and other saints are carved by
+him in half relief, with his name and that of his father beneath.
+Andrea left a son Nino, who devoted himself to sculpture, his first
+work being in S. Maria Novella at Florence, where he finished a
+marble Madonna, begun by his father, which is inside the door, near
+the chapel of the Minerbetti. Going afterwards to Pisa, he made for
+the Spina a half-length marble Madonna suckling the infant Jesus
+Christ, clothed in delicate draperies. In the year 1522 a marble
+ornament for this Madonna was made for M. Jacopo Corbini, who had a
+much larger and finer one made for another full-length marble Madonna
+of Nino, representing with great grace the mother offering a rose to
+the child, who takes it in childish fashion, and so prettily, that
+one may say that Nino had made some steps to subduing the roughness
+of the stone, and endowing it with the attributes of living flesh.
+The figure is between a St John and a St Peter in marble, the head of
+the latter being a portrait of Andrea. Nino also made two marble
+statues for an altar of S. Caterina at Pisa--that is to say, the
+Madonna and an angel in an Annunciation, executed, like his other
+works, with such care that they may be considered as the best
+productions of those times. On the base beneath this Madonna Nino
+carved the following words: "On the first day of February  1370;" and
+beneath the angel: "Nino, son of Andrea Pisano, made these figures."
+
+He produced yet other works in that city and at Naples which it is
+not necessary to mention here. Andrea died at the age of
+seventy-five, in the year 1345, and was buried by Nino in S. Maria
+del Fiore with the following epitaph:
+
+        "Ingenti Andreas jacet hie Pisanus in urna,
+         Marmore qui potuit spirantes ducere vultus
+         Et simulacra Deum mediis imponere templis
+         Ex acre, ex auro, candenti et pulcro elephanto."
+
+
+
+
+Buonamico Buffalmacco, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+Buonamico di Cristofano, called  Buffalmacco, painter of Florence,
+who was a pupil of Andrea Tafi, celebrated for his jests by M.
+Giovanni Boccaccio in his "Decameron," is well known to have been the
+close companion of Bruno and Calandrino, painters, and themselves
+facetious and pleasant men. He possessed a very fair judgment in the
+art of painting, as may be seen by his works, which are scattered
+throughout Tuscany. Franco Sacchetti relates in his "Three Hundred
+Tales" (to begin with the deeds of this artist while he was still
+young) that, while Buffalmacco was a boy with Andrea, it was his
+master's custom, when the nights were long, to rise to work before
+dawn and to call the boys. This thing displeased Buonamico, who
+enjoyed a good sleep, and he tried to devise a plan that should
+induce Andrea to leave off calling them to work so much before
+daylight. He soon found one, for in an ill-swept loft  he happened to
+find thirty great beetles or cockroaches. With some thin needles and
+corks he fixed a small candle on the back of each beetle, and when
+the hour came for Andrea to rise he lighted the candles and put the
+beetles one by one through a hole leading into Andrea's room. When
+the master awoke, just about the hour when he was accustomed to call
+Buffalmacco, and saw these lights he began to tremble with fear, and
+to recommend himself to God, repeating his prayers and psalms. At
+length he put his head under the clothes and did not call Buffalmacco
+that night, but remained trembling in that posture until the day. The
+following morning when he arose he asked Buonamico if he, like
+himself, had seen more than a thousand devils. Buonamico said "No,"
+because he had kept his eyes shut, and had wondered why he had not
+been called. "What!" said Tafi; "I had something else to think of
+besides painting, and I am resolved to go and live in another house."
+The following night, although Buonamico only put three beetles into
+Tafi's chamber, yet the poor man did not sleep a jot, owing to his
+fear of the past night and to those devils which he saw. No sooner
+was day come than he left the house, declaring he would never return
+to it, and it was long before they were able to induce him to change
+his mind. But Buonamico brought him the priest of the parish, who
+consoled him as best he could. When Tafi and Buonamico were talking
+over the matter afterwards, the latter said: "I have always heard
+tell that the devils are the greatest enemies of God, and
+consequently they must also be the chief adversaries of painters,
+because, besides the fact that we always make them very ugly, We do
+nothing else but represent saints on walls and tables, in order to
+render men more devout or better in despite of the devils. For this
+cause the devils are enraged with us, and as they have more power at
+night than during the day, they come and play these pranks, and will
+do worse if this practice of early rising is not entirely abandoned."
+With these words, and many others, Buffalmacco succeeded in settling
+the matter, as the priest supported his arguments, so that Tafi left
+off his early rising and the devils ceased to go through the house at
+night with lights. But not many months afterwards, when Tafi, induced
+by desire of gain, and crushing every fear, began once more to rise
+and work at night and to call Buffalmacco, the beetles also began to
+make their rounds, so that the master was compelled by fear to give
+it up entirely, being strongly advised to this by the priest.
+
+When this thing became known through the city, it for a while
+prevented other painters as well as Tafi from rising to work at
+night. When, shortly afterwards, Buffalmacco himself became a fairly
+good master he left Tafi, as the same Franco relates, and began to
+work by himself, and he never lacked employment. Accordingly he took
+a house to serve equally as a workshop and a dwelling-house, next
+door to a worker of wool in easy circumstances, who, being a raw
+simpleton, was called Goosehead. This man's wife rose early every
+night, when Buffalmacco, who had worked up to that time, was going to
+rest, and setting herself at her spinning wheel, which she
+unfortunately placed over against Buffalmacco's bed, she spent all
+the night in spinning thread. Buonamico was unable to sleep a moment,
+and began to devise a means whereby to rid himself of this nuisance.
+It was not long before he perceived that, behind the brick wall which
+separated him from Goosehead, was the fire of his objectionable
+neighbour, and by means of a crack he could see everything that she
+did at the fire. Accordingly he devised a new trick, and provided
+himself with a long tube. When he found that the wife of Goosehead
+was not at the fire, he every now and again put through that hole in
+the wall into his neighbour's pot as much salt as he wished. When
+Goosehead returned either to dine or to sup he could, as a rule,
+neither eat nor drink or taste either soup or meat, as everything was
+made bitter by too much salt. For a little while he had patience, and
+only spoke of it or grumbled; but when he found that words did not
+suffice, he frequently gave blows to the poor woman, who was in
+despair, because she thought she had been more than cautious in
+salting the dish. As her husband beat her from time to time, she
+tried to excuse herself, which only increased the anger of Goosehead,
+so that he began to strike her again, and as she cried out at the top
+of her voice, the noise penetrated the whole neighbourhood, and drew
+thither Buffalmacco among others. When he heard of what Goosehead
+accused his wife and how she excused herself, he said to Goosehead:
+"Worthy friend, you should be reasonable; you complain that your
+morning and evening dishes are too salt, but I only wonder that your
+wife makes them so well as she does. I cannot understand how she is
+able to keep going all day, considering that she is sitting up the
+whole night over her spinning, and does not, I believe, sleep an
+hour. Let her give up rising at midnight, and you will see, when she
+has enough sleep, her brain will not wander, and she will not fall
+into such serious mistakes." Then he turned to the other neighbours,
+and succeeded so well in convincing them that he had found the true
+explanation that they all told Goosehead that Buonamico was right,
+and that he should follow this advice. Goosehead, believing what he
+was told, ordered his wife not to rise so soon, and the dishes were
+afterwards reasonably salted, except sometimes when the goodwife had
+risen early, because then Buffalmacco had recourse to his remedy, a
+fact which induced Goosehead to cause his wife to give up early
+rising altogether.
+
+One of the earliest works Buffalmacco did was the decoration of the
+church of the nunnery of Faenza at Florence, where the  citadel of
+Prato now is. Here he represented scenes from the life of Christ,
+among other things, everything in which is in good style, and he also
+did there the massacre of the Innocents by Herod's order. Here he
+displays with considerable vigour the expressions of the murderers as
+well as of the other figures, because some nurses and mothers, who
+are snatching the children from the hands of the murderers, are using
+their hands, nails, teeth, and every bodily agent to help them as
+much as possible, showing that their minds are not less full of rage
+and fury than of grief. As the monastery is destroyed to-day, nothing
+more of this work is to be seen than a coloured drawing in our book
+of designs, which contains the sketch for this by Buonamico's hand.
+In executing this work for the nuns of Faenza, Buffalmacco, who was
+as eccentric in his dress as his behaviour, did not always happen to
+wear the hood and mantle customary in those times, and the nuns who
+sometimes looked at him through the screen which he had caused to be
+made, began to say to the custodian that they objected to seeing him
+always in his doublet. After he had reassured them, they remained
+quiescent for a while. At length, as they always saw him attired
+after the same fashion, they thought he must be the boy to mix the
+colours and accordingly they induced the abbess to tell him that they
+should like to see the master himself at work and not this other one
+always. Buonamico, who always loved his joke, told them that so soon
+as the master arrived he would let them know, although he was
+sensible of the small amount of confidence which they placed in him.
+Then he took a table and put another on the top of  it, setting a
+water jug on this, over the handle of which he put a hood and then
+covered the rest of the pitcher in a civilian's mantle, fastening it
+firmly about the tables. After this he put a brush in the spout from
+which the water flows, and there left it. When the nuns returned to
+see the work through an opening where he had torn the canvas, they
+saw the supposed master in his attire. They believed that he was
+working there to the utmost of his power, and would do much better
+than the mere boy had done, so they were several days thinking of
+nothing else. At last they were anxious to see what beautiful things
+the master had made. Fifteen days had passed since Buonamico had set
+foot in the place, and one night they went to see the paintings,
+thinking that the master could no longer be there. They were covered
+with confusion and blushes when one bolder than the rest discovered
+the nature of the solemn master, who had not done a stroke in the
+fortnight. When they learned that Buonamico had treated them
+according to their deserts, and that the works which he had made were
+excellent, they recalled him and he returned with much laughter and
+joking to take up the work, making them see that there is a
+difference between men and dummies, and that works must not always be
+judged by the clothes of those who produce them. After a few days he
+finished one subject there, with which they were very delighted since
+it appeared to them to be satisfactory in all its parts, except that
+the figures in the flesh colouring seemed to them to be rather too
+pale. When Buonamico heard this and learning that the abbess had the
+best vernaccia in Florence, which served for the sacrifice of the
+mass, he told them that in order to remedy such a defect, nothing
+would be serviceable except to temper the colours with a good
+vernaccia, for if the cheeks and other flesh parts of the figures
+were touched with this, they would become red and very freshly
+coloured. When the good sisters heard this they believed it
+completely and afterwards kept him supplied with the best vernaccia
+so long as the work lasted, while he on his part made merry and
+thenceforward with his ordinary colours rendered his figures more
+fresh and brilliant.
+
+On the completion of this work Buffalmacco painted in the abbey of
+Settimo some scenes from the life of St James in the chapel dedicated
+to that saint which is in the cloister, on the vault of which he did
+the four Patriarchs and the four Evangelists, among whom the attitude
+of Luke is noteworthy for the natural way in which he is blowing his
+pen to make the ink flow. In the subjects for the walls, which are
+five, the figures are represented in fine attitudes and everything is
+carried out with originality and judgment. In order to make his flesh
+colouring easier to paint Buonamico used a ground of _pavonazzo di
+sale_, as is seen in this work, which in the course of time has
+caused a saltness by which the white and other colours are corroded
+and consumed so that it is no marvel that the work is damaged and
+destroyed, while many that were made long before have been
+excellently preserved. I formerly considered that the  injury was
+caused by the damp, but afterwards by an examination of his other
+works I have proved by experience that it is not the damp, but this
+peculiar practice of Buffalmacco which has caused them to be so
+damaged that it is not possible to see the design or anything else,
+and where the flesh colour should be there remains nothing but the
+_pavonazzo_. This method of working should not be practised by anyone
+who desires a long life for his paintings.
+
+After the two pictures mentioned above, Buonamico did two others in
+tempera for the monks of the Certosa at Florence, one of which is in
+the place where the singing books for the choir rest, and the other
+is below in the old chapels. In the Badia at Florence he painted in
+fresco the chapel of the Gondi and Bastari, beside the principal
+chapel, which was afterwards granted to the family of the Boscoli,
+and still retains these paintings of Buffalmacco. Here he did the
+Passion of Christ, with fine and original expressions, showing in
+Christ, when He washes the disciples' feet, the greatest humility and
+benignity, and cruelty and fierceness in the Jews who lead Him to
+Herod. But he displayed especial originality and facility in a Pilate
+whom he painted in prison and in Judas, hung to a tree, from which we
+may readily believe what is related of this pleasant painter, that
+when he wished to be diligent and take pains, which rarely happened,
+he was not inferior to any other artist of his time. That this is
+true is proved by his works in fresco in Ognissanti, where the
+cemetery now is, produced with such diligence and with such
+precautions that the water which has rained upon them for many years
+has not injured them or caused any harm except by preventing a
+recognition of their excellence. They are so well preserved because
+they were done simply upon fresh lime. On the walls are the Nativity
+of Jesus Christ and the Adoration of the Magi, that is to say, over
+the tomb of the Aliotti. After these works Buonamico went to Bologna,
+where he painted in fresco on the vaults of the chapel of the
+Bolognini in S. Petronio, but did not finish them, for some reason
+unknown to me. It is said that in the year 1302 he was summoned to
+Assisi, and in the chapel of St Catherine in the church of S.
+Francesco he painted the history of the former saint's life in
+fresco, works which are very well preserved, and containing some
+figures well worthy of praise. When he had completed the chapel and
+was on his way through Arezzo, the bishop Guido, who had heard that
+Buonamico was a pleasant man and a painter of talent, wished him to
+stay in the city and paint for him the chapel in the Vescovado
+containing the Baptism of Christ. Buonamico put his hand to the work
+and had already done a considerable part of it when a very strange
+adventure happened to him, related by Franco Sacchetti in his "Three
+Hundred Tales." The bishop possessed a baboon, the most mischievous
+and malignant creature that ever was seen. This animal was one day
+standing on his perch and watching Buonamico work, having lost
+thought of everything else, and never taking his eyes off him as he
+mixed the colours, managed the tools, broke the eggs to make the
+tempera, or did any other thing, no matter what. One Saturday evening
+Buonamico left the work and this baboon; on Sunday morning, although
+he had a great log of wood attached to his legs, which the bishop
+made him carry so that he should not leap everywhere, notwithstanding
+this heavy weight, leapt on to the scaffolding where Buonamico used
+to stand to work, and there took up the phials and emptied them one
+by one, made the mixtures, broke as many eggs as were there, and
+began to daub all the figures with the brush, never resting until he
+had repainted everything himself. That done he made a fresh mixture
+of all the colours which were left over, although they happened to be
+few, and then descended from the scaffolding and departed. When
+Buonamico came back to his work on Monday morning and saw his figures
+spoiled, his phials emptied and everything upside down, he was filled
+with amazement and confusion. After turning the matter over in his
+mind for some time he concluded that some Aretine had done this from
+envy or for some other reason. Accordingly he went to the bishop and
+told him what had happened and what he suspected, at which the bishop
+was much troubled, yet he encouraged Buonamico to go on with the
+work, and to repaint the part which had been spoiled. He further
+pledged himself to give the artist six armed men of his infantry, who
+should stand with falchions to watch, when he was not working, and to
+cut to pieces without mercy anyone who should come. Accordingly the
+figures were repainted a second time, and one day while the soldiers
+were on the watch they heard a curious rolling noise in the church,
+and soon after the baboon appeared, jumped upon the seat, made the
+mixtures in an instant, and set to work upon the saints of Buonamico.
+The guard then called the master, and showed him the criminal, and
+when they saw him standing with them and watching the animal work,
+they burst into laughter, and Buonamico himself, though grieved at
+the damage, could not help laughing in the midst of his sorrow. At
+length he dismissed the soldiers who had been on guard with their
+falchions, and went to the bishop and said to him: "My lord, you like
+my manner of painting, but your baboon prefers another." He then
+related the matter, adding: "It was not necessary for you to send
+away for painters since you had a master in the house, although
+perhaps he did not know how to mix his colours properly. Now that he
+knows, let him work by himself, for I am of no further use here, and
+as his worth is now recognised, I shall be contented with no other
+wages for my work except permission to return to Florence." Although
+much displeased, the bishop could not refrain from laughing when he
+heard this, especially when he considered that a beast had made a
+jest of the most jest-loving man in the world. After they had laughed
+and talked over this new adventure, the bishop prevailed so far, that
+Buonamico set himself a third time to do the work, and he finished
+it. The baboon, as a punishment and penance for his fault, was shut
+up in a large cage of wood, and kept there while Buonamico worked,
+until the painting was quite finished. It is not possible to imagine
+the antics which the great beast played in that cage with his mouth,
+his body and his hands, at seeing others work while he was not able
+to imitate them. When the decoration of the chapel was completed the
+bishop asked, for a jest or for some other reason, that Buffalmacco
+should paint him on a wall of his palace an eagle on the back of a
+lion which it had killed. The cunning painter promised to do as the
+bishop desired, and made a large partition of boards, saying that he
+did not wish anyone to see such a thing being painted. This done, and
+while being shut up all alone inside, he painted the contrary to what
+the bishop wished, a lion crushing an eagle. When the work was
+completed, he asked licence from the bishop to go to Florence to
+procure some colours which he needed. Accordingly, having locked up
+his picture, he went to Florence intending never to return. The
+bishop after waiting some time and seeing that the painter did not
+return, caused the painting to be opened, and found that Buonamico
+was wiser than himself. Furious at the trick which had been played
+upon him he threatened to take the artist's life. When Buonamico
+heard this, he sent to tell him to do his worst, wherefore the bishop
+menaced him with a malediction. But at length he reflected that the
+artist had only been jesting, and that he should take the matter as a
+jest, whereupon he pardoned Buonamico the insult, and acknowledged
+his pains most liberally. What is more, he induced him to come again
+to Arezzo not long after, and caused him to paint many things in the
+old Duomo, which have been thrown down to-day, treating him always as
+his friend and most faithful servant. The same artist also painted in
+Arezzo the apse of the principal chapel of S. Giustino. Some write
+that when Buonamico was in Florence he was often in the workshop of
+Maso del Saggio with his friends and companions. He was also present
+with many others in arranging the regatta which the men of the borgo
+S. Friano in Arno celebrate on the calends of May, and that when the
+ponte alla Carraia, which was then of wood, broke down because it was
+too crowded with people, who had run thither to see the spectacle, he
+did not perish then like many others, because when the bridge fell
+right on a machine, representing Hell in a barque on the Arno, he had
+gone to buy some things that were wanted for the feast.
+
+Not long after these things Buonamico was invited to Pisa, and
+painted a series of subjects from the Old Testament, from the
+Creation of Man to the building of the Tower of Nimrod, for the abbey
+of S. Paolo a ripa d'Arno, which then belonged to the monks of
+Vallombrosa, on the whole of the crossing of that church, on three
+sides, from the roof to the ground. This work, which is now almost
+entirely destroyed, is remarkable for the vigour of the figures, the
+skill and beauty of the colouring and artist's faculty of expressing
+his ideas, although he was not very good in design. On the wall of
+this crossing opposite that which contains the side door, there are
+some scenes of the life of St Anastasia, where some women, painted in
+a graceful manner, exhibit certain antique habits and gestures, very
+prettily and well. No less fine are some figures in a barque,
+arranged in well designed attitudes, among them being the portrait of
+Pope Alexander IV., which it is said Buonamico had from his master
+Tafi, who had represented that pontiff in mosaic in St Peter's.
+Similarly in the last subject which represents the martyrdom of the
+saint, and of others, Buonamico finely expresses in the faces the
+fear of death, the grief and dread of those who are standing by to
+see her tormented and put to death, while she stands bound to a tree,
+and above the fire. Bruno di Giovanni, a painter, assisted Buonamico
+in this work. He is called painter in the old book of the company.
+This Bruno, also celebrated as a joke-loving man by Boccaccio,
+finished the said scenes for the walls, and painted the altar of St
+Ursula for the same church, with her company of virgins, inserting in
+one hand of the saint a standard with the arms of Pisa, which are a
+white cross on a red ground, while she places the other on a woman
+who is rising between two mountains, and touches the sea with one
+foot and places her hands together in an act of entreaty. This woman
+represents Pisa, her head being circled with a gold crown, while she
+wears a garment full of circles and eagles, and being in much trouble
+at sea she petitions the saint. But because Bruno complained when he
+executed those figures that they were not life-like as those of
+Buonamico were, the latter in jest, to teach him to make figures,
+which if not life-like, should at least converse, made him put some
+words issuing from the mouth of the woman who is entreating the
+saint, and also the saint's reply to her, a device which Buonamico
+had seen in the works executed by Cimabue in the same church. This
+thing pleased Bruno and other foolish men of the time, just as to-day
+it pleases certain clumsy fellows, who have thus employed vulgar
+devices worthy of themselves. It is certainly curious that in this
+way advice intended simply as a jest has been generally followed, so
+much so that a great part of the Campo Santo done by masters of
+repute is full of this clumsiness.
+
+The works of Buonamico having greatly pleased the Pisans, those in
+charge of the fabric of the Campo Santo commissioned him to do four
+scenes in fresco from the beginning of the world until the building
+of Noah's ark, surrounding them with an ornamentation, in which he
+drew his own portrait from life, that is to say, in a border in the
+middle and  at the corners of which are some heads, among which, as I
+have said, is his own. He wears a hood, just like the one that may be
+seen above. This work contains a God who holds in his arms the
+heavens and the elements, and all the apparatus of the universe, so
+that Buonamico, explaining his scene with verses, like the paintings
+of the age, wrote at the foot in capital letters with his own hand
+the following sonnet, as may be seen, which for its antiquity and
+simplicity of diction peculiar to the time, has seemed to me to be
+worth insertion in this place, so that if it does not perchance give
+much pleasure, though I think it will, yet it is a matter which will
+perhaps bear testimony to the amount of the knowledge of the men of
+that age:
+
+            "Voi che avvisate questa dipintura
+             Di Dio pietoso sommo creatore,
+             Lo qual fe' tutte cose con amore
+             Pesate, numerate ed in misura.
+             In nove gradi angelica natura
+             In ello empirio ciel pien di splendore,
+             Colui che non si muove et è motore,
+             Ciascuna cosa fecie buona e pura.
+             Levate gli occhi del vostro intelletto
+             Considerate quanto è ordinato
+             Lo mondo universale; e con affetto
+             Lodate lui che l' ha si ben creato:
+             Pensate di passare a tal diletto
+             Tra gli angeli, dove e ciascun beato.
+             Per questo mondo si vede la gloria,
+             Lo basso, e il mezzo, e Palto in questa storia."
+
+It was indeed bold of Buonamico to set himself to make a God the
+Father five braccia high, the hierarchy, the heavens, the angels, the
+zodiac, and all the things above to the sky of the moon, and then the
+element of fire, the air, the earth, and finally the centre. For the
+two lower corners he did a St Augustine and a St Thomas Aquinas. At
+the top of this Campo Santo, where the marble tomb of the Corte now
+is, Buonamico painted the Passion of Christ, with a great number of
+figures on foot and on horse, all in varied and beautiful attitudes,
+and in conformity with the story. He also did the Resurrection and
+the Apparition of Christ to the apostles very satisfactorily. When he
+had completed these labours, and had at the same time spent
+everything that he had gained at Pisa, which was not a little, he
+returned to Florence as poor as he had left it, and there he did many
+pictures and works in fresco, which it is not necessary to describe
+further. When his close friend Bruno, with whom he had returned from
+Pisa after squandering everything, was employed to do some works in
+S. Maria Novella, because he had not much skill in design or
+invention, Buonamico designed for him all that he afterwards did for
+a wall of that church opposite the pulpit, filling the space between
+column and column. This was the story of St Maurice and his
+companions, who were beheaded for the faith of Jesus Christ. Bruno
+executed this work for Guido Campese, then constable of the
+Florentines. The artist took his portrait before  his death, in the
+year 1320, and afterwards put it in this work, as an armed man, as
+was customary in those days, and behind him he made an array of
+warriors, all armed in the antique style, forming a fine spectacle,
+while Guido himself kneels before Our Lady, who has the child Jesus
+in her arms while St Domenic and St Agnes, who are on either side of
+her, intercede for him. Although this painting is not remarkable for
+its design and invention, yet it is worthy of some amount of praise,
+chiefly on account of the variety of clothing, and of the barbed and
+other armour of the time. I myself made use of it in some scenes
+which I did for Duke Cosimo, in which it was necessary to represent
+an armed man in the antique style and other similar things of that
+age. This thing greatly pleased His Most Illustrious Excellency and
+others who have seen it. From this it may be seen what an advantage
+it is to draw materials from inventions and works made by these
+ancients, for although they are not perfect, yet it is useful to know
+in what manner they can be made of service, since they opened the
+way to the  marvels which have since been produced. Whilst Bruno was
+engaged upon these works, a rustic desired him to do a St
+Christopher, and they made an agreement at Florence, the terms being
+that the price should be eight florins, and the figure should be
+twelve braccia high. Accordingly Buonamico went to the church where
+he was to do the St Christopher, and found that as its length and
+breadth did not exceed nine braccia he could not manage to get the
+figure in, so he determined, in order to fulfil the agreement, to
+make the figure lying down, but as even then it would not entirely
+come in, he was compelled to turn it from the knees downwards on to
+another wall. When the work was completed the rustic refused to pay
+for it, exclaiming that he had been cheated. The matter thus came
+before the official of the Grascia, who judged that Buonamico was
+justified by the terms of the contract.
+
+At S. Giovanni in l'Arcore there was a very fine Passion of Jesus
+Christ by Buonamico's hand, and among other much admired things it
+contained a Judas hanging from a tree, done with much judgment and in
+good style. There was also an old man blowing his nose very
+naturally, and the Maries are represented with such a sad air in
+weeping that they merit high praise for a time when men had not
+acquired the facility of expressing the emotions of the soul with the
+brush. In the same wall is a St Ivo of Brittany with many widows and
+orphans at his feet--a good figure--and two angels in the air who
+crown him, executed in the sweetest style. This building, together
+with the paintings, was thrown down in the year of the war of 1529.
+Again Buonamico painted many things in the Vescovado of Cortona for
+M. Aldebrando, bishop of that city, especially the chapel and the
+picture of the high altar; but as during the restoration of the
+palace and church everything was thrown down, it is not worth while
+to say more about them. In S. Francesco and in S. Margherita of the
+same city, there are still some pictures by the hand of Buonamico.
+From Cortona he went once more to Assisi, where in the lower church
+of S. Francesco he painted in fresco all the chapel of the Cardinal
+Egidio Alvaro of Spain, and because he was successful he was
+liberally recognised by the cardinal. Finally, after Buonamico had
+done many pictures in every part of la Marca, he stayed at Perugia on
+his way back to Florence, and there painted the chapel of the
+Buontempi in fresco in the church of S. Domenico, representing scenes
+from the life of St Catherine, virgin and martyr. In the old church
+of S. Domenico he painted also in fresco on the wall the scene where
+St Catherine, daughter of King Costa, disputes with, convinces, and
+converts certain philosophers to the faith of Christ. As this scene
+is the finest that Buonamico ever produced, it may be said with truth
+that he has surpassed himself, and moved by this, as Franco Sacchetti
+writes, the Perugians directed that he should paint on the piazza St
+Ercolano, bishop and protector of that city. Accordingly when the
+terms had been settled a screen of boards and wicker work was made in
+the place where he was to paint, so that the master should not be
+seen at work, and this done he set himself to the task. But before
+ten days had passed everyone who passed asked when the picture would
+be finished, as if such things were cast in moulds. This disgusted
+Buonamico, who was angered by such importunity, and when the work was
+finished he resolved to be quietly avenged on the people for their
+impatience. An idea came to him, and before he uncovered his work he
+showed it to the people, who were delighted. But when the Perugians
+wanted to remove the screen, Buonamico said that they must let it
+remain for two days longer, because he wished to retouch some things
+_a secco_, and this was done. Buonamico then climbed up to where he
+had made a great diadem of gold for the saint, done in relief with
+the lime, as was customary in those days, and replaced it by a crown
+or garland of fish. That done, permission to depart being granted to
+him, he went away to Florence. When two days had passed, the
+Perugians not seeing the painter about, as he was accustomed to be,
+enquired what had become of him, and learned that he had returned to
+Florence. Accordingly they at once went to uncover the work, and
+found their St Ercolano solemnly crowned with fishes. They
+immediately informed their magistrates, and horsemen were sent off
+in haste to find Buonamico. But all was in vain, since he had
+returned with great speed to Florence. They, therefore, agreed to get
+one of their own painters to remove the crown of fishes and to
+repaint the saint's diadem, saying all the evil things imaginable of
+Buonamico and of the other Florentines. Thus Buonamico returned to
+Florence, caring little for what the Perugians said, and began to do
+many works which I shall not mention for fear of being too tedious. I
+will only remark that having painted a Madonna and child at
+Calcinaia, the man who had commissioned him to paint it, gave him
+promises instead of gold. Buonamico, who had not reckoned upon being
+used and cheated in this way, determined to be even with him.
+Accordingly he went one morning to Calcinaia and converted the child
+which he had painted in the Virgin's arms into a little bear, with
+simple tints, without glue or tempera, but made with water only. When
+the countryman saw this not long after, he was in despair, and went
+to find Buonamico, begging him to be so good as to remove the bear
+and repaint a child as at first, because he was ready to satisfy him.
+Buonamico did this with pleasure, for a wet sponge sufficed to set
+everything right, and he was paid for his first and second labours
+without further delay. As I should occupy too much space if I wished
+to describe all the jests and paintings of Buonamico Buffalmacco,
+especially these perpetrated in the workshop of Maso del Saggio,
+which was a resort of citizens and of all the pleasant and
+jest-loving men in Florence, I shall conclude this notice of him. He
+died at the age of seventy-eight, and he was of the company of the
+Misericordia, because he was very poor, and had spent more than he
+had earned, that being his temperament, and in his misfortunes he
+went to S. Maria Nuova, a hospital of Florence. He was buried in the
+year 1340, like the other poor in the Ossa, the name of a cloister or
+cemetery of the hospital. His works were valued during his lifetime,
+and they have since been considered meritorious for productions of
+that age.
+
+
+
+Ambruogio Lorenzetti, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+Great as the debt owed by artists of genius to Nature undoubtedly is,
+our debt to them is far greater, seeing that they labour to fill our
+cities with noble and useful buildings and with beautiful paintings,
+while they usually win fame and riches for themselves. This was the
+case with Ambruogio Lorenzetti, painter of Siena, whose powers of
+invention were fine and prolific, and who excelled in the arrangement
+and disposition of the figures in his subjects. Evidence of this may
+be seen at the Friars Minors at Siena in a very gracefully painted
+scene by him in the cloister. Here he represented the manner in which
+a youth becomes a friar, and how he and some others go to the Soldan,
+and are there beaten and sentenced to the gallows, hung to a tree,
+and finally beheaded, during the progress of a fearful tempest. In
+this painting he has very admirably and skilfully depicted the
+disturbance of the and the fury of the rain and wind, by the efforts
+of the figures. From these modern masters have learned originally how
+to treat such a scene, for which reason the artist deserves the
+highest commendation. Ambruogio was a skilful colourist in fresco,
+and he exhibited great address and dexterity in his treatment of
+colours in tempera, as may still be seen in the pictures which he
+completed at Siena in the hospital called Mona Agnesa, in which he
+painted and finished a scene with new and beautiful composition. On
+the front of the great hospital he did in fresco the Nativity of Our
+Lady, and when she goes among the virgins to the temple. For the
+friars of St Augustine in that city he did the chapterhouse, on the
+vault of which are represented the Apostles holding scrolls
+containing that part of the Credo which each of them made. At the
+foot of each is a small scene representing the meaning of the writing
+above. On the principal wall are three scenes of the life of St
+Catherine the Martyr, representing her dispute with the tyrant in the
+temple, and in the middle is the Passion of Christ with the thieves
+on the Cross and the Maries below, supporting the Virgin, who has
+fallen down. These things were finished by Ambruogio with
+considerable grace, and in a good style. He also depicted in the
+great hall of the palace of the Signoria at Siena the war of
+Asinalunga, the peace following, and the events which then took
+place, comprising a map, perfect for the time. In the same palace he
+did eight scenes in _terra verde_ very smoothly. It is said that he
+also sent to Volterra a picture in tempera, which was much admired in
+that city; and at Massa, in conjunction with others, he did a chapel
+in fresco and a picture in tempera, showing the excellence of his
+judgment and talent in the art of painting. At Orvieto he painted in
+fresco the principal chapel of St Mary. After these works he betook
+himself to Florence, and in S. Procolo did a picture and the life of
+St Nicholas on small figures in a chapel, to please some of his
+friends, who were anxious to see a specimen of his work. He completed
+this painting in so short a time, and with such skill, that he
+greatly increased his name and reputation. This work, in the predella
+of which he made his own portrait, procured him an invitation to
+Cortona, by command of the Bishop degli Ubertini, then lord of that
+city, where he worked in the church of S. Margherita, which had
+shortly before been erected on the summit of the mountain for the
+friars of St Francis. Some of this, particularly parts of the
+vaulting and walls, is so well done, that even now when they are
+almost destroyed by time, it is clear that the figures had very good
+expressions, and show that he deserved the commendation which he
+received. On the completion of this work Ambruogio returned to Siena,
+where he passed the remainder of his days, honoured not only because
+he was an excellent master in painting, but also because in his youth
+he had devoted himself to letters, which were a sweet and useful
+companion to painting, and such an ornament to all his life, that
+they rendered him no less amiable and pleasing than the profession of
+painting had done. Thus he not only conversed with men of letters and
+of worth, but was also employed on the affairs of his republic with
+much honour and profit. The manners of Ambruogio were in every
+respect meritorious, and rather those of a gentleman and a
+philosopher than of an artist. Moreover, and this tests the prudence
+of men more severely, he was always ready to accept what the world
+and time brought him, so that he supported with an equable mind the
+good and the evil which Fortune sent him. In truth it is impossible
+to overestimate what art gains by good society, gentle manners, and
+modesty, joined with other excellent traits, especially when these
+emanate from the intellect and from superior minds. Thus everyone
+should render himself no less pleasing by his character than by the
+excellence of his art. At the end of his life Ambruogio executed a
+much admired picture for Monte Oliveto of Chiusuri. Soon after, at
+the age of eighty-three, he passed in a happy and Christian manner to
+the better life. His works were executed about 1340.
+
+As has been said, the portrait of Ambruogio by his own hand may be
+seen in S. Procolo in the predella of his picture, where he is
+wearing a hood on his head. His skill as a designer may be seen in
+our book, which contains some things by his hand of considerable
+merit.
+
+
+
+
+Pietro Cavallini, Painter of Rome.
+
+
+At a time when  Rome had been deprived for many centuries, not only
+of good letters and of the glory of arms, but also of all the
+sciences and fine arts, there was born in that city, by God's will,
+one Pietro Cavallini, at the very time when Giotto, who may be said
+to have restored life to painting, had attained to the  chief place
+among the painters of Italy. Pietro, who had been a pupil of Giotto,
+and had done some mosaics with him in St Peter's, was the first after
+him who illuminated that art, and who first showed signs that he was
+not an unworthy pupil of so great a master, when he painted over the
+door of the sacristy at Araceli, some scenes which are now destroyed
+by time, and in S. Maria di Trastevere very many coloured things in
+fresco for the whole church. Afterwards he worked in mosaic in the
+principal chapel, and did the front of the church, proving that he
+was capable of working in mosaic without Giotto's assistance, as he
+had already succeeded in doing in painting. In the church of S.
+Grisogono he also did many scenes in fresco and endeavoured to make
+himself known as the best pupil of Giotto and as a good artist. In
+the Trastevere also he painted almost the whole of the church of S.
+Cecilia in fresco, and many things in the church of S. Francesco
+appresso Ripa. He then executed in mosaic the front of S. Paolo,
+outside Rome, and in the middle nave did many scenes from the Old
+Testament. In executing some things in fresco for the chapter-house
+of the first cloister, he displayed such diligence that he was
+considered by men of judgment to be a most excellent master, and was
+for the same reason so much favoured by the prelates, that they
+employed him to do the wall space between the windows inside St
+Peter's. Among these things he did the four Evangelists, of
+extraordinary size as compared with the figures of the time usually
+seen, executed very finely in fresco; also a St Peter and a St Paul,
+and in the nave a good number of figures, in which, because the
+Byzantine style greatly pleased him, he always used it in conjunction
+with that of Giotto. We see by this work that he spared no effort to
+give his figures the utmost possible relief. But the best work
+produced by him in that city was in the church of Araceli sul
+Campidoglio mentioned above, where he painted in fresco on the
+vaulting of the principal apse, Our Lady with the child in her arms,
+surrounded by a circle of suns; beneath her is the Emperor Octavian,
+adorning the Christ who is pointed out to him by the Tiburtine sybil.
+The figures in this work, as has been said elsewhere, are much
+better preserved than the others, because dust cannot attack the
+vaulting so seriously as the walls. After these things Pietro came to
+Tuscany in order to see the works of the other pupils of his master
+Giotto, and those of the master himself. Upon this occasion he
+painted in S. Marco at Florence many figures which are not visible
+to-day, the church having been whitewashed with the exception of an
+Annunciation which is beside the principal door of the church, and
+which is covered over. In S. Basilio, by the aide of the Macine,
+there is another Annunciation in fresco on the wall, so similar to
+the one which he had previously made for S. Marco, and to another
+which is at Florence that there are those who believe, not without
+some amount of reason, that all of them are by the hand of this
+Pietro; certainly it is impossible that they could more closely
+resemble each other. Among the figures which he made for S. Marco
+of Florence was the portrait of Pope Urban V., with the heads of St
+Peter and St Paul. From this portrait Fra Giovanni da Fiesole copied
+the one which is in a picture in S. Domenico, also at Fiesole. This
+is a fortunate circumstance because the portrait which was in S.
+Marco was covered with whitewash as I have said, together with many
+other figures in fresco in that church, when the convent was taken
+from the monks who were there originally and given to the Friars
+Preachers, everything being whitewashed with little judgment and
+discretion. On his way back to Rome Pietro passed through Assisi in
+order not only to see the buildings and notable works done then by
+his master and by some of his fellow-pupils, but to leave something
+of his own there. In the transept on the sacristy side of the lower
+church of S. Francesco he painted in fresco a Crucifixion of Jesus
+Christ with armed men on horseback, in varied fashions, with a great
+variety of extraordinary costumes characteristic of divers foreign
+nations. In the air he made some angels floating on their wings in
+various attitudes; all are weeping, some pressing their hands to
+their breasts, some crossing them, and some beating their hands,
+showing the extremity of their grief at the death of the Son of God,
+and all melt into the air, from the middle downwards, or from the
+middle upwards. In this work which is well executed in fresh and
+vivacious colouring, the joints of the lime are so well made that it
+looks as if it had all been done in a single day: in it I have found
+the arms of Walter, Duke of Athens, but as it contains no date or
+other writing, I cannot affirm that it was executed by command of
+that prince. But besides the fact that everyone considers it to be by
+Pietro's hand, the style alone is a sufficient indication, while it
+seems most probable that the work was made by Pietro at the duke's
+command seeing that the painter flourished at the time when the duke
+was in Italy. Be that as it may, the painting is certainly admirable
+for an antique production, and its style, besides the common report,
+proclaims it as being by Pietro's hand. In the church of S. Marco at
+Orvieto, which contains the most holy relic of the Corporale, Pietro
+executed in fresco some scenes of the life of Christ and of His body,
+with much diligence. It is said that he did this for M. Benedetto,
+son  of M. Buonconte Monaldeschi, at that time lord and tyrant of the
+city. Some further affirm that Pietro made some sculptures with
+success, because he excelled in whatever he set himself to do, and
+that the Crucifix which is in the great church of S. Paolo outside
+Rome is by him. This is said to be the same one that spoke to St
+Brigida in the year 1370, and we are bound to believe it. By the same
+hand were some other things in that style which were thrown down when
+the old church of St Peter's was destroyed to make the new one.
+
+Pietro was very diligent in all his efforts and endeavoured steadily
+to do himself honour and to acquire fame in art. Not only was he a
+good Christian, but very devoted and kind to the poor, and beloved
+for his goodness, not only in his native city of Rome, but by every
+one who knew him or his works. In his extreme old age he devoted
+himself so thoroughly to religion, leading an exemplary life, that he
+was considered almost a saint. Thus there is no cause for marvel if
+his crucifix spoke to the saint, as is said, nor that a Madonna, by
+his hand, has worked and still works miracles. I do not propose to
+speak of this work, although it is famous throughout Italy, and
+although it is all but certain that it is by Pietro's hand by the
+style of the painting, but Pietro's admirable life and piety to God
+are worthy of imitation by all men. Let no one believe by this that
+it is impossible to attain to honoured rank without good conduct, and
+without the fear and grace of God, for constant experience proves the
+contrary. Giovanni of Pistoia was a pupil of Pietro, and did some
+things of no great importance in his native place. Pietro died at
+length in Rome, at the age of eighty-five, of a malady in his side
+caused by working at a wall, by the damp and by standing continually
+at that exercise. His paintings were executed about 1364. He was
+buried in S. Paolo outside Rome, with honour, and with this epitaph:
+
+          "Quantum Romans Petrus decus addidit urbi
+           Pictura, tantum, dat decus ipse polo."
+
+
+
+
+Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi, Painters of Siena.
+
+
+Happy indeed may we call those men who are inclined by nature to
+those arts which may bring them not only honour and great profit, but
+what is more, fame, and an all but immortal name. How much more happy
+then are those who, from their cradle, besides such an inclination,
+exhibit gentleness and civil manners, which render them very
+acceptable to all men. But the most happy of all, I speak of artists,
+are those who, besides having a natural inclination to the good, and
+whose manners are noble by nature and training, live in the time of
+some famous writer, by whose works they sometimes receive a reward of
+eternal honour and fame in return for some small portrait or other
+courtesy of an artistic kind. This reward should be specially desired
+and sought after by painters, since their works, being on a surface
+and a field of colour, cannot hope for that eternity that bronze and
+marble give to sculpture, and which the strength of building
+materials afford to the architect. It was thus a very fortunate
+matter for Simone that he lived in the time of M. Francesco Petrarca,
+and happened to meet this amorous poet at the court of Avignon,
+anxious to have the portrait of Madonna Laura by his hand; because
+when he had received one as beautiful as he desired, he celebrated
+Simone in two sonnets, one of which begins:
+
+          "Per mirar Policleto a prova fiso
+           Con gli altri, che ebber fama di quell' arte;"
+
+and the other:
+
+          "Quando giunse a Simon l'alto concetto
+           Ch'a mio nome gli pose in man lo stile."
+
+In truth these sonnets and the mention of the artist in one of his
+intimate letters in the fifth book, beginning _Non sum nescius_, have
+given more fame to the poor life of Simone than all his own works
+have done or ever will do, for a day will come when they will be no
+more, whereas the writings of such a man as Petrarch endure for all
+time.
+
+Simone Memmi of Siena then was an excellent painter, remarkable in
+his own day and much esteemed at the Pope's court, because, after the
+death of his master Giotto, whom he had followed to Rome when he did
+the _Navicella_ in mosaic, and other things, he had imitated his
+master's style in making a Virgin Mary in the porch of St Peter's,
+and a St Peter and a St Paul in that place near where the bronze pine
+apple is, in a wall between the arches of the portico, on the
+outside. For this style he was praised, especially as he had
+introduced into the work a portrait of a sacristan of St Peter's
+lighting some lamps, and has made his figures very vigorous. This led
+to Simone being summoned very urgently to the Pope's court at
+Avignon, where he executed so many pictures in fresco and on panels
+that his works realised the fame which had preceded him thither.
+Returning to Siena in great credit and high in favour, he was
+employed by the Signoria to paint in fresco a Virgin Mary, with many
+figures about her in a chamber in their palace. He completed this
+with every perfection, to his great glory and advantage. In order to
+show that he was no less skilful in painting on panels than in
+fresco, he executed a panel in that palace, for which reason he was
+afterwards commissioned to do two in the Duomo and a Madonna with
+the child in her arms in a most beautiful attitude, above the door of
+the opera of that building. In this picture some angels which are
+holding up a standard in the air, are flying and looking down on
+saints below them, who are surrounding Our Lady, forming a very
+beautiful and decorative composition. That done, Simone was invited
+to Florence by the general of St Augustine and did the chapter-house
+in S. Spirito, showing remarkable invention and judgment in the
+figures and horses, as may be believed on seeing the story of the
+Passion of Christ, remarkable alike for the ingenuity, discretion,
+and exquisite grace displayed by the artist. The thieves on the
+cross are seen in the act of expiring, the soul of the good one being
+carried with rejoicing to heaven by angels, while that of the guilty
+one is roughly dragged down by devils to hell. Simone has also shown
+originality and judgment in the disposition and bitter weeping of
+some angels about the cross. But most remarkable of all is the way in
+which the spirits cleave the air with their shoulders, because they
+maintain the movement of their flight while turning in a circle. This
+work would supply much clearer evidence of Simone's excellence if, in
+addition to the ravages of time, it had not been further damaged in
+the year 1560, through the fathers who, not being able to use the
+chapter-house on account of the damp, and throwing down the little
+that remained of the paintings of this man, in replacing a worm-eaten
+floor by vaulting. About the same time Simone painted in tempera on a
+panel Our Lady and a St Luke with other saints, which is to-day in
+the chapel of the Gondi in S. Maria Novella, signed with his name.
+Simone afterwards did three sides of the chapter-house of S. Maria
+Novella very successfully. On the first, that over the entrance door,
+he did the life of St Domenic; on the next one towards the church he
+represented the religious and order of that saint fighting against
+the heretics, who are represented by wolves attacking some sheep,
+these being defended by a number of dogs, spotted white and black,
+the wolves being repulsed and slain. There are also some heretics who
+have been convinced in the disputes and are tearing up their books,
+and, having repented, they confess, and their souls pass to the gate
+of Paradise, in which are many small figures doing various things. In
+heaven is seen the glory of the saints and Jesus Christ. In the world
+below the pleasures and delights are represented by human figures,
+especially some ladies, seated among whom is Petrarch's Laura drawn
+from life, clothed in green, with a small flame of fire between her
+breast and her throat. There also is the Church of Christ, guarding
+which are the Pope, the Emperor, the King, Cardinals, Bishops, and
+all the  Christian Princes, among them, beside a knight of Rhodes, M.
+Francesco Petrarch, also drawn from life, which Simone did in order
+to keep green the memory of the man who had made him immortal. For
+the Church Universal he made the church of S. Maria del Fiore, not as
+it stands to-day, but as he had taken it from the model and design
+left by the architect Arnolfo in the Opera, as a guide to those who
+were to continue the building after his death. As I have said
+elsewhere, no  memory of these models would have been preserved,
+owing to the negligence of the wardens of S. Maria del Fiore, had not
+Simone painted them in this work. On the third side, that of the
+altar, he did the Passion of Christ, who is going up from Jerusalem
+with the cross on His shoulder, and proceeds to Mount Calvary,
+followed by a throng of people, where He is seen raised on the cross
+between the thieves, together with the other incidents of that story.
+I shall not attempt to describe the presence of a good number of
+horses, the throwing of lots by the servants of the court for the
+raiment of Christ, the release of the Holy Fathers from limbo, and
+all the other clever inventions which would be most excellent in a
+modern master and are remarkable in an ancient one. Here he occupies
+the entire wall and carefully makes the different scenes, one above
+the other, not dividing the separate subjects from one another by
+ornaments, as  the  ancients used to do, and according to the
+practice of many moderns, who put the earth above the air four or
+five times. This has been done in the principal chapel of the same
+church, and in the Campo Santo at Pisa, where Simone painted many
+things in fresco, and was compelled against his will to make such
+divisions, as the other painters who had worked there, such as Giotto
+and Buonamico his master, had  begun the scenes in this bad style.
+Accordingly he continued that style in the Campo Santo, and made in
+fresco a Madonna above the principal door on the inside. She is borne
+to heaven by a choir of angels, who sing and play so realistically
+that they exhibit all the various expressions which musicians are
+accustomed to show when playing or singing, such as bending the ear
+to the sound, opening the mouth in various ways, raising the eyes to
+heaven, puffing the cheeks, swelling the throat, and in short all the
+movements which are made in music. Under this Assumption, in three
+pictures, he did the life of St Ranieri of Pisa. In the first is the
+youth playing the psalter, to the  music of which some little
+children are dancing,--very beautiful for the arrangement of the
+folds, the ornamentation of the clothes, and the head-dresses of
+those times. The same Ranieri is next seen rescued from such
+lasciviousness by St Albert the hermit. He stands weeping with his
+face down, and his eyes red with tears, full of repentance for his
+sin, while God in the air, surrounded by a heavenly light, makes as
+if to pardon him. The second picture represents Ranieri distributing
+his property among God's poor, then mounting into a barque he has
+about him a throng of poor and maimed, of women and children,
+anxiously pressing forward to petition and to thank him. In the same
+picture is when the saint after receiving the pilgrim's dress in the
+church, stands before Our Lady, who is  surrounded by many angels,
+and shows him that he shall rest, in her bosom at Pisa. The heads of
+all these figures are vigorous with a fine bearing. The third picture
+represents the saint's return after seven years from beyond the sea,
+where he had spent three terms of forty days in the Holy Land, and
+how while standing in the choir and hearing the divine offices where
+a number of boys are singing, he is tempted by the devil, who is seen
+to be repelled by the firm purpose guiding Ranieri not to offend God,
+assisted by a figure made by Simone to represent Constancy, who
+drives away the ancient adversary represented with fine originality
+not only as terrified, but holding his hands to his head in his
+flight, with his head buried as far as possible in his shoulders, and
+saying, according to the words issuing from his mouth: "I can do no
+more." The last scene in the same picture is when  Ranieri kneeling
+on Mount Tabor sees Christ miraculously in the air with Moses and
+Elias. All the parts of this work and other things which concern it
+show that Simone was very ingenious, and understood the good method
+of composing figures lightly in the style of the time. When these
+scenes were finished he made two pictures in tempera in the same
+city, assisted by Lippo Memmi his brother, who had also helped him to
+paint the chapter-house of S. Maria Novella and other works. Although
+Lippo did not possess Simone's genius, yet he followed his style so
+far as he was able, and did many things in fresco, in conjunction
+with his brother in S. Croce at Florence, the picture of the high
+altar of the Friars Preachers in S. Catarina at Pisa, and in S. Paolo
+on the River Arno, and besides many beautiful scenes in fresco, he
+did the picture in tempera now over the high altar, comprising Our
+Lady, St Peter, St Paul, St John the Baptist, and other saints, to
+which work Lippo put his name. After these things he did by himself a
+picture in tempera for the friars of St Augustine in S. Gimigniano,
+and acquired such fame thereby, that he was obliged to send to Arezzo
+to the Bishop Guido de' Tarlati a picture with three half-length
+figures, which is now in the chapel of St Gregory in the Vescovado.
+While Simone was working at Florence, a cousin of his who was a
+clever architect, Neroccio by name, succeeded in the year 1332 in
+sounding the great bell of the commune of Florence, which no one had
+been able to accomplish for the space of seventeen years, except by
+the efforts of twelve men. This man, however, balanced it so that it
+could be moved by two persons, and when once in motion one person
+alone could ring it, although it weighed more than sixteen thousand
+pounds; accordingly, in addition to the honour, he received three
+hundred gold florins as his reward, a considerable sum for that time.
+But to return to our two masters of Siena. Besides the things already
+mentioned, Lippo executed from Simone's design a picture in tempera,
+which was taken to Pistoia and put over the high altar of the church
+of S. Francesco, where it was considered very fine. When Simone and
+Lippo at length returned to their native Siena, the former began a
+large coloured work over the great gate of Camollia. Here he
+represented the coronation of Our Lady with a quantity of figures,
+but the work remained incomplete, as he fell very sick, and
+succumbing to the disease he passed from this life in the year 1345,
+to the great sorrow of the whole city, and of Lippo his brother,  who
+gave him honoured burial in S. Francesco. Lippo afterwards finished
+many pictures which Simone had left imperfect. Among these were a
+Passion of Jesus Christ at Ancona, over the high altar of S. Niccola,
+in which Lippo finished what Simone had begun, imitating what he had
+done in the chapter-house of S. Spirito at Florence, and which
+Simone had entirely completed. This work is worthy of a longer life
+than it appears likely to enjoy, for it contains many finely posed
+horses and soldiers, actively engaged in various matters, wondering
+whether or no they have crucified the Son of God. At Assisi he also
+finished some figures which Simone had begun in the lower church of
+S. Francesco, at the altar of St Elizabeth, which is at the entrance
+of the door leading into the chapel, representing Our Lady, a St
+Louis, King of France, and other saints, eight figures in all, from
+the knees upwards, but good and very well coloured. Besides this
+Simone had begun in the principal refectory of that monastery, at the
+top of the wall, many small scenes and a crucifix with a Tree of the
+Cross. This remained unfinished, and is drawn, as may be seen to-day,
+in red with the brush on the rough wall. This method was favoured by
+the old masters in order to work in fresco with greater rapidity, for
+after they had sectioned out all their work on the rough wall, they
+drew it with the brush, following a small design which served as a
+guide, increasing this to the proper size, and this done they at once
+set to work. That many other works were painted in the same manner as
+this is seen in those cases where the work has peeled off, the design
+in red remaining on the rough wall. But to return to Lippo. He drew
+very fairly, as may be seen in our book, in a hermit with his legs
+crossed. He survived Simone twelve years, doing many things for all
+parts of Italy, but especially two pictures in S. Croce at Florence.
+As the style of the two brothers is somewhat similar, their works may
+be distinguished thus:  Simone wrote at the bottom of his: _Simonis
+Memmi Senensis opus_; Lippo omitted his surname and careless of his
+Latinity wrote: _Opus Memmi de Seals me fecit_. On the wall of the
+chapter-house of S. Maria Novella, besides the portraits of Petrarch
+and Laura mentioned above by Simone's hand, are those of Cimabue,
+Lapo the architect, Arnolfo his son, and Simone himself, the Pope
+being a portrait of Benedict XI. of Treviso, a friar preacher, whose
+figure had been given to Simone by his master Giotto, when the latter
+returned from the Pope's court at Avignon. In the same place, next to
+the Pope, he portrayed the Cardinal Niccola da Prato, who had at that
+time come to Florence as the Pope's legate, as Giov. Villani relates
+in his "History." Over Simone's tomb was set the following epitaph:
+"_Simoni Memmio pictorum omnium omnis aetatis celeberrimo, Vixit ann.
+ix. metis ii. d. iii_." As may be seen in our book, Simone did not
+excel greatly in design, but was naturally full of invention and was
+very fond of drawing from life. In this he was considered the best
+master of his time, so that the lord Pandolfo Malatesta sent him to
+Avignon to make the portrait of M. Francesco Petrarch, at whose
+request he afterwards made the much admired portrait of Madonna
+Laura.
+
+
+
+
+Taddeo Gaddi, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+It is a truly useful and admirable task to reward talent largely at
+every opportunity, because great abilities which would otherwise lie
+dormant, are excited by this stimulus and endeavour with all
+industry, not only to learn, but to excel, to raise themselves to a
+useful and honourable rank, from which flow honour to their country,
+glory to themselves, and riches and nobility to their descendants,
+who, being brought up on such principles, often become very rich and
+noble, as did the descendants of Taddeo Gaddi the painter, by means
+of his works. This Taddeo di Gaddo Gaddi of Florence, after the death
+of Gaddo, had been the pupil of his godfather Giotto for twenty-four
+years, as Cennino di Drea Ceninni, painter of Colle di Valdelsa
+writes. On the death of Giotto he became the first painter of the
+day, by reason of his judgment and genius, surpassing his
+fellow-pupils. His first works, executed with a facility due to
+natural ability rather than to acquired skill, were in the church of
+S. Croce at Florence in the chapel of the sacristy, where, in
+conjunction with his fellow-pupils of the dead Giotto, he did some
+fine scenes from the life of St Mary Magdalene, the figures and
+draperies being very remarkable, the costumes being those then worn.
+In the chapel of the Baroncelli and Bandini, where Giotto had already
+done a picture in tempera, Taddeo did some scenes from the life of
+the Virgin in fresco on the wall, which were considered very
+beautiful. Over the door of the same sacristy he painted the scene of
+Christ disputing with the doctors in the temple, which was afterwards
+destroyed when Cosimo de' Medici the elder built the noviciate, the
+chapel and the vestibule of the sacristy, in order to put a stone
+cornice above that door. In the same church he painted in fresco the
+chapel of the Bellacci and that of St Andrew, next to one of the
+three done by Giotto, in which he represented Christ calling Andrew
+and Peter from their nets, and the crucifixion of the latter apostle
+with such truth that it was much admired and praised when it was
+completed, and is still held in esteem at the present day. Over the
+side door and under the tomb of Carlo Marsupini of Arezzo, he made a
+dead Christ with Mary, in fresco, which was much admired. Below the
+screen of the church, on the left hand above the crucifix of Donato,
+he painted in fresco a miracle of St Francis, where he raises a boy
+killed by a fall from a terrace, with an apparition in the air. In
+this scene he drew the portraits of his master Giotto, the poet
+Dante, Guido Cavalcanti, and some say of himself. In different places
+in the same church he made a number of figures, which are recognised
+by artists from their style. For the company of the Temple he painted
+the tabernacle which is at the corner of the via del Crocifisso,
+containing a fine deposition from the cross. In the cloister of S.
+Spirito he did two scenes in the arches next the chapter-house, in
+one of which he represented Judas selling Christ, and in the other
+the Last Supper with the Apostles. In the same convent over the door
+of the refectory he painted a crucifix and some saints, which
+distinguish him, among the others who worked there, as a true
+imitator of the style of Giotto, whom he always held in the highest
+veneration. In S. Stefano of the Ponte Vecchio he painted the picture
+and predella of the high altar with great care, and in the oratory of
+S. Michele in Orto he very skilfully represented in a picture a dead
+Christ, wept over by Mary, and deposited in the sepulchre by
+Nicodemus with great devotion. In the church of the Servites he
+painted the chapel of St Nicholas, belonging to the Palagio family,
+with stories of that saint, where, in his painting of a barque, he
+has clearly shown with the greatest judgment and grace, that he had a
+thorough knowledge of a tempestuous sea and of the fury of Fortune.
+In this work St Nicholas appears in the air, while the mariners are
+emptying the ship and throwing out the merchandise, and frees them
+from their danger. This work gave great satisfaction and was much
+admired, so that Taddeo was commissioned to paint the chapel of the
+high altar of that church. Here he did in fresco some stories of Our
+Lady, and in tempera on a panel, Our Lady with many saints, a very
+vigorous representation. Similarly, on the predella of this picture
+he did some stories of Our Lady in small figures, into the details of
+which it is not necessary to enter, because everything was destroyed
+in the year 1467 when Ludovico, Marquis of Mantua, made in that place
+the tribune which is there now, from the design of Leon Battista
+Alberti, and the choir of the friars, causing the picture to be taken
+to the chapter-house of that convent, in the refectory of which he
+made above the wooden backs, the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the
+Apostles, and above that a crucifix with many saints. When Taddeo had
+completed this work he was invited to Pisa where he painted the
+principal chapel of S. Francesco in fresco, very well coloured, for
+Gherardo and Bonaccorso Gambacorti, with many figures and stories of
+the saint, and of St Andrew and St Nicholas. On the vaulting and the
+wall is Pope Honorius confirming the rule, and a representation of
+Taddeo from life, in profile, with a hood folded over his head. At
+the bottom of this scene are these words:
+
+   _Magister Taddeus Gaddus de Florentia pinxit hanc hittoriam Sancti
+   Francisci et Sancti Andreĉ et Sancti Nicolai anno Domini MCCCXLII.
+   de mense Augusti._
+
+In the cloister of the same convent he further made a Madonna in
+fresco, with the child at her neck, very well coloured. In the middle
+of the church, on the left hand on entering, is seated a St Louis the
+bishop, to whom St Gherardo da Villamagna, who was a friar of the
+order, is recommending one fra Bartolommeo, then superior of the
+convent. The figures of this work, being drawn from life, exhibit the
+utmost vivacity and grace, in that simple style which was in some
+respects better than Giotto's, particularly in the expression of
+intercession, joy, grief, and other feelings, the good representation
+of which always constitutes the highest claim of the painter to
+honour. Taddeo then returned to Florence and continued for the
+commune the work of Orsan-michele, refounding the pillars of the
+Loggia, using dressed and hewn stones in place of the original
+bricks, but without making any change in the design left by Arnolfo,
+who provided that a palace with two vaults should be made above the
+Loggia for the preservation of the provisions of grain made by the
+people and commune of Florence. For the completion of this work the
+Art of the Porta S. Maria, to whom the charge of the structure had
+been entrusted, ordained the payment of the gabelle of the piazza and
+of the grain market, and some other changes of very small importance.
+But an ordinance of far more importance was that each of the arts of
+Florence should make a pilaster for itself, placing on a niche in it
+the patron saint of each, and that every year the consuls of the arts
+should go to make offerings on their saints' feast days and keep
+their standard and insignia there all that day, but that the alms so
+collected should be made to the Virgin for the needy poor.
+
+In the year 1333 a great flood had carried away the parapets of the
+Ponte Rubaconte, thrown down the castle of Altafronte, left nothing
+of the Ponte Vecchio except the two middle piles, entirely destroyed
+the Ponte S. Trinita, a single shattered pile alone standing, and
+half the Ponte alla Carraia, breaking down the flood-gates of
+Ognissanti. For this cause the rulers of the city took counsel
+together, because they did not wish that those who dwelt beyond the
+Arno should again suffer this inconvenience of having to cross by
+barques. Accordingly they called in Taddeo Gaddi, because his master
+Giotto had gone to Milan, and instructed him to make the model and
+design of the Ponte Vecchio, directing him to render it as strong and
+as beautiful as it could possibly be. To this end he spared neither
+pains nor expense, building it with such strong piers and  such fine
+arches, all of hewn stone, that it now sustains twenty-two shops on
+either side, making forty-four in all, to the great benefit of the
+commune, who that year expended upon it eight hundred florins of
+rent. The length of the span from one side to the other is 32
+braccia, the middle way is 16, and the shops on either side 8
+braccia. For this work, which cost sixty thousand gold florins,
+Taddeo not only deserved the praise accorded by his contemporaries,
+but he merits our commendation to-day to an even greater degree, for,
+not to speak of many other floods, the bridge did not move in the
+year 1537, on 13th September, when the Ponte a Santa Trinita, two
+arches of the Carraia, and a great part of the Rubaconte all fell,
+and more damage was done. Certainly no man of judgment can refrain
+from amazement, or at least wonder, when he considers how firmly the
+Ponte Vecchio resisted the impetus of the water, the timber, and
+other debris, without yielding. At the same time Taddeo laid the
+foundations of the Ponte a Santa Trinita, which was finished with
+less success in the year 1346 at a cost of twenty thousand gold
+florins. I say with less success, because, unlike the Ponte Vecchio,
+it was ruined by the flood of 1557. It was also under Taddeo's
+direction that the wall on the side of S. Gregorio was made at the
+same time, with driven piles, two piers of the bridge being taken to
+enlarge the ground on the side of the piazza de' Mozzi, and to set up
+the mills which are still there.
+
+Whilst all these things were being done under Taddeo's direction and
+from his plans, he did not allow them to stop his painting, and did
+the tribunal of the old Mercanzia, where, with poetical imagination,
+he represented the tribunal of six men, that being the number of the
+chief of that magistracy, who are watching Truth taking out
+Falsehood's tongue, the former clothed in velvet over her naked skin,
+the latter in black: underneath are these lines:
+
+            "La pura Verita per ubbidire
+             Alla santa Giustizia che non tarda
+             Cava la lingua alla falsa bugiarda."
+
+Lower down are the following lines:
+
+            "Taddeo dipinse questo bel rigestro
+             Discepol fu di Giotto il buon maestro."
+
+In Arezzo some works in fresco were allotted to him, which he carried
+out with the greatest perfection with the aid of his pupil Giovanni
+da Milano. One of these, representing the Passion of Jesus Christ,
+may still be seen in the oratory of the Holy Spirit, in front of the
+high altar. It contains many horses, and the thieves on the cross,
+and is considered a very beautiful thing on account of his conception
+of the nailing to the cross, where there are some figures which
+vividly express the rage of the Jews, some drawing Him by the legs
+with a rope, others bringing the sponge, and others in various
+attitudes, such as Longinus, who pierces His side with the spear, and
+the three soldiers who are playing for His garments, their faces
+depicting hope and fear in throwing the dice. The first of these men
+stands in a constrained attitude awaiting his turn, and is so eager
+to draw that he apparently does not notice the discomfort; the second
+is loading the dice-box, and frowns as he looks at the dice, his
+mouth and eyes open as if from suspicion of fraud, showing clearly to
+an observant beholder his eagerness to win; the third, who is about
+to throw the dice, spreads out on the ground with trembling arm the
+garments, where he shows with a smile that he intends to throw them.
+On the sides of the church also may be seen some stories of St John
+the Evangelist, which are executed with such wonderful style and
+design that they cannot fail to excite astonishment. In the chapel of
+St Sebastian, next the sacristy in S. Agostino, he did the life of
+that martyr and the dispute of Christ with the doctors, so well
+executed and finished that the beauty and variety displayed, as well
+as the grace of their colouring, are marvellous.
+
+In Casentino, in the church of the Sasso del Vernia, he painted in
+the chapel the scene where S. Francis receives the stigmata. Here
+Taddeo was assisted in matters of minor importance by Jacopo di
+Casentino, who thus became his pupil. When this was completed Taddeo
+returned with Giovanni of Milan to Florence, where in the city and
+without they made a number of panels and pictures of importance. In
+the process of time Taddeo acquired so much money that, by steadily
+saving, he founded the wealth and nobility of his family, being
+always considered a wise and courteous man. In S. Maria Novella he
+painted the chapter-house which was allotted to him by the prior of
+the place, who supplied him with the idea. It is known that, because
+the work was a great one, and as the chapter-house of S. Spirito was
+uncovered at the same time as the bridges were building, to the great
+glory of Simone Memmi who painted it, the prior wished to secure
+Simone to do half of the work; accordingly he consulted Taddeo, who
+was very willing to agree to this, since Simone had been a
+fellow-pupil of Giotto with him, and they had always remained close
+friends and companions. O truly noble souls to love one another
+fraternally without emulation, ambition, or envy, so that each
+rejoiced at the advancement and honour of his friend as if it had
+been his own. The work was accordingly divided, three sides being
+allotted to Simone, as I have said in his life, and the left side and
+the whole of the vaulting to Taddeo, who divided his work into four
+divisions or quarters, according to the disposition of the vaulting.
+In the first he made the Resurrection of Christ, in which he
+apparently endeavours to cause the glorified body to emit light,
+which is reflected on a city and on some mountain rocks; but he
+abandoned this device in the figures and in the rest of the
+composition, possibly because he was not confident of his ability to
+carry it out, owing to the difficulties which presented themselves.
+In the second compartment he made Jesus Christ delivering Peter from
+drowning, when the apostles, who are managing the boat, are certainly
+very fine, and especially a man who is fishing with a line on the
+sea-shore (a thing first attempted by Giotto in the mosaic of the
+_Navicella_ in St Peter's), represented with vigorous and life-like
+expression. In the third he painted the Ascension of Christ, while
+the fourth represents the Descent of the Holy Spirit, remarkable for
+the fine attitudes of the Jews, who are endeavouring to enter the
+door. On the wall beneath are the seven sciences, with their names,
+and appropriate figures below each. Grammar habited like a woman is
+teaching a boy; beneath her sits the writer Donato. Next to Grammar
+sits Rhetoric, at whose feet is a figure with its two hands resting
+on books, while it draws a third hand from beneath a mantle and holds
+it to its mouth. Logic has a serpent in her hand, and is veiled, with
+Zeno Eleate at her feet reading. Arithmetic holds the table of the
+Abacus, and under her sits Abraham, its inventor. Music has musical
+instruments, with Tubal Cain beneath, beating with two hammers upon
+an anvil, with his ears listening to the sound. Geometry has the
+quadrant and sextant, with Euclid beneath. Astrology has the sphere
+of the heavens in her hands, and Atlas under her feet. On the other
+side sit the seven theological sciences, each one having beneath it a
+person of an appropriate condition, pope, emperor, king, cardinal,
+duke, bishop, marquis, etc., the pope being a portrait of Clement  V.
+In the middle, and occupying a higher place, is St Thomas Aquinas,
+who was master of all these sciences, and certain heretics under his
+feet, Arius, Sabellius, and Averroes. About him are Moses, Paul, John
+the Evangelist, and some other figures with the four cardinal
+virtues, and the three theological ones, in addition to an infinite
+number of other ideas set forth by Taddeo with no small design and
+grace, so that this may be considered the best devised and the most
+finely preserved of all his works. In the same S. Maria Novello, over
+the transept he did a St Jerome dressed as a cardinal. He held that
+saint in reverence, choosing him as the protector of his house, and
+after Taddeo's death his son Agnolo made a tomb for his descendants
+covered with a marble slab adorned with the arms of the Gaddi under
+this picture. For these descendants the cardinal Jerome, aided by
+their merits and the goodness of Taddeo, has obtained from God most
+distinguished places in the church, such as clerkships of the
+chamber, bishoprics, cardinalates, provostships, and most honourable
+knighthoods. The descendants of Taddeo have uniformly valued and
+encouraged men of genius in painting and sculpture, assisting them to
+the utmost of their power. At length when Taddeo had reached the age
+of fifty years, he was seized with a severe fever and passed from
+this life in the year 1350, leaving Agnolo his son and Giovanni to
+carry on the painting, recommending them to Jacopo di Casentino for
+their material well being, and to Giovanni da Milano for instruction
+in art. This Giovanni, besides many other things, made a picture,
+after Taddeo's death, which was placed in S. Croce at the altar of St
+Gherardo da Villamagna, fourteen years after he had been left without
+his master, and also the high altar picture of Ognissanti, where the
+Umiliati friars are stationed, a much admired work; and in Assisi he
+made for the tribune of the high altar a crucifix, Our Lady, and St
+Clare, and on the side wall stories of Our Lady. He subsequently went
+to Milan, where he did many works in tempera and in fresco, and at
+length died there.
+
+Now Taddeo always adopted Giotto's style, but did not greatly improve
+it, except in the colouring, which he made fresher and more vivid.
+Giotto had made such efforts to overcome other difficulties of this
+art, that although he considered colouring also, yet it was not
+granted to him to master this completely. Taddeo, on the other hand,
+profiting by his master's labours, had an easier task, and was able
+to add something of his own in improving the colouring.
+
+Taddeo was buried by Agnolo and Giovanni his sons in S. Croce, in the
+first cloister, and in the tomb which he had made for Gaddo his
+father. He was much honoured in the verses of the learned of the time
+as a man who had deserved much for his character, and because he had,
+besides his pictures, successfully completed many structures very
+useful to his city. In addition to the works already mentioned, he
+had with care and diligence completed the campanile of S. Maria del
+Fiore from the design of his master Giotto. This campanile was so
+constructed that it would be impossible to join stones with more
+care, or to make a tower which should be finer in the matter of
+ornament, expense, and design. The epitaph made for Taddeo was as
+follows:
+
+          Hoc uno dici poterat Florentia felix
+          Vivente: at certa est non potuisse mori.
+
+Taddeo's method of designing was very broad and bold, as may be seen
+in our book, which contains a drawing by his hand of the scene which
+he did in the chapel of St Andrew in S. Croce, at Florence.
+
+
+
+
+Andrea di Cione Orcagna, Painter, Sculptor, and Architect of
+Florence.
+
+
+It frequently happens that when a man of genius excels in one thing,
+he is easily able to learn another, especially such as are similar to
+his first profession, and which proceed, as it were, from the same
+source. An example of this is Orcagna of Florence, who was painter,
+sculptor, architect, and poet, as will be said below. He was born in
+Florence, and while quite a child began to practise sculpture under
+Andrea Pisano, and so continued for many years. When he afterwards
+became desirous of enriching his invention for the purpose of
+composing beautiful scenes, he carefully studied design, aided as he
+was by nature, who wished to make him a universal genius, and as one
+thing leads to another, he practised painting in colours in tempera
+and fresco, and succeeded so well with the aid of Bernardo Orcagna
+his brother, that Bernardo himself procured his assistance to do the
+life of Our Lady in the principal chapel of S. Maria Novella, which
+then belonged to the family of the Ricci. This work was considered
+very beautiful, although, owing to the neglect of those who
+afterwards had charge of it, it was destroyed by water through the
+breaking of the roof not many years after, and consequently it is
+restored in its present manner, as will be said in the proper place.
+Suffice it to say, that Domenico Grillandai, who repainted it, made
+considerable use of the inventions of Orcagna which were there. In
+the same church, and in conjunction with his brother Bernardo, Andrea
+did in fresco the chapel of the Strozzi, which is near the door of
+the sacristy and the belfry. In this chapel, which is approached by
+some stone steps, he painted on one wall the glory of Paradise, with
+all the saints in the various habits and head-dresses of the time. On
+the other wall he did Hell, with the holes, centres, and other things
+described by Dante, of whom Andrea was a diligent student. In the
+church of the Servites, in the same city he painted in fresco, also
+in conjunction with Bernardo, the chapel of the family of the Cresci,
+and in S. Pier Maggiore in a picture of considerable size, the
+Coronation of the Virgin, and another picture in S. Romeo near the
+side door.
+
+He and his brother Bernardo also painted in fresco together the
+façade of S. Apollinare, with such diligence that the colours are
+bright and beautiful and marvellously preserved to this day in that
+exposed place. The governors of Pisa, moved by the renown of these
+works of Orcagna, which were much admired, sent for him to do a part
+of the wall in the Campo Santo of that city, as Giotto and
+Buffalmacco had previously done. Accordingly he put his hand to the
+work, and painted a Last Judgment, with some fancies of his own, on
+the wall towards the Duomo, next to the Passion of Christ made by
+Buffalmacco. In the first scene he represented all ranks of temporal
+lords enjoying the pleasures of this world, seating them in a flowery
+meadow under the shadow of many orange trees, forming a most
+agreeable wood. Above the branches are some cupids, who are flying
+round and over a number of young women, evidently portraits of noble
+women and ladies of the day, though they are not recognisable after
+this lapse of time. The cupids are preparing to transfix the hearts
+of the ladies, near whom are young men and lords listening to playing
+and singing and watching the amorous dancing of men and maidens,
+delighting in the sweetness of their loves. Among these lords Orcagna
+drew Castruccio, the lord of Lucca, a youth of the most striking
+aspect, with a blue hood bound about his head and a sparrowhawk on
+his hand. Near him are other lords of the time, whose identity is not
+known. In fine, in this first part he represented in a most gracious
+manner all the delights of the world in accordance with the demands
+of the place and the requirements of art. On the other side of the
+same scene he represented, on a high mountain, the life of those who,
+being moved by penitence for their sins and by the desire of
+salvation, have escaped from the world to this mountain, which is
+thus full of holy hermits serving the Lord, and doing various things
+with very realistic expressions. Some are reading and praying, and
+are all intent on contemplation; while others are working to earn
+their living, and are exercising themselves in various activities.
+Here is a hermit milking a goat in the most vigorous and realistic
+manner. Below this is St Macario showing to three kings, who are
+riding to hunt with their ladies and suite, the corpses of three
+kings, partly consumed in a tomb, emblematic of human misery, and
+which are regarded with attention by the living kings in fine and
+varied attitudes, expressive of wonder, and they seem to be
+reflecting that they themselves must shortly become such. One of
+these kings is the portrait of Uguccione della Faggiuola of Arezzo,
+in a figure represented as holding his nose with his hand in order
+not to smell the odour of the dead kings. In the middle of this scene
+is Death, flying through the air and clothed in black, while he
+raises his scythe to take the life of many who are on the earth, of
+every state and condition, poor, rich, lame, whole, young, old, men,
+women, and, in short, a multitude of every age and sex. And because
+Orcagna knew that the invention of Buffalmacco had pleased the
+Pisans, by which Bruno caused his figures in S. Paolo a ripa d'Arno
+to speak, making letters issue from their mouths, he has filled all
+these works of his with such writings, of which the greater number,
+being destroyed by time, cannot be deciphered. He makes some lame old
+men say--
+
+            Da che prosperitade ci ha lasciati.
