■ s&? '*>-- . J7?/«A T / Uvtti.^^ /VwU^s^ J THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM LIBRARY ^..• ! (Tvv^vv.r,-,«fjp5j 1 ->. . ... -v f Imprimatur, December the 8 th - 1685. Robert Midgley, . . ■ - . -.. a — | .. ... ____^_^ Painting Illuftrated I N Three DIALLOGUES, Containing fome Choice Oifervations upon the ART. Together with THE LIVES Of the Moft Eminent Painters, FROM CIMABUE, tothetimcofRAPHAEL and MICHAEL ANGELQ. With an EXPLANATION of the Difficult Terms- London, Printed by John Gain^ for the Author, And are to be Sold by Walter Kettilby t at the Blfhofs Head, in St. Paul's Church-Tard. M. DC. LXXXV. TVA ~~ .-- J. l J AJJ. GETTY MUSEUM LIBRARY TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM EARL OF DEVON- BARON CJVENDISH OF HARD WICK, KNIGHT OF THE BATH, AND LORD LIEUTENANT O F DARBY.&c. THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY My Lord, HE Liberal ARTS ( among fi which, with the Greeks and Romans, I place Painting ) do fo naturally depend upon the Countenance of Great Men, that without their Protection, theyfeldom take Root enough to defend themfelves againft Envy The Epiftle Dedicatory. Envy and Ignorance : Nor, on the other fide, does Greatnefs it [elf, though never fo Luxuriant, either fit Eafie in its prefent Enjoyments, or live Kindly in the Memory of Bojlerity, without thofe Ornaments of its "Pow- er, the Arts ^/Sciences. But this Ali- ana of Knowledge and Greatnefs, is always more Confpicuous, where the Maecenas is not only a Lover, but a Judge of the Beauties of Ingenious Productions : This king, where could I have fought a Patron, but in your Lordjhip, for the Improvement of an Art, which makes one of your chiefefi Delights ; and in the Knowledge of which, you /bow as much Skill as the Artifts themfelves do in the Exe* cution. Secret Beauties are the great Charm of Life to Dilicate Souls -, but they want nice Obfervers to be enjoyed ; and Pictures have thatfingular Priviledge, that though theyfeem Legible Books, yet they are per feci Hiero- glyphicks to the Vulgar, and are all alike to The Epiftle Dedicatory. to them. "Tis to remedy in fome meafure, this Misfortune of fo nohle an Art, that I have taken the pains -,your Lord/lip will fee if you daign to look into this Volume, which is Humbly dedicated to you : The World, I am fure, will jufii fie my choice of a Patron, what- ever they may do for the Book it felf -, for in your Lordjhip, be fides Noblenefs of Birth, and Eminency of Fortune and Dignity, there is an Innate Sweetnefs and Candour, accompanied toith a Serenity of Temper, and Fir nine fs of Courage-, which draw to you the Vows and Re- fpetls of Mankind, and make Offerings of this Nature to be but juft Tributes to fo known a Merit* Ijhould hardly, after this, dare to mention my particular Obligations to your No- ble Family, could I hope for a more favoura- ble Occafion of Fxpr effing that Gratitude which I owe : They were laid upon me, not only in my Infancy, but even fome days after my: Bntb -, and fo Geiurcufiy contrived), that they are: The Epiftle Dedicatory. are like to loft as long as I live : And there- fore I reckon my Dependance to be apart of my Being ; andjhall as fo on forfeit the one as the other : I am only forry that Fortune. concurs fo little with my Wifies, as to have made me hitherto an Ufelefs Servant to your Lordfiip, whofe particular Merit I have al- ways as much Admired, as others may do the Splendour of your Vortune ; the Influence of both will, 1 hope* be felt by this Noble Art of Painting ; and I in my particular, Jhall be continually ftudying how to exprefs my De- votion to your Lordfhip's Service, in a better Manner than by barely aiming, as I do now, that I am, My Lord, Your Lordfhips mod Humble, Obedient, and Obliged Sef v&nt, William Aglionby. The Preface. F the defire of per- petuating our Me- mory's to pofterity, be one of the no- bleft of our Aile6ti- ons here below, cer- tainly thofe ARTS by which we attain that kind of Immortality, do befl deferve to be Cultiva- ted by us. Therefore Hi ft or inns and Poets, who keep, as it were, the Kegiflers of Fame, have always been a Courted The Preface. Courted by the Great and by the Good, as knowing that the Merit of their A&ions depended upon their Fens ; but becaufe thofe very Men through whole Hands fuch Glorious Atchievements were to pafs, might either be led away with Paffion, or fwayed with Prejudice, to make a falfe Reprefentation of them totheWirid. Providence yet kinder, gave us two Arts, which might e&prefs the very Lines of the Face, the Air of the Countenance, and in it a great part of the Mind of all thofe whom they iliould undertake to Reprefent ; and thefe are, Sculpture and Painting. Michael Angela, the flimoufeft Sculptor of thefe Modern Ages % looking one day earneftly upon a Statue of St. Marfc made by Donatello, after ha- The Preface. having long admired it, faid at lait, That if Saint M&rjjiwere like that Statue, be would have believed his Gofpel upon bis Phy fionomy, for it was the bonefieft Face that ever was made* Tis hard to lay, whether he commended the Artift, the Saint, or the Art it felf moft by this Expreflion : But this Inference we may make from it, That if the Faces of Heroes do exprefs the Great- nefs of their Minds,thofe Arts which perpetuate their Memory that way, are the trueft of all Records. This made Alexander fo follicitous, that none but^/Z^fhould draw his P/~ Qwre : and caufed Charles the Fifth to value himfelf, upon having fat three times to Titian, as if he had obtained three Vi&ories over Death and Mor- tality. But there is in thefe Arts a a 2 Charm The Preface, Charm for the Survivour s as well as ftt the IW : And who is there of a Vertuous MIND, or an Infpi ing SOUL, who is not infinitely pleafed to contemplate the Looks, the J\deen, the Air of thole who have done great things amongft Men : the Ma- jefty of Alexander ; the Inarp Quiche ft and piercing Selerity of Q/dr ,• the Tranquil Magnanimity of SW/w ^ the Beauty of Cleopatra, are ftill extant in their Statues and Medals to fuch a degree, that none of the Curious would ever go about to give, them another Countenance thanthofe that have been, tranfmitted to us this way; I fhall not undertake to determine here>which of thefe two Arts deferves our Admiration moft : The one* riiakes Marble-Stone and Brafs foft and tender : the other, by a ftrange fort of The Preface. of Imhantmenty makes a little Cloth and Colours {how Living figures, that upon a flat Superficies feem Round, and de- ceives the E/£ into a Belief of Solids, while there is nothing but Lights and Shadows there : But this I may fay in favour of the Art of Painting, whofe praifesl am now to Celebrate, That it certainly is of a greater Extent than Sculpture, and has an Infiniter Lati- tude to delight us withaL To fee in one Piece the Beauty of the Heavens, the Verdant Glory, of the Earth, the Order and Symmetry of Pal* laces and Temples ■; the Softnefs, Warmth, Strength, and Tenderness of Naked Fi~ guresy the Glorious Colours of Draperies and Dreffis of all kinds, the Liveliness of Animals -, and above all, the Expreffi- on of our Paffions, Cujloms, Manners,, Bates,- \ The Preface. Kites, Ceremonies, Sacred and Vrophane : All this, I fay, upon a piece of por- tative C/0f/;,eafily carried, and as ea- fily placed, is a Charm ; which no other Art can equal. And from this Idsea of the Art, we may naturally derive a Confequence of the Admira- tion and Efteem due by us to the Ar- tift ; he who at the fame time is both Fainter, Poet, Hifiorian, Architect, Anato- mift, Mathematician, and Naturalijt ; he Records the Truth, Adorns the Fable, Pleafes the Fancy, Recreates the Eye, Touches the Soul $ and in a word, en- tertains you with Silent Inftrutlions, which are neither guilty of Flattery, nor Satyr ; and which you may ei- ther give over, or repeat with new Delight as often as you pleafe. If thefe Qualities do not fufficient- Jy the Preface. ly recommend the Owner of them to our EfteemJ know not what can ,• and yet by a ftrange fatality we. name the word fainter, without refle&ing upon his Art, and moft dif-ingeni- oufly, feem to place him among the Mecbanicks, who has the bed Title to all the Literal Arts. Antiquity did not fo ; and whoever {hall read the Tenth Chapter of the Thirty-fifth Book of Pliny ; which is nothing elfe but an Encomium of this Art and its Artifts, will find, that Great Princes, and the moft Digni- nified Magiftrates, thought Painters fit to be their Companions. Alexander was as often found to be in ApeUes\ Vainting-Koom, as in his Valine e $ and to Oblige him, parted with the Beauti- fulleft of all his Miftrejfes, becaufe he few The Preface. faw fhc had Wounded Apelless Heart : Demetrius chofe rather to Raife the Siege of Rhodes, than to mine a Piece of Protogenes's, which was painted up- on the place where he could have beft Annoyed the, Town ; and while his Camp was before it, would often go to fee Protogenes at Work, in a little Com- trey-Houfe he had within the Precin6fc of the Camp : And to ihow the Breed- ing and Wit of the Painter, as well as the Politenefs of the Prince, I cannot omit the Anfwer Protogenes gave De- metrius, when he asked how lie durft continue to Work with fo much Tranquility in the midft of the noife q{ Arms, and the Diforders of a Camp ? He Civilly replyed, Thatibe knew De- metrius bad War with the Rhodians, but be was fur e he bad none with the Liberal Arts. But The Preface, But to come nearer our own Times ; Francis the Fir ft, was fo in Love with Fainter s, that he got Italian Fain- ters at any Rates, and obtained of An- drea del Sarto, and Lionardo da Vinci, to Honour his Court with their Frefence and Works $ as he did the latter, with vifiting him when he lay a dying, and fuffering him to expire in his Arms. Charks the Fifth was fc fond of Titian, that he gave his very Cour- tiers feme Jeaktifie about him ,• but he Cured them of it, by telling them, That the Moments he gave to Titian, were to be well managed, becaufe he was not fare to have his Company always ; whereas he was fare of theirs, who were more the Attendants of his Fortune, than of his Perfon.When he fent him any Frefent, which he did often and nobly, he always accom pa- fa nied The Preface. nied it with this Compliment, That his Vefign xm not to pay him for his Work, Jicb could have no Trice : Which agrees very well with what Pliny fays of the Princes and Great Men of Antiquity, that they did not pay ?WMS by Summs, but by Heaps of Gold and Silver. In nummo Aureo menfura accepit, non numero ; fays Win] of Affiles : Ridtlfi in the Life of Titian, reports, That one day the fame Emperour fitting for his hclure, it happened, that Titian let fall one of his Pencils \ which the Empe- rour prefently took up, and gave him again; which putting the Pain- ter to the bluth, and obliging him to make Excufes for the trouble the Prince had taken 4 he was anlwered by him, That Titian deferved to be Ser- ved by Ccefar. Raphael del Urbin was fo 7 Ac- The Preface, Acceptable to Pope Lea the Tenth, who was a moft Magnificent, Accomplt- Jhed Prince, that he not only made him of his Bed-Cbamkr, that he might have his Company the oftner ; but like- wife had refolved to Create him Car- dinal at his next Promotion ; not think- ing the Sacred Purple it felf a Reward above the Merits of Raphael's Pencil : But the Death of Raphael prevented fo Glorious an Acknowledgment of his Deferts. Rdens, in our days, after having been in Favour with moft of the Great Princes in Chriftendom, was at laft chofen by the Infant Alien, and the Infanta Ifaklla, to be their Ambaf- fador at London ; where his Talent for the Great Affairs of State was no lefs admired than his Pencil, which has fo b 2 richly The Preface. richly Adorned the Ceiling of one of the beft Rooms in Europe, I mean, the Banquetting-Houfe. And indeed, he could never have fallen into a Court that was more difpofed to acknow- ledge his Skill, than Ours was at that Time ! King Charles the Firffc, of Sa- cred Memory, was not only the grea.- teft Favourer, but the trueft Knower of all thofe Arts -, and by his Coun- tenance, the whole Court gave them- felves to thofe Refined Pleafures ; there being hardly a Man of Great Quality, that had not a Collection, either of Pictures or Antiques : Artifts flowed in upon us from all parts : And had not the Bloody-Principled Zealots, who are Enemies to all the Innocent Plea* fures of Life, under the pretext of a Reformed SanSity, deftroyed both the Bell the Preface. Beft of Kings, and the Nobleft of Courts, we might to this day have leen thefe Arts flourilh amongft us ; and particularly ,this ofPainting,which was the Darling of that Vertuous Mo- narch: He had once Enrich' d our Ifland with the nobleft Colle&ion that any Prince out of Italy could boaft of : but thofe Barbarous Rebels, whofe Gharrel was as much to Politenefs and the Liberal Arts, as to Monarchy and Prelacy, diffipated and deftroyed the beft part of it. But with our late Bleffed Monarch,, King Charles the Second, all Arts ieem- ed to return from their Exile t and to his Sacred Memory we owe what- ever Incouragement they have re- ceived fince ^ and it may be reckon- ed among his Felicities and ours, which The Preface. which were not few, that he did £o ; for by that means we have him, as it were, yet Living among us, by that noble Statue of his, made by the beft of Modern Sculptors now living, I mean Mr. Grialin Gibbons. I have often wondred a confidering how much all Arts and Sciences are Improved in thefe Nortbern'P&Yts, and particularly with us, that we have never produced an Hifiorical Fainter, Native of our own Soyh we have had a rare Arcbiteffwho was Inigo Jones : the Banguetting-Houfexhe Portico of St. Pauls Church, and the Pia^a of Covent-Garden, are three Pieces of his Doing, which in their kind are hardly to be match- ed in Europe : We have likewife a Sculptor, who, if he goes on as he has begun, will be a Northern Michael An- gelo : The Preface. gelo : But for a Painter, we never had as yet, any of Note, that was an E»- glifb Man, that pretended to Hiftory- P aiming. I cannot attribute this to any thing but the little Incourage- ment it meets with in this Nation ,• whofe Genim more particularly leads them to affed Pace-Painting ; and in that part we have had fome who have proved moft Excellent Artifls ; as, Mr. Oliver, and Mr. Cooper, the moft Correfit in Miniature ; and in Oyl, Dob~ [on and Walker : And even at this time, Mr. Riley, who undoubtedly defer ves his Character of the rlril and beft Painter for Portraits in our Age. But our Nobility and Gentry, except fome few, who have eminently fhowecl their Kindnefs for this noble Art* they are generally fpeaking, no fadges, The Preface. Judges, and therefore can be no Pro- moters of an Art that lies all in nice Obfervations. To Remedy this therefore, I have undertaken this Work ; which I have fo compofed, as it may be read with Delight by any who are but Conver- fant with Books or Pictures \ The D*- fign is, to make Painting Familiar and Eafie to the Nobility and Gentry of this Nation, and to enter them fo far in the Knowledge and Acquaintance of the Italian Painters, that they may con* verfe with their Works, and under- ftand their different Characters. This I have done in three Familiar Dialogues^ in which I never make ufe of a hard Term of Art, but I firfl explain it : and that nothing might be wanting to make it eafie, I have alfo placed at the The Preface. the end of the Book an Alphabeti- cal Explanation of all the hard Words ufed in the lives of thofe Painters' that are here Sub-joyned. The Lives are all taken out of Vafa* ri \ and for the Choice of them, I fol- lowed the Courfe of the Arts Improve- ment, beginning with Cimalue, and going on with all thofe who were, as it were, the Inventers and Perfecters of it by degrees, till I came to the Age of Raphael and Michael Angelo. I de- figna Second Part $ which, befides fome more refined Qbfervations up- on the Art it felf, will contain the hives of all the Modern Painter? of any Note, from the Time of the Car aches to our Days, and an Account of its prefent State all Europe over. After this, I hope our People of Quality will c be The Preface. be fufficiently inflamed with the Love of an An which Rewards its Admirers with the greateft Pleafures imagina- ble, Pleafures fo Innocent and Irre- proachable, that the fevered Morals cannot forbid the Enjoyment of them ; Pleafures fo Solid and Abounding, that they are new every time they are repeated • and in a word, Plea- fures that may be made Ufefal even to the Covetous i for Pictures well bought, are Money put out to life. I might here have a great Scope to Inveigh againft thofe other Pleafures in which this Nation places their greateft Felicity ; whil'ft under the fpecious names of Society and Hofpitality, we Countenance the moll Profufe Gluttony and Exorbitant Drunkenness that the Sun Ihes : I might tell Gentlemen, That the Lofs The Preface. Lofs of Time, the Ruine of their Fortunes, the Definition of 'their Health, the Va- rious- Tragical Accidents that attend Men who once a day loofe their Reafon, are all things worthy their ferious Refte- ftion % and from which, the hove of the Politer Arts would reclaim them. But I fhall leave that The am to our Divines, and only fadly lay with the Poet ; Padet hac Opprobia Nobis. Audici potuijfe, & non pomp refelli. I cannot forbear adding to this little Reproof, an Oifervationthatlhave made abroad ; which is, That of all the Civilised Nations in Europe, weave the only that want Curio fitj/ for Artifis ; the Dutch in themidftof their Boggs and ill Mr, have their Houfes full of Pittures, from the Highefl to the Lowe ft ; the Germans are alfo Curious in their C 2 Cot* "The Preface. Collections ; the French have as good as can be had for Money ] and that Art ieems now to take Sanftuary there * and fhall we, while we have a Prince who has declared himfelf an Enemy to all our Exceffes, and a Patron of all Vertuom Undertakings, be the only Peo- ple that fhall follow Grofs Delights] I hope better of us $ and that the Charm of thefe Arts once well Comprehended, will, like Mofess Rod, eat up all the other, though never fo well Counter- fted to be like Pleasures ; while they are, indeed, but fo many Pains and Plagues. THE The CONTENTS of this WORK. f^Irfi Dialogue, Explaining the Art of Painting. Second Dialogue, Relating the Hiflorj of it, both Antient and Modern. Third Dialogue, How to know Good The LIVE S are Tbefe. Cimabue. Ghiotto. Lionardo da Vinci Andrea del Sarto. Raphael D'Urbin. Giorgione. Michael Angelo. Giulio Romano. Perinodel Vaga. Titian. Donato, a Sculptor* An &tt Catenation o F Some Terms, of the ART of PAINTING. Air. IS properly taken for the hook of a Fi- gare, and is ufed in this Manner, The Air of the Heads of 'Young Women, or Grave Men, &c. Antique. This wrd Comprehends all the Works of Painting, Sculpture, and Archite- cture that have ken made in the Time of the Antient Greeks and Romans, from Alexander the Great, to the Emperour Phocas j under whom the Goths Ravaged Italy.- Aptitude. It come from the Italian word Attitu- dine, and means the po flare and action that any Figare is reprefented in. Car- Cartoon. It is taken for a Defign made of many Sheets of Paper pafted together -, in which the whole Story to he fainted in Frefco, k all drawn exatllj,as itmuflbe upon the Wall in Colours : Great Painters never paint- ing in Frefco> but thy make Cartoons/r/?. Colouring. "Tis one of the parts of Painting, by which the Objetls to be painted receive their Complexion, together with their True Lights and Shadows* Chiaro-Scuro« It u taken in Wo Senfes : fir ft, Tainting in Chiaro-Scuro, is meant, when there are only two Colours employed. Secondly, It it taken for the difpopng of the Lights and Shadows Skilfully i as when we fay, A Painter under fands well the Chiaro- Scuro. Contour. The Contours of a Body, are the Lines that that environ it, and make the Superficies € $ Defign* Has two Significations : Firft, As a part of Painting, it [tgnifies the jaft Meafures, Proportions, and Outward Forms that a Body, imitated from Nature, ought to havu Secondly> It fignifies the whole Compofition of a piece of Painting ; as when we fay, There is great Deiign in fuch a Piece. Diftemper. A fort of Tainting that imply s the Co- lours mingled with Gumm* And the dif- ference between that and Miniature, ii, than the one only ufes the Point of the Pen- cil, the other gives the Pencil its whole Li- berty. Drapery. Is a General Word for all forts ofCloz- thing, with which Figures are Adorn- ed : So we fay, Such a Painter difpofes well the Foldings of his Drapery. Fi- Figure. Though this word be very General, and may be taken for any painted Objett \ yet it u in Painting, generally taken for Humane Figures. Frefco. A fort of Painting, where the Colours are applyed upon frejh Mortar, that they may Incorporate mtb the Lime and Sand. Feftoon. Is an Ornament of? lowers, employed in Borders and Decorations. Grotesk. Is properly the Tainting that is found un- der Ground in the Ruines 0/ Rome ; but it fignifes more commonly a fort of Tainting that express odd Figures */ Animals, Birds, Flowers, Leaves, or fuchlike, mingled to- gether in one Ornament or Border. Gruppo. Is a Knot of Figures together, either in the middle or fides of apiece 0/ Painting. d So So Carache would not? allow above three Gruppos, nor above twelve Figures for any Piece. Hiftory. Hiftory-Painting is an Ajfembling of many "Figures in one Piece, to Keprefent any Action of Life, whether True or Fabulous, accompanied with all its Ornaments of Land- skip and Perfpe&ive. Manner. We call Manner the Habit of a Painter, not only of his Hand, but of his Mind ; that is, his way of expr effing him f elf in the three prin- cipal Parts of Painting, Del ign, Colou- ring, and Invention -, it anfwers to Stile in Authors ,- for a, Painter is known by his Manner, as an Author by his Stile, or, a Mans Hand- by his Writing. Model. Is any Ob j eel that a Painter works by, either affer Nature \ or otherwife $ but mofi common* ly itfignifies that which Sculptors, Pain- ters, and Archite&s make to Govern them* felves by in their Defign. Nudity. Signifies properly any Naked Figure of Man or Woman •, fat moft commonly of Woman ; as when we fay, 'tis a Nudity> we mean the Figure of a Naked Woman. Print. If the Impreffion of a Graven or Wooden Plate upon Paper or Silk, Keprefenting fome Piece that it has been Graved after; Relievo. Is properly any EmbojfedSculpture thaf rifes from a flat Superficies. It is f aid like- wife ^/Painting, that it has a great Relie- vo, when it is ftrong, and that the Figures appear round, and as it were, out of the Piece. Mezzo-Relievo. ' Is where the Figures rife, but not above half of them is feen, the reft being fuppofcd in the Marble or Wood. Bafio BafTo-Relievo, Is, when the Figures are little more than Defigned, and do rife but very little above the Plain : Such are the Figures of the An- tients about their Cups and other Veffels. Shortning* Is, when a Figure feems of greater quantity than really it is } as, if it feems to be three foot long, when it is but one : Some call it Fore-Shortning. Stucco-Work. •If Figures of all forts > made in a kind of Flaifter, and employed to Adorn a Koovi, ei* ther under the Cornifhes, or round the Cei- ling, or in Compartimeats, or Divi/t- ons. Schizzo. Is thefirft Defigti or Attempt of a Painter U Exprefs hU Thoughts upon any Subjeffi. The Schiz- Zos are ordinarily reduced into Cartoons in Frefco Painting,or Copyed and Enlarged in Oyl-Painting. Tinto. Is, when a thing Is done only with one Colour, and that generally Black. THE DIALOGUES About PAINTING Between a Traveller and his Friend. Friend, TH E extream delight you take in Pictures, is a Pleafure you have acquired abroad, for I remem- ber before you travelled, all Pi&ures were alike to you, and you ufed to laugh at the diftindion that fome of your Friends did ufe to make of the Pieces of this and the other Mafter r A fay- faying, it was nothing but Humor in them. Traveller, What you fay is very true, and when I re* flee! upon it J cannot but blujh at my own Igno*- ranee, or rather willful. Stupidity, that depri- ved me of one of the mo ft Refined Yleafures: of Life, a Vleafure as Lafting as Life it felf,, full of hnocency and Variety, and fo Enter- taining, that, alone, it often fupplies the place of Company and Books -> and when enjoyed in the company of others, it improves by being jbared, and grow es greater by the number of its Enjoy ers? every one making fome Ob ferva- tion, according to his Genius and Inclination^ , which flill Illuftrates the whole, Friend, I niuft confefs I envy you this Pleafure extreamly, for living, as we do, in a Country where the feverity of of our Climate obliges us to be much within Doors: Such a Plea- lure as this ought to be Cherifhed, by all thofe who do not place their Felicity, as too many of us do, in a Glafs of Claret : And I own, I would willingly be of your Society, but that there goes fuch a deal of know- ledg to judg of a good Pifture, that I difpair of ever being qualified that way, being naturally not much gi- ven to take pains for any Pleafure. Traveller, Tow are very much mistaken, every one na- turally is fo far judg of Painting, as to obferve fomething in a Piffure, that is like to fomevohat they have obferved in Nature, and that alone is capable of giving them de- light, if the thing be well reprefented ± but thofe indeed who joyn to that Delight, the A 2 parti- particular knowledg of the manner how the fainter has mannaged his Lines, his Co~ lours, his Lights and Shades , and how he has difpofed his Figures, and with what Invention he has adorned his Story. They in- deed, have more fleafure, as having in all this a greater [cop for their Obfervations ; and yet this, though infinitely hard for the fainter to Execute, is but moderately diffi- cult for the Spectator to judg of it, requi- ring only a Superficial Knowledg of the fir fl Vrincipks of the Art; and a conftant Ob- fervation of the Iviarmers- of the Different Artijis, which is acquired by viewing their Works often, and Converfing much amongft them. friend^ That Superficial Knowledg of the Principles which you fpeak of, is wrapt up in fucha company of hard Words, Words, and crabed Terms of Art, that a Man muft have a Dictionary to underftand them, and a good Memory to retain them, or elfe he will be at a lofs; Traveller, If he undertake this Task with Order and Method, it will prove extream eafie ; for by following each part of fainting in its proper Divifion, he will come to the know- ledg of the Terms of the Art infenfiblj. Friend, Pray in the firft place, give me a^ Definition of the Art of Paintings that I may at once fee what is aimed at by it, and performed. Traveller, The Art of fainting* is the Art of Ke- prefenting any Object by Lines drawn upm a flat Superficies, which Lines are after— ward$y wards covered with Colours, and thofe Co- lours allied with a certain jufl diftribution of Lights and Shades, with a regard to the Rules of Symetry and Verfpeftive ; the whole producing a Likenefs, or true Idaea of the Subject intended. Friend, This feems to embrace a great deal ; for the words Symetry and Perfpe&ive , imply a knowledg in Proportions and Diftances, and that fuppofes Geometry, in fome mea- fure, and Opticks, all which require much Time to Study them, and fo I am ftill involved in perplexities of Art. Traveller, It is true, that thofe Words feem to re- quire fome Knowledg of thofe Arts in the fainter, but much lefs in the Spectator ; for we me may eafily guefs ,. whether Symetry k obfervedy if > for Example > in a Humane Body, me fee nothmg out of Proportion ; as if an Arm or a Leg be not too long or Jhort for its Pofture, or if the ¥ oft tire its f elf be fuch at Nature allows of: And for Perfpec~live y we have only to obferve whether the Ob feels reprefented to be at a diftance, do leffen in- the Pifture, as they would do naturally to the Eye, at fuch and fuch diftances ; thus you fee the fe are but fmallJ}iffculties. Friend. Pray, would you not allow him to be a Painter, who fhould only Draw the Obje£fcs he intended to reprefent in Black and White , or with bare Lines upon Paper. Traveller. Yes without doubt, if what he did were r well Depgned, for that is the Ground-work' of. 8 of all Fainting, and perhaps the moft diffi- cult thing in it. Friend, What is it you call Defign? Traveller, Defign is the Expreffing with a Pen, or Pencil, or other InfirumehU the Likenefs of any Objeft by its out Lines, or Csnters $ and he that Under (lands and Mannage swell tbefe firft Lines, working after Nature ftill, and uling extream Diligence, and skill may with Practice and Judgment, arrive to an Excel- lency in the Art. Friend, Me thinks that fhould be no diffi- cult Matter, for we fee many whofe Inclination carys them to Draw any thing they fee, and they perform it with eafe. Traveller, Traveller. I grant you, Inclination goes a great way in diffwfing the Hand, bat a ftrong Imagi- nation only, will not carry a Fainter through • For when he compares his Work to Nature, he will foonfind, that great Judgment is re* qui fit e, as well as a Lively Fancy ; and par* tic ularly when he comes to place many Ob~ jeffs together in one Piece or Story, which are all to have a jufi relation to one another. There he will find that not only the habit of the Hand but the ftrength of the Mind is re~ quifite ; therefore all the Eminent Painters that ever were, fpent more time in Defigning after the Life, and after the Statues of the Antients, then ever they did in learning how to colour their Works -, that fo they might be Mafters of Defign, and be able to place rea- dily every Object in its true fit uation<> B Friend. 10, Now you talk of Nature and Sta- tjues, I have heard Painters hlam'd for working after both. Traveller. Jf is, very true, and juftly ; but lefs for working after Nature than otherwife. Cara- vaggio a famous Painter is Ham d for having mcerly imitated Nature as he found her, with- out any correction of Farm- -A^/Perugin, another Painter is Ham d for having wrought fo much after Statues, that his Works ne- ver had that lively, eafmefs which accompanies Nature ; and of this fault Raphael his Scholar was a long time guilty ', till Iw Ke- fornid it by imitating Nature^ Friend, How is, it poffible to erre in imita- ting Nature ? .. ... £j. . ... ...... Tra- II Traveller, Though Nature be the Rule> fit Art has the Priviledge ofYerfeBing it ,• for yon rnujl know that there are few Objects made naturally fo entirely Beautiful as they might be, no one Man or Woman pojfejfes all the Advantages of Feature > Proportion and Colour due to each Sfyicv. Therefore the Aritients, when they had any Great Work to do, upon which they tw/i Value themfehes didufe to take fever al of the Beautifulleft: Obje£ts they defigned to Paint, and out of each of them, Draw what was m&fi Per- fe£b to make up One exquifite Figure ; Thus Zeuxis being imployed by the Inhabi- tant? of Crotonz* a City of Calabria, to make for their Temple of Juno, a Female Figure, Naked ; He de fired the Liberty ef feeing their Hanfomeft Virgins, out of whom he chofe Five, from whofe fever al B 2 Excel- 12 Excellencies k framd a mo ft Perfed Figure >.toA in Features, Shape and Colouring, calling it Helena. At laft in the time of Alexander the Great, all the Artifts, both Painters and Sculptors, met and confulered how to give fach Infallible Rules to their Art, as no Artiiijhould be able to depart from them without Erring ; and to that end having examined all the Beau- ties of- Nature, and how each Part of a Humane Body ought to be, to make one ac- compliihed Modeler Pofterity to Go- vern the-mfelves by : A Statue was made ac~ cording to thofe Rules by Polycletus#/^- mous Sculptor of that Age ; and it proved fo admirable in all its Farts, that it was cal- led, The Rule, and all thofe that wrought afterwards, imitated as near as they could the Proportions of that Figure, and the* Graces of it, as believing it was impofiibk for. Art. to go beyond it, . Friend, 13 Friend. Pray for which SeXpe was this Fi- gure made ? Traveller. Tradition has not told m that, but r tis very probable that the thing having fo well fuc ceeded for one, was done for both, and car~ ryed on for Children too, for we fee' the An tients admirable in them all ; witnefs ths Venus of Medicis at Rome , and the Hercules Aventinus. Friend: Then you would have a Fainter ftudy thefe Figures of the Antients to ufe himfelf to thofe Proportions and Graces which are there Exprefled, but how can that be here with us where there are few fuch or none at all ? Traveller. I - confefs the -want of ttent. is [ a great hi n* derance. 14 deranceto our Painters, i#£ we have fo ma-> ny Prints and Cafts, the Beft things of that ■kind, and thofe fo well done, that they may in a great me afar e fupply the want of the Origi- nals i and this added to theftudyof Nature it f elf, mil be a fuffcient Help to any one. friend, Would, you have a Painter ftudy nothing but Humane Figures ? Traveller, That being the moft difficult in bis Art, he muft cheifly Study it : But becaufe no Sto- ry can be well Keprefented without Cir cum- fiances , therefore he muft Learn to Be- fign every thing* as Trees, Houfes, Water, Clothes, Animals, and in Jhort , all that falls under the notion of Vifible Objeffs ; fo that by that, you may guefs how much Time he muft fpend in this one part of Painting, to acquire that Keadinefs, Boldnefs, and Strength IS Strength, to his Dejigns; that mufi be, at it were, the Ground-work of all he does. Friend, I have heard much of a difficulty, in Defigning, called , Shortning , for which I have feen Painters much ad- mired by thofe who pretend to un- derftand Painting: Pray what is Shortning ? Traveller. the Shortning of a Figure, is the making- it appear of more Quantity, than really it is • the Figure having neither the Length nor Depth that it fiows, but by the help of the Lights and Shades, and judicious mannagmg of the Out-lines, it appears what it is tot. ; " and this is .much ufed in Fainting, of Ccel- - ings and Roofs, where the ■•Figures, bcina above the Eye, mufi be mo ft oflhem Short ned, to appear- in their natural .Situation, . 16 And it is a thing, upon which 'great Painters have Valued ' themfelves, as fuppofmg a great Knowledg of the Muffles and Bones of the Humane Body, and a great Skill in- Defign- ing. Michael Angelo, amongfl the Mo- dem Painters, is the greateft Mafter in that kind. Friend, When a Painter has acquired any Excellency in Defenging, readily and ftrongly ; What has he to do next ? Traveller, That is not half his Work, for then he muft begin to mannage his Colours, it king particularly by them, that he is to exprefs the greatnefs of his Art. 'Tis they that give, as it were, Life and Soul to all that he does $ without them, his Lines will be but Lines that are flat, and without a Body, but the addition of Colours makes that appear round, 17 found; and m it were out of the Tiff/ire, which elfe would he -plain and dull. 'T/j 'they that muft 'deceive the Eye, to the degree, to make Fleftj appear warm and [oft, and to give an Air of Life, fo as his Piclure may feem almofi to Breath and Move. Friend, Did ever &ny Painter arrive to that Perfe&ion you mention ? Traveller, Tes, fever al, both of 'the Antient and Mo. tern Painters. Zeuxis Painted Grapes, fo that the *Birds flew at them to eat them. Apelles drew Horfes to fwch a likenefs, that upon fetting them before live -Horfes, the Live ones Neighed , and began to kick at them, as being of their own kind. And a- mongft the Modern Painters, Hannibal Carache, relates of himfelf, That going to fee Baflano at Venice, he went to take a C Book i8 Book of a Shelf, and found it to he the Picture of one, fo lively done, that he who was a Great Painter, was deceived by it, The Flefh of Raphael's Yi&UYcmfoNa- tural, tbatttfeems to be Alive. And fo do Titians Pictures, who was the Greatefl Mafter/k Colouring that ever was, ha- ving attained to imitate. Humane Bodies ill all the foftnefs of Flefh, and beauty of Skin and Complexion. Friend, Wherein particularly lies the Art Q,f Colouring ? Traveller; he fide _ the Mixture of Colours, fuch , as may anfwer the Painter's Aim, it lies in a certain Contention, as I may call it, between the Light and the. Shades, which , by the means of Colours, are brought to Unite with each other $ and fo to give that Round- 19 Roundnefs to the Figures , which the Italians call Relievo, and for which wr have no other Name : In this, if the Sha- dows are too ftrong, the Piece is barjh and hard, if too weak, and there be too much Light, 'tis flat. I, for my part , Jbmld like a Colouring rather fomet hi ng Brown, but clear, than a bright gay one : But par- ticularly, I think, that thofe fine Coral Lips, and Cherry Cheeks, are to be Banifhed, as being far from Flelh and Blood. Yis true, the Skins, or Com- plexions muflvary, according to the Age and Sex of the Perfbn : An Old Wo- man requiring another Colouring than a frejh Young one. But the Painter mujl particularly take Care, that there be nothing harfb to offend the Eye, as that neither the Contours, or Out-Lines, be too flrongly Terminated, nor the Shadows too hard, C 2 nor 20 nor ///^Colours placed, by one another at \ dfc not agree. Friend, Is there any Rule for that? Traveller, Some Obfervations there are, as thofe Figures which are placed on the foremoft Ground, or next the Eye, ought to have the greatefi Strength, both- in their Lights ^////..Shadows, and Cloathed with a live- ly Drapery ; Obfervingr, that as they leffen by di fiance, and are behind, to give both the Flefh and the Drapery more faint and ob* [cure Colouring. And this is called an Union in Painting,-, which makes up an- Harmony to the^ Eye , and caufes the Whole to appear .one, and not two or three. Pi&ure^ Vfiend, 21 Friend;. Then you think, the chiefeft dif- ficulty of Colouring, confifts in the. Imitation of Humane Flefh, and gi- ving the Tints or Complexions to each Age. Traveller. There is a thing which the Italians calk Morbidezza -, The meaning of which word, is to Exprefs the Soft nefs, and tender Live" line ft of Flefh and Blood, fo as the. Eye may almoft invite the Hand to touch and feel it, as if it were Alive ■; and this is th& hardefl: thing to Compafs in the whole Art of Painting. And 'tis in this particular^ that Titian,. Corregio, and amongfl : th more Modern, Rubeiis, .and . Vandike,. d& Excel.. IricjidsL •22 Friend. I have heard, that in fome Figures of Raphael > the very Glofs of Da- mask, and the Softnefs of Velvet, with the Luftre of Gold, are fo Ex- prefled, that you would take them to be Real, and not Painted: Is not that as hard to do, as to imitate Flejb ? Traveller. No : Becaufe thofe things are but thejlill Life, whereas there is a Spirit in Flefh and Blood, which is hard to Reprefent. But a good Painter mufi know how to do thofe Things you, mention* and many more : As for Example, He mujl know how to Imi- tate the Darknefs of Night, the Bright- neffof Day, the Shining and Glittering of Armour,- the Greennefs of Trees, the Drynefi of Rocks. In a word, All Fruits, Flowers, 2$ Flowers , Animals , Buildings , fo as that they all appear Natural and Fleafing to the Eye. And he muft not think asfome do> that the force of Colouring confifts in imploying of fine Colours , as fine lacks Ultra Marine Greens, SSc. For thefe indeed, are fine before they are wrought, but the PainterV Skill is to work them judici- oufly, and with convenience to his Sub feci*. Friend \ , I have heard Painters blamed for Finifhing their Pieces too much : . How can that be? Traveller. Very well: For an over Diligence in that: kind, may come to make the Picture look too like a Ficture, and loofe the freedom .