,,the ,,lives ,,of ,,the ,,painters1    
,,sculptors  ,,architects  by  ,,giorgio
 ,,vasari  ,in ,eight ,volumes  ,vol4   
,one        ,,contents     ,,cimabue    
7#abdj-acjb7    ,,arnolfo ,,di ,,lapo   
7#abcb-acaj7         ,,bonanno 7fl4     
#aagd-aahf         ,,lapo 7#aaij-abfj7  
,,niccola ,,and ,,giovanni ,,pisani fl  
#abje1 #abgh1 #abej-acbh7    ,,andrea   
,,tafi 7#abej-acbj7    ,,gaddo ,,gaddi  
7#abei-accc7    ,,margaritone           
7#abaj-abic7    ,,giotto 7#abfg-accg7   
,,puccio ,,capanna 7fl4 #acej7          
,,agostino ,,and ,,agnolo 7fl4          
#abhf-accj7    ,,stefano ,,and ,,ugolino
 7#acja-acej1 #abfj-acci7    ,,pietro   
,,laurati 7died c4 #acej7    ,,andrea   
,,pisano 7#abgj-acdh7    ,,buonamico    
,,buffalmacco 7fl4 #acaa-acea7          
,,ambruogio ,,lorenzetti 7died c4 #acch7
    ,,pietro ,,cavallini 7#abei-accd7   
,,simone ,,martini ,,and ,,lippo ,,memmi
 7#abhe-acdd2 died #aceg7    ,,preface  
,,to ,,the ,,lives  ,i am aware that it 
is commonly held as a fact by most      

writers that sculpture1 as well as      
painting1 was naturally discovered      
originally by the people of ,egypt1 and 
also that there are others who attribute
 to the ,chaldeans the first rough      
carvings of statues and the first       
reliefs4 ,in like manner there are those
 who credit the ,greeks with the        
invention of the brush and of colouring4
 ,but it is my opinion that design1     
which is the creative principle in both 
arts1 came into existence at the time of
 the origin of all things4 ,when the    
,most ,high created the world and       
adorned the heavens with shining lights1
 ,his perfect intellect passing through 
the limpid air and alighting on the     
solid earth1 formed man1 thus disclosing
 the first form of sculpture and        
painting in the charming invention of   
things4 ,who will deny that from this   
man1 as from a living example1 the ideas
 of statues and sculpture1 and the      
questions of pose and of outline1 first 
took form2 and from the first pictures1 

whatever they may have been1 arose the  
first ideas of grace1 unity1 and the    
discordant concords made by the play of 
lights and shadows8 ,thus the first     
model from which the first image of man 
arose was a lump of earth1 and not      
without reason1 for the ,divine         
,architect of time and of nature1 being 
all perfection1 wished to demonstrate1  
in the imperfection of ,his materials1  
what could be done to improve them1 just
 as good sculptors and painters are in  
the habit of doing1 when1 by adding     
additional touches and removing         
blemishes1 they bring their imperfect   
sketches to such a state of completion  
and of perfection as they desire4 ,god  
also endowed man with a bright flesh    
colour1 and the same shades may be drawn
 from the earth1 which supplies         
materials to counterfeit everything     
which occurs in painting4 ,it is indeed 
true that it is impossible to feel      
absolutely certain as to what steps men 
took for the imitation of the beautiful 

works of ,nature in these arts before   
the flood1 although it appears1 most    
probable that even then they practised  
all manner of painting and sculpture2   
for ,bel1 son of the proud ,nimrod1     
about #bjj years after the flood1 had a 
statue made1 from which idolatry        
afterwards arose2 and his celebrated    
daughter-in-law1 ,semiramis1 queen of   
,babylon1 in the building of that city1 
introduced among the ornaments there    
coloured representations from life of   
divers kinds of animals1 as well as of  
herself and of her husband ,ninus1 with 
the bronze statues of her father1 her   
mother-in-law1 and her                  
great-grandmother1 as ,diodorus relates1
 calling them ,jove1 ,juno1 and         
,ops--,greek names1 which did not then  
exist4 ,it was1 perhaps1 from these     
statues that the ,chaldeans learned to  
make the images of their gods4 ,it is   
recorded in ,genesis how #aej years     
later1 when ,rachel was fleeing from    
,mesopotamia with her husband ,jacob1   

she stole the idols of her father       
,laban4 ,nor were the ,chaldeans        
singular in making statues1 for the     
,egyptians also had theirs1 devoting    
great pains to those arts1 as is shown  
by the marvellous tomb of that king of  
remote antiquity1 ,osimandyas1 described
 at length by ,diodorus1 and1 as the    
severe command of ,moses proves1 when1  
on leaving ,egypt1 he gave orders that  
no images should be made to ,god1 upon  
pain of death4 ,moses also1 after having
 ascended the ,mount1 and having found a
 golden calf manufactured and adored by 
his people1 was greatly troubled at     
seeing divine honours accorded to the   
image of a beast2 so that he not only   
broke it to powder1 but1 in the         
punishment of so great a fault1 caused  
the ,levites to put to death many       
thousands of the false ,israelites who  
had committed this idolatry4 ,but as the
 sin consisted in adoring idols and not 
in making them1 it is written in ,exodus
 that the art of design and of making   

statues1 not only in marble but in all  
kinds of metal1 was given by the mouth  
of ,god himself to ,bezaleel1 of the    
tribe of ,judah1 and to ,aholiab1 of the
 tribe of ,dan1 who made the two        
cherubim of gold1 the candles1 the veil1
 and the borders of the sacerdotal      
vestments1 together with a number of    
other beautiful things in the           
tabernacle1 for no other purpose than   
that people should put them on for their
 own adornment and delight4 ,from the   
things seen before the flood1 the pride 
of man found the means to make statues  
of those who wished their fame in the   
world to be immortal2 and the ,greeks1  
who give a different origin to this1 say
 that the ,ethiopians found the first   
statues1 according to ,diodorus1 the    
,egyptians imitated these1 while the    
,greeks followed the ,egyptians4 ,from  
this time until ,homer's day it is clear
 that sculpture and painting were       
perfect1 as we may see from the         
description of ,achilles' shield by that

 divine poet1 who represents it with    
such skill that the image of it is      
presented to our minds as clearly as if 
we had seen the thing itself4           
,lactantius ,firmianus attributes the   
credit of the invention to ,prometheus1 
who like ,god formed the human form out 
of dust4 ,but according to ,pliny this  
art was introduced into ,egypt by ,gyges
 of ,lydia1 who on seeing his shadow    
cast by the fire1 at once drew a        
representation of himself on the wall   
with a piece of coal4 ,for some time    
after that it was the custom to draw in 
outline only1 without any colouring1    
,pliny again being our authority4 ,this 
was afterwards introduced by ,philocles 
of ,egypt with considerable pains1 and  
also by ,cleanthes and ,ardices of      
,corinth and by ,telephanes of ,sicyon4 
,cleophantes of ,corinth was the first  
of the ,greeks to use colours1 and      
,apollodorus was the first to introduce 
the brush4 ,polignotus of ,thasos1      
,zeuxis and ,timagoras of ,chalcis1     

,pythia and ,aglaphon followed them1 all
 most celebrated1 and after them came   
the renowned ,apelles who was so highly 
esteemed and honoured for his skill by  
,alexander the ,great1 for his wonderful
 delineation of ,calumny and ,favour1 as
 ,lucian relates4 ,almost all the       
painters and sculptors were of high     
excellence1 being frequently endowed by 
heaven1 not only with the additional    
gift of poetry1 as we read in ,pacuvius1
 but also with that of philosophy4      
,metrodorus is an instance in point1 for
 he was equally skilled as a philosopher
 and as a painter1 and when ,apelles was
 sent by the ,athenians to ,paulus      
,emilius to adorn his triumph he        
remained to teach philosophy to the     
general's sons4 ,sculpture was thus     
generally practised in ,greece1 where   
there flourished a number of excellent  
artists1 among them being ,phidias of   
,athens1 ,praxiteles and ,polycletus1   
very great masters4 ,lysippus and       
,pyrgoteles who were of considerable    

skill in engraving1 and ,pygmalion in   
ivory carving in relief1 it being       
recorded of him that he obtained life by
 his prayers for the figure of a maid   
carved by him4 ,the ancient ,greeks and 
,romans also honoured and rewarded      
painting1 since they granted the        
citizenship and very liberal gifts to   
those who excelled in this art4         
,painting flourished in ,rome to such an
 extent that ,fabius gave a name to his 
house1 subscribing himself in the       
beautiful things he did in the temple of
 safety as ,fabius the painter4 ,by     
public decree slaves were prohibited    
from practising painting1 and so much   
honour was continually afforded by the  
people to the art and to artists that   
rare works were sent to ,rome among the 
spoils to appear in the triumphs2       
excellent artists who were slaves       
obtained their liberty and received     
notable rewards from the republic4 ,the 
,romans bore such a reverence for the   
art that when the city of ,syracuse was 

sacked ,marcellus gave orders that his  
men should treat with respect a famous  
artist there1 and also that they should 
be careful not to set fire to a quarter 
in which there was a very fine picture4 
,this was afterwards carried to ,rome to
 adorn his triumph4 ,to that city in the
 course of time almost all the spoils of
 the world were brought1 and the artists
 themselves gathered there beside these 
excellent works4 ,by such means ,rome   
became an exceedingly beautiful city1   
more richly adorned by the statues of   
foreign artists than by those made by   
natives4 ,it is known that in the little
 island city of ,rhodes there were more 
than #cj1jjj statues1 in bronze and     
marble1 nor did the ,athenians possess  
less1 while those of ,olympus and       
,delphi were more numerous still1 and   
those of ,corinth were without number1  
all being most beautiful and of great   
price4 ,does not every one know how     
,nicomedes1 king of ,lycia1 expended    
almost all the wealth of his people     

owing to his passion for a ,venus by the
 hand of ,praxiteles8 ,did not ,attalus 
do the same8 who without an afterthought
 expended more than #fjjj sesterces to  
have a picture of ,bacchus painted by   
,aristides4 ,this picture was placed by 
,lucius ,mummius1 with great pomp to    
adorn ,rome1 in the temple of ,ceres4   
,but although the nobility of this art  
was so highly valued1 it is uncertain to
 whom it owes its origin4 ,as ,i have   
already said1 it is found in very       
ancient times  among the ,chaldeans1    
some attribute the honour to the        
,ethiopians1 while the ,greeks claim it 
for themselves4 ,besides this there is  
good reason for supposing that the      
,tuscans may have had it earlier1 as our
 own ,leon ,batista ,alberti asserts1   
and weighty evidence in favour of this  
view is supplied by the marvellous tomb 
of ,porsena at ,chiusi1 where not long  
ago some tiles of terracotta were found 
under the ground1 between the walls of  
the ,labyrinth1 containing some figures 

in half-relief1 so excellent and so     
delicately fashioned that it is easy to 
see that art was not in its infancy at  
that time1 for to judge by the          
perfection of these specimens it was    
nearer its zenith than its origin4      
,evidence to the same purport is        
supplied every day by the quantity of   
pieces of red and black ,aretine vases1 
made about the same time1 to judge by   
the style1 with light carvings and small
 figures and scenes in bas-relief1 and a
 quantity of small round masks1 cleverly
 made by the masters of that age1 and   
which prove the men of the time to have 
been most skilful and accomplished in   
that art4 ,further evidence is afforded 
by the statues found at ,viterbo at the 
beginning of the pontificate of         
,alexander ,,vi41 showing that sculpture
 was valued and had advanced to no small
 state of perfection in ,tuscany4       
,although the time when they were made  
is not exactly known1 yet from the style
 of the figures and from the manner of  

the tombs and of the buildings1 no less 
than by the inscriptions in ,tuscan     
letters1 it may be conjectured with     
great reason that they are of great     
antiquity1 and that they were made at a 
time when such things were highly       
valued4 ,but what clearer evidence can  
be desired than the discovery made in   
our own day in the year #aeed of a      
bronze figure representing the ,chimra  
of ,bellerophon1 during the excavation  
of the fortifications and walls of      
,arezzo4 ,this figure exhibits the      
perfection of the art attained by the   
,tuscans4 ,some small letters carved on 
a paw are presumed1 in the absence of a 
knowledge of the ,etruscan language1 to 
give the master's name1 and perhaps the 
date4 ,this figure1 on account of its   
beauty and antiquity1 has been placed by
 ,duke ,cosimo in a chamber in his      
palace in the new suite of rooms which  
contains my paintings of the deeds of   
,pope ,leo ,x4 ,the ,duke also possesses
 a number of small bronze figures which 

were found in the same place4 ,but as   
the antiquity of the works of the       
,greeks1 ,ethiopians1 ,chaldeans1 and   
,tuscans is enveloped in darkness1 and  
because it is necessary in such matters 
to base one's opinions on conjectures1  
although these are not so ill founded   
that one is in danger of going very far 
astray1 yet ,i think that anyone who    
will take the trouble to consider the   
matter carefully will arrive at the same
 conclusion as ,i have1 that art owes   
its origin to ,nature herself1 that this
 beautiful creation the world supplied  
the first model1 while the original     
teacher was that divine intelligence    
which has not only made us superior to  
the other animals1 but like ,god        
,himself1 if ,i may venture to say it4  
,in our own time it has been seen1 as ,i
 hope to show quite shortly1 that simple
 children1 roughly brought up in the    
woods1 have begun to draw by themselves 
aided by the vivacity of their          
intellect1 instructed solely by the     

example of these beautiful paintings and
 sculptures of ,nature4 ,much more then 
is it probable that the first men1 being
 less removed from their divine origin1 
were more perfect1 possessing a brighter
 intelligence1 and that with ,nature as 
a guide1 a pure intellect for master1   
and the lovely world as a model1 they   
originated these noble arts1 and by     
gradually improving them brought them at
 length1 from small beginnings1 to      
perfection4 ,i do not deny that there   
must have been an originator1 since ,i  
know quite well that there must have    
been a beginning at some time1 due to   
some individual4 ,neither will ,i deny  
that it is possible for one person to   
help another1 and to teach and open the 
way to design1 colour1 and relief1      
because ,i know that our art consists   
entirely of imitation1 first of ,nature1
 and then1 as it cannot rise so high of 
itself1 of those things which are       
produced from the masters with the      
greatest reputation4 ,but ,i will say   

that an attempt to determine the exact  
identity of such men is a very dangerous
 task1 and the knowledge when gained    
would probably prove unprofitable1 since
 we have seen the true and original root
 of all4 ,but the life and fame of      
artists depend upon their works which   
are destroyed by time one after the     
other in the order of their creation4   
,thus the artists themselves are unknown
 as there was no one to write about them
 and could not be1 so that this source  
of knowledge was not granted to         
posterity4 ,but when writers began to   
commemorate things made before their    
time1 they were unable to speak of those
 of which they had seen no notice1 so   
that those who came nearest to these    
were the last of whom no memorial       
remains4 ,thus ,homer is by common      
consent admitted to be the first of the 
poets1 not because there were none      
before him1 for there were although they
 were not so excellent1 and in his own  
works this is clearly shown1 but because

 all knowledge of these1 such as they   
were1 had been lost two thousand years  
before4 ,but we will now pass over these
 matters which are too vague on account 
of their antiquity and we will proceed  
to deal with clearer questions1 namely1 
the rise of the arts to perfection1     
their decline and their restoration or  
rather renaissance1 and here we stand on
 much firmer ground4 ,the practice of   
the arts began late in ,rome1 if the    
first figures were1 as reported1 the    
image of ,ceres made of the money of    
,spurius ,caasius1 who was condemned to 
death without remorse by his own father1
 because he was plotting to make himself
 king4 ,but although the arts of        
painting and sculpture continued to     
flourish until the death of the last of 
the twelve ,csars1 yet they did not     
maintain  that perfection and excellence
 which had characterised them before1 as
 is seen as seen in the buildings of the
 time4 ,the arts declined steadily from 
day to day1 until at length by a gradual

