menu_book Chapter 14

section fourteen of lives of the most eminent painters sculptors and architects volume seven by giorgio vasari translation by gaston de c this librivox recording is in the public domain recording by rita boutros life of christophano gerardi called docino of borgo sansepolcro painter part two Giorgio being afterwards summoned to Venice, at the instance of Messer Pietro Aretino, in order to arrange and execute for the nobles and gentlemen of the company of the calza, the setting for a most sumptuous and magnificent festival, and the scenery of a comedy written by that same Messor Pietro Aretino, for those gentlemen, Giorgio, I say, knowing that he was not able to carry out so great a work by himself alone,

sent for Cristofano and the above-mentioned Battista Cungi, and they, having finally arrived in Venice, after being carried by the chances of the sea to Sclavonia, found that Vasari not only had arrived there before them, but had already designed everything, so that there was nothing for them to do but to set hand to painting. Now the said gentleman of the calza had taken, at the end of the canareo, a large house which was not finished. It had nothing, indeed,

save the main walls and the roof, and in a space forming an apartment seventy braccia long and sixteen braccia wide, Giorgio caused to be made two ranges of wooden steps, four braccia in height from the floor, on which the ladies were to be seated. The walls at the sides he divided each into four square spaces of ten braccia, separated by niches, each four braccia in breadth, within which were figures, and these niches had on either side a terminal figure in relief,

nine brachia high, insomuch that the niches on either side were five and the terminal figures ten, and in the whole apartment there were altogether ten niches, twenty terminal figures, and eight square pictures with scenes. In the first of these pictures, which were all in Chiascuro, that on the right hand, next the stage, there was, representing Venice, a most beautiful figure of Adria depicted as seated upon a rock in the midst of the sea with a branch of coral in the

hand. Around her stood Neptune, Thetis, Proteus, Nereus, Glaucus, Palamon, and other sea gods and nymphs, who were presenting to her jewels, pearls, gold, and other riches of the sea. And besides this there were some loves that were shooting arrows, and others that were flying through the air and scattering flowers, and the rest of the field of the picture was all most beautiful palms. In the second picture were the rivers Drava and Sava naked, with their vases.

In the third was the Po, conceived as large and corpulent, with seven suns, representing the seven branches which, issuing from the Po, pour into the sea as if each of them were a kingly river. In the fourth was the Brenta, with other rivers of Friuli. On the other wall, opposite to the Adria, was the island of Candia, wherein was to be found seen Jove being suckled by the goat, with many nymphs around. Besides this, and opposite to the Drava, were the river Tagliamento

and the mountains of Cadori. Beyond this, opposite to the Po, were Lake Benicus and the Mincio, which were pouring their waters into the po and beside them opposite to the brenta were the adige and the tacino falling into the sea the pictures on the right-hand side were divided by these virtues placed in the niches liberality concord compassion peace and religion and opposite to these on the other wall were fortitude civic wisdom justice a victory with war beneath her and lastly a charity above all then were a large cornice and architrave and a frieze full of lights and of glass globes filled with distilled waters to the end that these having lights behind them might illuminate the whole apartment

next the ceiling was divided into four quadrangular compartments each ten brachia wide in one direction and eight brachia in the other and with a width equal to that of the niches of four brachia there was a frieze which ran right round the cornice while in a line with the niches there came in the middle of all the spaces a compartment three brachia square these compartments were in all twenty-three without counting one of double size that was above the stage which brought the number up to twenty-four and in them were the hours twelve of the night namely and twelve of the day in the first of the compartments ten braccia in length which were above the stage was time who was arranging the hours in their places accompanied by elus god of the winds by juno and by iris in another compartment at the door of entrance was the car of aurora who rising from the arms of tithonus was scattering roses while the car itself was being drawn by some cocks

