Giorgio Vasari

“ Taking courage from this successful experiment, and thinking he could produce a still better picture, Jacopo formed the resolution, but without saying a word to any one, of destroying all that he had done, and recommencing the work anew, after another design which he had in his thoughts. But the monks, meanwhile, seeing that the work was finished, and that Jacopo came to it no more, repaired to Andrea di Cosimo and urged him so pressingly, that he determined to have the painting uncovered. ”

“ But what can or ought we here to do unless it be to have compassion on Puntormo? for the masters of our vocation are subject to the liability of error as well as other men. Even the good Homer sometimes falls asleep, as it is said, nor can it yet be affirmed that there is any one work by Jacopo da Puntormo which has not something of good and praiseworthy in it, however much he may have strained and done violence to his genius. ”

“ When the Siege of Florence was over, Pope Clement gave command to Messer Ottaviano de’ Medici that he should cause the hall of Poggio-a-Cajano to be finished, whereupon, Franciabigio and Andrea del Sarto being dead, the whole charge of the work was entrusted to Jacopo Puntormo, who having first ordered scaffolding and an enclosure to be erected, then began to prepare the cartoons, but suddenly falling into his whims and fantasies, he wasted his time in cogitations and proceeded no further in the work. ”

“ But I, who know Puntormo to have always been a man of the utmost modesty, one who ever spoke honourably and respectfully of every one, and conducted himself towards all as became a well-intentioned and virtuous artist, which he truly was ”

“ Puntormo was buried in the first cloister of the church which belongs to the Servite monks, and beneath that picture of the Yisitation which he had himself painted there many years previously. He was honourably attended to his grave by all the painters, sculptors, and architects then in Florence. [57]
Jacopo da Puntormo was a man of frugal habits and regular life: in his clothing and mode of existence he was rather sparing and poor than liberal or nice, and almost always lived alone, not choosing to have any one who should serve or even cook for him. ”

“ In this work the master has imagined a very finely executed combat of cavalry and nude figures; in the air above are beautiful children who shoot arrows at the executioners, while the latter are employing themselves with such details as belong to the crucifixion of the martyrs; near and around the Emperor by whom the latter are condemned are also many beautiful nude forms in the act of being led to death. This, in all parts highly to be commended picture, is now in the possession of Don Yincenzio Borghini, the director of that Hospital, and an intimate friend of Jacopo Puntormo. ”

“ When Andrea di Cosimo had completed the gilding of the escutcheon and had decorated the whole arch, Jacopo set himself, without any assistance, to execute the remainder of the work, when, inspired by the wish to distinguish himself, and by his desire for occupation, being also well aided by Nature, which had endowed him with infinite grace, and an extraordinary fertility of genius, he brought the whole to> completion with remarkable promptitude, and to such perfection, that an old and experienced master, though one of great excellence, could hardly have done it better. ”

“ The subject chosen is the Reception by Joseph of his father Jacob and all his brothers, the sons of that Jacob, when Joseph himself has become a prince, and, as it were, the sovereign of the land of Egypt. The affection with which he greets them is admirably well expressed, and among the figures is one which is indeed singularly beautiful; this is the portrait of Jacopo’s disciple Bronzino, then but a boy, and whom he has represented seated on a flight of steps at the lower part of the picture; the youth holds a basket in his hand ”

“ To the mason Rossino for example, a person of no small ingenuity in his way, and who knew how to profit by his simplicity, Puntormo gave a most exquisite picture of Our Lady as the payment for constructing certain chambers and other mason-work, which the builder had done for him j nay, so well did the worthy Rossino know how to manage his matters that in addition to the above-named picture, he contrived to extract from the hands of Puntormo a truly admirable portrait of Giulio, Cardinal de’ Medici, which Jacopo had copied from one by the hand of Raffaello. ”

“ For the strangers’ apartments of the above-mentioned monastery, the same artist painted a very large picture in oil on cloth, and therein he did not in any way restrain himself, or do violence to his natural manner: the subject is Our Saviour Christ seated at table with Cleophas and Luke, all figures of the natural size, and as in this work Puntormo followed the bent of his genius, the picture turned out to be a very beautiful one. ”