^Na- ture. And it- was in this, that Proto- genes, who was, it may be, Superieur.to > Apelles, in every part of Fainting ^ he~- fife: & 24 fides, was nevertheless Outdone by bin, be- c/iufe Protogenes could hardly ever give over Finifbing a Piece. Whereas Apelles hew, when he had wrought fo much as would anfwer the Eye of the Spe6tator> and preferve the Natural. This the Italians call, Working A la pittoresk, that is Boldly, and according to the firfi Inch at ion of a Fainter s Genius. But this requires a prejudgment, orelfe it will appear to the j udicious, meer Dawbing. Friend, I hear, you Travellers talk of Paint- ing in Trefco, in Diftemper, in Oyl, in Chiaro Scuro : pray, What is the meaning of all thole Words ? Traveller, Tou muft know, that the Italians have a Way of Painting their Pallaces, both within and without, upon the bear Walls ; md be- fore 25 fore Oyl Painting came up, moft Mafiers wrought that Way ; and it is the moft Ma- fterly of all the ways of Painting, becaufe it is done upon a Wall newly Flaiftered, and you mufl Plaifter no more, than what you can do in a Day ,• the Colours king to Incorpo- rate with the Mortar , and dry with it, and it cannot be Touched over again, as all other Ways of Painting may : This is that they call Painting in Frefco. Friend, This mult require a very Dexte- rous and quick Hand. Traveller. Yes, and a good Judgment too ; for the Colours willfhow otherwife when they are Dry, than they did when they were Wet : Therefore there is great Praftice required in Mannaging them , but then this Way makes amends for its Difficulties $ for the D longer 26 longer it ft ands, it acquires ftill more Beau- ty and Union, it refifting both Wind and Rain. . Friend, Pray what is Tainting in Diftemper ? Traveller, fainting in Diftemper, is when either the Wall or Board you Taint upon, is pre- pared with a certain Pafte or Blaifter, and then as you Work, you temper your Colours ///// with a liquor made of the Yolk of an Egg, beaten with the Milk of a Figg Sprout, well ground together. This u a way of Tainting, ufed by Antient Matters very much -, and it is a very lafting Way, there being yet things of Ghiotto'j" doing upon Boards* that have lafied upwards of Two Hundred Tears, and are ftill frefb and Beautiful. But fine e Oyl Painting came in, moft have given over the way of Working \ 27 in Diftemper. Tour Colours in this way are all Minerals, whereas in Working in Frefco, they mufi be all Earths. Friend, What is Oyl Painting ? Traveller, The Secret of Oyl Painting, confifts in ufing Colours that are Ground with Oyl of Nut, tfrLinfeed, and with thefe you paint upon a Cloth, which has firjl been primed with drying Colours, fuch as Ce- rus, Red Oaker, and Ombre, mingled together. This manner of painting, makes the Colours Jhow more Lively than any other, and feems to give your Ficlure more Vivacity and Softnef. Friend, Can you Paint in Oyl upon a Wall? D 2 Traveller, 28 Traveller* Tes> you may upon a dry Wall, having 'th over wi firft Evened it ; and wafbed it Boy led Oyls, as long as it will drink any in and when it is dry, prime it as you do a Cloth. There is another Way of doing it too, by applying a Pafte or Plaifter of a par- ticular Compofition, all over the Wall, then Wajhing it over putting over that Maftick, and Linfeed Oyl, then Mixture of Pitch, Varniih, hoyled together, and apply ed with a great BruJIj, till it make a, Couch, fitto receive your priming, and af- terwards your Colours. Vaffarr gives the Receipt of a particular Compofiti- on, which he ufed in the Great Dukes Pa* lace at Florence, and which is very taft* iiv* Friend j Did the Antients life Oyl Painting ? Traveller 2 9 Traveller, It does not appear by any that have Writ upon that Sub] eel, that they did; And the Moderns were a great while, before they found it out. It was Difcovered by the Indu* fry of a Flemifh Painter, tailed, John of Bruges, who being Vexed at the Suns u%+ gluing fome Pi&ures of his made upon Boards , refolved to find out a Way of Fainting upon Cloth ; which he did Gom- pafs, and was much Admired for it, in fo much, that Antonio de. Meffina, a famous Fainter of his Time> came on purpofe into Flanders, and Lived many Years with John of Bruges, to ham the Secret. He afterwards Settled at Venice , and there Taught it fever al of his Friends ; amongft the refi, to one Dominico Vini~ tiano, who coming to Florence, to Faint the Chappel of the Portinari, brought this fecret 30 fecret with him ; and had for chief SchoHar, Andrea del Caitagno. It has been the greatejl help to Painting imaginable. For before, it was hard to carry Pi£tures from place to place , but now being done upon Cloth , they may be carefully Rolled up, and carried all the World over* Friend, Pray what is painting in Ch'taro Scuro ? Traveller. It is a manner of Fainting that comes nearer Defign than Colouring, it being firfi taken from the Imitation of the Sta- tues of Marble, or of Bronze, or other Stones, and it is much ufed upon the Out' fide, and Fronts of Great Houfes and Fa- laces, in Stories which feem to be of Marble* or Porphire, or, any other 'Stone tie 'Fain- ter thinks fit to Imitate. This 31 This Way of Painting , which feldom employs above two Colours, may he done in Frefco upon a Wall , which is the kfi Way j or upon Cloth, and then it is mofl commonly employed for Defigns of Tri- umphal Arches, and in Decorations of the Stage for Plays, and other fuch Entertainments Vaflary, gives the fecret of doing it either Way. Friend, I find that by little and littlej fhall penetrate into the fecret of this Art,if fometimes you will be as kind as you have been now ; for what you have Taught me already, is fo clear, and eafie, that I think I (hall hardly for- get it; but I believe the Hardeft is yet to come. But before I engage any deeper in this MyfteryJ would glad- ly be Informed of the Hiftory of faint- ing, ing, that is, of its Rife, Progrefs, Perfection, and Decay, both among the Antient Greeks and Romans., and amongft us Moderns. Traveller. If you, pleafe, it ft) all he the Subje£t of our next Meeting ,• and I do ajfureyou, it will be very Inftruclive, and. Diverting, and difpofe you very much to the Under/land- ing the mofl refined Secrets of the Art, as well as the Beauty of the fever al Pieces of the kfi Artifts. Friend. Pray let it be fo, for I do exped great Variety, in a Narration, which muft run through fo many Ages, and Difcourfe of fo many Admirable Men. DIC A- 33 THE HISTORY Of the ART of PAINTING. DIALOGUE II. Friend, I Am come to Summon you of your Promife ; and you may fee by my Impatience, that you have al- ready made me a Lover of the Art. Traveller, J am glad to fee it ; for it is no fmall Plea- fire to think, that we are capable of pro- curing Vie afar e to others, as I am fare I E flail 34- Jball do to yon, when I have made yon tbo~ rowly capable of underftandingtfa Beauty of an Art that has been the Admiration of Antiquity, and is ftill the great eft Charm of the mo ft polite part of Mankind. Friend, Rray who do you mean by that glorious Epitbete. Traveller j Ir mean chiefly the Italians, to whom none cm deny the Vrjviledge of having been . the Civiliiers of Europe, fince. Painting, Sculpture , Arehite&ure, Mufick^ Gardening, .polite Converfation, and prudent Behayiour arenas I may call it; all of the Growth , of their Cpuntrey ; and! mean, .be fides, alljhofe in France, Spain > . Germany, LowrCountreys, and Eng- l|^SL to 1] ^^^£%^^r4^^^ Arts, and. endeavour. 35 endeavour to promote them in their own Na- tion. Friend, I confefs, they are all ravifhing Entertainments, and infinitely to be preferr'd before our other fenfual Delights, which deftroy our Health* and dull our Minds ; and I hope they are travelling apace this way. But now pray fatisfie my Curiofity about this Art of Painting, and let me know its whole Hiftory. Traveller. To do that, Ijboidd begin with Adant, andfo fearch down all along throughly in An> tiquity ; but for want of Guides in fuch a Journey, I mufl fet forth at fome more known Stage, and that I think mufi be Graece ; though there is great reafon to fuf- feS that the ^Egyptians had the Art long E 2 before 3* before them, as they had mo ft other Arts and Sciences fence : Moft of the great Philo- sophers of Gr&ce travelled to ^Egypt for their Learning, witnefs Thales, Py- thagoras, Democritus, Plato, and many others ; and it u likely that the Artifts might do the fame : bat however the place where Painting fir ft fettled, was Corinth, or Sicyone -, there being fome Difpute about thofe two Towns* becaufe there happened to be Eminent Mafters at them both much about the fame time, to wit, Cleanthes at Coring and Telephanes at Sicyone -, but the Art in both the fe places was but in its Infancy ; thofe Painters contenting t hem f elves with drawing the out lines of one Colour, and jhadd owing them within : Some time after,. Clcophantus of Corinth Invented Vari- ety of Colouring ± and that fame Mafier came into Italy with Demaratus, the Fa- ther 31 ther 0/Tarquinius Prifcus, King of the Romans. Friend, Did P 'aintifig get fo early into Italy? Traveller. Tis a Difpnte, whether it were not there fir (I ; for there was a Temple in Ardea, a City near Rome, on which were Paintings, which were yet to he feen in the Time of the. Emperonr Vefpatian -, which Tradition affirm d to be Antienter than the Foundation of Rome 'j and by confeqnence, of an older Date than the Time of Tar quinius Prif- cus, or his Father ; and yet thefe Paintings were fo ffejb and lively, that they feemed ta have been Fainted but the other day. Bat to return to the Greeks ; it is pro* bable, that Painting remained with them a great while in its Infancy, (nice th firfi Painter of any Note, was above three hun- dred 38 dred Tears after the Foundation of Rome, and that was Polygrotus ^/Ta- fus>wbofirft begun to draw Draperies in the Women s Pictures, and to drefs their Heads in different Fajhions ; he was like- wife the fir (I that ventured upon Hiftorical Pieces, having Painted the Temple at Del- phos, and the great Portico at Athens ; which from the Variety of Pictures in it, was called, the Various. Both thefe Pieces he did Gratis ; which gaind him the hove of all Greece to that degree, that in a Publick Ajfembly of the Amphicfcions, it was de- creed, that where ever he Travelled all over Graece, his Charges fbould be born by the Publick. About thirty Tears after him came Apol- lodorus the Athenian, who was Admira- ble for the Beauty and Strength of his Fi- gures ; he was the Mafler of Zeuxis, who carried 39 carried Painting to its highejl Perfetliony and acquired to bimfclf great Riches, though be never fold any of bis Pieces, but gave them, all for nothing, faying, That if they were to be duly valued, whole Kingdoms and Provinces could not pay for them. He was be fides fa Magnificent in his Humour, that being at the Olympian Games, which was the noblefl Affembly of all Graece ,♦ he wore his Name in Gold Letters upon his Cloak, that all might take notice of him. He drew many Pieces \ but his chief was An Athlete, or Champion of the Olympick Games ; with which he- was fo fat is fed, that he wrote under it thefe'. words -, It may be Envyed, But not Imitated. His Concurrents in the Art were never tbg lefs great Mafiers -, amongfi themmve t Ti^ mant&s 43 mantes and Parrhafius ; and with this /aft ' Zeuxis had many Co nt efts, in one of which he owned him f elf overdone ; for having agreed each of them to draw fomething for Matte- ry, Zeuxis drew Grapes fo rarely \done, that the Birds flew and peck' t at them ; and thereupon he bidding Parrhafius flow his Viece ; was by him prefented with a ¥i- ■ clure, with a Curtain before it ; which Zeu- xis going haftily to draw, found that it was nothing but a tainted One, fo well done, that it had deceivdhim. . Parrhafius out did him likewife in Va- nity, and boafting of his own Abilities, pre' tending amongft other things, to be defcended from Apollo, and to have Converfation with the Gods -, faying, that the Hercules he drew at Lindus, was the fame that u-sd to appear to him in his Breams ; he was never- thelefs overcome publickly ^nTimantes at Samos 4i Samos, to his great Affliction ; his particu- lar CharaBer was, Well Finifhing his Pieces. Timantes, on the contrary, was of a [met, modeft Temper, and was Admirable in the Expreffion of Paffions ; as appear d by his Famous Pifture of the Sacrifice of Iphi- genia -, where he drew fo many different forts of Sorrow upon the Faces of the Spectators* according to the Concerns they had in that Tragical Piece the Naked Picture ^/Campafpe, one of the mofi Beautiful Women of her Time, and Miftrifs to that Great Prince, could not defend his Heart againft fuch Charms, hut fell defperately in Love with her ; which Alexander perceiving, very Generoujly pre* fented him with the Lady, thinking a Piclure of his Hand to be a fufficient Exchange for fo great a Beauty : And 'tis to be pre fumed, that Apelles himfelfwas of no ordinary Me- rit, fince the Lady went willingly to his Bed, and livd with him all his Life in great Fe- licity. Tis thought, that a famous Piece of his, calld, the Venus Diona^a, was the Picture of that Lady. Friend, I obferve, great Painters have gene- rally, either Hand fome Wives, or Beautiful MiftrifTes, and they are G * for 5° for the moft part,extreamly fenfible to Beauty. Travellour. How can they be otherwife ? being fucb Judges as they are, 0/ Feature and Pro- portion ; and having be fides, fo ftrong an Imagination, as they muft have, to excel/ in their Art. And Apelles did fo ftrong- ly take the Idea of thofe. be Tainted, that Phyfonomifts and Fortune-Tellers have often Praclifed their Art upon bis Pi- ctures with Succefs, foretelling whatjbould befall the Per funs for whom they were made ; and to add to the Excellency of his Art, he bad a Varnifh, the Secret of which dyed with him, by which, he not only made his Co- lours appear more lively, but alfo prefervd bis Pieces from all Injuries of Time. friend. Friend, What were his molt Famous Works ? Traveller, 'Tis bard to fay ; but if we may Judge ly ^Judgment 0/ Auguftus Csefar, we muft give the Pri%e to that Famous Venus coming out of the Sea ; which he Conse- crated in the Temple of his Father Ju- lius ; and which, frm her ABion, was caltd by the Greeks, Anadiomene, and was extreamly Celebrated by their Poets ; a part of it being fpoil'd by Time, there was no Painter found that would offer to mend it j fo great was the Skill of Apelles, and the Veneration that all Artifts had for bis Works. G 2 Friend, 52 Friend, Was there many of them prefer- ved to the Time of the Romans ? Traveller. A great many -, and for ought we know, might have lafted to our days, if they could have efcaped the Barbarity ofthofe Nations that Ruined the Roman Empire -, for there were at Rome of his doing, Caftor and Pollux, and the Yicture of Alexan- der, Triumphing with the Image of War, tyed by the Hands to his Chariot : and thefe were Confecrated in the Forum of Auguftus. He had made many Figures ^/Alexander, and other Great Men, which were all preferred and valued at a vaft Rate by the Greeks and Romans. Friend, Was there any thing left ofProto- genes' '$ doing ? Tra- 53 Traveller. Very little, except at Athens, where fa painted the Propyleum, or Antiporch of the Temple 0/ Minerva : but his mofl famous Piece was his Jalyffus, which was Confecrated in the Temple of Peace in Rome : 'tis faid, he [pent Seven Tears about it, and Coloured it over four times, that it might the better refifi the Injuries of Time. Friend. What was Reprefented in this Pifture ? Traveller, There has been great Difpute about that in Antiquity, and fine e -, fome being of Opini- on, that therein was .Reprefented the City of Jalyflus, with its Territory belonging to the Rhodians : But that feems improbable* becaufe that Cicero always compares the Jalyflus of Protogenes with the Venus pf Apelles ,• which would be very improper; if it were only a Town : 'tis therefore more probable, that it was tbelHftare of the Her 9 Jalyffus, Founder of the Town, and who was faidto ie Son to Apollo. What fewer it was, the fiece was fo Admired, that it Savd the City of Rhodes, when it was Befieg'd by Demetrius, who could have Carried it, if he would have Fired a part of the Town where this Pi£ture was ; but he chofe rather to Raife the Siege, than to dejlroyfo fine a thing : Some fay, that Pro- togenes was yet alive, and working in his Gountrey-Houfe in the Suburbs of Rhodes, which were allVoffefi by the Army of Demetrius ,• who hearing that he work d on quietly, fent to him to know the reafon of fo much Security amidft fo much Danger : Protogenes made Anfwer, That he knew 55 knew his War was with the Rhodians, and not with the Arts : Which Anfwer fo pkafed Demetrius, that he gave him a Guard, and went often, daring the Siege, to fee him work. And thus you fee, Art can protect its own Sons in the midfi of the greateft Dangers. Friend, I think, I have read fomewhere, that Yrotogenes was a great while be- fore his Pi&ures were underftood by his Countrymen, infomuch that he was very Poor, and his Works Sold for little or nothing. Traveller, '75 very true, and he ms beholding to tfa Generofity ofApelhsforhis Fortune ^ for he feeing how little he was valued at Home, bought up a good many ofhh Pieces $ giving 5* giving out, he intended to fell them again for his own, and gave him a great Fricefor them ; which the Rhodians hearing, intreatedhim to let them have them ; which he did, bat made them fay well for them. The fe four, Zeuxis, Parrhafius, Apel- les, and Protogenes, were the four Fa- mo as Painters fl/Gnece, which has made me the more particular in fpeaking of their Works y they having carried the Art to the high eft pitch it was poffible to arrive to. Friend. Then after their Time it Decayed, and grew every day leis Famous. Traveller. It remained in great Perfection for fe- ver al Centuries ithefe great Maflers hav- ing made fo many go.od Schollars, .and left fuch Admirable- Precepts for the Art, that it 57 it was impoffible it could be loft for a great while ; nay, feme Improvements were made by Succeeding Matters in the Art of Colouring* and making their Pictures of a greater Relievo than thofe Antient Ma- tters did. But it will not he amifs, to name you fuccintlly fome of the great Matters that were, as it were, of the School of thefe Antients $ as likewife, to mention fome of their Works. Firft, then Paufias 0/Sicione, was a Schollar 0/ Pamphilus, as well as Apel- les, and fe ems to have been the fir ft that be- gan to Paint Walls and Ceilings -, for Apelles never Painted upon a Wall, but upon a Board, or fome portable Matter, that his Works might be lefs fubjetl to Fire, and other Injuries of Time *• There were like- wife fever al good Pieces of this Matter pre- ferved at Rome ; Lucullus gave two H Ta- 58 Talents for a Piece of his, of a Young Woman making a Garland 0/ Flowers ; and there was likewife in Pompey's The- atre a Piece of his, of a Sacrifice of Ox- en> much efteemed. This Town of Sicione Furnijhed Rome with its greateft Rari- ties j for the Common Town-Houfe king ran in Debt, Pawned their Pi£tures ^ which were all, or moft of them carried ta Rome by Scaurus the Edile, to Adorn the Magnificent Entertainment he made for the People in the Forum Romanum, dur- ing his Magiftracy. Euphranor of Corinth was another Famous Mailer, who lived about the f our hundred and tenth Tear of the Foundati- on of Rome 5 he gave a great Majefty to his Figures, and was admirable in his Proportions ; there was a Piece of his in the Temple of Ephefus, Reprefenting the Coun- 59 Counterfeit Folly of Ulyffus, in which he was looking a Horfe and an Ox toge- ther. About the fame time was Cyelias, whofe Fame was fuch, that long after his Death, a Piece of his, containing the Story of the Argonantes, was bought by Hortenfius, the Famous Roman Orator, Contempo- rary with Cicero $ and he paid forty four Talents for it ; which is about eight thoufand pound Sterling : He built a Chappel on purpofe for this Pi&ure in his Villa at Tufculum. Out ^/Euphranor's School came Ni- cias, who painted Women fo rarely ; Rome was full of his Works, brought from Graece : his mofi Famous Piece was Ho- mer's Hell ; which he painted with fuch great Attention, that he would often ask his Servants, during that Labour, whether H 2 he 6o he had Dm d, or no ? He was offered [event] Talents by King Ptolomeus, which is above ten thousand pounds, for this Viece ; but he chofe rather to Honour his own Countrey with it, and prefented it freely to the Town of Corinth. It feems, he was al- fo an Admirable Statuary ; for Praxite- les being asked, which of all his Statues he valued the moft ? made anfwer, thofe which Nieias finijhea I for him : fo great a value he had for his Skill ^Judgment. Not long after, there flourijhed in Athens one Metrodorus, a rare Philo- fopher, and moft excellent Painter ; after that Paul us Emilius had Conquered Vox- feus King of Macedon ; being f# Athens, he de fired the Athenians to give him fome one^ of their moft Learned Men to Breed up bis Son- ; and they by one Accord named Me- trodorus 6i trodorus for that Employment -, with whom Paulus Emilius was Infinitely Satis* fied. Friend. All this while, thefe are all Greek Maimers ; had the Romans none of their own ? Traveller. Yes, and very famous Ones ; witnefs that Fabius, who was Sir named Pi£tor, of one of the greateft Families in Rome -, he fainted the Templum Salutis in Rome : they had likewife Paunius, who was loth Po~ et and Fainter, and painted the Temple of Hercules in the Forum Boarium. Tur- pilius, a Roman Knight, painted many things at Verona ; and that which was very fingular, and never pracJifed but by himfeJf, ma& 62 was, that he painted with his Left Hand. Atterius Labeo, who had been Pretor, was famous for, his Works in this kind. But to fay the truth, the Romans being a War- like Nation, were mofi taken up that way, and the great Men amongji them contented them- felves with being able to Judge of Arts, and to incourage them by their Riches, which they profufely layed out in Pieces of Painting and Statuary: Thus Julius Csefar Confecrated in the Temple of Venus, from whom his Family was derivd, two Pieces, one an Ajax, another a Medsea j both Admirable Figures . Auguftus did the fame ; and in Imitation of him, all the Great Men pur chafed the Works of the Greek Painters and Statuaries at any Rate $ infomuch that Grcecia and Afia were almofi deprived of all the befi Originals, which were brought to Rome, and there preferved, till fever al Ac- *3 Accidents of Tire, and the Invafion 0/Rome by the Barbarous Nations, confumed them • infomuch that novo there are but a few Pieces of antient painting left. But I hope we need not much regret that lofs, when wejha/l reflect upon the Admirable Works of our Mo- dern Painters, who have arrivd to that perfection in the Art, which perhaps would aflonijl thofe Antient Artills themfelves, if they could revive and fee them. Friend, Before you undertake to tell me the progrefs of the Art in thefe Mo- dern Times, pray inform me how long it lay buryed in Oblivion ? Traveller. From the decay of the Roman Empire, and the Invafion of the Goths, & other Bar bar ow- Nations, it continued decaying, and was in a mbjiMT* 64 manner quite lofly till within the fe four hun- dred Tears, that it firft revived in Tuf- cany. Friend, Pray, what was the great reafon of that Decay ? Traveller. Be fides the Barbarity of the Times, in which Men were continually imployed in Wars, Rapines and Murders -, the Zeal likewife 0/Chriftian Religion, did not a little contribute to Jlifle the Ingenuity of the befi Artifts ; for after a long Contefl with the Religion of the Gentiles, the Chrifti- an having prevailed at lafl, the Bifhops and Paftours of the Chriftian Aflem- blies laboured all they could to extingui/h the very Memory of the Heathen Gods ; and therefore threw down all thofe wonderful Statues, Sculptures, Paintings, and other *5 other Ornaments of their Temples ; which they did not out of any hatred they had to thofe Arts, but out of a Blind Zeal, to ex- tinguijh their Superftitious Worihip ; by which, they neverthelefs fo crafhed thofe Arts themfelves, that for many hundreds of Tears they lay buryed and neglected. Friend, How came they at laft to recover themfelves ? Traveller, There remained in Greece fome little footfleps of the Art ; and from thence it was, that about the Tear 1250, there came fome Painters, who could hardly be called Ma- ilers, having fcarce any more knowledge of the Art than jufl to draw the Out-lines without either Grace or Proportion -, the fir ft Sc hollar they made in Italy, was at Florence, and was called Cimabue ; who I beinz &6. being helped by Nature, foon outdid his Ma- kers, and began to give fome ftrength to his Drawings, but ftill without any great Skill, as not under ftandinghow %o manage 'his Lights and Shadows, or indeed, how to Defign truely; it being in thofe days an unufual and unat tempted thing to Draw after the Life.. His chief Schollar was Ghiotto, who was very 'Famous for his Time ; he freed Paint- ing from that fir ft Stiffnefs of the Greek Mafters, and began to give fome Air to the Heads, and fome Softnefs to the Colon r- ing, with better Aptitudes to his Figures, as alfo, fome Loofnefs in his Drapery - nay, he. attempted fomething of Shortning and Perfpeclive, though but imperfectly ; he like- wife began to jhow in his Pieces fome effects of the.Paffions of the Mind, fuch as Fear, Love, Anger, Pity, 6V. But he ftill was 61 far from expr effing the Livelinefs of the Eyes, the foftnefs ofFleJb, and the ftrengtb of the Mufcles in Naked Figures, as having feen nothing of that kind to dire ft him, or help him in this firfi beginning of the Art. After him Thaddeo Gaddi had fome- thing a better Colouring, and more Liveli- nefs in his Figures. Simon Saneie be- gan to under fi and the Decorum of Com* pofition : WStephanoScimmian?/^ his Son Tomafo added fiome ftrengtb to their Drawings, and perfected themfelves in Perfpe6tive> but ftill keeping to the Man- ner of Ghiotto ; which was continued by Spinello, Ar&ino, Jacopo, Cafentino, Antonio, Venitiano, Andrea, Pifano, Nino, and feveral others, who ftill got ground a little, but could not fall into that free manner of the Imitation of Nature I 2 which 63 which Mafaccio fir ft attained to both in Sculpture and Painting, having quite layed afide Ghiotto's way. Friend,- How long was it from the time of Cimabue to the time of Mafaccio ,?. Traveller. About two hundred Tears ; all which thus we may call the Infancy of Painting ; but Mafaccio, by great Study and Amplication, having found out the true way of placing his Figures upon a plain Superficies, with due Sh or tilings ; which- all the other Maflers be- fore him -bad not- under flood ; invented like* wife an eafier way of drawing the- Drape- ries with loofe and natural Foldings ; he, air fv attempted Naked Figure Si, and fucc ceded in them -better than any before him ; but in Perfpeftive he was admirable ; there being yet extant in Florence a Piece of his, where there 6$ there are Houfes drawn in Perfpeftive, withfo much Skill, as to flow both the Infide and Out fide of them. In bis Time Sculpture was come to a great Improvement, chiefly by the prodigious Ge~ nius of that great Architect, and Sculp- tor, Philippo di Ser Brunelefci m as alfa by his other Contemporaries , Donatello , Lorenzo , Ghiberti, and fever al others -, who having difcovered fome. ofthebefl Roman Antiquities, and flu- died them carefully, had attained to a rare Boldnefs in Defign, and opened the way to the Painters to draw with more Exaclnefs and Truth, as alfo, to give more Sweetnefs J 'tv the Naked Figures of Women and 'Chil- dren i fo that with the help of fever al other Eminent Altifts, Fainting was come, ash were, to its Adolefeence or Youth-, 'eve** ■ ry thing being extreamly mended > their In- Yemiom 70 tion being more Copiom and Richer in Or- naments i their Drawings truer & near- er Nature ,• their Colouring more De- lightful ; and in a word, the whole Manner of Painting king altered from what it was in the Time of 'Ghiotto. Friend. Pray, who were the great Painters of this Second AGE, as one may call it ? Traveller. There were many, bat chiefly thefe, Pietro delta Francia, Lazaro Vafari, Anto- nello da Meflina, Andrea del Caftag- no, Dominico, Ghirlandaio, San- dro, Botticello, Francefco, Fran- cia, Andrea Mantegna $ and many others. Friend. 71 Friend. Thefe. were all Florentines, as I take k y or at leaft, bred in the Florentine Schoole : Was there no other place in Italy that produced Artifts of the fame kind at that time ? Traveller. Tes, at Venice, and all over Lombar- dy, there were fever al Faint ers of Repute ; at Venice particularly, the two Bellini were defervedly Famous ; and at Ferrara, Lorenza Colta, and. Hercole Ferra- refe ; but ftill Fainting kept, as it were,. in its Youth, alike in all places ; and mo ft of the Mafters then livings thought they had attained the Ne plus Ultra ; whereas . they were infinitely Jhort of that. Skill which thofeof ' the Third Age, or, as Lmay call it, the Virility or Manhood of Fainting did arrive to. Friend:'- 72 Triend. Pray, what was wanting in their Works ; for methinks, you have faid already, that they were truely Defigned, and finely Coloured ■ that they underftood Invention, and Com- pofition ; that they were not Ignorant in ?erfpeclive, and the Art of Shortning their Figures : all which are the hardeft things in~P ainting. Traveller. There wanted a Spirit and Life, which their Succeilors gave to their Works $ and particularly, an Eafinefs ; which hides the pains and labour that the Artifl has ken at ; it being with Painting as with Poetry ^ where, the greatefi Art, is to conceal Art ; that u, that the Spectator may think that eafie, which cofi the Fainter infinite Toy I and La- 73 Labour ' They had not likewife, that fweet Union of their Colours which was after* wards fouud oat, and firfi attempted by Francia Bolognefe, and Pietro Peru- gino ; and fo pleafing it was to the Eye> that the Veople came in flocks to ft air upon their Works, thinking it impofpble to do bet- ter j but they were foon undeceived by Leo- nardo da Vinci ; whom we muft own as the Father of the Third Age of Painting, which we call the Modern ,• and in him no- thing was wanting ; for be fides ftrength of Defign, and true Drawing, he gave bet- ter Rules, more exatl Meafures, and was more profound in the Art than any before him. Friend, About what time did Leonardo da Vinci live ? And who were his Con- temporaries ? K Tra~ 74 Traveller. He flourijbed about two hundred Tears ago, and had for Contemporaries moft of the rare Painters that the World has pro- duced ; which were, Giorgione di Caftel, Franco, Andrea del Sarto, Raphael del Urbino, Antonio di Correggio, H. Parmigiano, Polidoro, Julio Ro- mano, Perino del Vaga, and Michael Angelo Buonaroti. Friend. Thefe are all famous Names, and known to all thofe who have ever heard of Painting ; therefore, I would fain be informed more particularly of their Excellences. Traveller. The befi way for that, will he, to read their Lives\> done by Vafari •, but h the mean 75? meantime, to fatisfie your Cnriofty, I will fay a little of every one of them. Giorgione was of the School of Venice, and the fir ft that followed the Modern Tus- can way; for having by chance feenfome things 0/ Leonardo da Vinci, with that new way offtrong Shadows, itpleafed himfo much, that he followed it all his Life time, and imitated it prefeclly in all his Oyl Paintings : he drew all after the Life, and had an excellent Colouring ; by which means he gave a Spirit to all he did ^ which had not been feen in any Lombard Painter before him } and that was his particular Char abler ; he was as great a Mufitian as he was a Painter, and played admirably upon the Lute ; he dyed Joang, having got the Plague of his Miftrefs, who having it upon her, admit- ted of his Embraces ; of which they both dyed. K 2 An- 1* Andrea del Sarto wrought with won- derful Diligence and Care, infomuch that his Works i are highly v allied, and his Colour-' ing was the fweetefi in the World, but there wants Strength and Spirit, which Andrea bad not himfelf, being of a mild timer ous Na» tp*e% and diftruftful of his own Capacity, as alfo fet ting very little Value upon what he did-; whieh made him- live and die Poor and Con- temptible 'i not having got in all' his life time much- Money, except when he was in France, in the -Service, of tiat King.- Raphael del Urbin was the greatefi Painter that ever was -, having made himfelf a~ Manner out of the Study oftheAntients and the Moderns, and taken the befi out of loth;-, he, was admirable for the \ eafvnefs of Invention, Richuefs, and Order in his Goixipofition, Nature herfelf .was over- come by his Colouring, he was Judicious be- yond 77 yond me afar e, and proper to his Aptitudes ; in a word, he carried Painting in its great- eft Perfection, and has hen outdone by none : His particular Talent lay in Secret Graces, as ApellesV did among the Antients.- Antonio di Correggio, among the Lombards, was. an exquifite Artift ,- for without ever having teen out of his own Coun- trey, he attained to the greateft difficulties > of the Art 5 never did any Body handle. Co- lours letter, nor Paint with a greater Re- lievo ; but particularly, the tender Soft- nefs he gave his Naked 7igmes,farpaf~ fes all Mailers of his Time, and perhaps, all that evensere ; he- worked moft at Parma, , retird, and little taken notice of, having a . great Family, and working hard to main- tain them : Painting ows much to kirn-, and ' particularly, the manner of drawing Hair ■ 78 loo fe and natural ; which no Painter before him had attained to. Francefco Muzzuoli, otberwife called, II Parmigiano, was one of the rareft a- mong the Lombard. Painters ; Sweet- nels, Neatnefs, and Grace in his Fi- gures, were his Char after, together with an art of making Landskips, and other Or- naments, beyond any of his Time : and if he had not taken a Humour of Studying Chymiftry, and feeking the Philofo- pher's Stone, he would have been, perhaps, the mo ft excellent Fainter of his Age. Polidoro, from carrying Stone and Mortar in the Pope's Buildings, came to try his Genius for Defigning ; and hav- ing made an Intimate Friend/hip with Ma- turino, a Florentine, who was then work- ing upon the new Lodgings in Frefco ; he followed his ftudy fo clofe, that they two un- dertook 19 dertook fever al Frontifpeeces, and Oat [ides of Pallaces in Rome ; and their Genim was fo conformable* that their Work feemed to pro- ceed from the fame Hand, though both of them work'd together upon the fame Piece ; their Invention was the richeft-, and Defign the eafieft that it was poffible to fee ; and to this day, they are the be ft School for Painters , they having contributed to the Art as much as any ; they painted mo ft of the be ft Roman Stories up and down Rome ; but did them all with that great Judgment, that to thofe who are converfant with the Cuftomes and Drefs of that Nation, all feemed mighty proper and e a fie. Julio Romano, was Raphael's Schol- lar, and his Beloved Schollar, none having fa well Imitated him either in Manner, In- vention, Defign, or Colouring ,• and he- 8o he was be fides, pie af ant in his Converfation, of a jovial, merry Humour , and infinitely flitting with the fweetnefs 0/ Raphaels Temper , no Body imderflood Antiquity better, for he had extreamly ftudied TrajanV Pillar, where all the Roman Habits, Engines of War, Eniigns, Arms, &c* are rarely well Keprefented •' He was be fides, an admi- rable Medallift, and [pent much Money and Time in that Study : his chief Works are at Mantua ; where he livd the befi part of his Life, and dyed Rich, and in great Favour with the Duke of that Place. Perino del Vaga came to Rome in Raphael^ Time, and grew excellent by flu- dying his and Michael AngeloV Works ; he was a bold and ftrong Defigner, having imderflood the Mufcles in Naked Bo- dies as well as any of his time j he had a par- ticular Talent for Grottesk ; of which kind 8i kind thefe are many Pieces of bis in Rome ,* but bis chief Works are at Genova in the Pallace 0/ Principe Doria ; be was a very univerfal Painter both in Frefco>Oyl and Diftemper, and fir [I taught the true work- ing 0/Grottesks and Stucco Work. Michael Angelo Buonaroti was the greateft Defigner that ever was, having ftudied Naked Bodies with great Care ; but he aiming always at /bowing the mofi difficult things of the Art, in the Contorfions of Mem- bers, and Convulfions of the Mufcles, Contra* Hions of the Nerves, &c. His Painting is not fo agreeable, though much more profound and difficult than any other -, his Manner was Fierce, and almofi Savage, having nothing of the Graces of Raphael, whofe Naked Fi- gures are dilicate and tender, and more like Flefh and Blood, whereas Michael An- gelo doth not dijlinguifb the Sexes nor the L Ages 82 Ages fo well, but makes all alike Mufculom and Strong ; and who fees one Naked Figure of bis doing, may reckon he has feen them all > his Colouring is nothing near fo Natural as Raphael's * and in a word, for all Vat- fari commends him above the Skies, he was a better Sculptor than a Painter : One may fay 0/ Raphael and of him, that their Cba~ rafters were oppofite, and both great De- figners ; the one endeavouring tofbow the Difficulties of the Art, and the other aiming at Eajinefs ; in which, perhaps, there is as much Difficulty. Friend. You have touched very handfom- ly upon the Characters of all thefe great Artifts, and have thereby rai- led a defire in me to read their Lives. But pray Inform, me yet a little fur- ther 8 3 ther : Did Painting after their Time decay ? Or, has it fince been Impro- ved by more Modern Painters ? For all thofe whom you have menti- oned, lived almoft two hundred Years ago. Traveller. I cannot fay, it has Decayed, bat it has rather Improved , till within thefe few Tears, that it fe ems to be at afiand; and I fear, mufl Decay, both for want of Encou- ragement, and becatife all things that have attained their titmojl Period, do generally decline, after they have been at a ftand for forne time. Friend. Pray, who were thofe that Suc- ceeded Kkphaeland Michael Angelo, and thofe other great Painters which you have mentioned. L 2 Traveller. 84 Traveller. After the Death of Raphael and his Schollars ( for, as for Michael Angelo he made no School ) Painting feemed to k Decaying; and for fome Tears, there was hardly a Mafter of any Repute all oven Ita- ly. The two h ft at Rome ntfn?Jofeph Arpino and Michael Angelo da Ca- ravaggio, but both guilty of great. Mi ft ah s in their Art : the fir ft followed purely his Fancy, or rather Humour, wbichww nei- ther founded upon Nature nor Art, but had for Ground a certain YraBical, Vantaftical Idea which he had framed to kimfelf The other was afure Naturalift, Copying Na- ture without diftindion or difcretion ; he under -flood 'little 0/ Com poll t ion or Decor um,k was an admirable Colourer. But much about the fame time, the Cara- ches 0/ Bologna came to Rome, and the two 8 5 mo Brothers Tainted together the famous Gab lery of the Pallazzo Farneze : Hannibal the lounge ft, was much thegreatefi Mafter ; though bis Eldefi Brother Auguftin was likewife admiraile ; they renewed Raphael'^ Manner ; and Hannibal particularly, had an admirable Genius to make proper to him-' f elf any Manner he faw, as he did by Cor- reggio, both as to his Colouring, Ten- dernefs, and, Motions of the Figures ;.. in a, word, he was a mofi AccempliJb'd'Pa'mter, kthfor Defign, Invention, Composi- tion, Colouring, and all parts 0/ Paint- ing ; having a Soveraign Genius, whicbmade him Mafter of a great School of the bejh Painters Italy has had. Auguftin his Elder Brother was an exp- edient Painter, and a rare Ingraver-. He far furpafed Hannibal bimfelf in, the Accomplifbments of the Mind ; for be-? 