 process they entirety lost all         
perfection of design4 ,clear testimony  
to this is afforded by the works in     
sculpture and architecture produced in  
,rome in the time of ,constantine1      
notably in the triumphal arch made for  
him by the ,roman people at the         
,colosseum1 where we see1 that for lack 
of good masters not only did they make  
use of marble works carved in the time  
of ,trajan1 but also of spoils brought  
to ,rome from various places4 ,these    
bas-reliefs1 statues1 the columns1 the  
cornices and other ornaments which      
belong to another epoch only serve to   
expose the defects in those parts of the
 work which are entirely due to the     
sculptors of the day and which  are most
 rude4 ,very rude also are some scenes  
of small figures in marble under the    
circles and the pediment1 representing  
victories1 while between the side arches
 there are some rivers also very crude  
and so poor that they leave one firmly  
under the impression that the art of    

sculpture had been in a state of        
decadence for a long while4 ,yet the    
,goths and the other barbarous and      
foreign nations who combined to destroy 
all the superior arts in ,italy had not 
then appeared4 ,it is true that         
architecture suffered less than the     
other arts of design4 ,the bath erected 
by ,constantine at the entrance of the  
principal portico of the ,lateran       
contains1 in addition to its porphyry   
columns1 capitals carved in marble and  
beautifully carved double bases taken   
from elsewhere1 the whole composition of
 the building being very well ordered4  
,on the other hand1 the stucco1 the     
mosaic and some incrustations of the    
walls made by the masters of the time   
are not equal to those which had been   
taken away for the most part from the   
temples of the gods of the heathen1 and 
which ,constantine caused to be placed  
in the same building4 ,constantine      
observed the same methods1 according to 
report1 with the garden of quitius in   

building the temple which he afterwards 
endowed and gave to ,christian priests4 
,in like manner the magnificent church  
of ,s4 ,john ,lateran1 built by the same
 emperor1 may serve as evidence of the  
same fact1 namely1 that sculpture had   
already greatly declined in his time1   
because the figures of the ,saviour and 
of the twelve apostles in silver1 which 
he caused to be made1 were very base    
works1 executed without art and with    
very little design4 ,in addition to     
this1 it is only necessary to examine   
the medals of this emperor1 and other   
statues made by the sculptors of his    
day1 which are now at the ,capitol1 to  
clearly perceive how far removed they   
are from the perfection of the medals   
and statues of the other emperors1 all  
of which things prove that sculpture had
 greatly declined long before the coming
 of the ,goths to ,italy4 ,architecture1
 as ,i have said1 maintained its        
excellence at a higher though not at the
 highest level4 ,nor is this a matter   

for surprise1 since large buildings were
 almost entirely constructed of spoils1 
so that it was easy for the architects  
to imitate the old in making the new1   
since they had the former continually   
before their eyes4 ,this was an easier  
task for them than far the sculptors1 as
 the art of imitating the good figures  
of the ancients had declined4 ,a good   
illustration of the truth of this       
statement is afforded by the church of  
the chief of the apostles in the        
,vatican1 which is rich in columns1     
bases1 capitals1 architraves1 cornices1 
doors and other incrustations and       
ornaments which were all taken from     
various places and buildings1 erected   
before that time in very magnificent    
style4 ,the same remarks apply to ,s4   
,croce at ,jerusalem1 which ,constantine
 erected at the entreaty of his mother1 
,helena2 of ,s4 ,lorenzo outside the    
wall1 and of ,s4 ,agnesa1 built by the  
same emperor at the request of his      
daughter ,constance4 ,who also is not   

aware that the font which served for the
 baptism of the latter and of one of her
 sisters1 was ornamented with fragments 
of great antiquity8 as were the porphyry
 pillar carved with beautiful figures   
and some marble candelabra exquisitely  
carved with leaves1 and some children in
 bas-relief of extraordinary beauty8 ,in
 short1 by these and many other signs1  
it is clear that sculpture was in       
decadence in the time of ,constantine1  
and with it the other superior arts4 ,if
 anything was required to complete their
 ruin it was supplied by the departure  
of ,constantine from ,rome when he      
transferred the seat of government to   
,byzantium1 as he took with him to      
,greece not only all the best sculptors 
and other artists of the age1 such as   
they were1 but also a quantity of       
statues and other beautiful works of    
sculpture4  ,after the departure of     
,constantine1 the ,caesars whom he left 
in ,italy1 were continually building in 
,rome and elsewhere1 endeavouring to    

make these works as good as possible1   
but as we see1 sculpture1 painting and  
architecture were steadily going from   
bad to worse4 ,this arose perhaps from  
the fact that when human affairs begin  
to decline1 they grow steadily worse    
until the time comes when they can no   
longer deteriorate any further4 ,in the 
time of ,pope ,liberius the architects  
of the day took considerable pains to   
produce a masterpiece when they built   
,s4 ,maria ,maggiore1 but they were not 
very happy in the result1 because       
although the building1 which is also    
mostly constructed of spoils1 is of very
 fair proportions1 it cannot be denied  
that1 not to speak of other defects1 the
 decoration of the church with stucco   
and painting above the columns is of    
very poor design1 and that many other   
things to be seen there leave no doubt  
as to the degradation of the arts4 ,many
 years later1 when the ,christians were 
suffering persecution under ,julian the 
,apostate1 a church was erected on the  

,celian ,hill to ,,ss4 ,john and ,paul1 
the martyrs1 in so inferior a style to  
the others mentioned above that it is   
quite clear that at that time1 art had  
all but entirely disappeared4 ,the      
edifices erected in ,tuscany at the same
 time bear out this view to the fullest 
extent4 ,the church outside the walls of
 ,arezzo1 built to ,st ,donato1 bishop  
of that city1 who suffered martyrdom    
with ,hilarion the monk1 under the same 
,julian the ,apostate1 is in no way     
superior to the others1 and this is only
 one of many4 ,it cannot be contended   
that such a state of affairs was due to 
anything but the lack of good           
architects1 since the church in         
question1 which is still standing1 has  
eight sides1 and was built of the spoils
 of the theatre1 colosseum and other    
buildings erected in ,arezzo before it  
was converted to the ,christian faith4  
,no expense has been spared1 its columns
 being of granite and porphyry and      
variegated marble which1 had formerly   

adorned the ancient buildings4 ,for my  
own part1 ,i have no doubt1 seeing the  
expense incurred1 that if the ,aretines 
had been able to employ better          
architects they would have produced     
something marvellous1 since what they   
actually accomplished proves that they  
spared themselves nothing in order to   
make this building as magnificent and   
complete as possible4 ,but as           
architecture had lost less of its       
excellence than the other arts1 as ,i   
have often said before1 some good things
 may be seen there4 ,at the same period 
the church of ,s4 ,maria in ,grado was  
enlarged in honour of ,st ,hilarion1 who
 had lived in the city a long time      
before he accompanied ,donato to receive
 the palm of martyrdom4 ,but as         
,fortune1 when she has brought men to   
the top of the wheel1 either for        
amusement or because she repents1       
usually turns them to the bottom1 it    
came to pass after these things that    
almost all the barbarian nations rose in

 divers parts of the world against the  
,romans1 the result being the abasement 
of that great empire in a short time1   
and the destruction of everything1      
notably of ,rome herself4 ,that fall    
involved the complete destruction of the
 most excellent artists1 sculptors1     
painters and architects who abandoned   
their profession and were themselves    
buried and submerged under the debris   
and ruins of that most celebrated city4 
,the first to go were painting and      
sculpture1 as being arts which served   
rather for pleasure than for utility1   
the other art1 namely architecture1     
being necessary and useful for the      
welfare of the body1 continued in use1  
but not in its perfection and purity4   
,the very memory of painting and        
sculpture would have speedily           
disappeared had they not represented    
before the eyes of the rising           
generation1 the distinguished men of    
another age4 ,some of them were         
commemorated by effigies and by         

inscriptions placed on public and       
private buildings1 such as              
amphitheatres1 theatres1 baths1         
aqueducts1 temples1 obelisks1           
colosseums1 pyramids1 arches1 reservoirs
 and treasuries1 yes1 and even on the   
very tombs4 ,the majority of these were 
destroyed and obliterated by the        
barbarians1 who had nothing human about 
them but their shape and name4 ,among   
others there were the ,visigoths1 who   
having made ,alaric their king1 invaded 
,italy and twice sacked ,rome without   
respect for anything4 ,the ,vandals who 
came from ,africa with ,genseric1 their 
king1 did the like4 ,but he1 not content
 with his plunder and booty and the     
cruelties he inflicted1 led into        
servitude the people there1 to their    
infinite woe1 and with them ,eudoxia the
 wife of the ,emperor ,valentinian1 who 
had only recently been assassinated by  
his own soldiers4 ,these men had greatly
 degenerated from the ancient ,roman    
valour1 because a great while before1   

the best of them had all gone to        
,constantinople with the ,emperor       
,constantine1 and those left behind were
 dissolute and abandoned4 ,thus true men
 and every sort of virtue perished at   
the same time2 laws1 habits1 names and  
tongues suffered change1 and these      
varied misfortunes1 collectively and    
singly1 debased and degraded every fine 
spirit and every lofty soul4 ,but the   
most harmful and destructive force which
 operated against these fine arts was   
the fervent zeal of the new ,christian  
religion1 which1 after long and         
sanguinary strife1 had at length        
vanquished and abolished the old faith  
of the heathen1 by means of a number of 
miracles and by the sincerity of its    
acts4 ,every effort was put forth to    
remove and utterly extirpate the smaller
 things from which errors might arise1  
and thus not only were the marvellous   
statues1 sculptures1 paintings1 mosaics 
and ornaments of the false pagan gods   
destroyed and thrown down1 but also the 

memorials and honours of countless      
excellent persons1 to whose             
distinguished merits statues and other  
memorials had been set up by a most     
virtuous antiquity4 ,besides all this1  
in order to build churches for the use  
of the ,christians1 not only were the   
most honoured temples of the idols      
destroyed1 but in order to ennoble and  
decorate ,s4 ,peter's with more         
ornaments than it then possessed1 the   
mole of ,hadrian1 now the castle of ,s4 
,angelo1 was despoiled of its stone     
columns1 as well as of many other things
 which are now seen in ruins4  ,now1    
although the ,christian religion did not
 act thus from any hatred for talent1   
but only because of its contempt for the
 heathen gods1 yet the utter ruin of    
these honourable professions1 which     
entirely lost their form1 was none the  
less entirely due to this burning zeal4 
,that nothing might be wanting to these 
grave disasters there followed the rage 
of ,totila against ,rome1 who destroyed 

the walls1 ruined all the most          
magnificent and noble buildings with    
fire and sword1 burned it from one end  
to another1 and having stripped it of   
every living creature left it a prey to 
the flames1 so that for the space of    
eighteen days not a living soul could be
 found there4 ,he utterly destroyed the 
marvellous statues1 paintings1 mosaics  
and stuccos1 so that he left ,rome not  
only stripped of every trace of her     
former majesty1 but destitute of shape  
and life4 ,the ground floors of the     
palaces and other building had been     
adorned with paintings1 stuccos and     
statues1 and these were buried under the
 debris1 so that many good things have  
come to light in our own day4 ,those who
 came after1 judging everything to be   
ruined1 planted vines over them so that 
these ruined chambers remained entirely 
underground1 and the moderns have called
 them grottos and the paintings found   
there grotesques4 ,the ,ostrogoths being
 exterminated by ,narses1 the ruins of  

,rome were inhabited in a wretched      
fashion when after an interval of a     
hundred years there came the ,emperor   
,constans of ,constantinople1 who was   
received in a friendly manner by the    
,romans4 ,however he wasted1 plundered  
and carried away everything that had    
been left in the wretched city of ,rome1
 abandoned rather by chance than by the 
deliberate purpose of those who had laid
 it waste4 ,it is true that he was not  
able to enjoy this booty1 for being     
driven to ,sicily by a storm at sea1 he 
was killed by his followers1 a fate he  
richly deserved1 and thus lost his      
spoils1 his kingdom and his life4 ,but  
as if the troubles of ,rome had not been
 sufficient1 for the things which had   
been taken away could never return1     
there came an army of ,saracens to      
ravage that island1 who carried away the
 property of the ,sicilians and the     
spoils of ,rome to ,alexandria1 to the  
infinite shame and loss of ,italy and of
 all ,christendom4 ,thus what the popes 

had not destroyed1 notably ,st ,gregory1
 who is said to have put under the ban  
all that remained of the statues and of 
the spoils of the buildings1 finally    
perished through the instrumentality of 
this traitorous ,greek4 ,not a trace or 
a vestige of any good thing remained1 so
 that the generations which followed    
being rough and material1 particularly  
in painting and sculpture1 yet feeling  
themselves impelled by nature and       
inspired by the atmosphere of the place1
 set themselves to produce things1 not  
indeed according to the rules of art1   
for they had none1 but as they were     
instructed by their own intelligence4   
,the arts of design having arrived at   
this pitch1 both before and during the  
time that the ,lombards ruled ,italy1   
they subsequently grew worse and worse1 
until at length they reached the lowest 
depths of baseness4 ,an instance of     
their utter tastelessness and crudeness 
may be seen in some figures over the    
door in the portico of ,s4 ,peter's at  

,rome1 in memory of some holy fathers   
who had disputed for ,holy ,church in   
certain councils4 ,further evidence is  
supplied by a number of examples in the 
same style in the city and in the whole 
of the ,exarchate of ,ravenna1 notably  
some in ,s4 ,maria ,rotonda outside that
 city1 which were made shortly after the
 ,lombards were driven from ,italy4 ,but
 ,i will not deny that there is one very
 notable and marvellous thing in this   
church1 and that is the vault or cupola 
which covers it1 which is ten braccia   
across and serves as the roof of the    
building1 and yet is of a single piece  
and so large that it appears impossible 
that a stone of this description1       
weighing more than #bjj1jjj pounds1     
could be placed so high up4 ,but to     
return to our point1 the masters of that
 day produced nothing but shapeless and 
clumsy things which may still be seen   
to-day4 ,it was the same with           
architecture1 for it was necessary to   
build1 and as form and good methods were

 lost by the death of good artists and  
the destruction of good buildings1 those
 who devoted themselves to this         
profession built erections devoid of    
order or measure1 and totally deficient 
in grace1 proportion or principle4 ,then
 new architects arose who created that  
style of building1 for their barbarous  
nations1 which we call ,german1 and     
produced some works which are ridiculous
 to our modern eyes1 but appeared       
admirable to theirs4 ,this lasted until 
a better form somewhat similar to the   
good antique manner was discovered by   
better artists1 as is shown by the      
oldest churches in ,italy which are not 
antique1 which were built by them1 and  
by the palaces erected for ,theoderic1  
,king of ,italy1 at ,ravenna1 ,pavia1   
and ,modena1 though the style is        
barbarous and rather rich and grand than
 well conceived or really good4 ,the    
same may be said of ,s4 ,stefano at     
,rimini and of ,s4 ,martino at ,ravenna1
 of the church of ,s4 ,giovanni         