in the third was the chariot of the sun and in the fourth was the chariot of night drawn by owls and night had the moon upon her head some bats in front of her and all around her darkness of these pictures cristofano executed the greater part and he acquitted himself so well that every one stood marvelling at them particularly in the chariot of night wherein he did in the way of oil sketches that which was in a manner of speaking not possible and in the picture of adria likewise he painted those monsters of the sea with such beauty and variety that whoever looked at them was struck with astonishment that a craftsman of his rank should have shown such knowledge in short in all this work he bore himself beyond all expectation like an able and well-practised painter and particularly in the foliage and grotesques after finishing the preparations for that festival vasari and cristofano stayed some months in venice painting for the magnificent messer giovanni cornaro the ceiling or rather soffit of an apartment into which there went nine large pictures in oils

vasari being then entreated by the veronese architect michel san michel to stay in venice he might perhaps have consented to remain there for a year or two but cristofano always dissuaded him from it saying that it was not a good thing to stay in venice where no account was taken of design nor did the painters in that city make any use of it not to mention that those painters themselves were the reason that no attention was paid there to the labors of the arts and he declared that it would be better to return to rome the true school of noble arts where ability was recognized much more than in venice the dissuasions of cristofano being thus added to the little desire that vasari had to stay there they went off together but since cristofano being an exile from the state of florence was not able to follow giorgio he returned to san gustino where he did not remain long doing some work all the time for the above-mentioned abbot before he went to perugia on the first occasion when pope paul the third went there after the war waged with the people of that city

there in the festive preparations that were made to receive his holiness he acquitted himself very well in several works and particularly in the portal called after frat where at the wish of monsignor della barba who was then governor there cristofano executed a large jove in anger and another pacified which are two most beautiful figures and on the other side he painted an atlas with the world on his back between two women one of whom had a sword and the other a pair of scales these works with many others that cristofano executed for those festivities were the reason that afterwards when the citadel had been built in perugia by order of the same pontiff messer tiberio crispo who was governor and castellan at that time when causing many of the rooms to be painted desired that cristofano in addition to that which latanzio a painter of the march had executed in them up to that time should also work there

whereupon cristofano not only assisted the above-named latanzio but afterwards executed with his own hand the greater part of the best works that are painted in the apartments of that fortress in which there also worked raffaello del calle and adone doni of assisi an able and well-practised painter who has executed many things in his native city and in other places tomasco popacello also worked there but the best that there was among them and the one who gained most praise there was cristofano on which account he was recommended by latanzio to the favour of the said crispo and was ever afterwards much employed by him meanwhile that same crispo having built in perugia a new little church known as s maria del popolo but first called del mercato letanzio had begun for it an altar-piece in oils and in this cristofano painted with his own hand all the upper part which is indeed most beautiful and worthy of great praise then latanzio having been changed from a painter into the constable of perugia cristofano returned to s gustino where he stayed many months again working for the above-named lord abbot buffalini

after this in the year fifteen forty three giorgio vasari having to execute a panel-picture in oils for the great cancilleria by order of the most illustrious cardinal farnese and another for the church of s agostino at the commission of galeotto da sent for cristofano who went very willingly as one who had a desire to see rome there he stayed many months doing little else but go about seeing everything but nevertheless he thus gained so much that after returning once more to san gustino he painted in a hall some figures after his own fancy which were so beautiful that it appeared that he must have studied at them twenty years then in the year of fifteen forty five the sari had to go to naples to paint for the monks of monte alavito a refectory involving much more work than that of s michel in bosco at bologna and he sent for cristofano raffaello del colli and stefano already mentioned as his friends and pupils and they all came together at the appointed time in naples excepting cristofano who remained behind because he was ill

however being pressed by vasari he made his way to rome on his journey to naples but he was detained by his brother borgognoni who was likewise an exile and who wished to take him to france to enter the service of the colonel giovanni da torino and so that occasion was lost but when vasari returned from naples to rome in the year fifteen forty six in order to execute twenty-four pictures that were afterwards sent to naples and placed in the sacristy of s giovanni carbonaro in which he painted stories from the old testament and also from the life of s john the baptist with figures of one braccia or a little more and also in order to paint the doors of the organ of the piscopio which were six braccia in height he availed himself of cristofano who was of great assistance to him and executed figures and landscapes in those works excellently well giorgio had also proposed to make use of him in the hall of the cancelleria which was painted after cartoons by his hand and entirely finished in a hundred days for cardinal