+            O morte medecina d'ogni pena
+            Deh vieni a darne omai l'ultima cena,
+
+with other words which cannot be made out, and similar lines composed
+in the old style by Orcagna himself, as I have discovered, for he was
+addicted to poetry, and wrote some sonnets. About these bodies are
+some devils, who take their souls out of their mouths and carry them
+to gulfs full of fire upon the top of a very high mountain. On the
+other hand, there are some angels who, in like manner, take the souls
+of the dead, who happen to have been good, out of their mouths, and
+carry them flying to Paradise. In this scene is a large scroll, held
+by two angels, containing the following words:
+
+            Ischermo di savere e di richezza,
+            Di nobilitate ancora e di prodezza,
+            Vale neente ai colpi di costei,
+
+with some other words which cannot easily be understood. Underneath
+in the ornamentation of these scenes are nine angels who hold some
+words written in the border of the painting, in the vulgar tongue and
+in Latin, put there because they would spoil the scene if placed
+higher, and to omit them altogether did not appear fitting to the
+author, who considered this method very fine, and perhaps it was to
+the taste of that age. The greater part of these are omitted here in
+order not to tire the reader with impertinent matter of little
+interest, and moreover the greater number of the scrolls are
+obliterated, while the remainder are in a very imperfect condition.
+After this Orcagna made the Last Judgment. He placed Jesus Christ on
+high above the clouds in the midst of his twelve Apostles to judge
+the quick and the dead, exhibiting on the one side, with great art
+and vigour, the despair of the damned, as they are driven weeping to
+Hell by furious demons; and on the other side the joy and rejoicing
+of the elect, who are transported to the right hand side of the
+blessed by a troop of Angels led by the Archangel Michael. It is
+truly lamentable that for lack of writers, the names and identity of
+few or none of these can be ascertained out of such a multitude of
+magistrates, knights and other lords, who are evidently drawn from
+life, although the pope there is said to be Innocent IV. the friend
+of Manfred.
+
+After this work and some sculptures in marble executed to his great
+glory in the Madonna, which is on the side of the Ponte Vecchio,
+Andrea left his brother Bernardo to work by himself in the Campo
+Santo at a Hell made according to Dante's description, which was
+afterwards much damaged in 1530, and restored by Solazzino, a painter
+of our own day. Meanwhile Andrea returned to Florence, where he
+painted in fresco in the middle of the Church of S. Croce on a very
+large wall on the right hand, the same things which he had done in
+the Campo Santo at Pisa, in three similar pictures, but omitting the
+scene in which St Macario is showing human wretchedness to the three
+kings, and the life of the hermits who are serving God on the
+mountain. But he did all the rest of that work, displaying better
+design and more diligence than at Pisa, but retaining almost the same
+methods in the inventions, style, scrolls and the rest, without
+changing anything except the portraits from life; because in this
+work he introduced the portraits of some of his dearest friends into
+his Paradise, while he condemned his enemies to hell. Among the elect
+may be seen the portrait in profile of Pope Clement VI. with the
+tiara on his head, who reduced the Jubilee from a hundred to fifty
+years, was a friend of the Florentines, and possessed some of their
+paintings which he valued highly. Here also is Maestro Dino del
+Garbo, then a most excellent physician, clothed after the manner of
+the doctors of that day with a red cap on his head lined with
+miniver, while an angel holds him by the hand. There are also many
+other portraits which have not been identified. Among the damned he
+drew the Guardi, sergeant of the Commune of Florence, dragged by the
+devil with a hook. He may be recognised by three red lilies on his
+white hat, such as were worn by the sergeants and other like
+officials. Andrea did this because the sergeant had upon one occasion
+distrained his goods. He also drew there the notary and the judge who
+were against him in that cause. Next to Guardi is Cecco d'Ascoli, a
+famous wizard of the time, and slightly above him, and in the middle
+is a hypocritical friar, who is furtively trying to mingle with the
+good, while an angel discovers him and thrusts him among the damned.
+Besides Bernardo, Andrea had another brother called Jacopo, who
+devoted himself, but with little success, to sculpture. For this
+brother Andrea had sometimes made designs in relief in clay, and this
+led him to wish to do some things in marble to see if he remembered
+that art, which he had studied at Pisa, as has been said. Accordingly
+he applied himself earnestly to that pursuit, and attained to such a
+measure of success that he afterwards made use of it with credit, as
+will be said. He next devoted all his energies to the study of
+architecture, thinking that he might have occasion to make use of it.
+Nor was he mistaken, for in the year 1355 the Commune of Florence
+bought some private houses near the palace to enlarge that building
+and increase the piazza, and also to make a place where citizens
+could withdraw in time of rain, and in winter to do under cover the
+things which were done in the uncovered arcade when bad weather did
+not interfere. They procured a number of designs for the construction
+of a large and magnificent loggia near the palace for this purpose as
+well as for a mint for coining money. Among these designs prepared by
+the best masters of the city, that of Orcagna was universally
+approved and accepted as being larger, finer and more magnificent
+than the others, and the large loggia of the piazza was begun under
+his direction by order of the Signoria and Commune, upon foundations
+laid in the time of the Duke of Athens, and was carried forward with
+much diligence in squared stones excellently laid. The arches of the
+vaults were constructed in a manner new for that time, not being
+pointed as had previously been customary, but in half circles after a
+new pattern, with much grace and beauty, and the building was
+completed under Andrea's direction in a short time. If it had
+occurred to him to erect it next to S. Romolo and to turn its back
+towards the north, which he perhaps omitted to do in order that it
+should be convenient for the door of the palace, it would have been
+a most useful construction for all the city, as it is a most
+beautiful piece of work, whereas it is impossible to remain there in
+winter owing to the strong wind. In the decoration of this loggia
+Orcagna made seven marble figures in half relief between the arches
+of the façade representing the seven virtues, theological and
+cardinal. These are so fine, that taken in conjunction with the whole
+work they prove their author to have been an excellent sculptor as
+well as a distinguished painter and architect. Besides this he was in
+all his deeds a pleasant, well-bred and amiable man so that his
+fellow was never seen. And since he never abandoned the study of one
+of his three professions when he took up another, he painted a
+picture in tempera with many small figures while the loggia was
+building, and a predella of small figures for that chapel of the
+Strozzi where his brother Bernardo had already done some things in
+fresco. On this picture he wrote his name thus: _Anno Domini
+MCCCLVII Andreas Cionis de Florentia me pinxit_, being of opinion
+that it would exhibit his powers to better advantage than his works
+in fresco could. When this was finished he did some paintings on a
+panel which were sent to the pope to Avignon, in the cathedral church
+of which they still remain. Shortly afterwards, the men of the
+company of Orsanmichele, having collected a quantity of money of alms
+and goods given to the Madonna there on account of the mortality of
+1348, they decided that they would make about her a chapel or
+tabernacle richly adorned not only with marble carved in every manner
+and with other stones of price, but also with mosaic and ornaments of
+bronze, the best that could be desired, so that in workmanship and
+material it should surpass every other work produced up to that day.
+The execution of this was entrusted to Orcagna as being the foremost
+man of the age. He made a number of designs, one of which was chosen
+by the directors of the work as being the best of all. Accordingly
+the task was allotted to him and everything was committed to his
+judgment and counsel. He and his brother undertook to do all the
+figures, giving the rest to various masters from other countries. On
+the completion of the work, he caused it to be built up and joined
+together very carefully without lime, the joints, being of lead and
+copper so that the shining and polished marbles should not be
+blemished. This proved so successful and has been of such use and
+honour to those who came after him, that it appears to an observer
+that the chapel is hollowed out of a single piece of marble, so
+excellently are parts welded together, thanks to this device of
+Orcagna. Although in the German style its grace and proportions are
+such that it holds the first place among the things of the time,
+owing chiefly to the excellent composition of its great and small
+figures and of the angels and prophets in half-relief about the
+Madonna. The casting of the carefully polished bronze ornaments which
+surround it is marvellous, for they encircle the whole work, enclose
+it and bind it together, so that this  part is as remarkable for its
+strength as the other parts are for their beauty. But he devoted the
+highest powers of his genius to the scene in half-relief on the back
+of the tabernacle, representing in figures of a braccia and a half,
+the twelve apostles looking up at the Madonna ascending to heaven in
+a mandorla, surrounded by angels. He represented himself in marble as
+one of the apostles, an old  man, clean shaven, a hood wound round
+his head, with a flat round face as shown in his portrait above,
+which it taken from this. On the base he wrote these words in the
+marble: _Andreas Cionis pictor florentinus oratorii archimagister
+extitit hujus, MCCCLIX_. It appears that the erection of the loggia
+and of the marble tabernacle, with all the workmanship involved cost
+96,000 gold florins, which were very well expended, because in
+architecture, in sculpture and other ornaments they are comparable in
+beauty with any other work of the time, without exception, and so
+excellent as to assure to the name of Andrea Orcagna immortality and
+greatness. In signing his paintings he used to write Andrea di Clone,
+sculptor, and on his sculptures, Andrea di Cione, painter, wishing
+his sculpture to recommend his painting and his painting his
+sculpture. Florence is full of his paintings, some of which may be
+recognised by the name, such as those in S. Romeo, and some by his
+style, like that in the chapter-house of the monastery of the Angeli.
+Some which he left imperfect were finished by his brother Bernardo,
+who survived him, though not for many years. Andrea, as I have said,
+amused himself in making verses and other poems, and when he was an
+old man he wrote some sonnets to Burchiello, then a youth. At length
+at the age of sixty he completed the course of his life in 1389, and
+was borne with honour to burial from his house in the via Vecchia de'
+Corazzai.
+
+In the days of the Orcagna there were many who were skilful in
+sculpture and architecture, whose names are unknown, but their works
+show that they are worthy of high praise and commendation. An example
+of such work is the Monastery of the Certosa of Florence, erected at
+the cost of the noble family of the Acciaiuoli, and particularly of
+M. Niccola, Grand Seneschal of the King of Naples, containing
+Niccola's tomb with his effigy in stone, and those of his father and
+a sister, both of whose portraits in the marble were made from life
+in the year 1366. There also and by the same hand may be seen the
+tomb of M. Lorenzo, Niccola's son, who died at Naples, arid was
+brought to Florence and buried there with most honourable obsequies.
+Similarly the tomb of the Cardinal S. Croce of the same family, which
+is before the high altar in a choir then newly built, contains his
+portrait in a marble stone very well executed in the year 1390.
+
+The pupils of Andrea in painting were Bernardo Nello di Giovanni
+Falconi of Pisa, who did a number of pictures for the Duomo of Pisa,
+and Tommaso di Marco of Florence, who, besides many other things,
+painted a picture in the year 1392, which is in S. Antonio at Pisa on
+the screen of the church. After Andrea's death, his brother Jacopo,
+who, as has been said, professed sculpture and architecture, was
+employed in the year 1328 in building the tower and gate of S. Pietro
+Gattolini, and it is said that the four gilded stone lions at the
+four corners of the principal palace of Florence are by his hand.
+This work incurred no little censure, because it was placed there
+without reason, and was perhaps a greater weight than was safe. Many
+would have preferred the lions to have been made of copper gilded
+over and hollow inside, and then set up in the same place, when they
+would have been much less heavy and more durable. It is said that the
+horse in relief in S. Maria del Fiore at Florence is by the same
+hand. It is gilded, and stands over the door leading to the oratory
+of S. Zanobi. It is believed to be a monument to Pietro Farnese,
+captain of the Florentines, but as I know nothing more of the matter
+I cannot assert this positively. At the same time Andrea's nephew
+Mariotto made a Paradise in fresco for S. Michel Bisdomini in the via
+de' Servi at Florence, over the altar, and another picture with many
+figures for Mona Cecilia de' Boscoli, which is in the same church
+near the door. But of all Orcagna's pupils none excelled Francesco
+Traini, who executed for a lord of the house of Coscia, buried at
+Pisa in the chapel of St Dominic in the church of S. Caterina, a
+St Dominic on a panel on a gold ground, with six scenes from his life
+surrounding him, very vigorous and life-like and excellently
+coloured. In the chapel of St Thomas Aquinas in the same church he
+made a picture in tempera, with delightful invention, and which is
+much admired. He introduced a figure of St Thomas seated, from life;
+I say from life because the friars of the place brought a portrait of
+him from the abbey of Fossanuova, where he had died in 1323. St
+Thomas is seated in the air with some books in his hand, illuminating
+with their rays and splendour the Christian people; kneeling below
+him are a large number of doctors and clerks of every condition,
+bishops, cardinals and popes, including the portrait of Pope Urban
+VI. Under the saint's feet are Sabellius, Arius, Averroes, and other
+heretics and philosophers with their books all torn. On either side
+of St Thomas are Plato, showing the Timĉus, and Aristotle pointing to
+his Ethics. Above is Jesus Christ, also in the air, with the four
+Evangelists about him. He is blessing St Thomas, and apparently
+sending the Holy Spirit upon him, filling him therewith and with His
+grace. On the completion of this work Francesco Traini acquired great
+name and fame, for he had far surpassed his master Andrea in
+colouring, in unity, and in invention. Andrea was very careful in his
+designs, as may be seen in our book.
+
+
+
+
+Tommaso called Giottino, painter of Florence.
+
+
+When there is emulation among the arts which are based on design and
+when artists work in competition with each other there is no doubt
+that men's abilities, being stimulated by constant study, discover
+new things every day to satisfy the varied tastes of man. Thus in
+painting, some introduce obscure and eccentric things into their work
+and by a mastery of the difficulties display the brightness of their
+talent in the midst of darkness. Others employ themselves on soft and
+delicate things conceiving that these should be more pleasing to the
+eye of the beholder; so that they pleasantly attract the greater
+number of men. Others again paint smoothly, softening the colours and
+confining the lights and shades of the figures to their places, for
+which they merit the highest praise, displaying their intention with
+wonderful skill. This smooth style is always apparent in the works of
+Tommaso di Stefano, called Giottino, who was born in the year 1324,
+and after he had learned the elements of painting from his father, he
+resolved while still a youth, that he would most carefully imitate
+Giotto's style rather than that of Stefano. He succeeded so well in
+this that he won thereby in addition to the style, which was much
+finer than his master's, the nickname of Giottino, which he always
+retained. Hence many, misled  by his manner and name, believed him to
+be Giotto's  son, but they fell into a very great error, for it is
+certain, or rather highly probable (since no one  can  affirm  such
+things absolutely), that he was the son of Stefano, painter of
+Florence. Tommaso was so diligent in painting and so fond of it, that
+although not many of his works have been found, yet those which are
+extant are good and in excellent style. For the draperies, hair,
+beards, and other details are executed and composed with such grace
+and care that they prove him to have possessed a far better idea of
+unity in art than was to be found in the works of Giotto, master of
+Stefano his father. In his youth Giottino painted in S. Stefano at
+the Ponte Vecchio at Florence, a chapel by the side door, and
+although it has suffered a great deal from the damp, yet enough
+remains to prove the skill and genius of the craftsman. He next did
+SS. Cosmo and Damian beside the mills in the Frati Ermini, of which
+but little can now be seen owing to the ravages of time. He did a
+chapel in fresco in the old S. Spirito of that city, which was
+afterwards destroyed at the burning of that church. Over the
+principal door of the same church he painted in fresco the Descent of
+the Holy Spirit, and on the piazza of the church, leading to the side
+of the Cuculia, next the convent, he did the tabernacle which may
+still be seen there, with Our Lady and other saints about her, who in
+their heads and other parts approach very closely to the modern
+style, because Tommaso endeavoured to vary and change the flesh tints
+and to combine a graceful and judicious treatment of the figures with
+variety in the colouring and in the draperies. In the chapel of St
+Silvester at S. Croce he did the history of Constantine with great
+care, with many fine ideas in the gestures of the figures. His next
+work was to be placed behind a marble ornament made for the tomb of
+M. Bettino de' Bardi, a man of eminent military rank of the time. He
+represented him from life, in armour, rising on his knees from the
+tomb, summoned by the Last Trump sounded by two angels who accompany
+a Christ in the clouds, very well done. At the entrance to S.
+Pancrazio, on the right hand side, he did a Christ carrying the
+cross, and some saints near, markedly in Giotto's style. In S.
+Gallo, a convent outside the gate of that name, and which was
+destroyed at the siege, he painted a Pieta in fresco in a cloister, a
+copy of which is in S. Pancrazio mentioned above, on a pilaster
+beside the principal chapel. He painted SS. Cosmo and Damian in
+fresco in S. Maria Novella at the chapel of St Lorenzo de' Giuochi,
+at the entry of the church by the right hand door, on the front wall.
+In Ognissanti he did a St Christopher and a St George, which were
+ruined by bad weather and were restored by some ignorant painters. An
+uninjured work of Tommaso in the same church is in the tympanum over
+the sacristy door, which contains a Madonna in fresco, with the child
+in her arms; it is a good thing as he took pains with it.
+
+By means of these works Giottino acquired so much renown, imitating
+his master, as I have said, both in design and in inventions, that
+the spirit of Giotto himself was said to be in him, owing to the
+freshness of his colouring and to his skill in design. Now, on 2nd
+July 1343, when the Duke of Athens was hunted from Florence, and had
+by oath renounced the government and rendered the Florentines their
+liberty, Giottino was constrained by the Twelve Reformers of the
+State, and especially by the prayers of M. Agnolo Acciaiuoli, then a
+very distinguished citizen, who had great influence over him, to
+paint on the tower of the Podesta Palace the duke and his followers,
+M. Ceritieri Visdomini, M. Maladiasse, his Conservator and M. Ranieri
+da S. Gimignano, all with mitres of Justice on their heads,
+represented thus shamefully as a sign of contempt. About the duke's
+head he painted many beasts of prey and other sorts, indicative of
+his nature and quality; and one of these counsellors had in his hand
+the palace of the priors of the city, which he was offering to the
+duke, like a false traitor. Beneath everyone of them were the arms
+and insignia of their families, with inscriptions which can now only
+be read with difficulty owing to the ravages of time. This work,
+because it was well designed and very carefully executed, gave
+universal satisfaction, and the method of the artist pleased
+everyone. He next made a St Cosmo and a St Damian at the Campora, a
+place of the black monks outside the gate of S. Piero Gattolini.
+These were afterwards destroyed in whitewashing the church. On the
+bridge at Romiti in Valdarno he did the tabernacle which is built in
+the middle, painting it in fresco in a very fine style. It is
+recorded by many writers that Tommaso practised sculpture, and did a
+marble figure four braccia high for the campanile of S. Maria del
+Fiore at Florence, towards the place where the orphan asylum now
+stands. At Rome again he successfully completed a scene in S. John
+Lateran in which he represented the pope in various dignities, but
+the painting is now much damaged and eaten by time. In the house of
+the Orsini he did a hall full of famous men, and a very fine St Louis
+on a pilaster at Araceli, on the right-hand side at the high altar.
+Above the pulpit in the lower church of S. Francesco at Assisi, that
+being the only place left undecorated, he painted a coronation of Our
+Lady, in an arch, surrounded by many angels, so graceful, with such
+beautiful faces, so soft and so delicate, exhibiting that union of
+colours customary in the artist, and which constitutes his peculiar
+excellence, that he may clearly be compared with any of his
+predecessors. About this arch he did some stories of St Nicholas.
+Similarly, in the middle of the church, in the monastery of S.
+Chiara, in the same city, he painted a scene in fresco of St Clare,
+upheld in the air by two angels, represented with much life, raising
+a dead child, whilst many beautiful women standing about are filled
+with amazement, all being dressed in very graceful costumes of the
+time. In the same city of Assisi, in an arch over the inside of the
+city door which leads to the Duomo, he did a Madonna and child with
+so much care that she seems alive, and a very fine St Francis, with
+other saints. These two works, although the scene with St Clare is
+unfinished, for Tommaso returned sick to Florence, are perfect and
+worthy of all praise.
+
+It is said that Tommaso was a melancholy and solitary man, but very
+diligent and fond of his art. This is clearly shown in a picture of
+his in tempera in the church of S. Romeo at Florence, placed on the
+screen on the right-hand side, for nothing was ever better done on
+wood. It represents a dead Christ with Mary and Nicodemus,
+accompanied with other figures, who are weeping bitterly for the
+dead. Their gentleness and sweetness are remarkable as they twist
+their hands and beat themselves, showing in their faces the bitter
+sorrow that our sins should cost so dear. It is a marvellous thing,
+not that Tommaso could rise to this height of imagination, but that
+he could express his thought so well with his brush. Consequently
+this work deserves the highest praise, not so much because of the
+subject and conception as for the art in which he exhibited the heads
+of some who are weeping, for although the brows, eyes, nose and mouth
+are distorted by the emotion, yet this does not mar or destroy the
+beauty of his faces, which usually suffers much at the hands of those
+who represent weeping if they are not versed in the good methods of
+art. But it is no wonder that Giottino was so successful with this
+picture, because the object of all his labour was rather fame and
+glory than any other reward or desire of gain, which causes the
+masters of our own time to be less careful and good. Not only Tommaso
+did not endeavour to acquire great wealth, but he went without many
+of the comforts of life, living in poverty, seeking rather to please
+others than to live at ease; so managing badly and working hard, he
+died of phthisis at the age of thirty-two, and was buried by his
+relations outside S. Maria Novella at the gate of Martello, near the
+tomb of Bontura.
+
+The pupils of Giottino, who left more fame than property, were
+Giovanni Tossicani of Arezzo, Michelino, Giovanni dal Ponte, and
+Lippo, who were meritorious masters of the art. Giovanni Tossicani
+excelled the others, and after Tommaso's death he executed many works
+in that same style, in all Tuscany, and particularly in the Pieve of
+Arezzo, where he did the chapel of St Maria Maddalena of the
+Tuccerelli, and in the Pieve of Empoli, where he did a St James on a
+pilaster. Again, he did some things in the Duomo at Pisa, which were
+afterwards removed to make way for modern works. His last work was
+executed in a chapel of the Vescovado of Arezzo, for the Countess
+Giovanna, wife of Tarlato di Pietramala, and represented an
+Annunciation, with St James and St Philip. As this work was on a
+wall, the back of which is exposed to the north, it was almost
+destroyed by the damp, when Master Agnolo di Lorenzo of Arezzo
+restored the  Annunciation, and Giorgio Vasari, then a youth,
+restored the SS. James and Philip, to his great advantage, as he
+learnt a great deal which he had not been able to obtain from other
+masters, by observing Giovanni's methods, and from the shadows and
+colours of this work, damaged as it was. The following words of the
+epitaph to the Countess, who caused the work to be done, may still be
+read: Anno Domini 1335 de mense Augusti hanc capellam constitui fecit
+nobilis Domina comitissa Joanna de Sancta Flora uxor nobilis militis
+Domini Tarlati de Petramela ad honorem Beatĉ Mariĉ Virginis.
+
+I make no mention of the works of the other pupils of Giottino,
+because they are quite ordinary and bear little resemblance to those
+of their master and of Giovanni Tossicani, their fellow-pupil.
+Tommaso drew very well, as appears by some sheets by his hand which
+are in our book, which are very carefully executed.
+
+
+
+
+Giovanni da Ponte, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+Although the old proverb that a bon vivant never lacks means is
+untrue and unworthy of confidence, the contrary being the case, since
+a man who does not live within his means comes at last to live in
+want, and dies in misery; yet it sometimes happens that Fortune
+rather assists those who throw away without reserve than those who
+are orderly and careful in all things. When the favour of Fortune is
+wanting, Death frequently repairs the defect and remedies the
+consequences of men's thoughtlessness, for it comes at the very
+moment when they would begin to realise, with sorrow, how wretched a
+thing it is to have squandered everything when young to pass one's
+age on shortened means in poverty and toil. This would have been the
+fate of Giovanni da S. Stefano a Ponte of Florence, if, after he had
+devoured his patrimony as well as the gains which came into his hand,
+rather through good fortune than by his desserts, and some legacies
+which came to him from unexpected quarters, he had not reached the
+end of his life at the very time when he had exhausted his means. He
+was a pupil of Buonamico Buffalmacco, and imitated his master more in
+following worldly pleasures than in endeavouring to make himself a
+skilful painter. He was born in the year 1307, and was Buffalmacco's
+pupil in his youth. He executed his first works in fresco in the
+Pieve of Empoli in the chapel of St Laurence, painting many scenes
+from the life of that saint with such care, that so good a beginning
+was considered to promise much better things in the future.
+Accordingly he was invited in the year 1344 to Arezzo, where he did
+an Assumption in a chapel in S. Francesco. Being in some credit in
+that city, for lack of other artists, he next painted in the Pieve
+the chapel of St Onofrio and that of St Anthony, ruined to-day by the
+damp. He left other paintings in S. Giustina and S. Matteo, which
+were pulled down with the churches when Duke Cosimo was fortifying
+the city. Almost on this very spot, near S. Giustina, at the foot of
+the abutment of an ancient bridge, at the point where the river
+enters the city, they there found a fine marble head of Appius
+Ciccus, and one of his son, with an ancient epitaph, which are now in
+the Duke's wardrobe. When Giovanni returned to Florence, at the time
+when the middle arch of the Ponte a S. Trinita was being completed,
+he decorated a chapel built on a pile, and dedicated to St Michael
+the Archangel, an ancient and beautiful building, doing many figures,
+both inside and out, and the whole of the principal front. This
+chapel was carried away, together with the bridge, in the flood of
+1557. Some assert that he owed his name of Giovanni dal Ponte to
+these works. In Pisa, in the year 1335, he did some scenes in fresco
+behind the altar in the principal chapel of St Paolo a ripa d'Arno,
+which are now ruined by damp and time. Another work of his is the
+chapel of the Scali in S. Trinita at Florence, and another beside it,
+as well as one of the stories of St Paul beside the principal chapel,
+which contains the tomb of Maestro Paolo, the astrologer. In S.
+Stefano, at the Ponte Vecchio, he did a panel and other paintings in
+tempera and fresco for Florence and elsewhere, which won him
+considerable renown. He was beloved by his friends, but rather in his
+pleasures than in his labours, and he was a friend of men of letters,
+and especially of all those who were studying his own art in the hope
+of excelling in it; and although he had not troubled to acquire for
+himself what he desired for others, he never ceased to advise others
+to work diligently. At length, when he had lived fifty-nine years, he
+departed this life in a few days in consequence of a disorder of the
+chest. Had he lived a little longer, he would have suffered much
+inconvenience, as there remained hardly sufficient in his house to
+afford him decent burial in S. Stefano dal Ponte Vecchio. His works
+were executed about 1345.
+
+Our book of designs of various ancient and modern masters contains a
+water-colour by Giovanni representing St George on horseback killing
+a serpent; also a skeleton, the two affording an excellent
+illustration of his method and his style in designing.
+
+
+
+
+Agnolo Gaddi, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+The virtue and husbandry of Taddeo Gaddi afford an excellent
+illustration of the advantages and honours accruing from excellence
+in a noble art, for by his industry and labour he provided a
+considerable property, and left the affairs of his family so ordered
+that when he passed to the other life his sons Agnolo and Giovanni
+were enabled without difficulty to lay the foundations of the vast
+wealth and distinction of the house of Gaddi, which is now amongst
+the noblest in Florence and of high repute in all Christendom. Indeed
+it was no more than reasonable, after Gaddo, Taddeo, Agnolo and
+Giovanni had adorned with their art and talents so many considerable
+churches, that their descendants should be decorated with the highest
+ecclesiastical dignities by the Holy Roman Church and her Pontiffs.
+Taddeo, whose life we have already written, left two sons, Agnolo and
+Giovanni, among his many pupils, and he hoped that Agnolo in
+particular would attain to considerable excellence in painting. But
+although Agnolo when a youth promised to far surpass his father, he
+did not realise the good opinions which were then formed about him.
+Being born and brought up in ease, which is often a hindrance to
+application, he was more devoted to trading and commerce than to the
+art of painting. This is no new or strange circumstance, for avarice
+almost invariably proves a bar to those geniuses who would have
+attained the summit of their powers, had not the desire of gain stood
+in their way in their first and best years.
+
+In his youth Andrea did a small scene for S. Jacopo tra fossi at
+Florence, in figures of little more than a braccia high, representing
+the Resurrection of Lazarus, who had been four days dead. Considering
+the corrupt state of the body, which had been in the tomb three days,
+he presented the grave clothes bound about him as soiled by the
+putrefaction of the flesh, and certain livid and yellowish marks in
+the flesh about the eyes, between quick and dead, very well
+considered. He also shows the astonishment of the disciples and other
+figures, who in varied and remarkable attitudes are holding their
+garments to their noses so as not to smell the stench of the corrupt
+body, and exhibit every shade of fear and terror at this marvellous
+event, as well as the joy and delight of Mary and Martha at seeing
+the dead body of their brother return to life. This work was deemed
+so excellent that there were many who thought that the talents of
+Andrea would prove superior to those of all the pupils of Taddeo and
+even to those of the master himself. But the event proved otherwise,
+for as in youth will conquers every difficulty in the effort after
+fame, so it often happens that the years bring with them a certain
+heedlessness which causes men to go backwards instead of forwards, as
+was the case with Agnolo. Owing to the high repute of his ability,
+the family of the Soderini, expecting a great deal, allotted to him
+the principal chapel of the Carmine, where he painted the whole of
+the life of Our Lady, but in a style so inferior to the Resurrection
+of Lazarus that anyone could perceive that he had little desire to
+devote all his energies to the study of painting. In the whole of
+this great work there is not more than a single good scene, namely,
+that in which Our Lady is in an apartment surrounded by a number of
+maidens, whose habits and headdresses vary according to the divers
+customs of the time, and who are engaged in various employments, some
+spinning, some sewing, some winding silk, and some weaving and doing
+other things, all very well conceived and executed by Agnolo.
+
+Similarly in painting in fresco the principal chapel of the church of
+S. Croce for the noble family of the Alberti, he represented the
+incidents which took place on the finding of the Cross, executing the
+work with much skill, though it is somewhat lacking in design, the
+colouring alone being meritorious. He succeeded much better
+afterwards in some other paintings in fresco in the chapel of the
+Bardi, and in some stories of St Louis in the same church. He worked
+capriciously, sometimes with great care and sometimes with little.
+Thus in S. Spirito at Florence, where he did the inside of a door
+leading from the piazza to the convent, and above another door a
+Madonna and child, with St Augustine and St Nicholas, all in
+fresco--they are all so well done that they look as if they had been
+painted yesterday. The secret of working in mosaic had as it were
+descended to Agnolo by inheritance, and in his house he had the
+instruments and other apparatus used by his grandfather Gaddo;
+accordingly to para the time, and for one reason or another, he did
+some things in mosaic when he had the whim. Thus since many of the
+marble facings of the exterior of S. Giovanni were wasted by time,
+and as the damp had pierced through and done considerable injury to
+the mosaics previously executed there by Andrea Tafi, the Consuls of
+the Art of the Merchants proposed to restore the greater part of this
+marble covering, in order that no further damage should be done, and
+also to repair the mosaics. The commission for this was given to
+Agnolo, and in the year 1346 he caused the building to be covered
+with new marble, overlaying the joints to a distance of two fingers
+with great care, notching the half of each stone as far as the
+middle. He then cemented them together with a mixture of mastic and
+wax, and completed the whole with such care that from that time
+forward neither the vaulting nor the roof has ever suffered any harm
+from the water. His subsequent restoration of the mosaics led by his
+advice to the reconstruction from his well-devised plans of the whole
+of the cornice of the church above the marble, under the roof, in its
+present form, whereas it was originally much smaller and by no means
+remarkable. He also directed the construction of the vaulting for the
+hall of the Podesta palace, where an ordinary roof had formerly
+existed, so that in addition to the added beauty which it gave the
+room, it rendered it proof against damage by fire, which it had
+frequently suffered before. By his advice the present battlements
+were added to the palace, where nothing of the kind had previously
+existed.
+
+While these works were proceeding, he did not entirely abandon
+painting, but executed in tempera a picture of Our Lady for the high
+altar of S. Pancrazio, with St John the Baptist, St John the
+Evangelist, the brothers St Nereus, Achilleus, and Prancrazius, and
+other saints hard by. But the best part of this work, and indeed the
+only part of it which is really good, is the predella filled with
+small figures, divided into eight scenes dealing with the Madonna and
+St Reparata. Subsequently in a picture for the high altar of S. Maria
+Novella at Florence, executed for Barone Capelli in 1348, he made a
+very fair group of angels about a Coronation of the Virgin. Shortly
+afterwards he painted in fresco a series of subjects from the life of
+the Virgin in the Pieve of Prato, which had been rebuilt under the
+direction of Giovanni Pisano in 1312, as has been said above, in the
+chapel where Our Lady's girdle was deposited, and he did a number of
+other works in other churches of that same country which is full of
+very considerable monasteries and convents. In Florence he next
+painted the arch over the gate of S. Romeo, and in Orto S. Michele
+did in tempera a Christ disputing with the doctors in the temple. At
+the same time for the enlargement of the piazza of the Signori a
+large number of buildings was pulled down, and notably the church of
+S. Romolo, which was rebuilt from Agnolo's plans. In the churches of
+this city many pictures by his hand may be seen, and a quantity of
+his works may be met with in the lordship. These he produced with
+great advantage to himself, although he worked rather for the sake of
+following in the steps of his ancestors than from any inclination of
+his own; for he had devoted all his attention to trading, which was
+of great service to him, as appeared when his sons, who did not wish
+to live by painting any longer, devoted themselves entirely to
+commerce, opening an establishment at Venice in conjunction with
+their father, who after a certain time abandoned painting altogether,
+only to take it up as an amusement and pastime. By dint of trading
+and practising his art, Agnolo had amassed considerable wealth when
+he came to die in the sixty-third year of his life, succumbing to a
+malignant fever which carried him off in a few days. His pupils were
+Maestro Antonio da Ferrara, who did many fine works in Urbino and at
+Citta di Castello, and Stefano da Verona, who painted with the
+greatest perfection in fresco, as may be seen in several places in
+his native Verona, and at Mantua, where his works are numerous. Among
+other things he excelled in beautifully rendering the expressions of
+the faces of children, women and old men, as his works show, which
+were all imitated and copied by that Piero da Perugia, miniature
+painter, who illuminated all the books in the library of Pope Pius in
+the Duomo of Siena, and who was a skilful colourist in fresco. Other
+pupils of Agnolo were Michaele da Milano and his own brother
+Giovanni, who in the cloister of S. Spirito, where the arches of
+Gaddo and Taddeo are, painted the dispute of Christ with the doctors
+in the temple, the Purification of the Virgin, the Temptation of
+Christ in the wilderness, and the baptism of John, but after having
+given rise to the highest expectations he died. Cennino di Drea
+Cennini da Colle of Valdelsa also learned painting from Andrea. He
+was very fond of his art and wrote a book describing the methods of
+working in fresco, in tempera, in glue and in gum, and also how to
+illuminate and all the ways of laying on gold. This book is in the
+possession of Giuliano, goldsmith of Siena, an excellent master and
+fond of that art. The first part of the book deals with the nature of
+colours, both minerals and earths, as he had learned it of Agnolo his
+master. As he did not perhaps succeed in painting with perfection, he
+was at least anxious to know the peculiarities of the colours, the
+temperas, the glues and of chalks, and what colours one ought to
+avoid mixing as injurious, and in short many other hints which I need
+not dilate upon, since all these matters, which he then considered
+very great secrets, are now universally known. But I must not omit to
+note that he makes no mention of some earth colours, such as dark
+terra rossa, cinnabar and some greens in glass, perhaps because they
+were not in use. In like manner umber, yellow-lake, the smalts in
+fresco and in oil, and some greens and yellows in glass which the
+painters of that age lacked, have since been discovered. The end of
+the treatise deals with mosaics, with the grinding of colours in oil
+to make red, blue, green and other kinds of grounds, and with
+mordants for the application of gold but not at that time for
+figures. Besides the works which he produced with his master in
+Florence, there is a Madonna with saints by his hand under the loggia
+of the hospital of Bonifazio Lupi, of such style and colouring that
+it has been very well preserved up to the present day.
+
+In the first chapter of his book Cennino says these words in speaking
+of himself: "I, Cennino di Drea Cennini da Colle of Valdelsa, was
+instructed in this art for twelve years by Agnolo di Taddeo of
+Florence, my master, who learned the art of his father Taddeo, whose
+godfather was Giotto and who was Giotto's pupil for twenty-four
+years. This Giotto transmuted the art of painting from Greek into
+Latin, and modernised it, and it is certain that he gave more
+pleasure than any one else had ever done." These are Cennino's very
+words, by which it appears that as those who translate from Greek
+into Latin render a very great service to those who do not understand
+Greek, so Giotto, in transmuting the art of painting from a style
+which was understood by no one, except perhaps as being extremely
+rude, into a beautiful, facile, and smooth manner, known and
+understood by all people of taste who possess the slightest judgment,
+conferred a great benefit upon mankind.
+
+All these pupils of Agnolo did him the greatest credit. He was buried
+by his sons, to whom he is said to have left the value of 50,000
+florins or more, in S. Maria Novella, in the tomb which he had made
+for himself and his descendants, in the year 1387. The portrait of
+Agnolo by his own hand may be seen in the chapel of the Alberti in S.
+Croce in the scene in which the Emperor Heraclius is bearing the
+cross; he is painted in profile standing beside a door. He wears a
+small beard and has a red hood on his head, after the manner of the
+time. He was not a good draughtsman, according to the evidence of
+some sheets from his hand which are in our book.
+
+
+
+
+Berna, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+If the thread of life of those who take pains to excel in some noble
+profession was not frequently cut off by death in the best years,
+there is no doubt that many geniuses would attain the goal desired by
+them and by the world. But the short life of man and the bitterness
+of the various accidents which intervene on every hand sometimes
+deprive us too early of such men. An example of this was poor Berna
+of Siena, who died while quite young, although the nature of his
+works would lead one to believe that he had lived very long, for he
+left such excellent productions that it is probable, had he not died
+so soon, he would have become a most excellent and rare artist. Two
+of his works may be seen in Siena in two chapels of S. Agostino,
+being some small scenes of figures in fresco, and in the church on a
+wall which has recently been demolished to make chapels there, a
+scene of a young man led to punishment, of the highest imaginable
+excellence, the representation of pallor and of the fear of death
+being so realistic that it merits the warmest admiration. Beside the
+youth is a friar who is consoling him, with excellent gestures, and
+in fine the entire scene is executed with such vigour as to leave no
+doubt that Berna had penetrated deeply into the horror of that
+situation, full of bitter and cold fear, since he was able to
+represent it so well with the brush that the actual event passing
+before one's eyes could not move one more. In Cortona, besides many
+things scattered up and down the city, he painted the greater part of
+the vaulting and walls of the church of S. Margherita where the
+Zoccolanti friars now are. From Cortona he proceeded to Arezzo in the
+year 1369, at the very time when the Tarlati, formerly lords of
+Pietramela, had finished the convent and church of S. Agostino, under
+the direction of Moccio, sculptor and architect of Siena. In the
+aisles of this building where many citizens had erected chapels and
+tombs for their families, Berna painted in fresco in the chapel of St
+James, some scenes from the life of that saint. Among these the most
+remarkable is the story of the cozener Marino, who through love of
+gain had contracted his soul to the devil and then recommended his
+soul to St James, begging him to free him from his promise, whilst a
+devil shows him the deed and makes a great disturbance. Berna
+expresses the emotions of all these figures with great vigour,
+especially in the face of Marino, who is divided between his fear and
+his faith and confidence in St James, although he sees the
+marvellously ugly devil against him, employing all his eloquence to
+convince the saint. St James, after he has brought Marino to a
+thorough penitence for his sin, promises him immunity, delivers him
+and brings him back to God. According to Lorenzo Ghiberti, Berna
+reproduced this story in S. Spirito at Florence before it was burned,
+in a chapel of the Capponi dedicated to St Nicholas. After these
+works Berna painted a large crucifix in a chapel of the Vescovado of
+Arezzo for M. Guccio di Vanni Tarlati of Pietramela, with Our Lady at
+the foot of the cross, St John the Baptist, St Francis la a very sad
+attitude, and St Michael the archangel, with such care that he
+deserves no small praise, especially as it is so well preserved that
+it might have been made yesterday. At the foot of the cross, lower
+down, is the portrait of Guccio himself, in armour and kneeling. In
+the Pieve of the same city he did a number of stories of Our Lady for
+the chapel of the Paganelli, and there drew from life a portrait of
+St Ranieri, a holy man and prophet of that house, who is giving alms
+to a crowd of poor people surrounding him. Again in S. Bartolommeo he
+painted some scenes from the Old Testament and the story of the Magi,
+and in the church of S. Spirito he did some stories of St John the
+Evangelist, drawing his own portrait and those of many of his noble
+friends of the city in some figures there. When these labours were
+completed he returned to his native city and did many pictures on
+wood, both small and great. But he did not remain there long, because
+he was invited to Florence to decorate the chapel of St Nicholas in
+S. Spirito, as mentioned above, and which was greatly admired, as
+well as to do some other things which perished in the unfortunate
+fire at that church. In the Pieve of S. Gimignano di Valdelsa he did
+in fresco some scenes from the New Testament. When he was on the
+point of completing these things he fell to the ground from the
+scaffolding, suffering such severe injuries that he expired in two
+days, by which art suffered a greater loss than he, for he passed to
+a better sphere. The people of S. Gimignano gave him honourable
+burial in that Pieve, with stately obsequies, having the same regard
+for him when dead as they had entertained for him while alive, while
+for many months they were constantly affixing to the tomb epitaphs in
+the Latin and vulgar tongues, for the people of those parts take a
+natural pleasure in _belles lettres_. This then was the fitting
+reward of the honourable labours of Berna, that those whom he had
+honoured with his paintings should celebrate him with their pens.
+Giovanni da Asciano, who was a pupil of Berna, completed his work and
+did some pictures for the hospital of the Scala at Siena. In Florence
+also he did some things in the old houses of the Medici, by which he
+acquired a considerable reputation. The works of Berna of Siena were
+produced about 1381. Besides what we have already said, he was a
+fairly facile draughtsman and the first who began to draw animals
+well, as we see by some sheets by his hand in our book, covered with
+wild beasts of various parts, so that he merits the highest praise
+and that his name should be honoured among artists. Another pupil of
+his was Luca di Tome of Siena who painted many works in Siena and in
+all Tuscany, but especially the picture and chapel of the Dragomanni
+in S. Domenico at Arezzo. The chapel is in the German style and was
+very handsomely decorated by that picture and by the frescoes
+executed there by the skill and talent of Luda of Siena.
+
+
+
+
+Duccio, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+There is do doubt that those who invent anything noteworthy occupy
+the greatest share of the attention of historians, The reason for
+this is that original inventors are more noticed and excite more
+wonder, because new things always possess a greater charm than
+improvements subsequently introduced to perfect them. For if no one
+ever made a beginning, there would never be any advance or
+improvement, and the full achievement of marvellous beauty would
+never be attained. Accordingly Duccio, a much esteemed painter of
+Siena, is worthy to receive the praise of those who have followed him
+many years after, since in the pavement of the Duomo of Siena he
+initiated the treatment in marble of figures in chiaroscuro, in which
+modern artists have performed such wonders in these days. Duccio
+devoted himself to the imitation of the old style and very
+judiciously gave the correct forms to his figures, overcoming the
+difficulty presented by such an art. Imitating the paintings in
+chiaroscuro, he designed the first part of the pavement with his own
+hand; and painted a picture in the Duomo which was then put at the
+high altar and afterwards removed to make room for the tabernacle of
+the body of Christ which is now seen there. According to Lorenzo di
+Bartolo Ghiberti, this picture was a Coronation of Our Lady, very
+much in the Byzantine style, though mingled with much that is modern.
+It was painted on both sides, as the altar stood out by itself, and
+on the back Duccio had with great care painted all the principal
+incidents of the New Testament in some very fine small figures. I
+have endeavoured to discover the whereabouts of the picture at the
+present time, but although I have taken the utmost pains in the
+search, I have not succeeded in finding it or of learning what
+Francesco di Giorgio the sculptor did with it, when he restored the
+tabernacle in bronze as well as the marble ornaments there. At Siena
+Duccio did many pictures on a gold ground and an Annunciation for S.
+Trinita, Florence. He afterwards painted many things at Pisa, Lucca
+and Pistoia for different churches, which were all much admired and
+brought him much reputation and profit. The place of his death is not
+known, nor are we aware what relations, pupils or property he left.
+It is enough that he left to art the inheritance of his inventions in
+painting, marble and chiaroscuro, for which he is worthy of the
+highest commendation and praise. He may safely be enumerated among
+the benefactors who have increased the dignity and beauty of our
+craft, and those who pursue investigations into the difficulties of
+rare inventions, deserve a special place in our remembrance for this
+cause apart from their marvellous productions.
+
+It is said at Siena that in 1348 Duccio designed the chapel which is
+on the piazza in front of the principal palace. It is also recorded
+that another native of Siena called Moccio, flourished at the same
+time. He was a fair sculptor and architect and did many works in
+every part of Tuscany, but chiefly at Arezzo in the Church of S.
+Domenico, where he made a marble tomb for of the Cerchi. This tomb
+supports and decorates the organ of that church, and if some object
+that it is not a work of high excellence, I reply that it must be
+considered a very fair production seeing that he made it in the year
+1356 while quite a youth. He was employed on the work of S. Maria del
+Fiore as under architect and as sculptor, doing some things in marble
+for that structure. In Arezzo he rebuilt the Church of S. Agostino,
+which was small, in its present form, the expense being borne by
+heirs of Piero Saccone de' Tarlati, who had provided for this before
+his death at Bibbiena in the territory of Casentino. As Moccio
+constructed this church without vaulting, he imposed the burden of
+the roof on the arcading of the columns, running a considerable risk,
+for the enterprise was too bold. He also built the Church and
+Convent of S. Antonio, which were at the Faenza gate before the siege
+of Florence, and are now entirely in ruins. In sculpture he decorated
+the gate of S. Agostino at Ancona, with many figures and ornaments
+like those which are at the gate of S. Francesco in the same city. In
+this church of St Agostino he also made the tomb of Fra Zenone
+Vigilanti, bishop and general of the order of St Augustine, and
+finally the loggia of the merchants in that city, which has from time
+to time received, for one cause and another, many improvements in
+modern style, and ornamentation of various descriptions. All these
+things, although very much below the general level of excellence of
+to-day, received considerable praise then owing to the state of
+information of the time. But to return to Duccio, his works were
+executed about the year of grace 1350.
+
+
+
+
+Antonio, Painter of Venice.
+
+
+There are many men who, through being persecuted by the envy and
+oppressed by the tyranny of their fellow-citizens, have left their
+native place and have chosen for a home some spot where their worth
+has been recognised and rewarded, producing their works there and
+taking the greatest pains to excel, in order, in a sense, to be
+avenged on those by whom they have been outraged. In this way they
+frequently become great men, whereas had they remained quietly at
+home they might possibly have achieved little more than mediocrity in
+their art. Antonio of Venice, who went to Florence, in the train of
+Agnolo Gaddi, to learn painting, so far acquired the proper methods
+that not only was he esteemed and loved by the Florentines, but made
+much of for this talent and for his other good qualities. Then,
+becoming possessed by a desire to return to his native city and enjoy
+the fruits of his labours, he went back to Venice. There, having made
+himself known by many things done in fresco and tempera, he was
+commissioned by the Signoria to paint one of the walls of the Council
+Chamber, a work which he executed with such skill and majesty that
+its merits should have brought him honours and rewards; but the
+rivalry, or rather the envy, of the other artists, together with the
+preference accorded by some noblemen to other and alien painters,
+brought about a different result. Hence poor Antonio, feeling himself
+repelled and rebutted, thought it would be as well to go back to
+Florence, deciding that he would never again return to Venice, but
+would make Florence his home. Having reached that city, he painted in
+an arch in the cloister of S. Spirito the calling of Peter and Andrew
+from their nets, with Zebedee and his sons. Under the three arches of
+Stefano he painted the miracle of the loaves and fishes, exhibiting
+great diligence and love, as may be seen in the figure of Christ
+Himself, whose face and aspect betray His compassion for the crowd
+and the ardent charity which leads Him to distribute the bread. The
+same scene also shows very beautifully the affection of an apostle,
+who is very active in distributing the bread from a basket. The
+picture affords a good illustration of the value in art of always
+painting figures so that they appear to speak, for otherwise they are
+not prized. Antonio showed this on the façade in a small
+representation of the Fall of the Manna, executed with such skill and
+finished with such grace, that it may truly be called excellent. He
+next did some stories of St Stephen in the predella of the high altar
+of S. Stefano at the Ponte Vecchio, with so much loving care that
+even in illuminations it would not be possible to find more graceful
+or more delicate work. Again he painted the tympanum over the door of
+S. Antonio on the Ponte alla Carraia. This and the church were both
+pulled down in our own day by Monsignor Ricasoli, bishop of Pistoia,
+because they took away the view from his houses, and in any case even
+if he had not done so, we should have been deprived of the work, for,
+as I have said elsewhere, the flood of 1557 carried away two arches
+on this side, as well as that part of the bridge on which the little
+church of S. Antonio was situated. After these works Antonio was
+invited to Pisa by the wardens of the Campo Santo, and there
+continued the series dealing with the life of St Ranieri, a holy man
+of that city, which had been begun by Simone of Siena and under his
+direction. In the first part of Antonio's portion of the work is a
+representation of the embarkation of Ranieri to return to Pisa, with
+a goodly number of figures executed with diligence, including the
+portrait of Count Gaddo, who had died ten years before, and of Neri,
+his uncle, who had been lord of Pisa. Another notable figure in the
+group is that of a man possessed, with distorted, convulsive
+gestures, his eyes glistening, and his mouth grinning and showing his
+teeth, so remarkably like a person really possessed that nothing more
+true or life-like can be imagined. The next picture contains three
+really beautiful figures, lost in wonder at seeing St Ranieri reveal
+the devil in the form of a cat on a tub to a fat innkeeper, who looks
+like a boon companion, and who is commending himself fearfully to the
+saint; their attitudes are excellently disposed in the style of the
+draperies, the variety of poses of the heads, and in all other
+particulars. Hard by are the maidservants of the innkeeper, who could
+not possibly be represented with more grace as Antonio has made them
+with disengaged garments arranged after the manner of those worn by
+the servants at an inn, so that nothing better can be imagined.
+Nothing of this artist gives more pleasure than the wall containing
+another scene from the same series in which the canons of the  Duomo
+of Pisa, in the fine robes of the time, very different from those in
+use to-day and very graceful, receive St Ranieri at table, all the
+figures being made with great care. The next of his scenes is the
+death of the saint, containing fine representations not only of the
+effect of weeping, but of the movements of certain angels who are
+carrying his soul to heaven surrounded by a brilliant light, done
+with fine originality. In the scene where the saint's body is being
+carried by the clergy to the Duomo one can but marvel at the
+representation of the priests singing, for in their gestures,
+carriage, and all their movements they exactly resemble a choir of
+singers. This scene is said to contain a portrait of the Bavarian.
+Antonio likewise painted with the greatest care the miracles wrought
+by Ranieri when he was being carried to burial, and those wrought in
+another place, after his body had been deposited in the Duomo, such
+as blind who receive their sight, withered men who recover the use of
+their limbs, demoniacs who are released, and other miracles
+represented with great vigour. But one of the most remarkable figures
+of all is a dropsical man, whose withered face, dry lips, and swollen
+body exhibit with as much realism as a living man could, the
+devouring thirst of those suffering from dropsy and the other
+symptoms of that disease. Another marvellous thing for the time in
+this work is a ship delivered by the saint after it had undergone
+various mishaps. It contains an excellent representation of the
+activity of the mariners, comprising everything that is usually done
+in such case. Some are casting into the greedy sea without a thought
+the valuable merchandise won with so much toil, some are running to
+preserve the ship which is splitting, and in short performing all the
+other duties of seamen which it would take too long to tell. Suffice
+it to say that all are executed with remarkable vigour, and in a fine
+style. In the same place beneath the lives of the holy fathers
+painted by Pietro Laurati of Siena, Antonio did the bodies of St
+Oliver and the Abbot Paphnuce, and many circumstances of their lives,
+represented on a marble sarcophagus, the figure being very well
+painted. In short, all the works of Antonio in the Campo Santo are
+such that they are universally considered, and with good cause, to be
+the best of the entire series of works produced there by many
+excellent masters over a considerable interval of time. In addition
+to the particulars already mentioned, Antonio did everything in
+fresco, and never retouched anything _a secco_. This is the reason
+why his colours have remained so fresh to the present day, and this
+should teach artists to recognise the injury that is done to pictures
+and works by retouching _a secco_ things done in fresco with other
+colours, as is said in the theories, for it is an established fact
+that this retouching ages the painting, and the new colours which
+have no body of their own will not stand the test of time, being
+tempered with gum-tragacanth, egg, size, or some such thing which
+varnishes what is beneath it, and it does not permit the lapse of
+time and the air to purge what has been actually painted in fresco
+upon the soft stucco, as they would do had not other colours been
+superimposed after the drying. Upon the completion of this truly
+admirable work Antonio was worthily rewarded by the Pisans, who
+always entertained a great affection for him. He then returned to
+Florence, where he painted at Nuovoli outside the gate leading to
+Prato, in a tabernacle at Giovanni degli Agli, a dead Christ, with a
+quantity of figures, the story of the Magi and the Last Judgment, all
+very fine. Invited next to the Certosa, he painted for the
+Acciaiuoli, who built that place, the picture of the high altar,
+which survived to our own day, when it was consumed by fire through
+the carelessness of a sacristan of the monastery, who left the censer
+hung at the altar full of fire, which led to the picture being burnt.
+It was afterwards made entirely of marble by the monks, as it is now.
+In the same place this same master did a very fine Transfiguration in
+fresco on a cupboard in the chapel. Being much inclined by nature to
+the study of herbs, he devoted himself to the mastery of Dioscorides,
+taking pleasure in learning the properties and virtues of each plant,
+so that he ultimately abandoned painting and devoted himself to
+distilling simples with great assiduity. Having thus transformed
+himself from a painter into a physician, he pursued the latter
+profession for some time. At length he fell-sick of a disorder of the
+stomach, or, as some say, through treating the plague, and finished
+the course of his life at the age of seventy-four in the year 1384,
+when the plague was raging in Florence. His skill as a physician
+equalled his diligence as a painter, for he gained an extensive
+experience in medicine from those who had employed him in their need,
+and he left behind him a high reputation in both arts. Antonio was a
+very graceful designer with the pen, and so excellent in chiaroscuro
+that some sheets of his in our book, in which he did the arch of S.
+Spirito, are the best of the age. Gherardo Starnini of Florence was a
+pupil of Antonio, and closely imitated him, while another pupil of
+his, Paolo Uccello, brought him no small credit. The portrait of
+Antonio of Venice by his own hand is in the Campo Santo at Pisa.
+
+
+
+
+Jacopo di Casentino, Painter.
+
+
+As the fame and renown of the paintings of Giotto and his pupils had
+been spread abroad for many years, many, who were desirous of
+obtaining fame and riches by means of the art of painting, began to
+be animated by the hope of glory, and by natural inclination, to make
+progress towards the improvement of the art, feeling confident that,
+with effort, they would be able to surpass in excellence Giotto,
+Taddeo, and the other painters. Among these was one Jacopo di
+Casentino, who was born, as we read, of the family of M. Cristoforo
+Landino of Pratovecchio, and was associated by the friar of
+Casentino, then superior at the Sasso del Vernia, with Taddeo Gaddi,
+while he was working in that convent, in order that he might learn
+design and colour. In a few years he so far succeeded, that, being
+taken to Florence in the company of Giovanni di Milano, in the
+service of their master, Taddeo, where they were doing many things,
+he was asked to paint in tempera the tabernacle of the Madonna of the
+Old Market, with the picture there, and also the one on the Via del
+Cocomoro side of the Piazza S. Niccolo. A few years ago both of these
+were restored by a very inferior master to Jacopo. For the Dyers, he
+did the one at S. Nofri, on the side of their garden wall, opposite
+S. Giuseppe. While the vaulting of Orsanmichele, upon its twelve
+pillars, was being completed, and covered with a low, rough roof,
+awaiting the completion of the building of the palace, which was to
+be the granary of the Commune, the painting of these vaults was
+entrusted to Jacopo di Casentino, as a very skilled artist. Here he
+painted some prophets and the patriarchs, with the heads of the
+tribes, sixteen figures in all, on an ultramarine ground, now much
+damaged, without other ornamentation. He next did the lower walls and
+pilasters with many miracles of Our Lady, and other things which may
+be recognised by their style. This done, he returned to Casentino,
+and after painting many works in Pratovecchio, Poppi, and other
+places of that valley, he proceeded to Arezzo, which then governed
+itself with a council of sixty of the richest and most honoured
+citizens, to whom all the affairs of the state were entrusted. Here,
+in the principal chapel of the Vescovado, he painted a story of St
+Martin, and a good number of pictures in the old Duomo, now pulled
+down, including a portrait of Pope Innocent VI. in the principal
+chapel. He next did the wall where the high altar is, and the chapel
+of St Maria della Neve, in the church of S. Bartolommeo, for the
+chapter of the canons of the Pieve, and for the old brotherhood of S.
+Giovanni de' Peducci he did a number of scenes from the life of that
+saint, which are now whitewashed over. He also did the chapel of St
+Christopher in the church of S. Domenico, introducing a portrait of
+the blessed Masuolo releasing from prison a merchant of the Fei
+family, who built the chapel. This saint was a contemporary of the
+artist, and a prophet who predicted many misfortunes for the
+Aretines. In the church of S. Agostino, Jacopo did some stories of St
+Laurence in fresco in the chapel and at the altar of the Nardi with
+marvellous style and skill. Since he also practised architecture, he
+was employed by the sixty chief citizens mentioned above to bring
+under the walls of Arezzo the water which comes from the slopes of
+Pori, 300 braccia from the city. In the time of the Romans this water
+had been originally brought to the theatre, traces of which still
+exist, and thence from its situation on the hill where the fortress
+now is, to the amphitheatre of the city in the plain, the buildings
+and conduits of this being afterwards entirely destroyed by the
+Goths. Thus after Jacopo had, as I  have said, brought the water
+under the wall, he made the fountain, then known as the Fonte
+Guizianelli, but is  now called by corruption Fonte Viniziana. It
+remained standing from 1354 until 1527, but no longer, because the
+plague of the following year, and the war which followed, deprived it
+of many of its advantages for the use of the gardens, particularly as
+Jacopo did not bring it inside, and for these reasons it is not
+standing to-day, as it should be.
+
+Whilst Jacopo was engaged in bringing water to the city he did not
+abandon his painting, and in the palace which was in the old citadel,
+destroyed in our day, he did many scenes of the deeds of the Bishop
+Guide and of Piero Sacconi, who had done great and notable things for
+the city both in peace and war. He also did the story of St Matthew
+under the organ in the Pieve, and a considerable number of other
+works. By these paintings, which he did in every part of the city, he
+taught Spinello of Arezzo the first principles of that art which he
+himself had learned from Agnolo, and which Spinello afterwards taught
+to Bernardo Daddi, who worked in the city and adorned it with many
+fine paintings, which, united to his other excellent qualities,
+brought him much honour among his fellow-citizens, who employed him a
+great deal in magistracies and other public affairs. The paintings of
+Bernardo were numerous and highly valued, first in St Croce, the
+chapel of St Laurence and those of St Stephen of the Pulci and
+Berardi, and many other paintings in various other parts of that
+church. At length, after he had painted some pictures on the inside
+of the gates of the city of Florence, he died, full of years, and was
+buried honourably in S. Felicita in the year 1380.
+
+To return to Jacopo. In the year 1350 was founded the company and
+brotherhood of the Painters. For the masters who then flourished,
+both those who practised the old Byzantine style and those who
+followed the new school of Cimabue, seeing that they were numerous,
+and that the art of design had been revived in Tuscany and in their
+own Florence, created this society under the name and protection of
+St Luke the Evangelist, to render praise and thanks to God in the
+sanctuary of that saint, to meet together from time to time,
+remembering the welfare of their souls as well as of the bodies of
+those who might be in need of assistance at various times. This is
+still the practice of many of the Arts in Florence, but it was much
+more common in former times. Their first sanctuary was the principal
+chapel of the hospital of S. Maria Nuova, which was granted them by
+the family of the Portinari. The first governors of the company were
+six in number, with the title of captains, and in addition there were
+two councillors and two chamberlains. This may be seen in the old
+book of the company begun then, the first chapter of which opens
+thus:
+
+"These articles and regulations were agreed upon and drawn up by the
+good and discreet men of the art of the Painters of Florence, and in
+the time of Lapo Gucci, painter; Vanni Cinuzzi, painter; Corsino
+Buonaiuti, painter; Pasquino Cenni, painter; Segnia d'Antignano,
+painter. The councillors were Bernardo Daddi and Jacopo di Casentino,
+painters. Consiglio Gherardi and Domenico Pucci, painters, the
+chamberlains."
+
+The company being thus formed by the consent of the captains and
+others, Jacopo di Casentino painted the picture of their chapel,
+representing St Luke drawing a picture of Our Lady, and in the
+predella, all the men of the company kneeling on one side and all the
+women on the other. From this beginning, whether they meet or no, the
+company has existed continuously from this time and has recently been
+remodelled, as is related in the new articles of the company approved
+by the Most Illustrious Lord, Duke Cosimo, the very benignant
+protector of these arts of design.
+
+At length Jacopo, overwhelmed with years and toil, returned to
+Casentino and died there at Prato Vecchio, at the age of eighty. He
+was buried by his relations and friends in S. Agnolo, an abbey of the
+Camaldoline order, outside Prato Vecchio. Spinello introduced his
+portrait into a picture of the Magi in the old Duomo, and his style
+of draughtsmanship may be seen in our book.
+
+
+
+
+Spinello, Painter of Arezzo.
+
+
+Upon one of the occasions when the Ghibellines were driven from
+Florence and when they settled at Arezzo, Luca Spinelli had a son
+born to him there, to whom he gave the name of Spinello. This boy had
+so much natural inclination to be a painter, that almost without a
+master and while still quite a child he knew more than many who have
+practised under the best teachers, and what is more, he contracted a
+friendship with Jacopo di Casentino while the latter was working at
+Arezzo, and learned something from him, so much so indeed that before
+he was twenty years of age he was a far better master, young as he
+was, than Jacopo, who was already an old man. Spinello's early
+reputation as a good painter induced M. Dardano Acciaiuoli to employ
+him to decorate the church of S. Niccolo at the pope's halls, which
+he had just erected, behind S. Maria Novella in the Via dei Scala,
+and there buried a brother who was a bishop. Here Spinello painted
+scenes from the life of St Nicholas, bishop of Bari, in fresco,
+completing the work in 1334 after two years of unremitting labour. In
+it he exhibited equal excellence as a colourist and as a designer, so
+that the colours remained in excellent preservation up to our own
+day, and the excellence of the figures was well expressed, until a
+few years ago when they were in great part damaged by a fire which
+unfortunately broke out in the church at a time when it happened to
+be full of straw, brought there by some indiscreet persons who made
+use of the building as a barn for the storage of straw. The fame of
+the work induced M. Barone Capelli, citizen of Florence, to employ
+Spinello to paint in the principal chapel of S. Maria Maggiore, a
+number of stories of the Madonna in fresco, and some of St Anthony
+the abbot, and near them the consecration of that very ancient church
+by Pope Paschal II. Spinello did all this so well that it looks as if
+it had all been the work of a single day and not of many months, as
+was actually the case. Near the pope is the portrait of M. Barone
+from life, in the dress of the time, excellently done and with good
+judgment. On the completion of this, Spinello worked in the church of
+the Carmine in fresco, doing the chapel of St James and St John,
+apostles, where, among other things, he has given a very careful
+representation of the request made of Christ by the wife of Zebedee
+and mother of James, that her sons should sit the one on the right
+and the other on the left of the Father in the kingdom of Heaven. A
+little further over one sees Zebedee, James and John leaving their
+nets and following Christ, done with wonderful vigour and style. In
+another chapel of the same church, beside the principal one, Spinello
+also did in fresco some stories of the Madonna and the Apostles,
+their miraculous appearance to her before her death, her death and
+her being carried to Heaven by angels. As the scene was on a large
+scale, and the chapel being a very small one of not more than ten
+braccia in length and five in height, would not take it all,
+especially in the case of the Assumption of Our Lady, Spinello very
+judiciously continued the scene to the vaulting on one of the sides
+at the place where Christ and the angels are receiving her. In a
+chapel of S. Trinita, Spinello made a very fine Annunciation and for
+the high altar picture of the church of S. Apostolo he painted in
+tempera the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in tongues
+of fire. In S. Lucia de' Bardi he also painted a panel and did a
+larger one for the chapel of St John the Baptist, decorated by
+Giotto.
+
+After these things, and on account of the great reputation which his
+labours in Florence had procured for him, Spinello was recalled to
+Arezzo by the sixty citizens who governed it, and was commissioned by
+the Commune to paint the story of the Magi in the old Duomo outside
+the city, and in the chapel of St Gismondo, a St Donate, who by means
+of a benediction causes a serpent to burst. Similarly he made some
+various figures on many pilasters of that Duomo, and on a wall he did
+a Magdalene in the house of Simon anointing Christ's feet, with other
+paintings which there is no need to mention, since that church is now
+entirely destroyed, though it was then full of tombs, the bones of
+saints and other notable things. But in order that the memory of it
+may at least remain, I will remark that it was built by the Aretines
+more than thirteen hundred years ago, at the time when they were
+first converted to the faith of Jesus Christ by St Donato, who
+afterwards became bishop of the city. It was dedicated to him, and
+richly adorned both within and without with very ancient spoils of
+antiquity. The ground plan of the church, which is discussed at
+length elsewhere, was divided on the outside into sixteen faces, and
+on the inside into eight, and all were full of the spoils of those
+times which had originally been dedicated to idols; in short, it was,
+at the time of its destruction, as beautiful as such a very ancient
+church could possibly be. After the numerous paintings which he had
+done in the Duomo, Spinello painted for the chapel of the Marsupini
+in S. Francesco, Pope Honorius confirming and approving the rule of
+that saint, the pope being a portrait of Innocent IV., he having by
+some means obtained the likeness. In the chapel of St Michael, the
+Archangel, in the same church in which the bells are rung, he painted
+many scenes relating to him; and rather lower down, in the chapel of
+M. Giuliano Baccio, he did an Annunciation, with other figures, which
+are much admired. The whole of the works in this church were done in
+fresco with great boldness and skill between the years 1334 and 1338.
+In the Pieve of the same city he afterwards painted the chapel of St
+Peter and St Paul, and below it that of St Michael the Archangel; for
+the fraternity of S. Maria della Misericordia he did the chapel of St
+James and St Philip; and over the principal door of the fraternity
+which is on the piazza, that is to say, in the tympanum, he painted a
+Pieta, with a St John, at the request of the rectors of the
+fraternity. The foundation of the brotherhood took place in this way.
+A certain number of good and honourable citizens began to go about
+asking alms for the poor who were ashamed to beg, and to succour them
+in all their necessities, in the year of the plague of 1348. The
+fraternity acquired a great reputation, acquired by means of the
+efforts of these good men, in helping the poor and infirm, burying
+the dead, and performing other kindred acts of charity, so that the
+bequests, donations and inheritances left to them became so
+considerable that they amounted to one-third of the entire wealth of
+Arezzo. The same happened in 1383, which was also a year of severe
+plague. Spinello then being of the company, often undertook to visit
+the infirm, bury the dead, and perform other like pious duties which
+the best citizens have always undertaken and still do in that city.
+In order to leave a memorial of this in his paintings, he painted for
+the company on the wall of the church of S. Laurentino and
+Pergentino, a Madonna with her mantle open in front, and beneath her
+the people of Arezzo, comprising portraits of many of the earliest
+members of the fraternity, drawn from life, with wallets round their
+necks and a wooden hammer in their hands, like those with which they
+knocked at the doors to ask alms. Similarly, in the company of the
+Annunciation he painted the large tabernacle which is outside the
+church, and part of a portico which is opposite it, and the picture
+of the company, which is an Annunciation, in tempera. The picture
+which is now in the church of the nuns of S. Giusto, where a little
+Christ, who is at His mother's neck, is espousing St Catherine, with
+six small scenes in little figures of the acts of that saint, is also
+a work of Spinello and much admired. Being afterwards invited to the
+famous abbey of Camaldoli in Casentino in the year 1361, he painted
+for the hermits of that place the picture of the high altar, which
+was taken away in the year 1539, when the entire church was rebuilt
+and Giorgio Vasari did a new picture, painting the principal chapel
+of the abbey all in fresco, the transept of the church in fresco and
+two pictures. Summoned thence to Florence by D. Jacopo d'Arezzo,
+Abbot of S. Miniato in Monte of the order of Monte Oliveto, Spinello
+painted the vaulting and four walls of the sacristy of that
+monastery, besides the picture of the altar, all in tempera, with
+many stories of the life of St Benedict, executed with much skill and
+a great vivacity in the colouring, learned by him by means of long
+practice and continual labour, with study and diligence, such as are
+necessary to every one who wishes to acquire an art perfectly. After
+these things the said abbot left Florence and received the direction
+of the monastery of S. Bernardo of the same order, in his native
+land, at the very time when it was almost entirely completed on the
+land granted by the Aretines, on the site of the Colosseum. Here the
+abbot induced Spinello to paint in fresco two chapels which are
+beside the principal chapel, and two others, one on either side of
+the door leading to the choir in the screen of the church. In one of
+the two, next the principal chapel, is an Annunciation in fresco,
+made with the greatest diligence, and on a wall beside it, is the
+Madonna ascending the steps of the Temple, accompanied by Joachim and
+Anna; in the other chapel is a Crucifix with the Madonna and St John
+weeping, and a St Bernard adoring on his knees. On the inner wall of
+the church where the altar of Our Lady stands, he painted the Virgin
+with the child at her neck, which was considered a very beautiful
+figure, and did many other things for the church, painting above the
+choir Our Lady, St Mary Magdalene and St Bernard, very vivaciously.
+In the Pieve of Arezzo in the Chapel of St Bartholomew, he did a
+number of scenes from the life of that saint, and on the opposite
+side of the church, in the chapel of St Matthew, under the organ,
+which was painted by his master Jacopo di Casentino, besides many
+stories of that saint, which are meritorious, he did the four
+Evangelists in some medallions, in an original style, for above the
+bust and human limbs he gave St John the head of an eagle, St Mark
+the head of a lion, St Luke that of an ox, while only St Matthew has
+a human face, that is to say an angel's. Outside Arezzo, he decorated
+the church of S. Stefano, built by the Aretines upon many columns of
+granite and marble, to honour and preserve the names of several
+martyrs who were put to death by Julian the Apostate. Here he did a
+number of figures and scenes with great diligence and such a style of
+colouring that they were in a wonderfully fresh state of preservation
+when they were destroyed not many years ago. But the really
+remarkable piece of work in that place, besides the stories of St
+Stephen, in figures larger than life size, is the sight of Joseph, in
+the story of the Magi, beside himself with joy at the coming of those
+kings, and keenly watching the kings as they are opening the vessels
+of their treasures and are offering them to him. In the same church
+is a Madonna offering a rose to the Christ child, which was and is
+considered a most beautiful figure, and so highly reverenced by the
+Aretines that when the church of S. Stefano was pulled down, without
+sparing either pains or expense, they cut it out of the wall,
+ingeniously removed it and carried it into the city, depositing it in
+a small church in order to honour it, as they do, with the same
+devotion which they bestowed upon it at first. There is no wonder
+that the work inspired such reverence, for it is a natural
+characteristic of Spinello to endow his figures with a certain simple
+grace, partaking of modesty and holiness, so that his saints and
+particularly his Virgins breathe an indefinable sanctity and divinity
+which inspire men with devotion. This may be seen also in a Madonna
+which is on the side of the Albergetti, in one on an outside wall of
+the Pieve in Seteria, and in another of the same kind on the side of
+the canal. By Spinello's hand also is the descent of the Holy Spirit
+on the Apostles, on the wall of the hospital of S. Spirito, which is
+very fine, as are the two scenes below representing St Cosmo and St
+Damian cutting a healthy leg off a dead Moor to attach it to a man
+whose broken limb they have removed. In like manner the _Noli me
+tangere_ between these two works is very beautiful. In a chapel of
+the company of the Puracciuoli on the piazza of St Agostino he did a
+very finely coloured Annunciation, and in the cloister of that
+convent he painted a Madonna in fresco with St James and St Anthony
+and the portrait of an armed soldier kneeling there, with these
+words: _Hoc opus fecit fieri Clemens Pucci de Monte Catino, cujus
+corpus jacet hic, etc. Anno Domini 1367 die 15 mensis Maii_. The
+representations in the chapel of that church, of St Anthony and other
+saints are known by their style to be by Spinello's hand, and he
+afterwards painted the whole of a portico in the hospital of S.
+Marco, now the monastery of the nuns of St Croce as their original
+house, which was outside, was pulled down. The figure of St Gregory
+the Pope, among the many represented in this work, standing beside a
+Misericordia, is a portrait of Pope Gregory IX. The chapel of St
+Philip and St James at the entry into the church of S. Domenico in
+the same city, was done in fresco by Spinello in a fine and vigorous
+style, as was also a three-quarter length figure of St Anthony,
+painted on the wall of the church, which is so fine that it apes
+life. It is placed in the midst of four scenes from his life, and
+these and many other scenes of the life of St Anthony, also by
+Spinello's hand, are in the chapel of St Anthony, in the church of
+S. Giustino. On one side of the church of S. Lorenzo he painted some
+stories of the Madonna, and outside the church he painted her seated,
+doing the work very gracefully in fresco. In a small hospital
+opposite of the nuns of S. Spirito, near the gate on the road to
+Rome, the whole of the portico is painted by his hand with a
+representation of the dead Christ in the lap of the Maries, executed
+with so much skill and judgment that it proves him to have equalled
+Giotto in the matter of design and to have far surpassed him as a
+colourist. In the same place he has represented Christ seated, with a
+very ingenious theological signification, having placed the Trinity
+inside a Sun so that the same rays and the same glory issue from each
+of the three figures. But the same fate has befallen this work as has
+happened to many others, to the infinite loss of the lovers of this
+art, for it was thrown down to make way for the fortifications of the
+city. At the company of the Trinity may be seen a tabernacle outside
+the church, by Spinello very finely worked in fresco, comprising the
+Trinity, St Peter and SS. Cosmo and Damian dressed in the robes
+habitually worn by the physicians of the time. During the production
+of these works D. Jacopo d'Arezzo was appointed general of the
+congregation of Monte Oliveto, nineteen years after he had employed
+Spinello to do a number of things at Florence and at Arezzo, as has
+been said above. Being stationed according to the custom of the
+order, at Monte Oliveto the greater, of Chiusuri in the Siena
+district, as being the principal house of that body, he conceived a
+longing to have a beautiful picture made in that place. Accordingly
+he sent for Spinello, remembering how well he had been served upon
+other occasions, and induced him to do the picture for the principal
+chapel. Here Spinello produced a large number of figures in tempera,
+both small and great, on a gold ground, with great judgment, and
+afterwards caused it to be framed in an ornament in half-relief by
+Simone Cini of Florence, while in some parts he put an additional
+ornament with stucco of a rather firm glue, which proved very
+successful. It was gilded all over by Gabriello Saracini, who wrote
+at the bottom the three names: Simone Cini of Florence did the
+carving, Gabriello Saracini the gilding, and Spinello di Luca of
+Arezzo the painting, in the year 1385.