8£ fides his knowledge in Mathem&ticks and Philofophy, he was an admirable Milfi- tian, and a very good Poet in his own Lan- guage : He Founded the Academy 0/De- fign in Bologna ; in which, bejides De- figning after the Life, there was Taught Simmetry, Perfpe£live, the reafon of the difpfing the Shadows and Lights, Ana- tomy and Architecture ; and Difcourfes were made upon Stories and Fables, and the Manner of V lacing them, and the Art of Colouring them $ infomuch that Painting was much Improved by him. He left a Natural Son, whofe Name was Anthony, and who dyed about twenty four Tears Old ; 'twas though he would have gone beyond Hannibal himfelf the little that he has left behind him being of a bolder flight than any of the Carraches. Lodovico &7 Lodovico Carrache,/fe Uncle, tm be that firft InftruSed Hannibal, and was m Imminent Painter, having ftudied the Manner of Correggio $ he excelled in Defign and Colouring, and was chiefly Imitated by Guido Rheni ; who, though a Schollar of HannibalV, yet thought the Sweetnefs and Colouring ofTusdovU CO to be preferrd to Hannibal's ; and: in- deed the Heads of Guido are not infer iout U thfc of Raphael himfelf Friend, Pray, who were the chief Schol- lars of this School of the Caraches> Traveller. The mo ft Remarkable were Guido Rhe« ni, of whom I was fpeaking, Sixto Bada- • locchi, Albano, Dominichino^Lan* > franc. Guido Rheni acquired both mouKe* • 88 put at ion and Riches than any of the School of the Caraches, there being hardly a Prince in Europe that has not endeavoured to get fome of bis Pieces, which he fold at what Kates be pleafed* Sixto Badalocchi dyed toting, but was the befi Defigner of the whole School of the Caraches. Albano worked moft in Little, but with a great Genius, and an admirable Sweetnefs, having be fides, all the Parts of an Excellent Painter. Dominichino was one that took much Pains, and had not that happy Facility which his other Contemporaries had, but he was very Profound in all the Parts of Painting ; info- much, that bating the inimitable Graces of Guido, hefeemsto out-do him in every thing el ft > and particularly, in greatnefs of In- vention. Cavaliero 8* Cavaliero Lanfranc was mother of the famous Difciples f/Carache> and Paint- ed in Rome fever al things in Concurrence with Guido and Domenichino $ he had a great Fire, and a noble Manner ofDefign and Colouring, but not ah ays fo Correct as he fbould be. There was likewife one about the fame time, or a little after, who feems to have been his own J\dafier 9 and to have been the Head of a School ; and that is, Pietro Berettini di Cortona, who was a mofi Accompli /bed Painter, and a great Compofer, much Facility in his Inventions, and a particular way of Cloathmg his Fi- gures, were his dijli?iguifbing Characters ; but be fides, he was Univerfal ,- Painting all his Ornaments himfelf and that to a great Per- fection, as n^///VLatidskip as in Fruits, Flowers, Animals, &c. His Forms are M very 90 very Correct, as having fludied all the An- tiques of Rome better than any fainter of his Age, there king fcarce an Old Frag- ment left Un-Defigned by him ± his Dra- pery is a little fliff, and that is his on- ly fault. Friend. Methinks, all this while, you 3 laid nothing of fome of the niuic Famous Fainter s in the World, to wit., Titian, Tint or et, Fad Veronefe, and the Baffans. Traveller. They are all of the Lombard School, mid I deigned to treat of them by themfelves, as indeed , they deferve $ but in the mean time, fince you have mentioned them y I mill give youafhort Character of each of them. Titian was the befl Colourer, perhaps, that ever was s he Defigned likewife very ivell x well, but not very exatlly ; the Airs of his Heads for Women and Children are admi- rable, and his Drapery loofe and noble ; his Portraits are all Mailer-pieces, no man having ever carried Face-Painting fpfai± ; the Perfons that he has drawn having all the Life and Spirit as if they were alive ; his Landskips are the True ft, be ft Coloured, and Strongeft that ever were : He was very Laborious, Copying with his own Hand all that he did for ten Tears ; that he might thereby acquire a Facility : He lived to be a hundred Tears Old within one Tear, and tainted to the laft ; but what he did at fir ft and at laft, is eafily diftinguifbed from his other Works which he did in his Prime. Paul Veronefe, Difciple of Titian, fainted with grert Grace, and adorned his Figures with Beautiful Draperies, but M 2 his 92 his Compofition was grofs, and Inven- tion poor 9 neither did he Defign Correctly, his Colouring it exquifite. Tintoret had a great Genius* Sifhe had had as much Patience as he had Fire andVu vacity, he would have Excelled -, but he is faul- ty in his Defign, and his Gompoiltion and Ornaments are mean, his Colouring // very good. The two BafTans had but a poor Genius., confined to one Manner, and with little Va- riety ; but their Colouring is Admirable, and their Animals Defigned Truely, and with great Relievo ; as for other Paint- ing, they had neither Invention nor Cor- rection tf/Defign* And with them, I think, I may Jhut up my Account of the Italian Painters of any great Fame, % Fxiend* 53 Friend, Has there been no Painters of the firft Rank out of Italy ? Traveller. Few or none, hat fome there have been, that had they feen Italy, would certainly have been of the very firfi Kate i: Others there are too, who having feen that" Countrey, have brought out of it a Manner- and Colouring little Infer iour to the be ft Mafters there ; the firft were Albert Durer and Holbins, who were both' Profound in the Art ; they were Con- temporaries to Raphael , and would have pulled him if they had: lived at Rome, to Jhake of their Gothick Mm- nex. > Raphael had Albert. Durer imi greats great Admiration, and ufed to hang his Prints in his Chamber, and (lady them : Amongfl thofe who have been in ITA- L Y, the two beft are Rubens and Van- dike. Rubens had a great Genius, much Fire, and yet great Softnefs ; be was Learned in the Art, tut without Cor- rection in Defign ; his Colouring is equal to Titian's, whofe Works he chief- ly Study ed, and like him, followed Nature more than the Antique ; he has more Fa- cility than Titian, more Truth and Profoundneis than Paul Veronefe , and more Majefty and Repofe than Tintoret : His Chief Study was upon thefe three ; out of whom be made himfelf a Manner beyond them all $ and fuch 5>5 ftich an one as has not hen out-done by any. The kft of bis Sc ho liars was Vandike ; who feems to have befl under flood his Ma- tters Rules and General Maxims ; ?iay, he has even far pa^ed him in the Dilicd- cy of Expr effing true Flefh and Blood ; particularly , in fome fmall Cabinet Pieces : Had he not fpent fo much time in Portraits, he might have been a great Hiftory Painter $ though he did not De- i\ iign with great Correction. DI A- 91 THE HISTORY Ofthe ART of PAINTING DIALOGUE m. Teaching How to know Good Figures. Friend. I Have read with great pleafure the Lives of mod of thofe Pain- ters whom we difcourfed of at our laft Meeting ; and that Study has given me fo muuh Infight into the Art, that I muft needs own, that a N Ge- 5 8 General Painter, fuch as Raphael and fome others were, is a molt extraor- dinary fort of Man ; it being necef- fary he Ihould not only have a Ge- nius and Spirit infufed from above, but alfo> that he be fraught with all the beft part of acquired Know- ledg here below - y and I do no lon- ger wonder now, that we have fo few of fuch Tranfcendent Artifts. Traveller. The World here in our Northern Cli- mates has a Notion of Painters little no- bler than 0/Joyners and Carpenters, or any other Mechanick, thinking that their Art is nothing ht the daubing a few Co- lours upon a Cloth, and believing that no- thing more ought to be expeffed from them at beft, but the making a like figure of any Bor dys Face. Which S9 Which the mo ft Ingenious among ft them per- ceiving, flop there -, and though their Geni- us would lead them further into the noble pat t of Hiftory Pain ting, they check it, as ufelefs to their Fortune, fmce they Jhodd have no Judges of their Abilities, nor any proportionable Reward of their Under* takings. So that till the Gentry of this Na- tion are better Judges of the Art, 'tis im- poffible we fbould ever have an Historical Painter of our om, nor that any excellent Forreigner Jhould ft ay among ft us, Friend, What you fay is very true, and therefore I think it would be a good work to inform us how we fhould Judge of Paintings, and diftinguifh the Good from the Bad ; as alfo, to teach us how to know the different N 2 Hands 100 Hands and Manners of thofe great Matters already extant. Traveller. To do that perfectly, would be a Work of great length, and perhaps, ingage me in the Secrets of the Art it felf, tofuch a degree, 04 my Difcourfe would be fit for none but Painters to read > therefore I Jhall not do that i but if a few Rules of Common Senfe and Obviom Notions will fujfice, as I believe they will, to make any one a Judge ^/Paint- ing, I am content to give yon that fort of Qbfervations. Friend. Pray do, and in as eafie Terms as you can, that I may Communicate what I Learn, to thofe whom I de- fign to gain over to this diverting Knowledge. Traveller. ior Traveller. I muft then repeat to you what I told yon at our firft Meeting ; which is, That the Art of Painting has three Parts ; which are, Defign, Colouring, and Invention -, and under this third, is that which we call Difpolition $ which is properly the Order in which all the Farts of the Story are difpofed, Jo as to produce one effeS according to the Defign of the Painter ,• and that is the firft ^ffeU which a good Piece ofHiftory is to produce in the Specta- tor ; that is, if it be a Picture of a joyful Event, that all that is in it be Gay and Smiling, to the very Landskips, Houfes, Heavens, Cloaths, &c. And that all . the Aptitudes tend to Mirth. The fame, if the Story be Sad, or Solemn ; and fo for the reft* And a Piece that does not do this at firft fights is moft certainly faulty, 102 though it be never fo well Defigned, or ne- ver fo well Coloured \ nay, though there be Learning and Invention in it ± for as a Play that is defigned to make me Laugh, is nwft, certainly an ill one if it makes me Cry. So an Hiflorical Piece that doth not pro- duce the Effecl it is defigned for, cannot pre- tend to an Excellency, though it be never fo finely Painted. Friend. But as one may be delighted with the Verles and Competition of an 111 Play, fo we may be pleafed with the Defign and Colouring of a Picture that is ill Difpofed. Traveller, 'T/i true, but that is but an Imperfect Joy, and fuch an one as reflecls more upon the Artift, than if he had made an Attempt to pleafe us by Order, and had failed in his De- 103 Defign and Colouring. Such was the fault of one, who being to draw the Story of Mofes finking the Rock in the Defert to get Water for the People of Ifrael, made a Rock indeed, and the People about it, but drew the Landskip of a Countrey full of Pafture, and Beautifully Green and Fertile -, not confidering that fuch Court- treys have no need 0/ Miracles to produce Water in them ± without which they cannot b fuppofed Fertile : whereas he JhouM have drawn a Countrey, as indeed it was> Burnt up,Sandy, and Barren, that the Miracle might have been both more ueceffary and great- er : and though this Countrey were never fo finely done by him, yet that Errour of Judgment made the Piece Int oiler able, and not to be looked upon without Indigna^ tion. The io 4 The next thing to be confidered in an Hi- storical Piece, is the Truth of the Draw- ings, and the Correction of the Defign, as Painters call it , that is, whether they have chofen to imitate Nature in hermofi Beauti- ful Part i for though a Painter be the Cop- pift of Nature, yet he mufl not take her pro* mifcuoufly. as he finds her, but have an Idea of all that is Pine and Beautiful in an Ob- ject, and choofe to Keprefent that, as the Antients have done fo admirably in their Paintings and Statues : And 'tis in this part that moft of the Flemifh Painters, even Rubens himfilf have mifcarryed, by making an ill Choice of Nature y either be- caufe the Beautiful Natural is not the Product of their Countrey, or becaufe they have not feen the Antique, which is the Correction of Nature by Art , for we may truly I0 5 fay that the Antique is but the be ft of Na- ture ; and therefore all that refembles the Antique, mil carry that Character along with it. friend, I remember, you reckoned it to me among the Faults of fome Pain- ters, that they had ftudied too long upon the Statues of the Antients ,• and that they had indeed thereby acquired the Correction of Dejign you fpeak of ; but they had by the fame means loft that Vivacity and Life which is in Nature, and which is the true Grace of Paint- ing. Traveller. ''Tis very true* that a Painter may fall into that Err our, by giving himfelf up too O much much to the Antique ,• therefore be muft know, that bis Profeffion is not tyed up to that exact Imitation of it as the SculptorV is, who mufl never depart from that cxa% Ke- gidaritj of Proportion which the Antients have fettled in their Statues > hut ters Figures mufl be fuch as may j ther to have been Models for the Antique, than dr axon from it ; and a Painter that ne- ver has fiudied it at all, will never arrive at that as Raphael, and the befi of the Lom- bard Painters have done -, who feem to have made no other life of the Antique, than by that means to choofe the mofl Beautiful of Nature. There is another Caution to be obferved too in this Choice of Forms, which is, to keep a Judicious Aptitude to the Story ; for if the Painter, for Example, is to draw Samp- ler* 107 fori, he muft not give him the Softnefs and Tender nefs he would give to Ganimedes . nay, there is a difference to be made in the very fame Figure at different times : and Hercules bimfelf is to be made more Ro- buft, fighting with Anteus, than when he fits in Dejanira's Lap. But above all, the Painter mwfi obferve an equal Air, fo as not to make one part Mufculous and Strong and the other Soft and Tender. There is another thing to be confidered like- wife upon the viewing of any Story ; which is whether the Painter has ufed that Variety which Nature herfelffets us a Pattern for, in net having made any one Pace exactly like another, nor hardly any one Shape or Make of either Alan or Woman. Therefore the Painter muft alfo vary his Heads* his Bo- dies, his Aptitudes, and in a word, all the 2 Members io8 Members of the Humane Body, or elfe his Piece will Cloy , and Satiate the Eye- As for the Remainder of what belongs properly to that part called Deiign ; we mtifl conpder if every Figure moves pro- perly ; as> if a Figure be to fir ike y whether the Arm and all the Body Jhow the vigour of fecb a Motion-, and the fame if he is to Run or Dance ; and therein confifts one of the greatefi Mafteries of the Art, and which requires fome Knowledge in Anatomy, that the Mulcles be rightly exprefs d. As for Shortnings, they are things of great Difficulty, and few under ftand the Beauty of them -, which is, fo to cheat the Eye, that a Fi- gure that in reality is not a Foot in length, Jhall fe em to be five or fix Foot long ; and this depends upon Opticks, and is moft in ufe in Ceilings and Vaults. Friend. I op Friend. Thefe are good Obfervations for Naked Figures ; but few Pieces are all of that fort, moft being Cloath- ed j and they fay, that the EiFed of Draperies is of great Confequence to the Piece, and therefore to be ma- naged with great Art. Traveller, 'Tis very true, 'tis one of the moft diffi- cult parts ^/Painting ; and the be ft Rule is> that your Drapery he in large Fold- ings, Noble and Simple, not repeated too often, but following the Order of the Parts ; and let them be ofStwSs and Silks that are commonly worn, of beautiful Colours, but fweet* iio fweet, and fuch as do not trench upon the Na- ked too barjhly, and b] that means the] will be of great life for the Union of the Whole j either by refletling the Light, or giving fuch a Fund as is wanting for the other Colours to appear better. They ferve alfo to fill up any empt] place in the Figure. There is alfo a Judicious Choice to be made 0/ Draperies, according to the Qualit] of the Perfons : Magiflrates and Grave People mufi have Ample and Long Robes ; Countrey People and Souldiers mufi have Clofe, Short Draperies ; Young Maids and Women mufi have them Light, Thin, and Tender. The] that follow the Dra- pery of the Antients in Statues, will al- ways be Stif, as Raphael was at fir ft, be- caufe that the] ufed little Foldings, often re- peated i which do befi in Marble or Brafs. But Ill But Painters who have the Command of Co- lours, Lights, and Shadows, may ex- tend their Draperies, and let them fly as they pleafe. Titian, Paul Veronese, Tintoret , Rubens , and Vandike , have painted Drapery admirably ; and indeed the Lombard School have ex- celled in that and Colouring, as the Roman and Florentine in Defign and Nudity. Friend. What is properly the Colouring of a Piece of Painting ? Traveller, It is the Art of employing the Colours. proper to the SubjeS, with a regard to the' Lights and Shadows that are incident to 112 to the Story, either according to the Truth of it, or to the Painters Invention : and out of the Management of thefe comes all the Strength, Re- lievo, and Round nefs that the Fi- gures have : 'tis hard to give Pofitive Rules here, it depending much on Pra&ice ; but the moft General is, fo to manage your Co- lours, Lights, and Shadows, that the bodies enlightned may appear by the Oppo- fition of your Shadows j which by that means may make the Eye refl with Fleafure upon them ; and alfo, that there be an imperceptible parage from your Shadows to your Lights. 'Tis generally obferved likewife to make the great eft Light fall upon the middle of the Piece, where the principal Figures ought to be, and to leffen it by degrees towards the fides till it loofe it f elf In gentle Sha- dows, H3 Shadows, avoid ftrong Shadowings upon the Naked Members, leafi the Hack that is in them feems to be part of the F/eJJj. But above ally there is a thing called by the Italians, II degra damento de Co- lon ; which in Englifh may be termed, The diminifhing of Colours : And it conjifls in making an Union and Concord be- tween the Colours in the formofl part of your Piece, and thofe that are behind, fe that they be all of one tenour* and not broke ; and by this means every part correfponds with another in your Picture, and makes up one Harmony to the Eye, As for Face-Painting alone, it is t§ be managed another way, for there you muft do precifely what Nature Jhows you, 'Tis true, that Beautiful Colour? may be employed, but they muji be r P H4 m make not your Piece like a Pi&ure, rather than like Nature it [elf ; and particularly, you mufi obferve to exprefs the true Temper as well as the true Phifionomy of the Perfoms that are Drawn -, for it would be very abfurd to give a Smiling, Airy Countenance to a Melancholly Perfon ; or, to make a Young, Lively Woman, Heavy and Grave. T/i faid of Apel- les, that he exprejfed ^Countenance and true Air of the Perfons he Drew, to fo great a degree, that fever al Phy- fionomifts did predict Events upon his Pictures to the Perfons Drawn by him, and that with true Succefi. If after that, you can give your Picture a great Relievo, and make your Colours Re~ prefent the true Vivacity of Nature, you 115 p& have done pur Work as to that pan of Tainting, which is no [mall one , ie- ing> next to Hiftory, the mofi difficult to obtain > for though there he but lit- tle Invention required* yet 'tis necef- fary to have a Solid Judgment md Lively Fancy. Friend. Pray, what is properly Invention in a Pi&ure ? Traveller. Inventions the Manner of Expr effing that Fable and Story which the Fainter has chofenfor the Subjetl of his Fiece ; and may principally be divided into- Order P 2 and Decorum. By the firfi , the fainter places the parts of bis Subject properly, fo as the Spectator may ima- gine that the thing did not happen other- wife than as it is there Keprefented ,• and fo as the whole Content of the Sto- ry , though it imhrace never fo many Figures, make bat one BODY, Agreeing with its felf in all its Parts* For Example : Suppofe a Painter to Reprefent the Story of the Jews gathering Manna in the Defart • he m/ifi fo order it, that the Perfons employed in the Piece do all do the fame thing, "though in different Aptitudes ; and there mufi appear in their Counte- nances the fame Joy and Defire of this Heavenly Food ; and hefides, he mufl Reprefent a Countrey proper, and give 1 1 7 give his Figures their Draperies ac- cording to the Cuftoms and Man- ners of the Nation he Keprefents : all this Raphael has done in this ve- ry Story : and indeed, that part of Invention was fo great in him, that he feldom Defigned a Story in hisfirft SCHIZZOS, that he did not do it four or five fever al ways, to choofe at lafi the be ft. But to do this, a Painter, befides a Fanciful, Flourifh- ing Genius of his own, muft help him- felf by reading both Hiftory and Fa- ble , and Converfing with Poets and Men of Learning ; but above all, the Fainter muft have a care that he pitch not upon fucb an Invention as is beyond his Forces to perform. Some U8 "Some Obfervations there are abut the Number of Figures fit to be em* ployed in an Hiftorical Piece. Han- nibal Carrache was of Opinion, that a Viece that contained above twelve Fi- gures, could never be free from Confu- fion -, and the Reafon that he ufed to give, was ; firfi, That he thought that no Piece could be well with more than three great Gruppos, or Knots of Figures : And Secondly, That that Silence and Majefty which is neceffary in V aiming, is loft in that Multitude and Croud of Figures. But if your Subje£fc be fucb as confi rains you to a Multitude , fucb as the Keprefentation of a Battle, or of the Lafl Day of Judgment* then you are like wife difpenfed from that great Care 119 Care of Fkijbing ; but muft chiefly jludy Union , and the difpopng of your Lights and Shadows. The Painter mujl alfo take Care, that bis Scene be known by his Piece at firfl view, by fome Ingenious Invention to exprefs the Countrey : Such wos that of Nealces a Greek Painter, who having Drawn a Sea-Fight between the ^Egyptians and the Perfians ,• to exprefs, that the Action happened at the Mouth of the Nile, made an Afs drinking by the fide of the Riven and a Crocodile ready to devour him ; that being the proper Ani- mal of that River. The fee ond part of Invention k Decorum } that is, that there be no- thing Abfurd nor Difcordant in the Piece : and in this part, the Lombard Painters are very faulty ; taking Liber- ties 120 ties that move one almofi to Laugh- ter ; Witnefs Titian himfelf, who Drew Saint Margaret a Stride upon the Dra- gon : and moft of the Lombard Pain- ters are fubjecl to a certain Abfurdity of Anachronifaie's Drawing* For Ex- ample, our Saviour upon the Crofs, and Saint Francis and Saint Benedi£t looking on, though tbey did not live till eight hundred Tears after our Savi- our s Paffion. All Indecencies are like- wife to be avoided : and Michael An- gelo doth juftly deferve to be Cenfured, in his great Picture of the Day of Judgment, for having expo fed to view in the Church it felf, the fecret parts of Men and Women, and made Fi- gures among the Bleffed that kifs one another moft tenderly. Raphael on the con- 121; contrary, was fo great an Observer of De- corum, that though his Sabjeft led' him to any Liberties of that kind* he would find a way to keep to the Rules of Modefty : and indeed, he feems to have been Infpired for the Heads of his Madonna's and Saints, it being im- poffible to imagine more Noble Phyfio- nomies than he gives them ; and withal, an Air of Pudour and SanUity that firikes the Spectator with Refpect. Friend, . , This puts me in. mind of the moving part of Painting ; which is , the ftirring of the Affeftions of the Spe&ator by the Expreffion of the Paffions in the Piece ; and CL me- 122 methinks this might well be called a part of Painting. Traveller. It is Comprehended under that of In- vention y and is indeed the mojl diffi- cult part of it, as depending imrely upon the Spirit and Genius of the Painter, who can exprefs things no other- wife than as he conceives them $ and from thence come the different Manners ; or > as one may call them , Stiles of Painting ; fome Soft and Pleafing, others Terrible and Fierce , others Majeftick, others Low and Humble, as we fee in the STILE of P 0- E T S ; and yet all Excellent in their Kinds. Friend. 123 Friend. Pray, if you were to give your Judgment about thofe Painters whom you efteem moft univerfal, and whofe Works were fitteft to be Studied , whom would you choofe. Traveller. / Jboald begin with Raphael, whofe Graces and Skill are beyond Imitation, and can only be Admired till Heaven [ends [itch another Genius down to Ad- vance the ART beyond what he brought it to : after him, I think that Giulio Romano and Polidoro, with Perino del Vaga, may carry the Bell for De- 0^2 fign 124 ilgn and Invention. Tor Beauty of Colouring, Correggio, Titian, and Parmigiano an, without Conte.fi , the moft Inimitable Mafters : Paul Ve- rbnefe had a mofi Rapid Genius* full of Fire and Invention, an Adrni* rable Colourer, but not an exalt De- signer, nor true Choofer of the befi Forms for a Dark, Strong Manner, fome- what Smoked, but very Learned : I think that Giorgione Pordenone and Caravagio are Admirable •■ And in tbefe Latter Times the Carraches feem to have had all the Qualities together, bb* ing Excellent Designers, Admira- ble Colourifts, full of Graces, and of Great Skill in- Managing their Lights and" Shadows. Infomuch that there, k. little Amendment- to be ex~ polled 125 petted in Painting, after fach A R- TISTS. Friend. You fay nothing of Michael An* gelo, hionardo da Vinci, Vouffin, and a great many others. Traveller, I have elfe where given their Chara- cters ; which becaafe they are not Uni- verfal, I do not here propofe them for "Patterns : Michael Angelo was a migh- ty Defigner, and that was all : Of Li- onardo, who was Equal to*, him in every thing* toe have nothing left, or very little ; As for Pouflin, the fo much Admired Frenchman ; his. way-was. in. Little, for the;. moft: 126 mofi' part > and fome are of Opinion he could not do in Great ; or at leafi, he did not delight in it > having done but two Pieces in all his Life time, that were as tig as the Natural ; i his Fi- gures were generally of two or three Foot long ; his Compofition Orderly, his Invention Florid ; but particular- ly, he had a Talent for Expreffng the PASSIONS : which wasmoft Ad- mirable : His Colouring inclines more to the Antique than to Nature. And he has left many Pieces unfinijbcd. But take him altogether in his Way, he is a Great MAN, but not of that fir ft Rink ^/PAINTERS, whom all ARTISTS muft look upon as the Great Originals that Heaven hath given to Mankind to Imitate ,• and whofe 127 tobofe WORKS will not only be the SCHOOL, ktthe DELIGHTand ADMIRATION of all After Ages, as long as Painting Jball retain any Efieem amongfl Mankind. The End of the Dialogue's. THE I2y The LIFE of CIMABUE: A Vlorenth Painter. HAT Deluge of Calami- ties which, for divers hundreds of Years, had overwhelm'd Italy, had not only ruin'd all the publick Fabricks and the product of the Induftry of the Antients, but like wife fo extinguifhed the Arts themfelves that there was not an Artificer in any kind left : when it pleafed R GLq4 126 Vie LIFE of God that about the year 1240, there was Born in Florence, Jean Cimabue who firft Revived the Art of Painting. He was of the Family of the C IMABV £, in thofe dayes reputed Noble ; and. being a promifing Child , his Father fent him to Schoole to the Moneftry of Santla Maria No- vella, where one of his Relations was profe£. for of Grammer to the Novices of that Con- vent. But he inftead of minding his Book, ufed to fpend all his time in Drawing of Fi- gures of Men, or Horfes, or the like, upon Paper, or the backfide of his Books : Following thus the powerful dictates of Nature, which defign'd him for another Profeffion, much a- bout this time,thofe who Governed in Florence* invited fome Painters out of Greece, that the Art of Painting which was totally Loft, might be Reftored among the Italians', and the firft work they undertook, was the Chap- pel of the Gondi in Santla Maria Novella, which they Painted \ the Front and Vault of it i s now fo Ruin'd by time, that the Work is hardly CIMABUE. 127 hardly to be difcerned. Here Cimabue follow- ing his fecret Inclination, ufed to get from School and pafs all day with thofe Painters, to fee them work. So that at laft, his Father perceiving how fond he was of that Art, agreed with the Greek Painters to take him to their Care, they judging that he was very likely to fucceed in the Profeffion. Ac- cordingly in a fhort time he was fo help'd by Nature, that he furpaued his Mafters, both in Defign and Colouring ; for they not at all attentive to Improve their Art, had conten- ted themfelves with a plain flat manner ; as •we may fee in thofe of their Works that have been preferved to our time; but Cimabue though he imitated them, yet he had a much freer way, as appears by his Works that re- main. The chief of which are the back of the great Altar in Sanffa Cecilia, and in San- 8a Croce a Madonna, which is yet faftned to a Pillar on the right hand of the Quire : Af- ter which he drew a Saint Francis upon a Field of Gold j and which was new in thofe R 2 days 12 8 The LIFE of days, he drew the Figure after the Life as well as he could, and round about in the Borders all the Story of his Life in twenty Squares, full of little Figures, all upon a Field of Gold. .yjj-fr U After this, having undertaken a great Pi- cture for the Monks of the Order of Val~Om- brofa, in the Abby of the Trinity in Florence, he mewed in that Work much more Diligence and Invention, and particularly in the Apti- tude of a Madonna , with her Son in her Arms, adorned by a number of Angels round about, the whole upon a Field of Gold; which Piece was by the Monks»placed upon the great Altar of the faid Church, from whence be- ing in procefs of time taken away to make room for one of Alijjfo Baldovinetti, it was pla- ced in one of the Chappels on the left fide of the Church. After this, Working in Frefio at the Hofpi- tal of the Porcellana, in the middle of the great Gate, he Drew on one fide, the Figure of the Virgin M*rj, and the Angel Gabriel, and on the C I M A BU £. 129 the other our Saviour, with Ckophas and I«- cas, all of them whole lengths ; and in the Cloathing he fliewed much more freedom and Strength than had yet been feen, leaving the old Fafhioned way, which was full of Lines and Porfils, and giving a foftnefs not before known ; for this hard flat manner, was all that at firft thofe Painters had attained to, and that not by any Rules or Science, but by a certain Tradition, with which they contented themfelves, leaving it to one another, with- out ever dreaming of mending their way of Defigning, or that of their Colouring, or gra- cing their Pieces with any fort of Invention. By this time the Fame of Cimabue began to be ib fpread, that he was lent for to many Remote places, and among*! the reft to Afee/z, a Gity of Vmbria, and the place of the Birth of Saint Francis ; there in the lower Church in company of fome of thofe Greek Painters* he Painted fome of the Ceiling and the fides of the Church, with the Stories of the Lives of our Saviour and Saint Francis, in all which he I3 o tbe LIFE of he fo far outdid the Greeks his Concurrents, that taking courage he refolv'd to Paint by himfelf, and undertook the upper Church in Frefco : There over the Quire, he Painted in four places divers Stories of our Lady, that is her Death, when her Soul is carried by Chrift into Heaven upon a Throne of Clouds, and when in the middle of a Quire of An- gels, he puts the Crown upon her Head f there beiug at her Feet great numbers of Saints of both Sexes ; all which now arealmoft confum'd by Tims. Then in the Five Parti- tions of the Vault, or Ceiling, he Painted likewife many Stories. In the firft over the Quire, he Drew the four Evangelifts bigger than the Life, and that fo well, that even to this day, the Skil- ful do acknowledg a good Manner in them ; the freihnefs of the colouring of the Flefh, fhewing ftill how much Painting was behold- ing to Cimabue. i' The CIMABUE. 131 The fecond Partition, he filled with Gol- den Stars, upon a Field of Azure Ultra- marine. . In the third, He made in every Square, a Round, and in that a Figure, which were in all four, to wit, J ejus Chrift, the Blefed Virgin, Saint John 'Baptifr, and Saint Francis. The fourth, He filled with Stars, as be- fore. And in the fifth, He Painted the four Doftors of the Church, and by each of them, one of the firft Founders of the Mona/tical Orders; a Work certainly, that required great Pains and Diligence- Having finifhed the Ceilings , he Paint- ed the left fide of the Church with fix- teen Stories; Eight out of the Old Telia- ment, and Eight out of the New. Then over againft them, again he Drew fixteen Stories r 3 2 The L IF E of Stories more, which were the chief Actions of our Saviour, and of the BlefTed Virgin, ending with the Aflumption of our Lady, and the coming down of the Holy Ghoft up- on the Apoftles. All which works befides,that they were of fo great an Extent, were excel- lently well Dilpofed , and with Judgment and Invention carried on ; fo that without doubt, they muft raife a great Admiration in the Men of thofe Times, who had never feen any thing like them, and even in me, who faw them in the Year ij6^, that is a- bove Two Hundred Years after they were made. They produced that Effect, that I could not but wonder, how Cimabue, in 10 much Obfcurity of the Art, had been able to lee fo clear. Having finimed thefe, he began to Paint the remainder of the Church, from the Windows downwards , but being called away to Florence, about ibme private Concerns, they were afterwards Finiihed by Ohiotto. One Obfervatibn I cannot omit, which is, That of all thefe Paintings, thole that C I M A B U E. 129 that have beft preferred themfelves are thofe of the Vaults and Ceilings, as being leaft in- jured by the Duft, and other Accidents. Being come back to Florence, he Painted for the Church of Santla Maria Novella, where he firft went to School, a great piece of our Lady, which is ftill to be feen between the Chappel of the Rucillai, and that of the Bardi di Vernia, and was the biggeft Pi&ure that had yet been feen in thofe days. One may perceive by the Angels that are drawn in it, that he had ftill the Greek way of his firft Mafters, though bettered, and endeavouring at the Modern way of Painting. It produced neverthelefs, fc much Wonder, in the people of thole Times, that it was carried from Cimabues Houfe to the Church with Trumpets before it, and in a folemn ProceiHon, and he was highly Rewarded and Honoured by the City for it. There is a Tradition, that while CL mabue was doing this Piece in a Garden, he had near the Gate of Saint Peter, that Charles of Anjou King of Naples, came through Florence, S where 134 rbe LIFE 4 where being Received with all poffible de- nionftrations of Honour, amongfl other En- tertainments, the Magiftrates carried him to fee this Piece ; and becaufe no Body had yet leQn it, all the Gentry of Florence, both Men and Ladies, waited upon him thither, with fomuch extraordinary Joy and Feafting, that the people changed the Name of the place, and called it Borgo Allegry, as much as to fay, the Merry Suburb ; which Name it has retain- ed to this day, though it has fince been enclo- ied in the City. There are fome Works of his likewife in Fifa, and amongft the reft one in the Cloyfter of Sanfta Francefco, near the Church Door in a corner. Tis a Story of our Saviour upon the Crofs, with fome Angels round about him, who feem to carry certain Words with their Hands to the eare of a Madonna*., who is all in Tears on one fide, and to Saint John the Evangelift on the other fide; the words to the Virgin. are thefe, Mulier Ecce filius tuus : And. to Saint JobR y Ec ce Muter, tua. And then ano- ther, C I M A BU E. 135 ther Angel holds in his Hands thefe other Words, Ex ilia hora accept earn Difcipulus in fu- am. In all which we may obferve, That Ci- mabue begun to open the way to Invention by the means of Words , which though they were but a poor contrivance, yet they (hew- ed that his Fancy was ftirring and endeavour- ing to exprefs its felf. Having thus by means of his Works acqui- red tohimfelf great Fame, and a good Eftate, he was at lafl joyned in company with Ar- nolfo Lapiy a Man in thofe days famons for Architecture. In the Fabrick of Santla Maria del. Fior in Florence, in which Employ- ment , being arrived to the Age of Sixty Years, he Died in the Year 1 300. having Re- fufcitated Painting as it were from the Dead. He left many Difciples, and amOngfl the reft, GhiottOy who proved an Excellent Matter, and Lived in the fame Houfe that his Matter Cimabue had done in the Strada Dellocomero. Cimabue was Buried in Sanfta Maria, del Fiore. And we may fay, That if he had not S 2 been 132 The L IF E of been followed fo clofe, and fo much Out* done by his Schollar Ghktto, his Fame would have been much greater ; as appears by thefe Yerfes of Dante : Credette Sirnabue nella Pittura, Tener lo campo e bora ha Ghiotto // Grido 9l Si che la Fama di colui ofcura. Cimabue his Pi&ure is yet to be feen, done by the Hand of Simon Sanefe, in the Chappel houfeof Sanffa Maria Novell j, made, in Porfil, in, the Hiftory of Faith; in a Figure which has a Lean Face, a little Red Beard, in point with, a Capuche , or Monks Hood , upon his Head, after the faihion of thofe Times : And the Figure next to him, is Simon Senefe himfeff, who Drew his own Picture by the means of two Looking GlafTes. I have nothing more to fay of Citnabue,, hut only that in a little Book of Defigns, where. I have ibnie of all the Matters, 11 nee his time. I have like wife two or three little Things of his G H I OTTO. 132 his in Red Minium, by which, though now a-days they may appear fomewhat ftiff, yet one may perceive by them, how much Pain- ting was beholden to him. The LIFE of GHIOTTO FLO RENT I N Er Both Painter, Sculptor, and Architect* GHIOTTO was Born in the Year, \iy&. within Fourteen Miles of the City of Florence, in the little Village of Vejpignano, his Father's name was Bondone r a plain Country Man. When he was about. Ten years Old, his Father ufed to . fend himr out: 138 7 be L IF E of out to keep Sheep , and while they were Feeding, he ufed to Draw fomething or ano- ther upon the Sand : Finding in hinifelf a ftrong Inclination for Defign, one day Cima- bue, going for fome Occafions of his own, from Florence to Vejfiignano, found Ghiotto, who while his Sheep were Feeding, was drawing one of them after the Life, upon a plain flat Stone, with another Stone, fomewhat fharp- ned at both ends ; having never Learned the way of doing it from any, but from Nature. Cimabue aftonifhed , ftood ftill , and having confidered the Child and his Work, he ask'd him. If he would go and Live with him at Florence ? To which the Child anfwered, That if his Father was willing, he would go with all his heart. Whereupon he went to Bon- done his Father, who was eafdy perfuaded to give him Gbiotto, as thinking it a preferment for the Child; fo Cimabue took him along with him to Florence, there being well Inftru- 6ted by Cimabue, and helped by Nature. He had not long applied himfelf to Defigning, but GHIOTTO. 139 but he quite put down that old flat Greek way, and becoming a ftrong Imitator of Nature, began to revive that which has been fince called the Modern Way of Painting : For he ufed often to draw Men and Women by the Life ; a thing that had not been Pra- clifed in Two hundred Years before, or at leaft, not with that Succefs and Skill that Gbiotto had; as appears by fome Things of that kind, which we have preferved to this day. Amongft the reft, he Drew Dante AU- ghier'h the famous Poet of thofe Times, and his Intimate Friend, as may be leen in that Chappel of the Palace of the Podefta of Florence : In the fame Chappel, is likewife the Picture of Ser Brunetto Latini, Dantes Mafter, and of M. Corifo Donati , a noble Citizen , and of great Renown in thofe Times. Ghiotto's firft publick Works, were in the Chappel of the High Altar. In the Abby at. Florence, in which he did many good things* but particularly, an Annunciation of oua?- Lady, by the -Angel Gabriel, in which th*r fsker 13* tbe LIFE of Fear and Surprife of the Virgin Mary> is ex- preiTed, fhe being fo frighted, that (he is ready almoft to run away. The Picture of the great Altar, is likewife of Ghiotto's hand, and is preferved there, for the refpecl: they bear to the Memory of fo great a Man. In Sanfta Croce, there are likewife four Giappels, pain- ted by him ; three between the Sacrifly&nd the great Chappel, and one on the other fide over againft : The firft is the Chappel of M. Ridolpho de Bardi 9 which is that where the Bell-ropes are, and the Life of Saint Francis; at whofe death, many of his Moncks feem to exprefs very much Grief. In the other Chappel, which belongs to the BeruzzU there are two Stories of the Life of Saint John Baptift> to whom the Chappel is dedicated ; and in them the dancing of Herodias, with all the other Apparatus of a great Feaft, which is very well and lively defigned : As likewife two other Stories of Saint John the Evangelift, are Incom- parable ; to wit, that where he Refufcitates Vrujiana, and when he is himfelf, carried up to GHI0T7 0. i 37 to Heaven. In the third Chappel, which belongs to the Family of the Oiugni-, and is likewife called, The Chanel of the Apoftles ', he has Painted many Stories of their Martyr- dom. And in the fourth, which is on the other fide of the Church, towards the North, which belongs to the Tolinghi, and the Spinelli, and is Dedicated to our Lady ; he painted the Story of her Birth, her Marriage to Jo- feph , the Annunciation , the Adoration of the Magi, and when our Lady offers her lit- tle Son to Simeon ; which is one of the fined Things in the whole Work. For befides the great Affection with which the Old Man feems to receive our Saviour, the Action of the Child is admirable ; for being half afraid, he turns to his Mother, and takes her about the Neck, as Children ufe to do, at the fight of any new Object that frights them. In the Chappel of the BaronceUi, in the fame Church, there is a piece in Diftemper, of the Hand of Gbiotto, where the Crown- ing of our Lady in Heaven, is exprefled T with 138 Jhe LIFE of with infinite Labour , there being a very great number of feveral Figures , and a Choire of Angels and Saints , moil: Elabo- rately done ; and becaufe that in this Piece? he has written his Name and the Year, in Letters of Gold. All Artifts muft needs have Ghiotto in the higheft efteem, confidering the Beginnings he gave fo long ago, to true De- igning, and good Colouring. In the fame (Jhurch of Sanffia Croce , are many other of his Works, and in the Refeffory Sacrijly, and other places. He Worked likewife in the Church Del Carmine, in the Chappel of Saint John Baptifl^ the whole Life of that Saint divided in diffe- rent pieces. In the Pallace of the Gyelfes Party in Florence , there is likewife of his Hand, a Hiftory of Faith in Frefco, moil ex- ceeding well Painted ; and in it amongfl: the reft, is the Pidlure of Pope Clement the 4th. who created ; the Magiftrates of the Guelfe Party, giving them his own Coat of Arms, which they keep to this day. Haying GHIOTTO. i 39 Having done thefe things in 'Florence , he was Invited to Afiifa, a City in Vtnbria, where Cimabue had Painted before, by the then Ge- neral of the Francifcans, Fra. Gioranni Di Muro delta Marca ; there he undertook the upper Church, and painted in it Sixteen Stories, of the Life and Gefts of Saint Francis , of each fide of the Church ; and to fay truth, in this Work, he acquired great Fame : For there as in it great Variety, not only of the Po~ ftures and Aptitudes of the Figures , but likewife in the whole Competition; in which he has (ho wed himfelf a great Obferver of Nature, as well as of the Drefs and Cuftoms of thofe Times. And among the reft, there is a Story, where one being very Thirfty, in whofe Looks, the longing for Water fhows it felf, drinks ftooping at a Fountain, with wonderful Affe&ion , in fo much that one would think it were a Live Figure. And indeed, in this whole Work, Gbiotto followed Nature fo clofe, that he deferves to be cal- led Nature's Difciple; for the great Order, T * Pro- I4I The LIFE of Proportion, and Facility, that he has (howed in it all, along. He painted like wife in the Church below, many thingsof the Life and Glorification of Faint Francis y in all which he fhowed great Yariety of Invention , and amongft other things > drew his own Picture, rarely well> in one of thofe Stories : And over the Door of the S aerify-, is a Saint* Francis in Frefco, who recieves the Stigmats upon his Kneesv ■which is fo Devout, and full of AffecT:ion,that I take it to be the beft thing that Ghiotto. ever did. Having finilhed his Painting zt-Aftifa, he returned to Florence, where as foon as he was Arrived;, he undertook a piece to fend to Ma*, it was the Story of Saint Francisrin that horrible Defer* of Vj>rma 9 where befides the Landskip of Rocks and Trees, proper to that -.place ; the Saint himfelf was placed in that Rapture, of receiving the Stigmats^ and in it ihawed a moil fervent defire of them, and a rnojCi zealous Love towards our SayiouiL G HIOTTO. 