but in this he did not succeed for cristofano fell ill and returned to s gustino as soon as he had begun to mend and vasari finished the hall without him assisted by raffaello del colli the bolognese giovann battista bagnacavallo the spaniards roviali and visera and many others of his friends and pupils after returning from rome to florence and setting out from that city to go to rimini to paint a chapel in fresco and an altar-piece in the church of the monks of monte alavito for abbot gianmatteo fattani giorgio passed through s gustino in order to take cristofano with him but abbot buffolini for whom he was painting a hall would not let him go for the time being although he promised giorgio that he should send cristofano to him soon all the way to romagna but notwithstanding such a promise the abbot delayed so long to send him that cristofano when he did go found that vasari had not only finished all the work for the other abbot but had also executed an altar-piece for the high altar

of s francesco at rimini for messer niccolo margiselli and another altar-piece in the church of classi belonging to the monks of camaldoli at ravenna for don romualdo da varona the abbot of that abbey in the year fifteen fifty not long before this giorgio had just executed the story of the marriage of esther in the black friars abbey of san fiori that is in the refectory at arezzo and also at florence for the chapel of the martelli in the church of s lorenzo the altar-piece of s gismondo when julius the third having been elected pope he was summoned to rome to enter the service of his holiness thereupon he thought for certain that by means of cardinal farnese who went at that time to stay in florence he would be able to reinstate cristofano in his country and restore him to the favor of duke cosimo but this proved to be impossible so that poor christofano had to stay as he was until fifteen fifty four at which time vasari having been invited into the service of du cosimo there came to him an opportunity of delivering

bishop da ricasoli who knew that he would be doing a thing pleasing to his excellency had set to work to have the three faades of his palace which stands on the abutment of the ponte alla caraja painted in chioscuro when messer sforza almeni cup-bearer as well as first and favored chamberlain to the duke resolved that he also would have his house in the via de servi painted in chiescuro in emulation of the bishop but not having found in florence any painters according to his fancy he wrote to giorgio vasari who had not then arrived in florence that he should think out the inventions and send him designs of all that it might seem to him best to paint on that facade of his whereupon giorgio who was much his friend for they had known each other from the time when they were both in the service of duke alessandro having thought out the whole according to the measurements of the faade sent him a design of most beautiful invention which embellished the windows and joined them together with a well-varied decoration in a straight line from top to bottom and filled all the spaces in the faade with rich scenes

this design i say which contained to put it briefly the whole life of man from birth to death was sent by vasari to messer sforza and it so pleased him and likewise the duke that in order that it might have all its perfection they resolved that they would not have it taken in hand until such time as vasari himself should have arrived in florence which vasari having at last come and having been received by his most illustrious excellency and by the above-named messer savorza with great friendliness they began to discuss who might be the right man to execute that faade whereupon giorgio not allowing the occasion to slip by said to messrs svorsa that no one was better able to carry out that work than cristofano and that neither in that nor in the works that were to be executed in the palace could he do without cristofano's aid and so messrs vorsa having spoken of this to the duke after many inquiries it was found that christophano's crime was not so black as it had been painted and the poor fellow was at last pardoned by his excellency

which news having been received by vasari who was at arezzo revisiting his native place and his friends he sent a messenger expressly to cristofano who knew nothing of the matter to give him that good news and when he heard it he was like to faint with joy all rejoicing therefore and confessing that no one had ever been a better friend to him than vasari he went off next morning from citta di castello to the borgo where after presenting his letters of deliverance to the commissioner he made his way to his father's house where his mother and also his brother who had been recalled from exile long before were struck with astonishment then after passing two days there he went off to arezzo where he was received by giorgio with more rejoicing than if he had been his own brother and recognized that he was so beloved by vasari that he resolved that he would spend the rest of his life with him and of section fourteen life of cristofano gerardi called docino of borgo sansepolcro painter part two