,evangelista in the same city built by  
,galla ,placida about the year of grace 
#dch1 of ,s4 ,vitale which was built in 
the year #edg1 and of the abbey of      
,classi di fuori1 and indeed of many    
other monasteries and churches built    
after the time of the ,lombards4 ,all   
these buildings1 as ,i have said1 are   
great and magnificent1 but the          
architecture is very rude4 ,among them  
are many abbeys in ,france built to ,s4 
,benedict and the church and monastery  
of ,monte ,casino1 the church of ,s4    
,giovanni ,battista built by that       
,theodelinda1 ,queen of the ,goths1 to  
whom ,s4 ,gregory the ,pope wrote his   
dialogues4 ,in this place that queen    
caused the history of the ,lombards to  
be painted4 ,we thus see that they      
shaved the backs of their heads1 and    
wore tufts in front1 and were dyed to   
the chin4 ,their clothes were of broad  
linen1 like those worn by the ,angles   
and ,saxons1 and they wore a mantle of  
divers colours2 their shoes were open to

 the toes and bound above with small    
leather straps4 ,similar to the churches
 enumerated above were the church of ,s4
 ,giovanni1 ,pavia1 built by            
,gundiperga1 daughter of ,theodelinda1  
and the church of ,s4 ,salvatore in the 
same city1 built by ,aribert1 the       
brother of the same queen1 who succeeded
 ,rodoaldo1 husband of ,gundiberta1 in  
the government2 the church of ,s4       
,ambruogio at ,pavia1 built by          
,grimoald1 ,king of the ,lombards1 who  
drove from the kingdom ,aribert's son   
,perterit4 ,this ,perterit being        
restored to his throne after ,grimoald's
 death built a nunnery at ,pavia called 
the ,monasterio ,nuovo1 in honour of    
,our ,lady and of ,st ,agatha1 and the  
queen built another dedicated to the    
,virgin ,mary in ,pertica outside the   
walls4 ,cunibert1 ,perterit's son1      
likewise built a monastery and church to
 ,st ,george called di ,coronato1 in a  
similar style1 on the spot where he had 
won a great victory over ,alahi4 ,not   

unlike these was the church which the   
,lombard king ,luit-prand1 who lived in 
the time of ,king ,pepin1 the father of 
,charlemagne1 built at ,pavia1 called   
,s4 ,piero1 in ,cieldauro1 or that which
 ,desiderius1 who succeeded ,astolf1    
built to ,s4 ,piero ,clivate in the     
diocese of ,milan2 or the monastery of  
,s4 ,vincenzo at ,milan1 or that of ,s4 
,giulia at ,brescia1 because all of them
 were very costly1 but in a most ugly   
and rambling style4 ,in ,florence the   
style of architecture was slightly      
improved somewhat later1 the church of  
,s4 ,apostolo built by ,charlemagne1    
although small1 being very beautiful1   
because the shape of the columns1       
although made up of pieces1 is very     
graceful and beautifully made1 and the  
capitals and the arches in the vaulting 
of the side aisles show that some good  
architect was left in ,tuscany1 or had  
arisen there4 ,in fine the architecture 
of this church is such that ,pippo di   
,ser ,brunnellesco did not disdain to   

make use of it as his model in designing
 the churches of ,s4 ,spirito and ,s4   
,lorenzo in the same city4 ,the same    
progress may be noticed in the church of
 ,s4 ,mark's at ,venice1 not to speak of
 that of ,s4 ,giorgio ,maggiore erected 
by ,giovanni ,morosini in the year #igh4
 ,s4 ,mark's was begun under the ,doge  
,giustiniano and ,giovanni ,particiaco  
next to ,s4 ,teodosio1 when the body of 
the ,evangelist was brought from        
,alexandria to ,venice4 ,after the      
,doge's palace and the church had       
suffered severely from a series of      
fires1 it was rebuilt upon the same     
foundations in the ,byzantine style as  
it stands to-day1 at a great cost and   
with the assistance of many architects1 
in the time of the ,doge ,domenico      
,selvo1 in the year #igc1 the columns   
being brought from the places where they
 could be obtained4 ,the construction   
was  continued until the year #aadj1 ,m4
 ,piero ,polani being then ,doge1 from  
the plans of several masters who were   

all ,greeks1 as ,i have said4 ,erected  
at the same time1 and also in the       
,byzantine style1 were the seven abbeys 
built in ,tuscany by ,count ,hugh1      
,marquis of ,brandenburg1 such as the   
,badia of ,florence1 the abbey of       
,settimo1 and the others4 ,all these    
structures and the vestiges of others   
which are not standing bear witness to  
the fact that architecture maintained   
its footing though in a very bastard    
form far removed from the good antique  
style4 ,further evidence is afforded by 
a number of old palaces erected in      
,florence in ,tuscan work after the     
destruction of ,fiesole1 but the        
measurements of the doors and the very  
elongated windows and the sharp-pointed 
arches after the manner of the foreign  
architects of the day1 denote some      
amount of barbarism4 ,in the year after 
#ajac the art appears to have received  
an access of vigour in the rebuilding of
 the beautiful church of ,s4 ,miniato on
 the ,mount in the time of ,m4          

,alibrando1 citizen and bishop of       
,florence1 for1 in addition to the      
marble ornamentation both within and    
without1 the faade shows that the       
,tuscan architects were making efforts  
to imitate the good ancient order in the
 doors1 windows1 columns1 arches and    
cornices1 so far as they were able1     
having as a model the very ancient      
church of ,s4 ,giovanni in their city4  
,at the same period1 pictorial art1     
which had all but disappeared1 seems to 
have made some progress1 as is shown by 
a mosaic in the principal chapel of the 
same church of ,s4 ,miniato4  ,from such
 beginnings design and a general        
improvement in the arts began to make   
headway in ,tuscany1 as in the year     
#ajaf when the ,pisans began to erect   
their ,duomo4 ,for in that time it was a
 considerable undertaking to build such 
a church1 with its five aisles and      
almost entirely constructed of marble   
both inside and out4 ,this church1 built
 from the plans and under the direction 

of ,buschetto1 a clever ,greek architect
 from ,dulichium1 was erected and       
adorned by the ,pisans when at the      
zenith of their power with an endless   
quantity of spoils brought by sea from  
various distant parts1 as the columns1  
bases1 capitals1 cornices and other     
stones there of every description1 amply
 demonstrate4 ,now since all these      
things were of all sizes1 great1 medium1
 and small1 ,buschetto displayed great  
judgment in adapting them to their      
places1 so that the whole building is   
excellently devised in every part1 both 
within and without4 ,amongst other      
things he devised the faade1 which is   
made up of a series of stages1 gradually
 diminishing toward the top and         
consisting of a great number of columns1
 adorning it with other columns and     
antique statues4 ,he carried out the    
principal doors of that faade in the    
same style1 beside one of which1 that of
 the ,carroccio1 he afterwards received 
honourable burial1 with three epitaphs1 

one being in ,latin verse1 not unlike   
other things of the time3          ,quod
 vix mille boum possent juga juncta     
movere         ,et quod vix potuit per  
mare ferre ratis         ,buschetti     
nisu1 quod erat ,mirabile visu          
,dena puellarum turba levavit onus4  ,as
 ,i have mentioned the church of ,s4    
,apostolo at ,florence above1 ,i will   
here give an inscription which may be   
read on a marble slab on one of the     
sides of the high altar1 which runs3    
,,viii4 v4 ,die vi4 ,aprilis in         
resurrectione ,domini ,karolus          
,francorum   ,rex ,roma revertens1      
ingressus ,florentiam cum magno gaudio  
et   tripudio succeptus1 civium copiam  
torqueis aureis decoravit4   ,ecclesia  
,sanctorum ,apostolorum in altari       
inclusa est laminea   plumbea1 in qua   
descripta apparet praefacta fundatio et 
consecratio   facta per ,archiepiscopum 
,turpinum1 testibus ,rolando et         
,uliverio4  ,the edifice of the ,duomo  
at ,pisa gave a new impulse to the minds

 of many men in all ,italy1 and         
especially in ,tuscany1 and led to the  
foundation in the city of ,pistoia in   
#ajcb of the church of ,s4 ,paolo1 in   
the presence of ,s4 ,atto1 the bishop   
there1 as a contemporary deed relates1  
and indeed of many other buildings1 a   
mere mention of which would occupy too  
much space4  ,i must not forget to      
mention either1 how in the course of    
time the round church of ,s4 ,giovanni  
was erected at ,pisa in the year #ajfj1 
opposite the ,duomo and on the same     
piazza4 ,a marvellous and almost        
incredible statement in connection with 
this church is that of an ancient record
 in a book of the ,opera of the ,duomo1 
that the columns1 pillars and vaulting  
were erected and completed in fifteen   
days and no more4 ,the same book1 which 
may be examined by any one1 relates that
 an impost of a penny a hearth was      
exacted for the building of the temple1 
but it does not state whether this was  
to be of gold or of base metal4 ,the    

same book states that there were #cd1jjj
 hearths in ,pisa at that time4 ,it is  
certain that the work was very costly   
and presented formidable difficulties1  
especially the vaulting of the tribune1 
which is pear-shaped and covered outside
 with lead4 ,the exterior is full of    
columns1 carving1 scenes1 and the middle
 part of the frieze of the doorway      
contains figures of ,christ and the     
twelve apostles in half-relief and in   
the ,byzantine style4  ,about the same  
time1 namely in #ajfa1 the ,lucchese1 in
 emulation of the ,pisans1 began the    
church of ,s4 ,martino at ,lucea1 from  
the designs of some pupils of           
,buschetto1 there being no other artists
 then in ,tuscany4 ,the faade has a     
marble portico in front of it containing
 many ornaments and carvings in honour  
of ,pope ,alexander ,,ii41 who had been 
bishop of the city just before he was   
raised to the pontificate4 ,nine lines  
in ,latin relate the whole history of   
the faade and of the ,pope1 repeated in 

some antique letters carved in marble   
inside the doors of the portico4 ,the   
faade also contains some figures and a  
number of scenes in half-relief below   
the portico relating to the life of ,st 
,martin executed in marble and in the   
,byzantine style4 ,but the best things  
there1 over one of these doors1 were    
done by ,niccola ,pisano1 #agj years    
later1 and completed in #abcc1 as will  
be related in the proper place1         
,abellenato and ,aliprando being the    
craftsmen at the beginning1 as some     
letters carved in marble in the same    
place fully relate4 ,the figures by     
,niccola ,pisano show to what an extent 
the art was improved by him4 ,most of   
the buildings erected in ,italy from    
this time until the year #abej were     
similar in character to these1 for      
architecture made little or no apparent 
progress in all these years1 but        
remained stationary1 the same rude style
 being retained4 ,many examples of this 
may be seen to-day1 but ,i will not now 

enumerate them1 because ,i shall refer  
to them again as the occasion presents  
itself4  ,the admirable sculptures and  
paintings buried in the ruins of ,italy 
remained hidden or unknown to the men of
 this time who were engrossed in the    
rude productions of their own age1 in   
which they used no sculptures or        
paintings except such as were produced  
by the old artists of ,greece1 who still
 survived1 making images of clay or     
stone1 or painting  grotesque figures   
and only colouring the first lineaments4
 ,these artists were invited to ,italy  
for they were the best and indeed the   
only representatives of their           
profession4 ,with them they brought the 
mosaics1 sculptures1 and paintings which
 they themselves produced and thus they 
taught their methods to the ,italians1  
after their own rough and clumsy style4 
,the ,italians practised the art in this
 fashion up to a certain time1 as ,i    
shall relate4  ,as the men of the age   
were not accustomed to see any          

excellence or greater perfection than   
the things thus produced1 they greatly  
admired them1 and considered them to be 
the type of perfection1 base as they    
were4 ,yet some rising spirits aided by 
some quality in the air of certain      
places1 so far purged themselves of this
 crude style that in #abej ,heaven took 
compassion on the fine minds that the   
,tuscan soil was producing every day1   
and directed art into its former        
channels4 ,and although the preceding   
generations had before them the remains 
of arches1 colossi1 statues1 pillars or 
stone columns which were left after the 
plunder1 ruin and fire which ,rome had  
passed through1 yet they could never    
make use of them or derive any profit   
from them until the period named4 ,those
 who came after were able to distinguish
 the good from the bad1 and abandoning  
the old style they began to copy the    
ancients with all ardour and industry4  
,that the distinction ,i have made      
between old and ancient may be better   

understood ,i will explain that ,i call 
ancient the things produced before      
,constantine at ,corinth1 ,athens1 ,rome
 and other renowned cities1 until the   
days of ,nero1 ,vaspasian1 ,trajan1     
,hadrian and ,antoninus2 the old works  
are those which are due to the surviving
 ,greeks from the days of ,st           
,silvester1 whose art consisted rather  
of tinting than of painting4 ,for the   
original artists of excellence had      
perished in the wars1 as ,i have said1  
and the surviving ,greeks1 of the old   
and not the ancient manner1 could only  
trace profiles on a ground of colour4   
,countless mosaics done by these ,greeks
 in every part of ,italy bear testimony 
to this1 and every old church of ,italy 
possesses examples1 notably the ,duomo  
of ,pisa1 ,s4 ,marco at ,venice and yet 
other places4 ,thus they produced a     
constant stream of figures in this      
style1 with frightened eyes1            
outstretched hands and on the tips of   
their toes1 as in ,s4 ,miniato outside  

,florence between the door of the       
sacristy and that of the convent1 and in
 ,s4 ,spirito in the same city1 all the 
side of the cloister towards the church1
 and in ,arezzo in ,s4 ,giuliano and ,s4
 ,bartolommeo and other churches1 and at
 ,rome in old ,s4 ,peter's in the scenes
 about the windows1 all of which are    
more like monsters than the figures     
which they are supposed to represent4   
,they also produced countless           
sculptures1 such as those in bas-relief 
still over the door of ,s4 ,michele on  
the piazza ,padella at ,florence1 and in
 ,ognissanti1 and in many places1 in    
tombs and ornaments for the doors of    
churches1 where there are some figures  
acting as corbels to carry the roof1 so 
rude and coarse1 so grossly made1 and in
 such a rough style1 that it is         
impossible to imagine worse4  ,up to the
 present1 ,i have discoursed exclusively
 upon the origin of sculpture and       
painting1 perhaps more at length than   
was necessary at this stage4 ,i have    

done so1 not so much because ,i have    
been carried away by my love for the    
arts1 as because ,i wish to be of       
service to the artists of our own day1  
by showing them how a small beginning   
leads to the highest elevation1 and how 
from so noble a situation it is possible
 to fall to utterest ruin1 and          
consequently1 how the nature of these   
arts resembles nature in other things   
which concern our human bodies2 there is
 birth1 growth1 age1 death1 and ,i hope 
by this means they will be enabled more 
easily to recognise the progress of the 
renaissance of the arts1 and the        
perfection to which they have attained  
in our own time4 ,and again1 if ever it 
happens1 which ,god forbid1 that the    
arts should once more fall to a like    
ruin and disorder1 through the          
negligence of man1 the malignity of the 
age1 or the ordinance of ,heaven1 which 
does not appear to wish that the things 
of this world should remain stationary1 
these labours of mine1 such as they are 

7if they are worthy of a happier fate71 
by means of the things discussed before1
 and by those which remain to be said1  
may maintain the arts in life1 or1 at   
any rate1 encourage the better spirits  
to provide them with assistance1 so     
that1 by my good will and the labours of
 such men1 they may have an abundance of
 those aids and embellishments which1 if
 ,i may speak the truth freely1 they    
have lacked until now4  ,but it is now  
time to come to the life of ,giovanni   
,cimabue1 who originated the new method 
of design and painting1 so that it is   
right that his should be the first of   
the ,lives4 ,and here ,i may remark that
 ,i shall follow the schools rather than
 a chronological order4 ,and in         
describing the appearance and the arts  
of the artists1 ,i shall be brief1      
because their portraits1 which ,i have  
collected at great expense1 and with    
much labour and diligence1 will show    
what manner of men they were to look at 
much better than any description could  

ever do4 ,if some portraits are missing1
 that is not my fault1 but because they 
are not to be found anywhere4 ,if it    
chance that some of the portraits do not
 appear to be exactly like others which 
are extant1 it is necessary to reflect  
that a portrait of a man of eighteen or 
twenty years can never be like one made 
fifteen or twenty years later1 and1 in  
addition to this1 portraits in black and
 white are never so good as those which 
are coloured1 besides which the         
engravers1 who do not design1 always    
take something from the faces1 because  
they are never able to reproduce those  
small details which constitute the      
excellence of a work1 or to copy that   
perfection which is rarely1 if ever1 to 
be found in wood engravings4 ,to        
conclude1 the reader will be able to    
appreciate the amount of labour1        
expense1 and care which ,i have bestowed
 upon this matter when he sees what     
efforts ,i have made in my researches4  
,,vasari',s ,,lives ,,of ,,the          