140 Saviour, who appears in the Air, environed with Angels -> and in the lower part of the Piece, are three Stories of the fame Saints Life moil: admirable ! This Piclure, which to this day, is kept with great Veneration, in the.Church Saint Francifco di Pifa> upon a Pi* lafter near the great Altar : Was the occafion that the Pifans, having finifhed their Fabrick of the Campo Sanfto y according to the defign of Giovanni di Nicola, one of their own Citizens, lent for Gbhttos to* Paint one part of the Inr flde of it ; That as on the Outfide , it it was adorned with Marble and Sculpture, performed with great Expence; covered with Lead on the Top, and within full of Statues and Tombs of the Antient, brought from many parts of the World, lb* that it might: be Adorned with the beft Modern Painting ; on the Infide,by the beft Painter thenExtasit. . Ghiotto therefore painted* on one of the fidas . within, fix Stories of theLife-of^ in Frefco ~* and becaufe he confidered, that on that fide where he was to Work , the Sea. W indrdid ft 142 the LIFE of chiefly blow, which being moift, was apt to make the Marble fweat, as it does in moii of the Houfes in Pifa, which being mingled with a Salt,that comes out of the Stones, was apt to eat up the Colours : He caufed a Coat of Lime plainer and beaten Brick, mingled together , to be laid on pettry thick every where, where he was to Work ; and by that means he has fo well obtained his end, that the Pictures he made there, are pre! erved to this day, and might have been much better kept, if the negligence of thofe who mould have taken care of them, had not let the wet come to them in fome places, which has made them fcale and look black : Befides, that it is the nature of Plaifter, when mingled with Quicklime, to mould and grow moift with time, and by confequence, mull: of neceffity fpoil the Colours, though at firft itfeems to take well with them. In thofe Stories of his, befides the Picture M. Farinata de Gliuberti, there are many very fine Figures : As particularly, Some Country people, G H I TTO. 143 people, who bring Job the ill news of the lofs of fome of his Flocks, and have the Coun- tenance of Men truly Afflicted for fo great a Calamity : Likewife, there is the Figure of a Servant, who ftands by Job, as he is all full of Sores, and is forfaken by every one, with a Fan in his Hand, to give him the comfort of a cool Air, and drive away the Flies from his Sores, while with the other Hand he flops his Nofe becaufe of the flench, This Figure has a marvellous Aptitude in all its parts ; and indeed,; all the Figures of thefe Stories, both Men and Women, have excel- lent Heads, and the Drapery is wrought with great Beauty and Softnefs. It is no wonder therefore , if this Work . fpread his Fame far and near, in fo much that Pope Benedict the ph. of Trevi//, fent into ■■» Tufcany, a Gentleman of his Court, to fee what fort of Man Ghiotto was, and to give him an account of his Painting, having de- - fign to Employ him in Saint Peter's Church i at Rome, This Gentleman having flaid fome - tinier 144 D* LIFE of time at Sienna, and there informed himfelf what Excellent Mailers there were at Flo- rence, in Painting and Mufiek, came at lafl to Florence \ and going ftreight to Ghiotto's Houfe, he found him at Work in his Paint- ing Rome. Having told him the Popes In- tention , and how he defigned to Employ him: Hedefired of him, to fend fome piece of Defign by him to his Holinefs. Ghiotto, who was a pleafant ready Man, took a meet of White-paper, and fetting his Arm clofe to his Hip, to keep it fteady , he with one flroke of a Red-lead Pencil, drew a Circle fo round, and fo equal, that it was wonderful to fee it : Then prefenting it to the Gentle- man, he told him fmiling, That there was a piece of Delign, which he might carry to his Holinefs, Says the Courtier, half angry, Shall I have nothing but this to fhow the Pope ? That's more than enough, faid Gbiotto, put it among the other Defigns you have from other Painters, and fee whether it will not make it ielf known. The Gentleman fee- GHIOTTO. 145 feeing he could get nothing elfe from him, left him in difcontent, being half afraid he had put a Jear upon him, and that he mould be Laughed at, at his return to Rome. How- ever, being come, and mowing the Pope all the other Defigns-, he (hewed this alio of Ghiotto% telling the Pope how he had done it without Gompaffes, or fo much as ftirring his Arm from his Side. The Pope, who un- derftood fomething of the Art, eafily com- prehended by this, how much Ghiotto in ftrength of Defign, did Excel all the other Painters of hisTime;he therefore lent for him to Rome, and there being extreamly fatisfied with his Skill, he made him Paint Five Sto- ries of the Life of Chrift our Saviour, in Saint Peter's, and in the Sacrify the chief piece, all which were done by Ghiotto, with fo much diligence and care, that a more finimed Work in Diftemper, never was performed by him. And the Pope rewarded him accordingly, for kefides many Favours he bellowed upon him, he prefented him with Five hundred Ducats V of 14* Ihe LIFE of of Gold, which for thofe days, was a Noble prefent. "ViThile Gbiotto flayed at Rome, he contracted a great Friendfttip with Oderici de Agobbio y an Excellent Mafter in Miniature, who was then Employed by the Pope to paint a great many of Books , of the Library of the Popes Pal- lace > in, Miniature; moft which have finee been loft , or have otherwife perifhed by Time. I have in my Book of Collections of Antient Defigns, iome pieces of this Oderico, who indeed, was an Excellent Matter, but. yet Franco Bolognefe, who Worked at the fame time for the Pope, was much beyond him ; as may be feen likewile in my Book of Col- lections, where there is amongft the reft, an admirable Eagle and a Lion, that breaks a de- licate Tree, all in Miniature. The Pope having liked Gbiotto s Painting, ordered him to paint Stories of the Old and New Teftament , all round Saint Peters : Whereupon to begin* he made the Angel that is over the Organ, of Seven Palms high, as al&c G H I TTO. 147 alfo many others, moft of which have been Ruined, when the Old Church of Saint Pe- ters came to receive New Walls, and lbme likewife have been carried from the Old Church, and placed under the Organ; as par- ticularly a Modonna, which being painted up- on the Wall, was by the means of Irons and other Faftnings, taken out of the Wall en- tire, and placed in a handfome confpicuous part of the Houfe of Doctor Nicolo Acciaivoli, a Florentine, and a great Lover of all the ex- cellent pieces of Art : He adorned this piece of Ohiotto's with rich Carvings, and Modern Pi&ures round about it. Of Ghiotto's Hand, is likewife the Ship of Mufeick Work, which is over the three Gates of the Portico, in the entrance to Saint Peters : For befides the ftrength of the Defign, the Aptitude of the Apoftles in different poftures of working againft the Storm, is remarka- ble, and particularly the Sail of their Ship, feems fo filPd with Wind, and has fo much Relievo, that a true Sail can fcarce have more; V i and 14.8 The LIFE of and yet it is mighty difficult to make up of pieces of Glafs fuch an union of Lights and Shadows as is there,and which could hardly be Equalled by the Skilfuleft Pencil, There is befides upOQ a Rock, one that Filhes with a Line, in whofe looks the patience of that Sport is rarely well Reprefented , together with the hopes of taking fomething at laft, Pope Benedict the $th: being dead, Clement the 5^. Succeeded him, and Transferred the Papal Court to Avignon, whither likewite Ghiotto was obliged to go : And being- there* he not only did many things in Avignon, but in many places in France, as well in Frefeo , as D/- Jtemper. After ibme ftay there, having per* feftly fatisfied the Pope's Inclination, he was by him largely Rewarded* and he returned to Florence full of Honour and Riches, carry- ing with him that Pope's Picture, which he gave afterwards to Taddeo Gaddi, his Schollar.- This Return -of Gbiottos- to- his own Coun- try, was in the Year 131 6. but he was fbon called G H I TTO. 149 called away again : For at the Inftance of the Signori delta Scala, he went to Padoua, where in the Church, called the Sanffo, newly built in thofe days, he painted a Chappel moft cu* rioufly. From thence he went to Verona, and painted divers Things in the Palace of Mejfer Cane delta Scala y amongft the reft, the Picture of that Lord. In his Return to. Florence, he was obliged to take JF 'err or a. in his way, to obey the commands of the Lords of Efie, for whom he did many Things in that City : At the fame time, Dante the famous Poet, hear- ing that Ghictto was at Ferrara , and being himfelf at Ravenna, where he was then in Exile, wrought fo with him, that he, got him to Ravenna, where he. painted in Sanffa Francifco, fome Stories in Frefco, for the Signorl di Polenta, and from thence he went to Vrbino Arezzo, in both which places he. wrought di- vers Things, and fo.Returned to Florence. In the Year 1 322, he was again Invited a- broad by Cafiruccio Caftrucani, Lord of Luca, where in the Church of Saint Martin, he painteda Chriji 150 The LIVE of thrift in the Air, and with him the four Pro- testors of that City, Saint Peter, Saint Regolo, Saint Martin, and Saint Paulin, who ieem to recommend to our Saviour a Pope and an Em- perour, which 'tis thought were Frederick of Bavaria, and Nicolas the ph. Antipope: At the fame time, 'tis thought that Ghiotto gave the Defign of the Cattle of Saint Fridiano, in the City of Luca , which is a raoft Impregnable Fortrefs, it is otherwife called the Fortrefs Bella Giufta. After this, Robert King of Naples, writ to his Son, the King of Calabria, who was then at Florence, that he mould by all means fend him Ghiotto to Naples, becaufe that having juft then made an end of Building the Royal Nunnery of Santfa Chiara , he defired the Church might be adorned with Pidtures of Ghiotto's Hand. He obeyed with joy the Sum- mons of fo great a Prince, and painted divers of the Chappels with Stories of the Old Te- ftament, and fome of the New ; particularly thofe out of the Revelations, are thought to be GHIOTTO. iii be the Invention of the Poet Dante, as alio thofe very well Invented Stories of the Church of Affifa, they having been Intimate Friends: And though 'tis true, Dante died the Year before, yet 'tis poflible that they might have Talked together of thofe Stories of the Apocalyps. But to return to Naples, Ghiotto painted in the Gaftello del Novo* many Things, and chief- ly the Chappel, where he fo pleafed the King, that very often he ufed to go and fit by him when he was at Work ; for Ghiotto was as . pleafant in his Converfation, and as ready in « his Wit, as with his Pencil. One day, it be- ing very hot, the King faid to him,. If I were as you, Ghiotto-, I would leave off Working this hot Weather : And fo would I, Sir, laid Ghiotto,, if I were as you. Another time the King defired him to paint the people of his Kingdome Emblematically y he drew an Afs with an. old pack Saddle upon his Back, , and another new one before him, to which be was fmelling, as liking it very well, and I tipoa i 152 The L IV E of upon both the Saddles, the Crown and Scep- ter. The King having defired him to Ex- plain what that Picture meant, he laid, It was the Condition of his people, who were alway defirous of Novelty, and ready to change their old Matter for any < new one. He painted likewife for the King a Hall, which was afterwards ruined by King Abhon- fo, in which were the Pictures of moft of the great Men of that Age, and amongft the reft tiis own. In his Return from Naples to Rome, he flop- ed at Gaeta , and painted in the Annuntiata, fome Stories of the New Teftament, which are now much fpoil'd by Time ; but yet not fo , but that Gbiotttfs own Picture is very diftinguilhable, being near a very fine Cruci- fix of his doing. Having ftaid fome time at Rome, he was prevailed with by Signor Malatefta, who was then Lord of Rimini, to go' with him to Ri- where in the Church of Saint Francis, mini, lie Drew many Stories; all which were loft when GHIOTTO. i 53 when the Church was new Euilt by Sigifmorfd Mafatefta, but in the Cloiiter there remains yet the Story of Beat a MicheUina^ which for many Reaibns, is one of the beffc Things that Ghiotto ever did; for befides the Livelinefs of the Heads, which are all Miraculous, and the ftrength and force of the I)rapery, which is Incomparable : There is a young Woman as Beautiful as 'tis poffible for a Woman to be, who to free her felf from the Calumny of Adultery, Swears upon a Book with a ftupen- dious Aptitude, having her Eyes fixed upon her Husband, who put her to her Oath, be- caufe of a Black Child (he was brought to Bed of, which he could not believe was his; and as the Husband (hows Diftruft and Anger in his Countenance, fo does the Innocent Lady fhow Truth and Simplicity iii hers, with fo much Piety in her Looks, as was enough to convince all the Slanders* byjthat me was no Adulterefs. The fhortnings likewife that are in another piece of this Story, where there are a great X numoer 154 Ik L IV E ef number of poor People, are very Commendable, and much to be valued by all Artifts, flnce it is from them that we have the firfl Principles and Manner of doing them, though they are not in that perfection which they have fince attained to. But above all the other Things that are in this Work, is the Aptitude of the Saint her felf, while me receives, from the Ufurers (he had fold her Land too, the Mo-, ney, which (he orders immediately to be dif- burfed to the poor ; for in her there appears fo. much fcorn and unconcernment for Riches, that the very fight of them feems to offend her ; while on the other hand r the very piclure of Covet oufnels feerns to be Re- prefented in a Figure of one, who looking towards a Notary, to make him %n the Writings , has at the. fame time both his Hands upon the Money, expreffihg both his Greedinefsand Diftruft : And in the three Fi- gures, that hold the Habit of Saint Francis in the Air, there is much to be commended, particularly in the Drapery, the Foldings of which. GHIOTTO. 155 which are fo eafie and natural, that it muft be confefTed, that Ghiotto was Born to bring Light to the Art, in all its parts. He drew in a Ship, which makes a piece of this Work, Signor Malatefta, moft wonderfully ftrong and lively, with many other Figures of Seamen, all in proper Aptitudes ; and there is a Fi- gure particularly remarkable in its action, for feeming to Talk with others, he puts one Hand to his Face to fpit into the Sea, and not offend thofe he Talks with ; and indeed this is altogether one of the beft Things done by Ghiotto, who accordingly received both great Rewards, and infinite Commendations from Signor Malatefia. Being Returned to Florence with great Riches, he wrought a Crucifix in a field of Gold in S audio Marco, and another of the fame nature in Santla Maria Novella, in which laft, ■Paccio Campana his Servants wrought with him. After this, in the Year 1317. Guido Tarlati da Pieta Mala, Bifhop of Arezzo being Dead, his Relations having a mind to Erect a fump- X 2 teous i5 ingens & Simonem Senenfem. He was Buried in SanBa Maria del Fiore> on the Left Hand as you come into the Church, where there is a White Marble Stone in Memory of him. His LEONARDO ]>A VINCI 1 55>> His Difciples were Taddeo Gaddi, who was his Godfbn,and Pucio di Capanna,both Florentines ; and we have many Works of the laft, who had Extreamly well attained to Ghlotto's Man- ner. The L I F E of LEONARDO DA VINCI, A Florentine Yainttr, and Sculptor- IT may be feen by Leonardo Da Vinci, as -much-. as by any other Example, that the Coe- leftial Influences do fometimes fo Unite in. one Subje£,as to make all that's performed by that Per£bn 3 to feem almaft Divine, and not acquired. i'6o The LIFE. of acquired by any Humane Induftry : And In- deed, the admirable Beauty of Leonardo's Bo- dy, the infinite Graces of his Mind, and the exquifite Penitration with which in all Sci- ences and Arts, he attained to the mofl dif- ficult part of them with eafe, do (how that lie had from above, molt extraordinary Gifts. The ftrength of his Mind was always accom- panied with.a Dexterity, which alone would have made its Way through the World ', and he had befides, a Greatnefs and Magnanimity in him, more befitting a Prince than a pri- vate Man. All which made him not only Beloved and Efteemed in his Life time, but highly Renowned and Honoured after his Death to all Pofterity. He was Son of Piero da Vinci, and in the firfl beginning of his Education, fhewed fo ftrong an Inclination to all forts of Learning, that had he conftantly purfued any one, he mull: have have been a Prodigie in that kind, but he was fo various, that that did very much hinder his Excelling. At his nrft learning to LEONARDO DA VINCI. 161 to caft Account, he ufed to puzzle his Mailer with QuefHons about Arithmatick, and that in a few Months after he had firft applyed him- felf to it. He next gave himfelf to Mufick, and particularly to play upon the Lute, in which he grew lb Excellent, which he would play Extempore, things that would Charm all that heard him ; and yet though he was fo varioufly addicted, he ftill followed De- fining, and making of things in Relievo-, as two Arts, that above all others did pleafe his Fancy, and fix his Application. His Father taking more particular notice of this laft In- clination, took one day fome of his Defigns* and carrying them to Andrea del Verochio, a fa- mous Painter, and his intimate Friend, de- fired him to tell him Ingenioufly, whether his Son Leonardo was ever like to iucceed in that Way ? Andrea was aftoniftied at the fight of fuch bold Beginning, and exhorted his Father to give him all fort of Encouragement in that Way : Upon which, his Father ordered him Y to 1*2 fli LIT E of to go conftantly to Andreas Painting-Houlev there to Improve himfelf. Leonardo obeyed with joy, and not content with Defigning alone, he Exercifed himfelf in all thofe Arts which are any ways depending upon it, or ufeful to a Painter, or Statuary, fuclias Geo-. metrj, Architecture, ferfpe&ive, 6cc. in all which he attained to a great perfection. He was be- fides, the firft that had thoughts of putting the River of Arm into a Chanel from Pi fa to Florence, Inventing all forts of Mills, and ci- ther Machines, ufeful for ib great a Defigrr But becaufe his chief profeflion was Painting he fpent much time in Drawing by the Life, and often likewife in making Models of Earth, and then Clothing them with fine Linnen. wet, with the greater!: patience in the World : He would. Draw them upon SiEk, or fine Linnen, in Black and White, with the point of his Pencil, that it was a moft admi- rable -thing to fee them y fome of which I have in my Book of Defigns. What he did upon Paper* was with fo much diligence and delicacy x . LEONARDO DA VINCI. k> 3 delicacy, that no Man ever came near him. I have a Head of his in Chia.ro Scuro> which is Divine, and (hows with what lingular ftrength he Conceived , and with what ad- mirable Dexterity he executed his Thoughts with the Pencil. When he was weary of Painting, or Statuary, he ufed to bufie him_ ielf in finding out Ways how to Level Mountains with eafe, or make PafTages through them, from one Valley to another; as alfo by Leavers, Strings, Pulleys, to raile great Weights, and by other Machines to drain the Water from low places ; fo that his Brains were perpetually employed, and of all thefe Tilings he made Defigns, many of which I have feen. And in them, he was {Jo Curious, as fometimes to Draw the whole Lying,or Coiling of a Cable,or other Ropes,fo as you might fee the Winding of it from one end to the other \ there is one of thele in a Print, and in the middle are thefe Words, Leonardo Vinci Academia, Y 2 He 164. The L I F E of He was fo extream diverting in Converfa- tion, that he drew every Body after him ; and having, as we may fay in comparifon of others, Wrought but very little, yet he Li- ved Splendidly , having always many Ser- vants, and Horfes ; for which laft, he had a great Paflion, and ufed to Draw them by the Life. He loved all forts of Animals indeed, and would often buy Birds alive out of their Cages, only to let them go, and reftore to them their loft Liberty. So great was his na^ tive Bounty, and the fweetnefs of his Tem- per ; in a word, no Man in his Time, ever affced with lb much Readinefs, Vivacity, and Grace, which gave a particular Character to all that he did ', though in his Art he begun many Things, but hardly Finifhed any, ha- ving conceived them with fo much Perfecti- on, that his Hand afterwards, could not fol- low the Idaea of his Mind. After having Worked fome time with An- drea, del Verocchio,. his Mafter employed him in a piece of his Undertaking, of the Story of Saint LEONARDO DA VINCI. 165 Saint John's Baptizing of our Saviour Chrift, and in it Leonardo drew an Angel, that held lbme Clothes of our Saviour, which he Fi- nifhed fo well, that he put down all the other Figures of Andrea, in lb much, that fcarce any thing but Leonardo's Angel, was taken no- tice of. This fo angered his Mafter, to be out-done by his own Schollar, and a Young Man, that he never more would handle a Pencil, or Colours. There being a very rich Tent of Gold and Silk of Tapiftry Work to be made in Flanders for the King of Portugal; the Undertakers agreed with Leonardo, to make the Cartoon. The Story being that of Adam and' Eve> when they eat the forbidden Fruit in Paradiie. There he Drew in Charo Scuro, a delicious Mea_. dow of Plants and Flowers, full of variety of Animals, done with lb much diligence and patience, and fo Natural, that none but fo divine a Genius, could ever do the like. A- mongft the reft there is a Fig-Tree* which bei fides the admirable fhortnings of its Leaves, and; U6 fit LIFE of and Branches, is painted with fuch Care, that it would aftonifh any one to confider, how 'twas poffible for a Man to do a Thing with lb much patience. There is likewife a Palm- Tree, which has its Branches fo Lively, and their Situation, and exad Simmetry fo ex. ■preffed, that none but Leonardo's Genius, could ever compafs it. The Cartoon being finifhed, was left upon his Hands, the Tapiftry Work not being gone on with, as was firft defigned ; and it is at this time in the Houfe of Saint Ottaviam de Medici, it being prefented to him not long ago, by Leonardo's Uncle. One day, his Father, Ser Piero da Vinci, be- ing at his Country Houfe, was defired by one of his Tenents, to get him a Buckler painted, which he had made out of a Figg-Tree, cut down in the Ground ; Ser Piero took the Buck- ler, and the fellow being very ufefultohim, in FMhing, Fowling, and other Country Sports,, he carried it to his Son, and defired him to Draw fomething or another upon it. Leonardo feeing the Buckler ill ihaped and crooked, LEONARDO DA VINCI. 1*7 crooked, ftreightned it and Polifhed it, and then having carefully plaiftered it over, he began to confider what he fhould Draw there, that might Fright any one at firft fight, like Medufas Shield. To this end, he got toge- ther in a Room, where no Body came but himfelf, a Collection of Serpents, Lizards, Crickets, Butterflies, Graihoppers, and fuch like Animals; from the aflemblage of all which, ftrangely put together, he made up an Animal moil horrible to look too, who feemed to poyfon the Air with his Breathy for he placed him in a kind of a dark Grotto* lending Fire out of his Mouth, and Smoke out of hisNoftrils, in fo ftrange a manner' that it would fright any one to fee it. He took fo much pains about it, that the ftink of thofedead Creatures was intolerable, in the Room , though not at all perceived by leonardo, fo attentive he was upon his Work. . The thing being miilhed, he told his Father, > that he might have the Buckler when he pleafed. One Morning then, Ser Picrc, .his 1*8 The LIFE of Father, came and knocked at the Door, and defired the Buckler : Leonardo opened the Door> but defired him to flay a little : So return- ing into the Room, and having placed the Buckler in an obicure Light, upon his Pain- ting Desk, he called in his Father ; who not expecting any fuch thing, was of a fudden flruck with the Apparition of fuch a Mon- fler, and retired two or three fleps back. Leo- nardo flopped him, and laid, This Work I fee will anfwer its end, take it and carry it to whom you have promifed it. The thing ap_ peared wonderful to his Father , who was extreamly pleafed with it, and having fecret- ly bought another Buckler, which he cauied to be Painted with fome ordinary Invention, he kept Leonardo's, and gave the other to his Servant, who took it fo kindly, that he fer- ved him faithfully ever after. Some Months after, Ser Piero y fold Leonar- do's Buckler fecretly in Florence, to fome for- reign Merchants, for the Sum of a Hundred Ducats, who fold it to the Duke of Milan for Three hundred. Leonardo LEONARDO DA FIN CI. 169 Leonardo made likewife a moft delicate Ma- donna, which Pope Clement the yth. ufed to keep in his Chamber; and amongft other Orna- ments, of it, he had drawn a Glafs full of Water, with flowers in it, where beiidcs the lovelynefs of the Flowers, he had counter- feited drops of Water upon them, as delicate as the Natural ones. He made alio for Anto- nio Segn'h his Intimate friend, a Neptune up- on a Stormy Sea, carried in his Chair, drawn by SeaHorfes, with Whales, and other Sea Monfters about him, and the Heads of fome Sea Gods, moft delicately defigned ; and this Piece was by Fabio Segn'h Son to Antonio, given to Mejfer Oioranni Gaddi, with this Epygram, Pinxit Virgilius Neptune*- pinxit Homerus, Dum Maris undifoni per vada flettit equos-, Mente quidem votes ilium conjfexit uterque, Vincius aft Oculis jureque vincit eos. He took a fancy once to draw in Oyl, a Head of a Medufa, with the ftrangeft drefs of Ser- Z pents iio The LIFE of pents and Snakes, that 'tis pollible to Ima- gine : But it being a Work that required great time to Finiih it, it had the fate of ma- ny of his Things, and remained Imperfect ; but as it is, it holds its place amongft the chiefefl Raritys of our Duke Cojimo ; as alfo that of an Angel, who holding one of his Arms in the Air, mows a mortning from the Shoulder to the Elbow ; that is raoft Ma- fterly and flrong. For Leonardo fought chief, ly to give a great Relievo to his Things, and for that Reafon, made his Grounds and Sha- dows as dark as poffibly he could, feeking out the flrongeft Blacks of all kinds ; lb that his Manner feemed almofc a Night, rather than a Shadow made by the Light of the Day. When ever he law any one of an odd Phifi- ognomy, either with itrarge Hair, or Beard, he would have followed him a whole Day till he had lb got the Idaea of him; that being come. Home, he would Draw him as like, as if he fat to him. And of this fort, there are many Heads, both of Men and Women ; many LEONARDO DA VINCI. 171 many of which, I have in my Book of De- figns : And amongft the reft, the Head of Americo Vejfuci, deligned with a Coal, and is the Head of a fine Old Man. There is like- wile , that of Scararnuccia , Captain of the Gypjies. He begun likewife, the Story of the Adoration of the Three Kings, where there are very good Heads ; it remains Imperfecl, in the Houfe of Signor Amerigo Benci. It happened , that Lodovko SForfa , being made Duke of Milan, in the Year 1494. and he being a Prince that delighted extreamly in Mufick, Leonardo was fent for, to play upon the Lute before him. He was received with great Honour by the Duke, and there in his Prefence, be overcame all the Muiitians that were come from all parts to play before him. The Inftrument he plaid upon , being like- wife the Work of his own Hands, and fra- med in the Ihape of a Horfes Head, the beft part of it of Silver; but fo fhaped, that it yielded a fweeter and lowder Sound, than the ordinary Lutes. The Duke having reli- Z 2 fhed 172 The L I F £ of ilied his Converfation, and found him mofi extreamly Agreeable, and of fo ready a Wit, that amongft other things, he was the heft maker of Extempore Verfes, of any of his Time, was pleafed with him beyond Mea- luce The fir it. Work he did for the t)uke in Painting , was a Nativity of our Saviour ; which the Duke prefented to the Emperor. Then, he undertook the Story of the laft. Supper, in the Convent of the Dominicans, called, Santla Maria delh Oratie, in Milan : In it he gave fo much Majeity and Gravity to the Heads of the Apoftles 5j that he was for- ced to leave our Saviour's Unfinilhed \ not being able to attain to the Expreffion of that divine Greatnefs, which ought to be in the Image of the Son of God. But one thing moil Admirable was by him performed in this Piece, which was to exprefs in the Coun- tenance of the Apoftles , that Concern and Trouble which they were in, to know which of .them it was that, ihould betray our Savin our : LEONARDO DA VINCI. 173 our : And one may difcern in their different Looks, Love, Fear, and Anger, which were the Paflions naturally rifing in their Breafls, upon the doubt railed in them by our Savi- our's Words : And on the other fide, mJadaAS Countenance , there appears fo much Falfe- nefs, Hatred, and Treachery, that it is won- derful. The whole Work befides, is in all its parts, a Matter piece of Incredible diligence; for the very Cloth of the Table, is done with fuch Exa&neis, that Linnen it felf, (hows not better nor finer. Tis laid, that while Leonardo was Painting this piece, the Prior of the Convent ufed to be very troubieibme to him, in preffing him too Indiicreetly, to make an end of it. For it feemed very ftrange to him, to fee Leonardo come fometimes, and be half a day together, doing nothing but look upon his Work, in the pofture of a Man m a Rapture ; whereas he thought the Work might have gone on all that while, as well as digging the Garden, or, any other Labour ufed to/ do. , And firak 174 Me LIFE of ing Leonardo minded but little what he faid to him, he made his Complaints to the Duke, and that with fo much heat, that the Duke fent for Leonardo ; and very Gently and Dii- creetly, put him in mind what the Prior's Importunity had fo often Solicited for in vain. Leonardo knowing the Duke to be a Man of Judgment, and capable of hearing a Rational Account, was content to Difcourle with him about his Art ( which he never had done with the Prior. ) And told him, that without doubt, his Highnefs could not but understand, that Men of a great and ex- traordinary Genius in many Profeflions, but particularly in his, did take more pains while they were Conceiving their Idseas, than while they were Executing of them : And that fo it was with him, for he had yet two Heads to Finilh, the one of our Saviour, for the Model of which, he had none upon Earth, nor could hardly Imagine any that mould reprefent all that Beauty, and Divine Graces, which were to appear in Divinity Incar- LEONARDO DA VINCI. 175 Incarnated. The other of Judas, which gave him likewife great Trouble , it being hard for him to create in his Mind, a Form that mould exprefs the Face of one, who after fo many favours received from his Lord and Creator, mould yet have fo wicked a mind as to Betray him. But that for this la/1, he would endeavour to find fome ill looked fel- low or another ; and that however, when all things failed, he could take the Prior's face who had diflurbed him fo Impertinently. The Duke extreamly pleafed with his Hu- mour, fell a Laughing heartily, and told him, He was in the right. And the Jeft. be- ing come to the Prior's Ears, he was glad to let Leonardo alone, and mind the other Affairs of his Convent. And Leonardo on his fide, fini- {hedjudas's Head lb, as it appeal's, the Picture of Treachery it felf \ but for our Saviours, it remains to this day Imperfect. The Excellency of this Piece, ftruck the King of France with fo much Admiration^ when he had taken Milan, that he refolved to , have 17* The LIFE of have it Transported into France ; and fending for the abler! Ingeneers, he promifed them a noble Reward , and bid them fpare for no Colt, that mould be necefTary to that Effect, put it being painted upon a Stone Wall, the thing was thought Impracticable by any Ma- ©hine , or Contrivance whatfoever ; and fo Milan remained in polTeffion of this Noble piece of Work. Leonardo Drew likewife in the fame Refe- ctory, the Pictures of the faid Lodovico, Duke of Milan, and Maximilian, his Eldefl Son, and of Francis the Second Son, who were fmce, both of them, Dukes of that place; and in- deed, they are mod admirable Things. Amongft other Projects, which Leonardos Working Head put the Duke upon : One was to make a Horfe of Bronfe, of prodigious Big- nefs, and upon it, to place the Dukes Statue, of the fame Mettle. And accordingly he be- gun it, but by reafon of its Vaftnefs, found fuch difficulty in Carting it, that it remained Unfiniihed. And fome do Imagine, that his firft '** •V LEONARDO DA VINCI. 177 firft defign was never to bring it to Perfe&i • on , as they fay, he ufed to do with mofl: of his Undertakings. But I think that they wrong him, and that the Reafon of his frequent Interruptions , and not Finifhing what he had begun , proceeded more from the unlimitted greatnefs of his Mind, which conceived things above Humane perform- ance, than from any unfieadinefs of his Re- folutions in the purfuance of them : And in- deed, they that have feen the Model of Clay, made by him for this Statue, do own, that there could be nothing more Great and Glo- rious. It remained to be leen , till Francis the ift. took Milan, and then among other dis- orders committed in the City, the Souldiers broke it all to pieces. He applyedhimfelf amongft other things,to a raoft particular Knowledg of the Anatomy of Humane Bodies, being helped in this Stu- dy, by Marc-Antonio de la Torre, an Excellent Phifitian , and profeflbr of Philofophy in Padoua : Who likewife made admirable ufe of A a the i 7 8 The L IF E of the Hand of Leonardo, having got him to De- fign a whole Book of Anatomy in Red Chalk. And there he firft Drew all the Bones and Joynts, then added the Tendon sand Mufcles, having alio made for each a particular Dif- courfe, in Letters written upfide-down, with his Left Hand, fo as they cannot be Read any otherwife, butbyaGlafs. A great part of thefe papers about Anatomy, do remain in the Hands of Francifco da Melzo, a Gentle- man of Milan, who in Leonardo's time, was a mod: delicate Youth, and was much beloved by him ; he keeps them as Sacred as Relicks, as h^dozs. Leonardo's Picture likewife. There are yet in a Milanefs Winter's hands, fome Writings of Leonardo, which Treat of Painting, and of the Way of Befigning and Co- louring', but Written as the reft, in Chara- cters made with his Left Hand, uplide-down. This Painter came, not long ago, to Florence tofeeme, being defirous to print this Work of Leonardos, and afterwards he went upon this defignto Rome ; but I have had no account how the thing fucceeded. . But LEONARDO DA VINCI. 119 But to return to Leonardo : In his Time, the King of France came to Milan, where Leo- nardo for his Reception, being defired to do fomething Extraordinary, made a great Lion, which by Springs, Walked of its felf a good many paces to meet the King, and then opening his Breaft, fhewed it full of Flower- de-Luces. Having during his ftay at Milan , made fome Schollars, amongft whom , was Salai, whom he chofe for his Beauty, and Taught him many Secrets of the Art, he returned to Florence ', there he found that Philippino, a famous Painter of that place, had underta- ken the Picture for the Great Altar of the Nuntiata, in the Convent of the Frati de Servi \ whereupon he declared,that he would willing- ly do fuch a piece too: which FhiUippino hearing, and being a very Gentile Man , yielded his place to Leonardo. And the Monks defired Leonardo, tShathe might the better attend the Work, to Lodg in their Convent, where they Entertained him with his Family. He A a 2 was i8o The LIFE of was a great while with them, before he could be prevailed with to Work a ftroke, but at lafl he made a Cartoon, and in it a Madonna, a Saint Ann, and Chrift ; all which Figures be- ing Finiihed, raifed fo much Admiration in the whole City, that during the time of two or three days, there was a continual Procef- fion of Men and Women, to go and iee them ; every one returning aftoniflied, at the Mar- vellous Skill of Leonardos For in the Madonna's Face, there was all that Beautiful Innocence, that might become a Virgin Mother of Chrift ; who having her Child in her Lap, mowed an humble Joy, for the Felicity Ihe enjoyed in fo Lovely an Infant, whom while (he regarded with Ten- dernefs, a little Saint John Baptiji, who was playing with a Lamb, drew the Looks of his Mother Saint Attn* who with a Smile, ex- preffed the joy of her Heart, to fee me had at lafla Son, that was in his Infancy, a Com- panion to the Sav lour of the World; But the Cartoon being made, ^eo/^Y/oibribokthe Work> and LEONARDO DA VINCI. 181 and the Monks entertained Philippino again, who died like wife, before he could Finifh his; and then the Car torn was fent into France. Leonardo likewife undertook the Picture of Mona Lifa, Wife to Francefco Giocondo, and ha- ving Worked- upon it four Years together, left it neverthelefs Unfinifhed. It is now in. the King of France his Pallace in Fcntain— bleau ; whoever had a mind to fee how well Art could imitate Nature, might have been fatisfied in looking upon this Head, for there were all the Minuteft Things reprefented to a Miracle. The Eyes had that Brightnefs and Water, that is naturally in them ; and the Hairs of the Eyebrows, which are ex- tream hard to do, was fo exactly painted, that one might fee the Artift had made them to rife from the Elelh, jufl as they do through the Pores; fometimes thicker i and fometimes thinner. The Nole had all thole little pits , which we fee in plump frefti Eaces , and the Mouth was reprefented with? all! 182 The LIFE of all its finifhings ; the Rofe Colour of the Lips ending by little and little, and uniting with the Fleih Colour of the Cheeks and Chin: The Neck was fo ftrong and lively, that through its delicate Whitenefs, one would think, one faw the Veins, and beat- ing of the Arteries. In a word, this Piece was rimmed at a Rate, to make any Artift afraid of ever attempting any thing like it. Tis faid befides , That he never made this lovely Lady fit for her Picture, but he had al- ways fome Body to Sing, or play upon fome Inftrument , with fome Buffoons to make Sport, and keep her in good Humour, that the Pi&ure might have nothing of that Pen- fivenefs, which very often lpoils the Painters whole Defign ; and accordingly this had an Air of Joy and Pleafantnefs, that rejoyced every one that law it. The Excellency of this, and other Works of this Noble Artift, made the whole City at laft, defirous to have fome Confiderable Piece of his doing, which might Adorn the Pub- lick LEONARDO DA VINCI. 183 lick, and preferve the Memory of fo great a Genius. Therefore the Great Council-Hall being newly Rebuilt, and the Architecture of it having been ordered by the Three fa- mous Architects of thole Days , Giulian of Saint Oallo, Simon Pollaivoli, called Chronaca, and Michel Angelo Buonarotti. It was by publick Decree of the Council, Ordered, that Leonardo Va Vinci fhould Paint it. Whereupon Piero Soderini, the then Gonfalaniero di Suflitia, agreed with him about it. Leonardo having chofen for his Painting- Room, a Hall of Santla Maria Novella, called La Sala del Papa, begun a Cartom there, and in it the Story of Niccolo Pmccinino, General to Philips Duke of Milan y there amon^fl: o- ther things, he Drew a Troop of Horle, that Attacked a Foot Company, and put them to the Rout; where you might lee the Rage and Fury of the Combatants in their Faces 3 and all their Actions : As alio in the Horfes themielves, two of which Rifing an end; had faftned upon the Pikes, and Foot Soldiers, onea 184 The LITE of one of which endeavouring with his Back, to (hove off a Horfe that preflfes upon him, lays hold of the Enfign, to get it out of the Hands of two others, who having each of them their Swords drawn in one Hand, and their other upon the Enfign, try to de- fend it, againft that firft; and another Old Soldier in a Red Cap, who feems to threaten with a back blow, to cut off the Hands of thofe two, who had laid hold of the Enfign's Staff, and who with the fiercefl Aptitude imaginable, try to keep their hold. There is befides, underneath the Horles Feet, two Figures fhortned, who being clofed, and one upon another, do all that is poflible, the one with his Arm raifed on high, and a Dagger in it, threatning prefent Death; and the other ftriving with his Arms and Legs, to avoid it. Great alio is the Variety of drefs, in which he has put his Figures with diffe- rent Helmets, and other Arms ; but chiefly his Maftery is great in the forms and Co- lours of his Horfes, which Leonardo always made LEONARDO DA VINCI. 185 made more Beautiful and Mufculous, than any other Painter. The only Fault of this piece was, that thinking to Work in Oyl upon the Wall, he made ib grofs a Mixture for his firft Couch, that his Colours began to link in, which made him foriake the Work in that place. Leonardo was of a very great Soul, and molt Generous in all his Actions, not capable of fuffering himfelf to be leffened, as appeared. When going once, as he ufed to do every Month, to receive his Allowance from the State, at the Houfe of the Gonfaloniero Piero Soderini ', the Treafurer would have made him take fome of it in Rowls of Brafs Far- things, and other fuch Money, which he re- fufed : Telling the Treafurer, who took it ill, That he was no Farthing Painter. And when afterwards , Piero Soderini himlelf , let fall fome Words, as if Leonardo had not dealt well with the State in his Bargain ; he hear- ing of it, got together by the means of his Friends, all the Money he had ever received Bb from x86 IfoX IF E of from the Publick, and carried it to Soderim, who neverthelefs, refufed to accept it. At the Creation of Pope Leo,, the iotb. he went to Rome with Duke Julian , of Medici, who was very much delighted with all Phi- loibphical Entertainments, particularly thole of Chimiftry ; in which kind, Leonardo like- wile had many fancyful Experiments. Such as to make a thin Compofition of Wax, out of which he made little Animals, into which Blowing, they flew through the Air, as long £S the Wind within them lafted. Among other Capricious Ainufements of his own Art, he bellowed the pains to fit Wings to a live Lizard, found in the Gar- den of Belvedere , by the Gardener : The Wings were made of the Scales of other Li- zards , mingled with Quick-filver , which made a ftrange Glittering and Shaking when the Lizard moved , then having made him Horns, and a Beard, he kept him Tame in a Box, and uled to fright his Friends, with Slowing him of a ludden. He LEONARDO DA VINCI. 