+
+On the completion of this work, Spinello returned to Arezzo having
+received numerous favours from the general and other monks, besides
+his payment. But he did not remain long there for the city was in
+disorder owing to the feuds of the Guelph and Ghibelline parties and
+was just then sacked. He removed with his family and his son Parri,
+who was learning painting, to Florence, where he had a goodly number
+of friends and relations. In that city, in order to pass the time, he
+painted an Annunciation in a tabernacle outside the gate at S. Piero
+Gattolini on the Roman road, where the way branches to Pozzolatico, a
+work which is now half destroyed, and  other pictures in another
+tabernacle, where the ruin of Galluzzo is. Being afterwards invited
+to Pisa to finish in the Campo Santo beneath the life of St Ranieri
+the remainder of other subjects in a blank space, in order to unite
+them to the scenes painted by Giotto, Simone of Siena, and Antonio of
+Venice, he there executed in fresco six stories of St Petitus and St
+Epirus. The first represents the saint as a young man, presented by
+his mother to the Emperor Diocletian, and appointed general of the
+armies which were to march against the Christians. As he is riding
+with his troop Christ appears to him, and showing him a white cross
+commands the youth not to persecute Him. Another scene represents the
+angel of the Lord giving to the saint, while he is riding, the
+banner of the Faith, with a white cross on a red field, which has
+ever afterwards constituted the arms of the Pisans, because St Epirus
+had besought God to give him a sign to wear against the enemy. Next
+to this is another scene of a fierce battle engaged between the saint
+and the Pagans, many armed angels fighting for the victory of the
+former. Here Spinello produced many things worthy of consideration in
+that day when art had not yet the ability nor any good method of
+expressing the ideas of the mind in colour in a lively manner. Among
+many other things in this composition are two soldiers, who have
+seized each other by the beard, and are endeavouring to kill each
+other with the naked rapiers which they hold in their disengaged
+hands; their faces and all the movement of their limbs show the
+desire of victory, their proud spirits being without fear and of the
+highest courage. Also among those who are fighting on horseback there
+is a finely executed knight who is fastening the head of an enemy to
+earth with his lance, the other having fallen backward from his
+terrified horse. Another scene shows the saint presented to the
+Emperor Diocletian, who is questioning him about the faith, and who
+afterwards consigns him to the torture, putting him in a furnace in
+which he remains uninjured, whilst the servants who are very ready on
+every side are burned in his stead. In short, all the acts of the
+saint are shown, to his beheading, after which his soul is carried to
+Heaven. The last scene shows the transportation of the bones and
+relics of St Petitus from Alexandria to Pisa. The whole work in its
+colouring and conception is the finest, most finished, and best
+executed of Spinello's paintings, and this is shown by its present
+excellent state of preservation, for its fresh appearance excites the
+wonder of everyone who sees it. When this work in the Campo Santo was
+completed, Spinello painted in the church of S. Francesco, in the
+second chapel from the high altar, many stories of St Bartholomew, St
+Andrew, St James, and St John the apostles, and he might perhaps have
+remained longer at work in Pisa, because his paintings were admired
+and rewarded there, but seeing the city thrown into an uproar and
+turned upside down through the murder of M. Pietro Gambacorti by the
+Lanfranchini, who were Pisan citizens, he once more removed to
+Florence with all his family, for he was by this time an old man. He
+remained there for one year only, and in the chapel of the
+Macchiavelli in S. Croce, dedicated to SS. Philip and James, he did
+many stories of the life and death of those saints. The picture of
+the chapel he did at Arezzo, and sent it on from there in the year
+1400, for he was anxious to return to his native place, or, to speak
+more correctly, to the place which he looked upon as such. Having
+thus returned thither at the age of seventy-seven or more, he was
+lovingly received  by his relations and friends, and remained there,
+much loved and honoured, until the end of his life, which was in the
+ninety-second year of his age. Although at the time of his return to
+Arezzo he was quite an old man, and had enough property to enable him
+to live without working, yet he could not remain idle, since he had
+always been accustomed to work, and undertook to do some stories of
+St Michael for the company of S. Agnolo in that city. These are
+roughly drawn in red on the plastered wall, as was the most ordinary
+method of the old artists, and as an example he did a single scene in
+one corner, colouring it entirely, which gave considerable
+satisfaction. Having afterwards agreed upon the price with the
+wardens, he completed the entire front of the high altar,
+representing Lucifer establishing his seat in the north, and the fall
+of the angels who change into devils as they rain upon the earth. In
+the air is St Michael fighting with the serpent of seven heads and
+ten horns, and in the middle of the lower part is Lucifer already
+changed into a hideous monster. It gave Spinello so much satisfaction
+to make him horrible and distorted that it is said (so great is the
+power of imagination) that the figure in the picture appeared to him
+in a dream, and demanded when the artist had seen him so ugly, asking
+why he did him so great an indignity with his brush. Spinello awoke
+from his dream speechless from fear, and shook so violently that his
+wife hastened to assist him. Yet he ran considerable risk of dying
+suddenly, through the failure of the heart, owing to this misfortune,
+and it caused his death a short while afterwards, until when he lived
+in an utterly dispirited manner with wide open eyes. He died greatly
+lamented by his friends, and left the world two sons--one called
+Forzore was a goldsmith, who did some admirable work in _niello_ in
+Florence; the  other, Parri, who followed his father and pursued the
+art of painting, far surpassing Spinello in design. The Aretines were
+much grieved at this sad chance, although Spinello was old, at being
+deprived of ability and excellence such as his. He died at the age of
+ninety-two, and was buried in S. Agostino at Arezzo, where there is a
+stone with a coat of arms made after a fancy of his own, containing a
+hedgehog. Spinello was far better able to design than to put his
+thoughts into practice, as our book of designs shows, which contains
+two Evangelists and a St Louis by his hand, all very fine. His
+portrait given above was taken by me from one which was in the old
+Duomo before it was pulled down. His paintings were executed between
+the years 1380 and 1400.
+
+
+
+
+Gherardo Stamina, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+Certainly those who travel far from home to dwell in other parts very
+frequently do so to the advantage of their temperament, for by seeing
+divers customs abroad, even if they be of rather an extraordinary
+nature, they learn to be reasonable, kind and patient with
+considerably greater ease than they would have done had they remained
+at home. Indeed those who desire to refine men in their worldly
+conversation need no other fire and no better cement than this,
+because those who are naturally rough become gentle, and the gentle
+become even more gracious. Gherardo di Jacopo Stamina, painter of
+Florence, though rather hasty than good-natured, being very hard and
+rough in his dealings, did more harm by this to himself than to his
+friends, and it would have been even worse for him had he not
+remained a long time in Spain, where he learned to be gentle and
+courteous, for he there became so changed from his former nature that
+when he returned to Florence a very large number of those who had
+mortally hated him before his departure, received him with very great
+friendliness and continued to cherish a great affection for him, so
+gentle and courteous had he become. Gherardo was born in Florence in
+the year 1354, and as he grew up and was naturally bent to the art of
+designing, he was put with Antonio da Vinezia to learn to design and
+to paint. In the space of many years he not only learned the art and
+practice of colours, but had shown his ability by some things
+produced in a good style; accordingly he left Antonio and began to
+work on his own account. In the chapel of the Castellani at S. Croce,
+which was given to him to paint by Michaele di Vanno, an honoured
+citizen of that family, he did in fresco many stories of St Anthony
+the abbot and of St Nicholas the bishop, in such a good style that
+they attracted the attention of certain Spaniards then staying in
+Florence on business, and ultimately led to his being invited to
+Spain to their king, who saw and received him very gladly, there
+being at that time a great lack of good painters in that country. Nor
+was it a difficult matter to induce Gherardo to leave his country,
+for as he had had hard words with some men after the affair of the
+Ciompi and the appointment of Michele di Lando as gonfaloniere, he
+was in considerable danger of his life. Accordingly he went to Spain
+and did many things for the king there, and became rich and honoured
+by the great rewards which he earned for his labours. At length
+becoming desirous of showing himself to his friends in his improved
+estate, he returned home and was warmly welcomed and received in a
+very friendly manner by all his fellow-citizens. It was not long
+before he was employed to paint the chapel of St Jerome in the
+Carmine, where he did many stories of that saint, and in the story of
+Paul, Eustace and Jerome he represented some of the Spanish habits of
+the day with very happy invention and an abundance of fashions and
+ideas in the attitudes of the figures. Among other things, in a scene
+where St Jerome is receiving his earliest instruction, he represented
+a master who has caused one boy to mount upon the back of another and
+strikes him with the whip in such a manner that the poor child is
+twisting his legs with pain and appears to be crying out and trying
+to bite the ear of the boy who is holding him. The whole is executed
+with much grace and lightness, and Gherardo appears to have delighted
+in these touches of nature. In like manner, when St Jerome, being at
+the point of death, is making his will, he has hit off some friars in
+a delightful and realistic manner, for some are writing, others
+listening attentively and looking about, observing all the words of
+their master with great earnestness. This work won Stamina much fame
+and a high rank among artists, and his courteous and mild manners
+gave him a great reputation, so that his name was famous throughout
+Tuscany and indeed in all Italy. Being at this time invited to Pisa to
+paint the chapter-house of S. Niccola in that city, he sent in his
+place Antonio Vite of Pistoia, because he did not wish to leave
+Florence. Antonio, who had learned Stamina's style under him, did the
+Passion of Jesus Christ there, completing it in its present form in
+the year 1403, to the great delight of the Pisans. Afterwards, it is
+said, he finished the chapel of the Pugliesi; and as the works which
+he did there at S. Girolamo greatly pleased the Florentines, because
+he had expressed in a lively manner many gestures and attitudes which
+had not been attempted by any painters before his time, the Commune
+of Florence in the year that Gabriel Maria, lord of Pisa, sold that
+city to the Florentines for  200,000 scudi (after Giovanni Gambacorta
+had stood a siege of thirteen months, although even he at length
+agreed to the sale), employed Stamina to paint on a wall of the
+Palazzo di parte Guelfa, St Denis the bishop, with two angels, and
+below it an accurate representation of the city of Pisa. In the
+execution of this he displayed such diligence in every detail,
+especially in the colouring in fresco, that notwithstanding the
+action of air and water and a northern aspect, the picture has always
+remained in excellent condition, and even now it has all the
+appearance of having been newly painted, an achievement worthy of
+high praise. Gherardo having by this and other works acquired a great
+reputation and much renown both at home and abroad, death, the
+envious enemy of virtuous deeds, cut off at the height of his powers
+the great promise of much better things than the world had yet seen
+from him; and having come to his end unexpectedly in the forty-ninth
+year of his age, he was buried with much pomp in the church of S.
+Jacopo sopra Arno.
+
+The pupils of Gherardo were Masolino da Panicale, who was at first an
+excellent goldsmith and then a painter, and some others whom it is
+not necessary to mention, as they did not possess any remarkable
+talent.
+
+The portrait of Gherardo occurs in the story of St Jerome, mentioned
+above; he is one of the figures who are standing about the dying
+saint, represented in profile with a hood about his head and a mantle
+buttoned about him. In our book are some designs of Gherardo done
+with the pen on parchment, which are of considerable excellence.
+
+
+
+
+Lippo, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+Invention has been, and always will be considered the true mother of
+architecture, painting and poetry, as well as of all the superior
+arts and of all the marvels produced by man. By its aid artists
+develop their ideas, caprices and fancies, and are able to display
+more variety, for all those who work at these honourable professions
+always seek after a laudable diversity, and possess the power of
+delicate flattery and of tactful criticism. Lippo, then, painter of
+Florence, who was as varied and choice in his inventions as his works
+were really unfortunate and his life short, was born at Florence
+about the year of grace 1354; and although he took up the art of
+painting somewhat late, when he was already a man, yet he was so far
+assisted by natural inclination and by his fine talents that he soon
+distinguished himself brilliantly. He first painted in Florence and
+in S. Benedetto, a large and fine monastery outside the gate of the
+Pinti belonging to the Camaldoline order, now destroyed; he did a
+number a figures which were considered very beautiful, particularly
+the whole of a chapel, which affords an example of how close study
+quickly leads to great performances in anyone who honestly takes
+pains with the desire for fame. Being invited to Arezzo from
+Florence, he did for the chapel of the Magi in the church of S.
+Antonio a large scene in fresco in which they are adoring Christ;
+and in the Vescovado he did the chapel of St James and St Christopher
+for the family of the Ubertini. All these things were very fine, for
+the invention displayed in the composition of scenes and in the
+colouring. He was the first who began, as it were, to play with his
+figures, and to awaken the minds of those who came after him, a thing
+which had never been done before, only attempted. After he had done
+many things in Bologna and a meritorious picture at Pistoia, he
+returned to Florence, where he painted the chapel of the Beccuti in
+S. Maria Maggiore in the year 1383 with scenes from the life of St
+John the evangelist. Following on from this chapel, which is beside
+the principal one, on the left hand, six scenes from the life of
+this saint are represented along the wall, by the same hand. Their
+composition is excellent and they are well arranged, one scene in
+particular being very vivid, namely, that in which St John causes St
+Dionisius the Areopagite to put his vest on some dead men, who come
+to life again in the name of Jesus Christ, to the great wonderment of
+some who are present who can hardly believe their own eyes. The
+foreshortening of some of the dead figures shows great art and proves
+that Lippo was conscious of some of the difficulties of his
+profession and endeavoured to some extent to overcome them. It was
+Lippo also who painted the wings of the tabernacle of the church of
+S. Giovanni, where are Andrea's angels and his St John, in relief,
+doing some stories of St John the Baptist in tempera, with great
+diligence. Being very fond of working in mosaic, he did some in that
+church over the door leading towards the Misericordia, between the
+windows, which was considered very beautiful and the best work in
+mosaic produced in that place with them. In the same church he
+further repaired some mosaics which had been damaged. Outside
+Florence, in S. Giovanni fra l'Arcora, without the gate leading to
+Faenza, he painted a number of figures in fresco beside Buffalmacco's
+Crucifixion, which was considered very beautiful by all who saw them.
+In certain small hospitals near the Fĉnza gate and in S. Antonio
+inside that gate near the hospital, he did some poor men, in fresco,
+in some varied styles and attitudes, very beautifully executed, and
+in the cloister within he made, with beautiful and new invention, the
+vision of St Anthony of the deceits of the world, and next to that
+the desires and appetites of men, who are drawn hither and thither to
+divers things of this world, the whole of the work being executed
+with much consideration and judgment. Lippo also did mosaic work in
+many places of Italy, and in the Guelph quarter at Florence he made a
+figure with a glass head, while Pisa contains a number of his
+productions. Yet in spite of all this he must be considered a really
+unfortunate man, since at the present time the greater part of his
+works have disappeared, having been destroyed in the siege of
+Florence, and also because his career was terminated in a very tragic
+manner; for being a quarrelsome man and liking turmoil belter than
+quiet, he happened one morning to say some very insulting words to an
+opponent at the tribunal of the Mercanzia, and that evening as he was
+returning home, he was dogged by this man and stabbed in the breast
+with a knife, so that in a few days he perished miserably. His
+paintings were produced about 1410. There flourished at Bologna in
+Lippo's time another painter whose name was also Lippo Dalmasi, who
+was a worthy man, and among other things he painted a Madonna in the
+year 1407, which may still be seen in S. Petronio at Bologna and
+which is held in great veneration. He also painted in fresco the
+tympanum above the door of S. Procolo, and in the church of S.
+Francesco in the tribune of the high altar, he made a large Christ,
+half length, and a St Peter and a St Paul, in a very graceful style.
+Under these works may be seen his name written in large letters. He
+also designed very fairly, as may be seen in our book, and he
+afterwards taught the art to M. Galante da Bologna, who afterwards
+designed much better than he, as may be seen in the same book in a
+portrait of a figure dressed in a short coat with wide open sleeves.
+
+
+
+
+Don Lorenzo, Monk of the Angeli of Florence, Painter.
+
+
+I believe that it is a great joy to a good and religious person to
+find some honourable employment for their hands whether it be
+letters, music, painting or other liberal and mechanical arts which
+involve no reproach but are on the contrary useful and helpful to
+other men, for after the divine offices the time may be passed with
+the pleasure taken in the easy labours of peaceful exercises. To
+these advantages we may add that not only is such a monk esteemed and
+valued by others during his life-time, except by such as are envious
+and malignant, but he is honoured by all men after his death, for his
+works and the good name which he has left behind him. Indeed whoever
+spends his time in this manner, lives in quiet contemplation without
+any danger from those ambitious stirrings which are almost always to
+be seen among the idle and slothful, who are usually ignorant, to
+their shame and hurt. If it should happen that a man of ability
+acting thus is slandered by the malicious, the power of virtue is
+such that time will reestablish his reputation and bury the malignity
+of the evil disposed, while the man of ability will remain
+distinguished and illustrious in the centuries which succeed. Thus
+Don Lorenzo, painter of Florence, being a monk of the order of the
+Camaldolines in the monastery of the Angeli (founded in 1294 by Fra
+Giuttone of Arezzo of the order of the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ,
+or of the Rejoicing friars as the monks of that order were commonly
+called), devoted so much time in his early years to design and to
+painting, that he was afterwards  deservedly numbered among the best
+men of his age in that profession. The first works of this painter
+monk, who adopted the style of Taddeo Gaddi and his school, were in
+the monastery of the Angeli, where besides many of the things he
+painted the high altar picture, which may still be seen in their
+church. When completed it was placed there in the year 1413 as may be
+seen by the letters written at the bottom of the frame. He also
+painted a picture for the monastery of S. Benedetto of the same order
+of the Camaldoli, outside the Pinti gate, destroyed at the siege of
+Florence in 1529. It represented the Coronation of Our Lady and
+resembled the one he had previously done for the church of the
+Angeli. It is now in the first cloister of the monastery of the
+Angeli, on the right hand side in the chapel of the Alberti. At the
+same time, and possibly before, he painted in fresco the chapel and
+altar picture of the Ardinghelli in S. Trinita, Florence, which was
+then much admired, and into this he introduced portraits of Dante and
+Petrarch. In S. Piero Maggiore he painted the chapel of the
+Fioravanti and in a chapel of S. Piero Scheraggio he did the altar
+picture, while in the church of S. Trinita he further painted the
+chapel of the Bartolini. In S. Jacopo sopra Arno a picture by his
+hand may still be seen, executed with infinite diligence, after the
+manner of the time. Also in the Certosa outside Florence he painted
+some things with considerable skill, and in S. Michele at Pisa, a
+monastery of his own order, he did some very fair pictures. In
+Florence, in the church of the Romiti (Hermits), which also belonged
+to the Camaldolines, and which is now in ruins as well as the
+monastery, leaving nothing but its name Camaldoli to that part beyond
+the Arno, he did a crucifix on a panel, besides many other things,
+and a St John, which were considered very beautiful. At last he fell
+sick of a cruel abscess, and after lingering for many months he died
+at the age of fifty-five, and was honourably buried by the monks in
+the chapter-house of their monastery as his virtues demanded.
+
+Experience shows that in the course of time many shoots frequently
+spring from a single germ owing to the diligence and ability of men,
+and so it was in the monastery of the Angeli, where the monks had
+always paid considerable attention to painting and design. Don
+Lorenzo was not the only excellent artist among them, but men
+distinguished in design flourished there for a long time both before
+and after him. Thus I cannot possibly pass over in silence one Don
+Jacopo of Florence, who flourished a long time before D. Lorenzo,
+because as he was the best and most methodical of monks, so he was
+the best writer of large letters who has ever existed before or
+since, not only in Tuscany but in all Europe, as is clearly testified
+not only by the twenty large choir books which he left in his
+monastery, the writing in which is most beautiful, the books
+themselves being perhaps the largest in Italy, but an endless number
+of other books which may still be found in Rome and in Venice and
+many other places, notably in S. Michele and S. Mania at Murano, a
+monastery of the Camaldoline order. By these works the good father
+has richly deserved the honours accorded to him many years after he
+had passed to a better life, his celebration in many Latin verses by
+D. Paolo Orlandini, a very learned monk of the same monastery, as
+well as the preservation of the right hand which wrote the books,
+with great veneration in a tabernacle, together with that of another
+monk, D. Silvestro, who illuminated the same books with no less
+excellence, when the conditions of the time are taken into
+consideration, than D. Jacopo had written them. I, who have seen them
+many times, am lost in astonishment that they should have been
+executed with such good design and with so much diligence at that
+time, when all the arts of design were little better than lost, since
+the works of these monks were executed about the year of grace 1350,
+or a little before or after, as may be seen in each of the said
+books. It is reported, and some old men relate that when Pope Leo X.
+came to Florence he wished to see and closely examine these books,
+since he remembered having heard them highly praised by the
+Magnificent Lorenzo de' Medici, his father; and that after he had
+attentively looked through them and admired them as they were all
+lying open on the choir-desks, he  said, "If they were in accordance
+with the rules of the Roman Church and not of the Camaldolines, I
+should like some specimens for S. Peter's at Rome, for which I would
+pay the monks a just price." There were, and perhaps still are, two
+very fine ones at S. Peter's by the same monks. In the same monastery
+of the Angeli is a quantity of very ancient embroidery, done in a
+very fine style, with excellent designs by the fathers of the house
+while they were in perpetual seclusion, with the title not of monks
+but of hermits, and who never came out of the monastery as the nuns
+and monks do in our day. This practice of seclusion lasted until
+1470. But to return to D. Lorenzo. He taught Francesco Fiorentino,
+who, after his death, did the tabernacle which is on the side of S.
+Maria Novella at the head of the via della Scala leading to the
+Pope's chamber. He also had another pupil, a Pisan, who painted in
+the chapel of Rutilio di Ser Baccio Maggiolini, in the church of S.
+Francesco at Pisa, Our Lady, a St Peter, St John the Baptist, St
+Francis and St Ranieri, with three scenes of small figures in the
+predella of the altar. This painting, executed in 1315, was
+considered meritorious for a work done in tempera. In our book of
+designs I have the theological virtues done by D. Lorenzo's hand in
+chiaroscuro, with good design and a beautiful and graceful style, so
+that they are perhaps better than the designs of any other master of
+the time. Antonio Vite of Pistoia was a meritorious painter in
+Lorenzo's time, and is said to have painted, among many other things
+described in the life of Stamina, in the palace of the Geppo of
+Prato, the life of Francesco di Marco, who was the founder of that
+pious place.
+
+
+
+
+Taddeo Bartoli, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+Those artists who put themselves to a great deal of pains in painting
+in order to win fame, deserve a better fate than the placing of their
+works in obscure  and unhonoured  places where they may be blamed  by
+persons whose knowledge of the subject is not considerable. Their
+productions ought to be so prominently placed with plenty of light
+and air that they may be properly seen and examined by every one.
+This is the case of the public work of Taddeo Bartoli, painter of
+Siena for the chapel of the palace of the Signoria at Siena. Taddeo
+was the son of Bartoli son of the master Fredi, who was a mediocre
+painter in his day, and painted scenes from the Old Testament on a
+wall of the Pieve of S. Gimignano, on the left hand side on entering.
+In the middle of this work, which if the truth must be told was not
+very good, the following inscription may still be read: _Ann: Dom
+1356 Bartolus magistri Fredi de Senis me pinxit_. Bartoli must have
+been young at the time, for there is a picture of his of the year
+1388, in S. Agostino of the same district, on the left hand side on
+entering the principal door. The subject is the Circumcision of our
+Lord with certain saints, and it is in a far better style both as
+regards design and colouring, some of the heads being really fine
+although the feet of the figures are in the ancient style. In fact
+many other works of Bartoli may be seen about that district. But to
+return to Taddeo, as the best master of the time, he received a
+commission, as I have said, to paint the chapel of the palace of the
+Signoria for his native place, and he executed it with such
+diligence, with consideration for so honoured a place, and he was so
+richly rewarded by the Signoria, that he greatly increased his glory
+and renown. Thus not only did he afterwards make many pictures for
+his native land, to his great honour and benefit, but he was invited
+and asked of the Signoria of Siena as a great favour by Francesco da
+Carrara, lord of Padua, to go there, as he did, and do some things in
+that most noble city. He did some pictures and other things there,
+notably in the Arena and in the Santo with great care, to his own
+great honour and to the infinite satisfaction of the said lord and of
+the whole city. Returning subsequently to Tuscany he did a picture in
+tempera in S. Gimignano, which is something in the style of Ugolino
+of Siena and is now behind the high altar of the Pieve facing the
+choir of the priests. He next went to Siena, but did not remain long
+there as he was summoned to Pisa by one of the Lanfranchi, a warden
+of the Duomo. Having proceeded thither he did for the chapel of the
+Nunziata the scene where the Madonna is ascending the steps of the
+temple, where the priest in his pontificals is awaiting her, a highly
+finished work. The face of the priest is the portrait of the man who
+had invited him, while his own is hard by. On the completion of this
+work, the same patron induced him to paint over the chapel in the
+Campo Santo, the Coronation of Our Lady by Jesus Christ, with many
+angels, in most beautiful attitudes and very finely coloured. For the
+chapel of the sacristy of St Francesco at Pisa, Taddeo also painted a
+picture in tempera of the Madonna and some saints, signing his name
+to it and the year 1394. About the same time he did some pictures in
+tempera at Volterra, and another picture at Monte Oliveto, while on
+the wall he did an Inferno, following the arrangement of Dante as
+regards the division of the damned and the nature of their
+punishment, but as regards the site he either could not or would not
+imitate him, or perhaps he lacked the necessary knowledge. He also
+sent to Arezzo a picture which is in S. Agostino containing a
+portrait of Pope Gregory IX., the one who returned to Italy after the
+papal court had been so many decades in France. After these things he
+returned to Siena, but did not make a long stay there as he was
+invited to Perugia to work in the church of S. Domenico. Here he
+painted the whole of the life of St Catherine in the chapel dedicated
+to that saint, and did some figures in S. Francesco beside the
+sacristy door, which may still be discerned to-day, and are
+recognisable as being by Taddeo, because he always retained the same
+manner. Shortly after, in the year 1398, Biroldo, lord of Perugia,
+was assassinated. Taddeo accordingly returned to Siena, where he
+devoted constant work and steady application to the study of art, in
+order to make himself a worthy painter. It may be affirmed that if he
+did not perhaps attain his purpose, it was not on account of any
+defect or negligence on his part, but solely because of an
+obstructive malady which prevented him from ever realising his
+desire. Taddeo died at the age of fifty-nine, after having taught the
+art to a nephew of his called Domenico. His paintings were done about
+the year of grace 1410. Thus, as I have said, he left Domenico
+Bartoli, his nephew and pupil, who devoted himself to the art of
+painting, and painted with superior skill. In the subjects which he
+represented he exhibited much more wealth and variety in various
+matters than his uncle had done. In the hall of the pilgrims of the
+great hospital of Siena there are two large scenes in fresco by
+Domenico, which contain prospectives and other ornaments, composed
+with considerable ingenuity. It is said that Domenico was modest and
+gentle and of a singularly amiable and liberal courtesy, which did no
+less honour to his name than the art of painting itself. His works
+were executed about the year of our Lord 1436, and the last were in
+S. Trinita at Florence, a picture of the Annunciation and the high
+altar picture in the church of the Carmine.
+
+Alvaro di Piero of Portugal flourished at the same time, and adopted
+a very similar style, but made his colouring more clear and his
+figures shorter. In Volterra he did several pictures, and there is
+one in S. Antonio at Pisa and others in various places, but as they
+are of no great excellence it is not necessary to mention them. In
+our book there is a sheet of drawings by Taddeo, containing a Christ
+and two angels, etc., very skilfully executed.
+
+
+
+
+Lorenzo di Bicci, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+When those who excel in any honourable employment, no matter what,
+unite with their skill as craftsmen, a gentleness of manners and of
+good breeding, and especially courtesy, serving those who employ them
+with speed and goodwill, there is no doubt that they are pursuing to
+their great honour and advantage almost everything which can be
+desired in this world. This was the case with Lorenzo di Bicci,
+painter of Florence, born in Florence in the year 1400, at the very
+moment when Italy was beginning to be disturbed by the wars which
+ended so badly for her, was in very good credit from his earliest
+years; for under his father's discipline he learned good manners, and
+from Spinello's instruction he acquired the art of painting, so that
+he had a reputation not only of being an excellent painter, but of
+being a most courteous and able man. While he was still a youth,
+Lorenzo did some works in fresco at Florence and outside to gain
+facility, and Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, having remarked the
+excellence of his style, employed him to paint in the hall of the old
+house of the Medici, which afterwards was left to Lorenzo, natural
+brother of Cosmo the Ancient, after the great palace was built, all
+those famous men who may still be seen in a fairly good state of
+preservation. This work being completed, Lorenzo di Bicci was
+anxious, like the doctors who experiment in their art on the skins of
+poor rustics, to have practice in the art of painting in a place
+where things are not so closely criticised, and for some time he
+accepted everything which presented itself; hence, outside the gate
+of S. Friano at the ponte a Scandicci, he painted a tabernacle, as it
+may now be seen, and at Cerbaia under a portico he painted very
+agreeably a Madonna and many saints on a wall. Afterwards a chapel in
+S. Marco at Florence was allotted to him by the family of the
+Martini, and on the walls he painted in fresco a number of scenes
+from the life of Our Lady, and on the altar picture the Virgin
+herself in the midst of many saints. In the same church over the
+chapel of St John the Evangelist, of the family of the Landi, he
+painted in fresco the angel Raphael and Tobias. In the year 1418 for
+Ricciardo di M. Niccolo Spinello, on the piazza front of the  convent
+of S. Croce he painted a large scene in fresco of St Thomas examining
+the wounds of Jesus Christ in the presence of all the other apostles
+who are kneeling reverently at the sight. Next to this scene and also
+in fresco he did a St Christopher, twelve and a half braccia high,
+which is a rare thing, because with the exception of the St
+Christopher of Buffalmacco, a larger figure had never been seen, and
+although the style is not good it is the most meritorious and best
+proportioned representation of the saint. Besides this the pictures
+were executed with such skill that although they have been exposed to
+the air for many years, and being turned to the north, they have
+suffered the violence of rain and storm, yet they have never lost the
+brilliancy of their colouring and are in no wise injured by these
+accidents. Lorenzo also made a crucifix with many figures inside the
+door which is in the middle of these figures, called the door of the
+knocker, at the request of the same Ricciardo and of the superior of
+the convent, and on the encircling wall he did the confirmation of
+the rule of St Francis by Pope Honorius, and then the martyrdom of
+some friars of that order, who are going to preach the faith to the
+Saracens. In the arches and on the vaulting he did some kings of
+France, friars and followers of St Francis, drawing them from life,
+as well as many learned men of the order, distinguished by their
+several dignities of bishop, cardinal and pope. Among these are the
+portraits from life of Popes Nicholas IV. and Alexander V., in
+medallions. For all these figures Lorenzo made the grey habits, but
+with variety owing to his skill in workmanship, so that they all
+differ from one another, some inclining towards red, others to blue,
+some being dark and others more light, so that all are varied and
+worthy of consideration. What is more, it is said that he produced
+these works with such facility and speed that when the superior, who
+paid his expenses in designing, called him one day, when he had just
+made the colour for a figure and was beginning it, he answered, "Make
+the soup and I will come when I have finished this figure."
+Accordingly it is said with a great show of reason that no one ever
+exhibited such quickness of the hands, such skill in colouring, or
+was so resolute as he. By his hand also is the tabernacle in fresco
+which is beside the nunnery of Foligno and the Madonna and saints
+over the door of the church of that nunnery, among them being a St
+Francis espousing Poverty. In the church of Camaldoli at Florence, he
+painted for the company of the Martyrs some scenes of the martyrdom
+of certain saints, and decorated the chapels on either side of the
+principal chapel. As these paintings gave considerable satisfaction
+to the whole city, he was commissioned on their completion, to paint
+a wall of the church in the Carmine for the family of the
+Salvestrini, now almost extinct, there being so far as I know, no
+other surviving member than a friar of the Angeli at Florence, called
+Fra Nemesio, a good and courteous monk. Here he did the martyrs, when
+they are condemned to death, being stripped naked and made to walk
+bare-footed on thorns sown by the servants of the tyrants, whilst
+they are on the way to be crucified, and higher up they are
+represented on the cross in varied and extraordinary attitudes. In
+this work, the largest which had ever been produced, everything is
+done with great skill and design, according to the knowledge of the
+time, being full of the expressions showing the divers ways of dying
+of those who are put to death with violence. For this cause I am not
+surprised that many men of ability have made use of some things found
+in this picture. After this Lorenzo did many other figures in the
+same church, and decorated two chapels in the screen. At the same
+time he did the tabernacle on the side of the Cuculia, and the one in
+the via de' Martelli on the wall of the houses, and over the knocker
+door of S. Spirito he did a St Augustine in fresco, who is giving the
+rule to his brethren. In S. Trinita in the chapel of Neri Capponi he
+painted in fresco the life of St John Gualbert. In the principal
+chapel of S. Lucia in the via de' Bardi he did some scenes in fresco
+from the life of St Lucy for Niccolo da Uzzano, whose portrait he
+introduced there from life together with those of some other
+citizens. This Niccolo with the assistance and model of Lorenzo,
+built his own palace near the church, and began a magnificent college
+or studium between the convent of the Servites and that of S. Marco,
+that is to say, where the lions now are. This truly magnificent work,
+rather worthy of a prince than of a private citizen, was not
+completed, because the immense sum of money which Niccolo left in his
+bank at Florence for the building and endowment of it were expended
+by the Florentines on war and other needs of the city. Although
+Fortune can never obscure the memory and greatness of the spirit of
+Niccolo da Uzzano, the community suffered a great loss by the
+non-completion of the work. Therefore, let anyone who desires to help
+the world in such a manner, and to leave an honourable memorial of
+himself, do so himself in his life-time, and not trust to the
+faithfulness of posterity and of his heirs, as it very rarely happens
+that a thing is carried out where it is left to successors. But to
+return to Lorenzo. Besides what has been already mentioned, he
+painted a Madonna and certain saints very fairly in a tabernacle on
+the ponte Rubaconte in fresco. Not long after, Ser Michele di
+Fruosino, master of the hospital of S. Maria Nuova at Florence, a
+building founded by Folco Portinari, citizen of Florence, proposed,
+as the property of the  hospital had increased, to enlarge his church
+outside Florence, dedicated to St Giles, which was of small
+importance. Accordingly he consulted Lorenzo di Bicci, his close
+friend, and on 5th September 1418 he began the new church, which was
+completed in its present form in a year, and then solemnly
+consecrated by Pope Martin V. at the request of Ser Michele, who was
+the eighth master and a member of the family of the Portinari.
+Lorenzo afterwards painted this consecration, at the desire of Ser
+Michele, on the front of the church, introducing the portrait of the
+Pope and of some cardinals. This work was then much admired as
+something new and beautiful. For this cause Lorenzo was judged worthy
+to be the first to paint in the principal church of his native city,
+that is S. Maria del Fiore, where, under the windows of each chapel,
+he did the saints to which they are dedicated; and afterwards, on the
+pillars and through the church, he did the twelve Apostles with the
+crosses of the consecration, as the church was solemnly consecrated
+in that very year by Pope Eugenius IV. of Venice. In the same church
+the wardens, by a public ordinance, employed him to paint on the wall
+in fresco a deposition, finished in marble, in memory of the Cardinal
+de' Corsini, whose effigy is there, upon the sarcophagus. Above this
+is another like it, in memory of Master Luigi Marsili, a most famous
+theologian, who went as ambassador with M. Luigi Giuccardini and M.
+Guccio di Gino, most honoured knights, to the Duke of Anjou. Lorenzo
+was afterwards invited to Arezzo by D. Laurentino, abbot of S.
+Bernardo, a monastery of the order of Monte Oliveto, where he painted
+scenes from the life of St Bernard in fresco for the principal chapel
+for M. Carlo Marsupino. But as he was about to paint the life of St
+Benedict in the cloister of the convent, after he had painted the
+principal chapel of the church of S. Francesco, for Francesco de'
+Bacci, the elder, where he alone did the vaulting and half the
+tympanum, he fell sick of a chest affection. Accordingly he caused
+himself to be  carried to Florence, and left instructions that Marco
+da Montepulciano, his pupil, should do these scenes from the life of
+St Benedict in the cloister, from a design which he had made and left
+with D. Laurentino. These Marco did to the best of his ability,
+completing them in the year 1448 on 24th  April, the whole work being
+in chiaroscuro, and his name may be seen written there, with verses
+which are not less rude than the painting. Lorenzo returned to his
+country, and, having recovered, he painted on the same wall of the
+convent of S. Croce, where he had done the St Christopher, the
+Assumption of Our Lady surrounded in Heaven by a choir of angels, and
+below a St Thomas receiving the girdle. In the execution of this
+work, as Lorenzo was sick, he was assisted by Donatello, then quite a
+youth, and by means of such effective aid it was completed in the
+year 1450, so that I believe it to be the best work both in design
+and in colouring that Lorenzo ever produced. Not long after, being an
+old man and worn out, he died at the age of about sixty years,
+leaving two sons who practised painting, one of whom, named Bicci,
+assisted him in many of his works, and the other, called Neri, drew
+the portraits of his father and himself in the chapel of the Lenzi in
+Ognissanti, in two medallions, with letters about them giving the
+names of both. In this same chapel Neri did some stories of Our Lady,
+and took great pains to copy many of the costumes of his day, both of
+men and women. He did the altar picture for the chapel in tempera,
+and painted some pictures in the Abbey of S. Felice, of the
+Camaldoline order, on the piazza of Florence, as well as the high
+altar of S. Michele of Arezzo of the same order. Outside Arezzo, at
+S. Maria delle Grazie, in the church of S. Bernardino, he did a
+Madonna with the people of Arezzo under her mantle, and on one side
+St Bernardino is kneeling, with a wooden cross in his hand, such as
+he was accustomed to carry when he went through Arezzo preaching; and
+on the other side are St Nicholas and St Michael the Archangel. The
+predella contains the acts of St Bernardino and the miracles which,
+he performed, especially those done in that place. The same Neri did
+the high altar picture for S. Romolo at Florence, and in the chapel
+of the Spini in S. Trinita he did the life of St John Gualbert in
+fresco, as well as the picture in tempera which is above the altar.
+From these works it is clear that if Neri had lived, instead of dying
+at the age of thirty-six, he would have done many better and more
+numerous works than his father Lorenzo. The latter was the last
+master to adopt the old manner of Giotto, and accordingly his life
+will be the last in this first part, which I have now completed, with
+God's help.
+
+
+
+
+Notes
+
+
+PAGE     LINE
+
+xxiii.    5.    "braccia," may be considered roughly to represent
+                about two feet; literally translated it means an arm.
+
+7.        6.    "fresco," Painting _al fresco_, upon fresh or wet
+                ground is executed with mineral and earthy pigments
+                upon a freshly laid stucco ground of lime or
+                gypsum.--_Fairholt_.
+
+9.       28.    "old king Charles of Anjou," the brother of St Louis,
+                crowned king of Sicily in 1266.
+
+10.      10.    "tempera," a method in which the pigments are mixed
+                with chalk or clay and diluted with size.
+
+11.      19.    "Credette," etc.
+                                      "Cimabue thought
+                To lord it over painting's field; and now
+                The cry is Giotto's, and his name eclips'd."--_Cary_.
+
+15.      13.    "drawings." It is stated that the knight Gaddi sold
+                five volumes of drawings to some merchants for
+                several thousands of scudi, which composed Vasari's
+                famous book, so often referred to by h m. Card.
+                Leopold de' Medici collected several of those by the
+                most famous artists. This collection was sent to the
+                Uffizi gallery in 1700, where they are merged with
+                the other drawings.
+
+25.      11.    "bridge which still bears his name." M. Rubaconte was
+                podesta of Florence in 1237 and in addition to laying
+                the foundation stone of this bridge, he also caused
+                the city to be paved. _Villani_, vi. 26. The bridge
+                is now known as the Ponte alle Grazie.
+
+45.      32.    "Frederick Barbarossa." Impossible, for Barbarossa
+                died two centuries before. Perhaps Vasari means the
+                Emperor Frederick III.
+
+51.      31.    "Ser Ciappelletto," the hero of the first story in
+                Boccaccio's _Decameron_, forger, murderer,
+                blasphemer, fornicator, drunkard and gambler, "he was
+                probably the worst man who was ever born," to crown
+                all, he so deceived the priest to whom he confessed
+                that he was canonised.
+
+55.      23.    "S. Giovanni." Bk. i., cap. 42. Villani states that
+                it was originally built by the Romans in the time of
+                Octavian as a temple to Mars.
+
+67.      25.    "M. Farinata degli Uberti."_Cf_, p. 30 above. After
+                the battle of Montaperti in 1260, in which the
+                Sienese aided by the Ghibelline exiles of Florence
+                won a complete victory over the Florentines, a
+                council was held in which it was proposed to destroy
+                Florence utterly. The project was defeated by
+                Farinata, one of the most prominent of the victorious
+                Florentines. _Villani_, bk. vi., cap. 81. _Cf_, Dante
+                _Inferno_, x. 1. 92.
+
+75.      19.    "M. Forese da Rabatta," _Decameron_, 6th Day,
+                Novella 5.
+
+81.      23.    "life of the patient Job." It is now a well
+                established fact that these frescoes were painted by
+                Francesco da Volterra in 1371, several years after
+                Giotto's death.
+
+85.      10.    "Oh dissi lui," etc.
+                        "Oh," I exclaimed,
+         "Art thou not Oderigi, art not thou
+         Agobbio's glory, glory of that art
+         Which they of Paris call the limner's skill?
+         Brother, said he, with tints that gayer smile,
+         Bolognian Franco's pencil lines the leaves.
+         His all the honour now; mine borrowed light."
+                                              --Cary.
+
+102.      4.     "Franco Sacchetti," born at Florence in 1335. His
+                 Novelle were considered the best after those of
+                 Boccaccio.
+
+110.     24.     Where the Giglion joins the Chiassa
+                 There did my ancestors flourish
+                 Who bear six golden stones on azure ground.
+
+151.     14.     "An eagle on the back of a lion." The bishop was a
+                 prominent Ghibelline, whose figure was the imperial
+                 eagle, while the lion signified the opposing Guelph
+                 party. Buffalmacco as a Florentine would belong to
+                 the latter faction.
+
+155.      5.     "Voi che avvisate," etc.
+             Ye who behold this painting
+             Think, weigh and consider
+             Upon the merciful God, supreme creator,
+             Who made all things in love.
+             He fashioned that angelic nature in new orders,
+             In that resplendent empire of heaven.
+             Motionless Himself yet the source of all motion
+             He made everything good and pure.
+             Raise the eyes of your mind,
+             Reflect upon the ordering
+             Of the entire globe and reverently
+             Praise Him who has created so well.
+             Think that you also may taste the delight
+             Of living among the angels, where all are blessed.
+             In this scene also we see the glory of the world,
+             The base, the mean, and the lofty.
+
+188.     ii.     "arts of Florence." The arts or guilds of Florence
+                 formed the basis of the government of the city. They
+                 were of two orders, the greater and the lesser. The
+                 seven greater arts were: Lawyers (St Luke), the
+                 Calimara or dealers in foreign cloth (St John
+                 Baptist), money-changers (St Matthew), woollen
+                 manufacturers (St Thomas), physicians (Virgin Mary),
+                 silk manufacturers (St John the Divine), and the
+                 furriers (St James). The lesser arts were fourteen
+                 in number, including armourers (St George),
+                 locksmiths (St Mark), farriers (St Eloi), drapers
+                 (St Stephen), shoemakers (St Philip), butchers
+                 (St Peter). They were admitted to the full
+                 citizenship in 1378.
+
+199.     21.     "Da che prosperitade," etc.
+                   "Since every happiness has abandoned us,
+                   Come death, the cure of every grief,
+                   Come and give us our last meal."
+
+200.      3.     "Ischermo di saveri," etc.
+                   "Knowledge and wealth,
+                   Birth and valour, all
+                   Are alike powerless against his strokes."
+
+212.     10.      "the Duke of Athens." Walter de Brienne, a
+                  Frenchman, elected captain and protector of
+                  Florence in June 1342;. he endeavoured to become
+                  master of the city, but was expelled in the popular
+                  rising referred to.
+
+239.     31.      "the Bavarian." Louis of Bavaria, the emperor who
+                  died in 1347.
+
+241.      3       "_a secco_." Fresco painting in secco is that kind
+                  which absorbs the colours into the plaster and
+                  gives them a dry sunken appearance.--_Fairholt_.
+
+263.     31       "affair of the Ciompi": the name given to the
+                  rising of the lesser people against the powerful
+                  guilds, resulting in a wider distribution of the
+                  powers of government. The lower classes won and
+                  appointed Michele del Lando as their Gonfaloniere.
+                  Ciompi means the lowest classes.
+
+265.     14.      "200,000 scudi," worth about £44,444, 9s.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIVES OF THE PAINTERS, SCULPTORS
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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors &
+Architects, Volume 1 (of 8), by Giorgio Vasari
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors & Architects, Volume 1 (of 8)
+
+
+Author: Giorgio Vasari
+
+
+
+Release Date: April 24, 2007  [eBook #21212]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LIVES OF THE PAINTERS,
+SCULPTORS & ARCHITECTS, VOLUME 1 (OF 8)***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Roy Brown
+
+
+
+THE LIVES OF THE PAINTERS, SCULPTORS & ARCHITECTS
+
+by
+
+GIORGIO VASARI
+
+In Eight Volumes
+
+Vol. One
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+   CIMABUE (1240-1302)
+   ARNOLFO DI LAPO (1232-1310)
+        BONANNO (fl. 1174-1186
+        LAPO (1190-1260)
+   NICCOLA AND GIOVANNI PISANI fl 1205, 1278, 1250-1328)
+   ANDREA TAFI (1250-1320)
+   GADDO GADDI (1259-1333)
+   MARGARITONE (1210-1293)
+   GIOTTO (1267-1337)
+        PUCCIO CAPANNA (fl. 1350)
+   AGOSTINO AND AGNOLO (fl. 1286-1330)
+   STEFANO AND UGOLINO (1301-1350, 1260-1339)
+   PIETRO LAURATI (died c. 1350)
+   ANDREA PISANO (1270-1348)
+   BUONAMICO BUFFALMACCO (fl. 1311-1351)
+   AMBRUOGIO LORENZETTI (died c. 1338)
+   PIETRO CAVALLINI (1259-1334)
+   SIMONE MARTINI AND LIPPO MEMMI (1285-1344; died 1357)
+
+
+
+PREFACE TO THE LIVES
+
+I am aware that it is commonly held as a fact by most writers that
+sculpture, as well as painting, was naturally discovered originally
+by the people of Egypt, and also that there are others who attribute
+to the Chaldeans the first rough carvings of statues and the first
+reliefs. In like manner there are those who credit the Greeks with
+the invention of the brush and of colouring. But it is my opinion
+that design, which is the creative principle in both arts, came into
+existence at the time of the origin of all things. When the Most High
+created the world and adorned the heavens with shining lights, His
+perfect intellect passing through the limpid air and alighting on the
+solid earth, formed man, thus disclosing the first form of sculpture
+and painting in the charming invention of things. Who will deny that
+from this man, as from a living example, the ideas of statues and
+sculpture, and the questions of pose and of outline, first took form;
+and from the first pictures, whatever they may have been, arose the
+first ideas of grace, unity, and the discordant concords made by the
+play of lights and shadows? Thus the first model from which the first
+image of man arose was a lump of earth, and not without reason, for
+the Divine Architect of time and of nature, being all perfection,
+wished to demonstrate, in the imperfection of His materials, what
+could be done to improve them, just as good sculptors and painters
+are in the habit of doing, when, by adding additional touches and
+removing blemishes, they bring their imperfect sketches to such a
+state of completion and of perfection as they desire. God also
+endowed man with a bright flesh colour, and the same shades may be
+drawn from the earth, which supplies materials to counterfeit
+everything which occurs in painting. It is indeed true that it is
+impossible to feel absolutely certain as to what steps men took for
+the imitation of the beautiful works of Nature in these arts before
+the flood, although it appears, most probable that even then they
+practised all manner of painting and sculpture; for Bel, son of the
+proud Nimrod, about 200 years after the flood, had a statue made,
+from which idolatry afterwards arose; and his celebrated
+daughter-in-law, Semiramis, queen of Babylon, in the building of that
+city, introduced among the ornaments there coloured representations
+from life of divers kinds of animals, as well as of herself and of
+her husband Ninus, with the bronze statues of her father, her
+mother-in-law, and her great-grandmother, as Diodorus relates,
+calling them Jove, Juno, and Ops--Greek names, which did not then
+exist. It was, perhaps, from these statues that the Chaldeans learned
+to make the images of their gods. It is recorded in Genesis how 150
+years later, when Rachel was fleeing from Mesopotamia with her
+husband Jacob, she stole the idols of her father Laban. Nor were the
+Chaldeans singular in making statues, for the Egyptians also had
+theirs, devoting great pains to those arts, as is shown by the
+marvellous tomb of that king of remote antiquity, Osimandyas,
+described at length by Diodorus, and, as the severe command of Moses
+proves, when, on leaving Egypt, he gave orders that no images should
+be made to God, upon pain of death. Moses also, after having ascended
+the Mount, and having found a golden calf manufactured and adored by
+his people, was greatly troubled at seeing divine honours accorded to
+the image of a beast; so that he not only broke it to powder, but, in
+the punishment of so great a fault, caused the Levites to put to
+death many thousands of the false Israelites who had committed this
+idolatry. But as the sin consisted in adoring idols and not in making
+them, it is written in Exodus that the art of design and of making
+statues, not only in marble but in all kinds of metal, was given by
+the mouth of God himself to Bezaleel, of the tribe of Judah, and to
+Aholiab, of the tribe of Dan, who made the two cherubim of gold, the
+candles, the veil, and the borders of the sacerdotal vestments,
+together with a number of other beautiful things in the tabernacle,
+for no other purpose than that people should put them on for their
+own adornment and delight. From the things seen before the flood, the
+pride of man found the means to make statues of those who wished
+their fame in the world to be immortal; and the Greeks, who give a
+different origin to this, say that the Ethiopians found the first
+statues, according to Diodorus, the Egyptians imitated these, while
+the Greeks followed the Egyptians. From this time until Homer's day
+it is clear that sculpture and painting were perfect, as we may see
+from the description of Achilles' shield by that divine poet, who
+represents it with such skill that the image of it is presented to
+our minds as clearly as if we had seen the thing itself. Lactantius
+Firmianus attributes the credit of the invention to Prometheus, who
+like God formed the human form out of dust. But according to Pliny
+this art was introduced into Egypt by Gyges of Lydia, who on seeing
+his shadow cast by the fire, at once drew a representation of himself
+on the wall with a piece of coal. For some time after that it was the
+custom to draw in outline only, without any colouring, Pliny again
+being our authority. This was afterwards introduced by Philocles of
+Egypt with considerable pains, and also by Cleanthes and Ardices of
+Corinth and by Telephanes of Sicyon. Cleophantes of Corinth was the
+first of the Greeks to use colours, and Apollodorus was the first to
+introduce the brush. Polignotus of Thasos, Zeuxis and Timagoras of
+Chalcis, Pythia and Aglaphon followed them, all most celebrated, and
+after them came the renowned Apelles who was so highly esteemed and
+honoured for his skill by Alexander the Great, for his wonderful
+delineation of Calumny and Favour, as Lucian relates. Almost all the
+painters and sculptors were of high excellence, being frequently
+endowed by heaven, not only with the additional gift of poetry, as
+we read in Pacuvius, but also with that of philosophy. Metrodorus is
+an instance in point, for he was equally skilled as a philosopher and
+as a painter, and when Apelles was sent by the Athenians to Paulus
+Emilius to adorn his triumph he remained to teach philosophy to the
+general's sons. Sculpture was thus generally practised in Greece,
+where there flourished a number of excellent artists, among them
+being Phidias of Athens, Praxiteles and Polycletus, very great
+masters. Lysippus and Pyrgoteles who were of considerable skill in
+engraving, and Pygmalion in ivory carving in relief, it being
+recorded of him that he obtained life by his prayers for the figure
+of a maid carved by him. The ancient Greeks and Romans also honoured
+and rewarded painting, since they granted the citizenship and very
+liberal gifts to those who excelled in this art. Painting flourished
+in Rome to such an extent that Fabius gave a name to his house,
+subscribing himself in the beautiful things he did in the temple of
+safety as Fabius the painter. By public decree slaves were prohibited
+from practising painting, and so much honour was continually afforded
+by the people to the art and to artists that rare works were sent to
+Rome among the spoils to appear in the triumphs; excellent artists
+who were slaves obtained their liberty and received notable rewards
+from the republic. The Romans bore such a reverence for the art that
+when the city of Syracuse was sacked Marcellus gave orders that his
+men should treat with respect a famous artist there, and also that
+they should be careful not to set fire to a quarter in which there
+was a very fine picture. This was afterwards carried to Rome to adorn
+his triumph. To that city in the course of time almost all the spoils
+of the world were brought, and the artists themselves gathered there
+beside these excellent works. By such means Rome became an
+exceedingly beautiful city, more richly adorned by the statues of
+foreign artists than by those made by natives. It is known that in
+the little island city of Rhodes there were more than 30,000 statues,
+in bronze and marble, nor did the Athenians possess less, while those
+of Olympus and Delphi were more numerous still, and those of Corinth
+were without number, all being most beautiful and of great price.
+Does not every one know how Nicomedes, king of Lycia, expended almost
+all the wealth of his people owing to his passion for a Venus by the
+hand of Praxiteles? Did not Attalus do the same? who without an
+afterthought expended more than 6000 sesterces to have a picture of
+Bacchus painted by Aristides. This picture was placed by Lucius
+Mummius, with great pomp to adorn Rome, in the temple of Ceres. But
+although the nobility of this art was so highly valued, it is
+uncertain to whom it owes its origin. As I have already said, it is
+found in very ancient times  among the Chaldeans, some attribute the
+honour to the Ethiopians, while the Greeks claim it for themselves.
+Besides this there is good reason for supposing that the Tuscans may
+have had it earlier, as our own Leon Batista Alberti asserts, and
+weighty evidence in favour of this view is supplied by the marvellous
+tomb of Porsena at Chiusi, where not long ago some tiles of
+terracotta were found under the ground, between the walls of the
+Labyrinth, containing some figures in half-relief, so excellent and
+so delicately fashioned that it is easy to see that art was not in
+its infancy at that time, for to judge by the perfection of these
+specimens it was nearer its zenith than its origin. Evidence to the
+same purport is supplied every day by the quantity of pieces of red
+and black Aretine vases, made about the same time, to judge by the
+style, with light carvings and small figures and scenes in
+bas-relief, and a quantity of small round masks, cleverly made by the
+masters of that age, and which prove the men of the time to have been
+most skilful and accomplished in that art. Further evidence is
+afforded by the statues found at Viterbo at the beginning of the
+pontificate of Alexander VI., showing that sculpture was valued and
+had advanced to no small state of perfection in Tuscany. Although the
+time when they were made is not exactly known, yet from the style of
+the figures and from the manner of the tombs and of the buildings, no
+less than by the inscriptions in Tuscan letters, it may be
+conjectured with great reason that they are of great antiquity, and
+that they were made at a time when such things were highly valued.
+But what clearer evidence can be desired than the discovery made in
+our own day in the year 1554 of a bronze figure representing the
+Chimaera of Bellerophon, during the excavation of the fortifications
+and walls of Arezzo. This figure exhibits the perfection of the art
+attained by the Tuscans. Some small letters carved on a paw are
+presumed, in the absence of a knowledge of the Etruscan language, to
+give the master's name, and perhaps the date. This figure, on account
+of its beauty and antiquity, has been placed by Duke Cosimo in a
+chamber in his palace in the new suite of rooms which contains my
+paintings of the deeds of Pope Leo X. The Duke also possesses a
+number of small bronze figures which were found in the same place.
+But as the antiquity of the works of the Greeks, Ethiopians,
+Chaldeans, and Tuscans is enveloped in darkness, and because it is
+necessary in such matters to base one's opinions on conjectures,
+although these are not so ill founded that one is in danger of going
+very far astray, yet I think that anyone who will take the trouble to
+consider the matter carefully will arrive at the same conclusion as I
+have, that art owes its origin to Nature herself, that this beautiful
+creation the world supplied the first model, while the original
+teacher was that divine intelligence which has not only made us
+superior to the other animals, but like God Himself, if I may venture
+to say it. In our own time it has been seen, as I hope to show quite
+shortly, that simple children, roughly brought up in the woods, have
+begun to draw by themselves aided by the vivacity of their intellect,
+instructed solely by the example of these beautiful paintings and
+sculptures of Nature. Much more then is it probable that the first
+men, being less removed from their divine origin, were more perfect,
+possessing a brighter intelligence, and that with Nature as a guide,
+a pure intellect for master, and the lovely world as a model, they
+originated these noble arts, and by gradually improving them brought
+them at length, from small beginnings, to perfection. I do not deny
+that there must have been an originator, since I know quite well that
+there must have been a beginning at some time, due to some
+individual. Neither will I deny that it is possible for one person
+to help another, and to teach and open the way to design, colour, and
+relief, because I know that our art consists entirely of imitation,
+first of Nature, and then, as it cannot rise so high of itself, of
+those things which are produced from the masters with the greatest
+reputation. But I will say that an attempt to determine the exact
+identity of such men is a very dangerous task, and the knowledge when
+gained would probably prove unprofitable, since we have seen the true
+and original root of all. But the life and fame of artists depend
+upon their works which are destroyed by time one after the other in
+the order of their creation. Thus the artists themselves are unknown
+as there was no one to write about them and could not be, so that
+this source of knowledge was not granted to posterity. But when
+writers began to commemorate things made before their time, they were
+unable to speak of those of which they had seen no notice, so that
+those who came nearest to these were the last of whom no memorial
+remains. Thus Homer is by common consent admitted to be the first of
+the poets, not because there were none before him, for there were
+although they were not so excellent, and in his own works this is
+clearly shown, but because all knowledge of these, such as they were,
+had been lost two thousand years before. But we will now pass over
+these matters which are too vague on account of their antiquity and
+we will proceed to deal with clearer questions, namely, the rise of
+the arts to perfection, their decline and their restoration or rather
+renaissance, and here we stand on much firmer ground. The practice of
+the arts began late in Rome, if the first figures were, as reported,
+the image of Ceres made of the money of Spurius Caasius, who was
+condemned to death without remorse by his own father, because he was
+plotting to make himself king. But although the arts of painting and
+sculpture continued to flourish until the death of the last of the
+twelve Caesars, yet they did not maintain  that perfection and
+excellence which had characterised them before, as is seen as seen in
+the buildings of the time. The arts declined steadily from day to
+day, until at length by a gradual process they entirety lost all
+perfection of design. Clear testimony to this is afforded by the
+works in sculpture and architecture produced in Rome in the time of
+Constantine, notably in the triumphal arch made for him by the Roman
+people at the Colosseum, where we see, that for lack of good masters
+not only did they make use of marble works carved in the time of
+Trajan, but also of spoils brought to Rome from various places. These
+bas-reliefs, statues, the columns, the cornices and other ornaments
+which belong to another epoch only serve to expose the defects in
+those parts of the work which are entirely due to the sculptors of
+the day and which  are most rude. Very rude also are some scenes of
+small figures in marble under the circles and the pediment,
+representing victories, while between the side arches there are some
+rivers also very crude and so poor that they leave one firmly under
+the impression that the art of sculpture had been in a state of
+decadence for a long while. Yet the Goths and the other barbarous and
+foreign nations who combined to destroy all the superior arts in
+Italy had not then appeared. It is true that architecture suffered
+less than the other arts of design. The bath erected by Constantine
+at the entrance of the principal portico of the Lateran contains, in
+addition to its porphyry columns, capitals carved in marble and
+beautifully carved double bases taken from elsewhere, the whole
+composition of the building being very well ordered. On the other
+hand, the stucco, the mosaic and some incrustations of the walls made
+by the masters of the time are not equal to those which had been
+taken away for the most part from the temples of the gods of the
+heathen, and which Constantine caused to be placed in the same
+building. Constantine observed the same methods, according to report,
+with the garden of AEquitius in building the temple which he
+afterwards endowed and gave to Christian priests. In like manner the
+magnificent church of S. John Lateran, built by the same emperor, may
+serve as evidence of the same fact, namely, that sculpture had
+already greatly declined in his time, because the figures of the
+Saviour and of the twelve apostles in silver, which he caused to be
+made, were very base works, executed without art and with very little
+design. In addition to this, it is only necessary to examine the
+medals of this emperor, and other statues made by the sculptors of
+his day, which are now at the Capitol, to clearly perceive how far
+removed they are from the perfection of the medals and statues of the
+other emperors, all of which things prove that sculpture had greatly
+declined long before the coming of the Goths to Italy. Architecture,
+as I have said, maintained its excellence at a higher though not at
+the highest level. Nor is this a matter for surprise, since large
+buildings were almost entirely constructed of spoils, so that it was
+easy for the architects to imitate the old in making the new, since
+they had the former continually before their eyes. This was an easier
+task for them than far the sculptors, as the art of imitating the
+good figures of the ancients had declined. A good illustration of the
+truth of this statement is afforded by the church of the chief of the
+apostles in the Vatican, which is rich in columns, bases, capitals,
+architraves, cornices, doors and other incrustations and ornaments
+which were all taken from various places and buildings, erected
+before that time in very magnificent style. The same remarks apply to
+S. Croce at Jerusalem, which Constantine erected at the entreaty of
+his mother, Helena; of S. Lorenzo outside the wall, and of S. Agnesa,
+built by the same emperor at the request of his daughter Constance.
+Who also is not aware that the font which served for the baptism of
+the latter and of one of her sisters, was ornamented with fragments
+of great antiquity? as were the porphyry pillar carved with beautiful
+figures and some marble candelabra exquisitely carved with leaves,
+and some children in bas-relief of extraordinary beauty? In short, by
+these and many other signs, it is clear that sculpture was in
+decadence in the time of Constantine, and with it the other superior
+arts. If anything was required to complete their ruin it was supplied
+by the departure of Constantine from Rome when he transferred the
+seat of government to Byzantium, as he took with him to Greece not
+only all the best sculptors and other artists of the age, such as
+they were, but also a quantity of statues and other beautiful works
+of sculpture.
+
+After the departure of Constantine, the Caesars whom he left in
+Italy, were continually building in Rome and elsewhere, endeavouring
+to make these works as good as possible, but as we see, sculpture,
+painting and architecture were steadily going from bad to worse. This
+arose perhaps from the fact that when human affairs begin to decline,
+they grow steadily worse until the time comes when they can no longer
+deteriorate any further. In the time of Pope Liberius the architects
+of the day took considerable pains to produce a masterpiece when they
+built S. Maria Maggiore, but they were not very happy in the result,
+because although the building, which is also mostly constructed of
+spoils, is of very fair proportions, it cannot be denied that, not to
+speak of other defects, the decoration of the church with stucco and
+painting above the columns is of very poor design, and that many
+other things to be seen there leave no doubt as to the degradation of
+the arts. Many years later, when the Christians were suffering
+persecution under Julian the Apostate, a church was erected on the
+Celian Hill to SS. John and Paul, the martyrs, in so inferior a style
+to the others mentioned above that it is quite clear that at that
+time, art had all but entirely disappeared. The edifices erected in
+Tuscany at the same time bear out this view to the fullest extent.
+The church outside the walls of Arezzo, built to St Donato, bishop of
+that city, who suffered martyrdom with Hilarion the monk, under the
+same Julian the Apostate, is in no way superior to the others, and
+this is only one of many. It cannot be contended that such a state of
+affairs was due to anything but the lack of good architects, since
+the church in question, which is still standing, has eight sides, and
+was built of the spoils of the theatre, colosseum and other buildings
+erected in Arezzo before it was converted to the Christian faith. No
+expense has been spared, its columns being of granite and porphyry
+and variegated marble which, had formerly adorned the ancient
+buildings. For my own part, I have no doubt, seeing the expense
+incurred, that if the Aretines had been able to employ better
+architects they would have produced something marvellous, since what
+they actually accomplished proves that they spared themselves nothing
+in order to make this building as magnificent and complete as
+possible. But as architecture had lost less of its excellence than
+the other arts, as I have often said before, some good things may be
+seen there. At the same period the church of S. Maria in Grado was
+enlarged in honour of St Hilarion, who had lived in the city a long
+time before he accompanied Donato to receive the palm of martyrdom.
+But as Fortune, when she has brought men to the top of the wheel,
+either for amusement or because she repents, usually turns them to
+the bottom, it came to pass after these things that almost all the
+barbarian nations rose in divers parts of the world against the
+Romans, the result being the abasement of that great empire in a
+short time, and the destruction of everything, notably of Rome
+herself. That fall involved the complete destruction of the most
+excellent artists, sculptors, painters and architects who abandoned
+their profession and were themselves buried and submerged under the
+debris and ruins of that most celebrated city. The first to go were
+painting and sculpture, as being arts which served rather for
+pleasure than for utility, the other art, namely architecture, being
+necessary and useful for the welfare of the body, continued in use,
+but not in its perfection and purity. The very memory of painting and
+sculpture would have speedily disappeared had they not represented
+before the eyes of the rising generation, the distinguished men of
+another age. Some of them were commemorated by effigies and by
+inscriptions placed on public and private buildings, such as
+amphitheatres, theatres, baths, aqueducts, temples, obelisks,
+colosseums, pyramids, arches, reservoirs and treasuries, yes, and
+even on the very tombs. The majority of these were destroyed and
+obliterated by the barbarians, who had nothing human about them but
+their shape and name. Among others there were the Visigoths, who
+having made Alaric their king, invaded Italy and twice sacked Rome
+without respect for anything. The Vandals who came from Africa with
+Genseric, their king, did the like. But he, not content with his
+plunder and booty and the cruelties he inflicted, led into servitude
+the people there, to their infinite woe, and with them Eudoxia the
+wife of the Emperor Valentinian, who had only recently been
+assassinated by his own soldiers. These men had greatly degenerated
+from the ancient Roman valour, because a great while before, the best
+of them had all gone to Constantinople with the Emperor Constantine,
+and those left behind were dissolute and abandoned. Thus true men and
+every sort of virtue perished at the same time; laws, habits, names
+and tongues suffered change, and these varied misfortunes,
+collectively and singly, debased and degraded every fine spirit and
+every lofty soul. But the most harmful and destructive force which
+operated against these fine arts was the fervent zeal of the new
+Christian religion, which, after long and sanguinary strife, had at
+length vanquished and abolished the old faith of the heathen, by
+means of a number of miracles and by the sincerity of its acts. Every
+effort was put forth to remove and utterly extirpate the smaller
+things from which errors might arise, and thus not only were the
+marvellous statues, sculptures, paintings, mosaics and ornaments of
+the false pagan gods destroyed and thrown down, but also the
+memorials and honours of countless excellent persons, to whose
+distinguished merits statues and other memorials had been set up by a
+most virtuous antiquity. Besides all this, in order to build churches
+for the use of the Christians, not only were the most honoured
+temples of the idols destroyed, but in order to ennoble and decorate
+S. Peter's with more ornaments than it then possessed, the mole of
+Hadrian, now the castle of S. Angelo, was despoiled of its stone
+columns, as well as of many other things which are now seen in ruins.
+
+Now, although the Christian religion did not act thus from any hatred
+for talent, but only because of its contempt for the heathen gods,
+yet the utter ruin of these honourable professions, which entirely
+lost their form, was none the less entirely due to this burning zeal.
+That nothing might be wanting to these grave disasters there followed
+the rage of Totila against Rome, who destroyed the walls, ruined all
+the most magnificent and noble buildings with fire and sword, burned
+it from one end to another, and having stripped it of every living
+creature left it a prey to the flames, so that for the space of
+eighteen days not a living soul could be found there. He utterly
+destroyed the marvellous statues, paintings, mosaics and stuccos, so
+that he left Rome not only stripped of every trace of her former
+majesty, but destitute of shape and life. The ground floors of the
+palaces and other building had been adorned with paintings, stuccos
+and statues, and these were buried under the debris, so that many
+good things have come to light in our own day. Those who came after,
+judging everything to be ruined, planted vines over them so that
+these ruined chambers remained entirely underground, and the moderns
+have called them grottos and the paintings found there grotesques.
+The Ostrogoths being exterminated by Narses, the ruins of Rome were
+inhabited in a wretched fashion when after an interval of a hundred
+years there came the Emperor Constans of Constantinople, who was
+received in a friendly manner by the Romans. However he wasted,
+plundered and carried away everything that had been left in the
+wretched city of Rome, abandoned rather by chance than by the
+deliberate purpose of those who had laid it waste. It is true that
+he was not able to enjoy this booty, for being driven to Sicily by a
+storm at sea, he was killed by his followers, a fate he richly
+deserved, and thus lost his spoils, his kingdom and his life. But as
+if the troubles of Rome had not been sufficient, for the things which
+had been taken away could never return, there came an army of
+Saracens to ravage that island, who carried away the property of the
+Sicilians and the spoils of Rome to Alexandria, to the infinite shame
+and loss of Italy and of all Christendom. Thus what the popes had not
+destroyed, notably St Gregory, who is said to have put under the ban
+all that remained of the statues and of the spoils of the buildings,
+finally perished through the instrumentality of this traitorous
+Greek. Not a trace or a vestige of any good thing remained, so that
+the generations which followed being rough and material, particularly
+in painting and sculpture, yet feeling themselves impelled by nature
+and inspired by the atmosphere of the place, set themselves to
+produce things, not indeed according to the rules of art, for they
+had none, but as they were instructed by their own intelligence.
+
+The arts of design having arrived at this pitch, both before and
+during the time that the Lombards ruled Italy, they subsequently grew
+worse and worse, until at length they reached the lowest depths of
+baseness. An instance of their utter tastelessness and crudeness may
+be seen in some figures over the door in the portico of S. Peter's at
+Rome, in memory of some holy fathers who had disputed for Holy Church
+in certain councils. Further evidence is supplied by a number of
+examples in the same style in the city and in the whole of the
+Exarchate of Ravenna, notably some in S. Maria Rotonda outside that
+city, which were made shortly after the Lombards were driven from
+Italy. But I will not deny that there is one very notable and
+marvellous thing in this church, and that is the vault or cupola
+which covers it, which is ten braccia across and serves as the roof
+of the building, and yet is of a single piece and so large that it
+appears impossible that a stone of this description, weighing more
+than 200,000 pounds, could be placed so high up. But to return to our
+point, the masters of that day produced nothing but shapeless and
+clumsy things which may still be seen to-day. It was the same with
+architecture, for it was necessary to build, and as form and good
+methods were lost by the death of good artists and the destruction of
+good buildings, those who devoted themselves to this profession built
+erections devoid of order or measure, and totally deficient in grace,
+proportion or principle. Then new architects arose who created that
+style of building, for their barbarous nations, which we call German,
+and produced some works which are ridiculous to our modern eyes, but
+appeared admirable to theirs. This lasted until a better form
+somewhat similar to the good antique manner was discovered by better
+artists, as is shown by the oldest churches in Italy which are not
+antique, which were built by them, and by the palaces erected for
+Theoderic, King of Italy, at Ravenna, Pavia, and Modena, though the
+style is barbarous and rather rich and grand than well conceived or
+really good. The same may be said of S. Stefano at Rimini and of S.
+Martino at Ravenna, of the church of S. Giovanni Evangelista in the
+same city built by Galla Placida about the year of grace 438, of S.
+Vitale which was built in the year 547, and of the abbey of Classi di
+fuori, and indeed of many other monasteries and churches built after
+the time of the Lombards. All these buildings, as I have said, are
+great and magnificent, but the architecture is very rude. Among them
+are many abbeys in France built to S. Benedict and the church and
+monastery of Monte Casino, the church of S. Giovanni Battista built
+by that Theodelinda, Queen of the Goths, to whom S. Gregory the Pope
+wrote his dialogues. In this place that queen caused the history of
+the Lombards to be painted. We thus see that they shaved the backs of
+their heads, and wore tufts in front, and were dyed to the chin.
+Their clothes were of broad linen, like those worn by the Angles and
+Saxons, and they wore a mantle of divers colours; their shoes were
+open to the toes and bound above with small leather straps. Similar
+to the churches enumerated above were the church of S. Giovanni,
+Pavia, built by Gundiperga, daughter of Theodelinda, and the church
+of S. Salvatore in the same city, built by Aribert, the brother of
+the same queen, who succeeded Rodoaldo, husband of Gundiberta, in the
+government; the church of S. Ambruogio at Pavia, built by Grimoald,
+King of the Lombards, who drove from the kingdom Aribert's son
+Perterit. This Perterit being restored to his throne after
+Grimoald's death built a nunnery at Pavia called the Monasterio
+Nuovo, in honour of Our Lady and of St Agatha, and the queen built
+another dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Pertica outside the walls.
+Cunibert, Perterit's son, likewise built a monastery and church to St
+George called di Coronato, in a similar style, on the spot where he
+had won a great victory over Alahi. Not unlike these was the church
+which the Lombard king Luit-prand, who lived in the time of King
+Pepin, the father of Charlemagne, built at Pavia, called S. Piero, in
+Cieldauro, or that which Desiderius, who succeeded Astolf, built to
+S. Piero Clivate in the diocese of Milan; or the monastery of S.
+Vincenzo at Milan, or that of S. Giulia at Brescia, because all of
+them were very costly, but in a most ugly and rambling style. In
+Florence the style of architecture was slightly improved somewhat
+later, the church of S. Apostolo built by Charlemagne, although
+small, being very beautiful, because the shape of the columns,
+although made up of pieces, is very graceful and beautifully made,
+and the capitals and the arches in the vaulting of the side aisles
+show that some good architect was left in Tuscany, or had arisen
+there. In fine the architecture of this church is such that Pippo di
+Ser Brunnellesco did not disdain to make use of it as his model in
+designing the churches of S. Spirito and S. Lorenzo in the same city.
+The same progress may be noticed in the church of S. Mark's at
+Venice, not to speak of that of S. Giorgio Maggiore erected by
+Giovanni Morosini in the year 978. S. Mark's was begun under the Doge
+Giustiniano and Giovanni Particiaco next to S. Teodosio, when the
+body of the Evangelist was brought from Alexandria to Venice. After
+the Doge's palace and the church had suffered severely from a series
+of fires, it was rebuilt upon the same foundations in the Byzantine
+style as it stands to-day, at a great cost and  with the assistance
+of many architects, in the time of the Doge Domenico Selvo, in the
+year 973, the columns being brought from the places where they could
+be obtained. The construction was  continued until the year 1140, M.
+Piero Polani being then Doge, from the plans of several masters who
+were all Greeks, as I have said. Erected at the same time, and also
+in the Byzantine style, were the seven abbeys built in Tuscany by
+Count Hugh, Marquis of Brandenburg, such as the Badia of Florence,
+the abbey of Settimo, and the others. All these structures and the
+vestiges of others which are not standing bear witness to the fact
+that architecture maintained its footing though in a very bastard
+form far removed from the good antique style. Further evidence is
+afforded by a number of old palaces erected in Florence in Tuscan
+work after the destruction of Fiesole, but the measurements of the
+doors and the very elongated windows and the sharp-pointed arches
+after the manner of the foreign architects of the day, denote some
+amount of barbarism. In the year after 1013 the art appears to have
+received an access of vigour in the rebuilding of the beautiful
+church of S. Miniato on the Mount in the time of M. Alibrando,
+citizen and bishop of Florence, for, in addition to the marble
+ornamentation both within and without, the facade shows that the
+Tuscan architects were making efforts to imitate the good ancient
+order in the doors, windows, columns, arches and cornices, so far as
+they were able, having as a model the very ancient church of S.
+Giovanni in their city. At the same period, pictorial art, which had
+all but disappeared, seems to have made some progress, as is shown by
+a mosaic in the principal chapel of the same church of S. Miniato.
+
+From such beginnings design and a general improvement in the arts
+began to make headway in Tuscany, as in the year 1016 when the Pisans
+began to erect their Duomo. For in that time it was a considerable
+undertaking to build such a church, with its five aisles and almost
+entirely constructed of marble both inside and out. This church,
+built from the plans and under the direction of Buschetto, a clever
+Greek architect from Dulichium, was erected and adorned by the Pisans
+when at the zenith of their power with an endless quantity of spoils
+brought by sea from various distant parts, as the columns, bases,
+capitals, cornices and other stones there of every description, amply
+demonstrate. Now since all these things were of all sizes, great,
+medium, and small, Buschetto displayed great judgment in adapting
+them to their places, so that the whole building is excellently
+devised in every part, both within and without. Amongst other things
+he devised the facade, which is made up of a series of stages,
+gradually diminishing toward the top and consisting of a great number
+of columns, adorning it with other columns and antique statues. He
+carried out the principal doors of that facade in the same style,
+beside one of which, that of the Carroccio, he afterwards received
+honourable burial, with three epitaphs, one being in Latin verse, not
+unlike other things of the time:
+
+        _Quod vix mille boum possent juga juncta movere
+        Et quod vix potuit per mare ferre ratis
+        Buschetti nisu, quod erat Mirabile visu
+        Dena puellarum turba levavit onus._
+
+As I have mentioned the church of S. Apostolo at Florence above, I
+will here give an inscription which may be read on a marble slab on
+one of the sides of the high altar, which runs:
+
+  VIII. v. Die vi. Aprilis in resurrectione Domini Karolus Francorum
+  Rex Roma revertens, ingressus Florentiam cum magno gaudio et
+  tripudio succeptus, civium copiam torqueis aureis decoravit.