,,painters4    ,cimabue1 ,painter of    
,florence4   ,the endless flood of      
misfortunes which overwhelmed unhappy   
,italy not only ruined everything worthy
 of the name of a building1 but         
completely extinguished the race of     
artists1 a far more serious matter4     
,then1 as it pleased ,god1 there was    
born in the year #abdj in the city of   
,florence1 ,giovanni1 surnamed ,cimabue1
 of the noble family of the ,cimabui1 to
 shed the first light on the art of     
painting4 ,as he grew up he appeared to 
his father and others to be a boy of    
quick intelligence1 so that he was      
accordingly sent to receive instruction 
in letters to a relation1 a master at   
,s4 ,maria ,novella1 who then taught    
grammar to the novices of that convent4 
,instead of paying attention to his     
lessons1 ,cimabue spent the whole day in
 drawing men1 horses1 houses1 and       
various other fancies on his books and  
odd sheets1 like one who felt himself   
compelled to do so by nature4 ,fortune  

proved favourable to this natural       
inclination1 for some ,greek artists    
were summoned to ,florence by the       
government of the city for no other     
purpose than the revival of painting in 
their midst1 since that art was not so  
much debased as altogether lost4 ,among 
the other works which they began in the 
city1 they undertook the chapel of the  
,gondi1 the vaulting and walls of which 
are to-day all but destroyed by the     
ravages of time4 ,it is situated in ,s4 
,maria ,novella1 next the principal     
chapel4 ,in this way ,cimabue made a    
beginning in the art which attracted    
him1 for he often played the truant and 
spent the whole day in watching the     
masters work4 ,thus it came about that  
his father and the artists considered   
him so fitted to be a painter that1 if  
he devoted himself to the profession1 he
 might look for honourable success in   
it1 and to his great satisfaction his   
father procured him employment with the 
painters4 ,then1 by dint of continual   

practice and with the assistance of his 
natural talent1 he far surpassed the    
manner of his teachers both in design   
and in colour4 ,for they had never cared
 to make any progress1 and had executed 
their works1 not in the good manner of  
ancient ,greece1 but in the rude modern 
style of that time4 ,but although       
,cimabue imitated the ,greeks he        
introduced many improvements in the art1
 and in a great measure emancipated     
himself from their awkward manner1      
bringing honour to his country by his   
name and by the works which he produced4
 ,the pictures which he executed in     
,florence bear testimony to this1 such  
as the antipendium to the altar of ,st  
,cecilia1 and a ,madonna  in ,s4 ,croce1
 which was then and still is fastened to
 a pillar on the right hand side of the 
choir4 ,subsequently he painted on a    
panel a ,st ,francis1 on a gold ground4 
,he drew this from nature1 to the best  
of his powers1 although it was a novelty
 to do so in those days1 and about it he

 represented the whole of the saint's   
life in twenty small pictures full of   
little figures1 on a gold ground4 ,he   
afterwards undertook a large picture for
 the monks of ,vallombrosa in their     
abbey of ,s1 ,trinita at ,florence4     
,this was a ,madonna with the child in  
her arms1 surrounded by many adoring    
angels1 on a gold ground4 ,to justify   
the high opinion in which he was already
 held1 he worked at it with great       
industry1 showing improved powers of    
invention and exhibiting our lady in a  
pleasing attitude4 ,the painting when   
finished was placed by the monks over   
the high altar of the church1 whence it 
was afterwards removed to make way for  
the picture of ,alesso ,baldovinetti1   
which is there to-day4 ,it was          
afterwards placed in a small chapel of  
the south aisle in that church4 ,cimabue
 next worked in fresco at the hospital  
of the ,porcellana1 at the corner of the
 via ,nuova which leads to the ,borgo   
,ognissanti4 ,on one side of the faade1 

in the middle of which is the principal 
door1 he represented an ,annunciation1  
and on the other side1 ,jesus ,christ   
with ,cleophas and ,luke1 life-size     
figures4 ,in this work he abandoned the 
old manner1 making the draperies1       
garments1 and other things somewhat more
 life-like1 natural and soft than the   
style of the ,greeks1 full as that was  
of lines and profiles as well in mosaics
 as in painting4 ,the painters of those 
times had taught one another that rough1
 awkward and common-place style for a   
great number of years1 not by means of  
study but as a matter of custom1 without
 ever dreaming of improving their       
designs by beauty of colouring or by any
 invention of worth4 ,after this was    
finished ,cimabue again received a      
commission from the same superior for   
whom he had done the work at ,s4 ,croce4
 ,he now made him a large crucifix of   
wood1 which may still be seen in the    
church4 ,the work caused the superior1  
who was well pleased with it1 to take   

him to their convent of ,s4 ,francesco  
at ,pisa1 to paint a picture of ,st     
,francis there4 ,when completed it was  
considered most remarkable by the people
 there1 since they recognised a certain 
quality of excellence in the turn of the
 heads and in the fall of the drapery   
which was not to be found in the        
,byzantine style in any work executed up
 to that time not only in ,pisa but     
throughout ,italy4  ,for the same church
 ,cimabue afterwards painted a large    
picture of ,our ,lady with the child in 
her arms1 surrounded by several angels1 
on a gold ground4 ,in order to make room
 for the marble altar which is now there
 it was soon afterwards removed from its
 original situation and placed inside   
the church1 near the door on the left   
hand4 ,for this work he was much praised
 and rewarded by the ,pisans4 ,in ,pisa 
also he painted a panel of ,st ,agnes   
surrounded by a number of small figures 
representing scenes from her life1 at   
the request of the ,abbot of ,s4 ,paolo 

in ,ripa d',arno4 ,the panel is to-day  
over the altar of the ,virgin in that   
church4  ,the name of ,cimabue having   
become generally known through these    
works1 he was taken to ,assisi1 a city  
of ,umbria1 where1 in conjunction with  
some ,greek masters1 he painted a part  
of the vaulting of the lower ,church of 
,s4 ,franceso1 and on the walls1 the    
life of ,jesus ,christ and that of ,st  
,francis4 ,in these paintings he far    
surpassed the ,greek masters1 and       
encouraged by this1 he began to paint   
the upper church in fresco unaided1 and 
on the large gallery over the choir1 on 
the four walls1 he painted some subjects
 from the history of ,our ,lady1 that is
 to say1 her death1 when her soul is    
carried to ,heaven by ,christ on a      
throne of clouds1 and when ,he crowns   
her in the midst of a choir of angels1  
with a number of saints beneath4 ,these 
are now destroyed by time and dust4 ,he 
then painted several things at the      
intersections of the vaulting of that   

church1 which are five in number4 ,in   
the first one over the choir he         
represented the four ,evangelists1      
larger than life-size1 and so well done1
 that even to-day they are acknowledged 
to possess some merit2 and the freshness
 of the flesh colouring shows1 that by  
his efforts1 fresco-painting was        
beginning to make great progress4 ,the  
second intersection he filled with gilt 
stars on an ultramarine field4 ,in the  
third he represented ,jesus ,christ1 the
 ,virgin his mother1 ,st ,john the      
,baptist and ,st ,francis in medallions1
 that is to say1 a figure in each       
medallion and a medallion in each of the
 four divisions of the vault4 ,the      
fourth intersection like the second he  
painted with gilt stars on ultramarine4 
,in the fifth he represented the four   
,doctors of the church1 and beside each 
of them a member of the four principal  
religious orders4 ,this laborious       
undertaking was carried out with        
infinite diligence4 ,when he had        

finished the vaults he painted the upper
 part of the walla on the left side of  
the church from one end to the other1   
also in fresco4 ,near the high altar    
between the windows and right up to the 
vaulting he represented eight subjects  
from the ,old ,testament1 starting from 
the beginning of ,genesis and selecting 
the most noteworthy incidents4 ,in the  
space flanking the windows to the point 
where they terminate at the gallery     
which runs round the inside of the      
church1 he painted the remainder of the 
,old ,testament history in eight other  
subjects4 ,opposite  these  and         
corresponding to them he painted sixteen
 subjects representing the deeds of ,our
 ,lady and of ,jesus ,christ1 while on  
the end wall over the principal entrance
 and about the rose window above it1 he 
painted the ,ascension and the descent  
of the ,holy ,spirit upon the apostles4 
,this work which is most extraordinary  
for richness and beauty1 must1 in my    
opinion1 have astounded the people of   

those times1 painting having been in    
such blindness for so long a apace4     
,when ,i saw it again in the year #aefc 
it seemed most beautiful1 as ,i         
reflected how marvellous it was that    
,cimabue should see so much light in the
 midst of so great darkness4 ,but it is 
worthy of note that of all these        
paintings those of the vaults are much  
the best preserved since they are less  
injured by the dust and other accidents4
 ,when these works were finished        
,giovanni set about painting the walls  
beneath1 namely those beneath the       
windows1 and he did some things there1  
but as he was summoned to ,florence on  
some affairs of his own1 he did not     
pursue the task1 which was finished by  
,giotto many years after1 as will be    
related when the time comes4  ,cimabue  
having thus returned to ,florence       
painted in the cloister of ,s4 ,spirito1
 where the whole length of wall towards 
the church is done in the ,byzantine    
style by other masters1 events from the 

life of ,christ1 in three arches1 with  
considerable excellence of design4 ,at  
the same time1 he sent to ,empoli some  
things executed by him in ,florence1    
which are held in great reverence to    
this day in the ,pieve of that town4 ,he
 next painted a picture of ,our ,lady   
for the church of ,s4 ,maria ,novella1  
where it hangs high up between the      
chapel of the ,rucellai and that of the 
,bardi of ,vernio4 ,the figure was of a 
larger size than any which had been     
executed up to that time1 and the angels
 about it show that1 although be still  
had the ,byzantine style1 he was making1
 some progress towards the lineaments   
and methods of modern times4 ,the people
 of that day1 who had never seen        
anything better1 considered this work so
 marvellous1 that they carried it to the
 church from ,cimabue's house in a      
stately procession with great rejoicing 
and blowing of trumpets1 while ,cimabue 
himself was highly rewarded and         
honoured4 ,it is reported1 and some     

records of the old painters relate that 
while ,cimabue was painting this picture
 in some gardens near the gate of ,s4   
,piero1 the old king ,charles of ,anjou 
passed through ,florence4 ,among the    
many entertainments prepared for him by 
the men of the city1 they brought him to
 see the picture of ,cimabue4 ,as it had
 not then been seen by anyone1 all the  
men and women of ,florence flocked      
thither in a crowd1 with the greatest   
rejoicings1 so that those who lived in  
the neighbourhood called the place      
,borgo ,allegri 7,joyful ,quarter71     
because of the rejoicing there4 ,this   
name it has ever afterwards retained1   
being in the course of time enclosed    
within the walls of the city4  ,at ,s4  
,francesco1 at ,pisa1 where ,cimabue    
executed some other works1 which have   
been mentioned above1 in the cloister1  
at a corner beside the doorway leading  
into the church1 is a small picture in  
tempera by his hand1 representing       
,christ on the cross1 surrounded by some

 angels who are weeping1 and hold in    
their hands certain words written about 
the head of ,christ1 and which they are 
directing towards the ears of our ,lady1
 who is standing weeping on the right   
hand side2 and on the other side to ,st 
,john the ,evangelist1 who is there1    
plunged in grief4 ,the words to the     
,virgin are3 ,mulier1 ecce filius tuus1 
and those to ,st ,john3 ,ecce mater tua4
 ,another angel1 separated from these1  
holds in its hands the sentence3 ,ex    
illa hora accepit eam discipulus in     
suam4 ,in this we perceive how ,cimabue 
began to give light and open the way to 
inventions1 bringing words1 as he does  
here1 to the help of his art in order to
 express his meaning1 a curious device  
certainly and an innovation4  ,by means 
of these works ,cimabue had now acquired
 a great name and much profit1 so that  
he was associated with ,arnolfo ,lapi1  
an excellent architect of that time1 in 
the building of ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore1  
at ,florence4 ,but at length1 when he   

had lived sixty years1 he passed to the 
other life in the year #acjj1 having    
achieved hardly less than the           
resurrection of painting from the dead4 
,he left behind a number of disciples1  
and among others ,giotto1 who was       
afterwards an excellent painter4 ,giotto
 dwelt in his master's old house in the 
via del ,cocomero after ,cimabue's      
death4 ,cimabue was buried in ,s4 ,maria
 del ,fiore1 with this epitaph made for 
him by one of the ,nini3--              
,credidit ut ,clmabos pictur castra     
tenere      ,sic tenuit vivens1 nunc    
tenet astra poli4  ,i must not omit to  
say that if the greatness of ,giotto1   
his pupil1 had not obscured the glory of
 ,cimabue1 the fame of the latter would 
have been more considerable1 as ,dante  
points out in his ,commedia in the      
eleventh canto of the ,purgatorio1 with 
an allusion to the inscription on the   
tomb1 where he says3       ,credette    
,cimabue nella pintura      ,tener lo   
campo1 ed ora ha ,giotto il grido       

,si che la fama di colui oscura4  ,a    
commentator on ,dante1 who wrote during 
,giotto's lifetime1 about #accd1 some   
ten or twelve years after the poet's    
death1 in his explanation of these      
lines1 says the following words in      
speaking of ,cimabue3 ,cimabue was a    
painter of ,florence in the time of our 
author1 a man of unusual eminence and so
 arrogant and haughty withal1 that if   
any one pointed out a fault or defect in
 his work1 or if he discovered any      
himself1 since it frequently happens    
that an artist makes mistakes through a 
defect in the materials which he        
employs1 or because of some fault in the
 instrument with which he works1 he     
immediately destroyed that work1 however
 costly it might be4 ,giotto was1 and   
is1 the most eminent among the painters 
of the same city of ,florence1 as his   
works testify1 at ,rome1 ,naples1       
,avignon1 ,florence1 ,padua1 and many   
parts of the world1 etc4 ,this          
commentary is now in the possession of  

the ,very ,rev4 ,vincenzio ,borghini1   
prior of the ,innocents1 a man          
distinguished for his eminence1 piety   
and learning1 but also for his love for 
and skill in all the superior arts1 so  
that he has well deserved his judicious 
selection by ,duke ,cosimo to be the    
ducal representative in our academy of  
design4  ,returning to ,cimabue1 ,giotto
 certainly overshadowed his renown1 just
 as a great light eclipses a much       
smaller one1 and although ,cimabue was1 
as it were1 the first cause of the      
revival of the art of painting1 yet     
,giotto1 his disciple1 moved by a       
praiseworthy ambition1 and aided by     
,heaven and by ,nature1 penetrated      
deeper in thought1 and threw open the   
gates of ,truth to those who afterwards 
brought art to that perfection and      
grandeur which we see in our own age4   
,in fact the marvels1 miracles1 and     
impossibilities executed at the present 
time by those who practise this art1 and
 which are to be seen every day1 have   

brought things to such a pitch1 that no 
one marvels at them although they are   
rather divine than human1 and those who 
make the most praiseworthy efforts may  
consider themselves fortunate1 if1      
instead of being praised and admired1   
they escape censure1 and even disgrace4 
,the portrait of ,cimabue by the hand of
 ,simone of ,siena may be seen in the   
chapter-house of ,s4 ,maria ,novella1   
executed in profile in the picture of   
the ,faith4 ,the face is thin the small 
beard is somewhat red and pointed1 and  
he wears a hood after the fashion of the
 day1 bound gracefully round his head   
and throat4 ,the one beside him is      
,simone himself1 the designer of the    
work1 who drew himself with the aid of  
two mirrors placed opposite each other1 
which have enabled him to draw his head 
in profile4 ,the soldier in armour      
between them is said to be ,count ,guido
 ,novello1 lord of ,poppi4 ,in          
concluding this life ,i have to remark  
that ,i have some small things by       