187 He ufed often likewife , to take Sheeps Guts, and cleanfe them to that Thinnefs, that they would lie in the palm of his Hand : In another Room hard by his, he had placed a pair of Smiths Bellows, which putting into one end of the Sheeps Gut, he wouJd blow them up to that Bignefs, that they who were in the fame Room, would be fained to get up into a Corner, the Guts appearing as Tran- Iparent as Glafs. And this Leonardo ufed to lay, was the beft Emblem of Virtue, which while hid, lies in a little Room, but being once Mow- ed up by Fame, would fill the whole World. He had a Hundred of thefe Tricks. He bulled himfelf in the Knowledg of Perjpeffhe, and Looking Olajfes : He endeavoured likewife, by Mixtures and Diftillings, to find out the bell Oyls and VarniGi, to preferve Pictures after they were made, but in that he often fucceed- ed ill; as he did particularly in a Picture of a Madonna, with her Child in her Arms, upon which he had beftowed infinite pains, to pre- fent it to Signer Baklajfari Turin'h Datary to B b 2 Le s 188 The L I F E of Leo the Tenth; it is now much ipoiled. 'Tis faid, that being at Rome, and having undertaken a Piece for the Pope , he began pre- fently to fall a DifHlling of Herbs and Oyls for the Vernifh : Which being told to Leo the Tenth, he cried out, alas, This Man will do nothing, for he begins at the wrong end. There was a great Fewd between him and Mi- chel Angelo Bonarti, in fo much that Michel An- gelo left Florence upon it, and went to Rome', and Leonardo then alio went to France,- where he was extreamly well received by the King, who had divers things of his Doing, and amongfl the reft, the Cartoon of the Saint Anna, which he much defired might be Coloured by him. Lee- /wc/o,according to his Cuftom,amufed the King with promifes a great while, till at laft he fell Sick, and after many Montlis Indiipofi- tion, finding Death to draw near, he defired to be Informed of the Duties of a Good Chri- itian ; after which, with much mow of Re- pentance for his Sins, he would needs rile out of his Bed to, receive the Eucharift ; and while LEONARDO DA VINCI iS 9 while he was in that attempt, the King, who often ufed to vifit him, came in : Whereup- on draining to fhew his RefpecT: to the King* he was taken with a fainting Fit, the fore- runner of Death. In which, the King him- felf held his Head, while he Expired in the Arms of fo Great a Prince, as the beft time and place to give up a Soul fo Divine as his was. The Lofs of Leonardo, was fenfibly Regret- ted by all that knew him, no Artift ever ha- ving Honoured a Profeffion more than he did the Art of Painting. He added to the man- ner of Colouring in Oyl, which was found out before his Time, a certain Darknefs of Shadows, from whence the Moderns have learned to give great Relievo to their Figures- We have of him likewife, a moft perfect Ana- tomy of Men and Horfes. He would have Excelled in Statuary likewife, if he had plea- fed, for the Three fine Statues made by Fran- cefco Rufiic'h and placed upon the Gate of Saint John's Church, are of Leonardos Ordering, and! as. i jo The LIFE of as good for Defign and Cafting, as any Mo- dern ones we have. He had for Bifciple, Givoan Antonio Boltrajfio, a Milanefs, a Perlbn very understanding in the Art, who in the Year 1500. Painted in the Church of the Mifericordia at Bologna, a piece in Oyl ; where was our Lady, with her Son in her Arms , Saint John Baptifi , and Saint Sebaftian, naked, and he that Caufed it to be made. Drawn after the Life, upon his Knees. In it he Writ his Name, and added to it, Difciple of Leonardo Da Vinci ; it is a fine Piece. Marco Vgioni, was likewife his Schollar, who in Santla Maria delta Pace, Drew the Death of the Virgin .Mary, and the Wedding of Cana in Galilee. The ANDREA BEL SAKTO. i 9l The L I F E of ANDREA DEL SARTO, A Famous Florentine Painter*. AFter having Writ the Lives of divers Great Painters, who Excelled, fomeiti Colouring, fome in Defign, and Tome in In- vention, we are at laft arrived to the Life of Andrea del Sarto 9 a mod: Excellent Artift, in whom Nature and Art Concurred, to mow all that Painting can do , either in Dejign, Colouring, or Invention. And to fay truth, if Andrea had been of a Temper as bold as his . J ud S- i ^2 The LIFE of judgment was profound, he would have been without any Equal in his Profeffion; but a certain natural Timidity and Simplicity with which he was endowed, deprived him and his Works of that Strength and Boldnefs* which added to his other Qualities in Paint- ing, would have made him Sublime in every kind. Andrea was Born in Florence, in the Year 1478. his Father was a Taylor, andexercifed that Calling to his Dying day, from whence Andrea took his Name, and was called Del Sartc. He was lir/l bound Prentice to a Goldfmith, and in that profeffion, his chief delight was Dejigning of fome thing or another of his Trade, being much more pleafed to do that, than to handle either the Hammer, or the other Tools belonging to it : Which being obferved by John Barile, a Florentine Painter, but an Ordi- nary one, he took the Child home with him, to Teach him the Art of Painting. It is wonderful with what Application and Plea- fure, ANDREA DEL SAKTO. m fure, Andrea followed his Defigning, though under ib mean a Mafler, particularly in ma- naging of his Colours, which he did with lb much Art, that all the Painters of the Town were Surprifed at it. Having ftay'd Three Years with John Barile, he feeing how great an Artift Andrea was like to prove, talked of him with Pietro di Cofimo, who at that time, was reputed one of the belt Painters that Flo- rence had. Pietro took Andrea to be his Pren- tice,and he had not had him long, but he con- ceived a great Kindnefs for him, feeing him fo Ardent and Induftrious , to advance his Skill. For Andrea fpent all his Hours of Lea- fure, and the Holy-days, which other young Men gave to their Recreation, in Defigning in the Great Hall , called La Sala del Papa, where were the Cartoons of Michel Ana eh, and Leonardo da Vinci, and did Out-do all the other youn^ Men , both Florentines and Strangers* who were ufed to come to the fame place. Amongft all thofe who in great Numbers ufed to frequent that Hall, Andrea made a Cc par. 19+ Me L IF E if particular Friendfhip with Francis Bigia, cal- led J I. Francia, and Andrea being weary of Li- ving with his Mafter, who was grown very Old, told Francia, that he had a mind to take a Chamber to himfelf. Francia, who had the lame Defign, becaule his Mailer, Mariotto Al- bertinellh Ivdd given over the Trade, Concur- red with him, and they took a Room in the Piazza delGrano, dividing equally the Profit of what they undertook, and each putting his Hand to the Work, while they flayed there. Andrea painted in the Cloifler of Saint John Baptift, Twelve Stories, of the Life of Saint John, which he acquired fo much Reputati- on and Fame by, that now beginning to be better known , he and his Friend , took a new Lodging by the Convent of the Anunti- ata. While they were there, an Old Fryar of the Houle hearing of Andreas Commen- dations, which were in every Bodies youth, he confidered ■ how to have his Ends of him, without any great Charge ; and by this time, J I. Francia and he, being, of Friends, become Rival , ANDREA DEL SEKTO. 195 Rivals in their ProfeiTion. The Monk told Andrea, that he had now an Opportunity to make himfelf known to the World , and gaining iuchEfteem, as he needed never af- ter to want Work ; that his friend Francia had offered to do the thing, but that he had fo much kindnefs for him, that he fhould have the preference ; and that he counfelled him not to ftand upon any Price, for the Ho- nour he would acquire in lb great a Work, would be Reward enough. Andrea, who was but poor Spirited, and Simple, hearing that Francia was mentioned for the Work, pre- fently clofed with the Fryar , and agreed with him for Ten Crowns a Story, provi- ded no Body elfe mould be concerned in the Work. . In a little time, he finifhed Three Stories of the Life of Saint Philip , the Founder of the Order of the Sewites ; and in one of them he Drew lbme Gamefters under a Tree. Who being reproved by Saint Philip, for Swearing and Blafpheming, did but Laugh at his Ad- C c 2 monitions, i?6 The LIFE of monitions, when on a fudden , a Thunder- clap Killed two of them, and frighted the others. In this piece, Andrea mowed what Variety of Invention he was capable of, for befides the frighted poftures of the Gamefters, he drew a Woman, who running out of her Houfe, at the Noife of the Thunder, appears, fo out of her felf, that nothing can be more Natural. And he alfo feigned a Horfe broke loofe at the fame Noife, who Leaping and Bounding in an extraordinary manner, ex- prefles the diforder of the Whole, with much Strength. Having finifhed one fide of the Cloifter, and finding the Work too Laborious for the price, he defired to be releafed of his Bargain, which the Fry ac was loath to do; but at lafl did confent,, provided Andrea painted two Sto- res more at his Convenience, and he would allow him fomething a better Rate. The Reputation he acquired by thefe Stories, pre- ien tly brought him as much Work as he could defire, And he made many Stories and ANDREA DEL SARTO. i 91 and Pictures of all kinds, both for publick, and for private Perlbns ; which it would be too long to Enumerate here. The profit and advantage he made by them, would have made him Live very plentifully, had he net chan- ged his Condition, by falling in Love with a young Woman , who was then Married to another ; but whole Husband dying foon af- ter , Ihe became Andreas Wife. From that time forward, he was very uneafie, both in his Fortune and Humour, for befides the En- cumbrance of a Married Life, he was often difturbed with Jealoufie, and his Wifes ill Humours ; but to return to his Works. The Company of the Scalzo, for whom he had made his firft Work , of the Story of Saint John Baptift-, being defirous to have him finnli the whole Life, engaged him a new : He therefore made them two Stories more of the fame Subject In the firft, Sainton is Preaching to the Multitude, and fhows in the Burnt hew of his perfon, ... the Aufterity of his Life, but particularly , the Ah*: of his Conn— ^S The LIFE of Countenance, is full of Spirit and Zeal, the Variety of the Auditorys attenti- on, is no lefs well ExprefTed , by the afto- nifliment at his Dodrine. But he Ihowed much more Skill in the fecond Story, where Saint John is Baptizing a great Multitude of People, fome whereof are putting off their Clothes, others Naked in the Water, and all mowing in their Aptitudes, a marvellous de- fire of being cleanfed from their Sins; every Figure being mod perfectly mannaged , ib that though it be in Chiaro Scuro, theyfeem to be of Marble. 'Tis not to be omitted, that while Andrea was about this piece, there came fome prints of Mart Barer, out of which Andrea took fome Figures, and fitted them for his manner ; which though it is often done by good Matters, yet fome took occafi on to think, th^t Andrea was wanting in the point of Invention. He madelikewife for a Merchant, a Friend of his, who often Traded into France with Piclures; one of our Saviour, Dead, and fome ANDREA DEL SARTO. i 99 fome Angels about him, in fad companionate Poftures; and this piece did fo generally pleafe every Body,- that Andrea was prevailed upon to have it Cut, and Printed at Rome, by Agofiino Vinffiano , a good Graver : But the thing having mifcarried in his Hands, fo as to lofe much of its Beauty, he could never be perfuaded afterwards, to luffer any of his Pi- ctures to be Graved. The Original its felf, was Sold to the King of France, who was fo pleafed with it, that he Bel poke many things befides, of his Doing ; which with the per- fuanon of fome Friends, made Andrea refolve to go for France. The King, Francis the Firft, having- taken Order for his Journey, and advanced Money to him at Florence ; He was no fooner arrived at Court, but he Experienced that Princes Liberality, before ever he began to Work. The firil: Picture he made, was of the Dophin? who was then in Swadling Clothes* being not above two Months Old ; the King liked it fo well, that he preiented him Three Hundred Crowns > 2oo The LIFE of Crowns in Gold. Next, he made the Picture of Charity, which was by that Prince fo Va- lued, that he Ordered a penfion for Andrea, promiiing him any thing, provided he would iky at Court ; being much taken with the Quicknefs of his Work, and the Eafinefs of his Humour. He went on therefore, doing many pieces for the King and Court. When one day as he was Working upon a St. Jerom, for the Queen Mother, he received Letters from his Wife from Florence, which made him refolve upon his Return thither ; pretending fome Domeftick Affairs, and promifing the King not only to come back, but alfo to bring his Wife with him, and a choice Collection of Pictures and Sculptures. The King truft- ing him, gave him Money for all thofe things, and Andrea took his Oath upon the Bible, to Return in a few Months. Being arrived at Florence, he enjoyed his fine Wife and his Friends, and for feveral Months gave himfelf up wholly to pleafure : At laft, having fpent his own Money, and the Kings too, ANDREA DEL S ARTO. 201 too, he was neverthelefs refolved to go back for France \ but the Entreaties and Tears of his Wife, had more power over him, than his Honour or Oath , and fo he Settled a new in Florence , being fallen from a very Flou- rilhing Condition, to a very Mean one. The King finding himfelf Deceived , grew ex- tream Angry, and for many Years, would not look upon a Florentine Painter with a good Eye ; Threatning , that if ever Andrea del Sarto fell into his Hands, he would ufe him as his Fault deferved. While he was away, the Company of the Scalzo, had hired to Francia their Cloifter, and he had Finifhed in it, two Stories : But now hearing Andrea was come back, they fet him to Work again, and he painted four Sto- ries more. In the firft, is Saint John taken Prifoner, and brought before Herod. In the fecond, is the Supper, and Dancing of Hero- dias. In the third, is the Decolation of Saint John, in. which, the figure of the Hangman half Naked, is admirably Defigned. In the D d fourth, 202 7 be L I F £ of fourth, Herodias prefents the Head of Saint John Baptift to her Mother \ and in this, there are fome Figures in pofture of Admiration^ which are Excellent. And thefe four Stories have been, a long time the Study, and as I may fay, the School of the young Painters in Florence, both Natives and Strangers. In the Year 152;. the Plague being in Flo- rence, and near it Andrea, by the help of An- tonio Brancacci, retired to Mugello, and there was let to Work by the Nuns, of the Order of the CamaUoU, in their Church of Saint Peter. He had carried his Wife and Children with him, and the Nuns made fo much of his Wife, that Andre* rcfolved to do his befl to Oblige them : He therefore painted a Piece of our Saviour* Bead, and the Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelift, and Mary Magdalen, Lamenting about the Dead Body : As alfo Saint Peter, and Saint Paul, looking on. In all which, the Aptitudes are ftrangely well Execu£ed,and the whole hnifhed to a Wonder- ful degree. And indeed, this Picture has made ANDREA DEL SARTO. 203 made that Nunnery more Famous, than all its other Ornaments, though it be a very Magnificent Monafiry. The Plague being over, and Andrea return- ed to Florence, it happened that Frederick the Second , Duke of Montova , paffed through Florence, and faw there in the Palace of Medi- cis, the Picture of Pope Leo the Tenth, in the middle of Cardinal Oulian Medicis, who was then Clement the Seventh, and Cardinal Rofii, The piece was done by Raphael, and an Ad- mirable thing in its kind : Whereupon the Duke took his time while he was at Rome, and Begged it of Pope Clement the 7th. who very gracioufly granted it to him,and lent Order to Otlavian of Medicis, to deliver it to the Duke's Order. Otlavian, who was a great Lover of all things of Art, was much troubled, that Flo- rence mould lofe fuch a Rarity, but however not daring to difobey the Pope's Commands* he made Anfwer, that the Duke Ihould have it ; but defired he would be pleafed to give him time to make a New Frame to it, the D d 2 Frame 204 The Lit E of Frame being Old, and out of Falhion. But he immediately fent for Andrea, and telling, him how the Cafe flood, faid, He knew no Remedy, but to Copy moft diligently that of Raphael, and fend the Copy to the Duke ; and that too,muft be done with all the Secrefie imaginable. Andrea fell prefently to Work, and was fo Exact and Careful in his Copy, that Otlavian himfelf, who underflood Paint- ing very well, could hardly tell one from the other. The Painter having Counterfeited fome Mould Spots, which were in the Origi- nal, to the greateft Exa&nefs that was poffi- ble: Having. therefore hid the Original, the Copy was- fent to the Duke, who was ex- treamly fatisfied with it, and fo far from dis- covering the Cheat, that Gulio Romano, who was Raphael's Schollar, and then Working for the Duke, was Deceived as well as himfelf; and would have perfifted in that Opinion, to lus Dying day, if fome Years after, Georgia Vajfari , who was a Creature of Oft avian of Medicis , and had leen Andrew del Sarto . copy the ANDREA DEL SARTO. 205 the Picture : Going to Mantua , and being there courteously Entertained by Oiulio, had not undeceived him. For amongft other Pi- ctures, Oiulio fhowing him this as a piece of Raphael's, he told him he was mifkken : To which Oiulio reply ed , How, miftaken ! As if I did not remember the very Strokes that I my felf Wrought in ibme part of it. To which Vafari replied, He was flill miftaken \ and to convince him, {hewed him a little Mark on the Back, which was made there on purpofe by Andrea , becaufe when the two Pictures were together, they were apt to be miftaken one for the other. Oiulio having feen the Mark, was Aftonifhed, but laid at the fame time, I Value it neverthelefs, but rather the more; it being a much rarer thing, to have a Great Painter imitate the manner of another fo Exactly, than to do great Things of his own. About this time, Mejfer Baldo Magni of Prato, having a mind to have a good Picture for the Church of the Madonna del Career e : Amongft other. 20* rkeLIFEef other Painters who were mentioned to him, Andrea was the Man he moil inclined too, but one Nicolo Soggi Santonino , having many Friends, Mejjer Baido was over perluaded to let him have the Doing of it, though he had lent for Andrea : Who being arrived, this A7- coh was £b Impudent, as to offer to lay a Wa- ger , that he would out-do Andrea in any SubjecT:. Andrea provoked beyond Meafure, though naturally poor Spirited enough, Re- plied, That he had a Prentice with him, who had not been long a Painter, but he would lay of his fide againft Nicolo, icorning to En- gage himfelf in the Conteft, as being like to reap little Honour by the Victory ; and fo returned to Florence. In the mean time, one of the Servile Fathers, in giving leave to a Lady, to permute a Vow fhe had made, had obliged her to caufe a Madonna to be made, in a part of their Convent : And the Father having the difpofing of the Money, fpoke to Andrea to undertake it, though the price was but fmall. He, who never flood for Money* faid> ANDREA BEL SAKTO. 207 laid, he would. And Drew our Lady, with her Son in her Arms, and a Saint Jofeph, who leaning upon a Sack, looks upon a Book, that is open before him. This Work, both for De- fign, Grace, Colouring, and Relievo, (hows him to have furpaffed all former Painters to this day; and is now vifited by Strangers, under the famous Name of the Madonna del Sacco, 'tis upon the Door of the Cloifter of the Annunti- ate, as you go into the Church. There wanted one Story to the Cloifter, of the Company of the Scalzo, therefore Andrea, who had much, greatned his Manner, by ob- ierving the Figures that Michel Angelo had be- gun, and alnioft Finiihed, for the Sacrifti of Saint Laurence, put a Hand to this laft Story, which was the Birth of Saint John Baptift y the Figures in it are of a greater Relievo, than any he ever made before. And particularly, there is the figure of a Woman, who carries the New Born Babe to the Bed-fide, where Saint Elizabtth receives it ; that is an Admi- rable %ure. The figure of Zachariah like- wife,. 2o8 We LIFE *f- wife, who Writes his Sons Name upon a piece of Paper, which he holds upon his Knee ; is a moft Lively thing. As likewife, the figure of an Old Woman, who fitting by, leems to Laugh at the Child-bearing of Elizabeth, who was alio an Old Woman. About this time, John Baptijia delta Palla, ha- ving made an excellent Collection of Sculp- tures and Pictures, to Adorn an Appartment for Francis the firft, which mould be the Rich- eft of that kind, that could be had, ipared no Coll: to get the bell things that were in Flo- rence y and amongft the reft, he fet Jndrea to Work, giving him hopes, that it would be a means to make him recover the Kin^s favour and return to his Service. Andrea therefore made two Pictures, the one the Sacrifice of Abraham, the Aptitudes and Colouring of which are Admirable ; and par- ticularly a Paflage, or Landskip, moft exqui- fitely done, and proper to the Story. The other, the Picture of Charity, with Three little Boys about her; but neither of thefe Picture ANDREA BEL S ARTO. 209 Pictures came to the King's Hands, for Bap- tifra delta Palla, being taken prifoner. Philip p Strozzi bought the firfr, and prefented it to Mphonfo Davilos , Marquis Del Ouajlo , who placed it in the Iile of Sicilia, hard by Naples, in a Pallace that he had there. And the other was Bought of Andrea'?, Wife, after her Hui- band's Death , by Dominlco Contl 7 a Painter \ who Sold it again to Nicola Antenori, who keeps it as a Rare piece, as indeed it is. About this time, Offavian of Medicis, fee- ing how much Andrea had mended his Man- ner of late, was defirous to have a piece of his Doing. And Andrea who was much Ob • liged to him for many Favours, made him a Madonna, with her little Son upon her Knees, who turns his Head towards a Saint John Baptift, who is held by his Mother Saint Eli- zabeth y the whole Wrought with Incredible Art and Diligence. The Picture being fmi- fhed, and brought to Off avian of Medicis-, he liked it extreamly ; but it Being the time of the Siege of Florence, and he being taken up E e with 210 Ibe LIFE of with other Thoughts, defired Andrea to di- fpofe of it to whom he would : To which An- dre* made no other Anfwer, then that it was made for him, and that it mould be his, or no Bodies; and accordingly refufed all the Offers, and Entreaties that were made to him by other people, though Off avian had defired him to Sell it, and keep the Money for him- felf. The Siege being over, and the Family of Medic is Settled in the Government , Andrea carried his Picture once more to Signior Ofta- viano, who then took it with Joy ; and ha- ving given him twice the Value of it, thank- ed him over and above : And this Picture is flill in the Hands of his Lady. During the Siege of Florence, fome of the chief Commanders that were in the Cities pay, having run away with the Moneys they had received, Order was given, to have them Painted upon the Front of the Pallace of the Podefia, and Andrea was Ipoke to do it : He excufed himfelf in publick, and gave the do- ing ANDREA DEL SARTO. 211 ing of it to one of his Prentices, called, Bernar- do del Buda ; but he privately every day went in at a Hole made in the Wall, and came out again by Night, fo that the Work was by him fo Finhhed, that the Perfons defigned to be Reprefented, feemedtobe there Alive. But afterwards, by Order of the Government, they were Wiped out, as well as fome Emi- nent Citizens , who in that time had been declared Rebels, and painted in the fame man_ ner by Andrea. After the Siege, the Plague was difcovered in the City, and Andrea, whether out of Ap- prehenfion of it, or by fome other Irregula- rity of Life, fell Sick ; where being forfaken by his own Wife, for fear of the plague, he Died no Body knows how , and was Buried with little Ceremony, in the Church of the Serviles-, hard by his Houle. He was but Two and Forty Years Old, and he continually had fo Improved himfelf to that Time, that it is to be thought, if he had Lived longer, he had fUll added fome new Ee 2 i m _ 2i2 The L I F E of Improvement to the Art. He wanted no- thing, but to have Worked fome time in Rome , to have made his Manner, which was Sweet and Free, Noble and Great, by the viewing of the Antiquities that are there ', the Study of which alone, is that which gives Richnefs of Invention in Story, and Exact- nefs in Figures. But the Reafon why he wanted that Accomplifhment, was, becaufe while he was there, it was when Raphael had already made many Excellent Schollars , young Men, of a freQier Date than Andrea, who found that it would coft him a terrible deal of pains, to keep pace with them ; there- fore being naturally poor Spirited, he thought it beft to go back to Florence, where his Works were already Admired , and Valued , as in- deed they deferved, though he in his Life- time took fo little for them ; that they who have fmce Sold any of them, have had three times the Value of their firft Coft. After his death, his Defigns were in the Hands of Vominico Conti, one of his Schollars, though ANDREA DEL SARTO. 213 though none of the beft ; he had a great ma- ny, but all did not attain to lb great a degree of Skill, as fome did. The beft were Jacopa da Puntormo, Andrea Ignazzella, who has painted a Country Houfe, fome where by Paris-, much after Andrea's manner. II folos meo Pier Fran- cifeo di Jacopi di Sandra, Franc efco Salviatiy and Oeorgio Vafari , the Author of thefe Lives> though he Lived but a very little while with him : Jacopo del Conte Nannoccio, who is ftill in France. Dominico Conti y out of Gratitude, caufed a Marble Effigies of his Mafter, to be fet up againft a Pillar, in the Church of the Serviks* with this Infcription : JNDREA SARTIO, Admirabilis Ingenii Pitlori ac veteribus illis Omnium iudicio Comparand*)} Dominicus Contes Difcipulcs pro Labor i bus in fe Infiituendo fufceptis grati ani~ mo pofuit. Vixit Annos XLIII. Ob. A. MDXXX. The RAPHAEL DEL UKBIN. 215 The L I F E of RAPHAEL DEL URBIN, A Vainter and Architeffi. RAphael was Born in Vrbino, a known Ci- ty of Italy, upon a Good-Friday, in the Year 1485. his Father's Name was Giovanni de Santi, a Painter of no very great Reputa- tion , but a Judicious and Difcreet Man : And, who having himfelf been Entred in an ill Way , and by a Mafter of the Old Manner, had yet fo much Knowledg, as to direct his Son in a better ; finding him a very for- 2i£ The LIFE of forward Child , and much enclined to the Art, in lb much, that even under his Infti- tution, he had lb far profited, as to be very ufeful to his Father, in divers pieces that he Wrought in the State of Vrbin. But he as a kind Father, being very ienfible that Raphael could never attain to any great Skill by his Teaching, relblved to find him out a better Matter ; and pitched upon Pietro Perugino, who had then the Reputation of one of the moft Excellent Mailers of his Time. Pietro accep- ted the offer made him of Raphael for his Schollar : And as foon as he law the great Beginnings he had already in the Art of De~ figning, and withal, obferved the iweetneis of his Temper, and the modefty of his Be- haviour, he made that Judgment of him, which fince has been confirmed by Effedls 'Tis a thing worth Obferving, that Raphael ftudying the Manner of Pietro Perugino, imi- tated it fo well in every thing , that his pieces could not be known from his Mailers ; as appears to this day, by a piece in Oyl, which he RAPHAEL DEL UR'BIN. 217 he did for Madonna Magdalena de Glioddi. In Saint Francefco of Perugia, 'tis an AfTumption of our Lady, and our Saviour putting the Crown upon her Head ; the Twelve Apoftles are round about the Sepulcher, admiring the Coeleftial Glory fhe is Adorned with. 'Tis done with great Diligence, and they who are not very Skilful in knowing of Manners, would eafily believe, it were of Pietro Peru* gino's doing; and yet without doubt, it is of Raphael's. Who painted likewife, two pieces in Citta di CafteUo, the one a Crucifix, in the Dominican Church ', in which, if he had not Writ his Name, there is no Body that would believe it Raphael's, but rather Pietro Perugim'ss The other a Marriage of our Ladies, in which one may particularly obferve, how Raphael- gains upon Perugino*, and begins to Surpais him. In this Piece, there is a Temple drawn- with fb delicate a Profpective, that it is Won- derful to obferve, what Difficulties and-Nice-- ties of Art, he mowed in it. F f Having- 2i 8 Ibe L IF E of Having by this time, attained to fome Re- putation, he was called by his Friend Pintu- richio, who had undertaken the Painting of the Library of the Vomo, at Sienna, at the de- fire of Pope Pius the Second, who was Native of that place ; and Pinturichio, kn owing Ra- phael to be a moft Excellent Defigner, was glad of his Affiftance, who accordingly made divers of the Cartoons for that Work, but did not continue, becaufe he had a mind to go fco Florence, to fee the Cartoon of Leonardo da Vinci, which he had made for the great Pallace Hall ) which had made fuch a Noife in the World , that all the Lovers of Art , came far and near to admire it. Particularly, Michel Angela, ha- ving alfo at the lame time, made fome Naked Figures in Competition with Leonardo, which were no lefs admirable. Being come to Florence y and having admired thofe Works as Divine, the City pleafed him likewife fo well, that he refolved to Live in it for fome time. There he prefently contracted Friendship, not only with all the young Painters of his Time, RAPHAEL DEL UKBIN. 219 Time, but alfo with many of the moft Emi- nent Citizens, by whom he was highly Ho- noured and Carefled, particularly by Taddeo Tadde'h who Lodged him in his Houfe, and made him conftantly Eat at his Table : And Raphael, who was not to be overcome in Cour- tefie, made two pieces for him, which have fomething more of the Way of Perugino, than of that which he Studied fince. He was In- timate likewife with Lorenzo Nafi, for whom he made an Excellent Madonna ; but it, in the Fall of his Houfe, which was Over- thrown by an Earthquake, was all broken to pieces ; neverthelefs, the pieces being Ra- ked out of the Ruines, were put together as well as might be, and are yet preferved by Baptifta Naji> a great Lover of the Art, and Son and Heir to the faid Lorenzo. After this, Raphael's Father and Mother being both I>ead, he was forced to go to Vr- bino, to look after his Domeftick Affairs ; and there he did fome pieces for Ouidobaldo da Mm- tefeltro) who was then Captain General of the F f 1 Florets 220 The L I F E of Florentines ; and amongft the reft, a Picture of our Saviour in the Garden, and the three Apoftles afieep at a diftance : This piece is lb perfectly Finilhed, that no Miniature can be better. It was given by Signora Leonora, the Duke of Vrbins Wife, to Don Petro Quirini, and Don Paulo Juftinidni , Venetians and Hermites of the Camaldd'h and was by them placed as a Relick in the chief Room of the faid Hermi- tage. From Vrbin he went to Perugia, where he Worked for the Nuns of Saint Antonino, and made them a Picture, where according to the Simplicity of thofe Ladies, he made our Sa- viour Cloathed, fitting in his Mothers Lap • and on one fide of our Lady, Saint Peter, Saint Paul , Saint Cecily , and Saint Katherine \ to thofe two Virgins, he gave the fweeteft Coun- tenances, with the fined Drefs for their Heads, a thing Rare in thole Days. The whole Work is very much Efteemed, it be- ing one of the firft in which Raphael began to change his Manner, fince his being at Flo- rence. RAPHAEL DEL URBlN. 221 rence,, fo that now it differed as much from his Mailer Perugino's, as if it had been two diftind Hands. After fome Hay at Perugia, he returned to Florence again, and there fell to Studying very hard, both by the Old Paintings of Mofaccio, and by the New one s ef Leonardo, and Michel Angelo. He Contra- cted a moft particular Friendfhip with Fra. Bartholomeo di San Marco, having his Colouring in great Efteem, and endeavouring to Imi- tate it; and in Exchange, he Taught Fra. Bartholomeo, the manner of Working things in Profpe&ive, to which the Good Father was an abfolute Stranger : But his Study was again Interruptedly the Importunity of fome great Perfons of Perugia, fo that he was forced to return to that place. He carried with him * Cartoon, which he had done at Florence, at the Solicitation of the Signora Jtalanta Baglioni. The Story was the Burial of our Saviour. In this piece, Raphael has admirably Exprefled the Grief of our Lady , who is fallen in a Swound, by the Dead Corps ; and that of Saint 222 The LIFE of Saint John, who with his Hands croffed in each other, and looks down with the faddeft Countenance imaginable. And indeed, who ever fhall well confider the Diligence, Care, and Affection, with which this piece is Fini- ihed, mufl be in a kind of Ravifhment at the Air of the Figures, the Beauty of the Drape- ry ', and above all, a certain Sweetnefs that is fpread all through the Work. There being about this time, many Artifts of all kinds Employed at Rome, by Pope GiuUo the Second, Bramanto of Vrb/no, amongfl: the reft being there, Writ to Raphael, to whom he was fomething a Kin, to come to Rome> for that he had fpoke to the Pope of him. At his arrival, being very well received by the Pope* he found him bufied in Embellifhing his Pa- lace , and particularly, in Painting his beft Rooms in Frefco, by the Hands of the mofl: famous Mailers of that Time ; there was one Room quite finilhed by Pietro della France fca ; Luca di Cortona, had very much forwarded a Facciata, or Frontice-piece of another. And Don RAPHAEL BEL UKBIN. 223 Bon Pietro della Gafta, Abbot of Saint Clement of Arezzo, had begun another Story. Likewife Bramantino of Milan* had made fome Figures* which being done after the Life, were ex- treamly Valued. Raphael therefore took to himfelf the Chamber of the Segnatura , and there begun a Story of the Divines agreeing, Philofophy and Aftrologie, with Divinity; and in it are drawn all the Antient Wife MenandPhilofophers, difputingin different Manners. By themfelves there are fome Aftrologers , who have made Figures upon Tables, and fend them to the four Evange- lifts, by certain Angels. But amongft the reft, is the Figure of Diogenes, lying all along upon the Stairs, with his Diih in his Hand > which is a very Contemplative figure, and much to be Commended, as well as the figures of the Aftrologers, whole Aptitude in Work- ing, with their Compares upon Tables, is admirable. There is among other Figures, one of a Young Man, who opening his Arms, and bending his Head on one fide, feems to be 224 2& LIFE of be in the a£fc of admiring ; it is the Picture of Frederick the Second , Duke of Mantoua-, who was then in Rome. Raphael's own Picture is alfo there, next to Zoroafier% who holds a Caeleflial Globe in.his Hand \ and the Mathe- matician, who feems fo attentive with his Compares, is the Picture of Bramante ,. and fo like him, that he feems alive. He adorned his Work with a mofl: delicate Profpedtive , and iuch Variety of fine Fi- gures, of fo delicate a Manner , that Pope Julio caufed all that had been done by other Matters, both Old and Modern, to be quite Demolished, to make room for more of his. But Raphael ipared lbme of the Work of Gio~ vOftiy Antonio Sodom*, of Vercelli, and made ufe of the Compartiments and Grotesks of it : And in the four Rounds, he made four Fi- gures , of fome Signification to the Stories under them, and turned each of them to. its proper Story, In the firft, is a Woman, which is made^ tareprefent Knowledge and on each Hand a- Goddefs RAPHAEL DEL UKBlN. 225 Goddefs Cybele ; fhe fits in a Chair, and is Reprefented with many Breafts, with which the Antients painted their Diana Polimafta. Her Clothes are of four Colours, to Repre- fent the four Elements ; from her Head to her Wafte, is the Fire-Colour, and from her Wafte downwards , the three others , the Water being the laft ; and there are by her fome young Children, yery finely done. In another Round towards the Window, which looks upon Belvedere, is Reprefented Poefiey in the perfon of Polybimnia, Crowned with Laurel, and with an Air more than Mortal: She directs her Looks to Heaven, having two Youths by her, who by their Vi- vacity, feem ready to receive her Commands ; underneath this, was the Story of Parnaffus. In the third Round, which is over the Story, where the Do&ors of the Church are ordering the Mafs ; there is reprefented Di- vinity with Books , and other Ornaments about her, and likewife two Boys. Gg In 226 The L IF B. of In the fourth Round, is Juftice with he* Ifallances, and a Sword, with two Boys, as all the others. He made likewifein the four Corners of the Yault, or Ceiling, four Stories, but of leffer Figures, yet extreamly well Defigned, and delicately Coloured ', and they are Adam's Eat- ing the forbidden Fruit, which looks towards the Story of Divinity underneath ; near that of AJirologie, there is that Art, which places the fixed Stars and Planets, all in their pror per Situation. Over the Picture of Pcejte, there is the Story of Mar Jim, who is tied to a- Tree, and Flead by Apollo \ and over, the if/- fiory of the giving the Ciyif and, Canonical Laws,, there is the Story of Solomons Judgments when he Ordered the Child to be cut in two. Having finifhed the Vault, or Ceiling, we muftnow lay, what, were the Stories painted underneath. In that part which looks towards Belvedere y he drew the Mount -Fainajfiu y with the Foun- tain Helicon, and. upon the Mountain made a Wood RAPHAEL DEL URBIN. 227 Wood of Laurels, fo Green and Lively, that the very trembling of the Leaves by the gen- tle breath of Air ftirring about them, is al- moft perceptible ; and in the Air, there flie about an infinite number of Cupids , who gather Branches of Laurel, and having form- ed them into Garlands and Wreaths, fcatter them all about the Hill, which is filled with Poets in different poftures; fome Sitting* fome Standing, fome Writing, fome Sing* ing, and others Talking together by pairs, or more, as the Painter thought fit to fort them. But the Figures are all fo Lively and their Actions fo proper and Natu- ral , that one would really think , the Workman Infpired with fome of that Divi- nity which the Poets lay claim too. Thefe Figures were all done after fome Antient Statues, or Models) and the Modern Poets, who are there Reprelented, and were then Alive, and are all done after the Life. There on one Side, you fee Ovid* Virgil^ Emius* 77* bullus-i Catullus, Propertius, and Homer by him- jfelf, Singing of Veffes, and having one at Gg 2 his 223 The LIFE of his Feet, who Writes them down. Then in a Gruppo by themfelves , are Apollo , and the Nine Mufes, with fuch Beauty in the Air of their Heads, thaft one may eafily know them to be the Divinities of Verfe. On the other Side, is the Learned Sappio, the moft Divine Dante, Gentle Pearch, and Amarous Boccaccio, with a great many more of the Moderns ; the whole Work being extreamly well finimed. On another Wall in the fame Room, he drew our Saviour and the Virgin Mary, Saint John Baptift, the Apoftles, the Evangelifts and Martyrs, all upon Clouds in the Air, and above over them, God the Father, who fends the Holy Ghofl over a great number of Saints of all forts. There are likewife , the four Doctors of the Church, with Domenick Francis, Thomas Aquinas , Bonaventure Scot us, Nicolas di Lira Savanarola , and a great many Divines drawn, many after the Life : In the Air are four Boys, who hold the four Evangelifts. The Excellency of this Picture is great, for as the Figures are all Sitting, and in the Air the RAPHAEL DEL URB/N. 229 the Shortnings are very Artificial; fo as they Hide away from the Eye by degrees, juft as if they were of true Relievo. Their Drapery likewife is very Curious , both in the Fold- ings and Livelinefs of Colours : The Air of our Saviour's Head is admirable, having in it all that Mildnefs and Pity, which was pro- per to the Divinity, made Man. And indeed, it was Raphael's particular Ta - lent, to give the proper Air to his Heads, as he has done here all along ; making our Ladies Countenance Sweet and Gentle, the Apoftles Grave, but Honeft and Plain, the Martyrs Zealous, and full of Faith : But particular- ly, he mowed great Art in the Heads of the Doctors of the Church, who difputing two by two, or three by three, mow in their Countenances great Curiofity , and in their Actions an endeavour of difcovering the truth of all their Doubts. On the other fide of the Room by the Win- dows, he drew Jufiiman, giving his Laws to the Do&ors , who correct them ; and over him 23o The LIFE of him, Temperances Force, and Prudence ; and on the other hand he drew the Pope , giving the Decretals, or Cannon Law ; and in the perfon of the Pope , he drew Pope Julio, after the Life ; as alio Jean, Cardinal of Medicis, who was after- wards Pope Leo the Tenth ; Anthony Cardinal Vi- tnonte, and Cardinal Alexander Farneze y who was alfo Pope, by the Name of Paul the Third. The ■Pop* remained extreamly fatisfied with this Work ; and that nothing might be wanting to fet it out, he fent for Francis Giovanni di Vero- na, who was famous for Carving in Wood, to make the Frames ; who not only did that, but alfo adorn'd the Room with moil dilicate Doors and Seats, which gave him great Fa- vour with the Pope \ and indeed, in that fort of Work, there was never any that exceeded this Fra. Giovanni \ as may be feen to this day in a Sacrifia in Verona, the place of his Birth, in the Church of Santla Maria in Organo. But to return to Raphael : His Skill and Re- putation increafed fo together, that the Pope would needs have him undertake a fecond Chamber RAPHAEL DEL URBIN. 