+  Ecclesia Sanctorum Apostolorum in altari inclusa est laminea
+  plumbea, in qua descripta apparet praefacta fundatio et consecratio
+  facta per Archiepiscopum Turpinum, testibus Rolando et Uliverio.
+
+The edifice of the Duomo at Pisa gave a new impulse to the minds of
+many men in all Italy, and especially in Tuscany, and led to the
+foundation in the city of Pistoia in 1032 of the church of S. Paolo,
+in the presence of S. Atto, the bishop there, as a contemporary deed
+relates, and indeed of many other buildings, a mere mention of which
+would occupy too much space.
+
+I must not forget to mention either, how in the course of time the
+round church of S. Giovanni was erected at Pisa in the year 1060,
+opposite the Duomo and on the same piazza. A marvellous and almost
+incredible statement in connection with this church is that of an
+ancient record in a book of the Opera of the Duomo, that the columns,
+pillars and vaulting were erected and completed in fifteen days and
+no more. The same book, which may be examined by any one, relates
+that an impost of a penny a hearth was exacted for the building of
+the temple, but it does not state whether this was to be of gold or
+of base metal. The same book states that there were 34,000 hearths in
+Pisa at that time. It is certain that the work was very costly and
+presented formidable difficulties, especially the vaulting of the
+tribune, which is pear-shaped and covered outside with lead. The
+exterior is full of columns, carving, scenes, and the middle part of
+the frieze of the doorway contains figures of Christ and the twelve
+apostles in half-relief and in the Byzantine style.
+
+About the same time, namely in 1061, the Lucchese, in emulation of
+the Pisans, began the church of S. Martino at Lucea, from the designs
+of some pupils of Buschetto, there being no other artists then in
+Tuscany. The facade has a marble portico in front of it containing
+many ornaments and carvings in honour of Pope Alexander II., who had
+been bishop of the city just before he was raised to the pontificate.
+Nine lines in Latin relate the whole history of the facade and of the
+Pope, repeated in some antique letters carved in marble inside the
+doors of the portico. The facade also contains some figures and a
+number of scenes in half-relief below the portico relating to the
+life of St Martin executed in marble and in the Byzantine style. But
+the best things there, over one of these doors, were done by Niccola
+Pisano, 170 years later, and completed in 1233, as will be related in
+the proper place, Abellenato and Aliprando being the craftsmen at the
+beginning, as some letters carved in marble in the same place fully
+relate. The figures by Niccola Pisano show to what an extent the art
+was improved by him. Most of the buildings erected in Italy from this
+time until the year 1250 were similar in character to these, for
+architecture made little or no apparent progress in all these years,
+but remained stationary, the same rude style being retained. Many
+examples of this may be seen to-day, but I will not now enumerate
+them, because I shall refer to them again as the occasion presents
+itself.
+
+The admirable sculptures and paintings buried in the ruins of Italy
+remained hidden or unknown to the men of this time who were engrossed
+in the rude productions of their own age, in which they used no
+sculptures or paintings except such as were produced by the old
+artists of Greece, who still survived, making images of clay or
+stone, or painting  grotesque figures and only colouring the first
+lineaments. These artists were invited to Italy for they were the
+best and indeed the only representatives of their profession. With
+them they brought the mosaics, sculptures, and paintings which they
+themselves produced and thus they taught their methods to the
+Italians, after their own rough and clumsy style. The Italians
+practised the art in this fashion up to a certain time, as I shall
+relate.
+
+As the men of the age were not accustomed to see any excellence or
+greater perfection than the things thus produced, they greatly
+admired them, and considered them to be the type of perfection, base
+as they were. Yet some rising spirits aided by some quality in the
+air of certain places, so far purged themselves of this crude style
+that in 1250 Heaven took compassion on the fine minds that the Tuscan
+soil was producing every day, and directed art into its former
+channels. And although the preceding generations had before them the
+remains of arches, colossi, statues, pillars or stone columns which
+were left after the plunder, ruin and fire which Rome had passed
+through, yet they could never make use of them or derive any profit
+from them until the period named. Those who came after were able to
+distinguish the good from the bad, and abandoning the old style they
+began to copy the ancients with all ardour and industry. That the
+distinction I have made between old and ancient may be better
+understood I will explain that I call ancient the things produced
+before Constantine at Corinth, Athens, Rome and other renowned
+cities, until the days of Nero, Vaspasian, Trajan, Hadrian and
+Antoninus; the old works are those which are due to the surviving
+Greeks from the days of St Silvester, whose art consisted rather of
+tinting than of painting. For the original artists of excellence had
+perished in the wars, as I have said, and the surviving Greeks, of
+the old and not the ancient manner, could only trace profiles on a
+ground of colour. Countless mosaics done by these Greeks in every
+part of Italy bear testimony to this, and every old church of Italy
+possesses examples, notably the Duomo of Pisa, S. Marco at Venice
+and yet other places. Thus they produced a constant stream of
+figures in this style, with frightened eyes, outstretched hands and
+on the tips of their toes, as in S. Miniato outside Florence between
+the door of the sacristy and that of the convent, and in S. Spirito
+in the same city, all the side of the cloister towards the church,
+and in Arezzo in S. Giuliano and S. Bartolommeo and other churches,
+and at Rome in old S. Peter's in the scenes about the windows, all of
+which are more like monsters than the figures which they are supposed
+to represent. They also produced countless sculptures, such as those
+in bas-relief still over the door of S. Michele on the piazza Padella
+at Florence, and in Ognissanti, and in many places, in tombs and
+ornaments for the doors of churches, where there are some figures
+acting as corbels to carry the roof, so rude and coarse, so grossly
+made, and in such a rough style, that it is impossible to imagine
+worse.
+
+Up to the present, I have discoursed exclusively upon the origin of
+sculpture and painting, perhaps more at length than was necessary at
+this stage. I have done so, not so much because I have been carried
+away by my love for the arts, as because I wish to be of service to
+the artists of our own day, by showing them how a small beginning
+leads to the highest elevation, and how from so noble a situation it
+is possible to fall to utterest ruin, and consequently, how the
+nature of these arts resembles nature in other things which concern
+our human bodies; there is birth, growth, age, death, and I hope by
+this means they will be enabled more easily to recognise the progress
+of the renaissance of the arts, and the perfection to which they have
+attained in our own time. And again, if ever it happens, which God
+forbid, that the arts should once more fall to a like ruin and
+disorder, through the negligence of man, the malignity of the age, or
+the ordinance of Heaven, which does not appear to wish that the
+things of this world should remain stationary, these labours of mine,
+such as they are (if they are worthy of a happier fate), by means of
+the things discussed before, and by those which remain to be said,
+may maintain the arts in life, or, at any rate, encourage the better
+spirits to provide them with assistance, so that, by my good will and
+the labours of such men, they may have an abundance of those aids and
+embellishments which, if I may speak the truth freely, they have
+lacked until now.
+
+But it is now time to come to the life of Giovanni Cimabue, who
+originated the new method of design and painting, so that it is right
+that his should be the first of the Lives. And here I may remark that
+I shall follow the schools rather than a chronological order. And in
+describing the appearance and the arts of the artists, I shall be
+brief, because their portraits, which I have collected at great
+expense, and with much labour and diligence, will show what manner of
+men they were to look at much better than any description could ever
+do. If some portraits are missing, that is not my fault, but because
+they are not to be found anywhere. If it chance that some of the
+portraits do not appear to be exactly like others which are extant,
+it is necessary to reflect that a portrait of a man of eighteen or
+twenty years can never be like one made fifteen or twenty years
+later, and, in addition to this, portraits in black and white are
+never so good as those which are coloured, besides which the
+engravers, who do not design, always take something from the faces,
+because they are never able to reproduce those small details which
+constitute the excellence of a work, or to copy that perfection which
+is rarely, if ever, to be found in wood engravings. To conclude, the
+reader will be able to appreciate the amount of labour, expense, and
+care which I have bestowed upon this matter when he sees what efforts
+I have made in my researches.
+
+
+
+
+VASARI'S LIVES OF THE PAINTERS.
+
+
+
+Cimabue, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+The endless flood of misfortunes which overwhelmed unhappy Italy not
+only ruined everything worthy of the name of a building, but
+completely extinguished the race of artists, a far more serious
+matter. Then, as it pleased God, there was born in the year 1240 in
+the city of Florence, Giovanni, surnamed Cimabue, of the noble family
+of the Cimabui, to shed the first light on the art of painting. As he
+grew up he appeared to his father and others to be a boy of quick
+intelligence, so that he was accordingly sent to receive instruction
+in letters to a relation, a master at S. Maria Novella, who then
+taught grammar to the novices of that convent. Instead of paying
+attention to his lessons, Cimabue spent the whole day in drawing men,
+horses, houses, and various other fancies on his books and odd
+sheets, like one who felt himself compelled to do so by nature.
+Fortune proved favourable to this natural inclination, for some Greek
+artists were summoned to Florence by the government of the city for
+no other purpose than the revival of painting in their midst, since
+that art was not so much debased as altogether lost. Among the other
+works which they began in the city, they undertook the chapel of the
+Gondi, the vaulting and walls of which are to-day all but destroyed
+by the ravages of time. It is situated in S. Maria Novella, next the
+principal chapel. In this way Cimabue made a beginning in the art
+which attracted him, for he often played the truant and spent the
+whole day in watching the masters work. Thus it came about that his
+father and the artists considered him so fitted to be a painter that,
+if he devoted himself to the profession, he might look for honourable
+success in it, and to his great satisfaction his father procured him
+employment with the painters. Then, by dint of continual practice and
+with the assistance of his natural talent, he far surpassed the
+manner of his teachers both in design and in colour. For they had
+never cared to make any progress, and had executed their works, not
+in the good manner of ancient Greece, but in the rude modern style of
+that time. But although Cimabue imitated the Greeks he introduced
+many improvements in the art, and in a great measure emancipated
+himself from their awkward manner, bringing honour to his country by
+his name and by the works which he produced. The pictures which he
+executed in Florence bear testimony to this, such as the antipendium
+to the altar of St Cecilia, and a Madonna  in S. Croce, which was
+then and still is fastened to a pillar on the right hand side of the
+choir. Subsequently he painted on a panel a St Francis, on a gold
+ground. He drew this from nature, to the best of his powers, although
+it was a novelty to do so in those days, and about it he represented
+the whole of the saint's life in twenty small pictures full of little
+figures, on a gold ground. He afterwards undertook a large picture
+for the monks of Vallombrosa in their abbey of S, Trinita at
+Florence. This was a Madonna with the child in her arms, surrounded
+by many adoring angels, on a gold ground. To justify the high opinion
+in which he was already held, he worked at it with great industry,
+showing improved powers of invention and exhibiting our lady in a
+pleasing attitude. The painting when finished was placed by the monks
+over the high altar of the church, whence it was afterwards removed
+to make way for the picture of Alesso Baldovinetti, which is there
+to-day. It was afterwards placed in a small chapel of the south aisle
+in that church. Cimabue next worked in fresco at the hospital of the
+Porcellana, at the corner of the via Nuova which leads to the Borgo
+Ognissanti. On one side of the facade, in the middle of which is the
+principal door, he represented an Annunciation, and on the other
+side, Jesus Christ with Cleophas and Luke, life-size figures. In this
+work he abandoned the old manner, making the draperies, garments, and
+other things somewhat more life-like, natural and soft than the style
+of the Greeks, full as that was of lines and profiles as well in
+mosaics as in painting. The painters of those times had taught one
+another that rough, awkward and common-place style for a great number
+of years, not by means of study but as a matter of custom, without
+ever dreaming of improving their designs by beauty of colouring or by
+any invention of worth. After this was finished Cimabue again
+received a commission from the same superior for whom he had done the
+work at S. Croce. He now made him a large crucifix of wood, which may
+still be seen in the church. The work caused the superior, who was
+well pleased with it, to take him to their convent of S. Francesco at
+Pisa, to paint a picture of St Francis there. When completed it was
+considered most remarkable by the people there, since they recognised
+a certain quality of excellence in the turn of the heads and in the
+fall of the drapery which was not to be found in the Byzantine style
+in any work executed up to that time not only in Pisa but throughout
+Italy.
+
+For the same church Cimabue afterwards painted a large picture of Our
+Lady with the child in her arms, surrounded by several angels, on a
+gold ground. In order to make room for the marble altar which is now
+there it was soon afterwards removed from its original situation and
+placed inside the church, near the door on the left hand. For this
+work he was much praised and rewarded by the Pisans. In Pisa also he
+painted a panel of St Agnes surrounded by a number of small figures
+representing scenes from her life, at the request of the Abbot of S.
+Paolo in Ripa d'Arno. The panel is to-day over the altar of the
+Virgin in that church.
+
+The name of Cimabue having become generally known through these
+works, he was taken to Assisi, a city of Umbria, where, in
+conjunction with some Greek masters, he painted a part of the
+vaulting of the lower Church of S. Franceso, and on the walls, the
+life of Jesus Christ and that of St Francis. In these paintings he
+far surpassed the Greek masters, and encouraged by this, he began to
+paint the upper church in fresco unaided, and on the large gallery
+over the choir, on the four walls, he painted some subjects from the
+history of Our Lady, that is to say, her death, when her soul is
+carried to Heaven by Christ on a throne of clouds, and when He crowns
+her in the midst of a choir of angels, with a number of saints
+beneath. These are now destroyed by time and dust. He then painted
+several things at the intersections of the vaulting of that church,
+which are five in number. In the first one over the choir he
+represented the four Evangelists, larger than life-size, and so well
+done, that even to-day they are acknowledged to possess some merit;
+and the freshness of the flesh colouring shows, that by his efforts,
+fresco-painting was beginning to make great progress. The second
+intersection he filled with gilt stars on an ultramarine field. In
+the third he represented Jesus Christ, the Virgin his mother, St John
+the Baptist and St Francis in medallions, that is to say, a figure in
+each medallion and a medallion in each of the four divisions of the
+vault. The fourth intersection like the second he painted with gilt
+stars on ultramarine. In the fifth he represented the four Doctors of
+the church, and beside each of them a member of the four principal
+religious orders. This laborious undertaking was carried out with
+infinite diligence. When he had finished the vaults he painted the
+upper part of the walla on the left side of the church from one end
+to the other, also in fresco. Near the high altar between the windows
+and right up to the vaulting he represented eight subjects from the
+Old Testament, starting from the beginning of Genesis and selecting
+the most noteworthy incidents. In the space flanking the windows to
+the point where they terminate at the gallery which runs round the
+inside of the church, he painted the remainder of the Old Testament
+history in eight other subjects. Opposite  these  and corresponding
+to them he painted sixteen subjects representing the deeds of Our
+Lady and of Jesus Christ, while on the end wall over the principal
+entrance and about the rose window above it, he painted the Ascension
+and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. This work which
+is most extraordinary for richness and beauty, must, in my opinion,
+have astounded the people of those times, painting having been in
+such blindness for so long a apace. When I saw it again in the year
+1563 it seemed most beautiful, as I reflected how marvellous it was
+that Cimabue should see so much light in the midst of so great
+darkness. But it is worthy of note that of all these paintings those
+of the vaults are much the best preserved since they are less injured
+by the dust and other accidents. When these works were finished
+Giovanni set about painting the walls beneath, namely those beneath
+the windows, and he did some things there, but as he was summoned to
+Florence on some affairs of his own, he did not pursue the task,
+which was finished by Giotto many years after, as will be related
+when the time comes.
+
+Cimabue having thus returned to Florence painted in the cloister of
+S. Spirito, where the whole length of wall towards the church is done
+in the Byzantine style by other masters, events from the life of
+Christ, in three arches, with considerable excellence of design. At
+the same time, he sent to Empoli some things executed by him in
+Florence, which are held in great reverence to this day in the Pieve
+of that town. He next painted a picture of Our Lady for the church of
+S. Maria Novella, where it hangs high up between the chapel of the
+Rucellai and that of the Bardi of Vernio. The figure was of a larger
+size than any which had been executed up to that time, and the angels
+about it show that, although be still had the Byzantine style, he was
+making, some progress towards the lineaments and methods of modern
+times. The people of that day, who had never seen anything better,
+considered this work so marvellous, that they carried it to the
+church from Cimabue's house in a stately procession with great
+rejoicing and blowing of trumpets, while Cimabue himself was highly
+rewarded and honoured. It is reported, and some records of the old
+painters relate that while Cimabue was painting this picture in some
+gardens near the gate of S. Piero, the old king Charles of Anjou
+passed through Florence. Among the many entertainments prepared for
+him by the men of the city, they brought him to see the picture of
+Cimabue. As it had not then been seen by anyone, all the men and
+women of Florence flocked thither in a crowd, with the greatest
+rejoicings, so that those who lived in the neighbourhood called the
+place Borgo Allegri (Joyful Quarter), because of the rejoicing there.
+This name it has ever afterwards retained, being in the course of
+time enclosed within the walls of the city.
+
+At S. Francesco, at Pisa, where Cimabue executed some other works,
+which have been mentioned above, in the cloister, at a corner beside
+the doorway leading into the church, is a small picture in tempera by
+his hand, representing Christ on the cross, surrounded by some angels
+who are weeping, and hold in their hands certain words written about
+the head of Christ, and which they are directing towards the ears of
+our Lady, who is standing weeping on the right hand side; and on the
+other side to St John the Evangelist, who is there, plunged in grief.
+The words to the Virgin are: "_Mulier, ecce filius tuus_," and those
+to St John: "_Ecce mater tua_." Another angel, separated from these,
+holds in its hands the sentence: "_Ex illa hora accepit eam
+discipulus in suam_." In this we perceive how Cimabue began to give
+light and open the way to inventions, bringing words, as he does
+here, to the help of his art in order to express his meaning, a
+curious device certainly and an innovation.
+
+By means of these works Cimabue had now acquired a great name and
+much profit, so that he was associated with Arnolfo Lapi, an
+excellent architect of that time, in the building of S. Maria del
+Fiore, at Florence. But at length, when he had lived sixty years, he
+passed to the other life in the year 1300, having achieved hardly
+less than the resurrection of painting from the dead.
+
+He left behind a number of disciples, and among others Giotto, who
+was afterwards an excellent painter. Giotto dwelt in his master's old
+house in the via del Cocomero after Cimabue's death. Cimabue was
+buried in S. Maria del Fiore, with this epitaph made for him by one
+of the Nini:--
+
+     "Credidit ut Clmabos picturae castra tenere
+     Sic tenuit vivens, nunc tenet astra poli."
+
+I must not omit to say that if the greatness of Giotto, his pupil,
+had not obscured the glory of Cimabue, the fame of the latter would
+have been more considerable, as Dante points out in his Commedia in
+the eleventh canto of the Purgatorio, with an allusion to the
+inscription on the tomb, where he says:
+
+     "Credette Cimabue nella pintura
+     Tener lo campo, ed ora ha Giotto il grido
+     Si che la fama di colui oscura."
+
+A commentator on Dante, who wrote during Giotto's lifetime, about
+1334, some ten or twelve years after the poet's death, in his
+explanation of these lines, says the following words in speaking of
+Cimabue: "Cimabue was a painter of Florence in the time of our
+author, a man of unusual eminence and so arrogant and haughty withal,
+that if any one pointed out a fault or defect in his work, or if he
+discovered any himself, since it frequently happens that an artist
+makes mistakes through a defect in the materials which he employs, or
+because of some fault in the instrument with which he works, he
+immediately destroyed that work, however costly it might be. Giotto
+was, and is, the most eminent among the painters of the same city of
+Florence, as his works testify, at Rome, Naples, Avignon, Florence,
+Padua, and many parts of the world," etc. This commentary is now in
+the possession of the Very Rev. Vincenzio Borghini, prior of the
+Innocents, a man distinguished for his eminence, piety and learning,
+but also for his love for and skill in all the superior arts, so that
+he has well deserved his judicious selection by Duke Cosimo to be the
+ducal representative in our academy of design.
+
+Returning to Cimabue, Giotto certainly overshadowed his renown, just
+as a great light eclipses a much smaller one, and although Cimabue
+was, as it were, the first cause of the revival of the art of
+painting, yet Giotto, his disciple, moved by a praiseworthy ambition,
+and aided by Heaven and by Nature, penetrated deeper in thought, and
+threw open the gates of Truth to those who afterwards brought art to
+that perfection and grandeur which we see in our own age. In fact the
+marvels, miracles, and impossibilities executed at the present time
+by those who practise this art, and which are to be seen every day,
+have brought things to such a pitch, that no one marvels at them
+although they are rather divine than human, and those who make the
+most praiseworthy efforts may consider themselves fortunate, if,
+instead of being praised and admired, they escape censure, and even
+disgrace. The portrait of Cimabue by the hand of Simone of Siena may
+be seen in the chapter-house of S. Maria Novella, executed in profile
+in the picture of the Faith. The face is thin the small beard is
+somewhat red and pointed, and he wears a hood after the fashion of
+the day, bound gracefully round his head and throat. The one beside
+him is Simone himself, the designer of the work, who drew himself
+with the aid of two mirrors placed opposite each other, which have
+enabled him to draw his head in profile. The soldier in armour
+between them is said to be Count Guido Novello, lord of Poppi. In
+concluding this life I have to remark that I have some small things
+by Cimabue's hand in the beginning of a book in which I have
+collected drawings by the hand of every artist, from Cimabue onwards.
+These little things of Cimabue are done like miniatures, and although
+they may appear rather crude than otherwise to modern eyes, yet they
+serve to show to what an extent the art of design profited by his
+labours.
+
+
+
+
+Arnolfo di Lapo, Florentine Architect.
+
+
+In the preface to these lives I have spoken of some edifices in the
+old but not antique style, and I was silent respecting the names of
+the artists who executed the work, because I did not know them. In
+the introduction to the present life I propose to mention some other
+buildings made in Arnolfo's time, or shortly before, the authors of
+which are equally unknown, and then to speak of those which were
+erected during his lifetime, the architects of which are known,
+either because they may be recognised through the style of the
+buildings, or because there is some notice of them in the writings
+and memorials left by them in the works done. This will not be beside
+the point, for although the buildings are neither beautiful nor in
+good style, but only very large and magnificent, yet they are none
+the less worthy of some consideration.
+
+In the time of Lapo, and of Arnolfo his son, many buildings of
+importance were erected in Italy and outside, of which I have not
+been able to find the names of the architects. Among these are the
+abbey of Monreale in Sicily, the Piscopio of Naples, the Certosa of
+Pavia, the Duomo of Milan, S. Pietro and S. Petrodio of Bologna, and
+many others, which may be seen in all parts of Italy, erected at
+incredible cost. I have seen and examined all these buildings, as
+well as many sculptures of these times, particularly at Ravenna, but
+I have never found any memorial of the masters, and frequently not
+even the date when they were erected, so that I cannot but marvel at
+the simplicity and indifference to fame exhibited by the men of that
+age. But to return to our subject. After the buildings just
+enumerated there arose some persons of a more exalted temper, who, if
+they did not succeed in lighting upon the good, at least made the
+attempt.
+
+The first was Buono, of whom I knew neither the country nor the
+surname, since he himself has put nothing beyond his simple name to
+the works which he has signed. He was both a sculptor and architect,
+and he worked at first in Ravenna, building many palaces and
+churches, and executing some sculptures, in the year of grace 1152.
+Becoming known by these things, he was summoned to Naples, where he
+began the Castel Capoano and the Castel  dell' Uovo, although they
+were afterwards finished by others, as will be related. Subsequently,
+in the time of the Doge Domenico Morosini, he founded the campanile
+of S. Marco at Venice, with much prudence and good judgment, and so
+well did he drive the piles and lay the foundations of that tower,
+that it has never moved a hair's breadth, as many buildings erected
+in that city before his time may be seen to have done. Perhaps it was
+from him that the Venetians learned their present method of laying
+the foundations of the rich and beautiful edifices which are erected
+every day to adorn that most noble city. At the same time it must be
+admitted that the tower has no other excellence of its own, either in
+style or decoration, or indeed anything which is worthy of much
+praise. It was finished under the Popes Anastasius IV. and Adrian IV.
+in the year 1154. Buono was also the architect of the Church of S.
+Andrea at Pistoia, and a marble architrave over the door, full of
+figures executed in the Gothic style, is his work; On this architrave
+his name is carved, as well as the date at which the work was done by
+him, which was in the year 1166. Being afterwards summoned to
+Florence, he prepared the design for enlarging the Church of S. Maria
+Maggiore, which was carried out. The church was then outside the
+city, and was held in veneration, because Pope Pelagius had
+consecrated it many years before, and because it was in size and
+style a building of considerable merit.
+
+Buono was next invited by the Aretines to their city, where he built
+the old residence of the lords of Arezzo, a palace in the Gothic
+style, and near it a tower for a bell. This building, which was very
+tolerable for that style, was thrown down in 1533 because it was
+opposite and too near the fortifications of the city.
+
+The art now began to receive some amount of improvement through the
+works of a certain Guglielmo, a German by race, as I believe, and
+some buildings were erected at a great expense and in a slightly
+better style. In the year 1174 this Guglielmo, in conjunction with
+Bonanno, a sculptor, is said to have founded the campanile of the
+Duomo at Pisa, where the following words are carved:
+
+   _A.D. M..C. 74 campanile hoc fuit fundatum Mense Aug._
+
+But these two architects had not much experience in laying
+foundations in Pisa, and since they did not drive in piles as they
+should have done, before they were half through the work, there was a
+subsidence on one side, and the building leant over on its weaker
+side, so that the campanile hangs 6-1/2 braccia out of the straight
+according to the subsidence on that side, and although this appears
+slight from below, it is very apparent above, so that one is filled
+with amazement that the tower can stand thus without falling and
+without the walls being cracked. The reason is that the building is
+round both within and without, and the stones are so arranged and
+bound together, that its fall is all but impossible, and it is
+supported moreover by foundations raised 3 braccia above the ground
+level, which were made to maintain it after the subsidence had taken
+place, as may be seen. Had it been square; I am convinced that it
+would not be standing, to-day, as the corners of the square would
+have pushed out the sides so that they would have fallen, a thing
+which frequently happens. And if the Carisenda tower at Bologna,
+which is square, leans without falling, that is because it is
+lighter and does not hang over so much, nor is it nearly so heavy a
+structure as this campanile, which is praised, not because of its
+design or good style, but simply by reason of its extraordinary
+position, since to a spectator it does not appear possible that it
+can remain standing. The Bonanno mentioned above, while he was
+engaged on the campanile, also executed in 1180 the principal door of
+the Duomo of Pisa in bronze. On it may be seen these words:
+
+   _Ego Bonannus Pis, mea arle hanc portam uno anno perfeci
+                tempore Benedicti operarii._
+
+That the art was making steady progress may be seen by the walls of
+S. Giovanni Lateran at Rome, which were constructed of the spoils of
+antiquity under Popes Lucius III. and Urban III., when the Emperor
+Frederick was crowned by the latter, because certain small temples
+and chapels there, made with these spoils, possess considerable merit
+of design and contain some things which are worth notice, and this,
+among others, that the vaults were made of small tubes with
+compartments of stucco, so as not to overload the side walls of the
+buildings, a very praiseworthy contrivance for those times. The
+cornices and other parts show that the artists were helping one
+another to find the good.
+
+Innocent III. afterwards caused two palaces to be erected on the
+Vatican hill, and from what can be seen of them they appear to have
+been in a fairly good style, but since they were destroyed by other
+popes, and especially by Nicholas V., who pulled down and rebuilt the
+greater part of the palace, I will say no more about them, except
+that a part of them may be seen in the great round tower, and a part
+in the old sacristy of St Peter's. This Innocent III., who wore the
+tiara for nineteen years, took great delight in architecture, and
+erected many buildings in Rome, notably the tower of the Conti, so
+called after the name of his family, from designs by Marchionne, an
+architect and sculptor of Arezzo. In the year that Innocent died this
+artist completed the Pieve of Arezzo, as well as the campanile. He
+adorned the front of the church with three rows of columns, one above
+the other, in great variety, not only in the shape of the capitals
+and bases, but even in the shafts, some being heavy, others slender,
+some bound together in pairs, others in fours. In like manner some
+are covered with representations of the vine, while others are made
+to become supporting figures, variously carved. He further introduced
+many animals of different kinds, which carry the weight of the
+columns on their backs, the whole exhibiting the strangest and most
+extravagant fantasies imaginable, not only altogether removed from
+the excellent antique order, but opposed to all good and reasonable
+proportion. Yet in spite of all this, anyone who will justly consider
+the matter will see that he was making strenuous efforts to do well,
+and possibly he imagined that he had discovered the way in this
+manner of work and in this wondrous variety. The same artist carved a
+rather large God the Father, with certain angels in half-relief in
+the arch over the door of that church in a rude style, together with
+the twelve months of the year, adding underneath his name, cut in
+round letters, as was customary, and the date, 1216. It is said that
+Marchionne also erected for Pope Innocent the old building and church
+of the hospital of S. Spirito in Sassia, in the Borgo Vecchio at
+Rome, where some part of the old work may still be seen. Indeed the
+old church remained standing to our own day, when It was restored in
+the modern style, with  more ornament and design, by Pope Paul III.
+of the house of the Farnese. In S. Maria Maggiore, also in Rome, he
+made the marble chapel, which contains the manger of Jesus Christ, in
+which he placed a portrait of Pope Honorius III., drawn from life. He
+also made that Pope's tomb, decorating it with ornaments which were
+somewhat better than, and very different from, the style then
+prevalent throughout Italy. At the same time also Marchionne made the
+lateral door of S. Pietro at Bologna, which truly was a very great
+work for those times, because of the number of sculptures which are
+seen in it, such as lions in relief, which sustain columns, with men
+and other animals, also bearing burdens. In the arch above he made
+the twelve months in relief, with varied fancies, each month with its
+zodiacal sign, a work which must have been considered marvellous in
+those times.
+
+About the same time the order of the friars minors of St Francis was
+established, which, after it had been confirmed by Pope Innocent
+III., increased the general devoutness and the number of friars, not
+only in Italy, but in every part of the world, to such an extent,
+that there was scarcely a city of note which did not build churches
+and convents for them at very great cost, each one according to its
+ability. Thus brother Elias, who was superior of that order at
+Assisi, founded a church, dedicated to Our Lady in that place, two
+years before the death of St Francis, while the saint, as general of
+the order, was away preaching. After the death of St Francis all
+Christendom crowded to visit the body of a man, who, both in life and
+in death, was known to have been so much beloved of God. As every man
+did alms to the saint according to his ability, it was determined
+that the church begun by friar Elias should be made much larger and
+more magnificent. But since there was a scarcity of good architects,
+and as the work demanded an excellent one, it being necessary to
+erect the building on a very high hill, round the base of which runs
+a torrent called Tescio, a German master named Jacopo was brought to
+Assisi after much deliberation, as being the best man who was then to
+be found. After he had examined the site and understood the wishes of
+the friars, who held a chapter general at Assisi for the purpose, he
+designed a most beautiful church and convent, making it in three
+stories. One of these was underground, while the two others served as
+churches, the lower one to be a vestibule with a portico of
+considerable size about it, the other as the church proper. The
+ascent from the first to the second was managed by means of a very
+convenient arrangement of steps, which encircled the chapel and which
+were divided into two flights for the sake of greater comfort,
+leading up to the second church. He built this in the form of the
+letter T, making it five times as long as it was broad, dividing one
+nave from the other by great stone pillars, uniting them with stout
+arches, between which he set up the vaulting. This truly monumental
+work then was carried out from such plans in every detail, except
+that he did not use the Cross vaulting on the walls between the body
+of the church and the principal chapel, but employed barrel vaulting
+for the sake of greater strength. He afterwards placed the altar
+before the principal chapel of the lower church, and when this was
+finished he deposited the body of St Francis beneath, after a most
+solemn translation. And because the tomb of the glorious saint is in
+the first or lower church, where no one ever goes, and which has its
+doors walled up, there is a magnificent iron railing about the altar,
+richly adorned with marble and mosaic which permits the tomb to be
+seen. On one side of the building were erected two sacristies and a
+lofty campanile, five times as high as it is broad. Above it there
+was originally a lofty spire of eight sides, but it was removed
+because it threatened to fall down. The work was brought to a
+conclusion in the space of four years and no more by the ability of
+Master Jacopo the German, and by the industry of friar Elias. After
+the friar's death twelve strong towers were erected about the lower
+church in order that the vast erection should never be destroyed; in
+each of these is a spiral staircase ascending from the ground to the
+summit. In the course of time, moreover, several chapels were added
+and other rich ornaments, of which it is not necessary to speak
+further, as enough has been said about the matter for the present,
+especially as it is in the power of every one to see how much that is
+useful, ornamental, and beautiful has been added to this beginning of
+Master Jacopo, by popes, cardinals, princes, and many other great
+persons of all Europe.
+
+And now to return to Master Jacopo. By means of this work he acquired
+such renown throughout Italy that he was invited to Florence by the
+government of the city, and was afterwards received there with the
+utmost goodwill. But the Florentines, in accordance with a custom of
+abbreviating names which they practised then as they do now, called
+him not Jacopo, but Lapo, all his life, for he settled permanently in
+that city with all his family. And although at divers times he went
+away to erect a number of buildings in Tuscany his residence was
+always at Florence. As examples of such buildings I may cite the
+palace of the Poppi at Casentino which he built for the count there,
+who had married the beautiful Gualdrada, with the Casentino as her
+dower; the Vescovado for the Aretines, and the Palazzo Vecchio of the
+lords of Pietramela. It was at Florence that he laid the piles of the
+ponte alla Carraia, then called the ponte Nuovo, in 1218, and
+finished them in two years. A short while afterwards it was completed
+in wood, as was then the custom. In the year 1221 he prepared plans
+for the church of S. Salvadore del Vescovado which was begun under
+his direction, as was the church of S. Michele on the piazza Padella
+where there are some sculptures in the style of those days. He next
+designed a system of drainage for the city, raised the piazza S.
+Giovanni, and in the time of M. Rubaconte da Mandella of Milan,
+constructed the bridge which still bears his name. It was he who
+discovered the useful method of paving the streets with stone, when
+they had previously been paved only with bricks. He designed the
+existing Podesta palace, which was originally built for the
+_amziani_, and finally, after he had designed the tomb of the Emperor
+Frederick for the abbey of Monreale in Sicily, by the order of
+Manfred, he died, leaving Arnolfo, his son, heir to his ability, no
+leas than to his fortune.
+
+Arnolfo, by whose talents architecture was no less improved than
+painting had been by Cimabue, was born in the year 1232, and was
+thirty-two years of age at his father's death. He was at that time
+held in very great esteem, because, not only had he learned all that
+his father had to teach, but had studied design under Cimabue in
+order to make use of it in sculpture, so that he was reputed the best
+architect in Tuscany. Thus not only did the Florentines found, under
+his direction, the last circuit of the walls of their city in the
+year 1284, but they also built, after his design, the loggia and
+pillars of Or San Michele, where grain is sold, constructing it of
+brick with a simple roof above. It was also in conformity with his
+advice that when the cliff of the Magnoli fell, on the slope of S,
+Giorgio above S. Lucia in the via dei Bardi, a public decree was
+issued the same year that no walls or edifices should ever more be
+erected in that place seeing that they would always be in danger
+owing to the undermining of the rock by water. That this is true has
+been seen in our day in the fall of many buildings and fine houses of
+the aristocracy. The year after, 1285, he founded the loggia and
+piazza of the priors, and in the Boedia of Florence he constructed the
+principal chapel and those on either side of it, restoring both the
+church and choir, which had originally been built on a much smaller
+scale by Count Ugo, the founder. For the cardinal Giovanni degli
+Orsini, papal legate in Tuscany, he built the campanile of that
+church, which woo some praise among the works of those times, but it
+did not receive its stone finishing until after the year 1303. His
+next work was the foundation, in  1294, of the church of S, Croce,
+where the friars minors are. Arnolfo designed the nave and side
+aisles of this church on such a large scale that he was unable to
+vault the space under the roof owing to the great distances, so with
+much judgment he made arches from pillar to pillar, and on these he
+placed the roof with stone gutters along the top of the arches to
+carry off the water, inclined at such an angle that the roof should
+be safe, as it is, from the danger of damp. This thing was so novel
+and ingenious that it well deserves the consideration of our day. He
+next prepared plans for the first cloisters of the old convent of
+that church, and shortly after he removed from the outside of the
+church of S. Giovanni all the arches and tombs of marble and stone
+which were there and put a part of them behind the campanile in the
+facade of the Canonical Palace, beside the oratory of S. Zanobi, when
+he proceeded to incrust all the eight sides of the exterior of the
+church with black Prato marble, removing the rough stone which was
+originally used with the antique marbles.
+
+In the meantime the Florentines were desirous of erecting buildings
+in Valdarno above the castle of S. Giovanni and Castelfranco for the
+convenience of the city and for the supply of victuals to their
+markets. Arnolfo prepared the plan for this in the year 1295, and
+gave such general satisfaction, as indeed he had in his other works,
+that he was awarded the citizenship of Florence.
+
+After these things the Florentines took counsel together, as Giovanni
+Villani relates in his History, to build a principal church for their
+city, and to make it so grand and magnificent that nothing larger or
+finer could be desired by the industry and power of man; and thus
+Arnolfo prepared the plans for the church of S. Maria del Fiore, a
+building which it is impossible to praise too highly. He provided
+that the exterior should be entirely incrusted with polished marble,
+with all the cornices, pillars, columns, carvings of leaves, figures,
+and other things which may be seen to-day, and which were brought
+very near completion, although not quite. But the most marvellous
+circumstance of all in this undertaking was the care and judgment
+with which he made the foundations, for in clearing the site, which
+is a very fine one, other small churches and houses about S. Reparata
+were involved beside that edifice itself. He made the foundations of
+this great structure both broad and deep, filling them with good
+materials, such as gravel and lime, with large stones at the bottom,
+so that they have been able without difficulty to bear the weight of
+the  huge dome with which Filippo di Ser Brunellesco vaulted the
+church, as may be seen to-day. The excellence of this initial work
+was such that the place is still called Lungo i Fondamenti (beside
+the foundations). The laying of the foundations and the initiation of
+so great a church was celebrated with much ceremony. The first stone
+was laid on the day of the Nativity of Our Lady 1298 by the cardinal
+legate of the Pope, in the presence not only of many bishops and of
+all the clergy, but also of the podesta, captains, priors, and other
+magistrates of the city, and indeed of all the people of Florence,
+the church being called S. Maria del Fiore. Now, as it was estimated
+that the expenses of this work would be very heavy, as they
+afterwards proved to be, a tax of four deniers the pound was imposed
+at the chamber of the commune on everything exported from the city,
+as well as a tax of two soldi per head yearly. In addition to this,
+the Pope and the legate offered the most liberal indulgences to those
+who would contribute alms towards the work. I must not omit to
+mention, however, that besides the broad foundations of 15 braccia
+deep, buttresses were, with great  foresight, placed at each angle of
+the eight sides, and it was the presence of these which encouraged
+Brunellesco to impose a much greater weight there than Arnolfo had
+originally contemplated.
+
+It is said that when Arnolfo began the two first lateral doors of S.
+Maria del Fiore, he caused some fig leaves to be carved in a frieze,
+which were the armorial bearings of his father Lapo, from which it
+may be inferred that the family of the Lapi, now among the nobility
+of Florence, derives its origin from him. Others say that Filippo di
+Ser Brunellesco was also among the descendants of Arnolfo. But I let
+this pass for what it is worth, and return to Arnolfo, for there are
+some who say that the Lapi originally came from Figaruolo, a castle
+situated at the mouth of the Po. I say that for this magnificent
+achievement he deserved unstinted praise and an immortal renown,
+since he caused the exterior of the building to be incrusted with
+marble of various colours, and the interior with hard stone, making
+even the most insignificant corners of the building of the same
+stone. But, in order that every one may know the proportions of this
+marvellous edifice, I will add that from the doorway to the far end
+of the chapel of St Zanobi the length is 260 braccia, the breadth at
+the transepts is 166 braccia, that of nave and aisles 66. The nave is
+72 braccia high, and the aisles 48. The external circumference of the
+entire church is 1280 braccia; the cupola, from the ground to the
+base of the lantern, is 154 braccia; the lantern, without the ball,
+is 36 braccia high, the ball 4 braccia high, and the cross 8 braccia;
+the entire cupola, from the ground to the top of the cross, is 202
+braccia. But to return to Arnolfo, I say that he was considered so
+excellent, and so much confidence was felt in him, that nothing of
+importance was discussed without his advice being first asked. Thus
+the foundation of the final circuit of the city walls having been
+finished that same year by the community of Florence, the
+commencement of which was referred to above, and also the gate
+towers, and the work being well forward, he began the palace of the
+Signori, making it similar in design to that which his father Lapo
+had erected for the counts of Poppi. But he was unable to realise the
+grand and magnificent conception which he had formed in that
+perfection which his art and judgment required, because a piazza had
+been made by the dismantling and throwing down of the houses of the
+Uberti, rebels against the Florentine people and Ghibellines, and the
+blind prejudice of certain persons prevailed against all the
+arguments brought forward by Arnolfo to such an extent that he could
+not even obtain permission to make the palace square, because the
+rulers of the city were most unwilling to allow the building to have
+its foundations in the land of the Uberti, and they would rather
+suffer the destruction of the south nave of S. Piero Scheraggio than
+give him free scope in the space designated. They were also desirous
+that he should include and adapt to the palace the tower of the
+Fieraboschi, called the Torre della Vacca (Cow Tower), 50 braccia in
+height, in which the great bell was hung, together with some houses
+bought by the commune for such a building. For these reasons it is no
+marvel if the foundations of the palace are awry and out of the
+square, as, in order to get the tower in the middle and to make it
+stronger, he was obliged to surround it with the walls of the palace.
+These were found to be in excellent condition in the year 1561 by
+Giorgio Vasari, painter and architect, when he restored the palace in
+the time of Duke Cosimo, Thus, as Arnolfo filled the tower with good
+materials, it was easy for other masters to erect upon it the lofty
+campanile which we see to-day, since he himself finished no more than
+the palace in the space of two years. It was in later years that the
+building received those improvements to which it owes its present
+grandeur and majesty.
+
+After all these things, and many others not less useful than
+beautiful, Arnolfo died at the age of seventy, in the year 1300,
+about the time when Giovanni Villani began to write the general
+history of his times. And since he left S. Maria del Fiore not only
+with its foundations laid, but saw three principal apses under the
+cupola vaulted in, to his great praise, he deserves the memorial set
+up to him in the church on the side opposite the campanile, with
+these lines carved in the marble in round letters:--
+
+    "Anno millenis centum bis octo nogenis
+     Venit legatus Roma bonitate donatus
+     Qui lapidem fixit fundo, simul et benedixit
+     Praesule Francisco, gestante pontificatum
+     Istud ab Arnolpho templum fuit aedificatum
+     Hoc opus insigne decorans Florentia digne
+     Reginae coeli construxit mente fideli
+     Quam tu, Virgo pia, semper defende, Maria,"
+
+I have written the life of Arnolfo with the greatest possible brevity
+because, although his works do not nearly approach the perfection of
+those of the present time, yet he none the less deserves to be
+remembered with affection, since, in the midst of so great darkness,
+he pointed out the road to perfection to those who came after him.
+The portrait of Arnolfo, by the hand of Giotto, may be seen in S.
+Croce, next to the principal chapel, where the friars are mourning
+the death of St Francis. He is represented in the foreground as one
+of the two men who are talking together. A representation of the
+exterior of the church of S. Maria del Fiore, with the dome, by the
+hand of Simon of Siena, may be seen in the chapter-house of S. Maria
+Novella. It was taken from the actual model of wood which Arnolfo
+made. From this representation it is clear that Arnolfo proposed to
+begin to vault his space, starting immediately above the first
+cornice, whilst Filippo di Ser Brunellesco, desiring to lighten the
+weight and make the appearance of the structure more graceful, added
+above this the whole of the space which contains the round windows
+before he began his vaulting. This matter would be even more obvious
+than it is had not the negligence and carelessness of those who had
+charge of the works of S. Maria del Fiore in past years allowed
+Arnolfo's own model, as well as those of Brunellesco and others, to
+be lost.
+
+
+
+
+Niccola and Giovanni Pisani, Sculptors and Architects.
+
+
+Having discussed the arts of design and painting in dealing with
+Cimabue, and that of architecture in the life of Arnolfo Lapo, we now
+propose to treat of sculpture, and of the very important
+architectural works of Niccola and Giovanni Pisani. Their
+achievements in both sculpture and architecture are alike remarkable
+for the manner in which they have been conceived as well as for the
+style in which they are executed, since to a great extent they
+emancipated themselves from the clumsy  and ill-proportioned
+Byzantine style in both arts, showing more originality in the
+treatment of their subjects and arranging their figures in better
+postures.
+
+Niccola Pisani was originally associated with some  Greek sculptors
+who were engaged upon the figures and other ornaments in relief for
+the Duomo at Pisa and the church of San Giovanni there. Among the
+spoils brought home by the Pisan fleet was a very fine sarcophagus
+on which was an admirable representation of the chase of Meleager,
+hunting the Calydonian boar. Both the nude and the draped figures of
+this composition are executed with much skill, while the design is
+perfect. This sarcophagus, on account of its beauty, was afterwards
+placed by the Pisans in the facade of the Duomo opposite S, Rocco,
+against the principal door on that side. It originally served as a
+tombstone for the mother of the Countess Matilda, if we may credit
+the inscription cut in the marble:
+
+_Anno Domini MCXVI. Kal. Aug. obiit D. Matilda felisis memoriae
+comitissa, quae pro anima genetricis suae D. Beatricis comitissae
+venerabilis in hoc tumba honorabili quiescsnts in multis partis
+mirificc hanc dotavit ecclesiam, quarum animae requiescent in pace_.
+
+And then follows:
+
+_Anno Domini MCCCIII. sub dignissimo optrario Burgundio Tadi
+occasione graduum fiendorum per ipsum circa ecclesiam supradictam
+tumba superius notata bis trantlata fuit, nunc de sedibus primis in
+ecclesiam, nunc de ecclesia in hunc locum, ut cernitis eccelentem_.
+
+Niccola, considering the excellence of this work, which greatly
+delighted him, applied such diligence in imitating that style,
+studying carefully both the sarcophagus and other excellent
+sculptures on other antique sarcophagi, that before long he was
+considered the best sculptor of his time. There was indeed, after
+Arnolfo, no other sculptor of repute in Tuscany except Fuccio, a
+Florentine architect and sculptor. Fuccio designed S. Maria sopra
+Arno at Florence in 1229, putting his name over the door. The marble
+tomb of the queen of Cyprus in the church of St Francis of Assisi is
+also his work. It contains a number of figures, the principal one
+being the queen herself, seated on a lion, as emblematical of her
+strength of mind. She had bequeathed a large sum of money for the
+completion of these works.
+
+Niccola having proved himself a much greater master than Fuccio, was
+summoned to Bologna in 1225 to make a marble tomb for St Domenic
+Calagora, founder of the order of the Friars Preachers, then
+recently deceased. Having, arranged with those who had charge of the
+work, he designed a  tomb  full  of figures, as may be seen at this
+day. The task was completed in 1231, and the finished tomb was
+greatly praised, it being considered a remarkable work, and the best
+piece of sculpture executed up to that time. He further made plans
+for the church there and for a great part of the convent. On
+returning to Tuscany, he learned that Fuccio had set out from
+Florence and was gone to Rome, at the time when the Emperor Frederick
+was crowned there by Honorius. From Rome Fuccio accompanied Frederick
+to Naples, where he finished the castle of Capoana, now called "la
+Vicheria," where all the courts of that kingdom are held. He also
+completed the Castel del' Uovo, founding the towers, made the gate on
+the side of the River Volturno at Capua, constructed a park near
+Gravina for fowling, enclosing it by a wall, and made another at
+Amalfi for winter hunting, besides many other things which are
+omitted for the sake of brevity.
+
+Meanwhile Niccola was staying at Florence, obtaining practice not
+only in sculpture but also in architecture by means of the works
+which were in progress throughout Italy, but especially in Tuscany,
+with some amount of good design. Thus he contributed not a little to
+the abbey of Settimo, left unfinished by the executors of Count Hugh
+of Brandenburg, as the other six had been, as we have noticed above.
+For although an inscription on the campanile of the abbey reads
+"_Gugliel me fecit_" yet it is clear from the style of the work that
+it was carried out under the control of Niccola. At the same time he
+was building  the  old  palace of the _anziani_ at Pisa. This
+building  has  been dismantled at the present time by Duke Casino,
+who has used a part of the old edifice for the erection of the
+magnificent palace and convent of the new order of the knights of St
+Stephen, after the designs  of Giorgio Vasari, Aretine painter and
+architect, who has done his best with the old walls, to adapt them to
+the modern style. Niccola designed many other palaces and churches at
+Pisa, and he was the first, after the loss of good methods of
+construction, who introduced the founding of buildings at Pisa upon
+pillars connected by arches, first driving piles in under the
+pillars. This method renders the building absolutely secure, as is
+shown by experience, whereas without the piles, the foundations are
+liable to give way, causing the walls to fall down. The church of S.
+Michele in Borgo of the monks of Gamaldoli was also built after his
+plans. But the most beautiful, ingenious and fanciful piece of
+architecture that Niccola ever constructed was the campanile of S.
+Niccola at Pisa, where the friars of St Augustine are. Outside it is
+octagonal, but the interior is round with a winding staircase rising
+to the top leaving the middle space void like a well, while on every
+fourth step there are columns with lame arches, which follow the
+curve of the building. The spring of the vaulting rests upon these
+arches, and the ascent is of such sort that anyone on the  ground
+always sees those who are going up, those who are at  the top see
+those who are on the ground, while those who are in the middle see
+both those who are above and those below. This curious invention was
+afterwards adopted by Bramante in a better style with more balanced
+measurements and richer ornamentation, for Pope Julius II. in the
+Belvedere at Rome, and by Antonio da Sangallo for Pope Clement VII.
+in the well at Orvieto, as will be said when the time comes.
+
+To return to Niccola who excelled no less as a sculptor than as an
+architect. For the church of S. Martino at Lucca he executed a
+deposition from the Cross, which is under the portico above the minor
+doorway on the left hand as one enters the church. It is executed in
+marble, and is full of figures in half relief, carried out with great
+care, the marble being pierced through, and the whole finished in
+such style as to give rise to hopes in those who first practised this
+art with the most severe labour, that one would soon come who would
+give them more assistance with greater ease. It was Niccola also who
+in the year 1240 designed the church of S. Jacopo at Pistoia, and set
+some Tuscan masters to work there in mosaic, who did the vaulting of
+the apse. But although it was considered a difficult and costly thing
+at the time, it rather moves one to laughter and compassion to-day,
+and not to admiration, oh account of the poorness of the design, a
+defect which was prevalent not only in Tuscany, but throughout Italy,
+where the number of buildings and other things erected without method
+and without design betray the poverty of their minds no less than the
+bountiful riches lavished on them by the men of their day; a wasteful
+expenditure of wealth, because there was no masters capable of
+executing in a good style the things which they made for them. Now
+Niccola was steadily increasing his renown in both sculpture and
+architecture, and was of greater account than the sculptors and
+architects who were then at work in the Romagna, as one may see in
+S. Ippolito and S. Giovanni at Faenza, in the Duomo of Ravenna, in
+S. Francesco, in the houses of the Traversari, and in the church of
+Prato, and at Rimini, in the public palace, in the houses of the
+Malatesti, and in other buildings which are much worse than the old
+buildings erected in Tuscany at the same time; and what is here said
+of the Romagna, may be repeated with even more truth of a part of
+Lombardy. It is only necessary to see the Duomo of Ferrara and the
+other buildings erected for the Marquis Azzo, to perceive at once how
+different they are from the Santo of Padua, built from Niccola's
+model, and from the church of the friars minors at Venice, both of
+them magnificent and famous buildings.
+
+In Niccola's day there were many moved by a laudable spirit of
+emulation, who applied themselves more diligently to sculpture than
+they had done before, especially in Milan, where many Lombards and
+Germans were gathered for the building of the Duomo. These were
+afterwards scattered throughout Italy by the dissensions which arose
+between the Milanese and the Emperor Frederick. They then began to
+compete among themselves, both in carving marble and in erecting
+buildings, and produced works of some amount of excellence. The same
+thing happened in Florence after the works of Arnolfo and Niccola
+were seen. The latter, while the little church of the Misericordia on
+the piazza S. Giovanni was being built after his designs, carved a
+marble statue of Our Lady with St Domenic and another saint on either
+side, which may still be seen on the facade of that church. It was
+also in Niccola's time that the Florentines began to demolish many
+towers, erected previously in a rude style in order that the people
+should suffer less by their means in the frequent collisions between
+the Guelphs and Ghibellines, or for the greater security of the
+commonweal. One of these, the tower of Guardamorto, situated on the
+piazza S; Giovanni, presented unusual difficulty to those who wished
+to destroy it because the walls were so well knit that the stones
+could not be removed with the pickaxe, and also because the tower was
+a very high one. Niccola, however, caused a piece to be cut out of
+one of the sides of the tower and closed the gap with wooden
+supports, a braccia and a half long, he then set fire to the props,
+and so soon as these were consumed the tower fell down and was
+totally destroyed. The idea seemed so ingenious and so well adapted
+for such emergencies, that it afterwards came into general use, so
+that whenever it was necessary to destroy a building, the task was
+speedily accomplished in this most facile manner.
+
+Niccola was present when the foundations of the Duomo of Siena were
+laid, and he designed the Church of S. Giovanni in that city. He went
+back to Florence in the year of the return of the Guelphs, and
+designed the church of S. Trinita, and the women's convent at Faenza,
+pulled down in  recent years to make the citadel. Being subsequently
+summoned to Naples, and not wishing to abandon his enterprises in
+Tuscany, he sent thither his pupil Maglione, sculptor and architect,
+who in the time of Conrad afterwards built the church of S. Lorenzo
+at Naples, finished a part of the Vescorado, and made some tombs
+there, in which he closely imitated the manner of his master,
+Niccola. In the meantime Niccola went to Volterra, in the year that
+the people of that place came under the dominion of the Florentines
+(1254), in response to a summons, because they wished him to enlarge
+their Duomo, which was small; and although it was very irregular, he
+improved its appearance, and made it more magnificent than it was
+originally. Then at length he returned to Pisa and made the marble
+pulpit of S. Giovanni, devoting all his skill to it, so that he might
+leave a memory of himself in his native place. Among other things in
+it he carved the Last Judgment, filling it with a number of figures,
+and if they are not perfectly designed they are at any rate executed
+with patience and diligence, as may be seen; and because he
+considered that he had completed a work which was worthy of praise,
+as indeed he had, he carved the following lines at the foot:
+
+     "Anno milleno bis centum bisque trideno.
+      Hoc opus insigne sculpsit Nicola Pisanus."
+
+The people of Siena, moved by the fame of this work, which greatly
+delighted not only the Pisans, but whoever saw it, assigned to
+Niccola the task of making for their Duomo the pulpit from which the
+gospel is sung, at the time when Guglielmo Mariscotti was praetor. In
+this Niccola introduced a number of subjects from the life of Jesus
+Christ, especially remarkable for the figures which they contain,
+which stand out in high relief, all but severed from the background,
+a work of great difficulty. He likewise designed the church and
+convent of S. Domenico at Arezzo, for the lords of Pietramela who
+built it, and at the request of the bishop Ubertini he restored the
+Pieve of Cortona, and founded the church of S. Margherita for the
+friars of St Francis, on the highest ground in that city. The fame of
+Niccola was continually on the increase, owing to these works, so
+that in 1267 he was invited by Pope Clement IV. to Viterbo, where,
+among many other things he restored the church and convent of the
+Friars Preachers. From Viterbo he went to Naples to King Charles, who
+having defeated and slain Curradino on the plain of Tagliacozzo,
+founded a wealthy church and abbey on the spot, for the burial-place
+of the large number of men who had fallen on that day, ordaining that
+prayers should be offered for their souls both day and night by many
+monks. King Charles was so delighted with the work of Niccola in this
+building that he loaded him with honours and rewards. On the way back
+from Naples to Tuscany Niccola stayed to take part in the building of
+S. Maria at Orvieto, where he worked in the company of some Germans,
+making figures in high relief in marble for the front of that church,
+and more particularly a Last Judgment, comprising both Paradise and
+Hell; and as he took the greatest pains to render the souls of the
+blessed in Paradise as beautifully as he possibly could, so he
+introduced into his Hell the most fantastic shape of devils
+imaginable, all intent on tormenting the souls of the damned. In this
+work not only did he surpass the Germans who were working there, but
+even himself, to his great glory, and  because he introduced a great
+number of figures and spared no pains, it has been praised even to
+our own day by those whose judgment does not extend beyond such
+circumstances.
+
+Among other children Niccola had a son called Giovanni, who was
+always with his father, and under his care learned both sculpture and
+architecture, so that in the course of a few years he became not only
+the equal of his father, but his superior in some things. Thus, as
+Niccola was already old, he withdrew to Pisa and lived quietly there,
+leaving the control of everything to his son. At the death in Perugia
+of Pope Urban IV., Giovanni was sent for to make the tomb, which he
+executed in marble; but it was afterwards thrown down, together with
+that of Pope Martin IV., when the Perugians enlarged their Vescovado,
+so that only a few remains may be seen to-day dispersed about the
+church. At the same time the Perugians, thanks to the skill and
+industry of a friar of the Silvestrini, had brought to their city
+from the hill of Pacciano, two miles away, an abundance of water. The
+ornamentation of the fountain in both bronze and marble was entrusted
+to Giovanni, so that he thereupon set his hand to the work, making
+three basins, one above the other, two in marble and one in bronze.
+The first is placed at the top of a flight of steps of twelve faces,
+the second rests on some pillars which rise from the centre of the
+first, while the third, which is of bronze, is supported by three
+figures; and in the middle are griffins, also of bronze, which throw
+out water on every side. And as Giovanni considered that he had
+executed an excellent piece of work, he put his name to it. The
+arches and conduits of this fountain, which cost 160,000 gold ducats,
+were found to be very much worn and broken about the year 1560, but
+Vincenzio Danti, sculptor of Perugia, contrived a means, to his great
+glory, of bringing water to the fountain in the original way, without
+rebuilding the arches, which would have been very costly. When the
+work was finished Giovanni felt anxious to return to see his old
+father, who was sick, and he set out from Perugia intending to return
+to Pisa; but on his way through Florence he was compelled to stay
+there, to assist with others at the mills of the Arno, which were
+being made at S. Gregorio, near the piazza dei Mozzi. But at length
+receiving word that his father Niccola was dead, he departed for
+Pisa, where he was received with great honour by all the city, on
+account of his worth, since everyone rejoiced that although Niccola
+was lost to them, yet they still possessed Giovanni, who inherited
+his father's ability as well as his property. Nor were they deceived
+in him when the time of testing arrived, for when it was necessary to
+do some few things for the tiny but highly-ornate church of S. Maria
+della Spina, the task was entrusted to Giovanni. He therefore put his
+hand to the work and brought the ornamentation of that oratory to the
+state of perfection which it possesses to-day, the more so as he
+introduced the portrait of Niccola, taken from life, executed to the
+best of his ability. When the Pisans had seen this they decided to
+entrust him the construction of the Campo Santo, which is against the
+piazza del Duomo towards the walls, as they had long desired and
+talked of having a place for the burial of all their dead, both
+gentle and simple, so that the Duomo should not be filled with tombs,
+or for other reasons. Thus Giovanni with good designs and great
+judgment erected the building as we now see it, in style, size, and
+marble ornamentation, and as no expense was spared, it was roofed
+with lead. On the outside of the principle entrance may be read
+these words, carved in the marble:
+
+    "A.D. MCCLXXVIII. tempore Domini Federigi archiepiscopi
+    Pisani, et Domini Terlati potestatis operario Orlando Sardella,
+    Johanne magistro aedificante."
+
+In the completion of this work, 1283, Giovanni went to Naples, where
+he erected the Castel Nuovo for King Charles; and in order to enlarge
+it and add to its strength, he was compelled to pull down a number of
+houses and churches, among them a convent of the friars of St
+Francis, which was afterwards rebuilt on a larger and grander scale
+at some distance from the castle, with the title of S. Maria della
+Nuova. After these building had been set on foot and were well
+advanced, Giovanni left Naples to return to Tuscany, but when he
+reached Siena he was not allowed to go farther, but was induced to
+design the facade of the Duomo of that city, which was subsequently
+erected from his plans in a very rich and magnificent style. In the
+following year, 1286, while the bishop's palace at Arezzo was being
+built from the design of Margaritone, architect of Arezzo, Giovanni
+was fetched from Sienna to that city by Guglielmo Ubertini, the
+bishop there. He there executed in marble the table of the high
+altar, full of figures cut in relief of leaves and other ornaments,
+dividing the work into compartments by fine mosaics and enamels on
+silver plates, fixed into the marble with great care. In the midst is
+Our Lady with the child at her neck, and on one side of her is St
+Gregory the Pope (which is a portrait of Pope Honorius IV. drawn from
+life), and on the other side St Donato, the bishop and protector of
+that city, whose body, with those of St Antilia and other saints,
+rest under that same altar. And as the altar stands out by itself,
+the sides are decorated with small representations in bas-relief from
+the life of St Donato, and the work is crowned with a series of
+niches, full of marble figures in relief, of exquisite workmanship.
+On the Madonna's breast is an ornament shaped like a gold casket,
+containing, if report be true, jewels of great value, although it is
+believed that they, as well as some other small figures on the top
+and about the work, were taken away by the soldiers, who do not often
+respect the even most Holy Sacrament. On these works the Aretines
+expended 30,000 florins, as is found in some records. Nor does this
+appear impossible, because at that time it was considered to be a
+thing of the most precious and rare description, so that when
+Frederick Barbarossa returned from his coronation at Rome, and was
+passing through Arezzo many years after its completion, he praised
+and admired it infinitely, and indeed with good cause, since the
+joints are constructed of tiny pieces so excellently welded
+together, that to an inexperienced eye, the whole work seems to be
+made in one piece. In the same church Giovanni made the chapel of the
+Ubertini, a noble family, and lords of a castle, as they still are,
+though they were formerly of greater estate. He adorned this with
+many marble ornaments, which are to-day covered over by many large
+ornaments of stone, placed there in the year 1535, after plans by
+Giorgio Vasari, for the support of an organ of extraordinary
+excellence and beauty which rests upon them. Giovanni Pisano also
+designed the church of S. Maria dei Servi, which has been destroyed
+in our day, together with many palaces of the noblest families of the
+city, for the reasons mentioned above. I must not omit to note that
+in the construction of the marble altar Giovanni was assisted by some
+Germans, who associated with him, rather for the sake of learning the
+art, than for gain, and who profited so much by his instruction, that
+when they went to Rome, after the completion of that work, they
+served Pope Boniface VIII. in many works of sculpture executed for St
+Peter's, and also in architecture, when he made Civita Castellana.
+They were, moreover, sent by that Pope to S. Maria at Orvieto, where
+they made a number of marble figures for the facade of the church,
+which were very tolerable for those times. But among the others who
+assisted Giovanni in his undertakings for the Vescovado at Arezzo,
+were Agostino and Agnolo, sculptors and architects of Siena, who far
+surpassed all the others, as will be said in the proper place. But
+to return to Giovanni. When he left Orvieto he came to Florence to
+see Arnolfo's building of S. Maria del Fiore, and also to see Giotto,
+of whom he had heard a great deal elsewhere; but no sooner had he
+arrived in Florence than he was appointed by the intendants of the
+fabric of S. Maria del Fiore to make the Madonna, which stands
+between two small angels above the door of that church, which leads
+into the canons' quarters, a work much praised at the time. He next
+made the small font for S. Giovanni, containing representations from
+the life of that saint in half-relief. Proceeding thence to Bologna
+he directed the construction of the principal chapel of the church of
+St Domenico, in which he was also commissioned to make the marble
+altar by Teodorico Borgognoni of Lucca, then bishop, a friar of that
+order. Later on (1298), in the same place, he made the marble table
+in which are Our Lady and eight other figures, all of very tolerable
+workmanship. In the year 1300, when Niccola da Prato was at Florence
+as cardinal legate of the Pope, for the purpose of settling the
+discords among the Florentines, he caused Giovanni to build a nunnery
+for him at Prato, which was called S. Niccola after him, and in the
+same district he made him restore the convent of S. Domenico, as well
+as that of Pistoia, in both of which the arms of that cardinal may
+still be seen. And since the Pistolese held the name of Niccola,
+Giovanni's father, in great respect, because he had displayed his
+talents in that city, they commissioned Giovanni to make a marble
+pulpit for the church of S. Andrea, similar to that which he had made
+for the Duomo of Siena, and in competition with one which had been
+made shortly before for the church of S. Giovanni Evangelista by a
+German, which had been much praised. Giovanni finished his task in
+four years, dividing the work into four subjects from the life of
+Jesus Christ, and further introducing a Last Judgment, working with
+the utmost diligence in order to equal, and perhaps surpass, that
+celebrated pulpit of Orvieto. About the pulpit above some columns
+which support it and in the architrave he carved the following lines,
+since he thought that he had completed a great and beautiful work, as
+indeed he had, considering the attainments of the age:
+
+     Hoc opus sculpsit Johannes, qui res non egit inanes.
+     Nicoli natus . . . meliora beatus
+     Quam genuit Pisa, doctum super omnia visa.
+
+At the same time Giovanni made the holy water vessel in marble for
+the same church of S. Giovanni Evangelista, borne by three figures,
+Temperance, Prudence and Justice, and as it was then considered a
+work of great beauty, it was placed in the middle of the church as a
+remarkable object. Before he left Pistoia he made the model for the
+campanile of S. Jacopo, the principal church of the city, although
+the work was not then begun. The tower is situated beside the church
+in the piazza of S. Jacopo, and bears the date A.D. 1301. On the
+death of Pope Benedict IX. at. Perugia, Giovanni was sent for to make
+his tomb, which he executed in marble in the old church of S.
+Domenico of the Friars Preachers, placing the Pope's effigy, taken
+from life, and in his pontifical habit, upon the sarcophagus with two
+angels holding a curtain, one on either side, and Our Lady above,
+between two saints, executed in relief, as well as many other
+ornaments carved on the tomb. Similarly in the new church of the same
+order he made the tomb of M. Niccolo Guidalotti of Perugia, bishop of
+Recanati, who was the founder of the new University of Perugia. In
+this same new church, which had been previously founded by others, he
+directed the construction of the principal nave, and this part of the
+building was much more securely founded than the rest, which leans
+over to one side, and threatens to fall down, owing to the faulty
+laying of the foundations. And in truth he who undertakes to build or
+perform any things of importance ought always to take the advice, not
+of those who know little, but of those most competent to help him, so
+that he may not afterwards have to repent with loss and shame that he
+was ill-directed when he was in most need of assistance.
+
+When he had completed his labours in Perugia, Giovanni wished to go
+to Rome to learn from the few antique things there, as his father had
+done, but being hindered by good reasons, he was never able to fulfil
+his desire, chiefly because he heard that the court had just gone to
+Avignon. So he returned to Pisa, where Nello di Giovanni Falconi,
+craftsman, entrusted to him the great pulpit of the Duomo, which is
+fixed to the choir on the right hand side as one approaches the high
+altar. He set to work on this, and on a number of figures in full
+relief, three braccia high, which he intended to use for it, and
+little by little he brought it to its present form, resting in part
+on the said figures and in part upon lions, while on the sides he
+represented scenes from the life of Jesus Christ. It is truly a sin
+that so much money, such diligence and labour should not be
+accompanied by good design, and that it should lack that perfection,
+invention, grace, and good style which any work of our own day would
+possess, even were it executed at much less cost and with less
+difficulty. Yet it must have excited no small admiration among the
+men of the time, who had only been accustomed to see the rudest
+productions. It was finished in the year 1320, as appears in certain
+lines which run round the pulpit and read thus:
+
+      "Laudo Deum verum, per quem sunt optima rerum
+       Qui dedit has puras homini formate figuras;
+       Hoc opus, his annis Domini sculpsere Johannis
+       Arte manus sole quandam, natique Nicole.
+       Cursis undenis tercentum milleque plenis."
+
+There are thirteen other lines, which I do not write here, because I
+do not wish to weary the reader, and because these are sufficient to
+show not only that the pulpit is by the hand of Giovanni, but that
+the men of that time were alike in their shortcomings. A Madonna
+between St John the Baptist and another saint may be seen over the
+principal of the door of the Duomo; it is in marble, and by the hand
+of Giovanni, and the figure kneeling at her feet is said to be Piero
+Gambacorti, the warden. However this may be, the following words are
+cut in the pedestal, on which the image of Our Lady stands:
+
+      "Sub Petri cura haec pia fuit scutpta figura
+       Nicoli nato sculptore Johanne vocato."
+
+Moreover there is another marble Madonna, by Giovanni, over the side
+door, which is opposite the campanile, while on one side of her kneel
+a lady and two children, representing Pisa, and on the other side the
+Emperor Henry. On the base are these words:
+
+       Ave gratia plena, Dominus teum,
+
+and then--
+
+       Nobilis arte manus sculpsit Johannes Pisanus
+       Sculpsit sub Burgundio Tadi benigno.
+
+And about the base of Pisa:
+
+       Virginis ancilla sum Pisa quieta sub illa,
+
+and about the base of Henry:
+
+       Imperat Henricus qui Cliristo fertur amicus.
+
+In the old Pieve at Prato, beneath the altar of the principal chapel,
+was preserved for many years the girdle of Our Lady, which Michele da
+Prato had brought back with him from the Holy Land, and had deposited
+it with Uberto, provost of the church, who laid it in the said place,
+where it was always held in great veneration. In the year 1312 an
+attempt to steal it was made by a native of Prato, a man of a most
+evil life, another Ser Ciappelletto, but he was discovered and put to
+death for sacrilege. Moved by this deed, the people of Prato proposed
+to make a strong and suitable receptacle in which the girdle should
+be kept with greater security, and sent for Giovanni, who was now an
+old man. Acting upon his advice, they constructed the chapel in the
+principal church, where Our Lady's girdle now reposes. They then
+greatly increased their church also from his plans, and incrusted
+both the church and the campanile with white and black marble on the
+outside, as may be seen. At length Giovanni died at a ripe old age in
+the year 1320, after having completed many works in sculpture and
+architecture besides those which are mentioned here. And in truth a
+great debt is due to him and to Niccola his father, since in an age
+which lacked every element of good design, in the midst of all the
+darkness they threw so much light on those arts in which they were
+really excellent.
+
+Giovanni was honourably buried in the Campo Santo, in the same tomb
+in which his father Niccola was laid. Many disciples of his
+flourished after him, but especially Lino, sculptor and architect of
+Siena, who made the chapel which contains the body of St Ranieri in
+the Duomo of Pisa, richly decorated with marble; and also the
+baptismal font of that cathedral which bears his name. Let no one
+marvel that Niccola and Giovanni executed so many works, for besides
+the fact that they lived to a good age, they were the foremost
+masters in Europe of their time, so that nothing of importance was
+undertaken without their taking part in it, as may be seen in many
+inscriptions besides those which have been quoted. Whilst speaking of
+these two sculptors and architects, I have often referred to Pisa, so
+that I do not hesitate at this stage to quote some words written on
+the pedestal of a vase mounted on a column of porphyry and supported
+by a lion, which is situated on the steps of the new hospital there.
+They are as follows:
+
+"This is the talent which the Emperor Caeesar gave to Pisa, to the
+intent that the tribute which they rendered to him should be
+regulated thereby. The talent was set upon this column and lion in
+the time of Giovanni Rosso, master of the work of S. Maria Maggiore,
+Pisa, A.D. MCCCXIII., the second Indiction, in March."
+
+
+
+
+Andrea Tafi, Florentine Painter.
+
+
+Just as the works of Cimabue excited no small amount of wonder in the
+men of that time, since he introduced a better design and form into
+the art of painting, whereas they had only been accustomed to  see
+things executed on the Byzantine style, so the mosaics of Andrea
+Tafi, who was a contemporary, were much admired and even considered
+divine, for the people of that day, who had not been used to see
+anything different did not think that it was possible to produce
+better works in that art. But in truth, as he was not the most
+capable man in the world, and having reflected that working in mosaic
+was more valued on account of its greater durability, be left
+Florence for Venice, where some Greek painters were working in mosaic
+at S. Marco. There he formed a close intimacy with them, and by dint
+of persuasion, money, and promises he at length contrived to bring to
+Florence Master Apollonio, a Greek painter, who taught him how to
+bake the glass of the mosaic, and how to make the cement in which to
+fix it. With him Andrea worked at the tribune of S. Giovanni, doing
+the upper part which contains the Dominions, Principalities, and
+Powers. Afterwards when he had gained more experience, he did the
+Christ which is in the same church above the principal chapel as will
+be related below. But as I have mentioned S. Giovanni, I will take
+this opportunity of saying that that ancient sanctuary is incrusted
+both within and without with marbles of the Corinthian order, and not
+only is it perfectly proportioned and finished in all its parts, but
+most beautifully adorned with doors and windows. Each face is
+supplied with two columns of granite, 11 braccia high, forming three
+compartments, above which are the architraves, which rest on the
+columns, to carry the whole weight of the double roof, which is
+praised by modern architects as a remarkable thing, and justly,
+because this church helped to demonstrate to Filippo di Ser
+Brunellesco, Donatello, and the  other masters of their time what
+possibilities there were in that art. They all studied architecture
+from this building and  from the church of S. Apostolo at Florence, a
+work of such a good style that it approaches the true antique, since,
+as I have said before, all the columns are measured and arranged with
+such care that much may be learned from a careful examination of the
+entire structure. But I will refrain from saying more about the good
+architecture of this church, though much might be added to what
+precedes, and  I will content myself by saying that those who rebuilt
+the marble facade of the church of S. Miniato del Monte, deviated
+widely from this model and from this excellent style. This work was
+carried out in honour of the conversion of the blessed Giovanni
+Gualberto, citizen of Florence and founder of the congregation of the
+monks of Vallombrosa, because these and many other works erected
+afterwards are not to be compared for excellence to those two
+buildings. The art of sculpture experienced a similar fate because
+all the masters of the time who were then working in Italy, as has
+been said in the preface to the lives, were very rude. This may be
+seen in many places, but especially in S. Bartolommeo of the regular
+canons at Pistoia where there is a pulpit very rudely executed by
+Guido da Como, containing the beginning of the life of Jesus Christ,
+with these words inscribed there by the artist himself in the year
+1199:
+
+      "Sculptor laudatur, quod doctus in arte probatur,
+       Guido da Como me cunctis carmine promo."
+
+But to return to S. Giovanni, I pass by the history of its foundation
+because that has been written by Giovanni Villani and other authors,
+and, as I have already remarked that the good architecture in use
+to-day is derived from that building, I will now add that, to judge
+by appearances, the tribune is of a later date. At the time when
+Alesso Baldovinetti, succeeding the Florentine painter Lippo,
+repaired the mosaics it appeared as if it had anciently been painted
+in red, the designs being executed on the stucco. Now Andrea Tafi and
+Apollonius the Greek, in their scheme for the decoration of the
+tribune, divided it into compartments. Starting from the top of the
+vault next to the lantern these became gradually larger until they
+reached the cornice below. The upper part is divided into rings
+representing various subjects. The first contains all the ministers
+and performers of the Divine will, such as the Angels, Archangels,
+Cherubim, Seraphim, Dominions, Principalities, Powers. The second, in
+which the mosaics are executed in the Byzantine style, are the
+principal acts of God from the creation of light to the flood. The
+circle underneath this which descends with increased space to the
+eight faces of the tribune contains the history of Joseph and his
+twelve brethren. These are followed by other spaces of the same size
+and a like situation containing the life of Jesus Christ in mosaic
+from the Conception of Mary to the Ascension. Next, following the
+same order, under the three friezes, is the life of St John the
+Baptist, beginning with the apparition of the angel to Zacharias the
+priest and continuing to John's beheading and the burial of his body
+by the disciples. All these things are rude, without design and
+without art, and they are no advance upon the Byzantine style of the
+time so that I cannot praise them absolutely, though they merit some
+commendation, when one considers the methods in use at the time and
+the imperfect state in which pictorial art then was. Besides, the
+work is sound and the pieces of mosaic are very well set. In short,
+the latter part of the work is much better or rather less bad than is
+the beginning, although the whole, when compared with the works
+of to-day rather excites laughter than pleasure or admiration.