“ Having next to execute in one of the other angles, a Resurrection of Our Saviour, the artist then took it into his head, as being one who, having no steadfastness in his character, was perpetually in search of some new whim, to change the manner of his colouring; and of a truth he did depict that Avhole work with a colouring in fresco which is so soft and so good, that if in that picture he had been proceeding after any other manner than the German, it would indubitably have proved to be an exceedingly beautiful one ”

“ At a word, in this undertaking, wherein Puntormo had hoped to surpass all that had been effected by art, he did not attain to a comparison even with his own works performed at an earlier period, whence it may be clearly seen, that he who ventures to do himself violence and seeks to force nature, does but ensure the ruin of those good qualities which had been imparted to him, and with which this artist had without doubt been largely endowed. ”

“ Michelagnolo Buonarroti was one day examining this work, and considering that he who had accomplished it was but a youth of nineteen, he said, “This youth will be such, to judge from what we here see, that if he lives, and should go on as he has begun, he will carry this art to the very skies.”
The fame and credit thus obtained, having reached to the men of Puntormo, they sent for Jacopo and caused him to paint the Arms of Pope Leo over that gate of the castle which looks upon the high road, with two boys which are very beautiful ”

“ This story, either because Jacopo had been warned by his friends, or that he did himself at length perceive, although tardily, the great injury which his study of the German engravings had done to his own soft manner, this story, I say, is much better than the others executed by him in the same place. There are, indeed, certain nude figures of Jews, with some heads of old men, which are so well painted in fresco that better could not be, although it is obvious that Puntormo has adopted that same manner of the Germans, to a certain extent in them all. ”

“ The fourth chariot was drawn by four buffaloes accoutred after the fashion of elephants; and the story represented was the Triumph of Julius Caesar on the occasion of the victory obtained over Cleopatra; the most remarkable events of Caesar’s life being depicted by Jacopo Puntormo on the chariot, which was accompanied by twelve men, walking two and two, all dressed in rich and resplendent armour, finely decorated with gold; they bore lances in their hands, and the torches carried by their half-armed attendants had the form of trophies arranged in various fancies. ”

“ In the midst of the car was a large sphere or ball, as it were the globe of the world, and on this was the prostrate figure of a man lying dead with his face to the earth, and wearing armour covered with rust. ”

“ Jacopo Puntormo was a man of the most kindly dispositions, and had exceedingly agreeable manners, although marked by some peculiarities; he was so grievously afraid of death, that he would not even hear the subject mentioned, and took great pains to avoid meeting a dead body: he would never go to festivals, or frequent any place where large masses of people assembled, abhorring the discomfort of 'being pressed in a crowd ”

“ These works being made known to Maestro Jacopo, the Servite monk, his desire to have the paintings of the Court of the Servites finished by Puntormo was greatly increased, and he determined to ensure their completion by that artist without delay, persuaded that the emulation awakened by the works of the other masters who had laboured there would incite him to produce something extraordinarily beautiful in that which remained to be done. ”

“ On the other side of the chapel is delineated the universal Resurrection of the dead, as it is to be at the last day, and here all the figures are so wonderfully commingled, so remarkable is the variety and confusion, that they can certainly not be greater at the last day, which will perhaps scarcely display so much movement as Puntormo has here displayed and attributed thereto. ”

“ On the side opposite to this of the Vertumnus Puntormo painted figures of Pomona, Diana, and other deities, but these he has involved somewhat too closely in draperies; the whole work is nevertheless a very fine one and has been much commended.
These paintings were still in progress when Pope Leo died, the works of that hall were therefore left unfinished as were many others of like kind, not in Rome only but in Florence, Loretto, and many other places; nay, the whole world was rendered poor by that death, and all distinguished men were deprived of their true Maecenas. ”