231 Chamber towards the Sala Grande ', but firft, he drew the Pope's own Pi&ure at length, lb ftrong and lively, that it aftonifhed all thole who law it ; and it is to this day prelerv'd in Santla Maria del Popolo, together with a Nativi- ty of his doing \ both thefe Pictures are lhowed only upon Holy-days. All this while, though Raphael had acquir'd very great fame, and though he was continu- ally ftudying the beft pieces of Antiquity in Rome, yet he had not hitherto given any Great- nefs or Majefty to his Figures- ; his Manner, though foft, yet being mean and low in ex- preffing great things. But it happened about this time, that Mi- chael Angelo, who was painting the Pope's Chap- pel, was forced to fly to Florence, for an Occafi- on that (hall be mentioned in his Life, and left with Bramante the Key oft he Chappel ; who> being an Intimate Friend of Raphaels,, mowed him the whole Work, that he might compre- hend Michael Angers Manner ; which he did fo fhrongly, that immediately he went and' didii 232 The L I F fi of did over again the Figure of the Prophet Ifaiah, which he had already finiihed in the Church of Saint Auftin, and gave it that noble, great Manner which mod: of the Works of Michael Angelo have ; who being come back to Rome , and having ihen this Alteration of Raphael's Manner, imagined prefently, that Bramante had been falfe to him in his abfence, to oblige his Friend Raphael. About this time, Auguflin Chigi, a very Rich Merchant of Sienna, but Living in Rome, and a great Admirer and Encourager of Art/fts 9 madc Raphael draw that famous Galatea in a Sea- Char, environed with Tritons and Sea-Nymphs, and Gods \ as is yet to be feen in his Pallace of Tranflevere : and being extreamly fatisfied with that Work, which has an uni mi table fweet- nefs and noblenefs in it, he got him to under- take a Chappel for him in the Church of Sanffa Maria della Face, on the Right Hand ; and in it Raphael drew fome Prophets and Sybils ; which are particularly efteemed among all the things he ever did j but he had then feen Michael An- gelo\ RAPHAEL DEL UKBlN. 233 getis Chappel, and had taken to that magnifi- cent new way ', and in it likewife he (howed a mofl dilicate and perfect Colouring, as appears in the Women and Children ; all which con- curring together, made this Work be valued for the beft he ever did, and that from which he drew his greater! Fame, both Dead and Alive. After this, he went on with the Rooms of the Pope's Pallace ; where he painted the Sto- ry of a Miracle that happened at Orvietoto a Prieft, who being Incredulous in the point of Tranfubfiantiatiotiy had the Hofi difTolved into Blood before him, as he Celebrated Mafs : In the per fon of the Prieft, whofe Face is all red with Shame and Confufion, you may fee the fright lb ftrange an Accident put him in, and the very trembling of his Hands is fenfi- ble to the Lookers on ; round about him, Ra- phael drew many Figures, fome Serving Mafs, others at a diftance, in different Poftures and Aptitudes upon the hearing the ftrangenefs of the thing ', and amongft the reft, there is a H h Wo- 234 The LIFE of Woman with a Child in her Arms, who be- ing told the thing by another, expreffes great wonder in her Looks and Action, with a lin- gular Womanifh Behaviour and Grace : On the other hand he feigned Pope Julius to be prefent at this Miracle, and drew him, and Cardinal St. Georgio, with many others of his Court \ and in the empty part of a Window, which was in his way, he painted a Stair-Cafe, with different Figures upon it ; fo that it united with the reft of the Story, and made it one intlre piece. And in truth, it muft be laid of Raphael, that in the Invention and Compofition of any Story whatfoever, he ex- ceeded all the Painters of his Time, and had a clear and ftrong Imagination, as he mowed in the lame Room, in a Story over againft this : it is, when Saint Peter is kept by Herod's Soul- diers in the Prifon ; where the Architecture is fo judicious and various, and yet fo proper for the place, that one muft confefs his Genius to be admirable, in adapting his Inventions to the truth of the Hiftory, according to what is RAPHAEL DEL URBIN. 235 is delivered us in Writing ; as here, the dark- nefs and horrour of thePrifon, the deep Sleep that opprefles the Souldiers, the fplendour of the Angel at his appearance, by which the Pri- fon is fo enlightned, that all that is in it is diftinguifhable ; there are all Beauties proper to the Story ; as alfo, when Saint Peter, freed from his Chains, goes out of the Prifon in the company of the Angel ; for Saint Peters Coun- tenance, is that of a Man in a Dream ; and in the Guards without, there is a Surprize be- twixt Sleeping and Waking, while 'one of them with a Torch in his hand, endeavours to waken the reft ; and by that means, gives the neceflary Light to the Piece, to fee the Ar- mour and Pofture of the Souldiers ; and where that Light doth not fall, the Painter hath moft ingenioufly made ufe of the ^foo/z : all which being likewife painted within a Win- dow, the Facciata is ftill the more obfcure ; and thereby it happens, that when any one looks upon the ?i8ure 9 the Light (hikes him H h i i n 2 3 6 the LITE of in the Face, and the true Light from without makes, as it were, a conteft with the painted Light within, and makes you fee the very fmoak of the Torch, and the fplendour of the Angefs Appearance fo ftrong, that you can hardly perfwade your felf it is a thing paint- ed ; the fhadows of the Armour-, the reflexion and warmth of the other Lights being paint- ed with fuch a proper Gloominefs, that it rnuft be owned, he is the Mafter of Matters in Colouring and Invention. He drew likewife another Story about the attempt that Heliodorm made to Rob the Tem- ple of the Jews, in the Time of the High Prieft Qnifent his Picture to Raphael; it was wove upon a Cloth, fo as to be fcen alike on both fides the Cloth, he having taken the Lights from the Cloth, and the Shadows from fome Water Colours which that Cloth was wrought with. The Picture was very much admired by Raphael ; who in Return, lent Albert feve- ral of his beft Drawings ; and being defirous to try Albert's way of Graving in plates of Brafs, he made Marc Antonio of Bologna apply himfelf entirely to that Art ; in which he proved fo excellent, that afterwards he was Raphael's chief Graver; and moil of the things we have of that kind, ofRaphaefs, are done by him ; who indeed furpaflfed Albert Durer him- felf ; as appear'd, when he counterfeited the I i Story 242 The LIFE of Story of the Vajfion oiChrift, done by Albert, and put Albert's Name to it, and it fold fo well for the true one, that Albert Durer, to prevent the Cheat, was fain to make a Journey from Flanders to Venice, and there complain to the Government, Mark Antonio being at that time Re- Jident there ; and yet he only obtained, that his Markfhould not be counterfeited ; lea- ving liberty for any body to Imitate the reft, that could. Mark Antonio's beft things after Raphael, are, Lucretia killing her felf, the Judgment of Pari*, the Majjfacre of the Innocents the Rape of HeUen, SanBa Felicita boy I'd in Oyl, and her Children Beheaded about her ; Neptune, with little Sto- ries out of the Enerde about him ', a Venus Im- brac'd by a Cupid ; God Bleffing the Seed of Abraham, where is a Maid with the two Chil- dren ; the famous Galatea otGhigi ; and in a word, moft of the things painted by him in the Pope's Pallace. There were likewife two other famous Gravers that did many of his things; KAFHAEL DEL UKBIN. 243 things y to mt, Marco di Ravenna, ScAgojliano Vine- tiano, who marked his Prints with this Mark* A. V. as the other did with Raphaefs,th.u.s, R.S. After this, Raphael made for the Monks of Santla Maria delta Spafmo, in Palermo, a Picture of our Saviour's carrying his Crofs ; which is held as a moft miraculous piece : in it the Rage of his Crucifiers is expreft in their Acti- ons and Countenances y and our Saviour lying under the Load of his Crofs, all bath'd in Sweat and Blood, looks moft paflionately upon the three Maries, who are in Tears by him ; there is likewife Saint Veronica y who with much Charity and Compaffion hold out her hands to wipe his Face with a clean Linnen Cloth ; and behind, the Work is filled with Men on Horfeback, and on Foot, who croud out of the Gates ofjerufalem to go and fee the Execu- tion. This piece^ was like to have mifcarry- ed, going home ; for a moft horrid Storm having broke the Ship in which it was, upon a Rock, and all the Men and Goods periming, this Picture being in a Cafe, was carried by I i 2 the 244 The LIFE of the Winds & Seas as far as the Coaft of Genoa, and there taken up and opened, and being ad- mired, was by publick Order difpos'd of, it having not at all been fpoil'd, though it had lain fo long in Salt Water ; the noife of this Accident came at laft to the Ears of the Monks for whom the Piffure was made ) and with much ado, by the Pope's Interceffion, they obtained from the State of Genoa an Or- der to have it reftored, paying firfT: the Charges of thofe that had taken it up ; which they did largely, and fo fent it to Sea a fecond time \ where it had better Fortune, and arri- ved fafe in Palermo, and is no lefs famous there than Mount Mtna is in that Kingdom. Amidfl: thefe Works for private perfons, Raphael negle&ed not to carry on the painting of the Pope's Pallace, and in a little time he fi - nithed the Chamber call'd, Di Tone Borgia ; in which he had made on every fide a Story : in one was the burning of the Borgo Vecchio> in the Time of Saint Leo the Fourth ; where he puts it out with his Bleffing alone, though all means RAPHAEL DEL URBIN. 245; means had been tryed to quench it before, but in vain. In this Story the Painter has drawn all the Horrour of a Fire furprizing people unprepared ', fome Women there are, who while they are carrying Water to quench the Fire, are, by the Storm of Wind which then blew, all difordered in their Hair and Cloths, and many of them blinded with Smoak, fo as not to know one another, or fee what they are doing. In another place, there is drawn an Old Decrepit Man upon the Back of a Young Man his Son, juft as Virgil defcribes JEn<£ & the difficulty with which he ftruggles in holding the Old, Helplefs Sick Man, and avoiding at the fame time the Flames and Ruine that are about him ; on the other fide, upon the top of a Houfe all on Fire, is a Lady naked in her Smock, and holding a Child in her Arms, which fhe is trying to throw it to one below, who 24 £ The L I F E $f who holds out his Arms and a Blanket to re- ceive the Child \ and in both thefe Figures, the fear of the Flames-, mingled with that con- cern for their tender Infant, are rarely ex- prefTed ; nor is lefs admirable the Figure of a Woman, who being all in an undrefs and diforder, frighted in her looks, drives before her two or three little Children, whom (he beats, to make them make haft to avoid the fury of the fire : there are fome other Wo- men, who falling down on their knees before St. Leo, feem to begg of him to flop the fury of the fire \ as he doth. The other Story is of the fame St. Leo \ where the Painter has drawn the Port of Othia, furpriz'd by a Navy of Turks, who had a defign to make the Pope Prifoner : there you may fee the Chriftians af- failing the Turk's Fleet, now got to Sea, and taking feveral Ships, the Captives of which are Landed and let a Shore, being dragg*d by their Beards into the prefence of St. Leo, who is re- prefented by Leo the Tenth in his Pontifical Ha- bit s, between Cardinal Bibiena and Cardinal Julian of RAPHAEL BEL URB IN. 247 ofMedkvs, who was afterwards ClerHent the Seventh. The other two Stories are, the Sacred Inunlli- on of King Francis the Firft, of France, by this Pote Leo the Tenth and the Crowning of him by the fame ; and in them Raphael has drawn moft of the Courtiers of both Princes, after the Life, and according to the Drefs they were then in \ juft by the King is a Child upon his Knees, holding the Regal Crown, which is Hyppolito of Medicis ; who was fince Cardinal* and VicechanceUour of the Church. The Cceling of this Room was already paint- ed by the hand of Pietro Perugino, Raphael's hia- fier ', he forbore therefore, Out of refpecl to him, to make any Alterations in it, but fuf- fered it to remain entire as it was. 'Twas hard for Raphael to do all thefe things by his own hands ; and therefore he was forced to imploy divers excellentWorkmen in all kinds; and he had Defigners, not only over all it alj, but as far as Gr of that kind ; therefore Rapha- el chofe out divers able Men in moft Profeffi- ons, and affign'd them their Tasks, fetting Giovanni RAPHAEL DEL URBIN. 249 Guiovanni di Vdine over the Grotesks and Stucco Work j Giul'io Romano had the overfeeing of the Figures, which were made moft of them by Giovan Francefco il Bologna, Perino del Vaga, Pel- legrino da Modona, Vincenjio da San Gimiano, Poli- doroCaravagio, and many others; and for the Carvings, he made Gian Barile do all thole over the Doors, and on the Ceiling. He made many Piclures for Foreigners, and particularly, fome for the King of France \ a- mongft which, that of the Battle of Saint Mi- chael and the Devil, is efteemeda mod won- derful piece : in it he drew a great burnt Rock for the Center of the Earth, out of the cleft of which came flames of Fire and Brim- ftone ; and in the perfon of Lucifer, all fcorch'd in his Members, you might perceive all the Rage, Pride, and Spight that could be in a Soul that had loft Empire and Peace, and was con- demned to eternal pains and anguiQi : the Figure of St. Michael, on the contray, is made with a Coeleftial Air, which exprefles the K k force 25 o The LIFE of force with which he has overthrow n Lucifer at his feet ; the K ing of France fent Raphael a noble Reward for this piece. Raphael was in his Nature of a very amorous Complexion ', for which reafon, he took much pleafure in drawing fome of his Miftrefles, and other handfome Women, being always at the Ladies Command ; which made many of his Friends likewife have Complacency's for him in that kind fomething extraordinary \ as that of Signior Auguftin Chighi, his great Friend ; who having obtain'd of Raphael to paint the Lodge in his Pallace,he found that he did not much mind the Work, by reafon of a Miftreis he there had, to whom he was con- tinually going ; whereupon he made means to the Lady, and with much ado, obtain'd of her to come and flay at his Pallace, and keep Raphael company whil'ft he work'd : by which means the Lodge was finiihed to his Mind : he made all the Cartoons with his own hand, and coloured himfelf the beft part of the Figures ; in the Vault or Ceiling he drew a Banquet of the RAPHAEL DEL UKBlN. 251 the Gods and GoddefTes ; and in them one may fee many Habits taken from the Antients ; and he made Giovanni da Vdine make a Border of Flowers-, Leaves, and Fruits in Feftoons, molt extreamly fine. After this, the Pope gave order for the ri- cheft Hangings of Silk and Gold that it was poffible to make, and ordered them to be made at Antwerp ; to which place the Cartoons were fent by Raphael, all drawn and coloured by his own hand ; and by the Artifis there lb exqui- fitely imitated, that the Silk and Gold feem Colours, and not Weaving ; and indeed, it is an aftonilhing thing to fee how the very Hair and Beards of the Figures are as diilincf and fine as the Life it felf \ and the Houles, Land- skips, Profpeclrives, all as Natural and Regu- lar as any Painter can make them : this Work cofl the Pope ieventy thoufand Crowns, and is ftill prefer ved in the Papal Chappel. Much a- bout this time likewife he began the great Hall above Stairs, where the Victories of Confi antine are painted. K k 1 Hav- 252 Tbe LIFE of Having thus defcribed moft of the Works of this excellent Painter ; before I come to other particulars of his Life or Death, I think it may not be amifs, to fay fomething of his manner in painting. At firft, he imitated the manner of his Mafter Pietro Perugino, and mended it much, both for Colouring, Invention, and DeJ/gn; but coming afterwards to fee the manner of Leo- nardo da Vinci, whofe Heads, both of Men and Women had all the Life and Spirit imagina- ble, and whofe Figures had a particular Grace and Motion, not expreffed by any before him; Raphael became aflonithed, and refolved to fludy Leonardo's manner ', which he did with infinite pains and diligence ; and yet, in fome things, was forc't- to come ihort of Leonardo - ? for though in the Opinion of many, he out did him in a certain Sweetnefs and Natural Fa- cility, yet in ftrong Conceit, and a certain greats nefs of Befign, he could not reach him ; nor indeed, hardly any Painter could come up to Leo- RAPHAEL DEL URBIN. 253 Leonardo in that point ; but Raphael came nea- rer!: him, particularly in the Graces of his Colouring. This firft manner of his, which he learn'd from his Mafter Pietro Perugino, be- ing little, mean, and of fmall Defign, became in time a great trouble to him ; for it hinder- ed him from Learning to draw Naked Figures, and gave him great difficulty in all Shorten- ings, and fuchlike Excellencies of the Art,, which he faw fo rarely performed by Micha- el Angelo Buonarotl ; and indeed, any one befides himfelf would almoft have defpaired, as per- ceiving, that all this while he had thrown a- way his time, and mud: now turn Schollar a~ gain, as he did with admirable Patience and Ingenuity, ftudying Night and Day to arrive to Michael Angela's way ; which was full of difficulty in all its parts, and this in a time when his Hand and Head were almofl let- tied upon another way , which he had. learn't in his Youth, when Impreffions are ftrongeft. When Raphael began firft to change his mannen* 254 ^ L I F E of manner, he had never ftudied Nudities any otherwiie than jufl to do them a little by the Life, which with the grace he gave his Pi- ctures, did pritty well ', but he was an utter Stranger to Anatomy, which teaches the lying of the Mujcks under the Skin, and how they iwell and (horten in aclion, according to the different poftures of the peribn ; alio, the manner of their Infertion, and the Concate- nation of the Bones and Joynts \ all which he ftudied with great application, and became excellent in the knowledge of whatever might make a rare fainter \ yet perceiving too, that in this part of painting , he mould be forc't to come ftiort of Michael Ange- h \ and knowing, that it is not Naked Figures alone, that give Reputation to a great fainter ; but, that Invention and Difpofition were things that did enoble the Art as much as any thing, he apply ed himfelf to them with great fuccefs, enriching his Compofitions with great variety of Profpeclives, and new ways of dref- fing RAPHAEL DEL UR*BIN. 255 fing his Figures ; adding to this, mo/1 beauti- ful Heads of Men, Women, and Children ; and in a word, not being able to come up to Michael Angelo in one thing, he relblved to be fo univerfal in all the other parts of Paint- ing, that few,' or none mould be able to com- pare with him : he was not a little beholding to Fra. Bartholomeo di San Marco \ who having a good way of Painting, well founded in V)e- fign, and accompanied with a pleafant Colour- ing ; though fometimes he ufed too ftrong Sha- dows to give his Figures a greater Relievo , Ra~ phael took of his manner fo much, both for De/ign and Colour ing, as he thought fit ; and out of it, and fome other felecT: Obfervations upon other Matters, he made tohimfelf a Manner; which was ever after call'd, Raphael's Manner ; and the perfection of which appear'd in thole Sybils and Prophets which he made in the Church of La Pace : and if Raphael had /luck to this Manner of his, and had not /lill fought to make it appear greater by the/lrength of Na- ked Figures, it had been often more agreeable* Sfi Ihe L IF E of and of greater Reputation to him ; for even thole Nudities of his in the Chamber of Torre Borgia, are not exatt ', nor do thole which were made by him in the Pallace of Auguflin Chigi in Tranft'evere, pleafe and fatisfie a Judicious Eye, becaufe they want that Grace and Sweetnefs which was the proper Chara&er of Raphael • and befides, he only Defigned them, but left the Colouring to others ; which Err our of his heat laft perceiving, refolved to dofbmething that fhould be all his own ; and accordingly, did the Transfiguration ofChrift in the Church of S. Pietro Montorio ; in which are all the parts of good painting • and if he had not, out of a Humour, made ule of Printers Black in the Shadowings, which of its own Nature, be- comes flill blacker and blacker, and fpoiles the other Colours with which it is mingled, I believe that Piece would have been frelhand fine to this day \ but that has fo blackened it, that it leems as it were Tinto. I have made this Difcourfe at the end of Raphael's Life, to fhow how much Care, Stu- dy KA?HAEL DEL UKBIN. 257 dy, and Diligence he us'd, to attain to an Ex- cellency ', and likewife, to give, as it were, an Advertisement to other Painters, that they {hould not go about to force Nature in thole things to which it doth not ftrongly incline them, lead they loofe their Labour, and be forc't at laft todefift with (name. Now to return to the Life of Raphael. Lie had a great Intimacy with Cardinal Bibiena ; who was continually folliciting of him to Marry, and had a Niece of his ready to be- ftow upon him : Raphael at firfl put him off gently, taking three or four Years time to confider of it ; at the end of which, the Cardinal ftill folliciting him about it, and claiming, as it were, a promife from him ; he finding himfelf ingaged in fome meafure, and loath to difoblige the CardL nal, accepted of his proffered Neece ; but fo ftill> as not to come to an abfolute Con- clufion ; for befides the averfion he had na- turally to a Married Life, he had befides, L 1 ano- -58 The L IF £ of another defign, which made him feek all de^ lays poffible from entring into lb ftrong an Ingagement : The thing was this ; he having Served the - Pope a great while, and having a very confiderable Summ due to him from the COURT, he had divers hints given him, that as foon as the Sulk Grande he was now painting (fiou-ld be Finiffied, the Pope would recompence his Fains and extraordinary Capacity with a Gardinars CAP: It being certain, that the Pope defigned a numerous Creation of Car*- dlnah : amongft whom- were Tome of. lefs Merit than Raphael: In this hope there- fore, keeping Marriage at a diftance, and following fecretly other amorous Delights* it happenened, that he committed once luck an Excefs that way, that he came Home with a pritty high* Feaver ', the Phyfiti- ans being called, and he concealing the true Caufe of his Diftemper , which they feared, was an Inflammation , they ordered him tp be Let Blood ; whereas they mould have RAPHAEL DEL UR$ IN. 259 have given him Cordials and Refiauratives > the effect was, that he founded away ; and immediately finding himfelf decay , he took care to fend away his Miflrefs out of his Houfe, and provided handfomely for her ; and then making his WIL L, he left all he had to Giulio Romano his Schollar, and to Gian Francefeo Florentino, otherwife cal- led // Fattor> together with a certain Prieft: of Vrbino, who was A-kin to him ; mak- ing Signior Baltafar da Pefcia the Pope's Da- tary Executor of this his laft Will and Te- ftament : after this, having Confeffed him- felf very Penitently, and received the Sa- crament, he yielded up the Ghoft on a Good Fryday, in the Seven and Thirtieth Year of his Age , the fame day he was Born on. The Pope, and all the Court were much con- cerned for his Lofs ; and indeed, we may Tay, that it was the greater! that the Art of Painting ever received ; it having been ever fince at a Stand, and rather in danger L 1 2 of 260 Ihe LIFE of of declining, than in hopes of advancing to a greater Perfection : He was fo Courteous and Obliging to all thole of his Art, that if at any time any one had begg'd a Defign of him , whether he were his Acquain- tance or no, he would leave all to ierve him ; which made him be fo Beloved , that when he went to Courts he was ordi- narily attended by fifty, or threefcore of the beft Artifts of all kinds who followed him, to fhow their Refpe&s. And one thing he brought to pafs, which I think, was never done before nor fince ; which was, that all thofe Painters? and other Ar- tifls in great Number, who worked under him, and in concurrence with one another, laid afide all Envy and Jealoufie, and lived in the greater!: Union and Concord ima- ginable ; which proceeded from nothing fo much as from that admirable Example of Sweetnefs and Mildnefs that Raphael fet them. In a word, he was not only the Won- RAPHAEL BEL UKBIN. 261 Wonder, but the Delight of all Rome, who thought his Vertue beyond Reward, as it was above all Imitation. He lived Great, died Bewailed, and Regretted by every one. The Famous Cardinal Bembo made this Epitaph for him. Raphaeli fantlio Vrbinati Pitlor ', eminentijjimo ve- tei unique JEmuk, cujios fpir antes prope Imagines, fi contemplere nature, atque Artes fedus facile infpez- em. Julii fecundi, & Leonid decimi Pontificates maximu, Pitlur Giorgio ofcCdftelftanco, who had the Sir-Name of/G/or- gione given him. He was Bred up in Venice, an&ftrft applyed himfelf to Mufick:, for which he. 2S4 The LIFE of he had ib rare a Talent, that both for Singing and Playing upon the Lute, he was Famous, and always invited to all Confbrts, and Pub- lick Mufick- Meetings, After this, he applyed himielf to learn to Lefign ; in which Nature gave him a great Facility ; and he in requi- tal, lludied her molt, Dejigning every thine: after the Life it fell" ; which made him not only out-do the two Bellini's then in Vogue, but ftand in Competition with thofe Tufcan Painters, that were the Authors of the Mo- dern way of Painting ; lbme things of Leonardo da Vinci's doing being come to his Hands, wherein there was a great Strength, particu- larly, an admirable Management of the Sha- dowings ; he was extreamly delighted with that manner, never forfaking it, but endea- vouring to imitate and improve it in all his Oyl-Paintings \ from whence it proceeded, that all his Pieces had a Spirit and Life, never ex- preffed before in that Countrey ; and ad- ding to that a Beautiful Colouring', he was GIORGIONE, &c. 265 he was far beyond all the Lombard Pain- ters. His firft Application was to Portraits, hi which he fucceededadmirably;and particular- ly in that of the Great Go nfalvo, whom he drew by the Life, in Armour, when he came to make a Vint to Agoftino Barberigo, the Doge of Venice ; this Picture £0 pleafed the Great Gon- falvo, that he took it with him into Spain, Many more of his Pictures are lpread over all Italy. He was no lefs excellent in Painting in Frefco ; and amongft the reft,there is the Front of the Pallace of Soranzo in the Piazza of San Baolo ; in which, befides many Stories done after the ordinary manner of Frefco Painting- there is one done in Oyl upon the Wall af- ter the Frefco manner, which is very Angu- lar ; it has prefer ved it felf again ft all the Wind and Rain, and is freih to this day , though it be expofed to the South Winds ; which in moift Countries, luch as Venice is, M m are 266 Tbe L IF E of are the moft terrible Deftroyers of Frefco Work, that can be. About the Year 1 504,there happened agreat I?ire near the -Rialto, in which, amongft other Buildings, the Fondaco? or Trading-Houfe of the German Nation, was quite burnt to the Ground : the Senate in a fhort time Re- built it more Magnificent and Convenient than before ; and Giorgione^ Fame being great, he was ordered to paint it in Frefco on the Outfide. This Building flanding in the mod frequented and populous part of the City 5 Giorgione thought he could not choofe, a better place to .(how the Excellency of his Art ; and therefore without confin ing himfelf to* any Set Story, he drew luch Figures as Ihould beft lute with that Defign ; . therefore you fee in . lbnie places the Figures of Women, in others, ., thoie of Youths in. various Aptitudes, with Lyons Heads, Angels, Cupids,.and other fuch. things by them ; the meaning of which, none to this day could even underfland, but the Fi- gures are admirable in their kind... G 10 KG ION E, See. 2 6 7 The befl piece of Ojl-painting of bis doing, is of our Saviour carrying his Oofs ; where there is a Jew that pulls him ; that is a moft fingalar Figure : this Piece is in the Church of San Rovo \ and by the great Devotion that People (how to it, it is thought to do Mira- cles. He worked much out of Venice \ as, at Cafielfranco, and in the Trivifano ; and many Pieces of his were bought up, and carried a- broad to Forraign Parts, to £how that Tufcany alone had not the prize of Painting, but that other parts near the Alps, had their Share in that noble Art. About this time, Andrea di Verrochio being em- ployed to make the Famous Horfe of Bronve, ibme Sculptors took occafion to praiie Sculpture beyond Painting, becaufe that one might walk round a piece of Sculpture, and view it on all fides with delight, whereas a piece of Painting could never reprefent but one fide of a Body at once : Giorgione having heard them out, faid, that they were extreamly miftaken, and that he would undertake to do a Figure in Painting, Mm 2 which 2£8 IB LIFE of: which Ihould (how the Fore and Hind Parts, and the two, fides, without being put to the trouble of going round about it, as Sculptors are to view a Statue. This feem'd an Under- taking beyond belief ;.but he thus brought it to pais. Hedrewthe Piclureof a Young Man naked, ifcowing his Back and Shoulders, and having at his- Feet a Fountain of clear Water, in which there appeared by reflection, all his fore parts; on the left fide of him he placed a bright fhin- ing Armour, which he feemed to have put off, and in the glittering of that, all the left Side was iken in Forfile -, on his right Side he plac'd a, great Lookino^Glafs, which, reprefented his right flam, by its reflexion, This Piece was look'd upon as a thing of a rare Invention, and feems to give the prize to Paint ingy which can in one view reprefent much more than Sculpture can. He drew, amongft other Pictures, that of the famous Catharina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprw^ by whom the State of Venice long enjoyed, and. GIORGIONE, Sec. 269 do to this day lay claim to that Crown. That Piece is in the Pallace ofCornaro. Giorgione being lb rare a Painter -, and fo great a Mufitian, could not choofe but be Amorous ; he fell moft extreamly in Love with a Young Beauty, who was no lefs charmed with him y and while they were in the heat of their En- joyments, the Plague being then at Venice,, (he fell ill of it, but not thinking it was that Dif- eafe, admitted Giorgione to her Bed, where the Infection feizing him, they both died ; he was but thirty four years old, when this fatal Ac- cident took him from his Friends, who could hardly comfort themfelves for his lofs. He left two excellent Scollars, to witiSebaftiano Vi- netiano., who was afterwards Prate del Piombo at Rome \ and Titian da Ladore ; who not only equalled his Matter, but furpaiTed him infi- nitely, nc: MICHAEL ANGELO. 271 The LIFE of Michael A ngelo BUONAROTTX A Fainter , Sculptor, and Architect. LOdowco di Lionardo Buonarotti SimQne^ was a Gentleman of the Countrey about Flo~ rence, and the Father of Michael Angeh* who was born in the Year 1474 y being not very rich, and his other Children being put out Apprentices to Trades* he defigned' bis El- deft for a Schollar, and accordinly, lent him to< School y but the Child ufed to play Truant aften^ . 272 Tfo LITE of often, and fpend his time in Dejigning, finding in himfelf a mod: powerful Inclination that wav ; which his Father endeavoured to op- pofe, as thinking it below the dignity of his Family ( which was delcended from the Earls ofCanofu ) to have one of his Children a Pain- ter : but at laft, the ftrength of Nature pre- vailing againft the Rules of Prudence, he put Michael Angelo to Vomenico Ghirlandai, who was then reputed thebeft Painter in Florence. He was then about fourteen, and in lefs than two years time,he followed the Art with lb great application, that his Matter faid, he was aftonifhed at the progrefs he made, as alio at the boldnefs of his Pencil \ for one day, a Schollar oiOhirlandios having drawn fome Wo- men cloathed, out of a Work of the laid Ma- iler, and fucceeded pretty well, according to the Defign \ Michael Angelo took the paper, and making with a pen new Centers to the Fi- gure that his Fellow Schollar had drawn, not only mended his Drawing, but mowed there- by MICHAEL ANGELO. 273 by fome Faults that were in his Matter's Ori- ginal ; which boldnefs of a Youth of his Age, argued a prodigious Genius for the Art. Much about that time Lorenzo of Medici*, who was a mighty lover of Sculpture, and ufed to lament, that there was not then one young promifing Sculptor in Florence, let up a kind of Academy in his Pallace, for the Improvement of Youth that way, and defired Guirlandaio, that if he had any of his Apprentices that were hopeful Young Men, he would fend them to him \ ac- cordingly, he fent him Michael Angelo and Francefco Oranaccio, as the mofl hopeful of his School. There was an old Head of a Faun, or Satyr, which was made Laughing ; and itftruck Michael Angelo\ fancy fo, that taking the In- struments that Sculptors Life, which he had never handled in his Life before, he fell to trying to imitate that Head, and at laft did it fo perfect- ly well, that Lorenzo aftonithed at the great- nefs of his Genius, commended him extraor- dinarily ; and obferving, that he had added of his own Invention, to make the Faun N n {how 274- The LIFE of mow his Teeth and part of his Tongue ; he told him laughing, and with a Defign to make fport, that that was improper, for that Old Men, as that was, never had all their Teeth ; Michael Angelo thinking he was much in the right, went next day, and broke a Tooth of the Satyr's, ordering the Gums likewife to look as if it were fallen out, and then mowed it to Lorenzo of Medick, who laughed heartily at Michael Angela's Simplicity, but refoved to cherilh his Talent, and therefore fending for his Father, defired lie would let him flay in his Family, and he would take care of him ; which his Father very readily granted. He flayed there four Years, during which time, by the advice of Politian, a great Virtuofo and Lover of Art, he undertook to Carve in Marble the Battle of Hercules with the Centaurs*, which he did fo rarely, that to thofe who fhall confider it now, it will appear rather the Work of an intelligent well practifed Mafler, than of a Young Student, as he was then. There is likewife a Noftra Donna of Bajjb Relievo in Marble* done MICHAEL ANGELO. 275 xlone by him much about the fame time, with a defign to imitate the Manner of Donatella ; which he has done to a Miracle ; and this is the only Piece oiBaJfo Relievo that ever he did, and is therefore preferved with great Care in the Pallace of Medick. Lorenzo being dead, and his Son Peter carry- ing himfelf Infolently in the Government, great Revolutions followed, and the Family of MedicU was quite driven out of Florence > which Michael Angelo forefeeing, and being afraid, leaft his Dependance on that Family might be of fatal Confequence to him, had withdrawn himfelf lbme Weeks before to Bo- logna, and thence to Venice \ where finding no Work, he returned to Bologna, in order to ap- proach Florence, but having forgot to take a Pafs at his coming in, he was feized going out, and Find more Money than he was then worth, not being able to pay it, juft as he was going to Prifon, one Signior Giovan Francefco Al- drovandi took pity of him, payed the Money, N n 2 and 21 6 lb* LIFE of and carried him home to his own houfe, where he flaid a whole Twelve-Month with him \ du- ring his {lay he did but one piece of Work, which was, to add to an old piece of Sculpture in MARBLE of the Sculpture of St. Dominick ; there being an Angel holding a Candliftick wanting,and another Figure of about a Yard long ; both which he fupplyed fo well, that they are the two belt Figures in the whole Work, though it was done by Giovan Pifano and Nicoh de Larta, Sculptors of great Fame. After this he returned to Florence, and there made for Pier Francefco of Medici* a Saint John ; and a little after, for Baltafer del Milanefe, a Cu- pid fleeping \ which being mowed to Pier Francefco, he told Baltafar, that it might pafs for Autique, if it were buried under Ground a while, and made to look old ; Bah afar took the hint,andcarryed it to Rome, where heburyed it in a Vigna, having firft broke the Arm of it ; and fo after fome time had it dug up, and fold it for Antique to the Cardinal San Giorgio for two MICHAEL ANGELO. 277 two hundred Crowns, fending Michael Angelo only thirty for his pains. Others relate the thing otherwife \ but all agree, it was taken for Antique, and fell at laft into the hands of Duke Valentino, and he gave it the Marchionefs of Montfua, where it ftill remains. The Re- putation that Michael Angelo got by it, was fo great, that he was fent for to Rome, and pla- ced in the Family of Cardinal San Giorgio, where neverthelefs, he was a whole Year without Imployment, the Cardinal under- handing but little of either Painting or Sculp- ture, but a Roman Gentleman called Jacopo Qalli understood his Merit better, and got him to make him a Cupid of Marble, and by it a Fi- gure of a Bacchm, who holds a Cup in his Right Hand, and in his Left, a Tygers Skin and a Bunch of Grapes, which a Young Satjr trys to eat fome of \ in which Figures, Michael Angelo made, as it were, a mixture of the Beau- ty of both Sexes, having given it the Clean - nefs of Limbs, and Strength of the Men, and withal, the roundnefs and fleihinels of the Wo- 278 The L I F £ of Women, which gave him the Bell above all Modern Artifb of Rome and elfewhere. His fame increafing every day with his Skill, the Cardinal of Rouen, who was then Chief Minifter of France, defiring to leave fomething at Rome that mould prefer ve his Memory there, befpoke Michael Angelo to make him a Pitla, as it is called in Italian ; that is, our Lady with our Saviour's Dead Body in her Lap : he did it with fo much Care, and finiflied it with fuch admirable Diligence, that 'tis impoffible to fee any thing better in Marble ; particularly, the Dead Body of our Saviour is fo exquifitely formed, with all the Mufcles, Veins, and Nerves, and yet made fo tru- ly dead, that no Art in the World can go be- yond it ', fome blame him for having made the Virgin's Face too Young ; but they do not confider, that Virgins unfpotted preferve their Frejhnefs a great while \ the Drapery is the noblelt and loofefl in the World ; which is one of the hardeft things in Sculpture. In Summ, MICHAEL ANGELO. 219 Summ, he mowed fo much Art in this Piece, that, contrary to his Cuftam, he put his Name to it ; fome fay, he was provoked fo to do by fome Lombard Artifts, who being come to look upon it, one of them asked the other whofe Work it was, and the other made an- fwer, that it was done by // Gobbo, a great Sculptor then living at Milan ; which Michael Angela over-hearing, Carv'd his Name in a Girdle that goes about the Madonna's Breaft. About this time his Friends at Florence in- vited him back to undertake an odd piece of Work, which was thus ; a piece of Marble of about nine Yards high, had been given to one Simon da Fiefola, who had begun a Gyant in it, but with fuch ill Succefs, that thofe that were to pay for it had layed it by as a thing fpoiled \ but it being a fine piece of Marble* the Gonfaloniero Soderini had propofed to Lionardo da Vinci and to Andrea Sanfevini, an excellent Sculptor, to do fomething with it ; Andrea was willing, but faid, they could not make a Fi- gure 2 8o ' The LIFE of gure out of it without adding fome pieces ; which Michael Angela hearing, undertook to do it without putting any piece to it, where- upon it was delivered to him. He therefore began, and made a Model of Wax, and fram'd the Statue of David, with a Sling in his hand ; and then, having enclofed a place with Boards, he fell to work upon the Marble, and would not fuffer any Body to fee what he did \ he had much ado to make it ferveforhis defign, the firfl Sculptor having fpoiled it, fo that he was forc'd to leave in the Extremities of his Figure, fome ftrokes of the former Chizzel ', which neverthelefs, did not any ways deform it ; after much La- bour, having miraculoufly Created a new thing out of an old deformed Carcafe, there was much Contention among the Ingeneers of the City, how to tranfport it to the place where it was to be fet up ; but at laft, Giulian of St. Oallo, and his Brother Antonio, were the Contrivers of a Machine, in which it was car- ried MICHAEL ANGELO. 281 ried fufpended by Cables, anci then railed by- degrees with Leavers, to the place it was to ftand in ; as loon as it was uncovered, all the Town flocked to fee it ; and to fay truth, it not only lurpalfes all Modern Statues, but may come in competition with the An- tient Greek and Roman ones ; for as to exa£t- nefs of Meafure, Beauty of Shape and Propor- tion, and dilicate Contors of the Legs, with a cleaunefs of all the Limbs, nothing can out- do it , the Aptitude of its Pofture, and the Air of the Head are Divine : and in a word, after it we may never defire to fee any, either Modern or Antient, for there is all the Beau- ty in it that Art can give \ and yet to Ihow how Artifis mull fometimes humour Great Men, who pretend to be Judges, and are not ; the Qonfaloniero Soderini found fault with the Nofe, and laid it was too big \ whereupon Michael Angelo, to pleafe him, took a Chizzel in one hand, and in the other a little Marble duft that lay upon the Scaffold by him, and pre- tending to mend the Nofe,H:ruck three or four O o blows 2 82 The L I F E of blows with the wrong end of his Chizzel, and let the Duft fall by little and little, and then called to the Gonfaloniero to ask him how he liked it ; who told him, that that little altera- tion had quite made it another thing;at which Michael Angelo laughed in himfelf, for he had not touch'd it any ways to alter it. The Gonfaloniero paid him four hundred Crowns down. Having iucceeded thus rarely in Sculpture, he neverthelefs would not omit to mow his Excellency in Painting , and therefore, at the Requeft ofAgnolo Doni, a Florentine Citizen, and his Friend, he made him a Madonna upon her Knees, holding of her little Son upon her Hands, and lifting of him to St. Jofeph, who feems to receive him : He has particularly expreffed in the Eyes of the Madonna, the ten- dernefs of a Mother admiring the Beauty of her Child , and in the Looks of Old Jofeph, all the Refped and Devotion which he muft have for a Child which he knew to be Divine- ly MICHAEL ANGELO. 