,cimabue's hand in the beginning of a   
book in which ,i have collected drawings
 by the hand of every artist1 from      
,cimabue onwards4 ,these little things  
of ,cimabue are done like miniatures1   
and although they may appear rather     
crude than otherwise to modern eyes1 yet
 they serve to show to what an extent   
the art of design profited by his       
labours4     ,arnolfo di ,lapo1         
,florentine ,architect4   ,in the       
preface to these lives ,i have spoken of
 some edifices in the old but not       
antique style1 and ,i was silent        
respecting the names of the artists who 
executed the work1 because ,i did not   
know them4 ,in the introduction to the  
present life ,i propose to mention some 
other buildings made in ,arnolfo's time1
 or shortly before1 the authors of which
 are equally unknown1 and then to speak 
of those which were erected during his  
lifetime1 the architects of which are   
known1 either because they may be       
recognised through the style of the     

buildings1 or because there is some     
notice of them in the writings and      
memorials left by them in the works     
done4 ,this will not be beside the      
point1 for although the buildings are   
neither beautiful nor in good style1 but
 only very large and magnificent1 yet   
they are none the less worthy of some   
consideration4  ,in the time of ,lapo1  
and of ,arnolfo his son1 many buildings 
of importance were erected in ,italy and
 outside1 of which ,i have not been able
 to find the names of the architects4   
,among these are the abbey of ,monreale 
in ,sicily1 the ,piscopio of ,naples1   
the ,certosa of ,pavia1 the ,duomo of   
,milan1 ,s4 ,pietro and ,s4 ,petrodio of
 ,bologna1 and many others1 which may be
 seen in all parts of ,italy1 erected at
 incredible cost4 ,i have seen and      
examined all these buildings1 as well as
 many sculptures of these times1        
particularly at ,ravenna1 but ,i have   
never found any memorial of the masters1
 and frequently not even the date when  

they were erected1 so that ,i cannot but
 marvel at the simplicity and           
indifference to fame exhibited by the   
men of that age4 ,but to return to our  
subject4 ,after the buildings just      
enumerated there arose some persons of a
 more exalted temper1 who1 if they did  
not succeed in lighting upon the good1  
at least made the attempt4  ,the first  
was ,buono1 of whom ,i knew neither the 
country nor the surname1 since he       
himself has put nothing beyond his      
simple name to the works which he has   
signed4 ,he was both a sculptor and     
architect1 and he worked at first in    
,ravenna1 building many palaces and     
churches1 and executing some sculptures1
 in the year of grace #aaeb4 ,becoming  
known by these things1 he was summoned  
to ,naples1 where he began the ,castel  
,capoano and the ,castel  dell' ,uovo1  
although they were afterwards finished  
by others1 as will be related4          
,subsequently1 in the time of the ,doge 
,domenico ,morosini1 he founded the     

campanile of ,s4 ,marco at ,venice1 with
 much prudence and good judgment1 and so
 well did he drive the piles and lay the
 foundations of that tower1 that it has 
never moved a hair's breadth1 as many   
buildings erected in that city before   
his time may be seen to have done4      
,perhaps it was from him that the       
,venetians learned their present method 
of laying the foundations of the rich   
and beautiful edifices which are erected
 every day to adorn that most noble     
city4 ,at the same time it must be      
admitted that the tower has no other    
excellence of its own1 either in style  
or decoration1 or indeed anything which 
is worthy of much praise4 ,it was       
finished under the ,popes ,anastasius   
,,iv4 and ,adrian ,,iv4 in the year     
#aaed4 ,buono was also the architect of 
the ,church of ,s4 ,andrea at ,pistoia1 
and a marble architrave over the door1  
full of figures executed in the ,gothic 
style1 is his work2 ,on this architrave 
his name is carved1 as well as the date 

at which the work was done by him1 which
 was in the year #aaff4 ,being          
afterwards summoned to ,florence1 he    
prepared the design for enlarging the   
,church of ,s4 ,maria ,maggiore1 which  
was carried out4 ,the church was then   
outside the city1 and was held in       
veneration1 because ,pope ,pelagius had 
consecrated it many years before1 and   
because it was in size and style a      
building of considerable merit4  ,buono 
was next invited by the ,aretines to    
their city1 where he built the old      
residence of the lords of ,arezzo1 a    
palace in the ,gothic style1 and near it
 a tower for a bell4 ,this building1    
which was very tolerable for that style1
 was thrown down in #aecc because it was
 opposite and too near the              
fortifications of the city4  ,the art   
now began to receive some amount of     
improvement through the works of a      
certain ,guglielmo1 a ,german by race1  
as ,i believe1 and some buildings were  
erected at a great expense and in a     

slightly better style4 ,in the year     
#aagd this ,guglielmo1 in conjunction   
with ,bonanno1 a sculptor1 is said to   
have founded the campanile of the ,duomo
 at ,pisa1 where the following words are
 carved3     ,a4,d4 ,m44,c4 #gd         
campanile hoc fuit fundatum ,mense ,aug4
  ,but these two architects had not much
 experience in laying foundations in    
,pisa1 and since they did not drive in  
piles as they should have done1 before  
they were half through the work1 there  
was a subsidence on one side1 and the   
building leant over on its weaker side1 
so that the campanile hangs #f-a_/b     
braccia out of the straight according to
 the subsidence on that side1 and       
although this appears slight from below1
 it is very apparent above1 so that one 
is filled with amazement that the tower 
can stand thus without falling and      
without the walls being cracked4 ,the   
reason is that the building is round    
both within and without1 and the stones 
are so arranged and bound together1 that

 its fall is all but impossible1 and it 
is supported moreover by foundations    
raised #c braccia above the ground      
level1 which were made to maintain it   
after the subsidence had taken place1 as
 may be seen4 ,had it been square2 ,i am
 convinced that it would not be         
standing1 to-day1 as the corners of the 
square would have pushed out the sides  
so that they would have fallen1 a thing 
which frequently happens4 ,and if the   
,carisenda tower at ,bologna1 which is  
square1 leans without falling1 that is  
because it is lighter and does not hang 
over so much1 nor is it nearly so heavy 
a structure as this campanile1 which is 
praised1 not because of its design or   
good style1 but simply by reason of its 
extraordinary position1 since to a      
spectator it does not appear possible   
that it can remain standing4 ,the       
,bonanno mentioned above1 while he was  
engaged on the campanile1 also executed 
in #aahj the principal door of the      
,duomo of ,pisa in bronze4 ,on it may be

 seen these words3     ,ego ,bonannus   
,pis1 mea arle hanc portam uno anno     
perfeci                 tempore         
,benedicti operarii4  ,that the art was 
making steady progress may be seen by   
the walls of ,s4 ,giovanni ,lateran at  
,rome1 which were constructed of the    
spoils of antiquity under ,popes ,lucius
 ,,iii4 and ,urban ,,iii41 when the     
,emperor ,frederick was crowned by the  
latter1 because certain small temples   
and chapels there1 made with these      
spoils1 possess considerable merit of   
design and contain some things which are
 worth notice1 and this1 among others1  
that the vaults were made of small tubes
 with compartments of stucco1 so as not 
to overload the side walls of the       
buildings1 a very praiseworthy          
contrivance for those times4 ,the       
cornices and other parts show that the  
artists were helping one another to find
 the good4  ,innocent ,,iii4 afterwards 
caused two palaces to be erected on the 
,vatican hill1 and from what can be seen

 of them they appear to have been in a  
fairly good style1 but since they were  
destroyed by other popes1 and especially
 by ,nicholas ,v41 who pulled down and  
rebuilt the greater part of the palace1 
,i will say no more about them1 except  
that a part of them may be seen in the  
great round tower1 and a part in the old
 sacristy of ,st ,peter's4 ,this        
,innocent ,,iii41 who wore the tiara for
 nineteen years1 took great delight in  
architecture1 and erected many buildings
 in ,rome1 notably the tower of the     
,conti1 so called after the name of his 
family1 from designs by ,marchionne1 an 
architect and sculptor of ,arezzo4 ,in  
the year that ,innocent died this artist
 completed the ,pieve of ,arezzo1 as    
well as the campanile4 ,he adorned the  
front of the church with three rows of  
columns1 one above the other1 in great  
variety1 not only in the shape of the   
capitals and bases1 but even in the     
shafts1 some being heavy1 others        
slender1 some bound together in pairs1  

others in fours4 ,in like manner some   
are covered with representations of the 
vine1 while others are made to become   
supporting figures1 variously carved4   
,he further introduced many animals of  
different kinds1 which carry the weight 
of the columns on their backs1 the whole
 exhibiting the strangest and most      
extravagant fantasies imaginable1 not   
only altogether removed from the        
excellent antique order1 but opposed to 
all good and reasonable proportion4 ,yet
 in spite of all this1 anyone who will  
justly consider the matter will see that
 he was making strenuous efforts to do  
well1 and possibly he imagined that he  
had discovered the way in this manner of
 work and in this wondrous variety4 ,the
 same artist carved a rather large ,god 
the ,father1 with certain angels in     
half-relief in the arch over the door of
 that church in a rude style1 together  
with the twelve months of the year1     
adding underneath his name1 cut in round
 letters1 as was customary1 and the     

date1 #abaf4 ,it is said that           
,marchionne also erected for ,pope      
,innocent the old building and church of
 the hospital of ,s4 ,spirito in        
,sassia1 in the ,borgo ,vecchio at      
,rome1 where some part of the old work  
may still be seen4 ,indeed the old      
church remained standing to our own day1
 when ,it was restored in the modern    
style1 with  more ornament and design1  
by ,pope ,paul ,,iii4 of the house of   
the ,farnese4 ,in ,s4 ,maria ,maggiore1 
also in ,rome1 he made the marble       
chapel1 which contains the manger of    
,jesus ,christ1 in which he placed a    
portrait of ,pope ,honorius ,,iii41     
drawn from life4 ,he also made that     
,pope's tomb1 decorating it with        
ornaments which were somewhat better    
than1 and very different from1 the style
 then prevalent throughout ,italy4 ,at  
the same time also ,marchionne made the 
lateral door of ,s4 ,pietro at ,bologna1
 which truly was a very great work for  
those times1 because of the number of   

sculptures which are seen in it1 such as
 lions in relief1 which sustain columns1
 with men and other animals1 also       
bearing burdens4 ,in the arch above he  
made the twelve months in relief1 with  
varied fancies1 each month with its     
zodiacal sign1 a work which must have   
been considered marvellous in those     
times4  ,about the same time the order  
of the friars minors of ,st ,francis was
 established1 which1 after it had been  
confirmed by ,pope ,innocent ,,iii41    
increased the general devoutness and the
 number of friars1 not only in ,italy1  
but in every part of the world1 to such 
an extent1 that there was scarcely a    
city of note which did not build        
churches and convents for them at very  
great cost1 each one according to its   
ability4 ,thus brother ,elias1 who was  
superior of that order at ,assisi1      
founded a church1 dedicated to ,our     
,lady in that place1 two years before   
the death of ,st ,francis1 while the    
saint1 as general of the order1 was away

 preaching4 ,after the death of ,st     
,francis all ,christendom crowded to    
visit the body of a man1 who1 both in   
life and in death1 was known to have    
been so much beloved of ,god4 ,as every 
man did alms to the saint according to  
his ability1 it was determined that the 
church begun by friar ,elias should be  
made much larger and more magnificent4  
,but since there was a scarcity of good 
architects1 and as the work demanded an 
excellent one1 it being necessary to    
erect the building on a very high hill1 
round the base of which runs a torrent  
called ,tescio1 a ,german master named  
,jacopo was brought to ,assisi after    
much deliberation1 as being the best man
 who was then to be found4 ,after he had
 examined the site and understood the   
wishes of the friars1 who held a chapter
 general at ,assisi for the purpose1 he 
designed a most beautiful church and    
convent1 making it in three stories4    
,one of these was underground1 while the
 two others served as churches1 the     

lower one to be a vestibule with a      
portico of considerable size about it1  
the other as the church proper4 ,the    
ascent from the first to the second was 
managed by means of a very convenient   
arrangement of steps1 which encircled   
the chapel and which were divided into  
two flights for the sake of greater     
comfort1 leading up to the second       
church4 ,he built this in the form of   
the letter ,t1 making it five times as  
long as it was broad1 dividing one nave 
from the other by great stone pillars1  
uniting them with stout arches1 between 
which he set up the vaulting4 ,this     
truly monumental work then was carried  
out from such plans in every detail1    
except that he did not use the ,cross   
vaulting on the walls between the body  
of the church and the principal chapel1 
but employed barrel vaulting for the    
sake of greater strength4 ,he afterwards
 placed the altar before the principal  
chapel of the lower church1 and when    
this was finished he deposited the body 

of ,st ,francis beneath1 after a most   
solemn translation4 ,and because the    
tomb of the glorious saint is in the    
first or lower church1 where no one ever
 goes1 and which has its doors walled   
up1 there is a magnificent iron railing 
about the altar1 richly adorned with    
marble and mosaic which permits the tomb
 to be seen4 ,on one side of the        
building were erected two sacristies and
 a lofty campanile1 five times as high  
as it is broad4 ,above it there was     
originally a lofty spire of eight sides1
 but it was removed because it          
threatened to fall down4 ,the work was  
brought to a conclusion in the space of 
four years and no more by the ability of
 ,master ,jacopo the ,german1 and by the
 industry of friar ,elias4 ,after the   
friar's death twelve strong towers were 
erected about the lower church in order 
that the vast erection should never be  
destroyed2 in each of these is a spiral 
staircase ascending from the ground to  
the summit4 ,in the course of time1     

moreover1 several chapels were added and
 other rich ornaments1 of which it is   
not necessary to speak further1 as      
enough has been said about the matter   
for the present1 especially as it is in 
the power of every one to see how much  
that is useful1 ornamental1 and         
beautiful has been added to this        
beginning of ,master ,jacopo1 by popes1 
cardinals1 princes1 and many other great
 persons of all ,europe4  ,and now to   
return to ,master ,jacopo4 ,by means of 
this work he acquired such renown       
throughout ,italy that he was invited to
 ,florence by the government of the     
city1 and was afterwards received there 
with the utmost goodwill4 ,but the      
,florentines1 in accordance with a      
custom of abbreviating names which they 
practised then as they do now1 called   
him not ,jacopo1 but ,lapo1 all his     
life1 for he settled permanently in that
 city with all his family4 ,and although
 at divers times he went away to erect a
 number of buildings in ,tuscany his    

residence was always at ,florence4 ,as  
examples of such buildings ,i may cite  
the palace of the ,poppi at ,casentino  
which he built for the count there1 who 
had married the beautiful ,gualdrada1   
with the ,casentino as her dower2 the   
,vescovado for the ,aretines1 and the   
,palazzo ,vecchio of the lords of       
,pietramela4 ,it was at ,florence that  
he laid the piles of the ponte alla     
,carraia1 then called the ponte ,nuovo1 
in #abah1 and finished them in two      
years4 ,a short while afterwards it was 
completed in wood1 as was then the      
custom4 ,in the year #abba he prepared  
plans for the church of ,s4 ,salvadore  
del ,vescovado which was begun under his
 direction1 as was the church of ,s4    
,michele on the piazza ,padella where   
there are some sculptures in the style  
of those days4 ,he next designed a      
system of drainage for the city1 raised 
the piazza ,s4 ,giovanni1 and in the    
time of ,m4 ,rubaconte da ,mandella of  
,milan1 constructed the bridge which    

still bears his name4 ,it was he who    
discovered the useful method of paving  
the streets with stone1 when they had   
previously been paved only with bricks4 
,he designed the existing ,podesta      
palace1 which was originally built for  
the amziani1 and finally1 after he had  
designed the tomb of the ,emperor       
,frederick for the abbey of ,monreale in
 ,sicily1 by the order of ,manfred1 he  
died1 leaving ,arnolfo1 his son1 heir to
 his ability1 no leas than to his       
fortune4  ,arnolfo1 by whose talents    
architecture was no less improved than  
painting had been by ,cimabue1 was born 
in the year #abcb1 and was thirty-two   
years of age at his father's death4 ,he 
was at that time held in very great     
esteem1 because1 not only had he learned
 all that his father had to teach1 but  
had studied design under ,cimabue in    
order to make use of it in sculpture1 so
 that he was reputed the best architect 
in ,tuscany4 ,thus not only did the     
,florentines found1 under his direction1

 the last circuit of the walls of their 
city in the year #abhd1 but they also   
built1 after his design1 the loggia and 
pillars of ,or ,san ,michele1 where     
grain is sold1 constructing it of brick 
with a simple roof above4 ,it was also  
in conformity with his advice that when 
the cliff of the ,magnoli fell1 on the  
slope of ,s1 ,giorgio above ,s4 ,lucia  
in the via dei ,bardi1 a public decree  
was issued the same year that no walls  
or edifices should ever more be erected 
in that place seeing that they would    
always be in danger owing to the        
undermining of the rock by water4 ,that 
this is true has been seen in our day in
 the fall of many buildings and fine    
houses of the aristocracy4 ,the year    
after1 #abhe1 he founded the loggia and 
piazza of the priors1 and in the ,bdia  
of ,florence he constructed the         
principal chapel and those on either    
side of it1 restoring both the church   
and choir1 which had originally been    
built on a much smaller scale by ,count 