+Ultimately Andrea made the Christ, 7 braccia high, for the tribune on
+the wall of the principal chapel, which may be seen there to-day, and
+this he did by himself without the aid of Apollonio, to his great
+glory. Having become famous throughout Italy by these works and being
+reputed excellent in his own land, he received the richest honours
+and rewards. It was certainly a great good fortune for Andrea to be
+born at a time when only rude works were produced, so that things
+which should have been considered of very slight account or even
+worthless, were held in reasonable repute. The same thing happened
+to fra Jacopo da Turrita, of the order of St Francis, who received
+extraordinary rewards for the mosaics which he executed for the
+small choir behind the altar of S. Giovanni, although they deserved
+little praise, and he was afterwards invited to Rome as a great
+master, where he was employed on some works in the chapel of the high
+altar of S. Giovanni Lateram and in that of S. Maria Maggiore. He was
+next invited to Pisa, where he did the Evangelists and other things
+which are in the principal tribune of the Duomo, in the same style as
+the other things which he executed, although he was assisted by
+Andrea Tafi and Gaddo Gaddi. These were finished by Vicino, for
+Jacopo left them in a very imperfect state. The works of these
+masters obtained credit for some time, but when the productions of
+Andrea, Cimabue, and the rest had to bear comparison with those of
+Giotto, as will be said when the time comes, people came to recognise
+in which direction perfection in art lay, for they saw how great a
+difference there was between the first manner of Cimabue and that of
+Giotto in the delineation of figures, a difference equally strongly
+marked in the case of their pupils and imitators. From this time
+others gradually sought to follow in the footsteps of the better
+masters, surpassing each other more and more every day, so that art
+rose from these humble beginnings to that summit of perfection to
+which it has attained to-day. Andrea lived eighty-one years and died
+before Cimabue in 1294. The reputation and honour which he won by his
+mosaics, because it was he who had first brought to Tuscany the
+better manner of executing and who had taught it to the men of that
+province, led to the execution of the excellent works in that art by
+Gaddo Gaddi, Giotto, and the rest, which have brought them fame and
+immortality. After Andrea's death his merits were magnified in the
+following inscription:
+
+    Here lies Andrea, who produced graceful and beautiful works
+    In all Tuscany. Now he has gone.
+    To adorn the realm of the stars.
+
+Buonamico Buffalmacco was a pupil of Andrea, and played many pranks
+on him when a youth. From his master Buonamico had the portraits of
+Pope Celestine IV. and Innocent IV., both of which he afterwards
+introduced in the paintings which he made in S. Paolo a Ripa d'Arno
+at Pisa. Another pupil was Antonio di Andrea Tafi, who may possibly
+have been his son. He was a fair painter, but I have not been able to
+find any works by his hand, and there is nothing beyond a bare
+mention of him in the old book of the company of artists in design.
+
+But Andrea Tafi deserves a high place among the old masters, because,
+although he learned the principles of mosaic from the craftsman whom
+he brought from Venice to Florence, yet he introduced such
+improvements into the art, uniting the pieces with great care, and
+making his surfaces as smooth as a table (a very important thing in
+mosaics), that he prepared the way for Giotto among others, as will
+be said in that artist's life; and not for Giotto alone, but for all
+those who have since practised this branch of pictorial art to our
+own day. Thus it may be asserted with perfect truth that the
+marvellous works in mosaic, which are now being carried out in S.
+Marco, at Venice, owe their origin to Andrea Tafi.
+
+
+
+
+Gaddo Gaddi, Florentine Painter.
+
+
+Gaddo, painter of Florence, who flourished at this same time, showed
+more design in the works which he produced in the Byzantine style,
+and which he executed with great care, than did Andrea Tafi and the
+other painters who preceded him. This was possibly due to his close
+friendship and intercourse with Cimabue, for, whether it was through
+congeniality of disposition or through the goodness of their hearts,
+they became very much attached to each other, and their frequent
+conversations together, and their friendly discussions upon the
+difficulties of the arts, gave rise to many great and beautiful ideas
+in their minds. This came to pass the more readily, because they were
+aided by the quality of the air of Florence, which usually produces
+ingenious and subtle spirits, and which made them strangers to that
+ruggedness and coarseness from which Nature cannot entirely free
+herself even when assisted by the rivalry of the good craftsmen and
+the precepts laid down by them in every age. It is, indeed,
+abundantly clear that, when things have been talked over in a
+friendly way, without any reserve of convention, although this rarely
+happens, they may be brought to a great state of perfection. The same
+remark applies to those who study the sciences; for, by discussing
+difficulties among themselves when they arise, they remove them,
+rendering the path so clear and easy, that the greatest glory may be
+won thereby. But, on the other hand, there are some who, with
+devilish arts, and led by envy and malice, make profession of
+friendship under the guise of truth and affection, give the most
+pernicious advice, so that the arts do not attain to excellence so
+soon as they do where the minds of noble spirits are united by such a
+bond of love as that which drew together Gaddo and Cimabue, and, in
+like manner, Andrea Tafi and Gaddo. It was Andrea who took Gaddo into
+his companionship to finish the mosaics of S. Giovanni. Here Gaddo
+learned so much, that he was able, without assistance, to make the
+prophets, which may be seen round the walls of that sanctuary, in the
+squares under the windows; and, as he executed these unaided and in a
+much improved style, they brought him great renown. Encouraged by
+this, he prepared himself to work alone, and devoted himself
+constantly to the study of the Byzantine style, combined with that of
+Cimabue. By such means, it was not long before he became an excellent
+artist; so that the wardens of S. Maria del Fiore entrusted to him
+the semi-circular space within the building above the principal
+entrance, where he introduced a Coronation of the Virgin, in mosaic.
+Upon its completion, it was pronounced by all the foreign and native
+masters to be the finest work of its kind that had yet been seen in
+Italy, for they recognised that it possessed more design and more
+judgment, and displayed the results of more study, than were to be
+found in all the remaining works in mosaic then in existence in the
+peninsula. Thus, his fame being spread abroad by this work, he was
+summoned to Rome  by Clement V. in the year 1308,--that is to say, in
+the year following the great fire, in which the church and palaces of
+the Lateran were destroyed. There he completed for the Pope some
+works in mosaic, which had been left unfinished by Jacopo da Turrita.
+
+His next work, also in mosaic, was in the church of St Peter's, where
+he executed some things in the principal chapel and for other parts
+of the church; but especially a God the Father, of large size with
+many figures, which he did for the facade. He also assisted in the
+completion of some mosaics on the facade of S. Maria Maggiore,
+somewhat improving the style, and departing slightly from the
+Byzantine manner, which was entirely devoid of merit. On his return
+to Tuscany, he did some work in mosaic for the Tarlati, lords of
+Pietramala, in the old Duomo, outside Arezzo, in a vault entirely
+constructed of spungite. He covered the  middle  part  of this
+building with mosaics; but the church fell down in the time of Bishop
+Gentile  Urbinate, because the old stone vaulting was too heavy for
+it, and it was afterwards  rebuilt in  brick by that bishop. On his
+departure from Arezzo, Gaddo went to Pisa, where he made, for a niche
+in the chapel of the Incoronata in the Duomo, the Ascension of Our
+Lady into Heaven, where Jesus Christ is awaiting her, with a richly
+appareled throne for her seat. This work was executed so well and so
+carefully for the time, that it is in an excellent state of
+preservation to-day. After this, Gaddo returned to Florence,
+intending to rest. Accordingly he amused himself in making some small
+mosaics, some of which are composed of egg-shells, with incredible
+diligence and patience, and a few of them, which are in the church of
+S. Giovanni at Florence, may still be seen. It is related that he
+made two of these for King Robert, but nothing more is known of the
+matter. This much must suffice for the mosaics of Gaddo Gaddi. Of
+pictures he painted a great number, among them that which is on the
+screen of the chapel of the Minerbetti in S. Maria Novella, and many
+others sent to different places in Tuscany. Thus, by producing now
+mosaics and now paintings, he executed many very tolerable works in
+both mediums, which will always assure him good credit and
+reputation. There is a great deal more which I might say about Gaddo,
+but I will pass it over in silence, because the manner of the
+painters of those days cannot be of great assistance to artists; and
+I shall dwell at greater length upon the lives of those who may be of
+some help, because they introduced improvements into the art.
+
+Gaddo lived seventy-three years, and died in 1312. He was honourably
+buried in S. Croce by his son Taddeo. This Taddeo, who had Giotto for
+his godfather, was the only one of all Gaddo's children who became a
+painter, learning the rudiments of the art from his father and the
+rest from Giotto. Besides Taddeo, a Pisan painter named Vicino was
+also a pupil of Gaddo. He did some excellent work in mosaic for the
+great tribune of the Duomo of Pisa, where the following words still
+testify to his authorship:
+
+  "Tempore Domini Johannis Rossi operarii istius ecclesiae, Vicinus
+   pictor incepit et perfecit hanc imaginem B. Mariae, sed Majestatis,
+   et Evangelistae per alios inceptae, ipse complevit et perfecit.
+   Anno Domini 1321. De mense Septembris. Benedictum sit nomen Domini
+   Dei nostri Jesu Christi. Amen."
+
+The portrait of Gaddo, by the hand of Taddeo his son, may be seen in
+the Baroncelli chapel in the church of S. Croce, where he stands by
+the side of Andrea Tafi, in the marriage of the Virgin. In the book,
+which I have mentioned above, there is a miniature by Gaddo, like
+those of Cimabue, and which serves to show his ability as a
+draughtsman.
+
+Now, because an old book from which I have extracted these few
+notices about Gaddo Gaddi, speaks of the building of the church of S.
+Maria Novella in Florence for the Friars Preachers, a truly
+magnificent and imposing structure, I will take this opportunity of
+relating the circumstances of its erection. While St Dominic was at
+Bologna, the place of Ripoli outside Florence was granted to him.
+Accordingly he sent twelve friars thither under the care of the
+blessed Giovanni da Salerno. Not many years after they came to
+Florence, to the church and place of S. Pancrazio, and established
+themselves there. When Dominic himself came to Florence they left it,
+and went to stay in the church of S. Paolo, as he wished them to do.
+Subsequently when the place of S. Maria Novella and all its
+possessions were granted to Blessed Giovanni by the papal legate and
+by the bishop of the city, they entered into possession and began to
+live in that place on the last day of October 1221. But as this
+church was rather small, with a western aspect and the entrance on
+the old piazza, the friars, who had increased in numbers and who were
+in great credit in the city, began to think of enlarging their church
+and convent. So, having collected a great sum of money, and many
+people of the city having promised every assistance, they began the
+construction of a new church on St Luke's day, 1278, when the first
+stone was laid with great ceremony by the Cardinal Latino degli
+Orsini, legate of Pope Nicholas III. to the Florentines. The
+architects of the church were fra Giovanni of Florence, and fra
+Ristoro of Campi, lay brethren of the order, who had restored the
+ponte alia Carraia, and that of S. Trinita, after their destruction
+by the flood of October 1264. The greater part of the land covered by
+the church and convent was given to the friars by the heirs of M.
+Jacopo, de' Tornaquinci knight. The cost, as has been said, was
+defrayed partly by alms, partly by the money of various persons who
+gave assistance readily, but especially by the good offices of friar
+Aldobrandino Cavalcanti, who was, afterwards bishop of Arezzo, and
+who is buried over the gate of the Virgin. Besides other things this
+friar is said to have collected by his industry all the labour and
+materials required for the church. It was completed when fra Jacopo
+Passavanti was prior of the convent, who thus deserved his marble
+tomb which is on the left hand side in front of the principal chapel.
+The church was consecrated by Pope Martin V. in the year 1470, as
+appears by an inscription on marble on a pillar on the right of the
+principal chapel, which runs:
+
+   Anno Domini 1420 die Septembris, Dominus Martinus divina
+   providentia Papa V personaliter hanc ecclesiam consecravit, et
+   magnas indulgentias contulit visitantibus eamdem.
+
+All these things and many more are related in a chronicle of the
+building of this church, which is in the possession of the fathers of
+S. Maria Novella, as well as in the history of Giovanni Villani. I
+did not wish to omit these few particulars, because the church is one
+of the finest and most important in Florence, and also because it
+contains many excellent works of the most famous artists of a later
+time, as will be related hereafter.
+
+
+
+
+Margaritone, Painter, Sculptor and Architect of Arezzo.
+
+
+Among the other painters of old time, in whom the well-deserved
+praise accorded to Cimabue and his pupil Giotto aroused a great deal
+of fear, for their good workmanship in painting was hailed throughout
+Italy, was one Margaritone, painter of Arezzo, who recognised equally
+well with the others who previously occupied the foremost positions
+in painting in that unhappy age, that the work of these two men would
+probably all but obliterate his own reputation. Margaritone was
+considered excellent among the painters of the age who worked in the
+Byzantine style, and he did a number of pictures in tempera at
+Arezzo. He worked in fresco also, painting almost the whole of the
+church of S. Clemente, an abbey of the order of the Camaldolites, but
+these occupied him a long time and cost him much trouble. The church
+is entirely destroyed to-day, together with many other buildings,
+including a strong fortress called S. dementi, because the Duke
+Cosimo de' Medici not only here, but round the whole circuit of the
+city, pulled down many buildings and the old walls which had been
+restored by Guido Petramalesco, a former bishop and lord of the city,
+in order to reconstruct them with curtains and bastions much stronger
+and of less circuit than the former ones had been, and consequently
+more easy to defend with a smaller number of men. Margaritone's
+pictures in this church contained many figures both small and great,
+and although they were executed in the Byzantine style, yet they were
+admitted to show evidence of having been executed with good judgment
+and with love of art, as may be inferred from the works of this
+painter which are still extant in that city. Of these the principal
+is a picture, now in the chapel of the Conception in S. Francesco,
+representing a Madonna with modern ornamentation, which is held in
+great veneration by the friars there. In the same church he did a
+large crucifix, also in the Byzantine style, which is now placed in
+the chapel where the quarters of the superintendent are situated. The
+Saviour is delineated upon the axes of the cross, and Margaritone
+made many such crucifixes in that city. For the nuns of S.
+Margherita he painted a work which is now placed in the transept of
+their church. This is canvas stretched on a panel, containing
+subjects from the life of Our Lady and of St John the Baptist in
+small figures, executed in a much better style, and with more
+diligence and grace than the large ones. This work is noteworthy, not
+only because the little figures in it are so carefully finished that
+they resemble the work of an illuminator, but because it is a
+wonderful thing that a picture on canvas should have lasted three
+hundred years. He did an extraordinary number of pictures for all the
+city, and a St Francis drawn from life at Sargiano, a convent of the
+bare-footed friars. To this he placed his name, because he considered
+that it was more than usually well done. He afterwards made a large
+crucifix in wood, painted in the Byzantine manner, and sent it to
+Florence to M. Farinata degli Uberti, a most famous citizen who, in
+addition to many other notable exploits, had saved his native city
+from imminent danger and ruin. This crucifix is now in S. Croce,
+between the chapel of the Peruzzi and that of the Giugni. In S.
+Domenico, at Arezzo, a church and convent built by the lords of
+Pietramela in the year 1275, as their coat of arms proves, he did
+many things before returning to Rome, where he had already given
+great satisfaction to Pope Urban IV. by doing some things in fresco
+for him in the portico of St Peter's; for although in the Byzantine
+style of the time, they were not without merit. After he had
+finished a St Francis at Ganghereto, a place above Terranuova in the
+Valdarno, he devoted himself to sculpture, as he was of an ambitious
+spirit, and he studied with such diligence that he succeeded much
+better than he had done in painting; for although his first
+sculptures were in the Byzantine style, as may be seen in four
+figures in wood of a Deposition from the Cross in the Pieve, and some
+other figures in relief which are in the chapel of St Francis above
+the baptismal font, yet he adopted a much better manner after he had
+visited Florence and had seen the works of Arnolfo, and of the other
+more celebrated sculptors of the time. In the year 1275 he returned
+to Arezzo in the suite of Pope Gregory, who passed through Florence
+on his journey from Avignon to Rome. Here an opportunity presented
+itself to make himself better known, for the Pope died at Arezzo
+after having given 30,000 scudi to the Commune wherewith to finish
+the building of the Vescovado which had been begun by Master Lapo,
+and had made but little progress. The Aretines therefore ordained
+that the chapel of St Gregory should be made in memory of the Pope in
+the Vescovado, in which Margaritone afterwards placed a picture, and
+in addition that Margaritone should make a marble tomb for the Pope
+in the Vescovado. He set to work upon the task and brought it to such
+a successful completion, introducing the Pope's portrait from life
+both in marble and in painting, that it was considered to be the best
+work which he had ever produced.
+
+Margaritone then set to work to complete the Vescovado, following the
+design of Lapo, and he displayed great activity; but he did not
+complete it, for a few years later, in 1289, war broke out again
+between the Florentines and Aretines, through the fault of Guglielmo
+Ubertini, bishop and lord of Arezzo, aided by the Tarlati of
+Pietramela and by the Pazzi of Val d'Arno, when all the money left by
+the Pope for the building of the Vescovado was expended upon the war,
+while evil befell the leaders, who were routed and slain at
+Campaldino. The Aretines then ordained that the tolls paid by the
+surrounding country, called a _dazio_, should be set aside for the
+use of the building, and this toll has lasted to our own day. To
+return to Margaritone, he seems to have been the first, so far as one
+can judge by his works, who thought it necessary to take precautions,
+when painting on wood, that the joints should be secure, so that no
+cracks or fissures should appear after the completion of the
+painting, and it was his practice to cover the panel completely with
+canvas, fastened on by a strong glue made of shreds of parchment and
+boiled in the fire; he then treated the surface with gypsum, as may
+be seen in many of his own pictures and in those of others. Over the
+gypsum, thus mixed with the glue, he made lines and diadems and other
+rounded ornaments in relief; and it was he who invented the method of
+grounding in bol-ar-moniac, on which he laid gold leaf which he
+afterwards burnished. All these things which had never been seen
+before may be noticed in his works, especially in an antependium in
+the Pieve of Arezzo, which contains scenes from the life of St
+Donate, and also in S. Agnesa and S. Niccolo in the same city.
+
+Margaritone produced many works in his own country which were sent
+out of it, part of which were at Rome in S. Giovanni and in St
+Peter's, and some at S. Caterina at Pisa, where there is a St
+Catherine of his over an altar in the transept, containing many small
+figures in a representation of her life, and also a panel of St
+Francis with many subjects from his life, on a gold ground. In the
+upper church of S. Francesco at Assisi is a crucifix by his hand
+painted in the Byzantine style, on a beam which spans the church. All
+these works were greatly prized by the people of the time, although
+they are not valued to-day, except as being curious on account of
+their age; indeed they could only be considered good in an age when
+art was not at its zenith, as it is to-day. Margaritone also paid
+some attention to architecture, although I have not mentioned any
+things made from his designs because they are of slight importance.
+However, I must not forget to say that he designed the palace of the
+governors of the city of Ancona, as I have found, in 1270, in the
+Byzantine style; and what is more, he carved in sculpture eight
+windows for the facade, each of which has two columns in the middle,
+which support two arches. Over each window is a representation in
+half relief, occupying the space between the arches and the top of
+the window, of an Old Testament subject, carved in a species of stone
+found in the country. Under the windows and on the facade are some
+letters, the purport of which must be conjectured, so badly are they
+done, which give the date and time at which the work was executed.
+The design of the church of S. Ciriaco at Ancona was also by his
+hand. Margaritone died at the age of seventy-seven, regretting, it is
+said, that he had lived long enough to see the changes of the age and
+the honours accorded to the new artists. He was buried in the old
+Duomo of Arezzo, in a tomb of Travertine, which has been destroyed in
+our own time by the demolition of that church. The following epitaph
+was written for him:
+
+       Hic jacet ille bonus pictura Margaritonus,
+       Cui requiem Dominus tradat uhique plus.
+
+Margaritone's portrait was in the old Duomo by the hand of Spinello,
+in the Adoration of the Magi, and was copied by me before the church
+was pulled down.
+
+
+
+
+Giotto, Painter, Sculptor, and Architect of Florence.
+
+
+The debt which painters owe to Nature, which serves continually as an
+example to them, that from her they may select the best and finest
+parts for reproduction and imitation, is due also to the Florentine
+painter, Giotto; because, when the methods and outlines of good
+painting had been buried for so many years under the ruins caused by
+war, he alone, although born in the midst of unskilful artists, was
+able, through God's gift in him, to endow art with a proper form
+after it had been revived in a bad style. Certainly it was nothing
+short of a miracle, in so gross and unskilful an age, that Giotto
+should have worked to such purpose that design of which the men of
+the time had little or no conception, was revived to a vigorous life
+by his means. The birth of this great man took place in the year
+1276, fourteen miles from Florence, in the town of Vespignano, his
+father, who was a simple field labourer, being named Bondone. He
+brought up Giotto as well as his position in life allowed. When the
+boy had attained the age of ten years he exhibited, in all his
+childish ways, an extraordinary quickness and readiness of mind,
+which made him a favourite, not only with his father, but with all
+who knew him, both in the village and beyond it. Bondone then set him
+to watch a few sheep, and while he was following these from place to
+place to find pasture, he was always drawing something from nature or
+representing the fancies which came into his head, with a stone on
+the ground or on sand, so much was he attracted to the art of design
+by his natural inclination. Thus one day when Cimabue was going on
+some business from Florence to Vespignano, he came upon Giotto, who,
+while his sheep were grazing, was drawing one of them from life with
+a pointed piece of stone upon a smooth surface of rock, although he
+had never had any master but nature. Cimabue stopped in amazement at
+the sight, and asked the boy if he would like to come and stay with
+him. Giotto replied he would go willingly if his father would
+consent. Cimabue lost no time in finding Bondone, who joyfully
+consented and allowed his son to accompany Cimabue to Florence.
+After his arrival there, assisted by his natural talent and taught by
+Cimabue, the boy not only equalled his master's style in a short
+time, but became such a good imitator of nature that he entirely
+abandoned the rude Byzantine manner and revived the modern and good
+style of painting, introducing the practice of making good portraits
+of living persons, a thing which had not been in use for more than
+two hundred years. And although there were some few portraits made in
+this manner, as has been said above, yet they had not been very
+successful, nor were they nearly so well executed as those of Giotto.
+Among other portraits which he made, the chapel of the Podesta palace
+at Florence still contains that of Dante Aligheri, his close
+companion and friend, no less famous as a poet than Giotto then was
+as a painter. This poet has been warmly praised by M. Giovanni
+Boccaccio in the introduction to the story of M. Forese da Rabatta.
+In this same chapel Giotto has also painted his own portrait as well
+as those of Ser Brunetto Latini, Dante's master, and M. Corso Donati,
+a famous citizen of the time. Giotto's first paintings were in the
+chapel of the high altar of the Badia at Florence, in which he made a
+number of things which were considered beautiful, but especially an
+Annunciation. In this he has represented with extraordinary truth the
+fear and astonishment of the Virgin Mary at the salutation of
+Gabriel, who, in her terror seems ready to run away. The picture of
+the high altar in the same chapel is also by Giotto's hand, and it
+has continued to retain its position there, rather because of a
+certain reverence which is felt for the work of such a man than for
+any other reason. In S. Croce there are four chapels decorated by his
+hand, three between the sacristy and the principal chapel, and one on
+the other side. In the first of these, that of M. Ridolfo de' Bardi,
+in which the bell ropes hang, is the life of St Francis, at whose
+death a number of friars exhibit the effect of weeping with
+considerable fidelity to nature. In the second, which is that of the
+family of the Peruzzi, are two subjects from the life of St John the
+Baptist, to whom the chapel is dedicated. Here is a very life-like
+representation of the dancing of Herodias, and of the promptitude
+with which some servants are performing the service of the table. In
+the same chapel are two miracles of St John the Evangelist, the one
+representing the raising of Drusiana, the other his being caught up
+into Heaven. The third chapel, that of the Giugni and dedicated to
+the Apostles, contains representations by Giotto of the martyrdom of
+many of them. In the fourth, that of the Tosinghi and Spinelli, which
+is on the north side of the church and is dedicated to the Assumption
+of Our Lady, Giotto painted the Nativity of the Virgin, her marriage,
+the Annunciation, the adoration of the Magi, and the presentation of
+the Christ child to Simeon. This last is a most beautiful thing, for
+not only is the warmest love depicted in the face of the old man as
+he receives the Christ, but the action of the child, who is afraid of
+him and stretches out his arms to return to his mother, could not be
+represented with more tenderness or greater beauty. In the Death of
+Our Lady the Apostles are represented with a number of very beautiful
+angels. The Baroncelli chapel in the same church contains a painting
+in tempera by Giotto's hand, in which he has represented with great
+care the coronation of Our Lady. It contains a very large number of
+small figures and a choir of angels and saints, produced with great
+diligence. On this work he has written his name and the date in gold
+letters. Artists who reflect that at this time Giotto was laying the
+foundations of the proper method of design and of colouring, unaided
+by the advantages of seeing the light of the good style, will be
+compelled to hold him in the highest veneration. In the same church
+of S. Croce there are in addition a crucifix above the marble tomb of
+Carlo Marzuppini of Arezzo, Our Lady with St John and the Magdalene
+at the foot of the cross, and opposite on the other side of the
+building an Annunciation towards the high altar over the tomb of
+Lionardo Aretino, which has been restored by modern artists with
+great lack of judgment. In the refectory he has done the history of
+St Louis, a Last Supper, and a Tree of the Cross, while the presses
+of the sacristy are decorated with some scenes from the lives of
+Christ and of St Francis in small figures. At the church of the
+Carmine in the chapel of St John the Baptist he represented the whole
+of that saint's life in several pictures; and in the Palazzo della
+parte Guelfa at Florence there is the history of the Christian faith
+painted admirably by him in fresco, and containing the portrait of
+Pope Clement IV., who founded that monastery to which he gave his
+arms, retained by them ever since.
+
+After these works Giotto set out from Florence for Assisi in order to
+finish what Cimabue had begun there. On his way through Arezzo he
+painted the chapel of St Francis, which is above the baptistery in
+the Pieve there, and a St Francis and a St Dominic, portraits from
+life, on a round pillar near to a most beautiful antique Corinthian
+capital. In the Duomo outside Arezzo he decorated the interior of a
+large chapel with the Stoning of St Stephen, an admirable composition
+of figures. On completing these things he proceeded to Assisi, a
+city of Umbria, whither he was summoned by fra Giovanni di Muro della
+Marca, at that time general of the friars of St Francis. In the upper
+church of this town he painted a series of thirty-two frescoes of the
+life of St Francis, under the corridor which traverses the windows,
+sixteen on each side, with such perfection that he acquired the
+highest reputation thereby. In truth the work exhibits great variety,
+not only in the postures of the different figures, but in the
+composition of each subject, besides which it is very interesting to
+see the various costumes of those times and certain imitations and
+observations of Nature. One of the most beautiful of these represents
+a thirsty man, whose desire for water is represented in the most
+lively manner as he kneels on the ground to drink from a spring, with
+such wonderful reality that one might imagine him to be a real
+person. There are many other things most worthy of notice into which
+I will not enter now, because I do not wish to be tedious. Let it
+suffice to say that by these works Giotto acquired the highest
+reputation for the excellence of his figures, for his arrangement,
+sense of proportion, fidelity to Nature, and his innate facility
+which he had greatly increased by study, while in addition to this he
+never failed to express his meaning clearly. Giotto indeed was not so
+much the pupil of any human master as of Nature herself, for in
+addition to his splendid natural gifts, he studied Nature diligently,
+arid was always contriving new things and borrowing ideas from her.
+
+When these works were completed Giotto painted in the lower church of
+the same place the upper part of the walls beside the high altar, and
+all four angles of the vaulting over the spot where the body of St
+Francis lies, the whole displaying his beautiful and inventive
+imagination. The first contains St Francis glorified in Heaven,
+surrounded by those Virtues which are required of those who wish to
+be perfect in the sight of God. On the one side Obedience puts a yoke
+on the neck of a friar who kneels before her, the bands of which are
+drawn by hands to Heaven. With one finger on her mouth she signifies
+silence, and her eyes are turned towards Jesus Christ, who is
+shedding blood from his side. Beside her are Prudence and Humility to
+show that where true obedience exists, there also will be humility
+and prudence, causing everything to prosper. In the second angle is
+Chastity, who will not allow herself to be won by the kingdoms,
+crowns, or palms which are being offered to her. At her feet stands
+Purity who is washing the naked, while Fortitude is bringing others
+to be washed and cleansed. On one side of Chastity is Penitence,
+chasing a winged Love with the cord of discipline and putting to
+flight Uncleanness. Poverty occupies the third space, treading on
+thorns with her bare feet; behind her barks a dog, while a boy is
+throwing stones at her and another is pushing thorns into her legs
+with a stick. Poverty here is espoused by St Francis, while Jesus
+Christ holds her hand in the mystical presence of Hope and Chastity.
+In the fourth and last of these places is a St Francis in glory,
+clothed in the white tunic of a deacon, in triumph and surrounded by
+a multitude of angels who form a choir about him and hold a banner on
+which are a cross and seven stars, while over all is the Holy Spirit.
+In each of these angles are some Latin words explanatory of the
+subject. Besides these four angles the paintings on the side walls
+are most beautiful, and deserve to be highly valued both for the
+perfection which they exhibit and because they were produced with
+such skill that they are in an excellent state of preservation
+to-day. These paintings contain an excellent portrait of Giotto
+himself, and over the door of the sacristy is a fresco by his hand of
+St Francis receiving the stigmata, so full of tenderness and devotion
+that it seems to me to be the most excellent painting that Giotto has
+produced here, though all are really beautiful and worthy of praise.
+
+When S. Francesco was at length finished Giotto returned to Florence,
+where he painted with extraordinary care, a picture of St Francis in
+the fearful desert of Vernia, to be sent to Pisa. Besides a landscape
+full of trees and rocks, a new thing in those days, the attitude of
+the saint, who is receiving the stigmata on his knees with great
+eagerness, exhibits an ardent desire to receive them and an infinite
+love towards Jesus Christ, who is in the air surrounded by seraphim
+granting them to him, the varied emotions being all represented in
+the most telling manner imaginable. The predella of the picture
+contains three finely executed subjects from the life of the same
+saint. The work may now be seen in S. Francesco at Pisa, on a pillar
+beside the high altar, where it is held in high veneration in memory
+of so great a man. It led the Pisans, on the completion of their
+Campo Santo from the plan of Giovanni di Niccola Pisano, as already
+related, to entrust to Giotto the painting of a part of the walls.
+For as the exterior of the walls was incrusted with marble and
+sculptures at a great cost, the roof being of lead, and the interior
+filled with antique sarcophagi and tombs of Pagan times, gathered
+together in that city from all parts of the world, the Pisans wished
+the walls to be decorated with a series of noble paintings.
+Accordingly Giotto went to Pisa, and beginning at the end of one of
+the walls of the Campo Santo he depicted the life of the patient Job
+in six frescoes. Now it occurred to him that the marbles of the part
+of the building in which he was at work were turned towards the sea,
+and being exposed to the south-east wind, they are always moist and
+throw out a certain saltness, as do nearly all the bricks of Pisa,
+and because the colours and paintings are eaten away by these causes,
+and as he wished to protect his work from destruction as far as
+possible, he prepared a coating for the whole of the surface on which
+he proposed to paint his frescoes, which consisted of a plaster or
+incrusture made up of lime, chalk and brick-dust. This device has
+proved so successful, that the paintings which he subsequently
+executed on this surface, have endured to this day, and they would
+have stood better had not the neglect of those who should have taken
+care of them, allowed them to be much damaged by the damp. The want
+of attention to this detail, which would have involved little
+trouble, has caused the pictures to suffer a great deal in some
+places where the damp has converted the crimsons into black and
+caused the plaster to fall off. Besides this it is the nature of
+chalk when mixed with lime to become corroded and to peel, whence it
+happens that the colours are destroyed, although they may originally
+appear to take well. These frescoes contain the portrait of M.
+Farinata degli Uberti, besides many fine figures, among which one may
+remark some countrymen, who in bringing the sad news to Job, exhibit
+the utmost sorrow for the lost animals and the other misfortunes.
+There is also much grace in the figure of a servant, who with a fan
+of branches stands near the bowed figure of Job, abandoned by
+everyone else, for in addition to the figure being well executed in
+every particular, his attitude is wonderful, as with one hand he
+drives away the flies from his leprous and noisome master, and holds
+his nose with the other with disgust, to escape the smell. Very fine
+also are the other figures of these pictures and the heads of both
+men and women, and the delicate treatment of the drapery, so that it
+is small wonder that the work brought Giotto such renown in that city
+and elsewhere; that Pope Benedict IX., who was proposing to decorate
+St Peter's with some paintings, sent a courtier from Treviso to
+Tuscany, to see what manner of man Giotto was, and to report on the
+quality of his work. On the way the courtier learned that there were
+other excellent masters in painting and mosaic in Florence, and he
+interviewed a number of artists at Siena. When he had received
+designs from these, he proceeded to Florence. Entering Giotto's shop
+one morning, as he was at work, the envoy explained to him the Pope's
+intention, and the manner in which he wished to make use of his work,
+and finally asked Giotto for some small specimen of work to send to
+His Holiness. Giotto, who was always courteous, took a sheet of paper
+and a red pencil, pressed his arm to his side to make a compass of
+it, and then with a turn of his hand, produced a circle so perfect in
+every particular that it was a marvel to see. This done, he turned
+smiling to the courtier and said: "Here is the design." The latter,
+who thought he was joking, said: "Am I to have no other design but
+this?" "It is enough and more than enough," replied Giotto; "send it
+in with the others and you will see if it is recognised." The
+messenger perceived that he would obtain nothing else, and left in a
+state of considerable dissatisfaction, imagining that he had been
+laughed at. However, when he sent in the other designs with the names
+of their authors, he included that of Giotto, and related how the
+artist had executed it without moving his arm and without compasses.
+From this the Pope and all the courtiers present recognised to what
+an extent Giotto surpassed all the other painters of the time in
+excellence. When the story became public it gave rise to a saying
+which is still used for people of dull wits: "You are more round
+(_tondo_) than Giotto's O." This proverb deserves to be considered a
+good one, not only from the circumstances out of which it arose, but
+much more for its meaning, which is due to the two-fold significance
+of the word _tondo_ in Tuscany, that of a perfect circle, and
+slowness and heaviness of mind. Accordingly the Pope sent for Giotto
+to Rome, where he received him with great honour, and recognised his
+worth. He caused him to paint for the tribune of St Peter's five
+subjects from the life of Christ, and the principal picture for the
+sacristy, all of which were executed with great care, nothing in
+tempera ever leaving his hands before it was perfectly finished; thus
+he richly deserved the reward of 600 gold ducats which the delighted
+Pope gave to him, bestowing many other favours upon him, so that it
+became the talk of all Italy.
+
+As I do not wish to omit a memorable circumstance concerning art, I
+will notice here that there happened to be in Rome at this time a
+great friend of Giotto named Oderigi d'Aggobbio, an excellent
+illuminator of the day, who adorned many books for the Pope for the
+palace library, though they are now mostly destroyed by time. In my
+own book of old designs there are some remnants by his hand, and he
+certainly was a clever artist. But a much better master than he was
+Francis, an illuminator of Bologna, who did some very fair things for
+the Pope for the same library at that very time, in a like style, as
+may be seen in my book, where I have some designs by his hand, both
+for painting and illuminations, among them an eagle, excellently
+done, and a fine lion tearing up a tree. These two excellent
+illuminators are referred to by Dante in the passage on the
+vainglorious in the eleventh chapter of the Purgatorio, in these
+lines:
+
+          "Oh, dissi lui, non se' tu Oderisi
+           L'onor d'Aggobbio e l'onor di quell' arte
+           Ch' alluminare e chimata in Parisi?
+           Frate, diss' egli, piu ridon le carte,
+           Che pennelleggia Franco Bolognese
+           L'onor e tutto or suo, e mio in parte."
+
+When the Pope had seen these works he was so enchanted by Giotto's
+style that he commissioned him to surround the walls of St Peter's
+with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Giotto therefore began
+these, and painted the fresco of the angle, seven braccia high, which
+is above the organ, and many other paintings, of which some have been
+restored by other artists in our own day, and some have been either
+destroyed or carried away from the old building of St Peter's during
+the founding of the new walls and set under the organ. Among these
+was a representation of Our Lady on a wall. In order that it might
+not be thrown down with the rest, it was cut out, supported by beams
+and iron, and so taken away. On account of its great beauty, it was
+afterwards built into a place selected by the devotion of M. Niccolo
+Acciancoli, a Florentine doctor enthusiastic over the excellent
+things of art, who has richly adorned it with stucco and other modern
+paintings. Giotto is also the author of the mosaic known as the
+Navicella, which is over the three doors of the portico in the
+courtyard of St Peter's. This is a truly marvellous work, well
+deserving its high reputation among all persons of taste. In addition
+to its excellent design, the apostles are admirably disposed, toiling
+in different ways in the midst of the tempest, while the winds fill
+the sail, which bellies out exactly like a real one; and yet it is a
+difficult task so to unite those pieces of glass to form the light
+and shade of so real a sail, which, even with the brush, could only
+be equalled by a great effort. Besides all this, there is a fisherman
+who is standing on a rock and fishing with a line, whose attitude is
+expressive of the extreme patience proper to that art, while his face
+betrays his hope and desire to catch something. Beneath the Navicella
+are three small arches painted in fresco, but as they are almost
+entirely effaced, I will say no more about them. All artists,
+however, unite in praise of these works.
+
+At last, when Giotto had painted a large crucifix in tempera in the
+Minerva, a church of the Friars Preachers, which was then much
+admired, he returned to his own country, from which he had been
+absent for six years. But soon after Pope Clement V. was elected at
+Perugia, on the death of Pope Benedict IX., and Giotto was obliged to
+accompany the new pontiff to his court at Avignon to execute some
+works there. Thus, not only in Avignon, but in several other places
+of France, he painted many very beautiful frescoes and pictures,
+which greatly delighted the Pope and all his court. When he at length
+received his dismissal, he was sent away kindly with many gifts, so
+that he returned, home no less rich than honoured and famous. Among
+other things which he brought away with him was the Pope's portrait,
+which he afterwards gave to Taddeo Gaddi, his pupil. The date of this
+return to Florence was the year 1316. But he was not long permitted
+to remain in Florence, as he was invited to Padua to do some work for
+the lords della Scala, for whom he painted a beautiful chapel in the
+Santo, a church built in those times. He thence proceeded to Verona,
+where he did some pictures for the palace of Messer Cane,
+particularly the portrait of that lord, and a picture for the friars
+of S. Francesco. On the completion of these things he was detained at
+Ferrara, on his way back to Tuscany, to paint for the lords of Esti
+in their palace and S. Agostino some things which may be seen there
+to this day. When the news of Giotto's presence at Ferrara reached
+the Florentine poet Dante, he succeeded in inducing his friend to
+visit Ravenna, where the poet was exiled, and caused him to paint
+some frescoes about the church of S. Francesco for the lords of
+Polenta, which are of considerable merit. From Ravenna Giotto
+proceeded to Urbino, and did a few things there. Afterwards he
+happened to be passing through Arezzo, and being unable to refuse a
+favour to Piero Saccone, who had been very kind to him, he executed
+in fresco, on a pillar of the principal chapel of the Vescovado, a St
+Martin, who is cutting his mantle in two and giving part of it to a
+beggar who is all but naked. Then, when he had painted in tempera a
+large crucifix in wood for the Abbey of S. Fiore, which is now in the
+middle of that church, he at length reached Florence. Here, among
+many other things, he painted some pictures in fresco and tempera for
+the Nunnery of Faenza, which no longer exist owing to the destruction
+of that house.
+
+In 1321 occurred the death of Giotto's dearest friend Dante, to his
+great grief; and in the following year he went to Lucca, where, at
+the request of Castruccio, then lord of that city, his birthplace, he
+made a picture of St Martin, with Christ above in the air, and the
+four patron saints of the city--St Peter, St Regulus, St Martin, and
+St Paulinus--who seem to be presenting a pope and an emperor,
+believed by many to be Frederick of Bavaria and the anti-Pope
+Nicholas V. There are also some who believe that Giotto designed the
+impregnable fortress of the Giusta at S. Fridiano at Lucca. When
+Giotto had returned to Florence, King Robert of Naples wrote to his
+eldest son Charles, King of Calabria, who was then in that city, to
+use every means to induce the painter to go to Naples, where the king
+had just completed the building of the Nunnery of S. Chiara and the
+royal church, which he wished to have decorated with noble paintings.
+When Giotto learned that he was wanted by so popular and famous a
+king, he departed to serve him with the greatest alacrity, and on his
+arrival he painted many scenes from the Old and New Testaments in
+some chapels of the monastery. It is said that the scenes from the
+Apocalypse which he made in one of those chapels were suggested by
+Dante, as also perchance were some of the much-admired works at
+Assisi, of which I have already spoken at length; and although Dante
+was dead at this time, it is possible that they had talked over these
+things, as friends frequently do. To return to Naples, Giotto did
+many works in the Castel dell' Uovo, especially in the chapel, which
+greatly delighted the king, who became so fond of him that he often
+came to talk with the artist while he was at work, and took delight
+in seeing him at work and in listening to his conversation. Giotto,
+who always had a jest ready or some sharp retort, entertained the
+king with his hand in painting and with his tongue by his pleasant
+discourse. Thus it once happened that the king told him it was his
+intention to make him the first man in Naples, to which Giotto
+replied: "No doubt that is why I am lodged at the Porta Reale to be
+the first man in Naples." Another day the king said to him: "Giotto,
+if I were you, this hot day, I would leave off painting for a while."
+He answered: "So I should, certainly, if I were you." Being thus on
+very friendly terms with the king, he painted a good number of
+pictures for him in the chamber which King Alfonso I. pulled down to
+make the castle, and also in the Incoronata, and among those in the
+chamber were the portraits of many famous men, Giotto among the
+number. One day, by some caprice, the king asked Giotto to paint his
+kingdom. It is said that Giotto painted for him a saddled ass, with
+another new saddle at its feet at which it was sniffing, as if he
+wished for it in place of the one he had on. On each saddle were the
+royal crown and the sceptre of power. When the king asked Giotto for
+the meaning of this picture, he replied: "Such are your subjects and
+such is the kingdom, where every day they are wanting to change their
+master."
+
+On his departure from Naples for Rome, Giotto stayed at Gaeta, where
+he was constrained to paint some subjects from the New Testament in
+the Nunziata, which have suffered from the ravages of time, but not
+to such an extent that it is not possible to distinguish a portrait
+of Giotto himself near a large crucifix of great beauty. This done,
+he remained a few days at Rome, in the service of the Signor
+Malatesta, whom he could not refuse this favour, and then he went on
+to Rimini, of which city Malatesta was lord, and there in the church
+of S. Francesco he painted a large number of pictures, which were
+afterwards destroyed by Gismondo, son of Pandolfo Malatesta, who
+rebuilt the whole of that church. In the cloister of the same church,
+towards the church front, he painted in fresco the life of the
+Blessed Michelina, which ranks with the best things which he ever
+did, on account of the many fine things which he took into
+consideration in executing it, for, quite apart from the beauty of
+the drapery and the grace and vigour of the heads, which are truly
+marvellous, there is a young woman of the most exquisite beauty, who
+in order to free herself from an accusation of adultery, takes a most
+solemn oath upon a book, keeping her eyes fixed on those of her
+husband, who has made her swear because his suspicions had been
+aroused by her giving birth to a black son, whom he could not be
+persuaded to acknowledge as his own. Just as the husband shows his
+anger and mistrust in his face, so his wife betrays, to those who
+look carefully at her, her innocence and simplicity, by the trouble
+in her face and eyes, and the wrong which is done to her in making
+her swear and in proclaiming her publicly as an adulteress. Giotto
+has also expressed with great realism a man afflicted with sores, as
+all the women who are about him, disgusted by the stench, turn away
+with various contortions in the most graceful manner imaginable. Then
+again the foreshortening in a picture containing a number of lame
+beggars is highly praiseworthy, and should be much prized by artists,
+since it is from these works that the origin of foreshortening is
+derived; and when it is remembered that they are the first, they must
+be considered very tolerable achievements. But the most remarkable
+thing of all in this series is the action of the saint with regard to
+certain usurers who are paying her the money realised by the sale of
+her possessions, which she intends to give to the poor. Her face
+displays contempt for money and other earthly things, which she seems
+to abhor, while the usurers are the very picture of human avarice and
+greed. Similarly the face of one who is counting the money, which he
+appears to be communicating to the notary who is writing, is very
+fine, for although his eyes are turned towards the notary, yet he
+keeps his hand over the money, thus betraying his greed, avarice, and
+mistrust. Also the three figures in the air representing Obedience,
+Patience, and Poverty, who are holding up the habit of St Francis,
+are worthy of the highest praise, chiefly on account of the natural
+folds of the drapery, showing that Giotto was born to throw light on
+the art of painting. Finally he has introduced into this work a
+portrait of the Signor Malatesta in a ship, which is most life-like;
+and his excellence is also displayed in the vigour, disposition, and
+posture of the sailors and other people, particularly of one figure
+who is speaking with others and putting his hand to his face spits
+into the sea. Certainly these things may be classed among the very
+best works in painting produced by the master, because, in spite of
+the large number of figures, there is not one which is not produced
+with the most consummate art, being at the same time exhibited in an
+attractive posture. Accordingly there is small need for wonder that
+the Signor Malatesta loaded him with rewards and praise. When Giotto
+had completed his works for this Signor, he did a St Thomas Aquinas
+reading to his brethren for the outside of the church door of S.
+Cataldo at Rimini at the request of the prior, who was a Florentine.
+Having set out thence he returned to Ravenna, where he executed a
+much admired painting in fresco in a chapel of S. Giovanni
+Evangelista. When he next returned to Florence, laden with honours
+and riches, he made a large wooden crucifix in tempera for S. Marco,
+of more than life-size, with a gold ground, and it was put on the
+right-hand side of the church. He made another like it for S. Maria
+Novella, in which his pupil Puccio Capanna collaborated with him.
+This is now over the principal entrance to the church, on the
+right-hand side, above the tomb of the Gaddi. For the same church he
+made a St Louis, for Paolo di Lotto Ardinghelli, with portraits of
+the donor and his wife at the saint's feet. This picture is placed on
+the screen.
+
+In the following year, 1327, occurred the death of Guido Tarlati da
+Pietramala, bishop and lord of Arezzo, at Massa di Maremma, on his
+return from Lucca, where he had been visiting the Emperor. His body
+was brought to Arezzo, where it received the honour of a stately
+funeral, and Pietro Saccone and Dolfo da Pietramala, the bishop's
+brother, determined to erect a marble tomb which should be worthy of
+the greatness of such a man, who had been both spiritual and temporal
+lord and the leader of the Ghibelline party in Tuscany. Accordingly
+they wrote to Giotto, desiring him to design a very rich tomb, as
+ornate as possible; and when they had supplied him with the necessary
+measurements, they asked him to send them at once the man who was, in
+his opinion, the most excellent sculptor then living in Italy, for
+they relied entirely upon his judgment. Giotto, who was very
+courteous, prepared the design and sent it to them, and from it the
+tomb was made, as will be said in the proper place. Now Pietro
+Saccone was a great admirer of Giotto's worth, and when, not long
+after, he took the Borgo a S. Sepolero, he brought from that place to
+Arezzo a picture by the artist's hand, of small figures, which was
+afterwards broken into fragments; but Baccio Gondi, a Florentine of
+gentle birth, a lover of the noble arts and of every kind of virtue,
+made a diligent search for the pieces of this picture when he was
+commissioner at Arezzo, and succeeded in finding some. He brought
+them to Florence, where he holds them in great veneration, as well as
+some other things in his possession, also by Giotto, who produced so
+much that an enumeration of all his works would excite incredulity.
+It is not many years since that I happened to be at the hermitage of
+Camaldoli, where I have done a number of things for the fathers, and
+in a cell to which I was taken by the Very Rev. Don Antonio da Pisa,
+then general of the congregation of Camaldoli, I saw a very beautiful
+crucifix, on a gold ground, by Giotto, with his signature. I am
+informed by the Rev. Don Silvano Razza, a Camaldolian monk, that this
+crucifix is now in the cell of the principal, where it is treasured
+for its author's sake as a most precious thing, together with a very
+beautiful little picture by the hand of Raphael of Urbino.
+
+For the Umiliati brethren of Ognissanti at Florence Giotto painted a
+chapel and four pictures, one of them representing Our Lady
+surrounded by a number of angels, with the child at her neck, on a
+large crucifix of wood, the design of which was subsequently copied
+by Puccio Capanna, and reproduced in every part of Italy, for he
+closely followed Giotto's style. When this work of the Lives was
+printed for the first time, the screen of that church contained a
+picture painted in tempera by Giotto, representing the death of Our
+Lady, surrounded by the apostles, while Christ receives her soul into
+His arms. The work has been much praised by artists, and especially
+by Michelagnolo Buonarotti who declared, as is related elsewhere,
+that it was not possible to represent this scene in a more realistic
+manner. This picture, being as I say held in great esteem, has been
+carried away since the publication of the first edition of this work,
+by one who may possibly have acted from love of art and reverence for
+the work, which may have seemed then to be too little valued, and who
+thus from motives of pity showed himself pitiless, as our poet says.
+It is certainly a marvel that Giotto should have produced such
+beautiful paintings in those times, especially when it is considered
+that he may in a certain sense be said to have learned the art
+without a master.
+
+After these things, in the year 1334, on the ninth day of July, he
+began work on the campanile of S. Maria del Fiore, the foundations of
+which were laid on a surface of large stones, after the ground had
+been dug out to a depth of 20 braccia, the materials excavated being
+water and gravel. On this surface he laid 12 braccia of concrete, the
+remaining 8 braccia being filled up with masonry. In the inauguration
+of this work the bishop of the city took part, laying the first stone
+with great ceremonial in the presence of all the clergy and
+magistrates. As the work was proceeding on its original plan, which
+was in the German style in use at the time, Giotto designed all the
+subjects comprised in the ornamentation, and marked out with great
+care the distribution of the black, white, and red colours in the
+arrangement of the stones and lines. The circuit of the tower at the
+base was 100 braccia, or 25 braccia on each side, and the height 144
+braccia. If what Lorenzo di Cione Giberti has written be true, and I
+most firmly believe it, Giotto not only made the model of this
+campanile, but also executed some of the marble  sculptures in
+relief, which represent the origin of all the arts. Lorenzo asserts
+that he had seen models in relief by the hand of Giotto, and
+particularly those of these works, and this may readily be credited,
+since design and invention are the father and mother of all the fine
+arts, and not of one only. According to Giotto's model, the campanile
+should have received a pointed top or quadrangular pyramid over the
+existing structure, 50 braccia in height, but because it was a German
+thing, and in an old-fashioned style, modern architects have always
+discountenanced its construction, considering the building to be
+better as it is. For all these things Giotto received the citizenship
+of Florence, in addition to a pension of one hundred gold florins
+yearly from the Commune of Florence, a great thing in those days. He
+was also appointed director of the work which was carried on after
+him by Taddeo Gaddi, as he did not live long enough to see its
+completion.
+
+While the campanile was in progress, Giotto made a picture for the
+nuns of S. Giorgio, and three half-length figures in the Badia of
+Florence, in an arch over the doorway inside, now whitewashed over to
+lighten the church. In the great hall of the podesta at Florence, he
+painted a representation of the Commune, which has been appropriated
+by many people. The figure represents a judge, seated with a sceptre
+in his hand, over whose head are the scales, equally poised to
+indicate the just measures meted out by him, while he is assisted by
+four Virtues, Fortitude with the soul, Prudence with the laws,
+Justice with arms, and Temperance with words; a fine painting, and an
+appropriate and plausible idea.
+
+Giotto made a second visit to Padua, where besides painting a number
+of chapels and other things, he executed a famous series of pictures
+in the place of the Arena, which brought him much honour and profit.
+In Milan also he left a few things which are scattered about the
+city, and which are considered very beautiful to this day. At length,
+shortly after his return from Milan, he rendered his soul to God in
+the year 1336, to the great grief of all his fellow-citizens, and of
+all those who had known him or even heard his name, for he had
+produced so many beautiful works in his life, and was as good a
+Christian as he was an excellent painter. He was buried with honour,
+as his worth deserved, for in his life he was beloved by everyone,
+and especially by distinguished men of every profession. Besides
+Dante, of whom we have spoken above, he and his works were highly
+esteemed by Petrarch, who in his will left to Signor Francesco da
+Carrara, lord of Padua, among other things which were held in the
+greatest veneration, a Madonna by Giotto's hand, as a rare thing, and
+the gift most worthy to be offered to him. The words of this part of
+the will ran thus:--_Transeo ad dispositionem aliarum rerum; et
+predicto igitur domino meo Paduano, quia et ipse per Dei gratiam nan
+eget, et ego nihil aliud habeo dignum se, mitto tabulam meam sive
+historiam Beatae Vlrginis Mariae, operis Jocti pictoris egregii, quae
+mihi ab amico meo Michaele Vannis de Florentia missa est, in cujus
+pulchritudinem ignorantes non intelligunt, magistri autem artis
+stupent: hanc iconem ipsi domino lego, ut ipsa  Virgo benedicta sibi
+sit propitia apud filium suum Jesum Christum, &c_. It was Petrarch
+also who said the following words in the fifth book of his Familiari
+written  to his intimate friends: _Atquc (ut a veteribus ad nova, ab
+externis ad nostra transgrediar) duos ego  novi pictores egregios,
+nec formosos, Jottum Florentinorum civem, cujus inter modernos fama
+urgens est, et Simonem Sanensem. Novi scultores aliquot, &c_. Giotto
+was buried in S. Maria del Fiore, on the left hand as one enters the
+church, where a white marble slab is set up to the memory of this
+great man. As I remarked in the life of Cimabue, a contemporary
+commentator of Dante said: "Giotto was, and is the chief among the
+painters in that same city of Florence, as his works in Rome, Naples,
+Avignon, Florence, Padua, and many other parts of the world testify."
+
+Giotto's pupils were Taddeo Gaddi, his godson as I  have already
+said, and Puccio Capanna, a Florentine, who painted for the Dominican
+church of S. Cataldo at Rimini a most perfect fresco representing a
+ship apparently about to sink, while the men are throwing their goods
+into the water. Puccio has here portrayed himself in the midst of the
+sailors. After Giotto's death, the same artist painted a number of
+things in the church of S. Francesco at Assisi, and for the chapel of
+the Strozzi, beside the door on the river front of the church of
+Trinita he did in fresco a coronation of the Virgin with a choir of
+angels, in which he followed Giotto's style rather closely, while on
+the side walls are some very well executed scenes from the life of St
+Lucy. In the Badia of Florence he painted the chapel of S. Giovanni
+Evangelista of the family of the Covoni, which is next to the
+sacristy. At Pistoia he did frescoes in the principal chapel of S.
+Francesco, and the chapel of S. Ludovico, with scenes from the lives
+of the patron saints, which are very tolerable productions. In the
+middle of the church of S. Domenico in the same city is a crucifix
+with a Madonna and St John, executed with much softness, and at the
+feet an entire human skeleton, an unusual thing at that time, which
+shows that Puccio had made efforts to understand the principles of
+his art. This work contains his name, written after this fashion:
+_Puccio di Fiorenza me Fece_. In the same church, in the tympanum
+above the door of S. Maria Nuova are three half-length figures,--Our
+Lady, with the Child on her arm, St Peter on the one side and St
+Francis on the other, by the same artist. In the lower church of S.
+Francesco at Assisi he further painted in fresco some scenes from the
+passion of Jesus Christ, with considerable skill and much vigour, and
+in the chapel of S. Maria degli Angeli of that church he executed in
+fresco a Christ in glory, with the Virgin, who is interceding with
+Him for Christian people, a work of considerable merit, but much
+smoked by the lamps and candles which are always burning there in
+great quantity. In truth, so far as one can judge, although Puccio
+adopted the style and methods of his master Giotto, yet he did not
+make sufficient use of them in his works, although, as some assert,
+he did not live long, but sickened and died through working too much
+in fresco. His hand may also be recognised in the chapel of St Martin
+in the same church, in the history of the saint, done in fresco for
+the Cardinal Gentile. In the middle of a street called Portica may
+also be seen a Christ at the Column, and a picture of Our Lady
+between St Catherine and St Clare. His works are scattered about in
+many other places, such as Bologna, where there is a picture of the
+passion of Christ in the transept of the church, and scenes from the
+life of St Francis, besides other things which I omit for the sake of
+brevity. But at Assisi, where the majority of his works are, and
+where I believe he helped Giotto to paint, I found that they consider
+him to be a fellow-citizen, and there are some members of the family
+of the Capanni in that city to this day. From this we may gather that
+he was born in Florence, since he himself wrote that he was a pupil
+of Giotto, but that he took his wife from Assisi, and had children
+there, whose descendants still inhabit the town. But this matter is
+of very slight importance, and it is enough to know that he was a
+skilful master. Another pupil of Giotto, and a very skilful painter
+was Ottaviano da Faenza, who painted many things in  S. Giorgio at
+Ferrara, a convent of the monks of Monte Oliveto. In Faenza, where he
+lived and died, he painted in the tympanum above the door of S.
+Francesco, Our Lady and St Peter and St Paul, and many other things
+in his own country and at Bologna.
+
+Another pupil was Pace di Faenza, who was often with his master, and
+helped him in many things. At Bologna there are some scenes in fresco
+by his hand on the outside front of S. Giovanni Decollato. This Pace
+was a clever artist, especially in painting small figures, as may be
+seen to-day in the church of S. Francesco at Forli, in a tree of the
+cross and in a panel in tempera containing the life of Christ, and
+four small subjects from the life of Our Lady, which are all very
+well executed. It is said that he executed in fresco for the chapel
+of St Anthony at Assisi, some scenes from the life of that saint for
+a duke of Spoleto, who is buried there with a son. These two princes
+had been killed while fighting in the suburbs of Assisi, as may be
+seen by a long inscription on the sarcophagus of their tomb. The old
+book of the company of painters records that one Francesco, called
+"of Master Giotto," was another pupil of the master, but I know
+nothing more about him.
+
+Yet another pupil of Giotto was Guglielmo da Forli, who, besides many
+other works, painted the chapel of the high altar for S. Domenico at
+Forli, his native place. Other pupils were Pietro Laureati, Simone
+Memmi of Siena, Stefano of Florence, and Pietro Cavallini of Rome.
+But as I intend to deal fully with these in their lives, I shall
+content myself here with simply saying that they were pupils of
+Giotto. That the master drew extremely well for his day may be seen
+on a number of parchments containing some water colours, pen and ink
+drawings, chiaroscuros with the lights in white, by his hand, in our
+book of designs, which are truly marvellous when compared with those
+of the masters who preceded him, and afford a good example of his
+style.
+
+As has been said, Giotto was a very witty and pleasant person, very
+ready in speech, many of his sayings being still fresh in the memory
+of his fellow-citizens. Besides the one related by M. Giovanni
+Boccaccio, several very good stories are told by Franco Sacchetti in
+his "Three Hundred Tales." I give one in the author's own words,
+because it contains many expressions and phrases characteristic of
+the time. The rubric of this one runs: "Giotto, the great painter, is
+requested by a person of low birth to paint his buckler. Making a
+jest of the matter, he paints it so as to cover the applicant with
+confusion."
+
+TALE LXIII.
+
+Every one must have heard of Giotto, and how as a painter he
+surpassed all others. His fame came to the ears of a rude artizan,
+who, having to do service in some castle, wanted his buckler painted.
+Accordingly he presented himself abruptly at Giotto's workshop, with
+a man to carry the buckler behind him. He found Giotto in, and began:
+"God save thee, Master, I want to have my arms painted on this
+buckler." Giotto took stock of the man and his manners, but he said
+nothing except "When do you want it," and the man told him. "Leave it
+to me," said Giotto, and the man departed. When Giotto was alone he
+reflected: "What is the meaning of this? Has someone sent him here to
+play a trick on me? Be that as it may, no one has ever before brought
+me a buckler to paint. And the fellow who brought it is a simple
+creature, and asks me to paint his arms as if he was of the royal
+house of France. Decidedly I shall have to make him some new arms."
+Reflecting thus with himself he sat down before the buckler, and
+having designed what he thought proper, he called a pupil and told
+him to complete the painting of it, which he accordingly did. The
+painting represented a light helmet, a gorget, a pair of arm pieces,
+a pair of iron gauntlets, a pair of cuirasses, a pair of cuisses and
+gambadoes, a sword, a knife, and a lance. When the worthy man
+returned, who knew nothing of all this, he came up and said: "Master,
+is the buckler finished." "Oh yes," said Giotto, "go you and bring it
+here." When it arrived this gentleman by proxy looked hard at it and
+said to Giotto: "What rubbish have you painted here?" "Will you think
+it rubbish to pay for it?" said Giotto. "I won't pay you four
+deniers," said the man. "What did you ask me to paint?" asked Giotto.
+"My arms," replied the man. "Well," said Giotto, "are they not here,
+are any wanting?" "That is  so," said the man. "A plague on you,"
+said  Giotto, "you must needs be very simple. If anyone asked you who
+you were you would be at a loss to tell him, and yet you come here
+and say, 'paint me my arms.' If you had been one of the Bardi, well
+and good, but what arms do you bear? Where do you come from? Who were
+your ancestors? Begin at least by coming into the world before you
+talk of arms as if you were the Dusnam of Bavaria. I have represented
+all your arms on the buckler, and if you have any more tell me and I
+will have them painted." "You have given me rough words," said the
+man, "and spoilt my buckler." He then departed to the justice, and
+procured a summons against Giotto. The latter appeared, and on his
+side issued a summons against the man for two florins, as the price
+of the painting. When the magistrates had heard the arguments, which
+were much better advanced on Giotto's side, they adjudged that the
+man should take away his buckler, and give six lire to Giotto,
+because he was in the right. Accordingly the rustic took his buckler,
+paid the money, and was allowed to go. Thus this man, who did not
+know his place, had it pointed out to him, and may this befall all
+such fellows who wish to have arms and found houses, and whose
+antecedents have often been picked up at the foundling hospitals!
+
+It is said that while Giotto was still a boy, and with Cimabue, he
+once painted a fly on the nose of a figure which Cimabue had made, so
+naturally that when his master turned round to go on with his work,
+he more than once attempted to drive the fly away with his hand,
+believing it to be real, before he became aware of his mistake. I
+could tell many more of Giotto's practical jokes, and relate many of
+his sharp retorts, but I wish to confine myself to the things which
+concern the arts, and I must leave the rest to Franco and the others.
+
+In conclusion, in order that Giotto should not be without a memorial,
+in addition to the works which came from his hand, and to the notices
+left by the writers of his day, since it was he who found once again
+the true method of painting, which had been lost many years before
+his time, it was decreed by public order that his bust in marble,
+executed by Benedetto da Maiano, an Excellent sculptor, should be
+placed in S. Maria del Fiore. This was due to the activity and zeal
+displayed by Lorenzo dei Medici, the Magnificent, the elder, who
+greatly admired Giotto's talents. The following verses by that divine
+man, Messer Angelo Poliziano, were inscribed on the monument, so that
+all men who excelled in any profession whatever, might hope to earn
+such a memorial, which Giotto, for his part, had most richly deserved
+and earned:
+
+     Ille ego sum, per quem pictura extincta revixit,
+     Cui quam recta manus. tam fuit et facilis.
+     Naturae deerat nostrae, quod defait arti:
+     Plus licuit nulli pingere, nec melius.
+     Miraris turrim egregiam sacro aere sonantem?
+     Haec quoque de modulo crevit ad astra meo.
+     Denique sum Jottus, quid opus fuit illa referre?
+     Hoc nomen longi carminis instar erit.
+
+And in order that those who come after may see by Giotto's own
+designs the nature of the excellence of this great man, there are
+some magnificent specimens in my book, which I have collected with
+great care as well as with much trouble and expense.
+
+
+
+
+Agostino and Agnolo, Sculptors and Architects of Siena.
+
+
+Among the others who worked in the school of the sculptors Giovanni
+and Niccola Pisani were Agostino and Agnolo, sculptors of Siena,
+whose lives we are now writing, and who achieved great success
+according to the standard of the time. I have discovered that their
+father and mother were both Sienese, and their antecedents were
+architects, for the Fontebranda was completed by them in the year
+1190, under the government of the three Consols, and in the following
+year they founded the Custom House and other buildings of Siena,
+under the same consulship. Indeed it is often seen that where the
+seeds of talent have existed for a long time they often germinate and
+put forth shoots so that they afterwards produce greater and better
+fruit than the first plants had done. Thus Agostino and Agnolo added
+many improvements to the style of Giovanni and Niccola Pisani, and
+enriched art with better designs and inventions, as their works
+clearly show. It is said that when Giovanni Pisano returned to Pisa
+from Naples in the year 1284, he stopped at Siena to design and found
+the facade of the Duomo, where the three principal doors are, so that
+it should be entirely adorned with marble. It was then that Agostino,
+who was not more than fifteen years of age at the time, associated
+with him in order to study sculpture, of which he had learned the
+first principles, being no less attracted by that art than by
+architecture. Under Giovanni's instruction and by means of
+unremitting study he surpassed all his fellow-pupils in design, grace
+and style, so that everyone remarked that he was his master's right
+eye. And because it is natural to desire for those whom one loves
+beyond all other gifts of nature, mind or fortune, that quality of
+worth which alone renders men great and noble in this life and
+blessed in the next, Agostino took advantage of Giovanni's presence
+to secure the same advantages for his younger brother Agnolo; nor was
+if very difficult to do so, for the practice already enjoyed by
+Agnolo with Agostino and the other sculptors, and the honour and
+benefits which he perceived could be gained from this art, had so
+inflamed him with a desire to take up the study of sculpture, that he
+had already made a few things in secret before the idea had occurred
+to Agostino. The elder brother was engaged with Giovanni in making
+the marble reliefs for the high altar of the Vescovado of Arezzo,
+which has been mentioned above, and he succeeded in securing the
+co-operation of Agnolo in that work, who did so well, that when it
+was completed, it was found that he had surpassed Agostino in
+excellence. When this became known to Giovanni, he employed both
+brothers in many other works undertaken by him subsequently in
+Pistoia, Pisa, and other places. And because Agostino practised
+architecture as well as sculpture, it was not long before he designed
+a palace in Malborghetto for the Nine who then ruled in Siena, that
+is to say, in the year 1308. The execution of this work won the
+brothers such a reputation in their native place, that, when they
+returned to Siena after the death of Giovanni, they were both
+appointed architects of the State, so that in the year 1317 the north
+front of the Duomo was made under their direction, and in 1321 the
+building of the wall of the porta Romana, then known as the porta S.
+Martino, was begun from their plans in its present style, being
+finished in 1326. They restored the Tufi Gate, originally called the
+Gate of S. Agata all Arco, and in the same year the church and
+convent of S. Francesco were begun from their design, in the presence
+of the cardinal of Gaeta, the papal legate. Not long afterwards
+Agostino and Agnolo were invited by means of some of the Tolomei who
+were staying in exile at Orvieto, to make some sculptures for the
+work of S. Maria in that city. Going thither they made in sculpture
+some prophets which are now on the facade, and are the finest and
+best proportioned parts of that celebrated work. Now in the year 1326
+it chanced that Giotto was summoned to Naples by means of Charles,
+Duke of Calabria, who was then staying in Florence, to do some things
+in S. Chiara and other places there for King Robert, as has been
+related in that master's life. On his way to Naples Giotto stopped at
+Orvieto to see the work which had been executed there and which was
+still being carried on by so many men, wishing to examine everything
+minutely. But the prophets of Agostino and Agnolo of Siena pleased
+him more than all the other sculptures, from which circumstance it
+arose that Giotto not only commended them, but counted them among
+the number of his friends, to their great delight, and further
+recommended them to Piero Saccone of Pietramala, as the best
+sculptors of the day, and the best fitted to make the tomb of Guido,
+the lord and bishop of Arezzo, a matter referred to in the life of
+Giotto. Thus the fact that Giotto had seen the work of many sculptors
+at Orvieto and had considered that of Agostino and Agnolo of Siena to
+be the best, gave rise to their being commissioned to make this tomb
+after his designs and in accordance with the model which he had sent
+to Piero Saccone. They finished the tomb in the space of four years,
+conducting the work with great care, and they set it up in the chapel
+of the Sacrament in the church of the Vescovado of Arezzo. Above the
+sarcophagus, which rests on brackets carved in a really admirable
+manner, is stretched the form of the bishop, in marble, while at the
+side are some angels drawing curtains, done with considerable skill.
+Twelve square panels contain scenes of the life and acts of the
+bishop in an infinite number of small figures carved in half-relief.
+I do not think it too much trouble to relate the subjects of these
+scenes, so that it may appear with what labour they were executed,
+and how these sculptors endeavoured to discover the good style by
+study.
+
+The first shows how the bishop, aided by the Ghibelline party of
+Milan, who sent him 400 masons and money, entirely rebuilt the wall
+of Arezzo, lengthening it more than it had previously been so that it
+took the shape of a galley. The second is the taking of Lucignano di
+Valdichiana; the third, that of Chiusi; the fourth, that of Fronzoli,
+a strong castle of that time above Poppi, held by the sons of the
+count of Battifolle. The fifth contains the final surrender to the
+bishop of the castle of Rondine, after it had been besieged by the
+Aretines for many months. The sixth is the capture of the castle del
+Bucine in Valdarno. The seventh contains the storming of the Rocca di
+Caprese, which belonged to the Count of Romena, after it had been
+besieged for several months. In the eighth the bishop is dismantling
+the castle of Laterino, and causing the hill which rises above it to
+be cut in form of a cross, so that it should not be possible to make
+another fortress there. The ninth represents the destruction and
+burning of Monte Sansavino and the driving out of all the
+inhabitants. The eleventh contains the bishop's coronation, with a
+number of richly dressed  soldiers, both horse and foot, and of other
+people. The twelfth and last represents the bishop being carried by
+his men from Montenero, where he fell sick, to Massa, and thence,
+after his death, to Arezzo. In many places about the tomb are the
+Ghibelline insignia and the bishop's arms, which are six-squared
+stones or on a field _azure_, following the same arrangements as the
+six balls in the arms of the Medici. These arms of the bishop's house
+were described by friar Guittone, knight and poet of Arezzo, when he
+wrote of the site of the castle of Pietramala, whence the family
+derived its origin, in the lines:
+
+        Dove si scontra il Giglion con la Chiassa
+        Ivi furon i miei antecessori,
+        Che in campo azzurro d'or portan sei sassa.
+
+Agnolo and Agostino displayed more art, invention, and diligence in
+this work than had ever been employed on anything before their time.
+And indeed they deserve the highest praise, having introduced into it
+so many figures, such a variety of landscapes, places, towns, horses,
+men, and other things, that it is a veritable marvel. And although
+the tomb has been almost entirely destroyed by the French of the Duke
+of Anjou, who sacked the greater part of the city in revenge for some
+injuries received by them from their enemies, yet it is still clear
+that it was executed with the most excellent judgment by Agostino and
+Agnolo, who carved on it in rather large letters: _Hoc opus fecit
+magister Augustinus et magister Angelus de Senis_. In 1329 they did a
+marble bas-relief for the church of S. Francesco at Bologna, which is
+in a very fair manner, and besides the  carved ornamentation, which
+is very fine, they introduced figures a braccia and a half high, of
+Christ crowning Our Lady, with three similar figures on either side,
+St Francis, St James, St Domenic, St Anthony of Padua, St Petronio,
+and St John the Evangelist, and under each of these figures is carved
+in bas-relief a scene from the life of the saint above. All these
+scenes contain a great number of half-length figures, which make a
+rich  and  beautiful ornamentation after the manner of those times.
+It is very apparent that Agostino and Agnolo threw an immense amount
+of labour into this work, and that they applied all their care and
+knowledge to make it worthy of praise, as it truly was, and even now
+when it is half destroyed, it is possible to read their names and the
+date, by means of which and of a knowledge of the time when they
+began it, one may see that they spent eight whole years upon it,
+although it is true that at the  same  time they made many other
+small things in different places for various persons.
+
+Now while they were at work at Bologna, that city gave itself freely
+to the Church, through the mediation of the papal legate, and the
+Pope in return promised that he and his court would go to live at
+Bologna, but that for his security he wished to build a castle or
+fortress there. This was granted by the Bolognese, and the castle was
+quickly built under the direction and from the design of Agostino and
+Agnolo; but it had a very short life, for when the Bolognese
+discovered that all the promises made by the Pope were vain, they
+dismantled and destroyed it much more quickly than it had been made.
+
+It is said that while these two sculptors were staying at Bologna,
+the Po impetuously burst its banks, doing incredible damage to the
+territories of Mantua and Ferrara, causing the death of more than ten
+thousand persons, and wasting the country for miles around. Being
+clever and worthy men, the assistance of Agostino and Agnolo was
+requested, and they succeeded in finding means of reducing that
+terrible river to its bed, and of confining it there with ditches and
+other effective remedies. This brought them much praise and benefit,
+for besides the fame which they acquired thereby, their services were
+acknowledged by the lords of Mantua and by the house of Este with
+most liberal rewards.
+
+When they next returned to Siena in the year 1338, the new church of
+S. Maria, near the old Duomo, towards the piazza Manetti, was made
+under their direction from their design, and not long after, the
+Sienese, who were greatly pleased with all the works which they
+executed for them, decided to seize this excellent opportunity of
+carrying into effect a plan which they had long discussed, but till
+then without any result, namely, the erection of a public fountain on
+the principal piazza opposite the palace of the Signoria. The charge
+of this undertaking was entrusted to Agostino and Agnolo, and
+although it was a matter of great difficulty they brought water to
+the fountain by pipes made of lead and earth, and the first jet of
+water was thrown up on 1st June 1343, to the great delight and
+contentment of all the city, which on this account was under a great
+obligation to the talent of these two citizens. At the same time the
+hall of the greater council was made in the Palazzo del Pubblico, and
+the same artists directed and designed the building of the tower of
+that palace, which they completed in the year 1344, hanging two great
+bells on it, one of which came from Grosseto, while the other was
+made at Siena. In the course of time Agnolo arrived at Assisi, where
+he made a chapel in the lower church of S. Francesco, and a marble
+tomb for a brother of Napoleone Orsini, a cardinal and a Franciscan
+friar, who had died in that place. Agostino, who had remained at
+Siena in the service of the State, died while he was engaged upon the
+designs for the ornamentation of the piazza fountain, mentioned
+above, and was buried in the Duomo with honour. I have not been able
+to discover how or when Agnolo died, so that I can say nothing about
+it, nor do I know of any other works of importance by his hand, and
+so this is the end of their lives. It would, however, be an error, as
+I am following a Chronological order, not to make mention of some,
+who, although they have not done things which would justify a
+narration of their whole life, have nevertheless in some measure
+added things of utility and beauty to art and to the world. Therefore
+in connection with the mention made above of the Vescovado and Pieve
+of Arezzo, let me here relate that Pietro and Paolo, goldsmiths of
+Arezzo, who learned design from Agnolo and Agostino of Siena, were
+the first who executed great works of any excellence with the chisel;
+for they made for the head priest of the Pieve of Arezzo a silver
+head of life-size, in which was put the head of St Donato, bishop and
+protector of that city, a work which was certainly praiseworthy, if
+only because they introduced into it some figures in enamel, which
+were, as I have said, among the first things executed with the
+chisel.
