Giorgio Vasari

“ Another advantage resulting from drawing on paper is the store of valuable ideas which gradually fill the mind, enabling the artist to represent natural objects from his own thoughts, without being compelled to hold them constantly before him, nor does he who can draw, need labour to hide his want of design beneath the attractions of colouring, as many of the Venetian painters, Giorgione, II Palma, II Pordenone and others, who never saw the treasures of art in Rome, or works of the highest perfection in any other place, have been compelled to do. ”

“ Under his care the youth soon proved himself to be endowed by nature with all the gifts of judgment and genius required for the art of painting. Now Gian Bellino, and the other masters of that country, not having the habit of studying the antique, were accustomed to copy only what they saw before them, and that in a dry, hard, laboured manner, which Titian also acquired; but about the year 1507, Giorgione da Castel Franco, not being satisfied with that mode of proceeding, began to give to his works an unwonted softness and relief, painting them in a very beautiful manner ”

“ I remember that Fra Bastiano del Piombo, speaking on this subject, told me that if Titian had then gone to Rome, and seen the works of Michelagnolo, with those of Raphael and the ancients, he was convinced, the admirable facility of his colouring considered, that he would have produced works of the most astonishing perfection, seeing that, as he well deserved to be called the most perfect imitator of Nature of our times, as regards colouring, he might thus have rendered himself equal to the Urbinese or Buonarroto, as regarded the great foundation of all, design. ”

“ There is, likewise, a figure of San Paolo reading, a half-length figure, which is so fine that it may well be that same which was filled with the Holy Spirit. All these works, with many others which I omit, to avoid prolixity, have been executed up to the present age of our artist, which is above seventy-six years. Titian has been always healthy and happy; he has been favoured beyond the lot of most men, and has received from Heaven only favours and blessings. In his house he has been visited by whatever Princes, Literati, or men of distinction have gone to or dwelt in Venice ”

“ But the artist who has most successfully imitated Titian, was Paris Bordone; who, born in Treviso, of parents, one a Trevisano, the other a Venetian, was taken, at the age of eight, to certain of his mother’s kindred in Venice. Here, having studied grammar and become an excellent musician, he was sent to Titian, but did not spend many years with that master, whom he perceived to have but little disposition to instruct his disciples, even though entreated by them to do so, and encouraged thereto by the patience and good conduct of those young men. ”

“ At the little Church of San Niccolò in the same Convent, Titian also painted a picture, comprising figures of San Niccolò, San Francesco, Santa Caterina and San Sebastiano; the latter is nude, and has been exactly copied from the life without the slightest admixture of art, no efforts for the sake of beauty have been sought in any part, trunk or limbs: all is as Nature left it, so that it might seem to be a sort of cast from the life ”

“ The nude form also demands much study before it can be well understood, nor can this ever be done without drawing the same on paper; to be compelled always to have nude or draped figures before the eyes while painting, is no small restraint, but when the hand has been well practised on paper, a certain facility both in designing and painting is gradually obtained, practice in art supervenes, the manner and the judgment are alike perfected, and that laboured mode of execution mentioned above, is no more perceived. ”

“ In the year 1541 Titian painted the picture of the High Altar, in the Church of the Santo Spirito in Venice, the subject being the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles; the Almighty is represented in fire, and the Spirit as a Dove, This picture having shown signs of deterioration in a very short time, Titian had much discussion with the monks of Santo Spirito respecting it, and was ultimately obliged to re-paint the work, which is that now on, the Altar. ”

“ Many young men have been with Titian for the purposes of learning; yet the number of those who may truly call themselves his disciples is not great, seeing that he has never given much instruction; yet all may learn more or less from the works of a master, once they have acquired the power of comprehending them. ”

“ But what a waste of time is this! when there has scarcely been a noble of high rank, scarcely a prince or lady of great name, whose portrait has not been taken by Titian, who in that branch of art is indeed an excellent painter.
He painted King Francis I. of France, as we have said. Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan; the Marquis of Pescara, Antonio da Leva, Massemiano Stampa, the Signor Giovambattista Castaldo, and other Signori in vast numbers. He has, moreover, produced various works at different times, besides those above mentioned. ”

“ There is a half-length of Santa Maria Maddalena, with dishevelled hair, which is likewise very beautiful, [26] with Portraits of Charles V., King Francis, as a youth, the Duke Guidobaldo IL, Pope Sixtus IV., Julius II., Paul III., the old Cardinal of Lorraine, and Soliman, Emperor of the Turks; all from the hand of Titian, and exceedingly fine In that same Guardaroba, among many other things, is an antique Head of the Carthaginian Hannibal, cut in a cornelian, with a beautiful bust in marble by Donatello. ”

