Giorgio Vasari

“ Some short time after, Parri di Spinello, moved by the great veneration which he bore to the holy man San Bernardino, pourtrayed that saint, in fresco, on one of the. large pillars of the Duomo Vecchio; and in the same place, in a chapel dedicated to San Bernardino, [10] he painted that holy person glorified in heaven, and surrounded by a vast concourse of angels, with three half figures, one on each side, representing Patience and Poverty, and one above representing the figure of Chastity, three virtues with which that saint had held close companionship even to his death. ”

“ For it often happens that one stumbles upon crafty or conceited men, who are for the most part thoroughly ignorant, but who give themselves airs of pretence, and arrogantly presume to attempt the erection or superintendence of buildings, thereby frequently ruining the arrangements, and spoiling the models of men who have consumed their lives in the study and practice of the art, and who are fully capable of constructing judiciously such works as they undertake. ”

“ In the church of San Domenico, on the wall to the right of the high altar, Parri Spinelli painted a figure of the Virgin, with Sant’ Antonio, and San Niccolo, in fresco, for the family of the Alberti of Catenaia,nota of which place the Alberti were the lords until it was destroyed, when the family went to dwell, some in Arezzo, some in Florence. Now that those families settled in each city belong to one and the same house is demonstrated by the arms, which are the same for both. ”

“ There is great power and life in this work, with many beautiful attitudes, exhibited more especially in the figures of those who lift the bodies, placed in sacks, upon their shoulders, to carry them to the sea, all their movements displaying infinite truth and animation. ”

“ There are also numerous shepherds in the distance, guarding their flocks: they are clothed in the rustic habiliments proper to that time, are full of life, and listen with the utmost attention to the words of the angel, who is commanding them to repair to Nazareth. ”

“ On the other side is Faith, depicted in a manner entirely new, having in one hand the chalice with the cross, and in the other a cup of cold water, which she pours on the head of a boy, thus rendering him a Christian. ”

“ Flor. 1849. ↑ When the Duomo was destroyed, this chapel was preserved, with the picture of Parri here alluded to. — Masselli. ↑ The term “Maesti” is most commonly used in Italian to express the Virgin enthroned, but it is here synonymous with Tabernacle or Oratory: the work is still in existence, but in very grievous condition. ↑ There are not four saints, but two; a St. Leonard, that is to say, and a St. Michael. The figures of Faith and Charity have been whitewashed. ”