+
+About the same time, or shortly before, the art of the Calimara at
+Florence, entrusted to Master Cione, an excellent goldsmith, the
+greater part, if not the whole, of the silver altar of S. Giovanni
+Batista, which contains many scenes from the life of that saint,
+engraved in a very creditable manner on a silver plate. This work, on
+account of its dimensions, and the novelty of its execution, was
+considered marvellous by everyone who saw it. The same Master Cione,
+in 1330, when the body of St Zenobius was found under the vaults of
+St Reparata, placed in a silver head of life-size, the piece of the
+head of that saint which is still preserved therein, and is carried
+in procession. This head was considered a most beautiful thing at the
+time, and brought much reputation to the artist, who died soon after,
+a wealthy man, and held in high esteem.
+
+Master Cione left many pupils, and among others, Forzore di Spinello
+of Arezzo, who did all manner of engraving excellently, but was
+especially good in making scenes in enamel on silver, such as may be
+seen in the Vescovado at Arezzo, for which he made a mitre with a
+beautiful border of enamel, and a fine pastoral staff in silver. He
+also executed many things in silver for the Cardinal Galeotto da
+Pietramala, who bequeathed them to the friars of la Vernia, where he
+wished to be buried, and where, besides the wall, which the Count
+Orlando, lord of Chiusi, a small castle below la Vernia, had caused
+to be set up, he built the church and many rooms in the convent, and
+all this without leaving any notice or other memorial of himself in
+any part of that place. Another pupil of Master Cione was Lionardo di
+Ser Giovanni of Florence, who executed a number of works with the
+chisel and with solder, with a better design than those who preceded
+him, especially the altar and silver bas-reliefs of S. Jacopo at
+Pistoia, where, beside a large number of subjects, the half-length
+figure of St James, more than a braccia high, is much admired. It is
+in full relief, and finished with such elaboration, that it seems to
+have been cast rather than engraved. The figure is placed in the
+midst of the scenes of the altar table, about which runs a legend in
+letters of enamel:
+
+  Ad honorem Dei et S. Jacobi Apostoli, hoc opus factum fuit tempore
+  Domini Franc. Pagni dictae operae operarii sub anno 1371 per me
+  Leonardum Ser Jo. de Floren. aurific.
+
+Now to return to Agostino and Agnolo, they had many pupils who
+produced many works after them in architecture and sculpture in
+Lombardy and other places in Italy. Among them was Jacopo Lanfrani of
+Venice, who founded S. Francesco of Imola, and executed the
+sculptures for the principal door, where he carved his name and the
+date, 1343; for the church of S. Domenico at Bologna the same Master
+Jacopo made a marble tomb for Gio. Andrea Calduino, doctor of law and
+secretary of Pope Clement VI., and another very well executed also in
+marble and in the same church for Taddeo Peppoli, protector of the
+people and of justice at Bologna. In the same year, that is to say in
+1347, after the completion of this tomb, or shortly before, Master
+Jacopo returned to his native Venice and there founded the church of
+S. Antonio, which was originally of wood, at the request of a
+Florentine abbot of the ancient family of the Abati, M. Andrea
+Dandolo, being doge at the time. This church was completed in the
+year 1349.
+
+Then again Jacobello and Pietro Paolo, Venetians, who were pupils of
+Agostino and Agnolo, erected in S. Domenico at Bologna a marble tomb
+for M. Giovanni da Lignano, doctor of laws, in the year 1383. All
+these and many other sculptors continued for a long space of time to
+employ the same manner, so that they filled all Italy with examples
+of it. It is further believed that the native of Pesaro, who besides
+many other things did the door of the church of S. Domenico in his
+native town, with the three marble figures of God the Father, St John
+the Baptist and St Mark, was a pupil of Agostino and Agnolo, and the
+style of the work gives colour to the supposition. This work was
+completed in the year 1385. But since it would take much too long to
+enter into particulars of the works made in this style by many
+masters of the time, I will let what I have said, in this general
+way, suffice, chiefly because they have not exercised a great
+influence upon our arts. Yet I thought it good to mention these men,
+because even if they do not deserve a long notice, yet they are not
+so insignificant as to be altogether passed over in silence.
+
+
+
+
+Stefano, Painter of Florence, and Ugolino of Siena.
+
+
+Stefano, painter of Florence and pupil of Giotto, was so excellent
+that not only did he surpass all the artists who had studied the arts
+before him, but he so far surpassed his master himself that he was
+deservedly considered the best of the painters up to that time, as
+his works clearly prove. He painted the Madonna in fresco for the
+Campo Santo at Pisa, and it is somewhat superior in design and
+colouring to the work of Giotto. In the cloister of S. Spirito at
+Florence he painted three arches in fresco, in the first of which,
+containing the Transfiguration with Moses and Elias, he represented
+the three disciples in fine and striking attitudes. He has formed a
+fine conception of the dazzling splendour which astonished them,
+their clothes being in disorder, and falling in new folds, a thing
+first seen in this picture, as he tried to base his work upon the
+nude figures, an idea which had not occurred to anyone before, no not
+even to Giotto himself. Under that arch, in which he made a Christ
+releasing a demoniac, he drew an edifice in perspective, perfectly,
+in a style then little known, displaying improved form and more
+science. He further executed it in the modern manner with great
+judgment, and displayed such art and such invention and proportion in
+the columns, doors, windows and cornices, and such different methods
+from the other masters that it seemed as if he had begun to see some
+glimpses of the light of the good and perfect manner of the moderns.
+Among other ingenious things he contrived a very difficult flight of
+steps, which are shown both in painting and in relief, and possess
+such design, variety, and invention, and are so useful and convenient
+that Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent, the elder, made use of the
+design for the steps outside the palace of Poggio a Caiano, now the
+principal villa of the Most Illustrious Duke. In the other arch is a
+representation of Christ saving St Peter from the fury of the waters,
+so well done that one seems to hear the voice of Peter saying:
+_Domine, salva nos, perimus_. This work is considered much finer than
+the other, because, besides the grace of the draperies, there is a
+sweetness in the bearing of the heads, a fear of the fortunes of the
+sea, while the terror of the apostles at various motions and
+appearances of the water, are represented in very suitable attitudes
+and with great beauty. And although time has partly destroyed the
+labour expended  by Stefano on this work, one may still discern
+confusedly that the apostles are defending themselves with spirit
+from the fury of the winds and waves. This work, which has been
+highly praised by the moderns, must certainly have appeared a miracle
+in all Tuscany at the time when it was  produced, Stefano then
+painted in the first cloister of S. Maria Novella a St Thomas
+Aquinas, next a door, where he also made a crucifix which has since
+been much damaged by other painters in restoring it. He also left
+unfinished a chapel in the church, which he began, now much damaged
+by time. In it may be seen the fall of the angels through the pride
+of Lucifer, in divers forms. Here it is noteworthy that the
+foreshortening of the arms, busts, and legs of the figures is much
+better done than ever before, and this shows us that Stefano began to
+recognise and had partially overcome the difficulties which stand in
+the way of the highest excellence, the mastery of which by his
+successors, by means of unremitting study, has rendered their works
+so remarkable. For this cause artists have well named him the ape of
+nature.
+
+Some time after Stefano was invited to Milan where he began many
+things for Matteo Visconti, but was not able to complete them,
+because having fallen sick owing to the change of air, he was
+compelled to return to Florence. There he regained his strength and
+executed in fresco in the chapel of the Asini in S. Croce, the story
+of the martyrdom of St Mark by being drawn asunder, with many figures
+which possess merit. As a pupil of Giotto he was then invited to Rome
+where he did in fresco for the principal chapel of St Peter's, which
+contains the altar of that saint, some scenes from the life of Christ
+between the windows of the large apse, with such care that he
+approaches very closely to the modern style and surpasses his master
+Giotto in design and other things. After this he executed in fresco,
+at Araceli, on a pillar beside the principal chapel on the left, a St
+Louis, which is much admired because it possesses a vivacity which
+had not been apparent in any works up to that time, not even in those
+of Giotto. Indeed Stefano had great facility in design, as  may be
+seen in a drawing by his hand in our book, in which the
+transfiguration is represented which he made for the cloister of S.
+Spirito, and indeed in my opinion he designed much better than
+Giotto. He next went to Assisi and in the apse of the principal
+chapel of the lower church, where the choir is, he began a
+representation in fresco of the Heavenly Glory; and although he did
+not finish it, what he did perform shows that he used the utmost
+diligence. In this work he began a series of saints with such
+beautiful variety in the faces of the youths, the men of middle age
+and the old men, that nothing better could be desired, and those
+blessed spirits exhibit so sweet and so united a style that it
+appears all but impossible that they could have been done by Stefano
+at that time. He however did execute them, although no more than the
+heads of the figures are finished. Above them is a choir of angels
+rejoicing in various attitudes, appropriately carrying theological
+symbols in their hands. All are turned towards a crucified Christ who
+is in the midst of the work immediately above a St Francis, who is
+surrounded by a multitude of saints. Besides this he made some angels
+as a border for the work, each of them holding one of those churches
+of which St John the Evangelist writes in the Apocalypse. These
+angels are represented with such grace that I am amazed to find a man
+of that age capable of producing them. Stefano began this work with
+the intention of thoroughly completing it, and he would have
+succeeded had he not been forced to leave it imperfect and to return
+to Florence on some important affairs of his own. During this stay at
+Florence and in order to lose no time, he painted for the
+Granfigliazzi lung' Arno, between their houses and the ponte alle
+Carraia in a small tabernacle on one side, Our Lady seated sewing, to
+whom a clothed child who is seated, is offering a bird, done with
+such care that although it is small it merits no less praise than the
+more ambitious efforts of the master.
+
+On the completion of this work and the settling of his affairs,
+Stefano was summoned to Pistoia by the lords there, and was set by
+them to paint the chapel of St James in the year 1346. In the vault
+he did a God the Father with some apostles, and on the side walls the
+life of the saint, notably the scene where his mother, the wife of
+Zebedee, asks Jesus Christ to permit that her two sons shall sit, one
+on His right hand and the other on His left in the kingdom of His
+Father. Near this is a fine presentation of the beheading of the
+saint. It is thought that Maso, called Giottino, of whom I shall
+speak afterwards, was the son of this Stefano, and although, on
+account of his name, many believe him to be the son of Giotto, I
+consider it all but certain that he was rather the son of Stefano,
+both because of certain documents which I have seen, and also because
+of some notices written in good faith by Lorenzo Ghiberti and by
+Domenico del Grillandaio. However, this may be, and to return to
+Stefano, to him is due the credit of the greatest improvement in
+painting since the days of Giotto; because, besides being more varied
+in his inventions, he showed more unity in colouring and more shading
+than all the others, and above all, in diligence he had no rival. And
+although the foreshortenings which he  made exhibit, as I  have said,
+a bad manner owing to the difficulties of execution, yet as the first
+investigator of these difficulties he deserves a much higher place
+than those who follow after the path has been made plain for them.
+Thus a great debt is due to Stefano, because he who presses on
+through the darkness and shows the way, heartens the others, enabling
+them to overcome the difficulties of the way, so that in time they
+arrive at the desired haven. In Perugia also, in the church of S.
+Domenico, Stefano began in fresco the chapel of St Catherine which
+is still unfinished.
+
+At the same time there lived a Sienese painter, called Ugolino, of
+considerable repute, and a great friend of Stefano. He did many
+pictures and chapels in all parts of Italy. But he kept in great part
+to the Byzantine style, to which he had become attached by habit, and
+always preferred, from a caprice of his own, to follow the manner of
+Cimabue rather than that of Giotto, which was held in such esteem.
+His works consist of a picture for the high altar of S. Croce, on a
+gold ground, and another picture which stood for many years on the
+high altar of S. Maria Novella, and which is now in the
+chapter-house, where every year the Spanish nation celebrates with a
+solemn feast the day of St James and its other offices and burial
+services. Besides these he did many other things in a good style, but
+without in the least departing from the manner of his master. It was
+he who painted on a pillar of bricks in the loggia, which Lapo had
+built on the piazza of Orsanmichele, that Madonna which, not many
+years after, worked so many miracles that the loggia was for a great
+time full of images, and to this day is held in the highest
+veneration. Finally, in the chapel of M. Ridolfo de' Bardi, in S.
+Croce, where Giotto painted the life of St Francis, he did a
+crucifix in tempera with the Magdalene and St John weeping, and two
+friars on either side. Ugolino died at an advanced age in the year
+1349, and was honourably buried at Siena, his native place.
+
+But to return to Stefano, who, they say, was also a good architect,
+and what has been said above makes this likely; he died, it is said,
+at the beginning of the Jubilee of 1350, at the age of forty-nine,
+and was buried at S. Spirito in the tomb of his ancestors with this
+epitaph:
+
+   Stephano Florentino pictori, faciundis imaginibus ac colorandis
+   figuris nulli unquam inferiori; Affines moestiss. pos. vix. an.
+   XXXXIX.
+
+
+
+
+Pietro Laurati, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+Pietro Laurati, an excellent painter of Siena, proved by his life how
+great may be the contentment of men of undoubted talent, who realise
+that their works are valued, both in their native land and outside
+it, and who see themselves in request by all men; for in the course
+of his life he was employed and caressed by all Tuscany. The first
+works which brought him into notice were the scenes which he painted
+in fresco in la  Scala, a hospital of Siena, in which he imitated the
+style of Giotto so successfully that these paintings became known
+throughout Tuscany and gave rise to the well-founded belief that he
+would become a better master than Cimabue, Giotto, and the others, as
+he actually did. In these scenes he represented the Virgin mounting
+the steps of the Temple, accompanied by Joachim and Anna, and
+received by the priest; then her marriage, both remarkable for good
+ornamentation, well-draped figures with simple folds of the clothes,
+and a majesty in the carnage of the heads, while the disposition of
+the figures is in the finest style. During the progress of this work,
+which introduced the good style of painting to Siena, being the first
+gleam of light for the many fine spirits who have flourished in that
+land in every age, Pietro was summoned to Monte Oliveto di Chiusuri,
+where he painted a picture in tempera which is now placed in the
+paradiso under the church. He next painted a tabernacle at Florence,
+opposite the left door of the church of S. Spirito, on the side where
+a butcher's shop  now stands, which merits the highest praise from
+every attentive artist, on account of the grace of the heads and the
+smoothness which it exhibits. Proceeding from Florence to Pisa, he
+did for the Campo Santo on the wall next the principal door, all the
+life of the Holy Fathers, with such striking reality and in such fine
+attitudes, that they rival Giotto. For this work he won the highest
+praise, having expressed in some heads, in drawing and colour, all
+the vivacity of which the manner of the time was capable. From Pisa
+he passed to Pistoia, and in S. Francesco did a picture of Our Lady
+in tempera, surrounded by some angels, very well arranged, the
+predella beneath containing some scenes with small figures, presented
+with a vigour and life remarkable for those times. This work
+satisfied him as much as it delighted others, and accordingly he put
+his name to it in these words: _Petrus Laurati de Senis_. Afterwards,
+in the year 1355, Pietro was summoned to Arezzo by M. Guglielmo, head
+priest, and by Margarito  Boschi and the other wardens of the Pieve
+of Arezzo. This church had been brought to an advanced stage in a
+better style and manner than had been practised in Tuscany up to that
+time, being ornamented with squared stones and carvings by the hand
+of Margaritone, as has been said. There Pietro painted in fresco the
+tribune and all the great apse of the chapel of the high altar,
+representing twelve scenes from the life of Our Lady, with life-size
+figures, from the chasing of Joachim out of the Temple, to the birth
+of Jesus Christ. In these works in  fresco  one meets with the ideas,
+lineaments, carriage of the heads, and attitudes of the figures
+characteristic of Giotto, his master. And although the whole of this
+work is beautiful, yet the paintings in the vault of the apse are
+certainly much better than the  rest, because, in the place where he
+represented the ascent of Our Lady to heaven, besides making the
+apostles four braccia high each, in which he showed his greatness of
+mind, being the first artist who attempted to aggrandise his style,
+he gave such a beautiful turn to the heads and such grace to the
+vestments that more could not have been desired in those days. In
+like manner he painted in the vaulting a choir of angels flying in
+the air about a Madonna. As they gracefully dance they appear to be
+singing, with a joy truly angelic and divine; whilst they are playing
+various instruments their eyes are fixed and intent on another choir
+of angels, sustained by a cloud of almond shape bearing the Madonna
+to heaven arranged in beautiful attitudes and surrounded by rainbows.
+This work, which was deservedly popular, procured him a commission to
+paint in tempera the picture of the high altar of that Pieve, where
+in five panels of life-size figures, represented to the knees, he
+made Our Lady with the Child on her arm, with St John the Baptist and
+St Matthew on one side of her, and on the other the Evangelist and St
+Donate. In the predella are many small figures, as well as in the
+frame of the picture above, all really fine and executed in the best
+style. I have entirely restored this altar at my own expense and with
+my own hands, so that this picture has been placed above the altar of
+St Christopher, at the bottom of the church. I may take this
+opportunity, without appearing to be impertinent, of saying in this
+place that I have myself restored this ancient collegiate church,
+moved by Christian piety and by the affection which I bear to the
+venerable building, because it was my first instructress in my early
+childhood. This I did also because it appeared to me to be as it were
+abandoned, and it may now be said to have been called back to life
+from the dead. Besides increasing the light, for it was very dark, by
+enlarging the original windows and making new ones, I also took away
+the choir, which used to occupy a great part of the church, and put
+it behind the high altar, to the great satisfaction of the canons
+there. The new altar stands alone, and has on the table before it a
+Christ calling Peter and Andrew from their nets, and on the side next
+the choir is another picture of St George killing the serpent. On the
+sides are four panels, each of which contains two saints of
+life-size. Above and below in the predella are numerous other
+figures, which are omitted for the sake of brevity. The ornamentation
+of the altar is thirteen braccia high, and the predella two braccia.
+The interior is hollow and is approached by a staircase through a
+small iron door, very well arranged. Many valuable relics are
+preserved there, which may be seen from the outside through two iron
+gratings in the front. Among others is the head of St Donato, bishop
+and protector of Arezzo. In a chest of various materials, three
+braccia high, which I have caused to be newly made, are the bones of
+four saints. The predella of the altar, which entirely surrounds it,
+has in front of it the tabernacle or _ciborium_ of the Sacrament,  in
+carved wood, all gilt, about three braccia high, and it may be seen
+from the choir side as well as from the front. As I have spared
+neither pains nor expense, since I considered myself bound to do my
+best to honour God, I may venture to affirm that, so far as my
+ability would allow, this work lacks nothing in the way of ornament,
+whether of gold, carving, painting, marble, trevertine, porphyry, or
+other stones.
+
+Now to return to Pietro Laurati. When he had completed the picture
+mentioned above, he did many things for St Peter's at Rome, which
+were afterwards destroyed in building the new church. He also
+executed some works at Cortona and at Arezzo, besides those already
+mentioned, and some others in the church of S. Fiore e Lucilla, a
+monastery of black monks, notably a representation in a chapel of St
+Thomas putting his hand into the wound in Christ's side.
+
+A pupil of Pietro was Bartolommeo Bologhini of Siena, who executed
+many pictures at Siena and other places in Italy. There is one by his
+hand at Florence, on the altar of the chapel of St Silvester in S.
+Croce. The paintings of this man were executed about the year 1350.
+In my book, which I have so often referred to, may be seen a drawing
+by Pietro, representing a shoemaker sewing in a simple but most
+natural manner with an admirable expression. It affords a good
+example of Pietro's peculiar style. His portrait by the hand of
+Bartolommeo Bologhini was in a picture at Siena, where not many years
+ago I copied it, in the manner seen above.
+
+
+
+
+Andrea Pisano, Sculptor and Architect.
+
+
+While the art of painting has flourished, sculptors have never been
+lacking who could produce excellent work. To the attentive mind, the
+works of every age bear testimony to this fact, for the two arts are
+really sisters, born at the same time and nourished and animated by
+the same spirit. This is seen in Andrea Pisano, who practised
+sculpture in the time of Giotto, and made so much improvement in that
+art, both by practice and study, that he was considered the best
+exponent of the profession who had until then appeared in Tuscany,
+especially in casting bronze. For this reason his works were so
+honoured and prized by those who knew him, and especially by the
+Florentines, that he was able without a pang to change his country,
+relations, property, and friends. It was a great advantage to him
+that the masters who had preceded him in sculpture had experienced so
+much difficulty in the art that their works were rough and common, so
+that those who saw his productions, judged him a miracle by
+comparison. That these first works were rude may be credited, as has
+been said elsewhere, upon an examination of some which are over the
+principal door of S. Paolo at Florence, and some stone ones in the
+church of Ognissanti, which are so executed as to move to laughter
+those who regard them, rather than to excite in them any admiration
+or pleasure. It is certain that it was much more easy to recover the
+art of sculpture when the statues had been lost, as a man is a round
+figure by nature, and is so represented by that art, whereas in
+painting, on the other hand, it is not so easy to find the right
+shapes and the best manner of portraying them, which are essential to
+the majesty, beauty, grace, and ornament of a picture. In one
+circumstance fortune was favourable to Andrea, because, as has been
+said elsewhere, by means of the numerous victories won by the Pisans
+at sea, many antiquities and  sarcophagi were brought to Pisa, which
+are still about the Duomo and Campo Santo. These gave him great
+assistance and much light, advantages which could not be enjoyed by
+Giotto, because the ancient paintings which have been preserved are
+not so numerous as the sculptures. And although statues have
+frequently been destroyed by fire, devastation, and the fury of war,
+or buried or transported to various places, yet it is easy for a
+connoisseur to recognise the productions of all the different
+countries by their various styles. For example, the Egyptian is
+slender, with long figures; the Greek is artificial, and much care is
+displayed on the nude, while the heads nearly always have the same
+turn; and the ancient Tuscan is careful in the treatment of hair and
+somewhat rude. As regards the Romans, and I call Roman for the most
+part those things which were brought to Rome after Greece was
+subjugated, as all that was good and beautiful in the world was
+carried thither; this Roman work, I say, is so beautiful in
+expression, attitudes, movements both in nude figures and in
+draperies, that the Romans may be said to have extracted the
+beautiful from all the other provinces and gathered it into a
+single style, making it the best and the most divine of all the arts.
+
+At the time of Andrea all these good methods and arts were lost, and
+the only style in use was that which had been brought to Tuscany by
+the Goths and the rude Greeks. Thus he noted the new style of Giotto
+and such few antiquities as were known to him, and somewhat refined a
+great part of the grossness of that wretched manner by his own
+judgment, so that he began to work in better style, and endow his
+works with far more beauty than had hitherto been seen. When his
+intelligence, skill, and dexterity had become known he was assisted
+by many of his compatriots, and while he was still a young man, he
+was commissioned to make some small figures in marble for S. Maria a
+Ponte. These brought him such a good name that he was most earnestly
+desired to come to work at Florence by those in charge of the
+building of S. Maria del Fiore, as after the facade of the three
+doors had been begun, there was a lack of masters to execute the
+subjects which Giotto had designed for the beginning of that
+structure. Accordingly Andrea went to Florence in order to undertake
+that work, and because at that time the Florentines were desirous of
+making themselves agreeable and friendly to Pope Boniface VIII., who
+was then chief pontiff of the church of God, they wished Andrea,
+before everything else, to make his statue in marble. Andrea
+therefore set to work, and did not rest until he had finished the
+Pope's figure placed between St Peter and St Paul, the three figures
+being set up on the facade of S. Maria del Fiore, where they still
+are. Afterwards Andrea made some figures of prophets for the middle
+door of that church, in some tabernacles or niches. These showed that
+he had made great improvements in the art, and that in excellence and
+design he surpassed all those who had laboured for that structure up
+to that time. Hence it was decided that all works of importance
+should be entrusted to him and not to others. Soon after he was
+commissioned to make four statues of the principal doctors of the
+church--St Jerome, St Ambrose, St Augustine, and St Gregory. When
+these were finished they brought him favour and renown with the
+craftsmen and throughout the city, and he was commissioned to make
+two other figures in marble of the same size. These were St Stephen
+and St Laurence, which are on the front of S. Maria del Fiore at the
+outside angle. By Andrea's hand also is the marble Madonna, three and
+a half braccia high with the child at her neck, which is over the
+altar of the little church and company of the Misericordia on the
+piazza of S. Giovanni at Florence. This was much praised in those
+times, especially as on either side of the Madonna he put an angel
+two and a half braccia high. A setting of very finely carved wood has
+been made for this in our own day by Maestro Antonio called "Il
+Carota," with a predella beneath, full of most beautiful figures
+coloured in oil by Ridolfo, son of Domenico Grillandai. In like
+manner the half-length Madonna in marble which is over the
+side-door of the Misericordia, on the facade of the Cialdonai, is by
+Andrea's hand, and was highly praised, because in it he had imitated
+the good antique manner, contrary to his habit, which was always
+different from it, as shown by some designs of his which are in our
+book, and in which he represents all the scenes from the Apocalypse.
+Now Andrea had studied architecture in his youth, and an opportunity
+occurred for his employment in this art by the commune of Florence,
+for as Arnolfo was dead and Giotto absent, he was entrusted with the
+preparation of plans for the castle of Scarperia, which is in Mugello
+at the foot of the Alps. Some say, though I will not vouch for the
+truth of it, that Andrea stayed a year at Venice, and there executed
+some small marble figures which are on the facade of S. Marco, and
+that in the time of M. Piero Gradenigo, doge of that republic, he
+designed the Arsenal. But as I know nothing of this beyond the bare
+mention of it which occurs in some writers, I must leave the matter
+to the judgment of my readers. From Venice he returned to Florence,
+where the city, fearing the coming of the emperor, with Andrea's
+co-operation, hastily added eight braccia to part of the wall between
+S. Gallo and the Prato Gate, and in other places he made bastions,
+palisades and works in earth and wood. Now some three years before,
+he had shown his skill in casting bronze in a much admired cross
+which he had sent to the Pope at Avignon, by means of his close
+friend Giotto; accordingly he was commissioned to make in bronze one
+of the doors of the church of S. Giovanni, for which Giotto had
+already made a very fine design. This, as I say, was given to him to
+finish, because he was considered the most talented, skilful, and
+judicious master of all those who had worked until then, not only in
+Tuscany, but throughout Italy. He set to work, resolved to spare
+neither time, pains, nor diligence upon the completion of a task of
+such importance. Fate was propitious to him in his casting, at a time
+when men were ignorant of the secrets known today, so that in the
+space of twenty-two years he brought the door to its present stage of
+perfection; and what is more, at the same time he made not only the
+tabernacle of the high altar of S. Giovanni, with an angel on either
+side which were considered most beautiful, but also the small marble
+figures about the base of the door of the campanile of S. Maria del
+Fiore, after Giotto's design, and about that campanile, in certain
+mandorle, the seven planets, the seven virtues, and the seven works
+of mercy in small figures in half-relief, which were then much
+admired. At the same time he made the three figures of four braccia
+high, which were placed in niches in that campanile, on the side
+towards the place where the Pupilli now are, that is towards the
+south, figures which were considered at the time to be of
+considerable merit. But to return to my starting-point, I say that
+the bronze door contains scenes in bas-relief from the life of St
+John the Baptist, from his birth to his death, most happily conceived
+and executed with great care. And  although many are of opinion that
+these stories do not exhibit that fine design nor that high art which
+should be put into figures, yet Andrea merits the highest praise,
+because he was the first who undertook to complete a work which
+rendered it possible for those who came after him to produce what is
+beautiful, difficult and good in the other two doors, and in the
+exterior ornaments now to be seen. This work was set in the middle
+door of the church, and remained there until Lorenzo Ghiberti made
+the present one, when it was removed and set up opposite the
+Misericordia, where it is at the present time. I must not omit to say
+that in making this door Andrea was assisted by his son Nino, who
+afterwards became a much better master than his father had been, and
+that it was finished in the year 1339--that is to say, not only
+polished and cleaned, but gilt at the fire. It is thought that the
+metal was cast by some Venetian masters very skilful in founding; and
+a record of this is in the library of the art of the Calimara,
+guardians of the work of S. Giovanni. Whilst the door was being made,
+Andrea not only made the altars aforesaid, but many others, and in
+particular the model of the church of S. Giovanni at Pistoia, which
+was founded in the year 1337. In this same year, on the 25th day of
+January, was found the body of St Atto, bishop of that city, in
+excavating the foundations of the church. The body had been buried in
+that place for 137 years. The architecture of that temple, which is
+round, was meritorious for the time. Also by the hand of Andrea is a
+marble tomb in the principal church of Pistoia, the body of the
+sarcophagus of which is full of small figures, with some larger ones
+above. In this tomb rests the body of M. Cino d'Angibolgi, doctor of
+laws, and a very famous man of letters in his day, as M. Francesco
+Petrarca testifies in the sonnet:
+
+          "Piangette donne, e con voi pianga Amore;"
+
+and in the fourth chapter of the _Trionfo d'Amore_, where he says:
+
+          "Ecco Cin da Pistoia; Guitton d'Arezzo,
+           Che di non esser primo per ch' ira aggia."
+
+This marble tomb of Andrea's contains the portrait of M. Cino, who is
+represented as teaching a number of his scholars, who are about him,
+with such a fine attitude and style that it must have been considered
+a marvellous thing in those days, although it would not be valued
+now.
+
+Walter, Duke of Athens and tyrant of Florence, also employed Andrea
+to enlarge the piazza, and to fortify his palace by barring the
+bottom of all the windows on the first floor, where the hall of the
+Two Hundred now is, with very strong square iron bars. The same duke
+also added, opposite S. Piero Scheraggio, the rough stone walls which
+are beside the palace to augment it, and in the thickness of the wall
+he made a secret staircase, to mount and descend unperceived. At the
+bottom face of the wall he made a great door, which now serves for
+the Customs, and over this he set his arms, the whole after the
+designs and with the advice of Andrea. Although the arms were defaced
+by the magistracy of the twelve, who took pains to obliterate every
+memorial of that duke, yet on the square shield there remained the
+form of the lion rampant with two tails, as any attentive observer
+may see. For the same duke Andrea made many towers about the city,
+and not only began the fine gate of S. Friano, leaving it in its
+present form, but also made the walls of the portals and all the
+gates of the city, and the smaller gates for the convenience of the
+people. And, because the duke purposed to make a fortress on the hill
+of S. Giorgio, Andrea prepared a model for it, which was never used,
+as the work was not begun, the duke being driven out in the year
+1343. The duke's plan to convert the palace into a strong castle was
+in great measure effected, for a considerable addition was made to
+the original building, as may be seen to-day, the circuit comprising
+the houses of the Filipetri, the tower and houses of the Amidei, and
+Mancini, and those of the Bellaberti. And because, after this great
+undertaking was begun, all the materials required for it and for the
+great walls and barbicans were not ready, he kept back the building
+of the Ponte Vecchio, which was being hurried forward as a necessary
+thing, and made use of the dressed stones and timber designed for
+this without any consideration. Although Taddeo Gaddi was probably
+not inferior to Andrea Pisano as an architect, the duke would not
+employ him on these works because he was a Florentine, but made use
+of Andrea. The same Duke Walter wished to pull down S. Cicilia, in
+order to obtain a view of the Strada Romana and the Mercato Nuovo
+from his palace, and would also have destroyed S. Piero Scheraggio
+for his convenience, but the Pope would not grant him licence. At
+length, as has been said above, he was driven out by the fury of the
+people.
+
+For his honoured labours of so many years Andrea not only deserved
+the highest rewards, but also civil honours. Accordingly he was made
+a Florentine citizen by the Signoria, offices and magistracies in the
+city were given to him, and his works were valued during his life and
+after his death, as no one was found to surpass him in workmanship
+until the advent of Niccolo of Arezzo, Jacopo della Quercia of Siena,
+Donatello, Filippo di Ser Brunellesco, and Lorenzo Ghiberti, whose
+sculptures and other works were such that people recognised in what
+error they had been living up till then, as these men had again
+discovered the true excellence which had been hidden for so great a
+number of years. The works of Andrea were executed about the year of
+grace 1340.
+
+The pupils of Andrea were numerous, and, among others, Tommaso,
+architect and sculptor, of Pisa, who finished the chapel of the Campo
+Santo, and brought the campanile of the Duomo to completion--that is
+to say, the last part, where the bells are. This Tommaso was Andrea's
+son, if we may believe an inscription on the high altar of S.
+Francesco at Pisa, on which a Madonna and other saints are carved by
+him in half relief, with his name and that of his father beneath.
+Andrea left a son Nino, who devoted himself to sculpture, his first
+work being in S. Maria Novella at Florence, where he finished a
+marble Madonna, begun by his father, which is inside the door, near
+the chapel of the Minerbetti. Going afterwards to Pisa, he made for
+the Spina a half-length marble Madonna suckling the infant Jesus
+Christ, clothed in delicate draperies. In the year 1522 a marble
+ornament for this Madonna was made for M. Jacopo Corbini, who had a
+much larger and finer one made for another full-length marble Madonna
+of Nino, representing with great grace the mother offering a rose to
+the child, who takes it in childish fashion, and so prettily, that
+one may say that Nino had made some steps to subduing the roughness
+of the stone, and endowing it with the attributes of living flesh.
+The figure is between a St John and a St Peter in marble, the head of
+the latter being a portrait of Andrea. Nino also made two marble
+statues for an altar of S. Caterina at Pisa--that is to say, the
+Madonna and an angel in an Annunciation, executed, like his other
+works, with such care that they may be considered as the best
+productions of those times. On the base beneath this Madonna Nino
+carved the following words: "On the first day of February  1370;" and
+beneath the angel: "Nino, son of Andrea Pisano, made these figures."
+
+He produced yet other works in that city and at Naples which it is
+not necessary to mention here. Andrea died at the age of
+seventy-five, in the year 1345, and was buried by Nino in S. Maria
+del Fiore with the following epitaph:
+
+        "Ingenti Andreas jacet hie Pisanus in urna,
+         Marmore qui potuit spirantes ducere vultus
+         Et simulacra Deum mediis imponere templis
+         Ex acre, ex auro, candenti et pulcro elephanto."
+
+
+
+
+Buonamico Buffalmacco, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+Buonamico di Cristofano, called  Buffalmacco, painter of Florence,
+who was a pupil of Andrea Tafi, celebrated for his jests by M.
+Giovanni Boccaccio in his "Decameron," is well known to have been the
+close companion of Bruno and Calandrino, painters, and themselves
+facetious and pleasant men. He possessed a very fair judgment in the
+art of painting, as may be seen by his works, which are scattered
+throughout Tuscany. Franco Sacchetti relates in his "Three Hundred
+Tales" (to begin with the deeds of this artist while he was still
+young) that, while Buffalmacco was a boy with Andrea, it was his
+master's custom, when the nights were long, to rise to work before
+dawn and to call the boys. This thing displeased Buonamico, who
+enjoyed a good sleep, and he tried to devise a plan that should
+induce Andrea to leave off calling them to work so much before
+daylight. He soon found one, for in an ill-swept loft  he happened to
+find thirty great beetles or cockroaches. With some thin needles and
+corks he fixed a small candle on the back of each beetle, and when
+the hour came for Andrea to rise he lighted the candles and put the
+beetles one by one through a hole leading into Andrea's room. When
+the master awoke, just about the hour when he was accustomed to call
+Buffalmacco, and saw these lights he began to tremble with fear, and
+to recommend himself to God, repeating his prayers and psalms. At
+length he put his head under the clothes and did not call Buffalmacco
+that night, but remained trembling in that posture until the day. The
+following morning when he arose he asked Buonamico if he, like
+himself, had seen more than a thousand devils. Buonamico said "No,"
+because he had kept his eyes shut, and had wondered why he had not
+been called. "What!" said Tafi; "I had something else to think of
+besides painting, and I am resolved to go and live in another house."
+The following night, although Buonamico only put three beetles into
+Tafi's chamber, yet the poor man did not sleep a jot, owing to his
+fear of the past night and to those devils which he saw. No sooner
+was day come than he left the house, declaring he would never return
+to it, and it was long before they were able to induce him to change
+his mind. But Buonamico brought him the priest of the parish, who
+consoled him as best he could. When Tafi and Buonamico were talking
+over the matter afterwards, the latter said: "I have always heard
+tell that the devils are the greatest enemies of God, and
+consequently they must also be the chief adversaries of painters,
+because, besides the fact that we always make them very ugly, We do
+nothing else but represent saints on walls and tables, in order to
+render men more devout or better in despite of the devils. For this
+cause the devils are enraged with us, and as they have more power at
+night than during the day, they come and play these pranks, and will
+do worse if this practice of early rising is not entirely abandoned."
+With these words, and many others, Buffalmacco succeeded in settling
+the matter, as the priest supported his arguments, so that Tafi left
+off his early rising and the devils ceased to go through the house at
+night with lights. But not many months afterwards, when Tafi, induced
+by desire of gain, and crushing every fear, began once more to rise
+and work at night and to call Buffalmacco, the beetles also began to
+make their rounds, so that the master was compelled by fear to give
+it up entirely, being strongly advised to this by the priest.
+
+When this thing became known through the city, it for a while
+prevented other painters as well as Tafi from rising to work at
+night. When, shortly afterwards, Buffalmacco himself became a fairly
+good master he left Tafi, as the same Franco relates, and began to
+work by himself, and he never lacked employment. Accordingly he took
+a house to serve equally as a workshop and a dwelling-house, next
+door to a worker of wool in easy circumstances, who, being a raw
+simpleton, was called Goosehead. This man's wife rose early every
+night, when Buffalmacco, who had worked up to that time, was going to
+rest, and setting herself at her spinning wheel, which she
+unfortunately placed over against Buffalmacco's bed, she spent all
+the night in spinning thread. Buonamico was unable to sleep a moment,
+and began to devise a means whereby to rid himself of this nuisance.
+It was not long before he perceived that, behind the brick wall which
+separated him from Goosehead, was the fire of his objectionable
+neighbour, and by means of a crack he could see everything that she
+did at the fire. Accordingly he devised a new trick, and provided
+himself with a long tube. When he found that the wife of Goosehead
+was not at the fire, he every now and again put through that hole in
+the wall into his neighbour's pot as much salt as he wished. When
+Goosehead returned either to dine or to sup he could, as a rule,
+neither eat nor drink or taste either soup or meat, as everything was
+made bitter by too much salt. For a little while he had patience, and
+only spoke of it or grumbled; but when he found that words did not
+suffice, he frequently gave blows to the poor woman, who was in
+despair, because she thought she had been more than cautious in
+salting the dish. As her husband beat her from time to time, she
+tried to excuse herself, which only increased the anger of Goosehead,
+so that he began to strike her again, and as she cried out at the top
+of her voice, the noise penetrated the whole neighbourhood, and drew
+thither Buffalmacco among others. When he heard of what Goosehead
+accused his wife and how she excused herself, he said to Goosehead:
+"Worthy friend, you should be reasonable; you complain that your
+morning and evening dishes are too salt, but I only wonder that your
+wife makes them so well as she does. I cannot understand how she is
+able to keep going all day, considering that she is sitting up the
+whole night over her spinning, and does not, I believe, sleep an
+hour. Let her give up rising at midnight, and you will see, when she
+has enough sleep, her brain will not wander, and she will not fall
+into such serious mistakes." Then he turned to the other neighbours,
+and succeeded so well in convincing them that he had found the true
+explanation that they all told Goosehead that Buonamico was right,
+and that he should follow this advice. Goosehead, believing what he
+was told, ordered his wife not to rise so soon, and the dishes were
+afterwards reasonably salted, except sometimes when the goodwife had
+risen early, because then Buffalmacco had recourse to his remedy, a
+fact which induced Goosehead to cause his wife to give up early
+rising altogether.
+
+One of the earliest works Buffalmacco did was the decoration of the
+church of the nunnery of Faenza at Florence, where the  citadel of
+Prato now is. Here he represented scenes from the life of Christ,
+among other things, everything in which is in good style, and he also
+did there the massacre of the Innocents by Herod's order. Here he
+displays with considerable vigour the expressions of the murderers as
+well as of the other figures, because some nurses and mothers, who
+are snatching the children from the hands of the murderers, are using
+their hands, nails, teeth, and every bodily agent to help them as
+much as possible, showing that their minds are not less full of rage
+and fury than of grief. As the monastery is destroyed to-day, nothing
+more of this work is to be seen than a coloured drawing in our book
+of designs, which contains the sketch for this by Buonamico's hand.
+In executing this work for the nuns of Faenza, Buffalmacco, who was
+as eccentric in his dress as his behaviour, did not always happen to
+wear the hood and mantle customary in those times, and the nuns who
+sometimes looked at him through the screen which he had caused to be
+made, began to say to the custodian that they objected to seeing him
+always in his doublet. After he had reassured them, they remained
+quiescent for a while. At length, as they always saw him attired
+after the same fashion, they thought he must be the boy to mix the
+colours and accordingly they induced the abbess to tell him that they
+should like to see the master himself at work and not this other one
+always. Buonamico, who always loved his joke, told them that so soon
+as the master arrived he would let them know, although he was
+sensible of the small amount of confidence which they placed in him.
+Then he took a table and put another on the top of  it, setting a
+water jug on this, over the handle of which he put a hood and then
+covered the rest of the pitcher in a civilian's mantle, fastening it
+firmly about the tables. After this he put a brush in the spout from
+which the water flows, and there left it. When the nuns returned to
+see the work through an opening where he had torn the canvas, they
+saw the supposed master in his attire. They believed that he was
+working there to the utmost of his power, and would do much better
+than the mere boy had done, so they were several days thinking of
+nothing else. At last they were anxious to see what beautiful things
+the master had made. Fifteen days had passed since Buonamico had set
+foot in the place, and one night they went to see the paintings,
+thinking that the master could no longer be there. They were covered
+with confusion and blushes when one bolder than the rest discovered
+the nature of the solemn master, who had not done a stroke in the
+fortnight. When they learned that Buonamico had treated them
+according to their deserts, and that the works which he had made were
+excellent, they recalled him and he returned with much laughter and
+joking to take up the work, making them see that there is a
+difference between men and dummies, and that works must not always be
+judged by the clothes of those who produce them. After a few days he
+finished one subject there, with which they were very delighted since
+it appeared to them to be satisfactory in all its parts, except that
+the figures in the flesh colouring seemed to them to be rather too
+pale. When Buonamico heard this and learning that the abbess had the
+best vernaccia in Florence, which served for the sacrifice of the
+mass, he told them that in order to remedy such a defect, nothing
+would be serviceable except to temper the colours with a good
+vernaccia, for if the cheeks and other flesh parts of the figures
+were touched with this, they would become red and very freshly
+coloured. When the good sisters heard this they believed it
+completely and afterwards kept him supplied with the best vernaccia
+so long as the work lasted, while he on his part made merry and
+thenceforward with his ordinary colours rendered his figures more
+fresh and brilliant.
+
+On the completion of this work Buffalmacco painted in the abbey of
+Settimo some scenes from the life of St James in the chapel dedicated
+to that saint which is in the cloister, on the vault of which he did
+the four Patriarchs and the four Evangelists, among whom the attitude
+of Luke is noteworthy for the natural way in which he is blowing his
+pen to make the ink flow. In the subjects for the walls, which are
+five, the figures are represented in fine attitudes and everything is
+carried out with originality and judgment. In order to make his flesh
+colouring easier to paint Buonamico used a ground of _pavonazzo di
+sale_, as is seen in this work, which in the course of time has
+caused a saltness by which the white and other colours are corroded
+and consumed so that it is no marvel that the work is damaged and
+destroyed, while many that were made long before have been
+excellently preserved. I formerly considered that the  injury was
+caused by the damp, but afterwards by an examination of his other
+works I have proved by experience that it is not the damp, but this
+peculiar practice of Buffalmacco which has caused them to be so
+damaged that it is not possible to see the design or anything else,
+and where the flesh colour should be there remains nothing but the
+_pavonazzo_. This method of working should not be practised by anyone
+who desires a long life for his paintings.
+
+After the two pictures mentioned above, Buonamico did two others in
+tempera for the monks of the Certosa at Florence, one of which is in
+the place where the singing books for the choir rest, and the other
+is below in the old chapels. In the Badia at Florence he painted in
+fresco the chapel of the Gondi and Bastari, beside the principal
+chapel, which was afterwards granted to the family of the Boscoli,
+and still retains these paintings of Buffalmacco. Here he did the
+Passion of Christ, with fine and original expressions, showing in
+Christ, when He washes the disciples' feet, the greatest humility and
+benignity, and cruelty and fierceness in the Jews who lead Him to
+Herod. But he displayed especial originality and facility in a Pilate
+whom he painted in prison and in Judas, hung to a tree, from which we
+may readily believe what is related of this pleasant painter, that
+when he wished to be diligent and take pains, which rarely happened,
+he was not inferior to any other artist of his time. That this is
+true is proved by his works in fresco in Ognissanti, where the
+cemetery now is, produced with such diligence and with such
+precautions that the water which has rained upon them for many years
+has not injured them or caused any harm except by preventing a
+recognition of their excellence. They are so well preserved because
+they were done simply upon fresh lime. On the walls are the Nativity
+of Jesus Christ and the Adoration of the Magi, that is to say, over
+the tomb of the Aliotti. After these works Buonamico went to Bologna,
+where he painted in fresco on the vaults of the chapel of the
+Bolognini in S. Petronio, but did not finish them, for some reason
+unknown to me. It is said that in the year 1302 he was summoned to
+Assisi, and in the chapel of St Catherine in the church of S.
+Francesco he painted the history of the former saint's life in
+fresco, works which are very well preserved, and containing some
+figures well worthy of praise. When he had completed the chapel and
+was on his way through Arezzo, the bishop Guido, who had heard that
+Buonamico was a pleasant man and a painter of talent, wished him to
+stay in the city and paint for him the chapel in the Vescovado
+containing the Baptism of Christ. Buonamico put his hand to the work
+and had already done a considerable part of it when a very strange
+adventure happened to him, related by Franco Sacchetti in his "Three
+Hundred Tales." The bishop possessed a baboon, the most mischievous
+and malignant creature that ever was seen. This animal was one day
+standing on his perch and watching Buonamico work, having lost
+thought of everything else, and never taking his eyes off him as he
+mixed the colours, managed the tools, broke the eggs to make the
+tempera, or did any other thing, no matter what. One Saturday evening
+Buonamico left the work and this baboon; on Sunday morning, although
+he had a great log of wood attached to his legs, which the bishop
+made him carry so that he should not leap everywhere, notwithstanding
+this heavy weight, leapt on to the scaffolding where Buonamico used
+to stand to work, and there took up the phials and emptied them one
+by one, made the mixtures, broke as many eggs as were there, and
+began to daub all the figures with the brush, never resting until he
+had repainted everything himself. That done he made a fresh mixture
+of all the colours which were left over, although they happened to be
+few, and then descended from the scaffolding and departed. When
+Buonamico came back to his work on Monday morning and saw his figures
+spoiled, his phials emptied and everything upside down, he was filled
+with amazement and confusion. After turning the matter over in his
+mind for some time he concluded that some Aretine had done this from
+envy or for some other reason. Accordingly he went to the bishop and
+told him what had happened and what he suspected, at which the bishop
+was much troubled, yet he encouraged Buonamico to go on with the
+work, and to repaint the part which had been spoiled. He further
+pledged himself to give the artist six armed men of his infantry, who
+should stand with falchions to watch, when he was not working, and to
+cut to pieces without mercy anyone who should come. Accordingly the
+figures were repainted a second time, and one day while the soldiers
+were on the watch they heard a curious rolling noise in the church,
+and soon after the baboon appeared, jumped upon the seat, made the
+mixtures in an instant, and set to work upon the saints of Buonamico.
+The guard then called the master, and showed him the criminal, and
+when they saw him standing with them and watching the animal work,
+they burst into laughter, and Buonamico himself, though grieved at
+the damage, could not help laughing in the midst of his sorrow. At
+length he dismissed the soldiers who had been on guard with their
+falchions, and went to the bishop and said to him: "My lord, you like
+my manner of painting, but your baboon prefers another." He then
+related the matter, adding: "It was not necessary for you to send
+away for painters since you had a master in the house, although
+perhaps he did not know how to mix his colours properly. Now that he
+knows, let him work by himself, for I am of no further use here, and
+as his worth is now recognised, I shall be contented with no other
+wages for my work except permission to return to Florence." Although
+much displeased, the bishop could not refrain from laughing when he
+heard this, especially when he considered that a beast had made a
+jest of the most jest-loving man in the world. After they had laughed
+and talked over this new adventure, the bishop prevailed so far, that
+Buonamico set himself a third time to do the work, and he finished
+it. The baboon, as a punishment and penance for his fault, was shut
+up in a large cage of wood, and kept there while Buonamico worked,
+until the painting was quite finished. It is not possible to imagine
+the antics which the great beast played in that cage with his mouth,
+his body and his hands, at seeing others work while he was not able
+to imitate them. When the decoration of the chapel was completed the
+bishop asked, for a jest or for some other reason, that Buffalmacco
+should paint him on a wall of his palace an eagle on the back of a
+lion which it had killed. The cunning painter promised to do as the
+bishop desired, and made a large partition of boards, saying that he
+did not wish anyone to see such a thing being painted. This done, and
+while being shut up all alone inside, he painted the contrary to what
+the bishop wished, a lion crushing an eagle. When the work was
+completed, he asked licence from the bishop to go to Florence to
+procure some colours which he needed. Accordingly, having locked up
+his picture, he went to Florence intending never to return. The
+bishop after waiting some time and seeing that the painter did not
+return, caused the painting to be opened, and found that Buonamico
+was wiser than himself. Furious at the trick which had been played
+upon him he threatened to take the artist's life. When Buonamico
+heard this, he sent to tell him to do his worst, wherefore the bishop
+menaced him with a malediction. But at length he reflected that the
+artist had only been jesting, and that he should take the matter as a
+jest, whereupon he pardoned Buonamico the insult, and acknowledged
+his pains most liberally. What is more, he induced him to come again
+to Arezzo not long after, and caused him to paint many things in the
+old Duomo, which have been thrown down to-day, treating him always as
+his friend and most faithful servant. The same artist also painted in
+Arezzo the apse of the principal chapel of S. Giustino. Some write
+that when Buonamico was in Florence he was often in the workshop of
+Maso del Saggio with his friends and companions. He was also present
+with many others in arranging the regatta which the men of the borgo
+S. Friano in Arno celebrate on the calends of May, and that when the
+ponte alla Carraia, which was then of wood, broke down because it was
+too crowded with people, who had run thither to see the spectacle, he
+did not perish then like many others, because when the bridge fell
+right on a machine, representing Hell in a barque on the Arno, he had
+gone to buy some things that were wanted for the feast.
+
+Not long after these things Buonamico was invited to Pisa, and
+painted a series of subjects from the Old Testament, from the
+Creation of Man to the building of the Tower of Nimrod, for the abbey
+of S. Paolo a ripa d'Arno, which then belonged to the monks of
+Vallombrosa, on the whole of the crossing of that church, on three
+sides, from the roof to the ground. This work, which is now almost
+entirely destroyed, is remarkable for the vigour of the figures, the
+skill and beauty of the colouring and artist's faculty of expressing
+his ideas, although he was not very good in design. On the wall of
+this crossing opposite that which contains the side door, there are
+some scenes of the life of St Anastasia, where some women, painted in
+a graceful manner, exhibit certain antique habits and gestures, very
+prettily and well. No less fine are some figures in a barque,
+arranged in well designed attitudes, among them being the portrait of
+Pope Alexander IV., which it is said Buonamico had from his master
+Tafi, who had represented that pontiff in mosaic in St Peter's.
+Similarly in the last subject which represents the martyrdom of the
+saint, and of others, Buonamico finely expresses in the faces the
+fear of death, the grief and dread of those who are standing by to
+see her tormented and put to death, while she stands bound to a tree,
+and above the fire. Bruno di Giovanni, a painter, assisted Buonamico
+in this work. He is called painter in the old book of the company.
+This Bruno, also celebrated as a joke-loving man by Boccaccio,
+finished the said scenes for the walls, and painted the altar of St
+Ursula for the same church, with her company of virgins, inserting in
+one hand of the saint a standard with the arms of Pisa, which are a
+white cross on a red ground, while she places the other on a woman
+who is rising between two mountains, and touches the sea with one
+foot and places her hands together in an act of entreaty. This woman
+represents Pisa, her head being circled with a gold crown, while she
+wears a garment full of circles and eagles, and being in much trouble
+at sea she petitions the saint. But because Bruno complained when he
+executed those figures that they were not life-like as those of
+Buonamico were, the latter in jest, to teach him to make figures,
+which if not life-like, should at least converse, made him put some
+words issuing from the mouth of the woman who is entreating the
+saint, and also the saint's reply to her, a device which Buonamico
+had seen in the works executed by Cimabue in the same church. This
+thing pleased Bruno and other foolish men of the time, just as to-day
+it pleases certain clumsy fellows, who have thus employed vulgar
+devices worthy of themselves. It is certainly curious that in this
+way advice intended simply as a jest has been generally followed, so
+much so that a great part of the Campo Santo done by masters of
+repute is full of this clumsiness.
+
+The works of Buonamico having greatly pleased the Pisans, those in
+charge of the fabric of the Campo Santo commissioned him to do four
+scenes in fresco from the beginning of the world until the building
+of Noah's ark, surrounding them with an ornamentation, in which he
+drew his own portrait from life, that is to say, in a border in the
+middle and  at the corners of which are some heads, among which, as I
+have said, is his own. He wears a hood, just like the one that may be
+seen above. This work contains a God who holds in his arms the
+heavens and the elements, and all the apparatus of the universe, so
+that Buonamico, explaining his scene with verses, like the paintings
+of the age, wrote at the foot in capital letters with his own hand
+the following sonnet, as may be seen, which for its antiquity and
+simplicity of diction peculiar to the time, has seemed to me to be
+worth insertion in this place, so that if it does not perchance give
+much pleasure, though I think it will, yet it is a matter which will
+perhaps bear testimony to the amount of the knowledge of the men of
+that age:
+
+            "Voi che avvisate questa dipintura
+             Di Dio pietoso sommo creatore,
+             Lo qual fe' tutte cose con amore
+             Pesate, numerate ed in misura.
+             In nove gradi angelica natura
+             In ello empirio ciel pien di splendore,
+             Colui che non si muove et e motore,
+             Ciascuna cosa fecie buona e pura.
+             Levate gli occhi del vostro intelletto
+             Considerate quanto e ordinato
+             Lo mondo universale; e con affetto
+             Lodate lui che l' ha si ben creato:
+             Pensate di passare a tal diletto
+             Tra gli angeli, dove e ciascun beato.
+             Per questo mondo si vede la gloria,
+             Lo basso, e il mezzo, e Palto in questa storia."
+
+It was indeed bold of Buonamico to set himself to make a God the
+Father five braccia high, the hierarchy, the heavens, the angels, the
+zodiac, and all the things above to the sky of the moon, and then the
+element of fire, the air, the earth, and finally the centre. For the
+two lower corners he did a St Augustine and a St Thomas Aquinas. At
+the top of this Campo Santo, where the marble tomb of the Corte now
+is, Buonamico painted the Passion of Christ, with a great number of
+figures on foot and on horse, all in varied and beautiful attitudes,
+and in conformity with the story. He also did the Resurrection and
+the Apparition of Christ to the apostles very satisfactorily. When he
+had completed these labours, and had at the same time spent
+everything that he had gained at Pisa, which was not a little, he
+returned to Florence as poor as he had left it, and there he did many
+pictures and works in fresco, which it is not necessary to describe
+further. When his close friend Bruno, with whom he had returned from
+Pisa after squandering everything, was employed to do some works in
+S. Maria Novella, because he had not much skill in design or
+invention, Buonamico designed for him all that he afterwards did for
+a wall of that church opposite the pulpit, filling the space between
+column and column. This was the story of St Maurice and his
+companions, who were beheaded for the faith of Jesus Christ. Bruno
+executed this work for Guido Campese, then constable of the
+Florentines. The artist took his portrait before  his death, in the
+year 1320, and afterwards put it in this work, as an armed man, as
+was customary in those days, and behind him he made an array of
+warriors, all armed in the antique style, forming a fine spectacle,
+while Guido himself kneels before Our Lady, who has the child Jesus
+in her arms while St Domenic and St Agnes, who are on either side of
+her, intercede for him. Although this painting is not remarkable for
+its design and invention, yet it is worthy of some amount of praise,
+chiefly on account of the variety of clothing, and of the barbed and
+other armour of the time. I myself made use of it in some scenes
+which I did for Duke Cosimo, in which it was necessary to represent
+an armed man in the antique style and other similar things of that
+age. This thing greatly pleased His Most Illustrious Excellency and
+others who have seen it. From this it may be seen what an advantage
+it is to draw materials from inventions and works made by these
+ancients, for although they are not perfect, yet it is useful to know
+in what manner they can be made of service, since they opened the
+way to the  marvels which have since been produced. Whilst Bruno was
+engaged upon these works, a rustic desired him to do a St
+Christopher, and they made an agreement at Florence, the terms being
+that the price should be eight florins, and the figure should be
+twelve braccia high. Accordingly Buonamico went to the church where
+he was to do the St Christopher, and found that as its length and
+breadth did not exceed nine braccia he could not manage to get the
+figure in, so he determined, in order to fulfil the agreement, to
+make the figure lying down, but as even then it would not entirely
+come in, he was compelled to turn it from the knees downwards on to
+another wall. When the work was completed the rustic refused to pay
+for it, exclaiming that he had been cheated. The matter thus came
+before the official of the Grascia, who judged that Buonamico was
+justified by the terms of the contract.
+
+At S. Giovanni in l'Arcore there was a very fine Passion of Jesus
+Christ by Buonamico's hand, and among other much admired things it
+contained a Judas hanging from a tree, done with much judgment and in
+good style. There was also an old man blowing his nose very
+naturally, and the Maries are represented with such a sad air in
+weeping that they merit high praise for a time when men had not
+acquired the facility of expressing the emotions of the soul with the
+brush. In the same wall is a St Ivo of Brittany with many widows and
+orphans at his feet--a good figure--and two angels in the air who
+crown him, executed in the sweetest style. This building, together
+with the paintings, was thrown down in the year of the war of 1529.
+Again Buonamico painted many things in the Vescovado of Cortona for
+M. Aldebrando, bishop of that city, especially the chapel and the
+picture of the high altar; but as during the restoration of the
+palace and church everything was thrown down, it is not worth while
+to say more about them. In S. Francesco and in S. Margherita of the
+same city, there are still some pictures by the hand of Buonamico.
+From Cortona he went once more to Assisi, where in the lower church
+of S. Francesco he painted in fresco all the chapel of the Cardinal
+Egidio Alvaro of Spain, and because he was successful he was
+liberally recognised by the cardinal. Finally, after Buonamico had
+done many pictures in every part of la Marca, he stayed at Perugia on
+his way back to Florence, and there painted the chapel of the
+Buontempi in fresco in the church of S. Domenico, representing scenes
+from the life of St Catherine, virgin and martyr. In the old church
+of S. Domenico he painted also in fresco on the wall the scene where
+St Catherine, daughter of King Costa, disputes with, convinces, and
+converts certain philosophers to the faith of Christ. As this scene
+is the finest that Buonamico ever produced, it may be said with truth
+that he has surpassed himself, and moved by this, as Franco Sacchetti
+writes, the Perugians directed that he should paint on the piazza St
+Ercolano, bishop and protector of that city. Accordingly when the
+terms had been settled a screen of boards and wicker work was made in
+the place where he was to paint, so that the master should not be
+seen at work, and this done he set himself to the task. But before
+ten days had passed everyone who passed asked when the picture would
+be finished, as if such things were cast in moulds. This disgusted
+Buonamico, who was angered by such importunity, and when the work was
+finished he resolved to be quietly avenged on the people for their
+impatience. An idea came to him, and before he uncovered his work he
+showed it to the people, who were delighted. But when the Perugians
+wanted to remove the screen, Buonamico said that they must let it
+remain for two days longer, because he wished to retouch some things
+_a secco_, and this was done. Buonamico then climbed up to where he
+had made a great diadem of gold for the saint, done in relief with
+the lime, as was customary in those days, and replaced it by a crown
+or garland of fish. That done, permission to depart being granted to
+him, he went away to Florence. When two days had passed, the
+Perugians not seeing the painter about, as he was accustomed to be,
+enquired what had become of him, and learned that he had returned to
+Florence. Accordingly they at once went to uncover the work, and
+found their St Ercolano solemnly crowned with fishes. They
+immediately informed their magistrates, and horsemen were sent off
+in haste to find Buonamico. But all was in vain, since he had
+returned with great speed to Florence. They, therefore, agreed to get
+one of their own painters to remove the crown of fishes and to
+repaint the saint's diadem, saying all the evil things imaginable of
+Buonamico and of the other Florentines. Thus Buonamico returned to
+Florence, caring little for what the Perugians said, and began to do
+many works which I shall not mention for fear of being too tedious. I
+will only remark that having painted a Madonna and child at
+Calcinaia, the man who had commissioned him to paint it, gave him
+promises instead of gold. Buonamico, who had not reckoned upon being
+used and cheated in this way, determined to be even with him.
+Accordingly he went one morning to Calcinaia and converted the child
+which he had painted in the Virgin's arms into a little bear, with
+simple tints, without glue or tempera, but made with water only. When
+the countryman saw this not long after, he was in despair, and went
+to find Buonamico, begging him to be so good as to remove the bear
+and repaint a child as at first, because he was ready to satisfy him.
+Buonamico did this with pleasure, for a wet sponge sufficed to set
+everything right, and he was paid for his first and second labours
+without further delay. As I should occupy too much space if I wished
+to describe all the jests and paintings of Buonamico Buffalmacco,
+especially these perpetrated in the workshop of Maso del Saggio,
+which was a resort of citizens and of all the pleasant and
+jest-loving men in Florence, I shall conclude this notice of him. He
+died at the age of seventy-eight, and he was of the company of the
+Misericordia, because he was very poor, and had spent more than he
+had earned, that being his temperament, and in his misfortunes he
+went to S. Maria Nuova, a hospital of Florence. He was buried in the
+year 1340, like the other poor in the Ossa, the name of a cloister or
+cemetery of the hospital. His works were valued during his lifetime,
+and they have since been considered meritorious for productions of
+that age.
+
+
+
+Ambruogio Lorenzetti, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+Great as the debt owed by artists of genius to Nature undoubtedly is,
+our debt to them is far greater, seeing that they labour to fill our
+cities with noble and useful buildings and with beautiful paintings,
+while they usually win fame and riches for themselves. This was the
+case with Ambruogio Lorenzetti, painter of Siena, whose powers of
+invention were fine and prolific, and who excelled in the arrangement
+and disposition of the figures in his subjects. Evidence of this may
+be seen at the Friars Minors at Siena in a very gracefully painted
+scene by him in the cloister. Here he represented the manner in which
+a youth becomes a friar, and how he and some others go to the Soldan,
+and are there beaten and sentenced to the gallows, hung to a tree,
+and finally beheaded, during the progress of a fearful tempest. In
+this painting he has very admirably and skilfully depicted the
+disturbance of the and the fury of the rain and wind, by the efforts
+of the figures. From these modern masters have learned originally how
+to treat such a scene, for which reason the artist deserves the
+highest commendation. Ambruogio was a skilful colourist in fresco,
+and he exhibited great address and dexterity in his treatment of
+colours in tempera, as may still be seen in the pictures which he
+completed at Siena in the hospital called Mona Agnesa, in which he
+painted and finished a scene with new and beautiful composition. On
+the front of the great hospital he did in fresco the Nativity of Our
+Lady, and when she goes among the virgins to the temple. For the
+friars of St Augustine in that city he did the chapterhouse, on the
+vault of which are represented the Apostles holding scrolls
+containing that part of the Credo which each of them made. At the
+foot of each is a small scene representing the meaning of the writing
+above. On the principal wall are three scenes of the life of St
+Catherine the Martyr, representing her dispute with the tyrant in the
+temple, and in the middle is the Passion of Christ with the thieves
+on the Cross and the Maries below, supporting the Virgin, who has
+fallen down. These things were finished by Ambruogio with
+considerable grace, and in a good style. He also depicted in the
+great hall of the palace of the Signoria at Siena the war of
+Asinalunga, the peace following, and the events which then took
+place, comprising a map, perfect for the time. In the same palace he
+did eight scenes in _terra verde_ very smoothly. It is said that he
+also sent to Volterra a picture in tempera, which was much admired in
+that city; and at Massa, in conjunction with others, he did a chapel
+in fresco and a picture in tempera, showing the excellence of his
+judgment and talent in the art of painting. At Orvieto he painted in
+fresco the principal chapel of St Mary. After these works he betook
+himself to Florence, and in S. Procolo did a picture and the life of
+St Nicholas on small figures in a chapel, to please some of his
+friends, who were anxious to see a specimen of his work. He completed
+this painting in so short a time, and with such skill, that he
+greatly increased his name and reputation. This work, in the predella
+of which he made his own portrait, procured him an invitation to
+Cortona, by command of the Bishop degli Ubertini, then lord of that
+city, where he worked in the church of S. Margherita, which had
+shortly before been erected on the summit of the mountain for the
+friars of St Francis. Some of this, particularly parts of the
+vaulting and walls, is so well done, that even now when they are
+almost destroyed by time, it is clear that the figures had very good
+expressions, and show that he deserved the commendation which he
+received. On the completion of this work Ambruogio returned to Siena,
+where he passed the remainder of his days, honoured not only because
+he was an excellent master in painting, but also because in his youth
+he had devoted himself to letters, which were a sweet and useful
+companion to painting, and such an ornament to all his life, that
+they rendered him no less amiable and pleasing than the profession of
+painting had done. Thus he not only conversed with men of letters and
+of worth, but was also employed on the affairs of his republic with
+much honour and profit. The manners of Ambruogio were in every
+respect meritorious, and rather those of a gentleman and a
+philosopher than of an artist. Moreover, and this tests the prudence
+of men more severely, he was always ready to accept what the world
+and time brought him, so that he supported with an equable mind the
+good and the evil which Fortune sent him. In truth it is impossible
+to overestimate what art gains by good society, gentle manners, and
+modesty, joined with other excellent traits, especially when these
+emanate from the intellect and from superior minds. Thus everyone
+should render himself no less pleasing by his character than by the
+excellence of his art. At the end of his life Ambruogio executed a
+much admired picture for Monte Oliveto of Chiusuri. Soon after, at
+the age of eighty-three, he passed in a happy and Christian manner to
+the better life. His works were executed about 1340.
+
+As has been said, the portrait of Ambruogio by his own hand may be
+seen in S. Procolo in the predella of his picture, where he is
+wearing a hood on his head. His skill as a designer may be seen in
+our book, which contains some things by his hand of considerable
+merit.
+
+
+
+
+Pietro Cavallini, Painter of Rome.
+
+
+At a time when  Rome had been deprived for many centuries, not only
+of good letters and of the glory of arms, but also of all the
+sciences and fine arts, there was born in that city, by God's will,
+one Pietro Cavallini, at the very time when Giotto, who may be said
+to have restored life to painting, had attained to the  chief place
+among the painters of Italy. Pietro, who had been a pupil of Giotto,
+and had done some mosaics with him in St Peter's, was the first after
+him who illuminated that art, and who first showed signs that he was
+not an unworthy pupil of so great a master, when he painted over the
+door of the sacristy at Araceli, some scenes which are now destroyed
+by time, and in S. Maria di Trastevere very many coloured things in
+fresco for the whole church. Afterwards he worked in mosaic in the
+principal chapel, and did the front of the church, proving that he
+was capable of working in mosaic without Giotto's assistance, as he
+had already succeeded in doing in painting. In the church of S.
+Grisogono he also did many scenes in fresco and endeavoured to make
+himself known as the best pupil of Giotto and as a good artist. In
+the Trastevere also he painted almost the whole of the church of S.
+Cecilia in fresco, and many things in the church of S. Francesco
+appresso Ripa. He then executed in mosaic the front of S. Paolo,
+outside Rome, and in the middle nave did many scenes from the Old
+Testament. In executing some things in fresco for the chapter-house
+of the first cloister, he displayed such diligence that he was
+considered by men of judgment to be a most excellent master, and was
+for the same reason so much favoured by the prelates, that they
+employed him to do the wall space between the windows inside St
+Peter's. Among these things he did the four Evangelists, of
+extraordinary size as compared with the figures of the time usually
+seen, executed very finely in fresco; also a St Peter and a St Paul,
+and in the nave a good number of figures, in which, because the
+Byzantine style greatly pleased him, he always used it in conjunction
+with that of Giotto. We see by this work that he spared no effort to
+give his figures the utmost possible relief. But the best work
+produced by him in that city was in the church of Araceli sul
+Campidoglio mentioned above, where he painted in fresco on the
+vaulting of the principal apse, Our Lady with the child in her arms,
+surrounded by a circle of suns; beneath her is the Emperor Octavian,
+adorning the Christ who is pointed out to him by the Tiburtine sybil.
+The figures in this work, as has been said elsewhere, are much
+better preserved than the others, because dust cannot attack the
+vaulting so seriously as the walls. After these things Pietro came to
+Tuscany in order to see the works of the other pupils of his master
+Giotto, and those of the master himself. Upon this occasion he
+painted in S. Marco at Florence many figures which are not visible
+to-day, the church having been whitewashed with the exception of an
+Annunciation which is beside the principal door of the church, and
+which is covered over. In S. Basilio, by the aide of the Macine,
+there is another Annunciation in fresco on the wall, so similar to
+the one which he had previously made for S. Marco, and to another
+which is at Florence that there are those who believe, not without
+some amount of reason, that all of them are by the hand of this
+Pietro; certainly it is impossible that they could more closely
+resemble each other. Among the figures which he made for S. Marco
+of Florence was the portrait of Pope Urban V., with the heads of St
+Peter and St Paul. From this portrait Fra Giovanni da Fiesole copied
+the one which is in a picture in S. Domenico, also at Fiesole. This
+is a fortunate circumstance because the portrait which was in S.
+Marco was covered with whitewash as I have said, together with many
+other figures in fresco in that church, when the convent was taken
+from the monks who were there originally and given to the Friars
+Preachers, everything being whitewashed with little judgment and
+discretion. On his way back to Rome Pietro passed through Assisi in
+order not only to see the buildings and notable works done then by
+his master and by some of his fellow-pupils, but to leave something
+of his own there. In the transept on the sacristy side of the lower
+church of S. Francesco he painted in fresco a Crucifixion of Jesus
+Christ with armed men on horseback, in varied fashions, with a great
+variety of extraordinary costumes characteristic of divers foreign
+nations. In the air he made some angels floating on their wings in
+various attitudes; all are weeping, some pressing their hands to
+their breasts, some crossing them, and some beating their hands,
+showing the extremity of their grief at the death of the Son of God,
+and all melt into the air, from the middle downwards, or from the
+middle upwards. In this work which is well executed in fresh and
+vivacious colouring, the joints of the lime are so well made that it
+looks as if it had all been done in a single day: in it I have found
+the arms of Walter, Duke of Athens, but as it contains no date or
+other writing, I cannot affirm that it was executed by command of
+that prince. But besides the fact that everyone considers it to be by
+Pietro's hand, the style alone is a sufficient indication, while it
+seems most probable that the work was made by Pietro at the duke's
+command seeing that the painter flourished at the time when the duke
+was in Italy. Be that as it may, the painting is certainly admirable
+for an antique production, and its style, besides the common report,
+proclaims it as being by Pietro's hand. In the church of S. Marco at
+Orvieto, which contains the most holy relic of the Corporale, Pietro
+executed in fresco some scenes of the life of Christ and of His body,
+with much diligence. It is said that he did this for M. Benedetto,
+son  of M. Buonconte Monaldeschi, at that time lord and tyrant of the
+city. Some further affirm that Pietro made some sculptures with
+success, because he excelled in whatever he set himself to do, and
+that the Crucifix which is in the great church of S. Paolo outside
+Rome is by him. This is said to be the same one that spoke to St
+Brigida in the year 1370, and we are bound to believe it. By the same
+hand were some other things in that style which were thrown down when
+the old church of St Peter's was destroyed to make the new one.
+
+Pietro was very diligent in all his efforts and endeavoured steadily
+to do himself honour and to acquire fame in art. Not only was he a
+good Christian, but very devoted and kind to the poor, and beloved
+for his goodness, not only in his native city of Rome, but by every
+one who knew him or his works. In his extreme old age he devoted
+himself so thoroughly to religion, leading an exemplary life, that he
+was considered almost a saint. Thus there is no cause for marvel if
+his crucifix spoke to the saint, as is said, nor that a Madonna, by
+his hand, has worked and still works miracles. I do not propose to
+speak of this work, although it is famous throughout Italy, and
+although it is all but certain that it is by Pietro's hand by the
+style of the painting, but Pietro's admirable life and piety to God
+are worthy of imitation by all men. Let no one believe by this that
+it is impossible to attain to honoured rank without good conduct, and
+without the fear and grace of God, for constant experience proves the
+contrary. Giovanni of Pistoia was a pupil of Pietro, and did some
+things of no great importance in his native place. Pietro died at
+length in Rome, at the age of eighty-five, of a malady in his side
+caused by working at a wall, by the damp and by standing continually
+at that exercise. His paintings were executed about 1364. He was
+buried in S. Paolo outside Rome, with honour, and with this epitaph:
+
+          "Quantum Romans Petrus decus addidit urbi
+           Pictura, tantum, dat decus ipse polo."
+
+
+
+
+Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi, Painters of Siena.
+
+
+Happy indeed may we call those men who are inclined by nature to
+those arts which may bring them not only honour and great profit, but
+what is more, fame, and an all but immortal name. How much more happy
+then are those who, from their cradle, besides such an inclination,
+exhibit gentleness and civil manners, which render them very
+acceptable to all men. But the most happy of all, I speak of artists,
+are those who, besides having a natural inclination to the good, and
+whose manners are noble by nature and training, live in the time of
+some famous writer, by whose works they sometimes receive a reward of
+eternal honour and fame in return for some small portrait or other
+courtesy of an artistic kind. This reward should be specially desired
+and sought after by painters, since their works, being on a surface
+and a field of colour, cannot hope for that eternity that bronze and
+marble give to sculpture, and which the strength of building
+materials afford to the architect. It was thus a very fortunate
+matter for Simone that he lived in the time of M. Francesco Petrarca,
+and happened to meet this amorous poet at the court of Avignon,
+anxious to have the portrait of Madonna Laura by his hand; because
+when he had received one as beautiful as he desired, he celebrated
+Simone in two sonnets, one of which begins:
+
+          "Per mirar Policleto a prova fiso
+           Con gli altri, che ebber fama di quell' arte;"
+
+and the other:
+
+          "Quando giunse a Simon l'alto concetto
+           Ch'a mio nome gli pose in man lo stile."
+
+In truth these sonnets and the mention of the artist in one of his
+intimate letters in the fifth book, beginning _Non sum nescius_, have
+given more fame to the poor life of Simone than all his own works
+have done or ever will do, for a day will come when they will be no
+more, whereas the writings of such a man as Petrarch endure for all
+time.
+
+Simone Memmi of Siena then was an excellent painter, remarkable in
+his own day and much esteemed at the Pope's court, because, after the
+death of his master Giotto, whom he had followed to Rome when he did
+the _Navicella_ in mosaic, and other things, he had imitated his
+master's style in making a Virgin Mary in the porch of St Peter's,
+and a St Peter and a St Paul in that place near where the bronze pine
+apple is, in a wall between the arches of the portico, on the
+outside. For this style he was praised, especially as he had
+introduced into the work a portrait of a sacristan of St Peter's
+lighting some lamps, and has made his figures very vigorous. This led
+to Simone being summoned very urgently to the Pope's court at
+Avignon, where he executed so many pictures in fresco and on panels
+that his works realised the fame which had preceded him thither.
