Giorgio Vasari

“ I might easily find much more to say respecting the works of Benvenuto Cellini, who has given proof in all his productions of a bold, proud, animated, prompt, and forceful character; he is, indeed, a man but only too well disposed and able to hold his own by word in the presence of Princes, as well as ready with hand and spirit in matters of art ”

“ It is true that when Duke Cosimo had transported the Statues to his Palace of the Pitti, he paid a very good price for the work, and having brought Yincenzio with him likewise, he commissioned him no long time afterwards to execute the Labours of Hercules, in marble; commanding him to represent the same in figures, larger than life, and in full relief. ”

“ Bronzino has had may followers and disciples, but the first (to speak now of our own Academicians) is Alessandro Allori, who has been ever beloved by his master, not as a disciple only, but as if he were his own son; they have lived, nay, still do live together, in all the love which is usually found to exist between a good parent and his child. ”

“ Elizabeth; a work which does indeed display much forethought and judgment; the heads, the attitudes, the draperies, the buildings, every part of it, at a word, is full of beauty and grace. This artist, as one of our Academy, and a man of most obliging disposition, acquitted himself well in the obsequies of Buonarroti; and in the preparations made for the nuptials of the Queen Joanna, he distinguished himself very highly. ”

“ Among other qualities in this youth which please men of knowledge, is that he is prompt, and performs his work without effort. In a picture which Battista has painted in oil for the Black Friars of the Abbey of Florence, he has represented a Story of Christ bearing his Cross, wherein there are many good figures, and he has now works on hand which will suffice to make him known as an able artist. ”

“ Our artist is, and ever has been, most liberal of all that he possesses, and most kindly in all things, as it is possible for any one, even an artist, noble as he is, to be; gentle of disposition, he has never offered injury to any one, and has ever loved the distinguished men of his own vocation, as well we know who have lived on terms of close friendship with him for three and forty years, from 1524 that is, to the present year of 1567; since it was at the first mentioned period, when he was labouring at the Certosa, with Pontormo, that I first began to know and love this man ”

“ The same Pontiff afterwards gave him a golden goblet to make; the cup was to be adorned with figures of the Theological Virtues, and this Benvenuto executed with marvellous art. At that time there was none among the many by whom medals were made for Pope Clement, who succeeded better than did Cellini, as is well known to those who have seen or possess any of the same. He therefore received the care of the dies for the Roman Mint; nor have more beautiful coins ever been seen than are those then stamped in Rome. ”

“ Francesco Camilliani, a Florentine Sculptor and Academician, who was the disciple of Baccio Bandinelli, after having proved himself an excellent Sculptor, by many good works, has consumed fifteen years in executing ornaments for Fountains. One of these, which he has made for Don Luigi di Toledo, at his Garden in Florence, is certainly most surprising; the decorations which surround it, are various figures of men and animals, represented in divers attitudes, but all graceful and effective ”

“ The Fleming, Giovanni della Strada, is also one of our Academicians; and to good design, a rich fancy, and admirable power of invention, this artist adds an excellent method of colouring; he has worked much in fresco, in oil, and in tempera, during the last ten years, under the direction and from the designs of Giorgio Vasari, in the Ducal Palace: Giovanni may indeed declare himself the equal of any painter in the Duke’s service. ”

“ We also shall of a truth be all deeply indebted to the care of Giovio and the Duke, [23] seeing that from this beginning, not only the apartments of princes but the chambers of private persons are now being adorned with portraits of one or another among these illustrious men, as the partialities of country, family, or friendship shall decide. Cristofano, then, has fixed himself to this kind of work for which his genius, or perhaps I should say inclination, disposed him; and he has done little besides, as finding that he derives honour and profit in abundance from this. ”

“ In this work, the variety of animals, birds, fish, landscapes, and vestments, with the hunters, on foot and on horseback, the fowlers in various attitudes, and the nude figures of the fishermen, have proved this Strada to be a truly able man, well skilled in the Italian manner. It is his purpose to live and die at Florence, in the service of his illustrious lords, and in the company of Vasari and the other Academicians. ”

“ Having subsequently returned to his native country, he entered the service of Duke Cosimo, by whom he was at first employed in goldsmiths’ work, but who finally gave him commissions for works in sculpture. The Perseus, in metal, cutting off the Head of Medusa, which is near the gate of the Palace in the Piazza del Duca, is by the hand of Cellini; it stands on a pedestal of marble, decorated with most beautiful figures in bronze, each about one braccio and a third in height. ”

“ On the wall, opposite to this picture, is Christ driving the Traders from the Temple, a work wherein there are many parts which merit praise. Over these two pictures are Stories from the Life of the Virgin; and in the ceiling are figures of no great size, but graceful and well arranged; there are besides landscapes and buildings, which prove the love which Allori bears to art, and the care with which he seeks perfection in design and invention. ”

“ Vincenzio has a brother in the Order of Friars Preachers, he is called Fra Ignazio Danti, [44] is very learned in Cosmography, and a man of distinguished ability in letters, insomuch that the Duke Cosimo has committed to his care a work of which none more perfect in design, or more important in the results to be expected from it, has ever been executed in that kind. His Excellency, that is to say, has caused a room of considerable extent to be prepared on the second floor of his palace, as a continuation of and addition to the Guardaroba ”