283 ly Born : And in the Piece, at a diflance, to fliow his Art the more, he made feveral Na- ked Figures, ibme flanding, others fitting, all admirably Finiih'd ; and indeed, it is one of the beft Qyl-V aintings he ever did, he having worked but little that way. The Picture being FiniQied, he fent it co- vered to Agnolo Don'h and withal, a Note for feventy Crowns, to be paid down immediately ; Agnolo thought it too much to lay out in a Picture, and therefore fent him but forty . upon which Michael Angelo fent back the Mef- fenger, and required a hundred Crowns or the Picture \ Agnolo then was content to give him the other thirty, and fent them by the Man that demanded a hundred \ but Michael Ange- lo, to punifh him for Bargaining for fo rare a Piece, fent the Money back, and demanded a hundred and forty, which was the double of his firfl Price, or elfe the Picture : Agnolo, who knew the true Value of it, immediately fent him all he defired, and glad he had it fo. O o 2 About 284 7 be L IF E of About that time, Lionardo da Vinci having done fome Stories in the Chamber of the Great Council, in the publick Pallace, the Oonfa- loniero Piero Soderini bargained with Michael An- gela to do one fide of the fame Room, and gave him for his Subject the War with Pifa. Michael Angelo being to Paint in concurrence with Lionardo, who was one of the greateft Artifts of the World, fhut himfelf up, as his Manner was, and made a Cartoon, in which he drew a world of Naked Figures, which he fuppofed to be bathing themfelves in the Ri- ver Arno, and to belong to the Camp, which was hard by ; and at the fame time there was an Allarm given, which made thefe Figures all endeavour to get on their Cloaths and Ar- mour, in various poftures ; amongft the reft, there was an Old Fellow who had a Garland of Ivy aboiit his Head, and was juft come out of the Water, and trying to put on his Stock- ings, which by reafon of the Wetnefs of his Legs* MICHAEL ANGELO, 285 Legs, were hard to pull on, and he being be- fides, frighted with the noife of the Drums and A Harm, feemed to ufe all the Strength of his Mufcles and Nerves to make hafte, making fuch a Face at the fame time, as mow- ed that he was all over in action from the Head to the Toe ; there were befides, Gruppos of Horfeman beginning the Fight, and others of Foot at a diftance coming on, fome in the Shade loft, others in the Light ftrong and vigorous, and all in great variety of Apti- tudes : So that nothing could be either bet- ter Defigned, or more ingenioufly Invented • and particularly, the Shortnings were admi- rable and ftrong, beyond all that had yet ap- peared. This Cartoon being afterwards carried to a Room in the Pallace called La Sala del Papa has there been the Study of all the Painters of that Age, both Natives of Florence and For- reigners y for Raphael de I Vr bin, Francefco Granac- cio, Andrea del Sarto, Jacobo da Puntormo, Perin del Vaga> and feveral others, made their Study of 286 The LIFE of of it : for which reafon, it was at laft remo- ved to the Pallace of Medicis ; and the great Liberty Sttangers had to come to it, making it be lefs watched, it was in the end, in the Sicknefs of the Duke Giulian of Medicis, ftole away by pieces ; and fome of it is yet to be feen in the Houfe of 5. Vberto Strozzi at Man- toua. About the Year 1 504, Vo^ejuliw the Second having fuceeded Alexander the Sixth* he fent to Florence for Michael 'Angela, with a defign to make him erect a Stately Sepulchral Monument for himfelf : Accordingly, having fent him Mo- ney for his Journey, he ordered him to go to the Quarries of Marble at Carrara, and there to fee the Stones cut out as he would have them. Michael Angela fpent eight Months intire in that Employment, and fent fo much Marble to Rome, as filled half the great place before Saint Peters. The whole defign of the Monument was to contain above forty Statues of Marble, befides little Boys, Ornaments, and other Carvings ; about MICHAEL ANGELO. 287 about the Corniches it was to be, as it were, an lie in the middle of aChappel, foas it might be walked all round, and confidered from the Out-fide. Of this Work he finifhed four Sta- tues, and began eight more ; which were ne- ver Finifhed, by reafon of the Pope's Death. Of all thefe, his Mofes is the moil Excellent ; it is about five Palms, of white Marble, in a fitting pofture, leaning one hand upon the Tables of the Law-, and with the other ftro- king his Beard ; the very Hairs of which are expreffed as if they were living Hairs ; the rell of his Countenance is of the greateft Ma- jefty and Sweetnefs imaginable, the Drapery is Loofe, Long, and Noble ; and in a word, the whole Figure is Exquifite beyond Imaginati- on ; the Sculptor having expreffed fomething of that Divinity which was in a Man that con- verfed fo familiarly with the DEITY it felf. 'Tis faid, that while he was doing this Work, the reft of the Marble he had befpoke at.. 288 Tk LIFE of at Carrara, came to Town, and that Michael A igelo being gone to acquaint the Pope with, it, and finding himbufie, payed for the bringing the Marble, out of his own Pocket, that the Workmen might be gone home who had brought it ; ibme time after he went again to the Pallace to acquaint the Pope, to whom he uled to have very free accefs, that the Mar- ble was come, and to defire his Holinefs to take order about the paying for it : it hap- pened that day, that the Pope was otherwife employed ; and the Porter told him, he muft have Patience, for he had Orders not to let him in : a Courtier that flood hj-, ask'd him. if he knew him ; to whom the Porter reply- ed, that he knew him very well, but muft obay his Orders. This Anfwer, and the Af- front angred Michael Angela fo, that he told the Porter, that he mould tell his Holinefs,when he asked for him next, he was gone about fome other Affairs • and fo without further delay went home, and ordering his Servants to fell all his Furniture to the Jem, and follow him to MICHAEL ANGELO. 289 to Florence ', he took Pofi two hours after Sun- fet, and rode that night to Poggi Bonzi , out of the Pope's Territories. There iive Courriers overtook him with LETTER S from the Pope, defiring his Return \ to all which he only made anfwer by a little Note, That he dejired his Holinefs to excufe him, that he had driven him away from his Pre fence, and that the faithful Service he had payed him did not deferve fitch Vfage \ and that therefore his Holinefs might provide himfelf of fome other Artift in his room, for he was re- folvedto Serve him no longer. But he was no fooner arrived in Florence, but there came Letters from the Pope to the Government of Florence, commanding them to fend him back Michael Angelo to Rome : which perfeverance of the Pope in his Defign, fo frighted Michael Angelo, that to avoid his Re- fentment, he began to hearken to fome Fran- eifcan Fryars, who had Commiffion from the Great Turk to entertain him in his Service, he having at that time thoughts of making a Bridge over the HeUefpont, from Confiantinople to P p Per a '. 2^o T& LIFE of Vera : but at laft being over perfwaded by the GonfalonieroSoderini, he refolved to goto the Pope, who was then at Bologna, and to ask his Pardon > the Cardinal Soderini undertook to prefent him ; but being Indifpos'd, he deli- vered him to a Bifhop of his Friends, who brought him to the Pope. Michael Angelo fell upon his Knees ', but the Pope looking fcuxvi- vily upon him, faid, Injieadof coming to Vs at Rome, We have been fain to meet you here at Bo- logna. To which Michal Angela replied, that he did humbly beg his Pardon, and acknow- ledge his Errour : the Bifhop interpofmg, told his Holinefs, that fuch Fellows as he were not much to be minded, being ignorant in every thing of the World but their own Art, and therefore might the fooner be excu- fed. The Pope grew angry at fuch an im- pertinent Interceffion, and with a Switch he had in his hand, touch'd the Bifhop fcornful- ly, and told him, he was more Ignorant, and had lefs Manners than -Michael Angelo, fince he MICHAEL ANGELO. 291 he laid that to him which he, the Pope had not faid : upon which the poor Bifhop was turned out of the Room by the Officers \ and the Pope having pafled his anger upon the Bifhop, gave Michael Angelo his Bleffing, and bid him attend the Court, After a little while the Pope commanded him to make a Statue of himfelf, of about five Palms high, of Bronze ; while he was doing it, the Pope came one day as it was almoft Fi- nifhed, and confidering the pofture ; which was, with one hand up in a Commanding Manner, the Pope asked him whether he was Bleffing, or Curfing in that pofture ? And Michael Angelo anfwered, that he was intima- ting to the people of Bologna, that they mould perfift in their Duty : then he asked the Pope, whether he would have a Book in his Left Hand ? To which he anfwered, put a Sword there, for I underftand but little of Books. The Pope left a thoufand Crowns behind him for the Finifhing of it \ which Michael Angelo did in about fixteen Months ; P p 2 and 2 one day he (hut the Door upon himfelf, he put out all they had done, refu- fing to let them in, and likewife keeping lb clofe at home, that he could not be fpoke with by them ; whereupon finding themfelves abu- fed, they returned to flounce. He being thus alone, took infinite pains, and with great at- - tendon and labour, brought about half of it to perfe&ion, taking great care that none fbould fee what he was doing \ then it was, that the Pope, who was naturally impatient, , commanded it to be uncovered, and all Rome flocked to fee it ', amongft the reft, Raphael dej^ Vrbin, admiring the Greatnefs of Michael An- ^/o'sManner,changed his own upon thefight of it, and being an admirable, Imitator of any thing he faw, 4tew thofe Prophets and, Sybils^ in the Church oi La Pace \ which are the.beft t 294 Jbe L I F E of things he ever did ', Brammte upon that would fain have had the Pope have given the other half of the Work to Raphael to finifli ; but the Pope would not injure Michael Angela ; who therefore went on, and in about twenty Months brought the whole to perfection, not having had any help of any kind, not fo much as of a Boy to grind his Colours for him. There are in it many Stories, beginning from the Creation of the World to;the Flood * and then following on to moft of the remar- kable Stories of the Old Teftament, adorned beiides with Sybils and Prophets, according to the Compartments of the Vault. The Work in general is the extreameft perfection of the Art for Shortnings, diverlity of Drejfes, Airs of the Heads, and noble Invention, Qiulio being dead, the Sepulchre was intermit- ted ; though by his W I L L he had ordered his Executors to fee it finiftied : However Michael Angelo went on working upon fome of the Statues at Florence ; where he retired, and lived during all the Pontificates of Leo the Tenth, an^ MICHAEL ANGELO. 295 and Adrian the Sixth) till Clement the Seventh was made Pope , who being defirous to leave as much Fame behind him as any of his Prede- ceflbrs, fent for Michael Angelo to Rome, and there contracted with him for finifhing the Library o£San Lorenzo at Florence, together, with the Sacriftj of that Convent ; it being the pro- per Foundation of the Family of Medici s, and their Burying-place. Philippo Brundlefchi had al- ready made the old Sacrifty ; therafore Micha- el Angelo made his of a new Compofite Order> full of Novelty and Variety,, fuch as neither Antient nor Modern Architetls never faw the like ; for till then, they had gone on in a flavifh Manner of obferving exa&ly Set Rules, , which Michael Angelobroke through- for which the Artiftsare beholding to him, he having, as it were, broke their Chains though : Some have abufed that Liberty, and too much fb> - lowed their own Capricio. He made likewife in the fame place, four Sepultures for four of the Family of MedicLs - y tWO ji 296 The LIVE af two of which were the firft Dukes, to wit, Giuliano and Lorenzo ; about their Sepulture he made four Statues, reprefenting the Night , the Day, Aurora and Crepufculum ; which are fuch in their Aptitudes, and the Artifice of their Cantdrs, that if the Art of Sculpture were loft, it might be reftored by the fight of them j the Aurora particularly is the fofteft thing in the World. The terrible Accident of the taking of Rome by Bourbon's Army, having come to pafs in Pope Clement's Time, the Florentines took that Occafion to Revolt from the MedicPs again,and drive them out of the City ; whereupon a War enfuing, the Government oblig'd Michael An- gelo to Fortifie a place called Mount Saint Mini- ato, which Commanded the whole Town \ but the Armies of the Pope and Emperour having at laft clofe Beleagured it, and no hopes of Succours appearing, Michael Angelo began to conflder of his Danger, and without any fur- ther delay, ftole out incognito by the way of that Mount San Miniato, accompanyed with An- tonio MICHAEL ANGELO. 257 Antonio Mini his Schollar, and 77 Pi/oto a Gold- Smith, an Intimate Friend of his, and what ready Money he had, and fo got to Ferrara in order to go to Venice. Being there, he made for the Doge Andrea Griti, the Defign of the great Bridge called, The Rialto, which ruffes over the great Canal. He had not flayed long at Venice, but he re- ceived mofl importunate and kind Letters from his Friends at Florence, lamenting his abfence, and begging of him, if he had any Tendernefs for his dear Countrey, to return, and help to defend it. Which Letters fo touch- ed him, that with great danger of his Life, he returned to Florence, and there by the help of his Art in defending the Place, made it hold out fome Months longer : But the Town be- ing Surrendred, he was in greater danger than before ; for by the Pope's Order, he was fought for among the Enemies of the Houfe of Medici*. But having been concealed by a very good Friend of his for feveral days, the Pope's Anger being over, he commanded that Q^q no 25 >8 The LIFE of no hurt mould be done to him ; but on the contrary, took him into his Service, and gave him the ufual Salary and Appointments he had before. About this time the Pope having refolved to paint the fides of the Chappel of Sixtus \ of which Michael Angelo had already painted the Vault, he fent for him to <]{ome, and ordered him to paint the Reprefentation of the Laffc Day of Judgment, that he might (how in fo great aSubjedt, all that it was poffible for him to do in the Excellency of Dejign. In Obedi- ence to the Pope's Commands, he began the Cartoon of the Judgment, but was much inter- rupted by the Agents of the Duke of Vrbin, who charged him with fixteen thoufand Crowns received for the finishing of the Mo- nument of 'Julius the Second, whole Nephew the Duke of Vrbin was \ and this bufinefs was a mighty trouble to Michael Angelo ; for the Duke, who was a high Spirited Prince, threat- ned no lefs than Death, if he failed to perform his Contract At laft, by the Pope's Media- tion, MICHAEL ANGELO. 299 tion the thing was made up, and a new Agree- ment Signed \ by which it was required of Michael Angela, to make only one of the four Sides which at firffc were to have Compofed this Monument, and that in it he mould place fix Statues of his own hand \ giving him leave withal, to work four Months in the Year for the Pope, either at Florence or Rome, according as he mould pleafe to employ him. About this time died Pope Clement, and Paul the Third, of the Family of the Farnefes, was chofen to Succeed him ; and then it was that Michael Angelo conceived hopes of being more Mafter of his Time, and refolved to finifh the Statues of the Monument of Julius the Second. But the Pope had nofooner taken pofleflion of his new Dignity, but he Courted Michael An- gelo both with good Words and Prefents, to be his Servant, as he had been under the former Pontificates, It was with great Relu&ancy that Michael Angelo yielded to thele Solicita- tions, and not till he had angred the Pope, by Qjl y telling 3 oo The LIFE of telling him, that he was by Contract obliged to the Duke of Vrbin, and could not attend any other Work till he hadfinilhed that ', the Pope told him again, that for the Contract, he would break it by his Authority ; adding, that he had had above thirty years a longing to have Michael Angela in his Service, and that now that he was Pope, he was refolved not to loofe it ; and accordingly, he prevailed with the Duke, to fubmit to a new Agreement with Michael Angelo \ by which he was obli- ged to finifli only three Statues with his own Hand, which were thofe of Rachel, Lea> and Mofes, and the others were to be made upon his Models by the beft Sculptors of the Age- This Agreement was performed on all fides y and Michael Angelo ingaged himfelf volunta- rily to pay for the three Statues, configning to that pur pole 1 580 Crowns to the Bank of the Strozzi in Florence : and thus ended that troublefome Affair. The Monument is to be leen in San Pietro in Vincola. After MICHAEL ANGELO. 301 After this, he applyed himfelf to the paint- ing of the ChappeU according to the Cartoons made in Pope Clement's Time. It will not be neceffary to defcribe here the Invention or Com- pojition of this Story, becaufe there are fo ma- ny Cutts, both great and fmall, of it in the World ; but it will fufflce to fay, that he chofe that Subject as the hardeft to lucceed in> fince it con lifts molt in mowing the true pro- portions of the hardeft of Subje&s; which is, the Humane Body Naked, and that in the molt difficult Aptitudes, with the ftrongeft affe&ions and paffions in the World, full of the greater!: variety imaginable. In all which he has mowed himfelf to be the greateit Mafter in the World, and the true In venter of that Great Manner ; he has indeed, not fo much minded the beauty of the Colours, and other little Ornaments, but has kept to the pro- foundnefs of the Art : to which none flnce have ever been able to arrive. 'Tis laid,thatvmen he had almoft finifhed this Work, that Pope, Paul the Third, came one day to 3 o2 The LIT E of to fee it, and in his Company was, Mejfer Bi- agio di Cefena, his Mafter of Ceremonies, whofe Opinion the Pope having asked about the thing, he being a Bigot, anfwered, that it was a maft fhameful thing, that in fo Sacred a place as a Chappel, there mould be expofed to view fuch a number of Naked Figures, fome of them in moft undecent poftures \ mowing in both Sexes thofe parts that ought to be con- cealed ; and in a word, that it was a Work fitter for a Bamly-Houfe than for a Pope's Chap- pel. This difpleafed Michael Angela moil ex- treamly ; and being refolved to be revenged as foon as ever the Pope was gone, he fell to work, and drew this Mejfer Biagio by Memory, placing him in Hell Naked, with a great Ser- pent fattened to his Natural Parts, and invi- roned with a Troop of Devils : The Pi&ure was fo like, that the Mafter of the Ceremonies complained to the Pope \ and finding there but fmall Redrefs, apply ed himfelf to Michael Angelo, intreating him to reform that part of his MICHAEL ANGELO. 303 his Piece : but all would not do, for he there remains to this day. This Piece being finifli- ed, was the Admiration of all Rome, and is to this day the great Mafter-piece of the Art of Fainting. Pope Paul the Third having built a Chappel which was called by his Name, La Paulina, or- dered Michael Angelo to do the painting there : He painted two Stories, one of the Converfi- on of Saint Paul", and another, of the Cruci- fixion of Saint Peter : In both which his chief Intention was, to fhow the perfection of the Art, there being neither Landskip, Trees, nor Houfes, nor any other of thofe Additional Or- naments, which he feemed to contemn, leav- ing them for meaner Genius's than his own. Thefe two Works were the lafl he performed in Painting, being now feventy five years olds and complaining extreamly of the Fatigue he had indured in doing them ; owning withal? that Painting, and particularly, in Frefco? was not an Art for Old Men. Abonti ?04 7 he LIFE ,jT 3^4. J.VI, J-, X J. J^. Of About this time Antonio di San Gallo, who was the Ax chit eB for the Church of Saint Pe- ters, being dead, thole that had the Care of that Fabrick, refolved to put it into the Hands of Michael Angela ; who having conlldered San Gallons Model, laid, that there might be made one of greater Majefty, Order, and Con veni- ency, and yet the Execution of it mould coft three hundred thoufand Crowns lefs, and be done fifty years fooner ; and accordingly, in a Fortnight, he caufed a New Model to be made, which coft but twenty five Crowns ; whereas San Gallo's had coft four thoufand • whereby it appeared, that what he laid, was very true. But it was not without great Oppofltion and Contradiction that he went through with his Defign ; for having difcharged all the Workmen concerned in San Gallo's Time, they were continually finding fault with all that he did : Infomuch, that at laft he obtained an Order called a Motu Propria from the Pope ; by which MICHAEL ANGELO. 305 which he was conftituted abfolute Mafter of that Fabrick, with power to do and undo as he thought fit, and commanded all Inferiour Workmen and OfHcers to obey him in every thing ; and he, not to be behind hand with the Pope , had it inferted in the Order, that he Served the Fabrick for God's Sake, and with- out any Temporal Advantage or Profit to himfelf, often refufing Money that the Pope lent him upon that Account. His chief aim in carrying on that Noble Pile, was to fecure it from the Defigns of fu- ture Architects, that his own might not by Envy or Prefumption be deftroyed ; there- fore he was more careful to carry on the Foundations to a certain height and length, fuch as could not well afterwards, without vaft Charge and Danger to the whole Fabrikc, be altered, than to fini(h exactly what he might have done in his Time, if he could have been content to leave the reft to the Manage- ment of thole who were to come after him : Which has been a great Happinefs for that R r Fa- 3 o6 The L IF Erf Fabrick \ which elie would hardly ever have been finiihed, the one ftill pulling down what the others had Erecled ', therefore he Dedi- cated, as it were, the reft of his Life to this Work, doing nothing in Fainting, and but very little in Sculpture for ever after, The Architect San QaUo had begun, and far advanced the Work of a Pallacefor the Fami- ly of the Farnefes ', after his Death Michael An- gelo took care of it, and made that Noble Cor- niche without, fo beautiful and various, that nothing, either Antient or Modern can out-do it : the reft of the Pallace he enlarged and beautified both within and without, to that degree, that it now panes for the moft Ac- complifhed piece of Architecture that is in that kind. Pope foul the Third being dead, he was Suc- ceeded by Juliu* the Third, who continued Michael Angelo in the Bufinefs of Saint Peters * but his Enemies thinking that now, in a New Pontificate thev might better Injure him, had MICHAEC ANGELO. 307 had poflefled the whole Congregation of De- puties concerned to Manage that Fabrick, that the Church would be lb dark, that it would beufelefs: among thefe, the Chief were the Cardinal Salviati, and MarceUo Cervino, who was afterwards Pope, though but a few days ; the Pope himfelf being fomething poffefled againft him, was prefent at a great Meeting, in which he was ordered to appear ; and there his Holinefs told him, that the Opini- on of the Deputies was, that the Church was likely to be very Dark, and without fuffici- ent Light. Michael Angelo faid, he fhould be glad to hear the Deputies themfelves upon that Subject ; upon which Cardinal MarceUo fpoke, and faid, we are the Deputies, and are all of Opinion, that by what appears of the Fabrick, the Church mull be obfcure : My Lord, laid Michael Angelo, there are three Windows more contrived in the Vault of the Church, which will make it light enough : You never told us that before, replyed the R r 2 Car- 3 o8 Ibe L i f E 0/ Cardinal : I confefs I did not, faid Michael Angelo, neither do I intend, for the future, to acquaint your Lordfhip, or any of the Deputies with any defigns ; 'tis enough, that I am trufted with the Fabrick, as your Lordfhips are with the Management of the Money , which is your Bufinefs to provide, and mine to employ : then turn- ing to the Pope, he faid, Holy Father, you fee what I get by all my Care : if the pains I take do not help me in the other World, I do but loofe my Time in this. The Pope was well plealed to lee that he had baffled all his Adverfaries, layed his hand upon his Shoulder, and laid, make no doubt but that you work for your SOUL and BODY too, and pray go on. The next day he fent for him and G/- orgio Vafuriy who was his Schollar, and then in that Pope's Service, to his Retirement, called, the Vigna Julia ; where he found the Pope fitting in the midft of twelve Cardi- nals, MICHAEL ANGELO. 30? nals, and was by him, though much a- gainft his Will, forced to lit down amongfl them, and talk with them about his Vigna > the Care of which he alfo undertook, and brought it to that Perfection it now has. After this, being very old, and not able to ftir much abroad, he did little but con- tinue the Fabrick of San Peters, of which he took care almoft to his dying day, for feven- teen years together ; having been employed by feven Popes, and Courted by all the Great Princes of Cbrifiendom, for his Judg- ment and rare Skill in thofe three Noble Arts of Painting , Sculpture , and Archite- cture. On the 17th, of February, in the Year ij6i> having been for fome time before without {tirring abroad, he payed the Tribute to Na- ture, being very fenfible to the laft. His Will contained but three Lines, leaving his Soul to God, his Body to the Earth* and all that he had to his neareft: Relations. He was* 3io the L I F £ of was ninety years of Age when he dyed, and preferved his Judgment and Memory to the laft. Few have Cenlured his Works with any fuccefs ; but fome more malicious, have endeavoured to blemilh his Memory by the Imputation of III Nature, and Covetuoujhefs. Of both which it is eafie to clear him. For the firft, it muft be owned, he gave fome Grounds for it by his Morofnefs to other Artifts, his Contemporaries, and to fuch whom he found impertinently pretending to Judge of his Works : But I think, that mi^ht be very excufable in one of fuch extraordinary Abilities, that he faw no- thing that could contend with him, rea- fonably in any of the things he excell'd in : And yet there are Infinite Vejigns of his which he freely gave away, and made for feveral Artifts, at the very firft Requeft they made to him. And as for his Covetuoufnefs , the very things he gave away in his Life time, of his MICHAEL ANGELO. 311 his Working, might have been fold for thoufands of Crowns ; which, confidering what pains he took to acquire what he had, may be fufficient to clear him of that Imputation : But he was, befides, very Charitable, relieving many poor people, and Marrying privately fome poor Maids. But here we muft not omit his Generosi- ty to Vrbi no his Schollar and Servant \ to whom one day he faid* If I die, Vrbinoy what will become of thee ? And Vtbtni anfwered him, That he would Serve lome other Matter. Alas ! poor Wretch, laid Mkhael Angek , that (hall not be as long a& I can help thee out, and immediately gave him two thoufand Crowns. Which was a Liberality more becoming a Great Prince tha~ m. Which Work, by reafon of the Dying and Wounded, and of the various and ftrange Aptitudes of the Horfe and Foot, who fig! it alKi 3 i8 the LIVE of all iu a Troop, is wonderful for Defign, but the Colouring is fomewhat Faded, by reafon of the Black ; which Ohdlo ufed much in his way of painting, and which has taken away the Beauty of many of his Pieces. In the fame Piece he chofe for Landskip all that Countrey that is under Monte Mxrio ; and drew Max- entim drowning in the Tyber upon a dilicate Horle. In a word, this Battle has been as it were the Model for moil Works of that kind, and have been done fince ; and in it Oiulio mowed how well he had ftudied Tra' jan and Antonius's Pillars in Rome ; for out of them he took the Habits, Arms, Enfigns, and other things of War proper to the Ro- mans. The other fide of the Room was adorned with the Story of Saint Sylvefters Baptizing Conftantine \ and under the Figure of Pope Syl- which being obtained, they fct out together, and Giulio was prefented to the Marquels by the Count himfelf > he was re- ceived with all demonftrations of Favour, and had immediately a Houfe provided for him, and a Table for himfelf, and Benedetto Pagni his Schollar, as alfo for a Servant ;. the Marquels befides fent him feveral Ells of Vel- vet, Damask, and fine Cloth, to make himfelf Cloaths to his mind. A little after, hearing that Giulio had no Horfes, he prefented him with a Favourite Horfe of his, and bid him get up upon him, took him out of Town with him to a certain place called // Te, where he had fome Lodg- ings and Stables in the middle of a fine Med- dow, where he bred his beft Horfes ; there he mowed him the place, and told him that he would willingly have an Addition made to the Building without fpoiling the old Walls, intending itonly for a place of Recreation, to go now and then and Supp in. Giulio having heard GIULIO ROMANO. 321 heard the Marquefs's Defign, fell immediate- ly to work ; and making ufe of the old Walls* he made the great Hall which we fee now at the Entrance, and the Chambers on each fide of it; all which he adorned with Pillars and Capitals of a RufHck Order : which ib pleafed the Marquefs, that he refblved to make it in- tirely of one Model ; which Oiulio did in this Form. The Pallace is fquare, and has within it a great green Court, in which are four En- tries crofs-wile : the Appartments within are all varioufly painted ; the Ceiling of the great Hall is done in Frefeo, with leveral Sto- ries ; and on the Walls are drawn all the Mar- queffes beft Horfes, and his Dogs of the fame colour,and the marks as the Horfes ; all which were Defigned after the Life by Giufio, but Co- loured by Benedetto Pagni his Schollar, and Rinaldo Mantonano a painter ; and indeed they are to well done , that they feem alive. From this you come into a Room on one fide of the Pallace-, the Ceiling of which is divided into Compartments of Stucco-work, T t guilded 322 roe L IT E of guilded in fome places, which make a fquare place;in which Giulio has drawn Cupid efpoufmg Pfyche in the prefenceof Jupiter and all the other Gods ; and in this piece he has mowed his ut- mofl Skill, the Shortnings being all dl Sorto intuy or from below, fo exquifite, that a Figure that is not a foot long, feems to be a- bove three in looking upon it from the ground. In the O&angles which inviron the Ceiling-, are drawn Stories of Pjfyche's Adverfity while fhe was perfecuted by Venus : the Colouring is all of the fame Hands, and in Oyl, Below on the fides of the Room, the remain- ing Stories of Pfyche are in Frefco : and are, Pjfy- che in a Bath Bathed, and tended by little Cu- pidsy who with moft proper Geftures wafh her and wipe her dry. On the other Wall is a Banquet prepared by Mercury > where the Graces adorn the Table with Flowers, while Bacchus Silenus and the Bacchantes are by, finging and playing upon Inftruments ; there is a Side- Bpard covered with Vines and Flowers in Fo fioons-i 323 GIULIO ROMANO. ftoons 9 and on it three rows of drinking- Vei- fels of all forts, fo bright and (tuning that they feem perfect Gold and Silver ; not far from this Table is leen Pjyche her felf waited upon by Women of great Beauty ; while at a diftance, Pbabus in his Charr drawn by four Horfes, comes to enlighten the Day \ and 2f- phyrm naked upon certain Clouds, blows in a Horn to make the Air fweet and pleafant round about Pjyche. In another Corner of the Pallace which an- fwers to the Room where the Stories of Pfyche are painted, Oiulio refolved to build an Apart- ment that ihould correfpond with the paint- ings he defigned for it > and to that purpofe, having layedavery ftrong Foundation, be- caufe the place was Marfhy, and made Walls capable of bearing a double Vault \ he made the In-iide of grois Ruftick Work, the Stones whereof feemed to be put together by chance, and ready to fall out of their places ; and then he painted it with one of the oddeft Fancies that it was poffible to imagine; and that is, T t 2 the 324 7fe LIFE of the Story of Jupiter deftroying the Giants with Thunder and Lightning: In the middle of the Vault he drew Heaven, and in it Jupiter in his Throne above the Clouds. A little below he drew Jupiter again, thun- dering of the Gyants, affifted by Juno ; the other Gods in various Aptitudes, moil of them aftonifhed, feem to fly away, to avoid the Ru- ine and Diforder which is threatned from a- bove ; on the fides of the Room are the Gyants, ibme of which have whole Mountains and Rocks whelmed over them, others feem to fly at a diftance through a Grotto that is made hollow, and others are ftruck down with the Ruines of Temples and Pillars that fall upon them, making a r great Slaughter of them y and upon the Chimney, which is near thefe Walls that feem to hang as if they would fall, he drew Pluto, with his Char drawn by fiery Horfes, accompanied by Infernal Furies, and iteming to fly to the Center of the Earth. By which Invention Giulio did not depart from his Subject, and yet alluded to Fire \ which- was GIULIO ROMANO. 325 was the properefl Ornament for the Chim- ney. 'Tis impoffible to fee a Story, either more boldly Defigned, or more capricioufly Invented, the whole Compofition hanging all together without either Beginning or End ; and being adorned with variety of odd Land- skips to fuch an Advantage, that the Room, which is not fifteen yards in length, feems to- be a van: Compafs. All which mews the ad- mirable Judgment of Giulio \ the Colouring is all of Rinaldo Montouano, and admirable \ for in this Piece he attained to a great perfecti- on ; infomuch, that had he lived, and not dy- ed Young, he would have proved a moft ex- quifite Painter. While Giulio was thus employing his Talent for the Marquefs's Service, the River Po one year broke its Banks, and overflowed a good part of the City , whereupon Giulio by the* Command of the Marquefs, caufed all that low part of the Town to be pulled down, and' upon thofe Ruines be raifed New Buildings, vvhofe Foundations were higher than t he* Water : • Tk LIF E of Water : But in fo doing, he could not but dif- oblige fome Owners of Houfes ; who threat- lied Revenge : which coming to the Prince's Ear, he declared, that whatfoever (hould be done to Giulio, he would take as done to him- felf, and punifli it accordingly. And indeed the Duke was fo in Love with the Vertues of Giulio, that he could hardly live without him . which made him likewife love the place fo well, that he built himfelf a Houfe, which he adorned with Stucco Work, and Antiquities he had brought from Rome : And before he died, he had (almoft built the whole City a new, having inlarged the Streets, and given the Defign of moil oi the bell: Houfes and Pallaces, as alio of the Churches and other publick ^Edifices. * In the Duke's Pallace within the City he made two noble Stair-Cafes , a Lumaca \ and built new Appartments \ in which he paint- ed all the Hiftory of the Wars of Troy : and in another Room, under the hands of the Twelve Roman Emperours, painted by Titian, he GiULIO ROMANO. 327 he made twelve Stories in Oyl ; he built like- wife another Pallace for the Duke about five Miles from Mantua, called Marmirolo \ which was moft commodioufly contrived,and adorn- ed with Paintings, not inferiour to thofe of the Pallaces above mentioned. Several of his beft things have been pub. . lithed in prints by Oiovan Baptifta Mantouano : the chief of which are thefe \ A Chirurgion put- ting Cupping-Glajfes upon a Woman's Shoul- ders : a Madonna Travailing to ^Egypt, where Jofeph has the Afs by the Halter, and fome An- gels pull down the Bows of a 'Date-Tree, that Chrift may gather the Fruit : a She-Wolf "giv- ing Suck to Romulus and Remus : Four Stories -. of Pluto, Jupiter, and Neptune, dividing Heaven, Earth, and the Sea ; a great Defign of a Pri- fon ; in which a number of Prifoners are put to the Rack in feveral manners : The Meet- ing that Scipio and Hannibal had in the pre- fence of both their Armies upon the Banks of a River ; and the Nativity of Saint John Bapiifi '-£ ; 328 ft* LIFE of Graved by Sebaftiano da ^eggio. Several other of his Defigns have been Graved in France and Flanders by good hands. Oiullo was fo great a De/igner, and did it with fo much Eaie, that none ever Defigned fo much ', he having made Horfe-loads of De- fans of one fort or other ; for being a mofl IJniverfal Painter, and an Admirable Archi- tect , no fort of Dejign , came amifs to him ', but he was particularly Learned in Antiquity, underftanding Medals moil per- fectly, and having a rare Collection of them. After the Death of the Marquefs Frederick, who had been made Duke by the Emperour Charles the Fifth : Oiulio was fo concerned for the lofs of fo good a Mafter, that he would have left Mantom, if the Cardinal, Brother to the late Duke, and who by reafon of the young Age of his Nephews, had the Govern- ment of that State, had not ufed all forts of courteous ways to perfwade him to Hay ; and he GIULIO ROMANO. 32 ? considering befides, that he was Married there, and had Houfes, and all forts of Convenien- cies both in the Town and Country, fit for a Gentleman to live in, refolved to yield to the Cardinals intreaties, and was by him imploy- ed in the Re-building the Duomo of the Great Church, which he carried on a great way. Not long after Michael Angelo publiihed his Judgment at Rome } and Vafari fent to Giulio three Defigns of the feven Mortal Sins, taken out of that Story of the Judgment : which he receiving, it revived in him a defire of doing fomething that mould be as ftrong as that way of Michael Angelo \ and for that reafon he chofe the Story of our Saviour's calling Peter and Andrew, and bidding them leave their Nets, and turn Fijhers of Men : Which Cartoon he finifhed with fo much diligence and force, that it was abfolutely the belt of all the things he ever did ; it was placed in a Chappel in the Pallace, and painted by the Hand of Ferino Gui- fon'h an excellent Painter, and one of Giulio 's beft Schollars. U u About I I 330 The LIFE of About this time Antonio Sangallo, the chief Architect of Saint Peters Church in Rome, being dead, and the Super-Intendants of that Work being much puzzled to find out a Man fit to carry it on according to the Order already begun ; at laft they pitched upon Giulio Romano* and lent ibme of his Friends to him to tempt him with great Offers ; but all in vain : for though he of himfelf could wil- lingly have accepted fuch an Opportunity of returning fo glorioufly to his own Countrey, yet two things hindred him ; firft, the Re- fpecT: of the Cardinal of Mantoua, who was no ways willing to let him go : and then the Confideration of his Wife and Family, who were much againft it : and yet 'tis thought he would have ftruggled with thefe two Im- pediments, if at the fame time he had not fal- len fick ; of which Diftemper, what with the Anxiety of feeing his defire of returning to Rome fruflrated, and the Strength^ of his Dileafe together,, he dyed in few days, being juft fifty four years old, and leaving a Son and GIULIO ROMANO. 