,ugo1 the founder4 ,for the cardinal    
,giovanni degli ,orsini1 papal legate in
 ,tuscany1 he built the campanile of    
that church1 which woo some praise among
 the works of those times1 but it did   
not receive its stone finishing until   
after the year #acjc4 ,his next work was
 the foundation1 in  #abid1 of the      
church of ,s1 ,croce1 where the friars  
minors are4 ,arnolfo designed the nave  
and side aisles of this church on such a
 large scale that he was unable to vault
 the space under the roof owing to the  
great distances1 so with much judgment  
he made arches from pillar to pillar1   
and on these he placed the roof with    
stone gutters along the top of the      
arches to carry off the water1 inclined 
at such an angle that the roof should be
 safe1 as it is1 from the danger of     
damp4 ,this thing was so novel and      
ingenious that it well deserves the     
consideration of our day4 ,he next      
prepared plans for the first cloisters  
of the old convent of that church1 and  

shortly after he removed from the       
outside of the church of ,s4 ,giovanni  
all the arches and tombs of marble and  
stone which were there and put a part of
 them behind the campanile in the faade 
of the ,canonical ,palace1 beside the   
oratory of ,s4 ,zanobi1 when he         
proceeded to incrust all the eight sides
 of the exterior of the church with     
black ,prato marble1 removing the rough 
stone which was originally used with the
 antique marbles4  ,in the meantime the 
,florentines were desirous of erecting  
buildings in ,valdarno above the castle 
of ,s4 ,giovanni and ,castelfranco for  
the convenience of the city and for the 
supply of victuals to their markets4    
,arnolfo prepared the plan for this in  
the year #abie1 and gave such general   
satisfaction1 as indeed he had in his   
other works1 that he was awarded the    
citizenship of ,florence4  ,after these 
things the ,florentines took counsel    
together1 as ,giovanni ,villani relates 
in his ,history1 to build a principal   

church for their city1 and to make it so
 grand and magnificent that nothing     
larger or finer could be desired by the 
industry and power of man2 and thus     
,arnolfo prepared the plans for the     
church of ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore1 a      
building which it is impossible to      
praise too highly4 ,he provided that the
 exterior should be entirely incrusted  
with polished marble1 with all the      
cornices1 pillars1 columns1 carvings of 
leaves1 figures1 and other things which 
may be seen to-day1 and which were      
brought very near completion1 although  
not quite4 ,but the most marvellous     
circumstance of all in this undertaking 
was the care and judgment with which he 
made the foundations1 for in clearing   
the site1 which is a very fine one1     
other small churches and houses about   
,s4 ,reparata were involved beside that 
edifice itself4 ,he made the foundations
 of this great structure both broad and 
deep1 filling them with good materials1 
such as gravel and lime1 with large     

stones at the bottom1 so that they have 
been able without difficulty to bear the
 weight of the  huge dome with which    
,filippo di ,ser ,brunellesco vaulted   
the church1 as may be seen to-day4 ,the 
excellence of this initial work was such
 that the place is still called ,lungo i
 ,fondamenti 7beside the foundations74  
,the laying of the foundations and the  
initiation of so great a church was     
celebrated with much ceremony4 ,the     
first stone was laid on the day of the  
,nativity of ,our ,lady #abih by the    
cardinal legate of the ,pope1 in the    
presence not only of many bishops and of
 all the clergy1 but also of the        
podesta1 captains1 priors1 and other    
magistrates of the city1 and indeed of  
all the people of ,florence1 the church 
being called ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore4     
,now1 as it was estimated that the      
expenses of this work would be very     
heavy1 as they afterwards proved to be1 
a tax of four deniers the pound was     
imposed at the chamber of the commune on

 everything exported from the city1 as  
well as a tax of two soldi per head     
yearly4 ,in addition to this1 the ,pope 
and the legate offered the most liberal 
indulgences to those who would          
contribute alms towards the work4 ,i    
must not omit to mention1 however1 that 
besides the broad foundations of #ae    
braccia deep1 buttresses were1 with     
great  foresight1 placed at each angle  
of the eight sides1 and it was the      
presence of these which encouraged      
,brunellesco to impose a much greater   
weight there than ,arnolfo had          
originally contemplated4  ,it is said   
that when ,arnolfo began the two first  
lateral doors of ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore1 
he caused some fig leaves to be carved  
in a frieze1 which were the armorial    
bearings of his father ,lapo1 from which
 it may be inferred that the family of  
the ,lapi1 now among the nobility of    
,florence1 derives its origin from him4 
,others say that ,filippo di ,ser       
,brunellesco was also among the         

descendants of ,arnolfo4 ,but ,i let    
this pass for what it is worth1 and     
return to ,arnolfo1 for there are some  
who say that the ,lapi originally came  
from ,figaruolo1 a castle situated at   
the mouth of the ,po4 ,i say that for   
this magnificent achievement he deserved
 unstinted praise and an immortal       
renown1 since he caused the exterior of 
the building to be incrusted with marble
 of various colours1 and the interior   
with hard stone1 making even the most   
insignificant corners of the building of
 the same stone4 ,but1 in order that    
every one may know the proportions of   
this marvellous edifice1 ,i will add    
that from the doorway to the far end of 
the chapel of ,st ,zanobi the length is 
#bfj braccia1 the breadth at the        
transepts is #aff braccia1 that of nave 
and aisles #ff4 ,the nave is #gb braccia
 high1 and the aisles #dh4 ,the external
 circumference of the entire church is  
#abhj braccia2 the cupola1 from the     
ground to the base of the lantern1 is   

#aed braccia2 the lantern1 without the  
ball1 is #cf braccia high1 the ball #d  
braccia high1 and the cross #h braccia2 
the entire cupola1 from the ground to   
the top of the cross1 is #bjb braccia4  
,but to return to ,arnolfo1 ,i say that 
he was considered so excellent1 and so  
much confidence was felt in him1 that   
nothing of importance was discussed     
without his advice being first asked4   
,thus the foundation of the final       
circuit of the city walls having been   
finished that same year by the community
 of ,florence1 the commencement of which
 was referred to above1 and also the    
gate towers1 and the work being well    
forward1 he began the palace of the     
,signori1 making it similar in design to
 that which his father ,lapo had erected
 for the counts of ,poppi4 ,but he was  
unable to realise the grand and         
magnificent conception which he had     
formed in that perfection which his art 
and judgment required1 because a piazza 
had been made by the dismantling and    

throwing down of the houses of the      
,uberti1 rebels against the ,florentine 
people and ,ghibellines1 and the blind  
prejudice of certain persons prevailed  
against all the arguments brought       
forward by ,arnolfo to such an extent   
that he could not even obtain permission
 to make the palace square1 because the 
rulers of the city were most unwilling  
to allow the building to have its       
foundations in the land of the ,uberti1 
and they would rather suffer the        
destruction of the south nave of ,s4    
,piero ,scheraggio than give him free   
scope in the space designated4 ,they    
were also desirous that he should       
include and adapt to the palace the     
tower of the ,fieraboschi1 called the   
,torre della ,vacca 7,cow ,tower71 #ej  
braccia in height1 in which the great   
bell was hung1 together with some houses
 bought by the commune for such a       
building4 ,for these reasons it is no   
marvel if the foundations of the palace 
are awry and out of the square1 as1 in  

order to get the tower in the middle and
 to make it stronger1 he was obliged to 
surround it with the walls of the       
palace4 ,these were found to be in      
excellent condition in the year #aefa by
 ,giorgio ,vasari1 painter and          
architect1 when he restored the palace  
in the time of ,duke ,cosimo1 ,thus1 as 
,arnolfo filled the tower with good     
materials1 it was easy for other masters
 to erect upon it the lofty campanile   
which we see to-day1 since he himself   
finished no more than the palace in the 
space of two years4 ,it was in later    
years that the building received those  
improvements to which it owes its       
present grandeur and majesty4  ,after   
all these things1 and many others not   
less useful than beautiful1 ,arnolfo    
died at the age of seventy1 in the year 
#acjj1 about the time when ,giovanni    
,villani began to write the general     
history of his times4 ,and since he left
 ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore not only with its
 foundations laid1 but saw three        

principal apses under the cupola vaulted
 in1 to his great praise1 he deserves   
the memorial set up to him in the church
 on the side opposite the campanile1    
with these lines carved in the marble in
 round letters3--      ,anno millenis   
centum bis octo nogenis      ,venit     
legatus ,roma bonitate donatus      ,qui
 lapidem fixit fundo1 simul et benedixit
      ,praesule ,francisco1 gestante    
pontificatum      ,istud ab ,arnolpho   
templum fuit aedificatum      ,hoc opus 
insigne decorans ,florentia digne       
,regin coeli construxit mente fideli    
,quam tu1 ,virgo pia1 semper defende1   
,maria1  ,i have written the life of    
,arnolfo with the greatest possible     
brevity because1 although his works do  
not nearly approach the perfection of   
those of the present time1 yet he none  
the less deserves to be remembered with 
affection1 since1 in the midst of so    
great darkness1 he pointed out the road 
to perfection to those who came after   
him4 ,the portrait of ,arnolfo1 by the  

hand of ,giotto1 may be seen in ,s4     
,croce1 next to the principal chapel1   
where the friars are mourning the death 
of ,st ,francis4 ,he is represented in  
the foreground as one of the two men who
 are talking together4 ,a representation
 of the exterior of the church of ,s4   
,maria del ,fiore1 with the dome1 by the
 hand of ,simon of ,siena1 may be seen  
in the chapter-house of ,s4 ,maria      
,novella4 ,it was taken from the actual 
model of wood which ,arnolfo made4 ,from
 this representation it is clear that   
,arnolfo proposed to begin to vault his 
space1 starting immediately above the   
first cornice1 whilst ,filippo di ,ser  
,brunellesco1 desiring to lighten the   
weight and make the appearance of the   
structure more graceful1 added above    
this the whole of the space which       
contains the round windows before he    
began his vaulting4 ,this matter would  
be even more obvious than it is had not 
the negligence and carelessness of those
 who had charge of the works of ,s4     

,maria del ,fiore in past years allowed 
,arnolfo's own model1 as well as those  
of ,brunellesco and others1 to be lost4 
,niccola and ,giovanni ,pisani1         
,sculptors and ,architects4   ,having   
discussed the arts of design and        
painting in dealing with ,cimabue1 and  
that of architecture in the life of     
,arnolfo ,lapo1 we now propose to treat 
of sculpture1 and of the very important 
architectural works of ,niccola and     
,giovanni ,pisani4 ,their achievements  
in both sculpture and architecture are  
alike remarkable for the manner in which
 they have been conceived as well as for
 the style in which they are executed1  
since to a great extent they emancipated
 themselves from the clumsy  and        
ill-proportioned ,byzantine style in    
both arts1 showing more originality in  
the treatment of their subjects and     
arranging their figures in better       
postures4  ,niccola ,pisani was         
originally associated with some  ,greek 
sculptors who were engaged upon the     

figures and other ornaments in relief   
for the ,duomo at ,pisa and the church  
of ,san ,giovanni there4 ,among the     
spoils brought home by the ,pisan fleet 
was a very fine sarcophagus on which was
 an admirable representation of the     
chase of ,meleager1 hunting the         
,calydonian boar4 ,both the nude and the
 draped figures of this composition are 
executed with much skill1 while the     
design is perfect4 ,this sarcophagus1 on
 account of its beauty1 was afterwards  
placed by the ,pisans in the faade of   
the ,duomo opposite ,s1 ,rocco1 against 
the principal door on that side4 ,it    
originally served as a tombstone for the
 mother of the ,countess ,matilda1 if we
 may credit the inscription cut in the  
marble3  ,anno ,domini ,,mcxvi4 ,kal4   
,aug4 obiit ,d4 ,matilda felisis        
memoriae comitissa1 quae pro anima      
genetricis suae ,d4 ,beatricis          
comitissae venerabilis in hoc tumba     
honorabili quiescsnts in multis partis  
mirificc hanc dotavit ecclesiam1 quarum 

animae requiescent in pace4  ,and then  
follows3  ,anno ,domini ,,mccciii4 sub  
dignissimo optrario ,burgundio ,tadi    
occasione graduum fiendorum per ipsum   
circa ecclesiam supradictam tumba       
superius notata bis trantlata fuit1 nunc
 de sedibus primis in ecclesiam1 nunc de
 ecclesia in hunc locum1 ut cernitis    
eccelentem4  ,niccola1 considering the  
excellence of this work1 which greatly  
delighted him1 applied such diligence in
 imitating that style1 studying         
carefully both the sarcophagus and other
 excellent sculptures on other antique  
sarcophagi1 that before long he was     
considered the best sculptor of his     
time4 ,there was indeed1 after ,arnolfo1
 no other sculptor of repute in ,tuscany
 except ,fuccio1 a ,florentine architect
 and sculptor4 ,fuccio designed ,s4     
,maria sopra ,arno at ,florence in      
#abbi1 putting his name over the door4  
,the marble tomb of the queen of ,cyprus
 in the church of ,st ,francis of       
,assisi is also his work4 ,it contains a

 number of figures1 the principal one   
being the queen herself1 seated on a    
lion1 as emblematical of her strength of
 mind4 ,she had bequeathed a large sum  
of money for the completion of these    
works4  ,niccola having proved himself a
 much greater master than ,fuccio1 was  
summoned to ,bologna in #abbe to make a 
marble tomb for ,st ,domenic ,calagora1 
founder of the order of the ,friars     
,preachers1 then recently deceased4     
,having1 arranged with those who had    
charge of the work1 he designed a  tomb 
full  of figures1 as may be seen at this
 day4 ,the task was completed in #abca1 
and the finished tomb was greatly       
praised1 it being considered a          
remarkable work1 and the best piece of  
sculpture executed up to that time4 ,he 
further made plans for the church there 
and for a great part of the convent4 ,on
 returning to ,tuscany1 he learned that 
,fuccio had set out from ,florence and  
was gone to ,rome1 at the time when the 
,emperor ,frederick was crowned there by