“ Catherine, and the figure is so beautiful that it may bear comparison with any one that has been executed by this noble artist; nay, it seems to want only that spirit and voice with which the Saint confounded the tyrant, and confessed her beloved Lord, even to her latest breath. The father has accordingly no possession which he values more highly than that truly graceful picture. Agnolo likewise painted a portrait of Don Giovanni, Cardinal de’ Medici, son of Duke Cosimo, and this was sent to the Court of the Emperor, for the Queen Joanna ”

“ This Maso, besides having shown us of what he is capable, and what may be hoped from him in many small pictures, has lately displayed two large paintings, which do him great honour and give universal satisfaction, since he has exhibited therein much invention, correct design, a good manner, infinite grace, and admirable harmony of colouring. One of these pictures, which is in the Church of Sant’ Apostolo in Florence, is the Nativity of our Saviour Christ ”

“ From the same school of Pontormo and Bronzino, came also Battista Naldini, of whom we have spoken elsewhere; [25] and who, having passed some time in Rome, after the death of Pontormo, has made considerable improvement, insomuch that he has become a bold and able painter, as is seen by various works executed by his hand for Don Vincenzio Borghini, who has employed him frequently and assists him very much, as he does Francesco da Poppi, a young artist, and also one of our academicians. ”

“ A brother of this Antonio, called Stoldo di Gino Lorenzi, and now thirty years old, has also executed works in sculpture, which give him the right to be considered among the first young artists of his profession. At Pisa he has executed a Madonna with the Angel of the Annunciation, which has made him advantageously known as a young man of good genius and fair judgment. ”

“ The same artist has made an Escutcheon of the Signor Duke’s Arms at Pisa, under the direction of Giorgio Vasari; this is placed over the principal gate in the centre of the façade of the palace belonging to the Knights of San Stefano in Pisa, of which Order the Duke is Grand Master. The shield, which is very large, is in marble, and the supporters are figures of Religion and Justice, both exceedingly beautiful, and justly extolled by all who understand the subject. ”

“ In the vaulting of this Chapel, which was not of large size, Bronzino painted beautiful Children, with four figures of Saints, S.S. Brancesco, Jeronimo, Michelagnolo, and Giovanni namely, all executed with extreme love and care. On the three walls of the Chapel, the space in two of which is interrupted by the door and window, our artist painted three Stories from the Life of Moses, one on each wall that is to say; on the side of the door is the Story of the Serpents falling on the People ”

“ Francesco, the son of Giuliano da Sangallo, a sculptor and architect, also one of our Academicians, and now seventy years old, has likewise produced numerous works in sculpture, as we have said in the Life of his father. The three figures in marble, somewhat larger than life, which are on the Altar in the Church of Or San Michele, are by his hand. ”

“ At a word^ all the architecture and decorations of this garden are by Francesco, who, by the magnificence of the various Fountains, which he has constructed therein, has rendered it such, that it has not its equal in Florence, nor perhaps in Italy; nay, the principal Fountain, which is now on the point of completion, will be the most rich and sumptuous that can be seen in any place, whether for the splendid ornaments, or for the vast abundance of waters, which will never fail at any time. ”

“ But if he has merited commendation up to the present time, much more will he do so in the future, since he is still labouring with manifest progress in Florence, which he appears to have adopted as his country, and where the emulation and competition existing among so many young men is of infinite advantage to those artists. ”

“ The ceiling is entirely in carved wood-work, and within the compartments of the same are twelve large pictures, in each of which are to be four of the Celestial Signs, making in the whole forty-eight; the figures are to be but little less than the size of life, each accompanied by its Stars. On the walls beneath are three hundred portraits of distinguished persons belonging to the last five centuries, or somewhat more; they are painted in oil ”

“ For ten panels of a Hall wherein is delineated the Life of Man, Giovanni has also made Cartoons, as he has for the five lower rooms, which are occupied by the Prince, and which are decorated with stories from the Lives of David, Solomon, Cyrus, and others. ”

“ Our friend is right without doubt, but the dear Giorgio has already told us that his eyes were more familiar with the painter’s palette than with the page of the mythologian, et hoc getius omne. ↑ This Fountain, comprising 644 pieces of marble, was sold to the city of Palermo, in the year 1573, for the sum of 20.000 crowns, and the architect Camillo Camilliani went to that city for the purpose of superintending its erection.—Ed. Flor., 1832-8. ↑ For the Life of this admirable sculptor and architect, see Baldinucci, Decennali, tom. vii. p. ”

“ For two years following, Bronzino likewise made the scenic decorations for dramatic representations given in the Palace at the Carnival, and which were considered very beautiful; he also painted a picture which was sent into France to the King Francesco. This represented a nude figure of Venus embraced by her son Cupid; the Pleasures, Loves, and Sports are on one side ”

“ But these works giving him too much labour, and requiring too great an expenditure of time, he caused the greater part of the Cartoons to be executed after his own designs, by Raffaello dal Colle, of Borgo a San Sepolcro, who acquitted himself to admiration therein. ”

“ This model may be seen in the Court of the Florentine Academy. ↑ For details respecting this distinguished sculptor and military architect, who was besides no mean poet, let the reader consult Baglioni, as before cited, p. 56. See also Pascoli, Vite de piu celebri Pittori del Secolo, XVII., vol. iii. p. 137. ↑ This group, which is now in the Boboli Gardens, represents a youth with “an old man, tied hands and feet, whom he seems about to carry by means of a girth across his shoulder, as a peasant carries a lamb to market,” observes an Italian commentator. ”