“ In one of the lateral portions also, where stand the four Evangelists, nude figures with books in their hands, it does not appear to me that there is any order or measure observed; nay, of all parts indeed it may be affirmed, that there is but little merit in the arrangement or composition, nor do we find the order of time observed. There is an absence of all variety in the heads too, the colouring of the flesh is all of one tint, and at a word, there is neither rule nor proportion; even the laws of perspective have been neglected, and the work is crowded at all points with nude figures ”

“ This Jacopo did accordingly, depicting thereon a figure of Our Saviour Christ lying dead, with two little Angels standing beside him weeping, and holding torches in their hands; at each end of this predella, moreover, he painted the figure of a Prophet standing within a circular framework; and these are so ably executed, that they appear not to have been done by a youth but by an experienced master. It is however possible that II Rosso likewise worked at this predella, as II Bronzino assures us he remembers to have been told him by Jacopo da Puntormo himself. ”

“ In the year 1552 there was a slight attack of plague in Florence, when many persons left the city to avoid that most highly contagious disease, and to place their lives in security; our artist also found an opportunity for removing himself to a distance, and that happened on this wise. A certain Prior of the Certosa, which had been erected by the Acciaiuoli family at about three miles from Florence, was about to cause some pictures to be painted in the angles of a large and beautiful cloister surrounding a fine meadow, and these he placed in the hands of Puntormo ”

“ I am persuaded that these words were attributed to him falsely; nor can I believe that such vauntings were ever suffered to proceed from his lips, seeing that they are rarely heard from any but vain, presumptuous men, who think a great deal too much of themselves; a sort of persons who have little for the most part, either of goodness, ability, or fair breeding. ”

“ Around the figure of Pilate are soldiers who are so completely German, in the character of their faces as well as in the manner of their habiliments, that whoever did not know by what hand the work was performed, would assuredly believe it to have been executed by foreigners, men from beyond the mountains. ”

“ In the first of the cars was Childhood, or more properly Boyhood, or Early Youth, represented by a range of most beautiful boys: in the second was Manhood, indicated by many persons who had distinguished themselves at that period of life, and in the third was Old Age, impersonated by men advanced in years, who had also performed great things at the close of their lives. All the personages of each chariot were most richly robed and adorned, insomuch that a finer show could scarcely be seen. ”

“ The work was indeed very beautiful, nay is, as may be seen: [5] it was found to be new in manner moreover, and those two female heads exhibited so much softness and beauty, to say nothing of the loveliness distinguishing the graceful and exquisite children, that it was considered the most admirable work in fresco which had ever then been seen. Beside the children that are with the figure of Charity, there are two others floating in the air, and holding a drapery attached to the Papal Arms; these are so beautiful, that better could not be ”

“ Tell them, moreover, that if it befit them to listen to the counsels of such as thou art, base creature of nothingness, and if they must needs make presents to the king, Francis of France, tell them, I say, that they may go to their own houses, and, despoiling their awn chambers of their ornaments, may send them to his Majesty.
“For thyself, if again thou shouldst be so bold as to come on a similar errand to this house, thou shalt be amply taught what is the respect due to the dwelling of a gentleman, from such as thou art, and that to thy serious discomfort ”

“ Joseph, who regards the child with a smiling countenance, the animation and expression of which are astonishing. A child, representing St. John the Baptist, is equally beautiful, as are two other children who are upholding a Pavilion or Canopy. ”

“ The esteem in which Michelagnolo held Puntormo becoming known, and the care with which the latter had put the designs and cartoons of Michelagnolo into painting, with the excellence of those works, being much bruited abroad, Bartolommeo Bettini took much pains to procure for himself a cartoon from Buonarroti, who was his very intimate friend ”

“ In the predella is a story, the figures of which are small; this represents the Signoria of Florence advancing in procession, with trumpets and other musical instruments; they are attended by mace-bearers, ushers, doorkeepers, and other servants of the palace, that subject having been chosen by Jacopo because he had received his commission for the picture from the Captain of the palace, and the other persons employed as attendants there. ”