 ,honorius4 ,from ,rome ,fuccio         
accompanied ,frederick to ,naples1 where
 he finished the castle of ,capoana1 now
 called la ,vicheria1 where all the     
courts of that kingdom are held4 ,he    
also completed the ,castel del' ,uovo1  
founding the towers1 made the gate on   
the side of the ,river ,volturno at     
,capua1 constructed a park near ,gravina
 for fowling1 enclosing it by a wall1   
and made another at ,amalfi for winter  
hunting1 besides many other things which
 are omitted for the sake of brevity4   
,meanwhile ,niccola was staying at      
,florence1 obtaining practice not only  
in sculpture but also in architecture by
 means of the works which were in       
progress throughout ,italy1 but         
especially in ,tuscany1 with some amount
 of good design4 ,thus he contributed   
not a little to the abbey of ,settimo1  
left unfinished by the executors of     
,count ,hugh of ,brandenburg1 as the    
other six had been1 as we have noticed  
above4 ,for although an inscription on  

the campanile of the abbey reads        
,gugliel me fecit yet it is clear from  
the style of the work that it was       
carried out under the control of        
,niccola4 ,at the same time he was      
building  the  old  palace of the       
anziani at ,pisa4 ,this building  has   
been dismantled at the present time by  
,duke ,casino1 who has used a part of   
the old edifice for the erection of the 
magnificent palace and convent of the   
new order of the knights of ,st         
,stephen1 after the designs  of ,giorgio
 ,vasari1 ,aretine painter and          
architect1 who has done his best with   
the old walls1 to adapt them to the     
modern style4 ,niccola designed many    
other palaces and churches at ,pisa1 and
 he was the first1 after the loss of    
good methods of construction1 who       
introduced the founding of buildings at 
,pisa upon pillars connected by arches1 
first driving piles in under the        
pillars4 ,this method renders the       
building absolutely secure1 as is shown 

by experience1 whereas without the      
piles1 the foundations are liable to    
give way1 causing the walls to fall     
down4 ,the church of ,s4 ,michele in    
,borgo of the monks of ,gamaldoli was   
also built after his plans4 ,but the    
most beautiful1 ingenious and fanciful  
piece of architecture that ,niccola ever
 constructed was the campanile of ,s4   
,niccola at ,pisa1 where the friars of  
,st ,augustine are4 ,outside it is      
octagonal1 but the interior is round    
with a winding staircase rising to the  
top leaving the middle space void like a
 well1 while on every fourth step there 
are columns with lame arches1 which     
follow the curve of the building4 ,the  
spring of the vaulting rests upon these 
arches1 and the ascent is of such sort  
that anyone on the  ground always sees  
those who are going up1 those who are at
  the top see those who are on the      
ground1 while those who are in the      
middle see both those who are above and 
those below4 ,this curious invention was

 afterwards adopted by ,bramante in a   
better style with more balanced         
measurements and richer ornamentation1  
for ,pope ,julius ,,ii4 in the          
,belvedere at ,rome1 and by ,antonio da 
,sangallo for ,pope ,clement ,,vii4 in  
the well at ,orvieto1 as will be said   
when the time comes4  ,to return to     
,niccola who excelled no less as a      
sculptor than as an architect4 ,for the 
church of ,s4 ,martino at ,lucca he     
executed a deposition from the ,cross1  
which is under the portico above the    
minor doorway on the left hand as one   
enters the church4 ,it is executed in   
marble1 and is full of figures in half  
relief1 carried out with great care1 the
 marble being pierced through1 and the  
whole finished in such style as to give 
rise to hopes in those who first        
practised this art with the most severe 
labour1 that one would soon come who    
would give them more assistance with    
greater ease4 ,it was ,niccola also who 
in the year #abdj designed the church of

 ,s4 ,jacopo at ,pistoia1 and set some  
,tuscan masters to work there in mosaic1
 who did the vaulting of the apse4 ,but 
although it was considered a difficult  
and costly thing at the time1 it rather 
moves one to laughter and compassion    
to-day1 and not to admiration1 oh       
account of the poorness of the design1 a
 defect which was prevalent not only in 
,tuscany1 but throughout ,italy1 where  
the number of buildings and other things
 erected without method and without     
design betray the poverty of their minds
 no less than the bountiful riches      
lavished on them by the men of their    
day2 a wasteful expenditure of wealth1  
because there was no masters capable of 
executing in a good style the things    
which they made for them4 ,now ,niccola 
was steadily increasing his renown in   
both sculpture and architecture1 and was
 of greater account than the sculptors  
and architects who were then at work in 
the ,romagna1 as one may see in ,s4     
,ippolito and ,s4 ,giovanni at ,faenza1 

in the ,duomo of ,ravenna1 in ,s4       
,francesco1 in the houses of the        
,traversari1 and in the church of       
,prato1 and at ,rimini1 in the public   
palace1 in the houses of the ,malatesti1
 and in other buildings which are much  
worse than the old buildings erected in 
,tuscany at the same time2 and what is  
here said of the ,romagna1 may be       
repeated with even more truth of a part 
of ,lombardy4 ,it is only necessary to  
see the ,duomo of ,ferrara and the other
 buildings erected for the ,marquis     
,azzo1 to perceive at once how different
 they are from the ,santo of ,padua1    
built from ,niccola's model1 and from   
the church of the friars minors at      
,venice1 both of them magnificent and   
famous buildings4  ,in ,niccola's day   
there were many moved by a laudable     
spirit of emulation1 who applied        
themselves more diligently to sculpture 
than they had done before1 especially in
 ,milan1 where many ,lombards and       
,germans were gathered for the building 

of the ,duomo4 ,these were afterwards   
scattered throughout ,italy by the      
dissensions which arose between the     
,milanese and the ,emperor ,frederick4  
,they then began to compete among       
themselves1 both in carving marble and  
in erecting buildings1 and produced     
works of some amount of excellence4 ,the
 same thing happened in ,florence after 
the works of ,arnolfo and ,niccola were 
seen4 ,the latter1 while the little     
church of the ,misericordia on the      
piazza ,s4 ,giovanni was being built    
after his designs1 carved a marble      
statue of ,our ,lady with ,st ,domenic  
and another saint on either side1 which 
may still be seen on the faade of that  
church4 ,it was also in ,niccola's time 
that the ,florentines began to demolish 
many towers1 erected previously in a    
rude style in order that the people     
should suffer less by their means in the
 frequent collisions between the        
,guelphs and ,ghibellines1 or for the   
greater security of the commonweal4 ,one

 of these1 the tower of ,guardamorto1   
situated on the piazza ,s2 ,giovanni1   
presented unusual difficulty to those   
who wished to destroy it because the    
walls were so well knit that the stones 
could not be removed with the pickaxe1  
and also because the tower was a very   
high one4 ,niccola1 however1 caused a   
piece to be cut out of one of the sides 
of the tower and closed the gap with    
wooden supports1 a braccia and a half   
long1 he then set fire to the props1 and
 so soon as these were consumed the     
tower fell down and was totally         
destroyed4 ,the idea seemed so ingenious
 and so well adapted for such           
emergencies1 that it afterwards came    
into general use1 so that whenever it   
was necessary to destroy a building1 the
 task was speedily accomplished in this 
most facile manner4  ,niccola was       
present when the foundations of the     
,duomo of ,siena were laid1 and he      
designed the ,church of ,s4 ,giovanni in
 that city4 ,he went back to ,florence  

in the year of the return of the        
,guelphs1 and designed the church of ,s4
 ,trinita1 and the women's convent at   
,faenza1 pulled down in  recent years to
 make the citadel4 ,being subsequently  
summoned to ,naples1 and not wishing to 
abandon his enterprises in ,tuscany1 he 
sent thither his pupil ,maglione1       
sculptor and architect1 who in the time 
of ,conrad afterwards built the church  
of ,s4 ,lorenzo at ,naples1 finished a  
part of the ,vescorado1 and made some   
tombs there1 in which he closely        
imitated the manner of his master1      
,niccola4 ,in the meantime ,niccola went
 to ,volterra1 in the year that the     
people of that place came under the     
dominion of the ,florentines 7#abed71 in
 response to a summons1 because they    
wished him to enlarge their ,duomo1     
which was small2 and although it was    
very irregular1 he improved its         
appearance1 and made it more magnificent
 than it was originally4 ,then at length
 he returned to ,pisa and made the      

marble pulpit of ,s4 ,giovanni1 devoting
 all his skill to it1 so that he might  
leave a memory of himself in his native 
place4 ,among other things in it he     
carved the ,last ,judgment1 filling it  
with a number of figures1 and if they   
are not perfectly designed they are at  
any rate executed with patience and     
diligence1 as may be seen2 and because  
he considered that he had completed a   
work which was worthy of praise1 as     
indeed he had1 he carved the following  
lines at the foot3       ,anno milleno  
bis centum bisque trideno4       ,hoc   
opus insigne sculpsit ,nicola ,pisanus4 
,the people of ,siena1 moved by the fame
 of this work1 which greatly delighted  
not only the ,pisans1 but whoever saw   
it1 assigned to ,niccola the task of    
making for their ,duomo the pulpit from 
which the gospel is sung1 at the time   
when ,guglielmo ,mariscotti was praetor4
 ,in this ,niccola introduced a number  
of subjects from the life of ,jesus     
,christ1 especially remarkable for the  

figures which they contain1 which stand 
out in high relief1 all but severed from
 the background1 a work of great        
difficulty4 ,he likewise designed the   
church and convent of ,s4 ,domenico at  
,arezzo1 for the lords of ,pietramela   
who built it1 and at the request of the 
bishop ,ubertini he restored the ,pieve 
of ,cortona1 and founded the church of  
,s4 ,margherita for the friars of ,st   
,francis1 on the highest ground in that 
city4 ,the fame of ,niccola was         
continually on the increase1 owing to   
these works1 so that in #abfg he was    
invited by ,pope ,clement ,,iv4 to      
,viterbo1 where1 among many other things
 he restored the church and convent of  
the ,friars ,preachers4 ,from ,viterbo  
he went to ,naples to ,king ,charles1   
who having defeated and slain ,curradino
 on the plain of ,tagliacozzo1 founded a
 wealthy church and abbey on the spot1  
for the burial-place of the large number
 of men who had fallen on that day1     
ordaining that prayers should be offered

 for their souls both day and night by  
many monks4 ,king ,charles was so       
delighted with the work of ,niccola in  
this building that he loaded him with   
honours and rewards4 ,on the way back   
from ,naples to ,tuscany ,niccola stayed
 to take part in the building of ,s4    
,maria at ,orvieto1 where he worked in  
the company of some ,germans1 making    
figures in high relief in marble for the
 front of that church1 and more         
particularly a ,last ,judgment1         
comprising both ,paradise and ,hell2 and
 as he took the greatest pains to render
 the souls of the blessed in ,paradise  
as beautifully as he possibly could1 so 
he introduced into his ,hell the most   
fantastic shape of devils imaginable1   
all intent on tormenting the souls of   
the damned4 ,in this work not only did  
he surpass the ,germans who were working
 there1 but even himself1 to his great  
glory1 and  because he introduced a     
great number of figures and spared no   
pains1 it has been praised even to our  

own day by those whose judgment does not
 extend beyond such circumstances4      
,among other children ,niccola had a son
 called ,giovanni1 who was always with  
his father1 and under his care learned  
both sculpture and architecture1 so that
 in the course of a few years he became 
not only the equal of his father1 but   
his superior in some things4 ,thus1 as  
,niccola was already old1 he withdrew to
 ,pisa and lived quietly there1 leaving 
the control of everything to his son4   
,at the death in ,perugia of ,pope      
,urban ,,iv41 ,giovanni was sent for to 
make the tomb1 which he executed in     
marble2 but it was afterwards thrown    
down1 together with that of ,pope       
,martin ,,iv41 when the ,perugians      
enlarged their ,vescovado1 so that only 
a few remains may be seen to-day        
dispersed about the church4 ,at the same
 time the ,perugians1 thanks to the     
skill and industry of a friar of the    
,silvestrini1 had brought to their city 
from the hill of ,pacciano1 two miles   

away1 an abundance of water4 ,the       
ornamentation of the fountain in both   
bronze and marble was entrusted to      
,giovanni1 so that he thereupon set his 
hand to the work1 making three basins1  
one above the other1 two in marble and  
one in bronze4 ,the first is placed at  
the top of a flight of steps of twelve  
faces1 the second rests on some pillars 
which rise from the centre of the first1
 while the third1 which is of bronze1 is
 supported by three figures2 and in the 
middle are griffins1 also of bronze1    
which throw out water on every side4    
,and as ,giovanni considered that he had
 executed an excellent piece of work1 he
 put his name to it4 ,the arches and    
conduits of this fountain1 which cost   
#afj1jjj gold ducats1 were found to be  
very much worn and broken about the year
 #aefj1 but ,vincenzio ,danti1 sculptor 
of ,perugia1 contrived a means1 to his  
great glory1 of bringing water to the   
fountain in the original way1 without   
rebuilding the arches1 which would have 

been very costly4 ,when the work was    
finished ,giovanni felt anxious to      
return to see his old father1 who was   
sick1 and he set out from ,perugia      
intending to return to ,pisa2 but on his
 way through ,florence he was compelled 
to stay there1 to assist with others at 
the mills of the ,arno1 which were being
 made at ,s4 ,gregorio1 near the piazza 
dei ,mozzi4 ,but at length receiving    
word that his father ,niccola was dead1 
he departed for ,pisa1 where he was     
received with great honour by all the   
city1 on account of his worth1 since    
everyone rejoiced that although ,niccola
 was lost to them1 yet they still       
possessed ,giovanni1 who inherited his  
father's ability as well as his         
property4 ,nor were they deceived in him
 when the time of testing arrived1 for  
when it was necessary to do some few    
things for the tiny but highly-ornate   
church of ,s4 ,maria della ,spina1 the  
task was entrusted to ,giovanni4 ,he    
therefore put his hand to the work and  

brought the ornamentation of that       
oratory to the state of perfection which
 it possesses to-day1 the more so as he 
introduced the portrait of ,niccola1    
taken from life1 executed to the best of
 his ability4 ,when the ,pisans had seen
 this they decided to entrust him the   
construction of the ,campo ,santo1 which
 is against the piazza del ,duomo       
towards the walls1 as they had long     
desired and talked of having a place for
 the burial of all their dead1 both     
gentle and simple1 so that the ,duomo   
should not be filled with tombs1 or for 
other reasons4 ,thus ,giovanni with good
 designs and great judgment erected the 
building as we now see it1 in style1    
size1 and marble ornamentation1 and as  
no expense was spared1 it was roofed    
with lead4 ,on the outside of the       
principle entrance may be read these    
words1 carved in the marble3      ,a4,d4
 ,,mcclxxviii4 tempore ,domini ,federigi
 archiepiscopi     ,pisani1 et ,domini  
,terlati potestatis operario ,orlando   

,sardella1     ,johanne magistro        
aedificante4  ,in the completion of this
 work1 #abhc1 ,giovanni went to ,naples1
 where he erected the ,castel ,nuovo for
 ,king ,charles2 and in order to enlarge
 it and add to its strength1 he was     
compelled to pull down a number of      
houses and churches1 among them a       
convent of the friars of ,st ,francis1  
which was afterwards rebuilt on a larger
 and grander scale at some distance from
 the castle1 with the title of ,s4      
,maria della ,nuova4 ,after these       
building had been set on foot and were  
well advanced1 ,giovanni left ,naples to
 return to ,tuscany1 but when he reached
 ,siena he was not allowed to go        
farther1 but was induced to design the  
faade of the ,duomo of that city1 which 
was subsequently erected from his plans 
in a very rich and magnificent style4   
,in the following year1 #abhf1 while the
 bishop's palace at ,arezzo was being   
built from the design of ,margaritone1  
architect of ,arezzo1 ,giovanni was     

fetched from ,sienna to that city by    
,guglielmo ,ubertini1 the bishop there4 
,he there executed in marble the table  
of the high altar1 full of figures cut  
in relief of leaves and other ornaments1
 dividing the work into compartments by 
fine mosaics and enamels on silver      
plates1 fixed into the marble with great
 care4 ,in the midst is ,our ,lady with 
the child at her neck1 and on one side  
of her is ,st ,gregory the ,pope 7which 
is a portrait of ,pope ,honorius ,,iv4  
drawn from life71 and on the other side 
,st ,donato1 the bishop and protector of
 that city1 whose body1 with those of   
,st ,antilia and other saints1 rest     
under that same altar4 ,and as the altar
 stands out by itself1 the sides are    
decorated with small representations in 
bas-relief from the life of ,st ,donato1
 and the work is crowned with a series  
of niches1 full of marble figures in    
relief1 of exquisite workmanship4 ,on   
the ,madonna's breast is an ornament    
shaped like a gold casket1 containing1  

if report be true1 jewels of great      
value1 although it is believed that     
they1 as well as some other small       
figures on the top and about the work1  
were taken away by the soldiers1 who do 
not often respect the even most ,holy   
,sacrament4 ,on these works the         
,aretines expended #cj1jjj florins1 as  
is found in some records4 ,nor does this
 appear impossible1 because at that time
 it was considered to be a thing of the 
most precious and rare description1 so  
that when ,frederick ,barbarossa        
returned from his coronation at ,rome1  
and was passing through ,arezzo many    
years after its completion1 he praised  
and admired it infinitely1 and indeed   
with good cause1 since the joints are   
constructed of tiny pieces so           
excellently welded together1 that to an 
inexperienced eye1 the whole work seems 
to be made in one piece4 ,in the same   
church ,giovanni made the chapel of the 
,ubertini1 a noble family1 and lords of 
a castle1 as they still are1 though they

 were formerly of greater estate4 ,he   
adorned this with many marble ornaments1
 which are to-day covered over by many  
large ornaments of stone1 placed there  
in the year #aece1 after plans by       
,giorgio ,vasari1 for the support of an 
organ of extraordinary excellence and   
beauty which rests upon them4 ,giovanni 
,pisano also designed the church of ,s4 
,maria dei ,servi1 which has been       
destroyed in our day1 together with many
 palaces of the noblest families of the 
city1 for the reasons mentioned above4  
,i must not omit to note that in the    
construction of the marble altar        
,giovanni was assisted by some ,germans1
 who associated with him1 rather for the
 sake of learning the art1 than for     
gain1 and who profited so much by his   
instruction1 that when they went to     
,rome1 after the completion of that     
work1 they served ,pope ,boniface       
,,viii4 in many works of sculpture      
executed for ,st ,peter's1 and also in  
architecture1 when he made ,civita      