131 and a Daughter, and a good Eflate to his Son, whom in honour of his Mailer he had named, Raphael. He was Buryed in the Church of Saint Bamabe, without any Monument at pre- fent, but a Refolution to have one made for him ', but his Son dying not long after, and his Wife not being careful of the thing, it was never begun. His Onely Daughter and Heir Virginia-, was Married in Mantoua to Sig- nior Hercole Malatefla. Giulio was of a middle Stature, black Hair, an open jovial Countenance, with black Eyes, Amorous in his Complexion, very well bred, Sober in his Dyet, but Sumptuous in his C baths and way of Living. This Epitaph is upon his Tomb-Stone. Romanm moriens^ fecum tres Julius Artes, Abjiulit ( baud mirum ) quatuor unus erat. U u 2 The 332 the L I F £ of The L I F E of PERI N O DEL V A G A, A Florentine Painter. THere was in the City of Florence, one Giovanni Buonacorjiy who in the Wars of Charles the Eighth^ King of France^ engaged in his Service in Itaiy y and not only fpent his Fortune, but his Life in his Ingage- ment with that Court. He had had by a firft Wife a Son ; whole Mother dying of the Plague when the Child was not above two Months Old, it was brought up for a while by a She- Goat ; till the Father going to Bologna> there Married PEKINO DEL VAGA 333 Married a fecond Wife, who had loft her Huf- band and Children by the Plague too ; this Mother-in- Law took companion of this little Creature, and having Milk of her own, made an end of bringing it up. It was called Piero, and by Diminutive, Pierino ', and was by the Father, who went into France to ibllicite fome Reward for his Services, left in the Hands of fome Relations of his ; who being weary of keeping it, did, after fome years, put it to ferve an Apothecary \ but the Child not liking that Trade, he was taken for Apprentice by a certain ordinary Painter called Andrea de Ceri, from his way of painting the Wax-Candles and Torches that ufed to be carried in Proceffion up- on certain days : But at laft knowing that he was not able to inftruft the Child, who feem- ed Ingenious in any good Method of Painting, he put him to Ridolfe, the Son of Dpmenko Ghir- landaio-y one of the bed: Painters in Italy ', and there he fo improved himlelf, that he out- ftripped all the Young Men, his Fellow-Ap- prentices. A boat 334- Tfr LIFE of About that time there came to Florence a Countrej-Pdinter called // Vaga, and having feen the Manner of Perino, who was already well founded in Bejign, which he himfelf wanted, he began to tempt him to go along with him into the Countrey ', promifing him, that af- ter a little working there, he would carry him to Rome : at the mentioning of Rome, the Young Man opened his Ears, knowing that place to be the true School of all Artifts ; and there- fore told // Vaga, that if his two Matters would give him leave, he would go along with him ; they both confented, and // Vaga with his new Companion went together to Tufca- nella, where // Vaga had a great deal of Work to do ', which he not only rimmed to the con- tent of thofethat employed him, but wasftill going on upon new work, till Perino began to complain of Breach of Promife from him, for his not carrying him to Rome : II Vaga, though loath to leave his Builnefs, which by the means of Perino, grew confiderable , yet con- fidering PERINO DEL VAGA. 335 fidering that Perino might go without him, re- folved to be as good as his word ; and accor- dingly, they both arrived at Rome, where // Vaga very honeitly recommended him to all the Friends he had, and fo returned to Tuf~ canella. Perino, who from this time forward, was cal- led no otherwife than Perino del Vaga, found himfelf neverthelefs at no fmall lofs how to profecute his Studies ; for feeing every day the Works of the Antients in Sculpture, and of thofe famous Moderns, Raphael and Michael Angelo in Painting, he was inflamed with an incredible defire of imitating them r but withal, confidering his own Poverty and mean condition, and how that to get Bread, he muft work for the Shops of ordinary Pain-- ters,fometimes for one,and fometimes for ano- ther, according as they would imploy him ; he faw that would be a great hinderance to. his defires of growing Eminent in his Art :, but at laft he found out the Expedient of di- viding? 33^ the LIVE of vidiag his Week, and working three days for Bread, and three others for Improvement, ad- ding tothefe lafl the Holy-days and Sundays ; all which he fpent in Defigning all Remar- kable things of both Antient and Modern Artifts : His chief Study amongft the Modern, was the Chappel of Pope Sixtm, done by Michael Ange- lo ', and in a fhort time he grew the boldeft DeJIgner of all Rome, under/landing the Mufeles and the difficulty of the Art in Naked Fioures, better than any of his Contemporaries. This made him be taken notice of by Giulio Romano and Giovan Francefco, called JIFattore, and both together commended him to Raphael their Matter, who having feen his Defigning, pro- nounced that he would one day be excellent in the Art : and as Raphael never let flip the Occafion of retaining and helping forward any ingenious young Artifi ; particularly when his humour & behaviour was gentle and modeft,as Perino delVaga\ was, he prefently imployed him in the Appartments of the Pope's Pallace, which he was then adorning for Leo the Tenth : He had TERINO DEL VAGA. 337 had conftituted Matter of the Stucco-Work and Grottesks one Giovanni da Vdine, the rarefl in that kind of any that hath been either before or fince, particular inAnimals,Fruits, & fucli like fmali Ornaments ; and under him he employed feveral Young Men, and according as they excell'd and grew able, they were ad- vanced to greater Salaries ; which proved a mighty School for Attifts of all kinds : Among thefe he placed Perino del Vaga, recommending him to Giovanni da Vdine. F^r/Vzo feeing himfelf Matter of that Oppor- tunity he had fo long fought, fell to work with fuch diligence, that in a few Months he was reputed clearly the belt of all thofe Toung Men who worked under Giovanni da Vdine, and may eafily this day be dittinguilhed from the others at firtt Sight \ for though the T>efigns were all Raphael's, yet the manner of putting them in execution was very different, ac- cording to the Genius and Skill of each Ar- tifi , and befides Perino has a Beauty of Co- X X louring 33 8 Tk LIFE of louring, which difHnguifties him from all the reft. What he did in the Pope's Pallace, gave him great Reputation ; but that was fo far from laying him afleep, and making him prefump- tioutly rely upon the Skill he had acquired, that on the contrary, he grew thereby more ardent and defirous to attain to the great per- fection he faw before his Eyes in his Mafter Raphael ; to whom he carried himfelf fo fub- miffively and refpeclfully, that Raphael, won by his Behaviour, loved him as if he had been his own Child. The Great Hall called La Sala de Pontifici be- ing ordered to be painted and adorned with Stucco-Work, the doing of the Vault and Celing was committed equally to Giovanni da Vdine, and Perino del Vaga \ they divided the Ceiling into ikven Ovals, in which they painted the Seven Planets, drawn each of them by the Animal that is appropriated to them by the Poets ; as, Jupiter by his Eagle, Venus by her Doves, &c. To which they added the Signs of the °39 PEKINO DEL VAGA the Zodiack, with feveral others of the Heavenly Confiellations ; the moft of which Fi- gures are of the hand of Pen no. In the middle of the Vault or Ceiling is a Round, in which are four Figures like four Victories, which hold the Pope's Crown and Keys ; which Figures being ftiortned moft Mafterly, are befides a- dorned with a moft beautiful, light Drapery, which difcovers moft gracefully lb much of their Naked Arms and Legs as is decent. This work was extreamly liked by the Pope, and the Contrivers of it rewarded according to the Magnificent Humour of that Prince : But his Succeflbur Adrian the Sixth being ihortly after come to Rome, all the Artifts found themfelves not only neglected and laid afide, but defpifed and fcorned ; for he being a F lem- ming, and a Man of Severity, and pedantick Learning, thought thole more Refined Arts little better than Mortal Sins : whereupon Raphael being dead, and all the other Artifts difperfed, Perino went to Florence, where he did feveral things, till the Plague drove him from X x 2 thence, 340 The LIVE of thence, and forced him to wander from place to place, and fhift as well as he could. But in the Year 1523, Clement the Seventh, of the Houfe of Medkk, being Created Pope, he re- called all the Arthls that were left to Rome ; and amongft the firft, Perino del Vaga ; whole Reputation was fo great, that the Pope ha- ving call: his Eye on Giulio Romano and Giovan Francefco II Fattore, as Heirs of Raphael's De- figns and Skill, to make them the chief Di- rectors of all that he (hould think fit to have done ; they wifely forefeeing that Perino would prove a fhroad Competitor in their Art and Bufinefs, refolved to take him in : and to that end they gave him Catherine, the Sifter of Giovan Francefco for Wife ; tying him by this Bond of Affinity, topurfue the com- mon Intereft the better. But they had not long work'd together, when that great Ca- lamity of the Sack of Rome confounded all their Defigns afrefh. In that Mis-fortune Perino was fain to run up and down with his Wife and a Child, carrying them from place to PERINO DEL VAGA. 341 to place to fave them from the Fury and In- folence of the Souldiers ; and at laft > he himfelf was taken Prifoner, and forced to pay a Ranfom, with fuch ill ufage into the bargain, that he had like to have run mad ; at laft the fury of the Sack being a little over, he fell to working fome odd little things ; which he fold as well as he could to the Spa- nijh Commanders and Souldiers, living but poorly : but it happening luckily, that II Ba- viera, who had the managing of the Prints of Raphael, efcaped pritty well, and loft but lit- tle in the Storm ; he out of his Friendfhip to PerinOj fet him to work, to Dejign a good part of the Stories, where the Gods transform themfelves into other fhapes to obtain the end of their Amours : and thefe were Graved in Copper by Jacobo Caralgio, an excellent Graver of that time, and one who has admirably fol- lowed the beauty of the Contours of Perino r s Fi- gures. But all this did but juft keep Pernio from fiar- vino % 3+2 The L I F E of with little hopes of better Times, the Pope and moil: of the Inhabitants of %ome being fled ; when Providence lent thither Nkolo Ve- nitiano, a Servant of Prince Dorias, and a rare Workman in Tapeftry-work, who being an old Acquaintance of Perino's, and feeing him in that mifery, perfwaded him to go with him to Genoa, promifing him to endeavour to bring him into Employment for his Matter ; who, he laid, had a defign to have his whole Pal- lace altered, and painted by fome good hand. It was not difficult for him to prevail with Perino, who having placed his Wife with her Relations in Rome , let forward for Genoa with his Friend Nicolo. At his Arrival he was raoft kindly entertained by the Prince, who thought himfelf beholding to Fortune for dri- ving fuch an Artift into his Arms. After lbme Difcourfes had together about the Prince's Defign, they refolved to make a New Pallace, which fhould be adorned with Stuccc- Work paintings in Frefco, and Oyl-paintings of all PERINO DEL VAGA* 343 all kinds ; and becaufe it was the Mafter- piece of Petino del Vaga, I will here defer ibe the whole thing. The Entrance into the Prince's Pal/ace is a Marble Gate of the Boric k Order, having on each fide the Figures of two Women in Mar- ble, who hold up the Arms of the Dor i as \ the Figures are done by Sylvio of Fiefile , a bold and excellent Sculptor ; but the Gate and Pallace are according to the Defign and Models of Perina del Vaga. Having pafled the Entrance, you come into a kind of Hall, or Landing-place, the Vault or Ceiling of which is adorned with Stucco-work, mingled with paintings that re* prefent feveral Men fighting in different po- ftures ; all wrought with great Art and di- ligence. On the Left-hand is the Stair-Cafe y than the which, nothing can be more Beauti- ful, for Grottesks, Antiques, little Figures of Boys, Animals, and other things; all made with that Richnels of Invention and Judgment that his things ufed to be. On the top of the Stair-Cafe you land in a dilicate Room, which* bas^ 3-44 Ihe LIFE of has on each fide a Marble Door, and over the Door on each hand, two Figures of a Man and Woman turn'd differently, to mow the Fore and hind parts ; the Vault divided into five Arches, is wrought with Stucco-Work> mingled with Ovals of paintings \ the fides of the Room are painted down to the very ground with the pictures of the famous Men of the Houfe of Doria, fome after the Antique, fome after the Modern Drefs, all Armed, and over them is written in Letters of Gold thefe words ; Magni Vir'h Maximi Duces, Optima fecere pro Patria. In the firft Room, which anfwers to one of the Marble Doors on the Left-Hand, the Ceiling is painted with the Story of the Storm that HLnecus was in at Sea, in which there are Naked Figures, both dead and alive in various Aptitudes, great numbers of Gal- lies and VefTels broken and over-let, the Sea moft PERINO BEL VAGA. 345 moft terribly raging, in high billows, the Heavens obfcured, and in a word, all the Ap- titudes of a Storm. This was the fir ft Story that Perino did for the Prince \ and 'tis laid, that while he was making his Cartoon, which he did at leifure, viewing Genoa in the mean while, and diverting himfelf fometimes with his Friends, a painter of Bologna, called Girolo- mo da Freviji, who worked likewife in the Prince's Pallace, ufed to laugh at Perino's De- lays, and making of Cartoons, faying,that with- out all that ado, he had the perfection of the Art at his Pencil's end : This being told Pe- rino, he all of a fudden clap'd his Cartoon to the Ceiling, and opened the Room, that every bo- dy might come to fee it \ which all Genoa did, and among the reft, this painter, who having view'd it, and feen the ftrength of Defign and greatnefs of the Manner, was lb iurprized, that without faying a word, next day, h* packed up all he had, and retired to Bologna, leaving Perino to ferve the Prince by himfelf In the other Room on the Right Hand, he Y y made 34-6 Ibe LIY E of made alfo pictures in Frefco in the Ceiling,and in Stucco-Work he Repreiented the Story of Ju- piter's deftroying the Giants by Thunder ; where there are many fine Figures Naked, and bigger than the Life ; he made four Rooms more, all the Ceilings of which are adorned with Stucco-Work^ and mingled with paintings in Frefco, expreffing the fined oiOvids Fables ; and indeed, one cannot imagine any thing better invented, nor better Coloured ; for Perino was a great Matter of Colouring in Frefco. The four Rooms that anfwer to thefe on the other fide the Pallace, are likewife adorn- ed and painted in the fame Manner, but done by his Men upon the Defigns he gave them, where many good painters have wrought ; and particularly, one Lucio Romano, who excel- led in Grottesks and Stucco-Work. In a word, the whole Pallace, to the very Clofets, is in- tirely adorned by his hand and Defigns. [ Having finiihed this Pallace, the Prince was fa extreamly pleafed with him, that he made him PER/NO BEL VAGA. 347 him make Qeftgns for his Hangings, in which were reprefented the Loves of Dido and JEne- as, and the beft part of the Stories of the Ene- ides of Virgil ', like wife the Ornaments for the Poops of his (rallies, his Standards, or Flags, his Cloths of State which he adorned his Gal- lies withal, were all Defigned by the fame Hand. And now Perino might have reckoned upon being fettled in Genoa, if a Fancy had not taken him to choofe Pi fa rather for the place to ipend his Old Age in, that City plea- ling him better , he therefore took a Houfe there, and lent for his Wife from Rome , but he had not been long there, and begun fome Work for the Duomo, which he was to have painted all with new Defigns ; when on a fud- den, the Remembrance of fome Amours he had left at Genoa, coming into his head, he left all, and returned thither : Prince Doria entertained him with the fame good Recep- tion he had found before,and fet him to work ; as many others of the Chief Citizens of Genca did alfo \ but the Capricio to which Perino, Y y i as 34-8 Tbe L 1 V E of as moll; great painters, was now and then fub- jecl:, took him again, and having fome propo- fais made to him of returning to Rome, the Memory of that place under the Glorious Pontificate of Leo the Tenth, running like wife in his head, he accepted the propofal of his Friends, and went thither ; but he had fbon reafon to repent of his Folly ; for he was not only neglected by the Pope and Cardinal Far- neze his Nephew, for many Months, but like- wife, he had like to have loft his Arm by a Humour that fell upon it, and which coll: him many hundreds of Crowns before it was Cured. At laft, Signior Pietro Maflioni, having pur- chafed a Chappel in the Church of the Tii- nity ; the Ceiling of which, and the chief-Al- tar piece were already done by Qiulio Romano ; he agreed with Perino to paint the reft of the Chappel. Having contrived an Ornament part of Grottesks, part painted, and part in Bijfo Relievo : He drew two Stories ; the one of PERINO DEL FAG A 34? of the Pifcina Probatica, with good profpective in it ; and the other, of the Refurreftion of Lazarus ', to thefe he added the Stories of our Saviour's Curing the Centurions Daughter ; his driving the Changers out of the Temple ; his Transfiguration, and another Story ; and up- on the Pilafters, he drew four Figures of the four Prophets ; which really are as beautiful as 'tis poflible for Figures to be; being moft admirably proportioned , and thorowly finiQied ; for he did all this Work with his own Hand. After this, he did little in Rome : but the Pope took fuch notice of this Work, that he ordered him a Penfion of about fix or {even pound a Month, only to look after the Pallace of the Pope, and that of the Cafii Farneze : He being now much fubjecT: to a Catarrhe, or Fluxion upon his Lungs y was forced to employ others to carry on his faejigits \ which has very much injured them % as appears by what he did in CAR- TEL 350 The LIFE of TEL Saint A NO E L 0, and other places. It was terino del Vagas Misfortune, to have diiTipated in Women and goodChear, thebeft part of what mould have maintained him in his Old Age } of which Errour being now grown fenfible, he to repair it, fell into ano- ther ', which was, to make h/mfelf cheap, by undertaking any little piece of Work for a fmall Summ of ready Money ; nay, often do- ing a world of things for the Pope's Officers, only that they might not moleft him in the little payments he now and then got from Court; and they having found out his blind fide, never let him want Employment ; befides which, his Time being conti- nually taken up by Sculptors , Gravers, Joyners, Embroiderers, Guilders, and fuchlike Ar- tifts ; all which he was to overfee, and he be- ing befides Infirm, he had no other Comfort, but as often as he could, to get to the Tavern with a good Companion, and there drown his Sorrows in a Glafs of good Wine, that being a PERINO DEL FAG A. 351 a place he had much frequented all his Life time ; which, with fome Diforders of Vemvs y brought him to his end, at the Age of forty feven years : He was Buried in the Rotonda at Rome, in the Chappel of Saint Jofeph ; where Jofepbo Umo a Phyfitian, and his Intimate Friend and Son in Law, caufed this Epitaph to be Graved. Perino Bonacurtio Vagde, Florentino, qui Ingenio & Arte Jingulari egregios cum piftores multos turn plafias facile omries Juperavit. Catherina Perini, Conjugi ; Lavina Bonacurtia, Pa* renti ', Jofephus Lincius, Soceto charijjiffl ~$ Optimo fecere. Vixit Annos quadraginti feptem, Menfes tres, Vies viginii unum : Mortuus eft.: Caland. Novembris, Anno Chrijii, 1 547. IOJC 352 Tie LIFE of The L I F E of TITIA NO DA LADORE, A PAINTER TMtim was Born at Ladore, a little Town upon the River P/ave, in the Year 1480 \ the Name of his Family was VeceW, of the beft of the place ; about ten years old, he was lent to an Uncle he had at Venice ; who feeing him much inclined to painting, placed him with GUn Be/lino, a fa- mous painter of thofe days : The painters of lowWyand thofe parts, had not any Statues or TITIANO DA LADORE. 353 or Works of the Antients to draw by ; there- fore to help theinfelves, they ufed to Deiign after the Life, but in a Manner fo flat and {tiff, that their Works had little or no Grace ; and Titian learned this Manner fir ft, and was a great Proficient in it. But about the Year 1507, Giorgione being come to Venice , Titian ad_ miring his Manner, full of Strength, left his old Mafter's way, and imitated this new one with fo much fuccefs, that his pictures were often taken for Giorgi one's ; which cauled no fmall Emulation between them ; particular- ly, when Giorgione having undertaken one Front of the Fondaco di Tedefchi^ the other was given to Titian ; for there he behaved him- ielf fo admirably, that one day, fome Gcn- lemen of Venice meeting with Giorgione-, and not knowing that any but himfelf was employed in that work, they gave him joy of his good fuccefs, particularly on that fide towards the Merceria, telling him, that he had out-done that which was towards the Canal Grande : Z z which 354- rbe LIFE ef which fb vexed Giorgione, that before the work was quite finiftied, he hid himfelf for feveral days in his Houfe, and from that time for- wards renounced all Friendship and Acquain- tance with Titian. Such beginnings could promife no lefs than an extraordinary Succefs in the Art \ particu- larly, if Titian had added that great Skill of managing Colour s> the Study of Dejigning after the Antique ; for want of which, his Works are often defective in Correctnefs of Dejign : but however, the beauty of his Colouring is im- mutable, no Painter having ever been £o rare a Colourer of the Beauties of Nature in all kinds. About this time Gian Bellino, Titian s Matter* being dead, and having left a Story unfinifhed in the Sala del gran Concilio y which is that, where the Emperour Frederick Barbarojfa is up- on his Knees before Pope Alexander, who puts his Fopt upon his Neck : Titian undertook to finilh it ; and having changed a great deal of his Matter's Defign, he drew there by the Life many TITIANO DA LADORE. 355 many Senators, and others of his Friends then living, ufing in that the Liberty of a Lombard Painter ; for it was not probable thole Peribns there drawn, could be preienE at the pafTage of the Story there reprelented. This piece was fo well liked, that the Senate for a Reward, beftowed upon him an Office called La Senfe- ria> of about three hundred Crowns a year : which Office they always ufed to bellow up- on the beft Painter of their City, upon condi- tion, that he (hall make the Doge's Picture for the price of eight Crowns, to be payed by the Doge himfelf : Which Pi&ure is to be placed afterwards in the Pallace of St. Mary. About the year 1514, Aipbonfo, Duke of Fer- rara, lent for Titian to finiili like wife a Room which had been begun, and pritty well ad- vanced by Gian Bellino : there remained two pieces to be done ; which Titian mowed all the Skill he could in : the one was a kind of Baccanauot Dance, of Men and Women drunk and finging, amongft which is one naked Wo- man alleep, of fuch exquifite Beauty, that fhe Z z 2 leems 35^ Jh LIFE of feems to be alive : and in this piece Titian wrote his Name : the other contains a great many Cupids and Boys in different Aptitudes, about an Altar that has the Statue of Venm upon it. Upon the Dcor of an Armory Titian drew likewife the picture of our Saviour, to whom a few is (bowing the piece of C^far's Coyn . which Head, and the pictures mentioned be- fore, are reputed by all Artifts thebefl things that ever Titian did ; and he was accordingly, raoft liberally rewarded by the Duke of Fer- rara. Being returned to Venice, he drew his fa- mous piece of Saint Peter Martyr in the Church of S. Giovanni Epoh , there you may lee the Saint fomething bigger than the Life, fallen upon the Ground in a Wood, and attacked by a Souldier, who has fo wounded him in the Head, that the horrour of Death is painted upon his Face ; while his Companion flying, (bows as much Apprehenfion in his; in the Air are two Angels invironed with fudden Glo- TltlANODA L ADORE. 357 Glory, which enlightens the Landskip ; which is moft admirable : and indeed, this piece is the 1110ft Celebrated of any he ever did, as being the bell: underftood of all his Works. In the Year 1530, C Barks the Fifth, Empe- rour of Germany, being come to Bologna, Titian by the means of Pietro Aretino, his good Friend> was fent far to draw the Emperour ; of whom he made an Admirable pidure, all in Ar- mour, and was rewarded w ith a prefent of a thouiand Crowns : and not long after, being returned to Venice, and having made there a molt excellen piece of the Annuntiatibn ; for which Titian demanded five hundred Crowns ; they for whom it was made, refufmg to come up to his price, he, by the advice of Aretin, fent it as a Prefent to the Emperour, who fent him two thouiand Crowns in Re- turn. Net long after, the fame Emperour com- ing foom Hungary, met Pope Clement the Seventh at Bologna, and there he again lent for Ttian j15 3& L I F E 0/ Titian, who again made his pidture, and that of Cardinal Hyppolito of Medici $ : both which are preferved among the Duke of Florence his Rarities. He drew likewife at the fame time, Alphoifo DavaIo% Marquefs Del Guafio, and his Friend Pietro Aretino : and here he was brought to the prefence of Frederick Gonzaga, Duke of Mantoua, whole picture, and his Brother the Cardinal's he likewife made ; the Duke carried him to Mantoua ; where he made the Heads of the Twelve Cafars ; under every one of which Giulio Romano made afterwards a Story. In the Year 1 546, he was invited to Romeby Cardinal Farnefe , whole picture and the Pope's, with that of Duke Oclavio of Parma, he drew at length; and they are admirable pieces. While he was at Rome, being one day vifited by Michael Angelo and Vajfari, he mowed them a Vanae, a moil dilicate Naked Figure for Co- louring and Tendernefs, but not perfectly well Defigned ; which made Michael Angelo fay afterwards, that if Titian had had his Begin- ning in the School of Rome , he would have proved the greater!: Painter of his Age ; having TITIANO DA LAD ORE. 359 a great Genius, and much Spirit and Vivacity, but he wanted Corretlnefs. He was highly re- warded by the Pope for his pains, and return- ed well fatisfied to Venice ; but ibmething aflonifhed at the Works he had feen of the Roman and Florentine Painters. He was now called upon once more to draw the Emperour, who was grown Old \ and he did it admirably, infomuch that the Emperour Knighted him, and affigned him a Penfion of two hundred Crowns a Year upon the Chamber of Naples. He made fome alte- ration in his Manner about this time, it be- ing very different from what he did when he was Young ', for his firft pi&ures are done with moft incredible diligence, fo as they will bear being looked upon near, and yet (how well at a diftance too ;■ but the Works he did about this time, are fo full of Strokes and Spots, after a certain bold Manner, that they feetn nothing near, but look very well at a diftance. Which Manner of his feveral Pain- ters endeavouring to imitate, have made very grofs 3^0 Ibe LITE of grofs, courfe pieces. This way, though it ieems eafie, is the mod: laborious of all ; but it is made to hide the pains of the Artift. To enumerate here all his Works, were end- lefs ; for there was hardly a perfon of any Eminence in Italy, whofe pi&ure he did not do : he alio made many pieces for the King of Spain, Philip the Second : the chief of which is a Cena Domini with the twelve Apoftles, being a great piece of feven yards long, and moft ex- traordinary Beauty. He worked with Vigour and Spirit till he was about threefcore and fix years Old : but it is to be wilhed that he had given over then; for what he did afterwards was far fhort of thofe done before. He was of a moft admirable Conflitution, having never been fick in all his Life time, and he never knew any Dif- graces of Fortune, but was always healthy, pleafant, and happy : his Houfe was the re_ lort of all the Ingenious, and of the people of the belt Quality, he himfelf being extreamly well Bred, and Courteous. His pictures were payed TITIANO DA LADORE. 3 6i payed at what Rates he pleafed ; io that he lived Eafie and Rich : he has adorned all Ita- ly, and many other parts of Europe with his Works, which are innumerable ; and which was more lingular, never had any Competi- tor in Venice, either to give him Jealo;ifie or Difmrbance ; and thofe few that pretended to it, he eafily overcame, having all the No- bility and Wits on his fide ; to fome of whom he taught his Art ; as particularly, to a very fine Gentleman called Gian Maria Verde Zotti, who had learned to do Landskips admirably under him ; and he has two of the beffc pieces of Titian s doing, to wit, an Apollo and a Danae. Though a great many did work under Ti- tian, yet there were but few that attained to any great Perfection : he that beft imitated his Manner, was one Paris Bondone, whom 77- tian was mofl afraid of, and turned him out of Doors when he was but eighteen years Old, feeing how likely he was to Supplant him : A a a He 3 62 The LIFE of He neverthelcfs continued in Venice, and imi- tated, not ot only Titian' 's, but Giorgknes way perfectly. The befl piece of his doing, is a Story in the School of Saint Mary, at St. Oiany Polos : it is, when a Fifherman prefents the Signoria of Venice with Saint Marys Ring \ there are very fine Buildings in Profpeclive, round about which fits the whole Senate, with the Doge ; and among the Senators, there are a great many of them done by the Life, of extraordinary Beauty : the piece is in Frefco, and got Paris Bondone great Reputation. The DO NATO. 3*3 The L I F E of DONATO. Florentine Sculptor. DOnatOy who was likewife called Dona- telky and fubfcribed himfelf fo in fbme of his Works, was Born at Flo- rence, in the Year 1303, and applying himfelf to the Art of Defigning, proved, not only a molt excellent Sculptor and Statuary, but like- wife was very intelligent in Ferfpetlive, Archi- tetlure, and all manner of Stucco-Work : His Works have fo much Defign, Truth, and Grace in them, that they feem with reafon, tobeliker the beft things of the Greeks and A a a 2 Rq- 3^4- Tfr. LIFE of Romans, than of any others : Which without difficuly, gives him the firfl Rank among the Sculptors ', he was the ftrft that underftood how to put Story in Ufe in Baffo Relievos ; in which he fhowed fo much Eafe and Maftery^ that he may be faid to have had the true un- derftanding of that part of Sculpture. So that not only in his Life time, but even in our Age, none have come near him in that kind. Donato was brought up from a Child in the Houfe of Ruberto MarteUi-, and for the fweet- nefsof his Temper, and the excellency of his Genius, was not only always beloved by him, but alfo, by all that Noble Family. He wrought many things while he was Young \ but that which firft made him known, was the Annuntiation of the Angel to the Virgin MaryjdX of Grey Stone ; which is upon the Altar intheChappel of the C 'a- valcanti inSantla Croce in Florence. This he a- dorned with a Border of Grottesk-Work, adding to it fix boys, who hold Fefioons of Flowers, and DO NATO. 165 and feem to hang together out of fear of fal- ling from fb high a place ; but particularly, he (hovved great Art in the Figure of theVir- gin, who fomething frighted with the fud- den apparition of the Angel, turns her felf to- wards him with a fearful Modefty, and in her Countenance is all that Humility and Gratitude which fo great a Favour muft needs fill her with. The Drapery both of our La^ dy and the Angel, is made in Mafterly Fold- ings ; in which Donato was already aiming at the great Art of the Antients, whofe Fold- ings are fo Skilful, that though they are made to hide the Naked, yet they feem to difcover it. In the fame Church, near the Story paint-, ed by Taddeo Gadd'h he made a Crucifix of Wood> in which having taken an infinite deal of pains, and being pleafed with it as a rare thing, he mowed it to Philippo Brunekfchi, an Architect, his Intimate Friend, defiring his Opinion of it ', Philippa, whofe Expectation had been railed by the words of Donato, {rai- led $66 The L IF E of led a little at the fight of it, finding it much below the Excellency Donato had given it ; which being obierved by Donato, he begg'd of him, that he would, according to the Friend- fhip that was between them, tell him truly his Opinion of it : to which Philip, who was very frank in his Nature, anfwered, that his Opinion was, that he had put upon the Crofs the Body of fome Peafant, and not one like our Saviours, who 'tis probable, was the mofl perfect, and fineft (haped and proportioned of any that ever was Born. Donato feeing him-- felf fmartly touched inftead of Commenda- tions, which he expecl:ed } could not forbear re- plying, that it was not fo eafie to make a Cru- cifix as to Judge of one ; and that \iPhilippo had tryed, he would then think his Chrift a Cfirift, and not a Peafant ; therefore, faid he, take a piece of Wood, Philip, and try. Philip, with- out replying, let the Difcourfe fall \ and be- ing come home, betook himielf fecretly to work a Crucifix, and in fome Months finifhed it, DONATO. 36-1 it, having ftrove to furpafs Donato, that he might juftifie the Judgment he had made of his. This done, one Morning he invited Do- nato to Dine with him, who accepted the In- vitation ; and as they were going together, being come to the old Market-place, Philip bought fome little things for Dinner, and giv- ing them to Donato, defired him to go before, and he would follow as foon as had diipatched a little Bufinefs, which would be prelentJy done : Donato did fb, and being come into the Houfe, the firft thing he law in a low Room, was a Crucifix placed in a very good Light ; having confidered it a while, he found it fb well finiflied, and perfect in all kinds, that be- ing ferzed with Aftonifhment, he opened his hand, and let fall the Apron where were the Eggs and Fruit, continuing ftill his Admira- tion without minding them : upon which Philip coming in, faid fmiling, What do you mean, Donato ! What (hall we have for Din- ner to day, now you have let it all fall upon the 3 6$ 7 be L IF E of the Ground ? I for my part, faid Donato, have had my fliare already, but no more words ; I muft own that it is thy Gift to make a Chrift, mine to make a Peaiant. Donato made likewife in Saint Johns Church in the fame City, the Sepulture of Pope John Cofiia, who was Depofed from the Popedom by the Council at Confiance : Cofimo of Medim> in whole Houfe this Pope lived and died, caufed Donato to make this Tomb. He made the Fi- gure of the dead Pope in Bronze, and the Sta- tues of Hope and Charity in Marble , and Miche- lozzo his Schollar made that of Faith. Over a- gainft this Work in the fame Church, is a Mary Magdalen of Wood, fo admirably well done, as being confumed with her Pennance and Hardfhip, that fhe appears nothing but Skin and Bone ; and is a Mafter-piece of Dona- to's. He worked as much with his Brain as with his Hands ; for he made his Figures fo to the Place and Light where they were to fland, that out of it they did not feem half fo Beau- tiful DONATO. 3^5 tiful ', whereas on the contrary, we fee many other Artifts 9 who make things very fine in their Working-Rooms, which being remo- ved from thence, appear worfe a great deal. He made for the COMPANY of WE AVERS the Statue of Saint Mark the Evangelift, and it was at firft undertaken by him and Brunelefchi together ; but at laft, by the confent of Brunekfch'h he finifhed it a- lone ; this Figure was wrought with fo much Judgment, that being upon the Ground, and not placed where it was to fland, it had like to have been refufed by the Maflers of the Company, for want of Skill to underftand its true Beauty : but Donato perfwaded them at laft, to let him fet it up, telling them, that he would take fome more pains with it when it was up, and did not doubt but to pleafe them ; accordingly, he made a Scaffold, and covered the Figure for a Fortnight, as if he had been at work about it ; at the end of which time B b b he 366 The LIFE of he opened it, and filled every body with ad- miration at the Excellency of it. He made likewife in the Front of SanBa Maria del Fiore, four Figures of about five Palms high : two of which, made after the Life, are in the middle ; and one is Francefco So- derini, who was then a Young Man.; and the other, Giovanni di Barduccio Cherichini, Nick- named 77 Zuccone : and it being as fine a thing as any Donato ever made, he was likewife lb much pleafed with it, that when lie had a mind to be believed in any thing he laid, he would, inftead of affirming it by an Oath, lay only, By the Love I bear to my Zuccone : and while he was working of it, being often piea-i ftd with his fuccefs in that Statue, Jie would Hand and look upon it, and then fay thele words in Italian, Faveila or fu Favella,0 ti vtpga ilcacafangue : Which is in Engli(li 3 Speak, <* Plague take thee, f peak. For the Lords of the City of Florence, he made in ■ Call-Mettal, the . Story of Judith eut^ ting off Holofernes's tjead :and in the Looks of DO NATO. 3*1 Judith it was eafie to fee the greatnefs of her Mind, and the Affiftance from above ; as like- wife in the Air of Holoferne j, oppreffed with Wine, Sleep, and Death, the fpreading of a Faintnefs all over upon the decay of his Spirits, which made his Members look weak and lan- guifh'd : The Bafis likewife is a Balufied of Granite- Stone, of a plain Order,but very grace- ful. Vonato was fo pleafed with this piece, that he wrote his Name under it in thele words, Domtelli Opus : Which he had not done yet to any other piece of his. He made many things for the Family of Medicos : Cojimo of Medicis, who was then the Head of that Family, employing him conti- nually. 'Tis reported, that by the Recom- mendation ofCo/itno, he made a very fine head of Bronze for a Oenouefe-Mcrch'dnt-, and made it very thin, and poiifhed it, becaufe it was to be carried a good way : when it was finished, Do.-ato and the Merchant not agreeing about the Price, the thing was referred to Cofimo, B b b I who The LI F me Lj_i r n of gence, he appears equal to any of the Antient Artificers, and far furpaffing all thofe of his Time, who were aflonifhed at the greatnefs of his Genius : the City ofPadoua ufed all their Endeavours to make him their Citizen, and oblige him to fettle amongfl: them ; which to obtain, they agreed with him to make the Story of the Life of Saint Anthony, of Bajfo Re- lievo , upon the Border of the great Altar : which he performed with fuch variety of Competition, and fuch an abun- dance of Figures and Perfpeffives, that the Matters of the ART do this day admire them. While he was at Padoua, a Florentine Prieft, who was Chaplain to a Nunnery, deflred him to make a Saint Sebafiian of Wood for their Church ; and at the fame time brought him an old, ill favoured, milhapen thing, clearing him to make it like that : which he endea- vouring to do, to humour them, could not help neverthelefs, the mowing fome Maitery in DON AT 0. 37i in it, though it were as like the old one as pof- fible. Many other Works he did at Padoua, where he was continually admired and ap- plauded ; which made him refolve to return to Florence, faying, That if he fiiould flay any longer in a place where he heard nothing but high Commendations of himfelf, he mould forget all that he had ever learn't \ therefore he would go home, that he might hear him- lelf blamed fometimes ; that being the grea- ter!: Spur an Artift could have to Improve- ment. Being returned to Florence, he wrought an Infinity of excellent things in all kinds, both in Marble,Wood, Stone, and Bronze : the chief of which are in the Houfe of Medicls, and thole of other of the Nobility. It may truly be faid of him, that he was the Father of Sculp- ture, being the fir ft that brought the Works of the Antients in Repute, and lough t them out where they lay neglecled, taking the pains to- mend them and fet them in order, as he did ; with his own hand all. rf 2 Ihe LIFE of Ilia word, Vonato wasfo excellent in all the parts of a great Sculptor, that he deferves the higheft Commendations ; and the rather, be- caufe in his time there were very few Antiqui- ties dilcovered. He was, as to his own Dif- pofition, the moft Obliging and Generous that could be, not valuing Money in the leaft ; for he ufed to put that which he re- ceived into a little Basket, which hung fix'd to the Ceiling by a Pully \ and there any of his Friends and Schollars ufed to take what they wanted, without fo much as acquainting him with it : therefore when he grew Old, and not able to work, he was fain to accept of the Generofity of Cojimo of Medicls, and other Friends. 'Tis faid, that Cojimo dying, recom- mended him to his Son Piero ; who being very careful to execute his Father's Will, beftowed a little Countrey Farm upon him, which he might very well live out of : and Donato was overjoyed at it, thinking that now he was provided for, and needed not to fear Starving : but DO NATO. 373 Starving ; but for all that, he did not keep it above a Year before he gave it back again to Piero by a publick Contract, faying, he would not lcofe his Quiet ; which he muft do if he kept it ; for every two or three days, the Far- mer was at him for fome Dammage or Repa- rations ; ibmetimes the Wind had untiled the Houfe, Ibmetimes his Cattle was pounded or died : To all which Donato not being ufed, re- iolved to be rid of him and the Land together. Piero of Media* laughed heartily at his Com- plaints, and taking the Land again, affigned him a Rent-Charge of the fame value upon his Bank at Florence ; which was paid him every Week to his great Content : and fo he made an end quietly of his Old-Age, in the eighty third year of his Life, and in the Year 1466. He was Buried in San Lorenzo, next to the Body of Cofitnp di Medici*, being very honou- rably Interred,and Accompanied to his Grave by all the Artifis, and the belt part of the Peo- ple of the City. Ccc One °74 Ibe L IF 1 of One thing I mail not forget to tell of him in his laft Skknefs ; which was, that fome of his Relations came about him, to perfwade him to leave them a little Countrey Houfe and Land, of a very fmall Value, which he had near Prato, telling him, he ought in that to gratifie them, as being next a Kin to him : Vonato hearing them out, told them, that he was lorry he could not oblige them in their Recmeft, being refolved to beftow it upon the poor Countrey- Man who had always looked to it, and endured pains enough about it : Thinking that a more reafonable Difpofition, than to give it them for a Vifit which they now made him when he was a dying, to no other end than to get what they could out of him. As for all the things belonging to his Art, he diflributed them among his Schollars ; the famoufeft of which were, Bertoldo, a Florentine Sculptor ■> II RofelUm De/ideio, and Vellano di Pa- doua. And indeed, fince his Death, who ever has aimed at excelling in Relievo, mufl have fhidied DON At 0. 375 iludied his Works ; the number of which is fo great,that no Artifi: ever wrought fo much as he did ; which was a great happinefs for Sculpture \ the great variety of his underta- kings being fo many LefTons of all kinds in that Profeffion ; in which he mowed both Invention , Defign , Practice , Judgment , Strength, Sweetnefs ; and in a word, all the parts of a Divine and Wonderful Artift. FINIS. %?-&in r^~y rib n6 1130 fllf Alt H " 32. 1*r^*K-K*?rt-rm>*f*i't+( , b^A ■ :!: <» v>-a>a,v- H «sse#« d^ Bw*sh ■ M mgml v ■-..-■ : - h ■■ ■' « 2$ Ma ilffi:?# V ^ *£*■ ■-••'•■*"! 3E eSKftfc BM **2t;^ LQGUE r NJ IN •:. , i