“ This picture was drawn on wood by Titian himself, and was then engraved and painted by others.
After the completion of these works, our artist painted, for the Church of San Rocco, a figure of Christ bearing his Cross; the Saviour has a rope round his neck, and is dragged forward by a Jew; many have-thought this a work of Giorgione: it has become an object of the utmost devotion in Venice, and has received more crowns as offerings than have been earned by Titian and Giorgione both, through the whole course of their lives. ”

“ The renowned poet, Pietro Aretino, having left Rome before the sack of that city, and repaired to Venice, then became the intimate of Titian and Sansovino, which was both honourable and useful to the former, who was by that circumstance made known wherever the pen of the writer had reached, more especially to certain powerful princes, as will be related in due time. ”

“ About the same time Titian painted his own Portrait, that this memorial of himself might be left to his children; and in the year 1546, being invited to Rome by the Cardinal Farnese, he repaired to that city accordingly. There he found Vasari, who had then returned from Naples, and was painting the Hall of the Chancery for the Cardinal Farnese, by whom Titian was recommended to his care, whereupon Giorgio kept him faithful company in his visits to the remarkable objects of Rome. ”

“ In the year 1514, the Duke Alfonso of Ferrara had a small apartment decorated in certain of its compartments by the Ferrarese painter Dosso; the Stories were of Eneas, Mars, and Yenus; and in a Grotto was Vulcan with two Cyclops working at the forge. The Duke then wished to have some pictures by Gian Bellino, who painted on one of the walls a Vat of red wine surrounded by Bacchantes, Satyrs, and other figures male and female, all inebriated, with Silenus entirely nude mounted on his ass, a very beautiful figure ”

“ Another work, brought to a state of considerable advancement, but not finished, is Our Saviour appearing to Mary Magdalen in the Garden; the figures are of the size of life, as are those of another of equal size where Christ is placed in the Sepulchre, while the Madonna and the other Maries stand around: and among other good things to be seen in his house is a picture of the Madonna, with, as it is said, a portrait of himself, finished four years since, and which is very beautiful and natural. ”

“ This mode of his, imitated by artists who have thought to show proof of facility, has given occasion to many wretched pictures, which probably comes from the fact that whereas many believe the works of Titian, done in the manner above described, to have been executed without labour, that is not the truth, and these persons have been deceived; it is indeed well known that Titian went over them many times, nay, so frequently, that the labour expended on them is most obvious. ”

“ All these were transmitted to her Majesty, with a figure of Tantalus of the same shze, that of life namely, on cloth and in oil. He painted a Venus and Adonis also, which are admirable; the Goddess is fainting as she sees herself abandoned by ' Adonis, who is accompanied by dogs, which are singularly natural. [38] In a picture of the same size, Titian painted Andromeda bound to the Pock with Perseus delivering her from the Sea-monster; a more beautiful painting than this could not be imagined ”

“ But herein he failed to perceive that he who would give order to his compositions, and arrange his conceptions intelligibly, must first group them in different ways on the paper, to ascertain how they may all go together; for the fancy cannot fully realize her own intentions unless these be to a certain extent submitted to the corporal eye, which then aids her to form a correct judgment. ”

“ This picture, which is most beautiful, moves all who behold it to compassion; [45] when it was finished, a Venetian gentleman,..... Silvio, was so much pleased therewith, that, being a zealous lover of painting, he gave Titian a hundred crowns for the picture, and the master had to make another for the Catholic King, which was however no less beautiful. ”

“ For this he received from the Senate an ofiice in the Exchange of the Germans called the Senseria, which brought him in three hundred crowns yearly, and which those Signori usually give to the most eminent painter of their city, on condition that from time to time he shall take the portrait of their Doge or Prince when such shall he created, at the price of eight crowns, which the Doge himself pays, the portrait being then preserved in the Palace of San Marco, as a memorial of that Doge. ”

“ At the same time he executed a singularly beautiful Church picture, for the high ecclesiastic. Monsignore de Guise, with one of Venus and Cupid, for his chamber. For the Cardinal of Lorraine he painted the Ecce Homo, with a Jupiter and lo, and many other works. Paris likewise sent the King of Poland a picture of Jupiter and a Nymph, which was considered a very fine one. Two others which he despatched to Flanders, were also reputed to be most beautiful. One of these represented Mary Magdalene in the Hermitage, accompanied by Angels ”

“ In the same year Giorgio Vasari was in Venice, where he passed thirteen months, employed, as I have said, in the decoration of a ceiling for Messer Giovanni Cornaro, and certain works for the Company of the Calza, when Sansovino, who was directing the construction of Santo Spirito, caused him to make designs for three large pictures in oil, which were to be executed in the ceiling of Santo Spirito, and which Vasari was to paint ”