+Returning to Siena in great credit and high in favour, he was
+employed by the Signoria to paint in fresco a Virgin Mary, with many
+figures about her in a chamber in their palace. He completed this
+with every perfection, to his great glory and advantage. In order to
+show that he was no less skilful in painting on panels than in
+fresco, he executed a panel in that palace, for which reason he was
+afterwards commissioned to do two in the Duomo and a Madonna with
+the child in her arms in a most beautiful attitude, above the door of
+the opera of that building. In this picture some angels which are
+holding up a standard in the air, are flying and looking down on
+saints below them, who are surrounding Our Lady, forming a very
+beautiful and decorative composition. That done, Simone was invited
+to Florence by the general of St Augustine and did the chapter-house
+in S. Spirito, showing remarkable invention and judgment in the
+figures and horses, as may be believed on seeing the story of the
+Passion of Christ, remarkable alike for the ingenuity, discretion,
+and exquisite grace displayed by the artist. The thieves on the
+cross are seen in the act of expiring, the soul of the good one being
+carried with rejoicing to heaven by angels, while that of the guilty
+one is roughly dragged down by devils to hell. Simone has also shown
+originality and judgment in the disposition and bitter weeping of
+some angels about the cross. But most remarkable of all is the way in
+which the spirits cleave the air with their shoulders, because they
+maintain the movement of their flight while turning in a circle. This
+work would supply much clearer evidence of Simone's excellence if, in
+addition to the ravages of time, it had not been further damaged in
+the year 1560, through the fathers who, not being able to use the
+chapter-house on account of the damp, and throwing down the little
+that remained of the paintings of this man, in replacing a worm-eaten
+floor by vaulting. About the same time Simone painted in tempera on a
+panel Our Lady and a St Luke with other saints, which is to-day in
+the chapel of the Gondi in S. Maria Novella, signed with his name.
+Simone afterwards did three sides of the chapter-house of S. Maria
+Novella very successfully. On the first, that over the entrance door,
+he did the life of St Domenic; on the next one towards the church he
+represented the religious and order of that saint fighting against
+the heretics, who are represented by wolves attacking some sheep,
+these being defended by a number of dogs, spotted white and black,
+the wolves being repulsed and slain. There are also some heretics who
+have been convinced in the disputes and are tearing up their books,
+and, having repented, they confess, and their souls pass to the gate
+of Paradise, in which are many small figures doing various things. In
+heaven is seen the glory of the saints and Jesus Christ. In the world
+below the pleasures and delights are represented by human figures,
+especially some ladies, seated among whom is Petrarch's Laura drawn
+from life, clothed in green, with a small flame of fire between her
+breast and her throat. There also is the Church of Christ, guarding
+which are the Pope, the Emperor, the King, Cardinals, Bishops, and
+all the  Christian Princes, among them, beside a knight of Rhodes, M.
+Francesco Petrarch, also drawn from life, which Simone did in order
+to keep green the memory of the man who had made him immortal. For
+the Church Universal he made the church of S. Maria del Fiore, not as
+it stands to-day, but as he had taken it from the model and design
+left by the architect Arnolfo in the Opera, as a guide to those who
+were to continue the building after his death. As I have said
+elsewhere, no  memory of these models would have been preserved,
+owing to the negligence of the wardens of S. Maria del Fiore, had not
+Simone painted them in this work. On the third side, that of the
+altar, he did the Passion of Christ, who is going up from Jerusalem
+with the cross on His shoulder, and proceeds to Mount Calvary,
+followed by a throng of people, where He is seen raised on the cross
+between the thieves, together with the other incidents of that story.
+I shall not attempt to describe the presence of a good number of
+horses, the throwing of lots by the servants of the court for the
+raiment of Christ, the release of the Holy Fathers from limbo, and
+all the other clever inventions which would be most excellent in a
+modern master and are remarkable in an ancient one. Here he occupies
+the entire wall and carefully makes the different scenes, one above
+the other, not dividing the separate subjects from one another by
+ornaments, as  the  ancients used to do, and according to the
+practice of many moderns, who put the earth above the air four or
+five times. This has been done in the principal chapel of the same
+church, and in the Campo Santo at Pisa, where Simone painted many
+things in fresco, and was compelled against his will to make such
+divisions, as the other painters who had worked there, such as Giotto
+and Buonamico his master, had  begun the scenes in this bad style.
+Accordingly he continued that style in the Campo Santo, and made in
+fresco a Madonna above the principal door on the inside. She is borne
+to heaven by a choir of angels, who sing and play so realistically
+that they exhibit all the various expressions which musicians are
+accustomed to show when playing or singing, such as bending the ear
+to the sound, opening the mouth in various ways, raising the eyes to
+heaven, puffing the cheeks, swelling the throat, and in short all the
+movements which are made in music. Under this Assumption, in three
+pictures, he did the life of St Ranieri of Pisa. In the first is the
+youth playing the psalter, to the  music of which some little
+children are dancing,--very beautiful for the arrangement of the
+folds, the ornamentation of the clothes, and the head-dresses of
+those times. The same Ranieri is next seen rescued from such
+lasciviousness by St Albert the hermit. He stands weeping with his
+face down, and his eyes red with tears, full of repentance for his
+sin, while God in the air, surrounded by a heavenly light, makes as
+if to pardon him. The second picture represents Ranieri distributing
+his property among God's poor, then mounting into a barque he has
+about him a throng of poor and maimed, of women and children,
+anxiously pressing forward to petition and to thank him. In the same
+picture is when the saint after receiving the pilgrim's dress in the
+church, stands before Our Lady, who is  surrounded by many angels,
+and shows him that he shall rest, in her bosom at Pisa. The heads of
+all these figures are vigorous with a fine bearing. The third picture
+represents the saint's return after seven years from beyond the sea,
+where he had spent three terms of forty days in the Holy Land, and
+how while standing in the choir and hearing the divine offices where
+a number of boys are singing, he is tempted by the devil, who is seen
+to be repelled by the firm purpose guiding Ranieri not to offend God,
+assisted by a figure made by Simone to represent Constancy, who
+drives away the ancient adversary represented with fine originality
+not only as terrified, but holding his hands to his head in his
+flight, with his head buried as far as possible in his shoulders, and
+saying, according to the words issuing from his mouth: "I can do no
+more." The last scene in the same picture is when  Ranieri kneeling
+on Mount Tabor sees Christ miraculously in the air with Moses and
+Elias. All the parts of this work and other things which concern it
+show that Simone was very ingenious, and understood the good method
+of composing figures lightly in the style of the time. When these
+scenes were finished he made two pictures in tempera in the same
+city, assisted by Lippo Memmi his brother, who had also helped him to
+paint the chapter-house of S. Maria Novella and other works. Although
+Lippo did not possess Simone's genius, yet he followed his style so
+far as he was able, and did many things in fresco, in conjunction
+with his brother in S. Croce at Florence, the picture of the high
+altar of the Friars Preachers in S. Catarina at Pisa, and in S. Paolo
+on the River Arno, and besides many beautiful scenes in fresco, he
+did the picture in tempera now over the high altar, comprising Our
+Lady, St Peter, St Paul, St John the Baptist, and other saints, to
+which work Lippo put his name. After these things he did by himself a
+picture in tempera for the friars of St Augustine in S. Gimigniano,
+and acquired such fame thereby, that he was obliged to send to Arezzo
+to the Bishop Guido de' Tarlati a picture with three half-length
+figures, which is now in the chapel of St Gregory in the Vescovado.
+While Simone was working at Florence, a cousin of his who was a
+clever architect, Neroccio by name, succeeded in the year 1332 in
+sounding the great bell of the commune of Florence, which no one had
+been able to accomplish for the space of seventeen years, except by
+the efforts of twelve men. This man, however, balanced it so that it
+could be moved by two persons, and when once in motion one person
+alone could ring it, although it weighed more than sixteen thousand
+pounds; accordingly, in addition to the honour, he received three
+hundred gold florins as his reward, a considerable sum for that time.
+But to return to our two masters of Siena. Besides the things already
+mentioned, Lippo executed from Simone's design a picture in tempera,
+which was taken to Pistoia and put over the high altar of the church
+of S. Francesco, where it was considered very fine. When Simone and
+Lippo at length returned to their native Siena, the former began a
+large coloured work over the great gate of Camollia. Here he
+represented the coronation of Our Lady with a quantity of figures,
+but the work remained incomplete, as he fell very sick, and
+succumbing to the disease he passed from this life in the year 1345,
+to the great sorrow of the whole city, and of Lippo his brother,  who
+gave him honoured burial in S. Francesco. Lippo afterwards finished
+many pictures which Simone had left imperfect. Among these were a
+Passion of Jesus Christ at Ancona, over the high altar of S. Niccola,
+in which Lippo finished what Simone had begun, imitating what he had
+done in the chapter-house of S. Spirito at Florence, and which
+Simone had entirely completed. This work is worthy of a longer life
+than it appears likely to enjoy, for it contains many finely posed
+horses and soldiers, actively engaged in various matters, wondering
+whether or no they have crucified the Son of God. At Assisi he also
+finished some figures which Simone had begun in the lower church of
+S. Francesco, at the altar of St Elizabeth, which is at the entrance
+of the door leading into the chapel, representing Our Lady, a St
+Louis, King of France, and other saints, eight figures in all, from
+the knees upwards, but good and very well coloured. Besides this
+Simone had begun in the principal refectory of that monastery, at the
+top of the wall, many small scenes and a crucifix with a Tree of the
+Cross. This remained unfinished, and is drawn, as may be seen to-day,
+in red with the brush on the rough wall. This method was favoured by
+the old masters in order to work in fresco with greater rapidity, for
+after they had sectioned out all their work on the rough wall, they
+drew it with the brush, following a small design which served as a
+guide, increasing this to the proper size, and this done they at once
+set to work. That many other works were painted in the same manner as
+this is seen in those cases where the work has peeled off, the design
+in red remaining on the rough wall. But to return to Lippo. He drew
+very fairly, as may be seen in our book, in a hermit with his legs
+crossed. He survived Simone twelve years, doing many things for all
+parts of Italy, but especially two pictures in S. Croce at Florence.
+As the style of the two brothers is somewhat similar, their works may
+be distinguished thus:  Simone wrote at the bottom of his: _Simonis
+Memmi Senensis opus_; Lippo omitted his surname and careless of his
+Latinity wrote: _Opus Memmi de Seals me fecit_. On the wall of the
+chapter-house of S. Maria Novella, besides the portraits of Petrarch
+and Laura mentioned above by Simone's hand, are those of Cimabue,
+Lapo the architect, Arnolfo his son, and Simone himself, the Pope
+being a portrait of Benedict XI. of Treviso, a friar preacher, whose
+figure had been given to Simone by his master Giotto, when the latter
+returned from the Pope's court at Avignon. In the same place, next to
+the Pope, he portrayed the Cardinal Niccola da Prato, who had at that
+time come to Florence as the Pope's legate, as Giov. Villani relates
+in his "History." Over Simone's tomb was set the following epitaph:
+"_Simoni Memmio pictorum omnium omnis aetatis celeberrimo, Vixit ann.
+ix. metis ii. d. iii_." As may be seen in our book, Simone did not
+excel greatly in design, but was naturally full of invention and was
+very fond of drawing from life. In this he was considered the best
+master of his time, so that the lord Pandolfo Malatesta sent him to
+Avignon to make the portrait of M. Francesco Petrarch, at whose
+request he afterwards made the much admired portrait of Madonna
+Laura.
+
+
+
+
+Taddeo Gaddi, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+It is a truly useful and admirable task to reward talent largely at
+every opportunity, because great abilities which would otherwise lie
+dormant, are excited by this stimulus and endeavour with all
+industry, not only to learn, but to excel, to raise themselves to a
+useful and honourable rank, from which flow honour to their country,
+glory to themselves, and riches and nobility to their descendants,
+who, being brought up on such principles, often become very rich and
+noble, as did the descendants of Taddeo Gaddi the painter, by means
+of his works. This Taddeo di Gaddo Gaddi of Florence, after the death
+of Gaddo, had been the pupil of his godfather Giotto for twenty-four
+years, as Cennino di Drea Ceninni, painter of Colle di Valdelsa
+writes. On the death of Giotto he became the first painter of the
+day, by reason of his judgment and genius, surpassing his
+fellow-pupils. His first works, executed with a facility due to
+natural ability rather than to acquired skill, were in the church of
+S. Croce at Florence in the chapel of the sacristy, where, in
+conjunction with his fellow-pupils of the dead Giotto, he did some
+fine scenes from the life of St Mary Magdalene, the figures and
+draperies being very remarkable, the costumes being those then worn.
+In the chapel of the Baroncelli and Bandini, where Giotto had already
+done a picture in tempera, Taddeo did some scenes from the life of
+the Virgin in fresco on the wall, which were considered very
+beautiful. Over the door of the same sacristy he painted the scene of
+Christ disputing with the doctors in the temple, which was afterwards
+destroyed when Cosimo de' Medici the elder built the noviciate, the
+chapel and the vestibule of the sacristy, in order to put a stone
+cornice above that door. In the same church he painted in fresco the
+chapel of the Bellacci and that of St Andrew, next to one of the
+three done by Giotto, in which he represented Christ calling Andrew
+and Peter from their nets, and the crucifixion of the latter apostle
+with such truth that it was much admired and praised when it was
+completed, and is still held in esteem at the present day. Over the
+side door and under the tomb of Carlo Marsupini of Arezzo, he made a
+dead Christ with Mary, in fresco, which was much admired. Below the
+screen of the church, on the left hand above the crucifix of Donato,
+he painted in fresco a miracle of St Francis, where he raises a boy
+killed by a fall from a terrace, with an apparition in the air. In
+this scene he drew the portraits of his master Giotto, the poet
+Dante, Guido Cavalcanti, and some say of himself. In different places
+in the same church he made a number of figures, which are recognised
+by artists from their style. For the company of the Temple he painted
+the tabernacle which is at the corner of the via del Crocifisso,
+containing a fine deposition from the cross. In the cloister of S.
+Spirito he did two scenes in the arches next the chapter-house, in
+one of which he represented Judas selling Christ, and in the other
+the Last Supper with the Apostles. In the same convent over the door
+of the refectory he painted a crucifix and some saints, which
+distinguish him, among the others who worked there, as a true
+imitator of the style of Giotto, whom he always held in the highest
+veneration. In S. Stefano of the Ponte Vecchio he painted the picture
+and predella of the high altar with great care, and in the oratory of
+S. Michele in Orto he very skilfully represented in a picture a dead
+Christ, wept over by Mary, and deposited in the sepulchre by
+Nicodemus with great devotion. In the church of the Servites he
+painted the chapel of St Nicholas, belonging to the Palagio family,
+with stories of that saint, where, in his painting of a barque, he
+has clearly shown with the greatest judgment and grace, that he had a
+thorough knowledge of a tempestuous sea and of the fury of Fortune.
+In this work St Nicholas appears in the air, while the mariners are
+emptying the ship and throwing out the merchandise, and frees them
+from their danger. This work gave great satisfaction and was much
+admired, so that Taddeo was commissioned to paint the chapel of the
+high altar of that church. Here he did in fresco some stories of Our
+Lady, and in tempera on a panel, Our Lady with many saints, a very
+vigorous representation. Similarly, on the predella of this picture
+he did some stories of Our Lady in small figures, into the details of
+which it is not necessary to enter, because everything was destroyed
+in the year 1467 when Ludovico, Marquis of Mantua, made in that place
+the tribune which is there now, from the design of Leon Battista
+Alberti, and the choir of the friars, causing the picture to be taken
+to the chapter-house of that convent, in the refectory of which he
+made above the wooden backs, the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the
+Apostles, and above that a crucifix with many saints. When Taddeo had
+completed this work he was invited to Pisa where he painted the
+principal chapel of S. Francesco in fresco, very well coloured, for
+Gherardo and Bonaccorso Gambacorti, with many figures and stories of
+the saint, and of St Andrew and St Nicholas. On the vaulting and the
+wall is Pope Honorius confirming the rule, and a representation of
+Taddeo from life, in profile, with a hood folded over his head. At
+the bottom of this scene are these words:
+
+   _Magister Taddeus Gaddus de Florentia pinxit hanc hittoriam Sancti
+   Francisci et Sancti Andreae et Sancti Nicolai anno Domini MCCCXLII.
+   de mense Augusti._
+
+In the cloister of the same convent he further made a Madonna in
+fresco, with the child at her neck, very well coloured. In the middle
+of the church, on the left hand on entering, is seated a St Louis the
+bishop, to whom St Gherardo da Villamagna, who was a friar of the
+order, is recommending one fra Bartolommeo, then superior of the
+convent. The figures of this work, being drawn from life, exhibit the
+utmost vivacity and grace, in that simple style which was in some
+respects better than Giotto's, particularly in the expression of
+intercession, joy, grief, and other feelings, the good representation
+of which always constitutes the highest claim of the painter to
+honour. Taddeo then returned to Florence and continued for the
+commune the work of Orsan-michele, refounding the pillars of the
+Loggia, using dressed and hewn stones in place of the original
+bricks, but without making any change in the design left by Arnolfo,
+who provided that a palace with two vaults should be made above the
+Loggia for the preservation of the provisions of grain made by the
+people and commune of Florence. For the completion of this work the
+Art of the Porta S. Maria, to whom the charge of the structure had
+been entrusted, ordained the payment of the gabelle of the piazza and
+of the grain market, and some other changes of very small importance.
+But an ordinance of far more importance was that each of the arts of
+Florence should make a pilaster for itself, placing on a niche in it
+the patron saint of each, and that every year the consuls of the arts
+should go to make offerings on their saints' feast days and keep
+their standard and insignia there all that day, but that the alms so
+collected should be made to the Virgin for the needy poor.
+
+In the year 1333 a great flood had carried away the parapets of the
+Ponte Rubaconte, thrown down the castle of Altafronte, left nothing
+of the Ponte Vecchio except the two middle piles, entirely destroyed
+the Ponte S. Trinita, a single shattered pile alone standing, and
+half the Ponte alla Carraia, breaking down the flood-gates of
+Ognissanti. For this cause the rulers of the city took counsel
+together, because they did not wish that those who dwelt beyond the
+Arno should again suffer this inconvenience of having to cross by
+barques. Accordingly they called in Taddeo Gaddi, because his master
+Giotto had gone to Milan, and instructed him to make the model and
+design of the Ponte Vecchio, directing him to render it as strong and
+as beautiful as it could possibly be. To this end he spared neither
+pains nor expense, building it with such strong piers and  such fine
+arches, all of hewn stone, that it now sustains twenty-two shops on
+either side, making forty-four in all, to the great benefit of the
+commune, who that year expended upon it eight hundred florins of
+rent. The length of the span from one side to the other is 32
+braccia, the middle way is 16, and the shops on either side 8
+braccia. For this work, which cost sixty thousand gold florins,
+Taddeo not only deserved the praise accorded by his contemporaries,
+but he merits our commendation to-day to an even greater degree, for,
+not to speak of many other floods, the bridge did not move in the
+year 1537, on 13th September, when the Ponte a Santa Trinita, two
+arches of the Carraia, and a great part of the Rubaconte all fell,
+and more damage was done. Certainly no man of judgment can refrain
+from amazement, or at least wonder, when he considers how firmly the
+Ponte Vecchio resisted the impetus of the water, the timber, and
+other debris, without yielding. At the same time Taddeo laid the
+foundations of the Ponte a Santa Trinita, which was finished with
+less success in the year 1346 at a cost of twenty thousand gold
+florins. I say with less success, because, unlike the Ponte Vecchio,
+it was ruined by the flood of 1557. It was also under Taddeo's
+direction that the wall on the side of S. Gregorio was made at the
+same time, with driven piles, two piers of the bridge being taken to
+enlarge the ground on the side of the piazza de' Mozzi, and to set up
+the mills which are still there.
+
+Whilst all these things were being done under Taddeo's direction and
+from his plans, he did not allow them to stop his painting, and did
+the tribunal of the old Mercanzia, where, with poetical imagination,
+he represented the tribunal of six men, that being the number of the
+chief of that magistracy, who are watching Truth taking out
+Falsehood's tongue, the former clothed in velvet over her naked skin,
+the latter in black: underneath are these lines:
+
+            "La pura Verita per ubbidire
+             Alla santa Giustizia che non tarda
+             Cava la lingua alla falsa bugiarda."
+
+Lower down are the following lines:
+
+            "Taddeo dipinse questo bel rigestro
+             Discepol fu di Giotto il buon maestro."
+
+In Arezzo some works in fresco were allotted to him, which he carried
+out with the greatest perfection with the aid of his pupil Giovanni
+da Milano. One of these, representing the Passion of Jesus Christ,
+may still be seen in the oratory of the Holy Spirit, in front of the
+high altar. It contains many horses, and the thieves on the cross,
+and is considered a very beautiful thing on account of his conception
+of the nailing to the cross, where there are some figures which
+vividly express the rage of the Jews, some drawing Him by the legs
+with a rope, others bringing the sponge, and others in various
+attitudes, such as Longinus, who pierces His side with the spear, and
+the three soldiers who are playing for His garments, their faces
+depicting hope and fear in throwing the dice. The first of these men
+stands in a constrained attitude awaiting his turn, and is so eager
+to draw that he apparently does not notice the discomfort; the second
+is loading the dice-box, and frowns as he looks at the dice, his
+mouth and eyes open as if from suspicion of fraud, showing clearly to
+an observant beholder his eagerness to win; the third, who is about
+to throw the dice, spreads out on the ground with trembling arm the
+garments, where he shows with a smile that he intends to throw them.
+On the sides of the church also may be seen some stories of St John
+the Evangelist, which are executed with such wonderful style and
+design that they cannot fail to excite astonishment. In the chapel of
+St Sebastian, next the sacristy in S. Agostino, he did the life of
+that martyr and the dispute of Christ with the doctors, so well
+executed and finished that the beauty and variety displayed, as well
+as the grace of their colouring, are marvellous.
+
+In Casentino, in the church of the Sasso del Vernia, he painted in
+the chapel the scene where S. Francis receives the stigmata. Here
+Taddeo was assisted in matters of minor importance by Jacopo di
+Casentino, who thus became his pupil. When this was completed Taddeo
+returned with Giovanni of Milan to Florence, where in the city and
+without they made a number of panels and pictures of importance. In
+the process of time Taddeo acquired so much money that, by steadily
+saving, he founded the wealth and nobility of his family, being
+always considered a wise and courteous man. In S. Maria Novella he
+painted the chapter-house which was allotted to him by the prior of
+the place, who supplied him with the idea. It is known that, because
+the work was a great one, and as the chapter-house of S. Spirito was
+uncovered at the same time as the bridges were building, to the great
+glory of Simone Memmi who painted it, the prior wished to secure
+Simone to do half of the work; accordingly he consulted Taddeo, who
+was very willing to agree to this, since Simone had been a
+fellow-pupil of Giotto with him, and they had always remained close
+friends and companions. O truly noble souls to love one another
+fraternally without emulation, ambition, or envy, so that each
+rejoiced at the advancement and honour of his friend as if it had
+been his own. The work was accordingly divided, three sides being
+allotted to Simone, as I have said in his life, and the left side and
+the whole of the vaulting to Taddeo, who divided his work into four
+divisions or quarters, according to the disposition of the vaulting.
+In the first he made the Resurrection of Christ, in which he
+apparently endeavours to cause the glorified body to emit light,
+which is reflected on a city and on some mountain rocks; but he
+abandoned this device in the figures and in the rest of the
+composition, possibly because he was not confident of his ability to
+carry it out, owing to the difficulties which presented themselves.
+In the second compartment he made Jesus Christ delivering Peter from
+drowning, when the apostles, who are managing the boat, are certainly
+very fine, and especially a man who is fishing with a line on the
+sea-shore (a thing first attempted by Giotto in the mosaic of the
+_Navicella_ in St Peter's), represented with vigorous and life-like
+expression. In the third he painted the Ascension of Christ, while
+the fourth represents the Descent of the Holy Spirit, remarkable for
+the fine attitudes of the Jews, who are endeavouring to enter the
+door. On the wall beneath are the seven sciences, with their names,
+and appropriate figures below each. Grammar habited like a woman is
+teaching a boy; beneath her sits the writer Donato. Next to Grammar
+sits Rhetoric, at whose feet is a figure with its two hands resting
+on books, while it draws a third hand from beneath a mantle and holds
+it to its mouth. Logic has a serpent in her hand, and is veiled, with
+Zeno Eleate at her feet reading. Arithmetic holds the table of the
+Abacus, and under her sits Abraham, its inventor. Music has musical
+instruments, with Tubal Cain beneath, beating with two hammers upon
+an anvil, with his ears listening to the sound. Geometry has the
+quadrant and sextant, with Euclid beneath. Astrology has the sphere
+of the heavens in her hands, and Atlas under her feet. On the other
+side sit the seven theological sciences, each one having beneath it a
+person of an appropriate condition, pope, emperor, king, cardinal,
+duke, bishop, marquis, etc., the pope being a portrait of Clement  V.
+In the middle, and occupying a higher place, is St Thomas Aquinas,
+who was master of all these sciences, and certain heretics under his
+feet, Arius, Sabellius, and Averroes. About him are Moses, Paul, John
+the Evangelist, and some other figures with the four cardinal
+virtues, and the three theological ones, in addition to an infinite
+number of other ideas set forth by Taddeo with no small design and
+grace, so that this may be considered the best devised and the most
+finely preserved of all his works. In the same S. Maria Novello, over
+the transept he did a St Jerome dressed as a cardinal. He held that
+saint in reverence, choosing him as the protector of his house, and
+after Taddeo's death his son Agnolo made a tomb for his descendants
+covered with a marble slab adorned with the arms of the Gaddi under
+this picture. For these descendants the cardinal Jerome, aided by
+their merits and the goodness of Taddeo, has obtained from God most
+distinguished places in the church, such as clerkships of the
+chamber, bishoprics, cardinalates, provostships, and most honourable
+knighthoods. The descendants of Taddeo have uniformly valued and
+encouraged men of genius in painting and sculpture, assisting them to
+the utmost of their power. At length when Taddeo had reached the age
+of fifty years, he was seized with a severe fever and passed from
+this life in the year 1350, leaving Agnolo his son and Giovanni to
+carry on the painting, recommending them to Jacopo di Casentino for
+their material well being, and to Giovanni da Milano for instruction
+in art. This Giovanni, besides many other things, made a picture,
+after Taddeo's death, which was placed in S. Croce at the altar of St
+Gherardo da Villamagna, fourteen years after he had been left without
+his master, and also the high altar picture of Ognissanti, where the
+Umiliati friars are stationed, a much admired work; and in Assisi he
+made for the tribune of the high altar a crucifix, Our Lady, and St
+Clare, and on the side wall stories of Our Lady. He subsequently went
+to Milan, where he did many works in tempera and in fresco, and at
+length died there.
+
+Now Taddeo always adopted Giotto's style, but did not greatly improve
+it, except in the colouring, which he made fresher and more vivid.
+Giotto had made such efforts to overcome other difficulties of this
+art, that although he considered colouring also, yet it was not
+granted to him to master this completely. Taddeo, on the other hand,
+profiting by his master's labours, had an easier task, and was able
+to add something of his own in improving the colouring.
+
+Taddeo was buried by Agnolo and Giovanni his sons in S. Croce, in the
+first cloister, and in the tomb which he had made for Gaddo his
+father. He was much honoured in the verses of the learned of the time
+as a man who had deserved much for his character, and because he had,
+besides his pictures, successfully completed many structures very
+useful to his city. In addition to the works already mentioned, he
+had with care and diligence completed the campanile of S. Maria del
+Fiore from the design of his master Giotto. This campanile was so
+constructed that it would be impossible to join stones with more
+care, or to make a tower which should be finer in the matter of
+ornament, expense, and design. The epitaph made for Taddeo was as
+follows:
+
+          Hoc uno dici poterat Florentia felix
+          Vivente: at certa est non potuisse mori.
+
+Taddeo's method of designing was very broad and bold, as may be seen
+in our book, which contains a drawing by his hand of the scene which
+he did in the chapel of St Andrew in S. Croce, at Florence.
+
+
+
+
+Andrea di Cione Orcagna, Painter, Sculptor, and Architect of
+Florence.
+
+
+It frequently happens that when a man of genius excels in one thing,
+he is easily able to learn another, especially such as are similar to
+his first profession, and which proceed, as it were, from the same
+source. An example of this is Orcagna of Florence, who was painter,
+sculptor, architect, and poet, as will be said below. He was born in
+Florence, and while quite a child began to practise sculpture under
+Andrea Pisano, and so continued for many years. When he afterwards
+became desirous of enriching his invention for the purpose of
+composing beautiful scenes, he carefully studied design, aided as he
+was by nature, who wished to make him a universal genius, and as one
+thing leads to another, he practised painting in colours in tempera
+and fresco, and succeeded so well with the aid of Bernardo Orcagna
+his brother, that Bernardo himself procured his assistance to do the
+life of Our Lady in the principal chapel of S. Maria Novella, which
+then belonged to the family of the Ricci. This work was considered
+very beautiful, although, owing to the neglect of those who
+afterwards had charge of it, it was destroyed by water through the
+breaking of the roof not many years after, and consequently it is
+restored in its present manner, as will be said in the proper place.
+Suffice it to say, that Domenico Grillandai, who repainted it, made
+considerable use of the inventions of Orcagna which were there. In
+the same church, and in conjunction with his brother Bernardo, Andrea
+did in fresco the chapel of the Strozzi, which is near the door of
+the sacristy and the belfry. In this chapel, which is approached by
+some stone steps, he painted on one wall the glory of Paradise, with
+all the saints in the various habits and head-dresses of the time. On
+the other wall he did Hell, with the holes, centres, and other things
+described by Dante, of whom Andrea was a diligent student. In the
+church of the Servites, in the same city he painted in fresco, also
+in conjunction with Bernardo, the chapel of the family of the Cresci,
+and in S. Pier Maggiore in a picture of considerable size, the
+Coronation of the Virgin, and another picture in S. Romeo near the
+side door.
+
+He and his brother Bernardo also painted in fresco together the
+facade of S. Apollinare, with such diligence that the colours are
+bright and beautiful and marvellously preserved to this day in that
+exposed place. The governors of Pisa, moved by the renown of these
+works of Orcagna, which were much admired, sent for him to do a part
+of the wall in the Campo Santo of that city, as Giotto and
+Buffalmacco had previously done. Accordingly he put his hand to the
+work, and painted a Last Judgment, with some fancies of his own, on
+the wall towards the Duomo, next to the Passion of Christ made by
+Buffalmacco. In the first scene he represented all ranks of temporal
+lords enjoying the pleasures of this world, seating them in a flowery
+meadow under the shadow of many orange trees, forming a most
+agreeable wood. Above the branches are some cupids, who are flying
+round and over a number of young women, evidently portraits of noble
+women and ladies of the day, though they are not recognisable after
+this lapse of time. The cupids are preparing to transfix the hearts
+of the ladies, near whom are young men and lords listening to playing
+and singing and watching the amorous dancing of men and maidens,
+delighting in the sweetness of their loves. Among these lords Orcagna
+drew Castruccio, the lord of Lucca, a youth of the most striking
+aspect, with a blue hood bound about his head and a sparrowhawk on
+his hand. Near him are other lords of the time, whose identity is not
+known. In fine, in this first part he represented in a most gracious
+manner all the delights of the world in accordance with the demands
+of the place and the requirements of art. On the other side of the
+same scene he represented, on a high mountain, the life of those who,
+being moved by penitence for their sins and by the desire of
+salvation, have escaped from the world to this mountain, which is
+thus full of holy hermits serving the Lord, and doing various things
+with very realistic expressions. Some are reading and praying, and
+are all intent on contemplation; while others are working to earn
+their living, and are exercising themselves in various activities.
+Here is a hermit milking a goat in the most vigorous and realistic
+manner. Below this is St Macario showing to three kings, who are
+riding to hunt with their ladies and suite, the corpses of three
+kings, partly consumed in a tomb, emblematic of human misery, and
+which are regarded with attention by the living kings in fine and
+varied attitudes, expressive of wonder, and they seem to be
+reflecting that they themselves must shortly become such. One of
+these kings is the portrait of Uguccione della Faggiuola of Arezzo,
+in a figure represented as holding his nose with his hand in order
+not to smell the odour of the dead kings. In the middle of this scene
+is Death, flying through the air and clothed in black, while he
+raises his scythe to take the life of many who are on the earth, of
+every state and condition, poor, rich, lame, whole, young, old, men,
+women, and, in short, a multitude of every age and sex. And because
+Orcagna knew that the invention of Buffalmacco had pleased the
+Pisans, by which Bruno caused his figures in S. Paolo a ripa d'Arno
+to speak, making letters issue from their mouths, he has filled all
+these works of his with such writings, of which the greater number,
+being destroyed by time, cannot be deciphered. He makes some lame old
+men say--
+
+            Da che prosperitade ci ha lasciati.
+            O morte medecina d'ogni pena
+            Deh vieni a darne omai l'ultima cena,
+
+with other words which cannot be made out, and similar lines composed
+in the old style by Orcagna himself, as I have discovered, for he was
+addicted to poetry, and wrote some sonnets. About these bodies are
+some devils, who take their souls out of their mouths and carry them
+to gulfs full of fire upon the top of a very high mountain. On the
+other hand, there are some angels who, in like manner, take the souls
+of the dead, who happen to have been good, out of their mouths, and
+carry them flying to Paradise. In this scene is a large scroll, held
+by two angels, containing the following words:
+
+            Ischermo di savere e di richezza,
+            Di nobilitate ancora e di prodezza,
+            Vale neente ai colpi di costei,
+
+with some other words which cannot easily be understood. Underneath
+in the ornamentation of these scenes are nine angels who hold some
+words written in the border of the painting, in the vulgar tongue and
+in Latin, put there because they would spoil the scene if placed
+higher, and to omit them altogether did not appear fitting to the
+author, who considered this method very fine, and perhaps it was to
+the taste of that age. The greater part of these are omitted here in
+order not to tire the reader with impertinent matter of little
+interest, and moreover the greater number of the scrolls are
+obliterated, while the remainder are in a very imperfect condition.
+After this Orcagna made the Last Judgment. He placed Jesus Christ on
+high above the clouds in the midst of his twelve Apostles to judge
+the quick and the dead, exhibiting on the one side, with great art
+and vigour, the despair of the damned, as they are driven weeping to
+Hell by furious demons; and on the other side the joy and rejoicing
+of the elect, who are transported to the right hand side of the
+blessed by a troop of Angels led by the Archangel Michael. It is
+truly lamentable that for lack of writers, the names and identity of
+few or none of these can be ascertained out of such a multitude of
+magistrates, knights and other lords, who are evidently drawn from
+life, although the pope there is said to be Innocent IV. the friend
+of Manfred.
+
+After this work and some sculptures in marble executed to his great
+glory in the Madonna, which is on the side of the Ponte Vecchio,
+Andrea left his brother Bernardo to work by himself in the Campo
+Santo at a Hell made according to Dante's description, which was
+afterwards much damaged in 1530, and restored by Solazzino, a painter
+of our own day. Meanwhile Andrea returned to Florence, where he
+painted in fresco in the middle of the Church of S. Croce on a very
+large wall on the right hand, the same things which he had done in
+the Campo Santo at Pisa, in three similar pictures, but omitting the
+scene in which St Macario is showing human wretchedness to the three
+kings, and the life of the hermits who are serving God on the
+mountain. But he did all the rest of that work, displaying better
+design and more diligence than at Pisa, but retaining almost the same
+methods in the inventions, style, scrolls and the rest, without
+changing anything except the portraits from life; because in this
+work he introduced the portraits of some of his dearest friends into
+his Paradise, while he condemned his enemies to hell. Among the elect
+may be seen the portrait in profile of Pope Clement VI. with the
+tiara on his head, who reduced the Jubilee from a hundred to fifty
+years, was a friend of the Florentines, and possessed some of their
+paintings which he valued highly. Here also is Maestro Dino del
+Garbo, then a most excellent physician, clothed after the manner of
+the doctors of that day with a red cap on his head lined with
+miniver, while an angel holds him by the hand. There are also many
+other portraits which have not been identified. Among the damned he
+drew the Guardi, sergeant of the Commune of Florence, dragged by the
+devil with a hook. He may be recognised by three red lilies on his
+white hat, such as were worn by the sergeants and other like
+officials. Andrea did this because the sergeant had upon one occasion
+distrained his goods. He also drew there the notary and the judge who
+were against him in that cause. Next to Guardi is Cecco d'Ascoli, a
+famous wizard of the time, and slightly above him, and in the middle
+is a hypocritical friar, who is furtively trying to mingle with the
+good, while an angel discovers him and thrusts him among the damned.
+Besides Bernardo, Andrea had another brother called Jacopo, who
+devoted himself, but with little success, to sculpture. For this
+brother Andrea had sometimes made designs in relief in clay, and this
+led him to wish to do some things in marble to see if he remembered
+that art, which he had studied at Pisa, as has been said. Accordingly
+he applied himself earnestly to that pursuit, and attained to such a
+measure of success that he afterwards made use of it with credit, as
+will be said. He next devoted all his energies to the study of
+architecture, thinking that he might have occasion to make use of it.
+Nor was he mistaken, for in the year 1355 the Commune of Florence
+bought some private houses near the palace to enlarge that building
+and increase the piazza, and also to make a place where citizens
+could withdraw in time of rain, and in winter to do under cover the
+things which were done in the uncovered arcade when bad weather did
+not interfere. They procured a number of designs for the construction
+of a large and magnificent loggia near the palace for this purpose as
+well as for a mint for coining money. Among these designs prepared by
+the best masters of the city, that of Orcagna was universally
+approved and accepted as being larger, finer and more magnificent
+than the others, and the large loggia of the piazza was begun under
+his direction by order of the Signoria and Commune, upon foundations
+laid in the time of the Duke of Athens, and was carried forward with
+much diligence in squared stones excellently laid. The arches of the
+vaults were constructed in a manner new for that time, not being
+pointed as had previously been customary, but in half circles after a
+new pattern, with much grace and beauty, and the building was
+completed under Andrea's direction in a short time. If it had
+occurred to him to erect it next to S. Romolo and to turn its back
+towards the north, which he perhaps omitted to do in order that it
+should be convenient for the door of the palace, it would have been
+a most useful construction for all the city, as it is a most
+beautiful piece of work, whereas it is impossible to remain there in
+winter owing to the strong wind. In the decoration of this loggia
+Orcagna made seven marble figures in half relief between the arches
+of the facade representing the seven virtues, theological and
+cardinal. These are so fine, that taken in conjunction with the whole
+work they prove their author to have been an excellent sculptor as
+well as a distinguished painter and architect. Besides this he was in
+all his deeds a pleasant, well-bred and amiable man so that his
+fellow was never seen. And since he never abandoned the study of one
+of his three professions when he took up another, he painted a
+picture in tempera with many small figures while the loggia was
+building, and a predella of small figures for that chapel of the
+Strozzi where his brother Bernardo had already done some things in
+fresco. On this picture he wrote his name thus: _Anno Domini
+MCCCLVII Andreas Cionis de Florentia me pinxit_, being of opinion
+that it would exhibit his powers to better advantage than his works
+in fresco could. When this was finished he did some paintings on a
+panel which were sent to the pope to Avignon, in the cathedral church
+of which they still remain. Shortly afterwards, the men of the
+company of Orsanmichele, having collected a quantity of money of alms
+and goods given to the Madonna there on account of the mortality of
+1348, they decided that they would make about her a chapel or
+tabernacle richly adorned not only with marble carved in every manner
+and with other stones of price, but also with mosaic and ornaments of
+bronze, the best that could be desired, so that in workmanship and
+material it should surpass every other work produced up to that day.
+The execution of this was entrusted to Orcagna as being the foremost
+man of the age. He made a number of designs, one of which was chosen
+by the directors of the work as being the best of all. Accordingly
+the task was allotted to him and everything was committed to his
+judgment and counsel. He and his brother undertook to do all the
+figures, giving the rest to various masters from other countries. On
+the completion of the work, he caused it to be built up and joined
+together very carefully without lime, the joints, being of lead and
+copper so that the shining and polished marbles should not be
+blemished. This proved so successful and has been of such use and
+honour to those who came after him, that it appears to an observer
+that the chapel is hollowed out of a single piece of marble, so
+excellently are parts welded together, thanks to this device of
+Orcagna. Although in the German style its grace and proportions are
+such that it holds the first place among the things of the time,
+owing chiefly to the excellent composition of its great and small
+figures and of the angels and prophets in half-relief about the
+Madonna. The casting of the carefully polished bronze ornaments which
+surround it is marvellous, for they encircle the whole work, enclose
+it and bind it together, so that this  part is as remarkable for its
+strength as the other parts are for their beauty. But he devoted the
+highest powers of his genius to the scene in half-relief on the back
+of the tabernacle, representing in figures of a braccia and a half,
+the twelve apostles looking up at the Madonna ascending to heaven in
+a mandorla, surrounded by angels. He represented himself in marble as
+one of the apostles, an old  man, clean shaven, a hood wound round
+his head, with a flat round face as shown in his portrait above,
+which it taken from this. On the base he wrote these words in the
+marble: _Andreas Cionis pictor florentinus oratorii archimagister
+extitit hujus, MCCCLIX_. It appears that the erection of the loggia
+and of the marble tabernacle, with all the workmanship involved cost
+96,000 gold florins, which were very well expended, because in
+architecture, in sculpture and other ornaments they are comparable in
+beauty with any other work of the time, without exception, and so
+excellent as to assure to the name of Andrea Orcagna immortality and
+greatness. In signing his paintings he used to write Andrea di Clone,
+sculptor, and on his sculptures, Andrea di Cione, painter, wishing
+his sculpture to recommend his painting and his painting his
+sculpture. Florence is full of his paintings, some of which may be
+recognised by the name, such as those in S. Romeo, and some by his
+style, like that in the chapter-house of the monastery of the Angeli.
+Some which he left imperfect were finished by his brother Bernardo,
+who survived him, though not for many years. Andrea, as I have said,
+amused himself in making verses and other poems, and when he was an
+old man he wrote some sonnets to Burchiello, then a youth. At length
+at the age of sixty he completed the course of his life in 1389, and
+was borne with honour to burial from his house in the via Vecchia de'
+Corazzai.
+
+In the days of the Orcagna there were many who were skilful in
+sculpture and architecture, whose names are unknown, but their works
+show that they are worthy of high praise and commendation. An example
+of such work is the Monastery of the Certosa of Florence, erected at
+the cost of the noble family of the Acciaiuoli, and particularly of
+M. Niccola, Grand Seneschal of the King of Naples, containing
+Niccola's tomb with his effigy in stone, and those of his father and
+a sister, both of whose portraits in the marble were made from life
+in the year 1366. There also and by the same hand may be seen the
+tomb of M. Lorenzo, Niccola's son, who died at Naples, arid was
+brought to Florence and buried there with most honourable obsequies.
+Similarly the tomb of the Cardinal S. Croce of the same family, which
+is before the high altar in a choir then newly built, contains his
+portrait in a marble stone very well executed in the year 1390.
+
+The pupils of Andrea in painting were Bernardo Nello di Giovanni
+Falconi of Pisa, who did a number of pictures for the Duomo of Pisa,
+and Tommaso di Marco of Florence, who, besides many other things,
+painted a picture in the year 1392, which is in S. Antonio at Pisa on
+the screen of the church. After Andrea's death, his brother Jacopo,
+who, as has been said, professed sculpture and architecture, was
+employed in the year 1328 in building the tower and gate of S. Pietro
+Gattolini, and it is said that the four gilded stone lions at the
+four corners of the principal palace of Florence are by his hand.
+This work incurred no little censure, because it was placed there
+without reason, and was perhaps a greater weight than was safe. Many
+would have preferred the lions to have been made of copper gilded
+over and hollow inside, and then set up in the same place, when they
+would have been much less heavy and more durable. It is said that the
+horse in relief in S. Maria del Fiore at Florence is by the same
+hand. It is gilded, and stands over the door leading to the oratory
+of S. Zanobi. It is believed to be a monument to Pietro Farnese,
+captain of the Florentines, but as I know nothing more of the matter
+I cannot assert this positively. At the same time Andrea's nephew
+Mariotto made a Paradise in fresco for S. Michel Bisdomini in the via
+de' Servi at Florence, over the altar, and another picture with many
+figures for Mona Cecilia de' Boscoli, which is in the same church
+near the door. But of all Orcagna's pupils none excelled Francesco
+Traini, who executed for a lord of the house of Coscia, buried at
+Pisa in the chapel of St Dominic in the church of S. Caterina, a
+St Dominic on a panel on a gold ground, with six scenes from his life
+surrounding him, very vigorous and life-like and excellently
+coloured. In the chapel of St Thomas Aquinas in the same church he
+made a picture in tempera, with delightful invention, and which is
+much admired. He introduced a figure of St Thomas seated, from life;
+I say from life because the friars of the place brought a portrait of
+him from the abbey of Fossanuova, where he had died in 1323. St
+Thomas is seated in the air with some books in his hand, illuminating
+with their rays and splendour the Christian people; kneeling below
+him are a large number of doctors and clerks of every condition,
+bishops, cardinals and popes, including the portrait of Pope Urban
+VI. Under the saint's feet are Sabellius, Arius, Averroes, and other
+heretics and philosophers with their books all torn. On either side
+of St Thomas are Plato, showing the Timaeus, and Aristotle pointing to
+his Ethics. Above is Jesus Christ, also in the air, with the four
+Evangelists about him. He is blessing St Thomas, and apparently
+sending the Holy Spirit upon him, filling him therewith and with His
+grace. On the completion of this work Francesco Traini acquired great
+name and fame, for he had far surpassed his master Andrea in
+colouring, in unity, and in invention. Andrea was very careful in his
+designs, as may be seen in our book.
+
+
+
+
+Tommaso called Giottino, painter of Florence.
+
+
+When there is emulation among the arts which are based on design and
+when artists work in competition with each other there is no doubt
+that men's abilities, being stimulated by constant study, discover
+new things every day to satisfy the varied tastes of man. Thus in
+painting, some introduce obscure and eccentric things into their work
+and by a mastery of the difficulties display the brightness of their
+talent in the midst of darkness. Others employ themselves on soft and
+delicate things conceiving that these should be more pleasing to the
+eye of the beholder; so that they pleasantly attract the greater
+number of men. Others again paint smoothly, softening the colours and
+confining the lights and shades of the figures to their places, for
+which they merit the highest praise, displaying their intention with
+wonderful skill. This smooth style is always apparent in the works of
+Tommaso di Stefano, called Giottino, who was born in the year 1324,
+and after he had learned the elements of painting from his father, he
+resolved while still a youth, that he would most carefully imitate
+Giotto's style rather than that of Stefano. He succeeded so well in
+this that he won thereby in addition to the style, which was much
+finer than his master's, the nickname of Giottino, which he always
+retained. Hence many, misled  by his manner and name, believed him to
+be Giotto's  son, but they fell into a very great error, for it is
+certain, or rather highly probable (since no one  can  affirm  such
+things absolutely), that he was the son of Stefano, painter of
+Florence. Tommaso was so diligent in painting and so fond of it, that
+although not many of his works have been found, yet those which are
+extant are good and in excellent style. For the draperies, hair,
+beards, and other details are executed and composed with such grace
+and care that they prove him to have possessed a far better idea of
+unity in art than was to be found in the works of Giotto, master of
+Stefano his father. In his youth Giottino painted in S. Stefano at
+the Ponte Vecchio at Florence, a chapel by the side door, and
+although it has suffered a great deal from the damp, yet enough
+remains to prove the skill and genius of the craftsman. He next did
+SS. Cosmo and Damian beside the mills in the Frati Ermini, of which
+but little can now be seen owing to the ravages of time. He did a
+chapel in fresco in the old S. Spirito of that city, which was
+afterwards destroyed at the burning of that church. Over the
+principal door of the same church he painted in fresco the Descent of
+the Holy Spirit, and on the piazza of the church, leading to the side
+of the Cuculia, next the convent, he did the tabernacle which may
+still be seen there, with Our Lady and other saints about her, who in
+their heads and other parts approach very closely to the modern
+style, because Tommaso endeavoured to vary and change the flesh tints
+and to combine a graceful and judicious treatment of the figures with
+variety in the colouring and in the draperies. In the chapel of St
+Silvester at S. Croce he did the history of Constantine with great
+care, with many fine ideas in the gestures of the figures. His next
+work was to be placed behind a marble ornament made for the tomb of
+M. Bettino de' Bardi, a man of eminent military rank of the time. He
+represented him from life, in armour, rising on his knees from the
+tomb, summoned by the Last Trump sounded by two angels who accompany
+a Christ in the clouds, very well done. At the entrance to S.
+Pancrazio, on the right hand side, he did a Christ carrying the
+cross, and some saints near, markedly in Giotto's style. In S.
+Gallo, a convent outside the gate of that name, and which was
+destroyed at the siege, he painted a Pieta in fresco in a cloister, a
+copy of which is in S. Pancrazio mentioned above, on a pilaster
+beside the principal chapel. He painted SS. Cosmo and Damian in
+fresco in S. Maria Novella at the chapel of St Lorenzo de' Giuochi,
+at the entry of the church by the right hand door, on the front wall.
+In Ognissanti he did a St Christopher and a St George, which were
+ruined by bad weather and were restored by some ignorant painters. An
+uninjured work of Tommaso in the same church is in the tympanum over
+the sacristy door, which contains a Madonna in fresco, with the child
+in her arms; it is a good thing as he took pains with it.
+
+By means of these works Giottino acquired so much renown, imitating
+his master, as I have said, both in design and in inventions, that
+the spirit of Giotto himself was said to be in him, owing to the
+freshness of his colouring and to his skill in design. Now, on 2nd
+July 1343, when the Duke of Athens was hunted from Florence, and had
+by oath renounced the government and rendered the Florentines their
+liberty, Giottino was constrained by the Twelve Reformers of the
+State, and especially by the prayers of M. Agnolo Acciaiuoli, then a
+very distinguished citizen, who had great influence over him, to
+paint on the tower of the Podesta Palace the duke and his followers,
+M. Ceritieri Visdomini, M. Maladiasse, his Conservator and M. Ranieri
+da S. Gimignano, all with mitres of Justice on their heads,
+represented thus shamefully as a sign of contempt. About the duke's
+head he painted many beasts of prey and other sorts, indicative of
+his nature and quality; and one of these counsellors had in his hand
+the palace of the priors of the city, which he was offering to the
+duke, like a false traitor. Beneath everyone of them were the arms
+and insignia of their families, with inscriptions which can now only
+be read with difficulty owing to the ravages of time. This work,
+because it was well designed and very carefully executed, gave
+universal satisfaction, and the method of the artist pleased
+everyone. He next made a St Cosmo and a St Damian at the Campora, a
+place of the black monks outside the gate of S. Piero Gattolini.
+These were afterwards destroyed in whitewashing the church. On the
+bridge at Romiti in Valdarno he did the tabernacle which is built in
+the middle, painting it in fresco in a very fine style. It is
+recorded by many writers that Tommaso practised sculpture, and did a
+marble figure four braccia high for the campanile of S. Maria del
+Fiore at Florence, towards the place where the orphan asylum now
+stands. At Rome again he successfully completed a scene in S. John
+Lateran in which he represented the pope in various dignities, but
+the painting is now much damaged and eaten by time. In the house of
+the Orsini he did a hall full of famous men, and a very fine St Louis
+on a pilaster at Araceli, on the right-hand side at the high altar.
+Above the pulpit in the lower church of S. Francesco at Assisi, that
+being the only place left undecorated, he painted a coronation of Our
+Lady, in an arch, surrounded by many angels, so graceful, with such
+beautiful faces, so soft and so delicate, exhibiting that union of
+colours customary in the artist, and which constitutes his peculiar
+excellence, that he may clearly be compared with any of his
+predecessors. About this arch he did some stories of St Nicholas.
+Similarly, in the middle of the church, in the monastery of S.
+Chiara, in the same city, he painted a scene in fresco of St Clare,
+upheld in the air by two angels, represented with much life, raising
+a dead child, whilst many beautiful women standing about are filled
+with amazement, all being dressed in very graceful costumes of the
+time. In the same city of Assisi, in an arch over the inside of the
+city door which leads to the Duomo, he did a Madonna and child with
+so much care that she seems alive, and a very fine St Francis, with
+other saints. These two works, although the scene with St Clare is
+unfinished, for Tommaso returned sick to Florence, are perfect and
+worthy of all praise.
+
+It is said that Tommaso was a melancholy and solitary man, but very
+diligent and fond of his art. This is clearly shown in a picture of
+his in tempera in the church of S. Romeo at Florence, placed on the
+screen on the right-hand side, for nothing was ever better done on
+wood. It represents a dead Christ with Mary and Nicodemus,
+accompanied with other figures, who are weeping bitterly for the
+dead. Their gentleness and sweetness are remarkable as they twist
+their hands and beat themselves, showing in their faces the bitter
+sorrow that our sins should cost so dear. It is a marvellous thing,
+not that Tommaso could rise to this height of imagination, but that
+he could express his thought so well with his brush. Consequently
+this work deserves the highest praise, not so much because of the
+subject and conception as for the art in which he exhibited the heads
+of some who are weeping, for although the brows, eyes, nose and mouth
+are distorted by the emotion, yet this does not mar or destroy the
+beauty of his faces, which usually suffers much at the hands of those
+who represent weeping if they are not versed in the good methods of
+art. But it is no wonder that Giottino was so successful with this
+picture, because the object of all his labour was rather fame and
+glory than any other reward or desire of gain, which causes the
+masters of our own time to be less careful and good. Not only Tommaso
+did not endeavour to acquire great wealth, but he went without many
+of the comforts of life, living in poverty, seeking rather to please
+others than to live at ease; so managing badly and working hard, he
+died of phthisis at the age of thirty-two, and was buried by his
+relations outside S. Maria Novella at the gate of Martello, near the
+tomb of Bontura.
+
+The pupils of Giottino, who left more fame than property, were
+Giovanni Tossicani of Arezzo, Michelino, Giovanni dal Ponte, and
+Lippo, who were meritorious masters of the art. Giovanni Tossicani
+excelled the others, and after Tommaso's death he executed many works
+in that same style, in all Tuscany, and particularly in the Pieve of
+Arezzo, where he did the chapel of St Maria Maddalena of the
+Tuccerelli, and in the Pieve of Empoli, where he did a St James on a
+pilaster. Again, he did some things in the Duomo at Pisa, which were
+afterwards removed to make way for modern works. His last work was
+executed in a chapel of the Vescovado of Arezzo, for the Countess
+Giovanna, wife of Tarlato di Pietramala, and represented an
+Annunciation, with St James and St Philip. As this work was on a
+wall, the back of which is exposed to the north, it was almost
+destroyed by the damp, when Master Agnolo di Lorenzo of Arezzo
+restored the  Annunciation, and Giorgio Vasari, then a youth,
+restored the SS. James and Philip, to his great advantage, as he
+learnt a great deal which he had not been able to obtain from other
+masters, by observing Giovanni's methods, and from the shadows and
+colours of this work, damaged as it was. The following words of the
+epitaph to the Countess, who caused the work to be done, may still be
+read: Anno Domini 1335 de mense Augusti hanc capellam constitui fecit
+nobilis Domina comitissa Joanna de Sancta Flora uxor nobilis militis
+Domini Tarlati de Petramela ad honorem Beatae Mariae Virginis.
+
+I make no mention of the works of the other pupils of Giottino,
+because they are quite ordinary and bear little resemblance to those
+of their master and of Giovanni Tossicani, their fellow-pupil.
+Tommaso drew very well, as appears by some sheets by his hand which
+are in our book, which are very carefully executed.
+
+
+
+
+Giovanni da Ponte, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+Although the old proverb that a bon vivant never lacks means is
+untrue and unworthy of confidence, the contrary being the case, since
+a man who does not live within his means comes at last to live in
+want, and dies in misery; yet it sometimes happens that Fortune
+rather assists those who throw away without reserve than those who
+are orderly and careful in all things. When the favour of Fortune is
+wanting, Death frequently repairs the defect and remedies the
+consequences of men's thoughtlessness, for it comes at the very
+moment when they would begin to realise, with sorrow, how wretched a
+thing it is to have squandered everything when young to pass one's
+age on shortened means in poverty and toil. This would have been the
+fate of Giovanni da S. Stefano a Ponte of Florence, if, after he had
+devoured his patrimony as well as the gains which came into his hand,
+rather through good fortune than by his desserts, and some legacies
+which came to him from unexpected quarters, he had not reached the
+end of his life at the very time when he had exhausted his means. He
+was a pupil of Buonamico Buffalmacco, and imitated his master more in
+following worldly pleasures than in endeavouring to make himself a
+skilful painter. He was born in the year 1307, and was Buffalmacco's
+pupil in his youth. He executed his first works in fresco in the
+Pieve of Empoli in the chapel of St Laurence, painting many scenes
+from the life of that saint with such care, that so good a beginning
+was considered to promise much better things in the future.
+Accordingly he was invited in the year 1344 to Arezzo, where he did
+an Assumption in a chapel in S. Francesco. Being in some credit in
+that city, for lack of other artists, he next painted in the Pieve
+the chapel of St Onofrio and that of St Anthony, ruined to-day by the
+damp. He left other paintings in S. Giustina and S. Matteo, which
+were pulled down with the churches when Duke Cosimo was fortifying
+the city. Almost on this very spot, near S. Giustina, at the foot of
+the abutment of an ancient bridge, at the point where the river
+enters the city, they there found a fine marble head of Appius
+Ciccus, and one of his son, with an ancient epitaph, which are now in
+the Duke's wardrobe. When Giovanni returned to Florence, at the time
+when the middle arch of the Ponte a S. Trinita was being completed,
+he decorated a chapel built on a pile, and dedicated to St Michael
+the Archangel, an ancient and beautiful building, doing many figures,
+both inside and out, and the whole of the principal front. This
+chapel was carried away, together with the bridge, in the flood of
+1557. Some assert that he owed his name of Giovanni dal Ponte to
+these works. In Pisa, in the year 1335, he did some scenes in fresco
+behind the altar in the principal chapel of St Paolo a ripa d'Arno,
+which are now ruined by damp and time. Another work of his is the
+chapel of the Scali in S. Trinita at Florence, and another beside it,
+as well as one of the stories of St Paul beside the principal chapel,
+which contains the tomb of Maestro Paolo, the astrologer. In S.
+Stefano, at the Ponte Vecchio, he did a panel and other paintings in
+tempera and fresco for Florence and elsewhere, which won him
+considerable renown. He was beloved by his friends, but rather in his
+pleasures than in his labours, and he was a friend of men of letters,
+and especially of all those who were studying his own art in the hope
+of excelling in it; and although he had not troubled to acquire for
+himself what he desired for others, he never ceased to advise others
+to work diligently. At length, when he had lived fifty-nine years, he
+departed this life in a few days in consequence of a disorder of the
+chest. Had he lived a little longer, he would have suffered much
+inconvenience, as there remained hardly sufficient in his house to
+afford him decent burial in S. Stefano dal Ponte Vecchio. His works
+were executed about 1345.
+
+Our book of designs of various ancient and modern masters contains a
+water-colour by Giovanni representing St George on horseback killing
+a serpent; also a skeleton, the two affording an excellent
+illustration of his method and his style in designing.
+
+
+
+
+Agnolo Gaddi, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+The virtue and husbandry of Taddeo Gaddi afford an excellent
+illustration of the advantages and honours accruing from excellence
+in a noble art, for by his industry and labour he provided a
+considerable property, and left the affairs of his family so ordered
+that when he passed to the other life his sons Agnolo and Giovanni
+were enabled without difficulty to lay the foundations of the vast
+wealth and distinction of the house of Gaddi, which is now amongst
+the noblest in Florence and of high repute in all Christendom. Indeed
+it was no more than reasonable, after Gaddo, Taddeo, Agnolo and
+Giovanni had adorned with their art and talents so many considerable
+churches, that their descendants should be decorated with the highest
+ecclesiastical dignities by the Holy Roman Church and her Pontiffs.
+Taddeo, whose life we have already written, left two sons, Agnolo and
+Giovanni, among his many pupils, and he hoped that Agnolo in
+particular would attain to considerable excellence in painting. But
+although Agnolo when a youth promised to far surpass his father, he
+did not realise the good opinions which were then formed about him.
+Being born and brought up in ease, which is often a hindrance to
+application, he was more devoted to trading and commerce than to the
+art of painting. This is no new or strange circumstance, for avarice
+almost invariably proves a bar to those geniuses who would have
+attained the summit of their powers, had not the desire of gain stood
+in their way in their first and best years.
+
+In his youth Andrea did a small scene for S. Jacopo tra fossi at
+Florence, in figures of little more than a braccia high, representing
+the Resurrection of Lazarus, who had been four days dead. Considering
+the corrupt state of the body, which had been in the tomb three days,
+he presented the grave clothes bound about him as soiled by the
+putrefaction of the flesh, and certain livid and yellowish marks in
+the flesh about the eyes, between quick and dead, very well
+considered. He also shows the astonishment of the disciples and other
+figures, who in varied and remarkable attitudes are holding their
+garments to their noses so as not to smell the stench of the corrupt
+body, and exhibit every shade of fear and terror at this marvellous
+event, as well as the joy and delight of Mary and Martha at seeing
+the dead body of their brother return to life. This work was deemed
+so excellent that there were many who thought that the talents of
+Andrea would prove superior to those of all the pupils of Taddeo and
+even to those of the master himself. But the event proved otherwise,
+for as in youth will conquers every difficulty in the effort after
+fame, so it often happens that the years bring with them a certain
+heedlessness which causes men to go backwards instead of forwards, as
+was the case with Agnolo. Owing to the high repute of his ability,
+the family of the Soderini, expecting a great deal, allotted to him
+the principal chapel of the Carmine, where he painted the whole of
+the life of Our Lady, but in a style so inferior to the Resurrection
+of Lazarus that anyone could perceive that he had little desire to
+devote all his energies to the study of painting. In the whole of
+this great work there is not more than a single good scene, namely,
+that in which Our Lady is in an apartment surrounded by a number of
+maidens, whose habits and headdresses vary according to the divers
+customs of the time, and who are engaged in various employments, some
+spinning, some sewing, some winding silk, and some weaving and doing
+other things, all very well conceived and executed by Agnolo.
+
+Similarly in painting in fresco the principal chapel of the church of
+S. Croce for the noble family of the Alberti, he represented the
+incidents which took place on the finding of the Cross, executing the
+work with much skill, though it is somewhat lacking in design, the
+colouring alone being meritorious. He succeeded much better
+afterwards in some other paintings in fresco in the chapel of the
+Bardi, and in some stories of St Louis in the same church. He worked
+capriciously, sometimes with great care and sometimes with little.
+Thus in S. Spirito at Florence, where he did the inside of a door
+leading from the piazza to the convent, and above another door a
+Madonna and child, with St Augustine and St Nicholas, all in
+fresco--they are all so well done that they look as if they had been
+painted yesterday. The secret of working in mosaic had as it were
+descended to Agnolo by inheritance, and in his house he had the
+instruments and other apparatus used by his grandfather Gaddo;
+accordingly to para the time, and for one reason or another, he did
+some things in mosaic when he had the whim. Thus since many of the
+marble facings of the exterior of S. Giovanni were wasted by time,
+and as the damp had pierced through and done considerable injury to
+the mosaics previously executed there by Andrea Tafi, the Consuls of
+the Art of the Merchants proposed to restore the greater part of this
+marble covering, in order that no further damage should be done, and
+also to repair the mosaics. The commission for this was given to
+Agnolo, and in the year 1346 he caused the building to be covered
+with new marble, overlaying the joints to a distance of two fingers
+with great care, notching the half of each stone as far as the
+middle. He then cemented them together with a mixture of mastic and
+wax, and completed the whole with such care that from that time
+forward neither the vaulting nor the roof has ever suffered any harm
+from the water. His subsequent restoration of the mosaics led by his
+advice to the reconstruction from his well-devised plans of the whole
+of the cornice of the church above the marble, under the roof, in its
+present form, whereas it was originally much smaller and by no means
+remarkable. He also directed the construction of the vaulting for the
+hall of the Podesta palace, where an ordinary roof had formerly
+existed, so that in addition to the added beauty which it gave the
+room, it rendered it proof against damage by fire, which it had
+frequently suffered before. By his advice the present battlements
+were added to the palace, where nothing of the kind had previously
+existed.
+
+While these works were proceeding, he did not entirely abandon
+painting, but executed in tempera a picture of Our Lady for the high
+altar of S. Pancrazio, with St John the Baptist, St John the
+Evangelist, the brothers St Nereus, Achilleus, and Prancrazius, and
+other saints hard by. But the best part of this work, and indeed the
+only part of it which is really good, is the predella filled with
+small figures, divided into eight scenes dealing with the Madonna and
+St Reparata. Subsequently in a picture for the high altar of S. Maria
+Novella at Florence, executed for Barone Capelli in 1348, he made a
+very fair group of angels about a Coronation of the Virgin. Shortly
+afterwards he painted in fresco a series of subjects from the life of
+the Virgin in the Pieve of Prato, which had been rebuilt under the
+direction of Giovanni Pisano in 1312, as has been said above, in the
+chapel where Our Lady's girdle was deposited, and he did a number of
+other works in other churches of that same country which is full of
+very considerable monasteries and convents. In Florence he next
+painted the arch over the gate of S. Romeo, and in Orto S. Michele
+did in tempera a Christ disputing with the doctors in the temple. At
+the same time for the enlargement of the piazza of the Signori a
+large number of buildings was pulled down, and notably the church of
+S. Romolo, which was rebuilt from Agnolo's plans. In the churches of
+this city many pictures by his hand may be seen, and a quantity of
+his works may be met with in the lordship. These he produced with
+great advantage to himself, although he worked rather for the sake of
+following in the steps of his ancestors than from any inclination of
+his own; for he had devoted all his attention to trading, which was
+of great service to him, as appeared when his sons, who did not wish
+to live by painting any longer, devoted themselves entirely to
+commerce, opening an establishment at Venice in conjunction with
+their father, who after a certain time abandoned painting altogether,
+only to take it up as an amusement and pastime. By dint of trading
+and practising his art, Agnolo had amassed considerable wealth when
+he came to die in the sixty-third year of his life, succumbing to a
+malignant fever which carried him off in a few days. His pupils were
+Maestro Antonio da Ferrara, who did many fine works in Urbino and at
+Citta di Castello, and Stefano da Verona, who painted with the
+greatest perfection in fresco, as may be seen in several places in
+his native Verona, and at Mantua, where his works are numerous. Among
+other things he excelled in beautifully rendering the expressions of
+the faces of children, women and old men, as his works show, which
+were all imitated and copied by that Piero da Perugia, miniature
+painter, who illuminated all the books in the library of Pope Pius in
+the Duomo of Siena, and who was a skilful colourist in fresco. Other
+pupils of Agnolo were Michaele da Milano and his own brother
+Giovanni, who in the cloister of S. Spirito, where the arches of
+Gaddo and Taddeo are, painted the dispute of Christ with the doctors
+in the temple, the Purification of the Virgin, the Temptation of
+Christ in the wilderness, and the baptism of John, but after having
+given rise to the highest expectations he died. Cennino di Drea
+Cennini da Colle of Valdelsa also learned painting from Andrea. He
+was very fond of his art and wrote a book describing the methods of
+working in fresco, in tempera, in glue and in gum, and also how to
+illuminate and all the ways of laying on gold. This book is in the
+possession of Giuliano, goldsmith of Siena, an excellent master and
+fond of that art. The first part of the book deals with the nature of
+colours, both minerals and earths, as he had learned it of Agnolo his
+master. As he did not perhaps succeed in painting with perfection, he
+was at least anxious to know the peculiarities of the colours, the
+temperas, the glues and of chalks, and what colours one ought to
+avoid mixing as injurious, and in short many other hints which I need
+not dilate upon, since all these matters, which he then considered
+very great secrets, are now universally known. But I must not omit to
+note that he makes no mention of some earth colours, such as dark
+terra rossa, cinnabar and some greens in glass, perhaps because they
+were not in use. In like manner umber, yellow-lake, the smalts in
+fresco and in oil, and some greens and yellows in glass which the
+painters of that age lacked, have since been discovered. The end of
+the treatise deals with mosaics, with the grinding of colours in oil
+to make red, blue, green and other kinds of grounds, and with
+mordants for the application of gold but not at that time for
+figures. Besides the works which he produced with his master in
+Florence, there is a Madonna with saints by his hand under the loggia
+of the hospital of Bonifazio Lupi, of such style and colouring that
+it has been very well preserved up to the present day.
+
+In the first chapter of his book Cennino says these words in speaking
+of himself: "I, Cennino di Drea Cennini da Colle of Valdelsa, was
+instructed in this art for twelve years by Agnolo di Taddeo of
+Florence, my master, who learned the art of his father Taddeo, whose
+godfather was Giotto and who was Giotto's pupil for twenty-four
+years. This Giotto transmuted the art of painting from Greek into
+Latin, and modernised it, and it is certain that he gave more
+pleasure than any one else had ever done." These are Cennino's very
+words, by which it appears that as those who translate from Greek
+into Latin render a very great service to those who do not understand
+Greek, so Giotto, in transmuting the art of painting from a style
+which was understood by no one, except perhaps as being extremely
+rude, into a beautiful, facile, and smooth manner, known and
+understood by all people of taste who possess the slightest judgment,
+conferred a great benefit upon mankind.
+
+All these pupils of Agnolo did him the greatest credit. He was buried
+by his sons, to whom he is said to have left the value of 50,000
+florins or more, in S. Maria Novella, in the tomb which he had made
+for himself and his descendants, in the year 1387. The portrait of
+Agnolo by his own hand may be seen in the chapel of the Alberti in S.
+Croce in the scene in which the Emperor Heraclius is bearing the
+cross; he is painted in profile standing beside a door. He wears a
+small beard and has a red hood on his head, after the manner of the
+time. He was not a good draughtsman, according to the evidence of
+some sheets from his hand which are in our book.
+
+
+
+
+Berna, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+If the thread of life of those who take pains to excel in some noble
+profession was not frequently cut off by death in the best years,
+there is no doubt that many geniuses would attain the goal desired by
+them and by the world. But the short life of man and the bitterness
+of the various accidents which intervene on every hand sometimes
+deprive us too early of such men. An example of this was poor Berna
+of Siena, who died while quite young, although the nature of his
+works would lead one to believe that he had lived very long, for he
+left such excellent productions that it is probable, had he not died
+so soon, he would have become a most excellent and rare artist. Two
+of his works may be seen in Siena in two chapels of S. Agostino,
+being some small scenes of figures in fresco, and in the church on a
+wall which has recently been demolished to make chapels there, a
+scene of a young man led to punishment, of the highest imaginable
+excellence, the representation of pallor and of the fear of death
+being so realistic that it merits the warmest admiration. Beside the
+youth is a friar who is consoling him, with excellent gestures, and
+in fine the entire scene is executed with such vigour as to leave no
+doubt that Berna had penetrated deeply into the horror of that
+situation, full of bitter and cold fear, since he was able to
+represent it so well with the brush that the actual event passing
+before one's eyes could not move one more. In Cortona, besides many
+things scattered up and down the city, he painted the greater part of
+the vaulting and walls of the church of S. Margherita where the
+Zoccolanti friars now are. From Cortona he proceeded to Arezzo in the
+year 1369, at the very time when the Tarlati, formerly lords of
+Pietramela, had finished the convent and church of S. Agostino, under
+the direction of Moccio, sculptor and architect of Siena. In the
+aisles of this building where many citizens had erected chapels and
+tombs for their families, Berna painted in fresco in the chapel of St
+James, some scenes from the life of that saint. Among these the most
+remarkable is the story of the cozener Marino, who through love of
+gain had contracted his soul to the devil and then recommended his
+soul to St James, begging him to free him from his promise, whilst a
+devil shows him the deed and makes a great disturbance. Berna
+expresses the emotions of all these figures with great vigour,
+especially in the face of Marino, who is divided between his fear and
+his faith and confidence in St James, although he sees the
+marvellously ugly devil against him, employing all his eloquence to
+convince the saint. St James, after he has brought Marino to a
+thorough penitence for his sin, promises him immunity, delivers him
+and brings him back to God. According to Lorenzo Ghiberti, Berna
+reproduced this story in S. Spirito at Florence before it was burned,
+in a chapel of the Capponi dedicated to St Nicholas. After these
+works Berna painted a large crucifix in a chapel of the Vescovado of
+Arezzo for M. Guccio di Vanni Tarlati of Pietramela, with Our Lady at
+the foot of the cross, St John the Baptist, St Francis la a very sad
+attitude, and St Michael the archangel, with such care that he
+deserves no small praise, especially as it is so well preserved that
+it might have been made yesterday. At the foot of the cross, lower
+down, is the portrait of Guccio himself, in armour and kneeling. In
+the Pieve of the same city he did a number of stories of Our Lady for
+the chapel of the Paganelli, and there drew from life a portrait of
+St Ranieri, a holy man and prophet of that house, who is giving alms
+to a crowd of poor people surrounding him. Again in S. Bartolommeo he
+painted some scenes from the Old Testament and the story of the Magi,
+and in the church of S. Spirito he did some stories of St John the
+Evangelist, drawing his own portrait and those of many of his noble
+friends of the city in some figures there. When these labours were
+completed he returned to his native city and did many pictures on
+wood, both small and great. But he did not remain there long, because
+he was invited to Florence to decorate the chapel of St Nicholas in
+S. Spirito, as mentioned above, and which was greatly admired, as
+well as to do some other things which perished in the unfortunate
+fire at that church. In the Pieve of S. Gimignano di Valdelsa he did
+in fresco some scenes from the New Testament. When he was on the
+point of completing these things he fell to the ground from the
+scaffolding, suffering such severe injuries that he expired in two
+days, by which art suffered a greater loss than he, for he passed to
+a better sphere. The people of S. Gimignano gave him honourable
+burial in that Pieve, with stately obsequies, having the same regard
+for him when dead as they had entertained for him while alive, while
+for many months they were constantly affixing to the tomb epitaphs in
+the Latin and vulgar tongues, for the people of those parts take a
+natural pleasure in _belles lettres_. This then was the fitting
+reward of the honourable labours of Berna, that those whom he had
+honoured with his paintings should celebrate him with their pens.
+Giovanni da Asciano, who was a pupil of Berna, completed his work and
+did some pictures for the hospital of the Scala at Siena. In Florence
+also he did some things in the old houses of the Medici, by which he
+acquired a considerable reputation. The works of Berna of Siena were
+produced about 1381. Besides what we have already said, he was a
+fairly facile draughtsman and the first who began to draw animals
+well, as we see by some sheets by his hand in our book, covered with
+wild beasts of various parts, so that he merits the highest praise
+and that his name should be honoured among artists. Another pupil of
+his was Luca di Tome of Siena who painted many works in Siena and in
+all Tuscany, but especially the picture and chapel of the Dragomanni
+in S. Domenico at Arezzo. The chapel is in the German style and was
+very handsomely decorated by that picture and by the frescoes
+executed there by the skill and talent of Luda of Siena.
+
+
+
+
+Duccio, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+There is do doubt that those who invent anything noteworthy occupy
+the greatest share of the attention of historians, The reason for
+this is that original inventors are more noticed and excite more
+wonder, because new things always possess a greater charm than
+improvements subsequently introduced to perfect them. For if no one
+ever made a beginning, there would never be any advance or
+improvement, and the full achievement of marvellous beauty would
+never be attained. Accordingly Duccio, a much esteemed painter of
+Siena, is worthy to receive the praise of those who have followed him
+many years after, since in the pavement of the Duomo of Siena he
+initiated the treatment in marble of figures in chiaroscuro, in which
+modern artists have performed such wonders in these days. Duccio
+devoted himself to the imitation of the old style and very
+judiciously gave the correct forms to his figures, overcoming the
+difficulty presented by such an art. Imitating the paintings in
+chiaroscuro, he designed the first part of the pavement with his own
+hand; and painted a picture in the Duomo which was then put at the
+high altar and afterwards removed to make room for the tabernacle of
+the body of Christ which is now seen there. According to Lorenzo di
+Bartolo Ghiberti, this picture was a Coronation of Our Lady, very
+much in the Byzantine style, though mingled with much that is modern.
+It was painted on both sides, as the altar stood out by itself, and
+on the back Duccio had with great care painted all the principal
+incidents of the New Testament in some very fine small figures. I
+have endeavoured to discover the whereabouts of the picture at the
+present time, but although I have taken the utmost pains in the
+search, I have not succeeded in finding it or of learning what
+Francesco di Giorgio the sculptor did with it, when he restored the
+tabernacle in bronze as well as the marble ornaments there. At Siena
+Duccio did many pictures on a gold ground and an Annunciation for S.
+Trinita, Florence. He afterwards painted many things at Pisa, Lucca
+and Pistoia for different churches, which were all much admired and
+brought him much reputation and profit. The place of his death is not
+known, nor are we aware what relations, pupils or property he left.
+It is enough that he left to art the inheritance of his inventions in
+painting, marble and chiaroscuro, for which he is worthy of the
+highest commendation and praise. He may safely be enumerated among
+the benefactors who have increased the dignity and beauty of our
+craft, and those who pursue investigations into the difficulties of
+rare inventions, deserve a special place in our remembrance for this
+cause apart from their marvellous productions.
+
+It is said at Siena that in 1348 Duccio designed the chapel which is
+on the piazza in front of the principal palace. It is also recorded
+that another native of Siena called Moccio, flourished at the same
+time. He was a fair sculptor and architect and did many works in
+every part of Tuscany, but chiefly at Arezzo in the Church of S.
+Domenico, where he made a marble tomb for of the Cerchi. This tomb
+supports and decorates the organ of that church, and if some object
+that it is not a work of high excellence, I reply that it must be
+considered a very fair production seeing that he made it in the year
+1356 while quite a youth. He was employed on the work of S. Maria del
+Fiore as under architect and as sculptor, doing some things in marble
+for that structure. In Arezzo he rebuilt the Church of S. Agostino,
+which was small, in its present form, the expense being borne by
+heirs of Piero Saccone de' Tarlati, who had provided for this before
+his death at Bibbiena in the territory of Casentino. As Moccio
+constructed this church without vaulting, he imposed the burden of
+the roof on the arcading of the columns, running a considerable risk,
+for the enterprise was too bold. He also built the Church and
+Convent of S. Antonio, which were at the Faenza gate before the siege
+of Florence, and are now entirely in ruins. In sculpture he decorated
+the gate of S. Agostino at Ancona, with many figures and ornaments
+like those which are at the gate of S. Francesco in the same city. In
+this church of St Agostino he also made the tomb of Fra Zenone
+Vigilanti, bishop and general of the order of St Augustine, and
+finally the loggia of the merchants in that city, which has from time
+to time received, for one cause and another, many improvements in
+modern style, and ornamentation of various descriptions. All these
+things, although very much below the general level of excellence of
+to-day, received considerable praise then owing to the state of
+information of the time. But to return to Duccio, his works were
+executed about the year of grace 1350.
+
+
+
+
+Antonio, Painter of Venice.
+
+
+There are many men who, through being persecuted by the envy and
+oppressed by the tyranny of their fellow-citizens, have left their
+native place and have chosen for a home some spot where their worth
+has been recognised and rewarded, producing their works there and
+taking the greatest pains to excel, in order, in a sense, to be
+avenged on those by whom they have been outraged. In this way they
+frequently become great men, whereas had they remained quietly at
+home they might possibly have achieved little more than mediocrity in
+their art. Antonio of Venice, who went to Florence, in the train of
+Agnolo Gaddi, to learn painting, so far acquired the proper methods
+that not only was he esteemed and loved by the Florentines, but made
+much of for this talent and for his other good qualities. Then,
+becoming possessed by a desire to return to his native city and enjoy
+the fruits of his labours, he went back to Venice. There, having made
+himself known by many things done in fresco and tempera, he was
+commissioned by the Signoria to paint one of the walls of the Council
+Chamber, a work which he executed with such skill and majesty that
+its merits should have brought him honours and rewards; but the
+rivalry, or rather the envy, of the other artists, together with the
+preference accorded by some noblemen to other and alien painters,
+brought about a different result. Hence poor Antonio, feeling himself
+repelled and rebutted, thought it would be as well to go back to
+Florence, deciding that he would never again return to Venice, but
+would make Florence his home. Having reached that city, he painted in
+an arch in the cloister of S. Spirito the calling of Peter and Andrew
+from their nets, with Zebedee and his sons. Under the three arches of
+Stefano he painted the miracle of the loaves and fishes, exhibiting
+great diligence and love, as may be seen in the figure of Christ
+Himself, whose face and aspect betray His compassion for the crowd
+and the ardent charity which leads Him to distribute the bread. The
+same scene also shows very beautifully the affection of an apostle,
+who is very active in distributing the bread from a basket. The
+picture affords a good illustration of the value in art of always
+painting figures so that they appear to speak, for otherwise they are
+not prized. Antonio showed this on the facade in a small
+representation of the Fall of the Manna, executed with such skill and
+finished with such grace, that it may truly be called excellent. He
+next did some stories of St Stephen in the predella of the high altar
+of S. Stefano at the Ponte Vecchio, with so much loving care that
+even in illuminations it would not be possible to find more graceful
+or more delicate work. Again he painted the tympanum over the door of
+S. Antonio on the Ponte alla Carraia. This and the church were both
+pulled down in our own day by Monsignor Ricasoli, bishop of Pistoia,
+because they took away the view from his houses, and in any case even
+if he had not done so, we should have been deprived of the work, for,
+as I have said elsewhere, the flood of 1557 carried away two arches
+on this side, as well as that part of the bridge on which the little
+church of S. Antonio was situated. After these works Antonio was
+invited to Pisa by the wardens of the Campo Santo, and there
+continued the series dealing with the life of St Ranieri, a holy man
+of that city, which had been begun by Simone of Siena and under his
+direction. In the first part of Antonio's portion of the work is a
+representation of the embarkation of Ranieri to return to Pisa, with
+a goodly number of figures executed with diligence, including the
+portrait of Count Gaddo, who had died ten years before, and of Neri,
+his uncle, who had been lord of Pisa. Another notable figure in the
+group is that of a man possessed, with distorted, convulsive
+gestures, his eyes glistening, and his mouth grinning and showing his
+teeth, so remarkably like a person really possessed that nothing more
+true or life-like can be imagined. The next picture contains three
+really beautiful figures, lost in wonder at seeing St Ranieri reveal
+the devil in the form of a cat on a tub to a fat innkeeper, who looks
+like a boon companion, and who is commending himself fearfully to the
+saint; their attitudes are excellently disposed in the style of the
+draperies, the variety of poses of the heads, and in all other
+particulars. Hard by are the maidservants of the innkeeper, who could
+not possibly be represented with more grace as Antonio has made them
+with disengaged garments arranged after the manner of those worn by
+the servants at an inn, so that nothing better can be imagined.
+Nothing of this artist gives more pleasure than the wall containing
+another scene from the same series in which the canons of the  Duomo
+of Pisa, in the fine robes of the time, very different from those in
+use to-day and very graceful, receive St Ranieri at table, all the
+figures being made with great care. The next of his scenes is the
+death of the saint, containing fine representations not only of the
+effect of weeping, but of the movements of certain angels who are
+carrying his soul to heaven surrounded by a brilliant light, done
+with fine originality. In the scene where the saint's body is being
+carried by the clergy to the Duomo one can but marvel at the
+representation of the priests singing, for in their gestures,
+carriage, and all their movements they exactly resemble a choir of
+singers. This scene is said to contain a portrait of the Bavarian.
+Antonio likewise painted with the greatest care the miracles wrought
+by Ranieri when he was being carried to burial, and those wrought in
+another place, after his body had been deposited in the Duomo, such
+as blind who receive their sight, withered men who recover the use of
+their limbs, demoniacs who are released, and other miracles
+represented with great vigour. But one of the most remarkable figures
+of all is a dropsical man, whose withered face, dry lips, and swollen
+body exhibit with as much realism as a living man could, the
+devouring thirst of those suffering from dropsy and the other
+symptoms of that disease. Another marvellous thing for the time in
+this work is a ship delivered by the saint after it had undergone
+various mishaps. It contains an excellent representation of the
+activity of the mariners, comprising everything that is usually done
+in such case. Some are casting into the greedy sea without a thought
+the valuable merchandise won with so much toil, some are running to
+preserve the ship which is splitting, and in short performing all the
+other duties of seamen which it would take too long to tell. Suffice
+it to say that all are executed with remarkable vigour, and in a fine
+style. In the same place beneath the lives of the holy fathers
+painted by Pietro Laurati of Siena, Antonio did the bodies of St
+Oliver and the Abbot Paphnuce, and many circumstances of their lives,
+represented on a marble sarcophagus, the figure being very well
+painted. In short, all the works of Antonio in the Campo Santo are
+such that they are universally considered, and with good cause, to be
+the best of the entire series of works produced there by many
+excellent masters over a considerable interval of time. In addition
+to the particulars already mentioned, Antonio did everything in
+fresco, and never retouched anything _a secco_. This is the reason
+why his colours have remained so fresh to the present day, and this
+should teach artists to recognise the injury that is done to pictures
+and works by retouching _a secco_ things done in fresco with other
+colours, as is said in the theories, for it is an established fact
+that this retouching ages the painting, and the new colours which
+have no body of their own will not stand the test of time, being
+tempered with gum-tragacanth, egg, size, or some such thing which
+varnishes what is beneath it, and it does not permit the lapse of
+time and the air to purge what has been actually painted in fresco
+upon the soft stucco, as they would do had not other colours been
+superimposed after the drying. Upon the completion of this truly
+admirable work Antonio was worthily rewarded by the Pisans, who
+always entertained a great affection for him. He then returned to
+Florence, where he painted at Nuovoli outside the gate leading to
+Prato, in a tabernacle at Giovanni degli Agli, a dead Christ, with a
+quantity of figures, the story of the Magi and the Last Judgment, all
+very fine. Invited next to the Certosa, he painted for the
+Acciaiuoli, who built that place, the picture of the high altar,
+which survived to our own day, when it was consumed by fire through
+the carelessness of a sacristan of the monastery, who left the censer
+hung at the altar full of fire, which led to the picture being burnt.
+It was afterwards made entirely of marble by the monks, as it is now.
+In the same place this same master did a very fine Transfiguration in
+fresco on a cupboard in the chapel. Being much inclined by nature to
+the study of herbs, he devoted himself to the mastery of Dioscorides,
+taking pleasure in learning the properties and virtues of each plant,
+so that he ultimately abandoned painting and devoted himself to
+distilling simples with great assiduity. Having thus transformed
+himself from a painter into a physician, he pursued the latter
+profession for some time. At length he fell-sick of a disorder of the
+stomach, or, as some say, through treating the plague, and finished
+the course of his life at the age of seventy-four in the year 1384,
+when the plague was raging in Florence. His skill as a physician
+equalled his diligence as a painter, for he gained an extensive
+experience in medicine from those who had employed him in their need,
+and he left behind him a high reputation in both arts. Antonio was a
+very graceful designer with the pen, and so excellent in chiaroscuro
+that some sheets of his in our book, in which he did the arch of S.
+Spirito, are the best of the age. Gherardo Starnini of Florence was a
+pupil of Antonio, and closely imitated him, while another pupil of
+his, Paolo Uccello, brought him no small credit. The portrait of
+Antonio of Venice by his own hand is in the Campo Santo at Pisa.
+
+
+
+
+Jacopo di Casentino, Painter.
+
+
+As the fame and renown of the paintings of Giotto and his pupils had
+been spread abroad for many years, many, who were desirous of
+obtaining fame and riches by means of the art of painting, began to
+be animated by the hope of glory, and by natural inclination, to make
+progress towards the improvement of the art, feeling confident that,
+with effort, they would be able to surpass in excellence Giotto,
+Taddeo, and the other painters. Among these was one Jacopo di
+Casentino, who was born, as we read, of the family of M. Cristoforo
+Landino of Pratovecchio, and was associated by the friar of
+Casentino, then superior at the Sasso del Vernia, with Taddeo Gaddi,
+while he was working in that convent, in order that he might learn
+design and colour. In a few years he so far succeeded, that, being
+taken to Florence in the company of Giovanni di Milano, in the
+service of their master, Taddeo, where they were doing many things,
+he was asked to paint in tempera the tabernacle of the Madonna of the
+Old Market, with the picture there, and also the one on the Via del
+Cocomoro side of the Piazza S. Niccolo. A few years ago both of these
+were restored by a very inferior master to Jacopo. For the Dyers, he
+did the one at S. Nofri, on the side of their garden wall, opposite
+S. Giuseppe. While the vaulting of Orsanmichele, upon its twelve
+pillars, was being completed, and covered with a low, rough roof,
+awaiting the completion of the building of the palace, which was to
+be the granary of the Commune, the painting of these vaults was
+entrusted to Jacopo di Casentino, as a very skilled artist. Here he
+painted some prophets and the patriarchs, with the heads of the
+tribes, sixteen figures in all, on an ultramarine ground, now much
+damaged, without other ornamentation. He next did the lower walls and
+pilasters with many miracles of Our Lady, and other things which may
+be recognised by their style. This done, he returned to Casentino,
+and after painting many works in Pratovecchio, Poppi, and other
+places of that valley, he proceeded to Arezzo, which then governed
+itself with a council of sixty of the richest and most honoured
+citizens, to whom all the affairs of the state were entrusted. Here,
+in the principal chapel of the Vescovado, he painted a story of St
+Martin, and a good number of pictures in the old Duomo, now pulled
+down, including a portrait of Pope Innocent VI. in the principal
+chapel. He next did the wall where the high altar is, and the chapel
+of St Maria della Neve, in the church of S. Bartolommeo, for the
+chapter of the canons of the Pieve, and for the old brotherhood of S.
+Giovanni de' Peducci he did a number of scenes from the life of that
+saint, which are now whitewashed over. He also did the chapel of St
+Christopher in the church of S. Domenico, introducing a portrait of
+the blessed Masuolo releasing from prison a merchant of the Fei
+family, who built the chapel. This saint was a contemporary of the
+artist, and a prophet who predicted many misfortunes for the
+Aretines. In the church of S. Agostino, Jacopo did some stories of St
+Laurence in fresco in the chapel and at the altar of the Nardi with
+marvellous style and skill. Since he also practised architecture, he
+was employed by the sixty chief citizens mentioned above to bring
+under the walls of Arezzo the water which comes from the slopes of
+Pori, 300 braccia from the city. In the time of the Romans this water
+had been originally brought to the theatre, traces of which still
+exist, and thence from its situation on the hill where the fortress
+now is, to the amphitheatre of the city in the plain, the buildings
+and conduits of this being afterwards entirely destroyed by the
+Goths. Thus after Jacopo had, as I  have said, brought the water
+under the wall, he made the fountain, then known as the Fonte
+Guizianelli, but is  now called by corruption Fonte Viniziana. It
+remained standing from 1354 until 1527, but no longer, because the
+plague of the following year, and the war which followed, deprived it
+of many of its advantages for the use of the gardens, particularly as
+Jacopo did not bring it inside, and for these reasons it is not
+standing to-day, as it should be.
+
+Whilst Jacopo was engaged in bringing water to the city he did not
+abandon his painting, and in the palace which was in the old citadel,
+destroyed in our day, he did many scenes of the deeds of the Bishop
+Guide and of Piero Sacconi, who had done great and notable things for
+the city both in peace and war. He also did the story of St Matthew
+under the organ in the Pieve, and a considerable number of other
+works. By these paintings, which he did in every part of the city, he
+taught Spinello of Arezzo the first principles of that art which he
+himself had learned from Agnolo, and which Spinello afterwards taught
+to Bernardo Daddi, who worked in the city and adorned it with many
+fine paintings, which, united to his other excellent qualities,
+brought him much honour among his fellow-citizens, who employed him a
+great deal in magistracies and other public affairs. The paintings of
+Bernardo were numerous and highly valued, first in St Croce, the
+chapel of St Laurence and those of St Stephen of the Pulci and
+Berardi, and many other paintings in various other parts of that
+church. At length, after he had painted some pictures on the inside
+of the gates of the city of Florence, he died, full of years, and was
+buried honourably in S. Felicita in the year 1380.
+
+To return to Jacopo. In the year 1350 was founded the company and
+brotherhood of the Painters. For the masters who then flourished,
+both those who practised the old Byzantine style and those who
+followed the new school of Cimabue, seeing that they were numerous,
+and that the art of design had been revived in Tuscany and in their
+own Florence, created this society under the name and protection of
+St Luke the Evangelist, to render praise and thanks to God in the
+sanctuary of that saint, to meet together from time to time,
+remembering the welfare of their souls as well as of the bodies of
+those who might be in need of assistance at various times. This is
+still the practice of many of the Arts in Florence, but it was much
+more common in former times. Their first sanctuary was the principal
+chapel of the hospital of S. Maria Nuova, which was granted them by
+the family of the Portinari. The first governors of the company were
+six in number, with the title of captains, and in addition there were
+two councillors and two chamberlains. This may be seen in the old
+book of the company begun then, the first chapter of which opens
+thus:
+
+"These articles and regulations were agreed upon and drawn up by the
+good and discreet men of the art of the Painters of Florence, and in
+the time of Lapo Gucci, painter; Vanni Cinuzzi, painter; Corsino
+Buonaiuti, painter; Pasquino Cenni, painter; Segnia d'Antignano,
+painter. The councillors were Bernardo Daddi and Jacopo di Casentino,
+painters. Consiglio Gherardi and Domenico Pucci, painters, the
+chamberlains."
+
+The company being thus formed by the consent of the captains and
+others, Jacopo di Casentino painted the picture of their chapel,
+representing St Luke drawing a picture of Our Lady, and in the
+predella, all the men of the company kneeling on one side and all the
+women on the other. From this beginning, whether they meet or no, the
+company has existed continuously from this time and has recently been
+remodelled, as is related in the new articles of the company approved
+by the Most Illustrious Lord, Duke Cosimo, the very benignant
+protector of these arts of design.
+
+At length Jacopo, overwhelmed with years and toil, returned to
+Casentino and died there at Prato Vecchio, at the age of eighty. He
+was buried by his relations and friends in S. Agnolo, an abbey of the
+Camaldoline order, outside Prato Vecchio. Spinello introduced his
+portrait into a picture of the Magi in the old Duomo, and his style
+of draughtsmanship may be seen in our book.
+
+
+
+
+Spinello, Painter of Arezzo.
+
+
+Upon one of the occasions when the Ghibellines were driven from
+Florence and when they settled at Arezzo, Luca Spinelli had a son
+born to him there, to whom he gave the name of Spinello. This boy had
+so much natural inclination to be a painter, that almost without a
+master and while still quite a child he knew more than many who have
+practised under the best teachers, and what is more, he contracted a
+friendship with Jacopo di Casentino while the latter was working at
+Arezzo, and learned something from him, so much so indeed that before
+he was twenty years of age he was a far better master, young as he
+was, than Jacopo, who was already an old man. Spinello's early
+reputation as a good painter induced M. Dardano Acciaiuoli to employ
+him to decorate the church of S. Niccolo at the pope's halls, which
+he had just erected, behind S. Maria Novella in the Via dei Scala,
+and there buried a brother who was a bishop. Here Spinello painted
+scenes from the life of St Nicholas, bishop of Bari, in fresco,
+completing the work in 1334 after two years of unremitting labour. In
+it he exhibited equal excellence as a colourist and as a designer, so
+that the colours remained in excellent preservation up to our own
+day, and the excellence of the figures was well expressed, until a
+few years ago when they were in great part damaged by a fire which
+unfortunately broke out in the church at a time when it happened to
+be full of straw, brought there by some indiscreet persons who made
+use of the building as a barn for the storage of straw. The fame of
+the work induced M. Barone Capelli, citizen of Florence, to employ
+Spinello to paint in the principal chapel of S. Maria Maggiore, a
+number of stories of the Madonna in fresco, and some of St Anthony
+the abbot, and near them the consecration of that very ancient church
+by Pope Paschal II. Spinello did all this so well that it looks as if
+it had all been the work of a single day and not of many months, as
+was actually the case. Near the pope is the portrait of M. Barone
+from life, in the dress of the time, excellently done and with good
+judgment. On the completion of this, Spinello worked in the church of
+the Carmine in fresco, doing the chapel of St James and St John,
+apostles, where, among other things, he has given a very careful
+representation of the request made of Christ by the wife of Zebedee
+and mother of James, that her sons should sit the one on the right
+and the other on the left of the Father in the kingdom of Heaven. A
+little further over one sees Zebedee, James and John leaving their
+nets and following Christ, done with wonderful vigour and style. In
+another chapel of the same church, beside the principal one, Spinello
+also did in fresco some stories of the Madonna and the Apostles,
+their miraculous appearance to her before her death, her death and
+her being carried to Heaven by angels. As the scene was on a large
+scale, and the chapel being a very small one of not more than ten
+braccia in length and five in height, would not take it all,
+especially in the case of the Assumption of Our Lady, Spinello very
+judiciously continued the scene to the vaulting on one of the sides
+at the place where Christ and the angels are receiving her. In a
+chapel of S. Trinita, Spinello made a very fine Annunciation and for
+the high altar picture of the church of S. Apostolo he painted in
+tempera the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in tongues
+of fire. In S. Lucia de' Bardi he also painted a panel and did a
+larger one for the chapel of St John the Baptist, decorated by
+Giotto.
+
+After these things, and on account of the great reputation which his
+labours in Florence had procured for him, Spinello was recalled to
+Arezzo by the sixty citizens who governed it, and was commissioned by
+the Commune to paint the story of the Magi in the old Duomo outside
+the city, and in the chapel of St Gismondo, a St Donate, who by means
+of a benediction causes a serpent to burst. Similarly he made some
+various figures on many pilasters of that Duomo, and on a wall he did
+a Magdalene in the house of Simon anointing Christ's feet, with other
+paintings which there is no need to mention, since that church is now
+entirely destroyed, though it was then full of tombs, the bones of
+saints and other notable things. But in order that the memory of it
+may at least remain, I will remark that it was built by the Aretines
+more than thirteen hundred years ago, at the time when they were
+first converted to the faith of Jesus Christ by St Donato, who
+afterwards became bishop of the city. It was dedicated to him, and
+richly adorned both within and without with very ancient spoils of
+antiquity. The ground plan of the church, which is discussed at
+length elsewhere, was divided on the outside into sixteen faces, and
+on the inside into eight, and all were full of the spoils of those
+times which had originally been dedicated to idols; in short, it was,
+at the time of its destruction, as beautiful as such a very ancient
+church could possibly be. After the numerous paintings which he had
+done in the Duomo, Spinello painted for the chapel of the Marsupini
+in S. Francesco, Pope Honorius confirming and approving the rule of
+that saint, the pope being a portrait of Innocent IV., he having by
+some means obtained the likeness. In the chapel of St Michael, the
+Archangel, in the same church in which the bells are rung, he painted
+many scenes relating to him; and rather lower down, in the chapel of
+M. Giuliano Baccio, he did an Annunciation, with other figures, which
+are much admired. The whole of the works in this church were done in
+fresco with great boldness and skill between the years 1334 and 1338.
+In the Pieve of the same city he afterwards painted the chapel of St
+Peter and St Paul, and below it that of St Michael the Archangel; for
+the fraternity of S. Maria della Misericordia he did the chapel of St
+James and St Philip; and over the principal door of the fraternity
+which is on the piazza, that is to say, in the tympanum, he painted a
+Pieta, with a St John, at the request of the rectors of the
+fraternity. The foundation of the brotherhood took place in this way.
+A certain number of good and honourable citizens began to go about
+asking alms for the poor who were ashamed to beg, and to succour them
+in all their necessities, in the year of the plague of 1348. The
+fraternity acquired a great reputation, acquired by means of the
+efforts of these good men, in helping the poor and infirm, burying
+the dead, and performing other kindred acts of charity, so that the
+bequests, donations and inheritances left to them became so
+considerable that they amounted to one-third of the entire wealth of
+Arezzo. The same happened in 1383, which was also a year of severe
+plague. Spinello then being of the company, often undertook to visit
+the infirm, bury the dead, and perform other like pious duties which
+the best citizens have always undertaken and still do in that city.
+In order to leave a memorial of this in his paintings, he painted for
+the company on the wall of the church of S. Laurentino and
+Pergentino, a Madonna with her mantle open in front, and beneath her
+the people of Arezzo, comprising portraits of many of the earliest
+members of the fraternity, drawn from life, with wallets round their
+necks and a wooden hammer in their hands, like those with which they
+knocked at the doors to ask alms. Similarly, in the company of the
+Annunciation he painted the large tabernacle which is outside the
+church, and part of a portico which is opposite it, and the picture
+of the company, which is an Annunciation, in tempera. The picture
+which is now in the church of the nuns of S. Giusto, where a little
+Christ, who is at His mother's neck, is espousing St Catherine, with
+six small scenes in little figures of the acts of that saint, is also
+a work of Spinello and much admired. Being afterwards invited to the
+famous abbey of Camaldoli in Casentino in the year 1361, he painted
+for the hermits of that place the picture of the high altar, which
+was taken away in the year 1539, when the entire church was rebuilt
+and Giorgio Vasari did a new picture, painting the principal chapel
+of the abbey all in fresco, the transept of the church in fresco and
+two pictures. Summoned thence to Florence by D. Jacopo d'Arezzo,
+Abbot of S. Miniato in Monte of the order of Monte Oliveto, Spinello
+painted the vaulting and four walls of the sacristy of that
+monastery, besides the picture of the altar, all in tempera, with
+many stories of the life of St Benedict, executed with much skill and
+a great vivacity in the colouring, learned by him by means of long
+practice and continual labour, with study and diligence, such as are
+necessary to every one who wishes to acquire an art perfectly. After
+these things the said abbot left Florence and received the direction
+of the monastery of S. Bernardo of the same order, in his native
+land, at the very time when it was almost entirely completed on the
+land granted by the Aretines, on the site of the Colosseum. Here the
+abbot induced Spinello to paint in fresco two chapels which are
+beside the principal chapel, and two others, one on either side of
+the door leading to the choir in the screen of the church. In one of
+the two, next the principal chapel, is an Annunciation in fresco,
+made with the greatest diligence, and on a wall beside it, is the
+Madonna ascending the steps of the Temple, accompanied by Joachim and
+Anna; in the other chapel is a Crucifix with the Madonna and St John
+weeping, and a St Bernard adoring on his knees. On the inner wall of
+the church where the altar of Our Lady stands, he painted the Virgin
+with the child at her neck, which was considered a very beautiful
+figure, and did many other things for the church, painting above the
+choir Our Lady, St Mary Magdalene and St Bernard, very vivaciously.
+In the Pieve of Arezzo in the Chapel of St Bartholomew, he did a
+number of scenes from the life of that saint, and on the opposite
+side of the church, in the chapel of St Matthew, under the organ,
+which was painted by his master Jacopo di Casentino, besides many
+stories of that saint, which are meritorious, he did the four
+Evangelists in some medallions, in an original style, for above the
+bust and human limbs he gave St John the head of an eagle, St Mark
+the head of a lion, St Luke that of an ox, while only St Matthew has
+a human face, that is to say an angel's. Outside Arezzo, he decorated
+the church of S. Stefano, built by the Aretines upon many columns of
+granite and marble, to honour and preserve the names of several
+martyrs who were put to death by Julian the Apostate. Here he did a
+number of figures and scenes with great diligence and such a style of
+colouring that they were in a wonderfully fresh state of preservation
+when they were destroyed not many years ago. But the really
+remarkable piece of work in that place, besides the stories of St
+Stephen, in figures larger than life size, is the sight of Joseph, in
+the story of the Magi, beside himself with joy at the coming of those
+kings, and keenly watching the kings as they are opening the vessels
+of their treasures and are offering them to him. In the same church
+is a Madonna offering a rose to the Christ child, which was and is
+considered a most beautiful figure, and so highly reverenced by the
+Aretines that when the church of S. Stefano was pulled down, without
+sparing either pains or expense, they cut it out of the wall,
+ingeniously removed it and carried it into the city, depositing it in
+a small church in order to honour it, as they do, with the same
+devotion which they bestowed upon it at first. There is no wonder
+that the work inspired such reverence, for it is a natural
+characteristic of Spinello to endow his figures with a certain simple
+grace, partaking of modesty and holiness, so that his saints and
+particularly his Virgins breathe an indefinable sanctity and divinity
+which inspire men with devotion. This may be seen also in a Madonna
+which is on the side of the Albergetti, in one on an outside wall of
+the Pieve in Seteria, and in another of the same kind on the side of
+the canal. By Spinello's hand also is the descent of the Holy Spirit
+on the Apostles, on the wall of the hospital of S. Spirito, which is
+very fine, as are the two scenes below representing St Cosmo and St
+Damian cutting a healthy leg off a dead Moor to attach it to a man
+whose broken limb they have removed. In like manner the _Noli me
+tangere_ between these two works is very beautiful. In a chapel of
+the company of the Puracciuoli on the piazza of St Agostino he did a
+very finely coloured Annunciation, and in the cloister of that
+convent he painted a Madonna in fresco with St James and St Anthony
+and the portrait of an armed soldier kneeling there, with these
+words: _Hoc opus fecit fieri Clemens Pucci de Monte Catino, cujus
+corpus jacet hic, etc. Anno Domini 1367 die 15 mensis Maii_. The
+representations in the chapel of that church, of St Anthony and other
+saints are known by their style to be by Spinello's hand, and he
+afterwards painted the whole of a portico in the hospital of S.
+Marco, now the monastery of the nuns of St Croce as their original
+house, which was outside, was pulled down. The figure of St Gregory
+the Pope, among the many represented in this work, standing beside a
+Misericordia, is a portrait of Pope Gregory IX. The chapel of St
+Philip and St James at the entry into the church of S. Domenico in
+the same city, was done in fresco by Spinello in a fine and vigorous
+style, as was also a three-quarter length figure of St Anthony,
+painted on the wall of the church, which is so fine that it apes
+life. It is placed in the midst of four scenes from his life, and
+these and many other scenes of the life of St Anthony, also by
+Spinello's hand, are in the chapel of St Anthony, in the church of
+S. Giustino. On one side of the church of S. Lorenzo he painted some
+stories of the Madonna, and outside the church he painted her seated,
+doing the work very gracefully in fresco. In a small hospital
+opposite of the nuns of S. Spirito, near the gate on the road to
+Rome, the whole of the portico is painted by his hand with a
+representation of the dead Christ in the lap of the Maries, executed
+with so much skill and judgment that it proves him to have equalled
+Giotto in the matter of design and to have far surpassed him as a
+colourist. In the same place he has represented Christ seated, with a
+very ingenious theological signification, having placed the Trinity
+inside a Sun so that the same rays and the same glory issue from each
+of the three figures. But the same fate has befallen this work as has
+happened to many others, to the infinite loss of the lovers of this
+art, for it was thrown down to make way for the fortifications of the
+city. At the company of the Trinity may be seen a tabernacle outside
+the church, by Spinello very finely worked in fresco, comprising the
+Trinity, St Peter and SS. Cosmo and Damian dressed in the robes
+habitually worn by the physicians of the time. During the production
+of these works D. Jacopo d'Arezzo was appointed general of the
+congregation of Monte Oliveto, nineteen years after he had employed
+Spinello to do a number of things at Florence and at Arezzo, as has
+been said above. Being stationed according to the custom of the
+order, at Monte Oliveto the greater, of Chiusuri in the Siena
+district, as being the principal house of that body, he conceived a
+longing to have a beautiful picture made in that place. Accordingly
+he sent for Spinello, remembering how well he had been served upon
+other occasions, and induced him to do the picture for the principal
+chapel. Here Spinello produced a large number of figures in tempera,
+both small and great, on a gold ground, with great judgment, and
+afterwards caused it to be framed in an ornament in half-relief by
+Simone Cini of Florence, while in some parts he put an additional
+ornament with stucco of a rather firm glue, which proved very
+successful. It was gilded all over by Gabriello Saracini, who wrote
+at the bottom the three names: Simone Cini of Florence did the
+carving, Gabriello Saracini the gilding, and Spinello di Luca of
+Arezzo the painting, in the year 1385.
+
+On the completion of this work, Spinello returned to Arezzo having
+received numerous favours from the general and other monks, besides
+his payment. But he did not remain long there for the city was in
+disorder owing to the feuds of the Guelph and Ghibelline parties and
+was just then sacked. He removed with his family and his son Parri,
+who was learning painting, to Florence, where he had a goodly number
+of friends and relations. In that city, in order to pass the time, he
+painted an Annunciation in a tabernacle outside the gate at S. Piero
+Gattolini on the Roman road, where the way branches to Pozzolatico, a
+work which is now half destroyed, and  other pictures in another
+tabernacle, where the ruin of Galluzzo is. Being afterwards invited
+to Pisa to finish in the Campo Santo beneath the life of St Ranieri
+the remainder of other subjects in a blank space, in order to unite
+them to the scenes painted by Giotto, Simone of Siena, and Antonio of
+Venice, he there executed in fresco six stories of St Petitus and St
+Epirus. The first represents the saint as a young man, presented by
+his mother to the Emperor Diocletian, and appointed general of the
+armies which were to march against the Christians. As he is riding
+with his troop Christ appears to him, and showing him a white cross
+commands the youth not to persecute Him. Another scene represents the
+angel of the Lord giving to the saint, while he is riding, the
+banner of the Faith, with a white cross on a red field, which has
+ever afterwards constituted the arms of the Pisans, because St Epirus
+had besought God to give him a sign to wear against the enemy. Next
+to this is another scene of a fierce battle engaged between the saint
+and the Pagans, many armed angels fighting for the victory of the
+former. Here Spinello produced many things worthy of consideration in
+that day when art had not yet the ability nor any good method of
+expressing the ideas of the mind in colour in a lively manner. Among
+many other things in this composition are two soldiers, who have
+seized each other by the beard, and are endeavouring to kill each
+other with the naked rapiers which they hold in their disengaged
+hands; their faces and all the movement of their limbs show the
+desire of victory, their proud spirits being without fear and of the
+highest courage. Also among those who are fighting on horseback there
+is a finely executed knight who is fastening the head of an enemy to
+earth with his lance, the other having fallen backward from his
+terrified horse. Another scene shows the saint presented to the
+Emperor Diocletian, who is questioning him about the faith, and who
+afterwards consigns him to the torture, putting him in a furnace in
+which he remains uninjured, whilst the servants who are very ready on
+every side are burned in his stead. In short, all the acts of the
+saint are shown, to his beheading, after which his soul is carried to
+Heaven. The last scene shows the transportation of the bones and
+relics of St Petitus from Alexandria to Pisa. The whole work in its
+colouring and conception is the finest, most finished, and best
+executed of Spinello's paintings, and this is shown by its present
+excellent state of preservation, for its fresh appearance excites the
+wonder of everyone who sees it. When this work in the Campo Santo was
+completed, Spinello painted in the church of S. Francesco, in the
+second chapel from the high altar, many stories of St Bartholomew, St
+Andrew, St James, and St John the apostles, and he might perhaps have
+remained longer at work in Pisa, because his paintings were admired
+and rewarded there, but seeing the city thrown into an uproar and
+turned upside down through the murder of M. Pietro Gambacorti by the
+Lanfranchini, who were Pisan citizens, he once more removed to
+Florence with all his family, for he was by this time an old man. He
+remained there for one year only, and in the chapel of the
+Macchiavelli in S. Croce, dedicated to SS. Philip and James, he did
+many stories of the life and death of those saints. The picture of
+the chapel he did at Arezzo, and sent it on from there in the year
+1400, for he was anxious to return to his native place, or, to speak
+more correctly, to the place which he looked upon as such. Having
+thus returned thither at the age of seventy-seven or more, he was
+lovingly received  by his relations and friends, and remained there,
+much loved and honoured, until the end of his life, which was in the
+ninety-second year of his age. Although at the time of his return to
+Arezzo he was quite an old man, and had enough property to enable him
+to live without working, yet he could not remain idle, since he had
+always been accustomed to work, and undertook to do some stories of
+St Michael for the company of S. Agnolo in that city. These are
+roughly drawn in red on the plastered wall, as was the most ordinary
+method of the old artists, and as an example he did a single scene in
+one corner, colouring it entirely, which gave considerable
+satisfaction. Having afterwards agreed upon the price with the
+wardens, he completed the entire front of the high altar,
+representing Lucifer establishing his seat in the north, and the fall
+of the angels who change into devils as they rain upon the earth. In
+the air is St Michael fighting with the serpent of seven heads and
+ten horns, and in the middle of the lower part is Lucifer already
+changed into a hideous monster. It gave Spinello so much satisfaction
+to make him horrible and distorted that it is said (so great is the
+power of imagination) that the figure in the picture appeared to him
+in a dream, and demanded when the artist had seen him so ugly, asking
+why he did him so great an indignity with his brush. Spinello awoke
+from his dream speechless from fear, and shook so violently that his
+wife hastened to assist him. Yet he ran considerable risk of dying
+suddenly, through the failure of the heart, owing to this misfortune,
+and it caused his death a short while afterwards, until when he lived
+in an utterly dispirited manner with wide open eyes. He died greatly
+lamented by his friends, and left the world two sons--one called
+Forzore was a goldsmith, who did some admirable work in _niello_ in
+Florence; the  other, Parri, who followed his father and pursued the
+art of painting, far surpassing Spinello in design. The Aretines were
+much grieved at this sad chance, although Spinello was old, at being
+deprived of ability and excellence such as his. He died at the age of
+ninety-two, and was buried in S. Agostino at Arezzo, where there is a
+stone with a coat of arms made after a fancy of his own, containing a
+hedgehog. Spinello was far better able to design than to put his
+thoughts into practice, as our book of designs shows, which contains
+two Evangelists and a St Louis by his hand, all very fine. His
+portrait given above was taken by me from one which was in the old
+Duomo before it was pulled down. His paintings were executed between
+the years 1380 and 1400.
+
+
+
+
+Gherardo Stamina, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+Certainly those who travel far from home to dwell in other parts very
+frequently do so to the advantage of their temperament, for by seeing
+divers customs abroad, even if they be of rather an extraordinary
+nature, they learn to be reasonable, kind and patient with
+considerably greater ease than they would have done had they remained
+at home. Indeed those who desire to refine men in their worldly
+conversation need no other fire and no better cement than this,
+because those who are naturally rough become gentle, and the gentle
+become even more gracious. Gherardo di Jacopo Stamina, painter of
+Florence, though rather hasty than good-natured, being very hard and
+rough in his dealings, did more harm by this to himself than to his
+friends, and it would have been even worse for him had he not
+remained a long time in Spain, where he learned to be gentle and
+courteous, for he there became so changed from his former nature that
+when he returned to Florence a very large number of those who had
+mortally hated him before his departure, received him with very great
+friendliness and continued to cherish a great affection for him, so
+gentle and courteous had he become. Gherardo was born in Florence in
+the year 1354, and as he grew up and was naturally bent to the art of
+designing, he was put with Antonio da Vinezia to learn to design and
+to paint. In the space of many years he not only learned the art and
+practice of colours, but had shown his ability by some things
+produced in a good style; accordingly he left Antonio and began to
+work on his own account. In the chapel of the Castellani at S. Croce,
+which was given to him to paint by Michaele di Vanno, an honoured
+citizen of that family, he did in fresco many stories of St Anthony
+the abbot and of St Nicholas the bishop, in such a good style that
+they attracted the attention of certain Spaniards then staying in
+Florence on business, and ultimately led to his being invited to
+Spain to their king, who saw and received him very gladly, there
+being at that time a great lack of good painters in that country. Nor
+was it a difficult matter to induce Gherardo to leave his country,
+for as he had had hard words with some men after the affair of the
+Ciompi and the appointment of Michele di Lando as gonfaloniere, he
+was in considerable danger of his life. Accordingly he went to Spain
+and did many things for the king there, and became rich and honoured
+by the great rewards which he earned for his labours. At length
+becoming desirous of showing himself to his friends in his improved
+estate, he returned home and was warmly welcomed and received in a
+very friendly manner by all his fellow-citizens. It was not long
+before he was employed to paint the chapel of St Jerome in the
+Carmine, where he did many stories of that saint, and in the story of
+Paul, Eustace and Jerome he represented some of the Spanish habits of
+the day with very happy invention and an abundance of fashions and
+ideas in the attitudes of the figures. Among other things, in a scene
+where St Jerome is receiving his earliest instruction, he represented
+a master who has caused one boy to mount upon the back of another and
+strikes him with the whip in such a manner that the poor child is
+twisting his legs with pain and appears to be crying out and trying
+to bite the ear of the boy who is holding him. The whole is executed
+with much grace and lightness, and Gherardo appears to have delighted
+in these touches of nature. In like manner, when St Jerome, being at
+the point of death, is making his will, he has hit off some friars in
+a delightful and realistic manner, for some are writing, others
+listening attentively and looking about, observing all the words of
+their master with great earnestness. This work won Stamina much fame
+and a high rank among artists, and his courteous and mild manners
+gave him a great reputation, so that his name was famous throughout
+Tuscany and indeed in all Italy. Being at this time invited to Pisa to
+paint the chapter-house of S. Niccola in that city, he sent in his
+place Antonio Vite of Pistoia, because he did not wish to leave
+Florence. Antonio, who had learned Stamina's style under him, did the
+Passion of Jesus Christ there, completing it in its present form in
+the year 1403, to the great delight of the Pisans. Afterwards, it is
+said, he finished the chapel of the Pugliesi; and as the works which
+he did there at S. Girolamo greatly pleased the Florentines, because
+he had expressed in a lively manner many gestures and attitudes which
+had not been attempted by any painters before his time, the Commune
+of Florence in the year that Gabriel Maria, lord of Pisa, sold that
+city to the Florentines for  200,000 scudi (after Giovanni Gambacorta
+had stood a siege of thirteen months, although even he at length
+agreed to the sale), employed Stamina to paint on a wall of the
+Palazzo di parte Guelfa, St Denis the bishop, with two angels, and
+below it an accurate representation of the city of Pisa. In the
+execution of this he displayed such diligence in every detail,
+especially in the colouring in fresco, that notwithstanding the
+action of air and water and a northern aspect, the picture has always
+remained in excellent condition, and even now it has all the
+appearance of having been newly painted, an achievement worthy of
+high praise. Gherardo having by this and other works acquired a great
+reputation and much renown both at home and abroad, death, the
+envious enemy of virtuous deeds, cut off at the height of his powers
+the great promise of much better things than the world had yet seen
+from him; and having come to his end unexpectedly in the forty-ninth
+year of his age, he was buried with much pomp in the church of S.
+Jacopo sopra Arno.
+
+The pupils of Gherardo were Masolino da Panicale, who was at first an
+excellent goldsmith and then a painter, and some others whom it is
+not necessary to mention, as they did not possess any remarkable
+talent.
+
+The portrait of Gherardo occurs in the story of St Jerome, mentioned
+above; he is one of the figures who are standing about the dying
+saint, represented in profile with a hood about his head and a mantle
+buttoned about him. In our book are some designs of Gherardo done
+with the pen on parchment, which are of considerable excellence.
+
+
+
+
+Lippo, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+Invention has been, and always will be considered the true mother of
+architecture, painting and poetry, as well as of all the superior
+arts and of all the marvels produced by man. By its aid artists
+develop their ideas, caprices and fancies, and are able to display
+more variety, for all those who work at these honourable professions
+always seek after a laudable diversity, and possess the power of
+delicate flattery and of tactful criticism. Lippo, then, painter of
+Florence, who was as varied and choice in his inventions as his works
+were really unfortunate and his life short, was born at Florence
+about the year of grace 1354; and although he took up the art of
+painting somewhat late, when he was already a man, yet he was so far
+assisted by natural inclination and by his fine talents that he soon
+distinguished himself brilliantly. He first painted in Florence and
+in S. Benedetto, a large and fine monastery outside the gate of the
+Pinti belonging to the Camaldoline order, now destroyed; he did a
+number a figures which were considered very beautiful, particularly
+the whole of a chapel, which affords an example of how close study
+quickly leads to great performances in anyone who honestly takes
+pains with the desire for fame. Being invited to Arezzo from
+Florence, he did for the chapel of the Magi in the church of S.
+Antonio a large scene in fresco in which they are adoring Christ;
+and in the Vescovado he did the chapel of St James and St Christopher
+for the family of the Ubertini. All these things were very fine, for
+the invention displayed in the composition of scenes and in the
+colouring. He was the first who began, as it were, to play with his
+figures, and to awaken the minds of those who came after him, a thing
+which had never been done before, only attempted. After he had done
+many things in Bologna and a meritorious picture at Pistoia, he
+returned to Florence, where he painted the chapel of the Beccuti in
+S. Maria Maggiore in the year 1383 with scenes from the life of St
+John the evangelist. Following on from this chapel, which is beside
+the principal one, on the left hand, six scenes from the life of
+this saint are represented along the wall, by the same hand. Their
+composition is excellent and they are well arranged, one scene in
+particular being very vivid, namely, that in which St John causes St
+Dionisius the Areopagite to put his vest on some dead men, who come
+to life again in the name of Jesus Christ, to the great wonderment of
+some who are present who can hardly believe their own eyes. The
+foreshortening of some of the dead figures shows great art and proves
+that Lippo was conscious of some of the difficulties of his
+profession and endeavoured to some extent to overcome them. It was
+Lippo also who painted the wings of the tabernacle of the church of
+S. Giovanni, where are Andrea's angels and his St John, in relief,
+doing some stories of St John the Baptist in tempera, with great
+diligence. Being very fond of working in mosaic, he did some in that
+church over the door leading towards the Misericordia, between the
+windows, which was considered very beautiful and the best work in
+mosaic produced in that place with them. In the same church he
+further repaired some mosaics which had been damaged. Outside
+Florence, in S. Giovanni fra l'Arcora, without the gate leading to
+Faenza, he painted a number of figures in fresco beside Buffalmacco's
+Crucifixion, which was considered very beautiful by all who saw them.
+In certain small hospitals near the Faenza gate and in S. Antonio
+inside that gate near the hospital, he did some poor men, in fresco,
+in some varied styles and attitudes, very beautifully executed, and
+in the cloister within he made, with beautiful and new invention, the
+vision of St Anthony of the deceits of the world, and next to that
+the desires and appetites of men, who are drawn hither and thither to
+divers things of this world, the whole of the work being executed
+with much consideration and judgment. Lippo also did mosaic work in
+many places of Italy, and in the Guelph quarter at Florence he made a
+figure with a glass head, while Pisa contains a number of his
+productions. Yet in spite of all this he must be considered a really
+unfortunate man, since at the present time the greater part of his
+works have disappeared, having been destroyed in the siege of
+Florence, and also because his career was terminated in a very tragic
+manner; for being a quarrelsome man and liking turmoil belter than
+quiet, he happened one morning to say some very insulting words to an
+opponent at the tribunal of the Mercanzia, and that evening as he was
+returning home, he was dogged by this man and stabbed in the breast
+with a knife, so that in a few days he perished miserably. His
+paintings were produced about 1410. There flourished at Bologna in
+Lippo's time another painter whose name was also Lippo Dalmasi, who
+was a worthy man, and among other things he painted a Madonna in the
+year 1407, which may still be seen in S. Petronio at Bologna and
+which is held in great veneration. He also painted in fresco the
+tympanum above the door of S. Procolo, and in the church of S.
+Francesco in the tribune of the high altar, he made a large Christ,
+half length, and a St Peter and a St Paul, in a very graceful style.
+Under these works may be seen his name written in large letters. He
+also designed very fairly, as may be seen in our book, and he
+afterwards taught the art to M. Galante da Bologna, who afterwards
+designed much better than he, as may be seen in the same book in a
+portrait of a figure dressed in a short coat with wide open sleeves.
+
+
+
+
+Don Lorenzo, Monk of the Angeli of Florence, Painter.
+
+
+I believe that it is a great joy to a good and religious person to
+find some honourable employment for their hands whether it be
+letters, music, painting or other liberal and mechanical arts which
+involve no reproach but are on the contrary useful and helpful to
+other men, for after the divine offices the time may be passed with
+the pleasure taken in the easy labours of peaceful exercises. To
+these advantages we may add that not only is such a monk esteemed and
+valued by others during his life-time, except by such as are envious
+and malignant, but he is honoured by all men after his death, for his
+works and the good name which he has left behind him. Indeed whoever
+spends his time in this manner, lives in quiet contemplation without
+any danger from those ambitious stirrings which are almost always to
+be seen among the idle and slothful, who are usually ignorant, to
+their shame and hurt. If it should happen that a man of ability
+acting thus is slandered by the malicious, the power of virtue is
+such that time will reestablish his reputation and bury the malignity
+of the evil disposed, while the man of ability will remain
+distinguished and illustrious in the centuries which succeed. Thus
+Don Lorenzo, painter of Florence, being a monk of the order of the
+Camaldolines in the monastery of the Angeli (founded in 1294 by Fra
+Giuttone of Arezzo of the order of the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ,
+or of the Rejoicing friars as the monks of that order were commonly
+called), devoted so much time in his early years to design and to
+painting, that he was afterwards  deservedly numbered among the best
+men of his age in that profession. The first works of this painter
+monk, who adopted the style of Taddeo Gaddi and his school, were in
+the monastery of the Angeli, where besides many of the things he
+painted the high altar picture, which may still be seen in their
+church. When completed it was placed there in the year 1413 as may be
+seen by the letters written at the bottom of the frame. He also
+painted a picture for the monastery of S. Benedetto of the same order
+of the Camaldoli, outside the Pinti gate, destroyed at the siege of
+Florence in 1529. It represented the Coronation of Our Lady and
+resembled the one he had previously done for the church of the
+Angeli. It is now in the first cloister of the monastery of the
+Angeli, on the right hand side in the chapel of the Alberti. At the
+same time, and possibly before, he painted in fresco the chapel and
+altar picture of the Ardinghelli in S. Trinita, Florence, which was
+then much admired, and into this he introduced portraits of Dante and
+Petrarch. In S. Piero Maggiore he painted the chapel of the
+Fioravanti and in a chapel of S. Piero Scheraggio he did the altar
+picture, while in the church of S. Trinita he further painted the
+chapel of the Bartolini. In S. Jacopo sopra Arno a picture by his
+hand may still be seen, executed with infinite diligence, after the
+manner of the time. Also in the Certosa outside Florence he painted
+some things with considerable skill, and in S. Michele at Pisa, a
+monastery of his own order, he did some very fair pictures. In
+Florence, in the church of the Romiti (Hermits), which also belonged
+to the Camaldolines, and which is now in ruins as well as the
+monastery, leaving nothing but its name Camaldoli to that part beyond
+the Arno, he did a crucifix on a panel, besides many other things,
+and a St John, which were considered very beautiful. At last he fell
+sick of a cruel abscess, and after lingering for many months he died
+at the age of fifty-five, and was honourably buried by the monks in
+the chapter-house of their monastery as his virtues demanded.
+
+Experience shows that in the course of time many shoots frequently
+spring from a single germ owing to the diligence and ability of men,
+and so it was in the monastery of the Angeli, where the monks had
+always paid considerable attention to painting and design. Don
+Lorenzo was not the only excellent artist among them, but men
+distinguished in design flourished there for a long time both before
+and after him. Thus I cannot possibly pass over in silence one Don
+Jacopo of Florence, who flourished a long time before D. Lorenzo,
+because as he was the best and most methodical of monks, so he was
+the best writer of large letters who has ever existed before or
+since, not only in Tuscany but in all Europe, as is clearly testified
+not only by the twenty large choir books which he left in his
+monastery, the writing in which is most beautiful, the books
+themselves being perhaps the largest in Italy, but an endless number
+of other books which may still be found in Rome and in Venice and
+many other places, notably in S. Michele and S. Mania at Murano, a
+monastery of the Camaldoline order. By these works the good father
+has richly deserved the honours accorded to him many years after he
+had passed to a better life, his celebration in many Latin verses by
+D. Paolo Orlandini, a very learned monk of the same monastery, as
+well as the preservation of the right hand which wrote the books,
+with great veneration in a tabernacle, together with that of another
+monk, D. Silvestro, who illuminated the same books with no less
+excellence, when the conditions of the time are taken into
+consideration, than D. Jacopo had written them. I, who have seen them
+many times, am lost in astonishment that they should have been
+executed with such good design and with so much diligence at that
+time, when all the arts of design were little better than lost, since
+the works of these monks were executed about the year of grace 1350,
+or a little before or after, as may be seen in each of the said
+books. It is reported, and some old men relate that when Pope Leo X.
+came to Florence he wished to see and closely examine these books,
+since he remembered having heard them highly praised by the
+Magnificent Lorenzo de' Medici, his father; and that after he had
+attentively looked through them and admired them as they were all
+lying open on the choir-desks, he  said, "If they were in accordance
+with the rules of the Roman Church and not of the Camaldolines, I
+should like some specimens for S. Peter's at Rome, for which I would
+pay the monks a just price." There were, and perhaps still are, two
+very fine ones at S. Peter's by the same monks. In the same monastery
+of the Angeli is a quantity of very ancient embroidery, done in a
+very fine style, with excellent designs by the fathers of the house
+while they were in perpetual seclusion, with the title not of monks
+but of hermits, and who never came out of the monastery as the nuns
+and monks do in our day. This practice of seclusion lasted until
+1470. But to return to D. Lorenzo. He taught Francesco Fiorentino,
+who, after his death, did the tabernacle which is on the side of S.
+Maria Novella at the head of the via della Scala leading to the
+Pope's chamber. He also had another pupil, a Pisan, who painted in
+the chapel of Rutilio di Ser Baccio Maggiolini, in the church of S.
+Francesco at Pisa, Our Lady, a St Peter, St John the Baptist, St
+Francis and St Ranieri, with three scenes of small figures in the
+predella of the altar. This painting, executed in 1315, was
+considered meritorious for a work done in tempera. In our book of
+designs I have the theological virtues done by D. Lorenzo's hand in
+chiaroscuro, with good design and a beautiful and graceful style, so
+that they are perhaps better than the designs of any other master of
+the time. Antonio Vite of Pistoia was a meritorious painter in
+Lorenzo's time, and is said to have painted, among many other things
+described in the life of Stamina, in the palace of the Geppo of
+Prato, the life of Francesco di Marco, who was the founder of that
+pious place.
+
+
+
+
+Taddeo Bartoli, Painter of Siena.
+
+
+Those artists who put themselves to a great deal of pains in painting
+in order to win fame, deserve a better fate than the placing of their
+works in obscure  and unhonoured  places where they may be blamed  by
+persons whose knowledge of the subject is not considerable. Their
+productions ought to be so prominently placed with plenty of light
+and air that they may be properly seen and examined by every one.
+This is the case of the public work of Taddeo Bartoli, painter of
+Siena for the chapel of the palace of the Signoria at Siena. Taddeo
+was the son of Bartoli son of the master Fredi, who was a mediocre
+painter in his day, and painted scenes from the Old Testament on a
+wall of the Pieve of S. Gimignano, on the left hand side on entering.
+In the middle of this work, which if the truth must be told was not
+very good, the following inscription may still be read: _Ann: Dom
+1356 Bartolus magistri Fredi de Senis me pinxit_. Bartoli must have
+been young at the time, for there is a picture of his of the year
+1388, in S. Agostino of the same district, on the left hand side on
+entering the principal door. The subject is the Circumcision of our
+Lord with certain saints, and it is in a far better style both as
+regards design and colouring, some of the heads being really fine
+although the feet of the figures are in the ancient style. In fact
+many other works of Bartoli may be seen about that district. But to
+return to Taddeo, as the best master of the time, he received a
+commission, as I have said, to paint the chapel of the palace of the
+Signoria for his native place, and he executed it with such
+diligence, with consideration for so honoured a place, and he was so
+richly rewarded by the Signoria, that he greatly increased his glory
+and renown. Thus not only did he afterwards make many pictures for
+his native land, to his great honour and benefit, but he was invited
+and asked of the Signoria of Siena as a great favour by Francesco da
+Carrara, lord of Padua, to go there, as he did, and do some things in
+that most noble city. He did some pictures and other things there,
+notably in the Arena and in the Santo with great care, to his own
+great honour and to the infinite satisfaction of the said lord and of
+the whole city. Returning subsequently to Tuscany he did a picture in
+tempera in S. Gimignano, which is something in the style of Ugolino
+of Siena and is now behind the high altar of the Pieve facing the
+choir of the priests. He next went to Siena, but did not remain long
+there as he was summoned to Pisa by one of the Lanfranchi, a warden
+of the Duomo. Having proceeded thither he did for the chapel of the
+Nunziata the scene where the Madonna is ascending the steps of the
+temple, where the priest in his pontificals is awaiting her, a highly
+finished work. The face of the priest is the portrait of the man who
+had invited him, while his own is hard by. On the completion of this
+work, the same patron induced him to paint over the chapel in the
+Campo Santo, the Coronation of Our Lady by Jesus Christ, with many
+angels, in most beautiful attitudes and very finely coloured. For the
+chapel of the sacristy of St Francesco at Pisa, Taddeo also painted a
+picture in tempera of the Madonna and some saints, signing his name
+to it and the year 1394. About the same time he did some pictures in
+tempera at Volterra, and another picture at Monte Oliveto, while on
+the wall he did an Inferno, following the arrangement of Dante as
+regards the division of the damned and the nature of their
+punishment, but as regards the site he either could not or would not
+imitate him, or perhaps he lacked the necessary knowledge. He also
+sent to Arezzo a picture which is in S. Agostino containing a
+portrait of Pope Gregory IX., the one who returned to Italy after the
+papal court had been so many decades in France. After these things he
+returned to Siena, but did not make a long stay there as he was
+invited to Perugia to work in the church of S. Domenico. Here he
+painted the whole of the life of St Catherine in the chapel dedicated
+to that saint, and did some figures in S. Francesco beside the
+sacristy door, which may still be discerned to-day, and are
+recognisable as being by Taddeo, because he always retained the same
+manner. Shortly after, in the year 1398, Biroldo, lord of Perugia,
+was assassinated. Taddeo accordingly returned to Siena, where he
+devoted constant work and steady application to the study of art, in
+order to make himself a worthy painter. It may be affirmed that if he
+did not perhaps attain his purpose, it was not on account of any
+defect or negligence on his part, but solely because of an
+obstructive malady which prevented him from ever realising his
+desire. Taddeo died at the age of fifty-nine, after having taught the
+art to a nephew of his called Domenico. His paintings were done about
+the year of grace 1410. Thus, as I have said, he left Domenico
+Bartoli, his nephew and pupil, who devoted himself to the art of
+painting, and painted with superior skill. In the subjects which he
+represented he exhibited much more wealth and variety in various
+matters than his uncle had done. In the hall of the pilgrims of the
+great hospital of Siena there are two large scenes in fresco by
+Domenico, which contain prospectives and other ornaments, composed
+with considerable ingenuity. It is said that Domenico was modest and
+gentle and of a singularly amiable and liberal courtesy, which did no
+less honour to his name than the art of painting itself. His works
+were executed about the year of our Lord 1436, and the last were in
+S. Trinita at Florence, a picture of the Annunciation and the high
+altar picture in the church of the Carmine.
+
+Alvaro di Piero of Portugal flourished at the same time, and adopted
+a very similar style, but made his colouring more clear and his
+figures shorter. In Volterra he did several pictures, and there is
+one in S. Antonio at Pisa and others in various places, but as they
+are of no great excellence it is not necessary to mention them. In
+our book there is a sheet of drawings by Taddeo, containing a Christ
+and two angels, etc., very skilfully executed.
+
+
+
+
+Lorenzo di Bicci, Painter of Florence.
+
+
+When those who excel in any honourable employment, no matter what,
+unite with their skill as craftsmen, a gentleness of manners and of
+good breeding, and especially courtesy, serving those who employ them
+with speed and goodwill, there is no doubt that they are pursuing to
+their great honour and advantage almost everything which can be
+desired in this world. This was the case with Lorenzo di Bicci,
+painter of Florence, born in Florence in the year 1400, at the very
+moment when Italy was beginning to be disturbed by the wars which
+ended so badly for her, was in very good credit from his earliest
+years; for under his father's discipline he learned good manners, and
+from Spinello's instruction he acquired the art of painting, so that
+he had a reputation not only of being an excellent painter, but of
+being a most courteous and able man. While he was still a youth,
+Lorenzo did some works in fresco at Florence and outside to gain
+facility, and Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, having remarked the
+excellence of his style, employed him to paint in the hall of the old
+house of the Medici, which afterwards was left to Lorenzo, natural
+brother of Cosmo the Ancient, after the great palace was built, all
+those famous men who may still be seen in a fairly good state of
+preservation. This work being completed, Lorenzo di Bicci was
+anxious, like the doctors who experiment in their art on the skins of
+poor rustics, to have practice in the art of painting in a place
+where things are not so closely criticised, and for some time he
+accepted everything which presented itself; hence, outside the gate
+of S. Friano at the ponte a Scandicci, he painted a tabernacle, as it
+may now be seen, and at Cerbaia under a portico he painted very
+agreeably a Madonna and many saints on a wall. Afterwards a chapel in
+S. Marco at Florence was allotted to him by the family of the
+Martini, and on the walls he painted in fresco a number of scenes
+from the life of Our Lady, and on the altar picture the Virgin
+herself in the midst of many saints. In the same church over the
+chapel of St John the Evangelist, of the family of the Landi, he
+painted in fresco the angel Raphael and Tobias. In the year 1418 for
+Ricciardo di M. Niccolo Spinello, on the piazza front of the  convent
+of S. Croce he painted a large scene in fresco of St Thomas examining
+the wounds of Jesus Christ in the presence of all the other apostles
+who are kneeling reverently at the sight. Next to this scene and also
+in fresco he did a St Christopher, twelve and a half braccia high,
+which is a rare thing, because with the exception of the St
+Christopher of Buffalmacco, a larger figure had never been seen, and
+although the style is not good it is the most meritorious and best
+proportioned representation of the saint. Besides this the pictures
+were executed with such skill that although they have been exposed to
+the air for many years, and being turned to the north, they have
+suffered the violence of rain and storm, yet they have never lost the
+brilliancy of their colouring and are in no wise injured by these
+accidents. Lorenzo also made a crucifix with many figures inside the
+door which is in the middle of these figures, called the door of the
+knocker, at the request of the same Ricciardo and of the superior of
+the convent, and on the encircling wall he did the confirmation of
+the rule of St Francis by Pope Honorius, and then the martyrdom of
+some friars of that order, who are going to preach the faith to the
+Saracens. In the arches and on the vaulting he did some kings of
+France, friars and followers of St Francis, drawing them from life,
+as well as many learned men of the order, distinguished by their
+several dignities of bishop, cardinal and pope. Among these are the
+portraits from life of Popes Nicholas IV. and Alexander V., in
+medallions. For all these figures Lorenzo made the grey habits, but
+with variety owing to his skill in workmanship, so that they all
+differ from one another, some inclining towards red, others to blue,
+some being dark and others more light, so that all are varied and
+worthy of consideration. What is more, it is said that he produced
+these works with such facility and speed that when the superior, who
+paid his expenses in designing, called him one day, when he had just
+made the colour for a figure and was beginning it, he answered, "Make
+the soup and I will come when I have finished this figure."
+Accordingly it is said with a great show of reason that no one ever
+exhibited such quickness of the hands, such skill in colouring, or
+was so resolute as he. By his hand also is the tabernacle in fresco
+which is beside the nunnery of Foligno and the Madonna and saints
+over the door of the church of that nunnery, among them being a St
+Francis espousing Poverty. In the church of Camaldoli at Florence, he
+painted for the company of the Martyrs some scenes of the martyrdom
+of certain saints, and decorated the chapels on either side of the
+principal chapel. As these paintings gave considerable satisfaction
+to the whole city, he was commissioned on their completion, to paint
+a wall of the church in the Carmine for the family of the
+Salvestrini, now almost extinct, there being so far as I know, no
+other surviving member than a friar of the Angeli at Florence, called
+Fra Nemesio, a good and courteous monk. Here he did the martyrs, when
+they are condemned to death, being stripped naked and made to walk
+bare-footed on thorns sown by the servants of the tyrants, whilst
+they are on the way to be crucified, and higher up they are
+represented on the cross in varied and extraordinary attitudes. In
+this work, the largest which had ever been produced, everything is
+done with great skill and design, according to the knowledge of the
+time, being full of the expressions showing the divers ways of dying
+of those who are put to death with violence. For this cause I am not
+surprised that many men of ability have made use of some things found
+in this picture. After this Lorenzo did many other figures in the
+same church, and decorated two chapels in the screen. At the same
+time he did the tabernacle on the side of the Cuculia, and the one in
+the via de' Martelli on the wall of the houses, and over the knocker
+door of S. Spirito he did a St Augustine in fresco, who is giving the
+rule to his brethren. In S. Trinita in the chapel of Neri Capponi he
+painted in fresco the life of St John Gualbert. In the principal
+chapel of S. Lucia in the via de' Bardi he did some scenes in fresco
+from the life of St Lucy for Niccolo da Uzzano, whose portrait he
+introduced there from life together with those of some other
+citizens. This Niccolo with the assistance and model of Lorenzo,
+built his own palace near the church, and began a magnificent college
+or studium between the convent of the Servites and that of S. Marco,
+that is to say, where the lions now are. This truly magnificent work,
+rather worthy of a prince than of a private citizen, was not
+completed, because the immense sum of money which Niccolo left in his
+bank at Florence for the building and endowment of it were expended
+by the Florentines on war and other needs of the city. Although
+Fortune can never obscure the memory and greatness of the spirit of
+Niccolo da Uzzano, the community suffered a great loss by the
+non-completion of the work. Therefore, let anyone who desires to help
+the world in such a manner, and to leave an honourable memorial of
+himself, do so himself in his life-time, and not trust to the
+faithfulness of posterity and of his heirs, as it very rarely happens
+that a thing is carried out where it is left to successors. But to
+return to Lorenzo. Besides what has been already mentioned, he
+painted a Madonna and certain saints very fairly in a tabernacle on
+the ponte Rubaconte in fresco. Not long after, Ser Michele di
+Fruosino, master of the hospital of S. Maria Nuova at Florence, a
+building founded by Folco Portinari, citizen of Florence, proposed,
+as the property of the  hospital had increased, to enlarge his church
+outside Florence, dedicated to St Giles, which was of small
+importance. Accordingly he consulted Lorenzo di Bicci, his close
+friend, and on 5th September 1418 he began the new church, which was
+completed in its present form in a year, and then solemnly
+consecrated by Pope Martin V. at the request of Ser Michele, who was
+the eighth master and a member of the family of the Portinari.
+Lorenzo afterwards painted this consecration, at the desire of Ser
+Michele, on the front of the church, introducing the portrait of the
+Pope and of some cardinals. This work was then much admired as
+something new and beautiful. For this cause Lorenzo was judged worthy
+to be the first to paint in the principal church of his native city,
+that is S. Maria del Fiore, where, under the windows of each chapel,
+he did the saints to which they are dedicated; and afterwards, on the
+pillars and through the church, he did the twelve Apostles with the
+crosses of the consecration, as the church was solemnly consecrated
+in that very year by Pope Eugenius IV. of Venice. In the same church
+the wardens, by a public ordinance, employed him to paint on the wall
+in fresco a deposition, finished in marble, in memory of the Cardinal
+de' Corsini, whose effigy is there, upon the sarcophagus. Above this
+is another like it, in memory of Master Luigi Marsili, a most famous
+theologian, who went as ambassador with M. Luigi Giuccardini and M.
+Guccio di Gino, most honoured knights, to the Duke of Anjou. Lorenzo
+was afterwards invited to Arezzo by D. Laurentino, abbot of S.
+Bernardo, a monastery of the order of Monte Oliveto, where he painted
+scenes from the life of St Bernard in fresco for the principal chapel
+for M. Carlo Marsupino. But as he was about to paint the life of St
+Benedict in the cloister of the convent, after he had painted the
+principal chapel of the church of S. Francesco, for Francesco de'
+Bacci, the elder, where he alone did the vaulting and half the
+tympanum, he fell sick of a chest affection. Accordingly he caused
+himself to be  carried to Florence, and left instructions that Marco
+da Montepulciano, his pupil, should do these scenes from the life of
+St Benedict in the cloister, from a design which he had made and left
+with D. Laurentino. These Marco did to the best of his ability,
+completing them in the year 1448 on 24th  April, the whole work being
+in chiaroscuro, and his name may be seen written there, with verses
+which are not less rude than the painting. Lorenzo returned to his
+country, and, having recovered, he painted on the same wall of the
+convent of S. Croce, where he had done the St Christopher, the
+Assumption of Our Lady surrounded in Heaven by a choir of angels, and
+below a St Thomas receiving the girdle. In the execution of this
+work, as Lorenzo was sick, he was assisted by Donatello, then quite a
+youth, and by means of such effective aid it was completed in the
+year 1450, so that I believe it to be the best work both in design
+and in colouring that Lorenzo ever produced. Not long after, being an
+old man and worn out, he died at the age of about sixty years,
+leaving two sons who practised painting, one of whom, named Bicci,
+assisted him in many of his works, and the other, called Neri, drew
+the portraits of his father and himself in the chapel of the Lenzi in
+Ognissanti, in two medallions, with letters about them giving the
+names of both. In this same chapel Neri did some stories of Our Lady,
+and took great pains to copy many of the costumes of his day, both of
+men and women. He did the altar picture for the chapel in tempera,
+and painted some pictures in the Abbey of S. Felice, of the
+Camaldoline order, on the piazza of Florence, as well as the high
+altar of S. Michele of Arezzo of the same order. Outside Arezzo, at
+S. Maria delle Grazie, in the church of S. Bernardino, he did a
+Madonna with the people of Arezzo under her mantle, and on one side
+St Bernardino is kneeling, with a wooden cross in his hand, such as
+he was accustomed to carry when he went through Arezzo preaching; and
+on the other side are St Nicholas and St Michael the Archangel. The
+predella contains the acts of St Bernardino and the miracles which,
+he performed, especially those done in that place. The same Neri did
+the high altar picture for S. Romolo at Florence, and in the chapel
+of the Spini in S. Trinita he did the life of St John Gualbert in
+fresco, as well as the picture in tempera which is above the altar.
+From these works it is clear that if Neri had lived, instead of dying
+at the age of thirty-six, he would have done many better and more
+numerous works than his father Lorenzo. The latter was the last
+master to adopt the old manner of Giotto, and accordingly his life
+will be the last in this first part, which I have now completed, with
+God's help.
+
+
+
+
+Notes
+
+
+PAGE     LINE
+
+xxiii.    5.    "braccia," may be considered roughly to represent
+                about two feet; literally translated it means an arm.
+
+7.        6.    "fresco," Painting _al fresco_, upon fresh or wet
+                ground is executed with mineral and earthy pigments
+                upon a freshly laid stucco ground of lime or
+                gypsum.--_Fairholt_.
+
+9.       28.    "old king Charles of Anjou," the brother of St Louis,
+                crowned king of Sicily in 1266.
+
+10.      10.    "tempera," a method in which the pigments are mixed
+                with chalk or clay and diluted with size.
+
+11.      19.    "Credette," etc.
+                                      "Cimabue thought
+                To lord it over painting's field; and now
+                The cry is Giotto's, and his name eclips'd."--_Cary_.
+
+15.      13.    "drawings." It is stated that the knight Gaddi sold
+                five volumes of drawings to some merchants for
+                several thousands of scudi, which composed Vasari's
+                famous book, so often referred to by h m. Card.
+                Leopold de' Medici collected several of those by the
+                most famous artists. This collection was sent to the
+                Uffizi gallery in 1700, where they are merged with
+                the other drawings.
+
+25.      11.    "bridge which still bears his name." M. Rubaconte was
+                podesta of Florence in 1237 and in addition to laying
+                the foundation stone of this bridge, he also caused
+                the city to be paved. _Villani_, vi. 26. The bridge
+                is now known as the Ponte alle Grazie.
+
+45.      32.    "Frederick Barbarossa." Impossible, for Barbarossa
+                died two centuries before. Perhaps Vasari means the
+                Emperor Frederick III.
+
+51.      31.    "Ser Ciappelletto," the hero of the first story in
+                Boccaccio's _Decameron_, forger, murderer,
+                blasphemer, fornicator, drunkard and gambler, "he was
+                probably the worst man who was ever born," to crown
+                all, he so deceived the priest to whom he confessed
+                that he was canonised.
+
+55.      23.    "S. Giovanni." Bk. i., cap. 42. Villani states that
+                it was originally built by the Romans in the time of
+                Octavian as a temple to Mars.
+
+67.      25.    "M. Farinata degli Uberti."_Cf_, p. 30 above. After
+                the battle of Montaperti in 1260, in which the
+                Sienese aided by the Ghibelline exiles of Florence
+                won a complete victory over the Florentines, a
+                council was held in which it was proposed to destroy
+                Florence utterly. The project was defeated by
+                Farinata, one of the most prominent of the victorious
+                Florentines. _Villani_, bk. vi., cap. 81. _Cf_, Dante
+                _Inferno_, x. 1. 92.
+
+75.      19.    "M. Forese da Rabatta," _Decameron_, 6th Day,
+                Novella 5.
+
+81.      23.    "life of the patient Job." It is now a well
+                established fact that these frescoes were painted by
+                Francesco da Volterra in 1371, several years after
+                Giotto's death.
+
+85.      10.    "Oh dissi lui," etc.
+                        "Oh," I exclaimed,
+         "Art thou not Oderigi, art not thou
+         Agobbio's glory, glory of that art
+         Which they of Paris call the limner's skill?
+         Brother, said he, with tints that gayer smile,
+         Bolognian Franco's pencil lines the leaves.
+         His all the honour now; mine borrowed light."
+                                              --Cary.
+
+102.      4.     "Franco Sacchetti," born at Florence in 1335. His
+                 Novelle were considered the best after those of
+                 Boccaccio.
+
+110.     24.     Where the Giglion joins the Chiassa
+                 There did my ancestors flourish
+                 Who bear six golden stones on azure ground.
+
+151.     14.     "An eagle on the back of a lion." The bishop was a
+                 prominent Ghibelline, whose figure was the imperial
+                 eagle, while the lion signified the opposing Guelph
+                 party. Buffalmacco as a Florentine would belong to
+                 the latter faction.
+
+155.      5.     "Voi che avvisate," etc.
+             Ye who behold this painting
+             Think, weigh and consider
+             Upon the merciful God, supreme creator,
+             Who made all things in love.
+             He fashioned that angelic nature in new orders,
+             In that resplendent empire of heaven.
+             Motionless Himself yet the source of all motion
+             He made everything good and pure.
+             Raise the eyes of your mind,
+             Reflect upon the ordering
+             Of the entire globe and reverently
+             Praise Him who has created so well.
+             Think that you also may taste the delight
+             Of living among the angels, where all are blessed.
+             In this scene also we see the glory of the world,
+             The base, the mean, and the lofty.
+
+188.     ii.     "arts of Florence." The arts or guilds of Florence
+                 formed the basis of the government of the city. They
+                 were of two orders, the greater and the lesser. The
+                 seven greater arts were: Lawyers (St Luke), the
+                 Calimara or dealers in foreign cloth (St John
+                 Baptist), money-changers (St Matthew), woollen
+                 manufacturers (St Thomas), physicians (Virgin Mary),
+                 silk manufacturers (St John the Divine), and the
+                 furriers (St James). The lesser arts were fourteen
+                 in number, including armourers (St George),
+                 locksmiths (St Mark), farriers (St Eloi), drapers
+                 (St Stephen), shoemakers (St Philip), butchers
+                 (St Peter). They were admitted to the full
+                 citizenship in 1378.
+
+199.     21.     "Da che prosperitade," etc.
+                   "Since every happiness has abandoned us,
+                   Come death, the cure of every grief,
+                   Come and give us our last meal."
+
+200.      3.     "Ischermo di saveri," etc.
+                   "Knowledge and wealth,
+                   Birth and valour, all
+                   Are alike powerless against his strokes."
+
+212.     10.      "the Duke of Athens." Walter de Brienne, a
+                  Frenchman, elected captain and protector of
+                  Florence in June 1342;. he endeavoured to become
+                  master of the city, but was expelled in the popular
+                  rising referred to.
+
+239.     31.      "the Bavarian." Louis of Bavaria, the emperor who
+                  died in 1347.
+
+241.      3       "_a secco_." Fresco painting in secco is that kind
+                  which absorbs the colours into the plaster and
+                  gives them a dry sunken appearance.--_Fairholt_.
+
+263.     31       "affair of the Ciompi": the name given to the
+                  rising of the lesser people against the powerful
+                  guilds, resulting in a wider distribution of the
+                  powers of government. The lower classes won and
+                  appointed Michele del Lando as their Gonfaloniere.
+                  Ciompi means the lowest classes.
+
+265.     14.      "200,000 scudi," worth about L44,444, 9s.
+
+
+
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