,castellana4 ,they were1 moreover1 sent 
by that ,pope to ,s4 ,maria at ,orvieto1
 where they made a number of marble     
figures for the faade of the church1    
which were very tolerable for those     
times4 ,but among the others who        
assisted ,giovanni in his undertakings  
for the ,vescovado at ,arezzo1 were     
,agostino and ,agnolo1 sculptors and    
architects of ,siena1 who far surpassed 
all the others1 as will be said in the  
proper place4 ,but to return to         
,giovanni4 ,when he left ,orvieto he    
came to ,florence to see ,arnolfo's     
building of ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore1 and  
also to see ,giotto1 of whom he had     
heard a great deal elsewhere2 but no    
sooner had he arrived in ,florence than 
he was appointed by the intendants of   
the fabric of ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore to  
make the ,madonna1 which stands between 
two small angels above the door of that 
church1 which leads into the canons'    
quarters1 a work much praised at the    
time4 ,he next made the small font for  

,s4 ,giovanni1 containing               
representations from the life of that   
saint in half-relief4 ,proceeding thence
 to ,bologna he directed the            
construction of the principal chapel of 
the church of ,st ,domenico1 in which he
 was also commissioned to make the      
marble altar by ,teodorico ,borgognoni  
of ,lucca1 then bishop1 a friar of that 
order4 ,later on 7#abih71 in the same   
place1 he made the marble table in which
 are ,our ,lady and eight other figures1
 all of very tolerable workmanship4 ,in 
the year #acjj1 when ,niccola da ,prato 
was at ,florence as cardinal legate of  
the ,pope1 for the purpose of settling  
the discords among the ,florentines1 he 
caused ,giovanni to build a nunnery for 
him at ,prato1 which was called ,s4     
,niccola after him1 and in the same     
district he made him restore the convent
 of ,s4 ,domenico1 as well as that of   
,pistoia1 in both of which the arms of  
that cardinal may still be seen4 ,and   
since the ,pistolese held the name of   

,niccola1 ,giovanni's father1 in great  
respect1 because he had displayed his   
talents in that city1 they commissioned 
,giovanni to make a marble pulpit for   
the church of ,s4 ,andrea1 similar to   
that which he had made for the ,duomo of
 ,siena1 and in competition with one    
which had been made shortly before for  
the church of ,s4 ,giovanni ,evangelista
 by a ,german1 which had been much      
praised4 ,giovanni finished his task in 
four years1 dividing the work into four 
subjects from the life of ,jesus        
,christ1 and further introducing a ,last
 ,judgment1 working with the utmost     
diligence in order to equal1 and perhaps
 surpass1 that celebrated pulpit of     
,orvieto4 ,about the pulpit above some  
columns which support it and in the     
architrave he carved the following      
lines1 since he thought that he had     
completed a great and beautiful work1 as
 indeed he had1 considering the         
attainments of the age3       ,hoc opus 
sculpsit ,johannes1 qui res non egit    

inanes4      ,nicoli natus 4 4 4 meliora
 beatus      ,quam genuit ,pisa1 doctum 
super omnia visa4  ,at the same time    
,giovanni made the holy water vessel in 
marble for the same church of ,s4       
,giovanni ,evangelista1 borne by three  
figures1 ,temperance1 ,prudence and     
,justice1 and as it was then considered 
a work of great beauty1 it was placed in
 the middle of the church as a          
remarkable object4 ,before he left      
,pistoia he made the model for the      
campanile of ,s4 ,jacopo1 the principal 
church of the city1 although the work   
was not then begun4 ,the tower is       
situated beside the church in the piazza
 of ,s4 ,jacopo1 and bears the date     
,a4,d4 #acja4 ,on the death of ,pope    
,benedict ,,ix4 at4 ,perugia1 ,giovanni 
was sent for to make his tomb1 which he 
executed in marble in the old church of 
,s4 ,domenico of the ,friars ,preachers1
 placing the ,pope's effigy1 taken from 
life1 and in his pontifical habit1 upon 
the sarcophagus with two angels holding 

a curtain1 one on either side1 and ,our 
,lady above1 between two saints1        
executed in relief1 as well as many     
other ornaments carved on the tomb4     
,similarly in the new church of the same
 order he made the tomb of ,m4 ,niccolo 
,guidalotti of ,perugia1 bishop of      
,recanati1 who was the founder of the   
new ,university of ,perugia4 ,in this   
same new church1 which had been         
previously founded by others1 he        
directed the construction of the        
principal nave1 and this part of the    
building was much more securely founded 
than the rest1 which leans over to one  
side1 and threatens to fall down1 owing 
to the faulty laying of the foundations4
 ,and in truth he who undertakes to     
build or perform any things of          
importance ought always to take the     
advice1 not of those who know little1   
but of those most competent to help him1
 so that he may not afterwards have to  
repent with loss and shame that he was  
ill-directed when he was in most need of

 assistance4  ,when he had completed his
 labours in ,perugia1 ,giovanni wished  
to go to ,rome to learn from the few    
antique things there1 as his father had 
done1 but being hindered by good        
reasons1 he was never able to fulfil his
 desire1 chiefly because he heard that  
the court had just gone to ,avignon4 ,so
 he returned to ,pisa1 where ,nello di  
,giovanni ,falconi1 craftsman1 entrusted
 to him the great pulpit of the ,duomo1 
which is fixed to the choir on the right
 hand side as one approaches the high   
altar4 ,he set to work on this1 and on a
 number of figures in full relief1 three
 braccia high1 which he intended to use 
for it1 and little by little he brought 
it to its present form1 resting in part 
on the said figures and in part upon    
lions1 while on the sides he represented
 scenes from the life of ,jesus ,christ4
 ,it is truly a sin that so much money1 
such diligence and labour should not be 
accompanied by good design1 and that it 
should lack that perfection1 invention1 

grace1 and good style which any work of 
our own day would possess1 even were it 
executed at much less cost and with less
 difficulty4 ,yet it must have excited  
no small admiration among the men of the
 time1 who had only been accustomed to  
see the rudest productions4 ,it was     
finished in the year #acbj1 as appears  
in certain lines which run round the    
pulpit and read thus3        ,laudo     
,deum verum1 per quem sunt optima rerum 
,qui dedit has puras homini formate     
figuras2        ,hoc opus1 his annis    
,domini sculpsere ,johannis        ,arte
 manus sole quandam1 natique ,nicole4   
,cursis undenis tercentum milleque      
plenis4  ,there are thirteen other      
lines1 which ,i do not write here1      
because ,i do not wish to weary the     
reader1 and because these are sufficient
 to show not only that the pulpit is by 
the hand of ,giovanni1 but that the men 
of that time were alike in their        
shortcomings4 ,a ,madonna between ,st   
,john the ,baptist and another saint may

 be seen over the principal of the door 
of the ,duomo2 it is in marble1 and by  
the hand of ,giovanni1 and the figure   
kneeling at her feet is said to be      
,piero ,gambacorti1 the warden4 ,however
 this may be1 the following words are   
cut in the pedestal1 on which the image 
of ,our ,lady stands3        ,sub ,petri
 cura haec pia fuit scutpta figura      
,nicoli nato sculptore ,johanne vocato4 
,moreover there is another marble       
,madonna1 by ,giovanni1 over the side   
door1 which is opposite the campanile1  
while on one side of her kneel a lady   
and two children1 representing ,pisa1   
and on the other side the ,emperor      
,henry4 ,on the base are these words3   
,ave gratia plena1 ,dominus teum1  and  
then--         ,nobilis arte manus      
sculpsit ,johannes ,pisanus             
,sculpsit sub ,burgundio ,tadi benigno4 
,and about the base of ,pisa3           
,virginis ancilla sum ,pisa quieta sub  
illa1  and about the base of ,henry3    
,imperat ,henricus qui ,cliristo fertur 

amicus4  ,in the old ,pieve at ,prato1  
beneath the altar of the principal      
chapel1 was preserved for many years the
 girdle of ,our ,lady1 which ,michele da
 ,prato had brought back with him from  
the ,holy ,land1 and had deposited it   
with ,uberto1 provost of the church1 who
 laid it in the said place1 where it was
 always held in great veneration4 ,in   
the year #acab an attempt to steal it   
was made by a native of ,prato1 a man of
 a most evil life1 another ,ser         
,ciappelletto1 but he was discovered and
 put to death for sacrilege4 ,moved by  
this deed1 the people of ,prato proposed
 to make a strong and suitable          
receptacle in which the girdle should be
 kept with greater security1 and sent   
for ,giovanni1 who was now an old man4  
,acting upon his advice1 they           
constructed the chapel in the principal 
church1 where ,our ,lady's girdle now   
reposes4 ,they then greatly increased   
their church also from his plans1 and   
incrusted both the church and the       

campanile with white and black marble on
 the outside1 as may be seen4 ,at length
 ,giovanni died at a ripe old age in the
 year #acbj1 after having completed many
 works in sculpture and architecture    
besides those which are mentioned here4 
,and in truth a great debt is due to him
 and to ,niccola his father1 since in an
 age which lacked every element of good 
design1 in the midst of all the darkness
 they threw so much light on those arts 
in which they were really excellent4    
,giovanni was honourably buried in the  
,campo ,santo1 in the same tomb in which
 his father ,niccola was laid4 ,many    
disciples of his flourished after him1  
but especially ,lino1 sculptor and      
architect of ,siena1 who made the chapel
 which contains the body of ,st ,ranieri
 in the ,duomo of ,pisa1 richly         
decorated with marble2 and also the     
baptismal font of that cathedral which  
bears his name4 ,let no one marvel that 
,niccola and ,giovanni executed so many 
works1 for besides the fact that they   

lived to a good age1 they were the      
foremost masters in ,europe of their    
time1 so that nothing of importance was 
undertaken without their taking part in 
it1 as may be seen in many inscriptions 
besides those which have been quoted4   
,whilst speaking of these two sculptors 
and architects1 ,i have often referred  
to ,pisa1 so that ,i do not hesitate at 
this stage to quote some words written  
on the pedestal of a vase mounted on a  
column of porphyry and supported by a   
lion1 which is situated on the steps of 
the new hospital there4 ,they are as    
follows3  ,this is the talent which the 
,emperor ,cesar gave to ,pisa1 to the   
intent that the tribute which they      
rendered to him should be regulated     
thereby4 ,the talent was set upon this  
column and lion in the time of ,giovanni
 ,rosso1 master of the work of ,s4      
,maria ,maggiore1 ,pisa1 ,a4,d4         
,,mcccxiii41 the second ,indiction1 in  
,march4     ,andrea ,tafi1 ,florentine  
,painter4   ,just as the works of       

,cimabue excited no small amount of     
wonder in the men of that time1 since he
 introduced a better design and form    
into the art of painting1 whereas they  
had only been accustomed to  see things 
executed on the ,byzantine style1 so the
 mosaics of ,andrea ,tafi1 who was a    
contemporary1 were much admired and even
 considered divine1 for the people of   
that day1 who had not been used to see  
anything different did not think that it
 was possible to produce better works in
 that art4 ,but in truth1 as he was not 
the most capable man in the world1 and  
having reflected that working in mosaic 
was more valued on account of its       
greater durability1 be left ,florence   
for ,venice1 where some ,greek painters 
were working in mosaic at ,s4 ,marco4   
,there he formed a close intimacy with  
them1 and by dint of persuasion1 money1 
and promises he at length contrived to  
bring to ,florence ,master ,apollonio1 a
 ,greek painter1 who taught him how to  
bake the glass of the mosaic1 and how to

 make the cement in which to fix it4    
,with him ,andrea worked at the tribune 
of ,s4 ,giovanni1 doing the upper part  
which contains the ,dominions1          
,principalities1 and ,powers4           
,afterwards when he had gained more     
experience1 he did the ,christ which is 
in the same church above the principal  
chapel as will be related below4 ,but as
 ,i have mentioned ,s4 ,giovanni1 ,i    
will take this opportunity of saying    
that that ancient sanctuary is incrusted
 both within and without with marbles of
 the ,corinthian order1 and not only is 
it perfectly proportioned and finished  
in all its parts1 but most beautifully  
adorned with doors and windows4 ,each   
face is supplied with two columns of    
granite1 #aa braccia high1 forming three
 compartments1 above which are the      
architraves1 which rest on the columns1 
to carry the whole weight of the double 
roof1 which is praised by modern        
architects as a remarkable thing1 and   
justly1 because this church helped to   

demonstrate to ,filippo di ,ser         
,brunellesco1 ,donatello1 and the  other
 masters of their time what             
possibilities there were in that art4   
,they all studied architecture from this
 building and  from the church of ,s4   
,apostolo at ,florence1 a work of such a
 good style that it approaches the true 
antique1 since1 as ,i have said before1 
all the columns are measured and        
arranged with such care that much may be
 learned from a careful examination of  
the entire structure4 ,but ,i will      
refrain from saying more about the good 
architecture of this church1 though much
 might be added to what precedes1 and   
,i will content myself by saying that   
those who rebuilt the marble faade of   
the church of ,s4 ,miniato del ,monte1  
deviated widely from this model and from
 this excellent style4 ,this work was   
carried out in honour of the conversion 
of the blessed ,giovanni ,gualberto1    
citizen of ,florence and founder of the 
congregation of the monks of            

,vallombrosa1 because these and many    
other works erected afterwards are not  
to be compared for excellence to those  
two buildings4 ,the art of sculpture    
experienced a similar fate because all  
the masters of the time who were then   
working in ,italy1 as has been said in  
the preface to the lives1 were very     
rude4 ,this may be seen in many places1 
but especially in ,s4 ,bartolommeo of   
the regular canons at ,pistoia where    
there is a pulpit very rudely executed  
by ,guido da ,como1 containing the      
beginning of the life of ,jesus ,christ1
 with these words inscribed there by the
 artist himself in the year #aaii3      
,sculptor laudatur1 quod doctus in arte 
probatur1        ,guido da ,como me     
cunctis carmine promo4  ,but to return  
to ,s4 ,giovanni1 ,i pass by the history
 of its foundation because that has been
 written by ,giovanni ,villani and other
 authors1 and1 as ,i have already       
remarked that the good architecture in  
use to-day is derived from that         

building1 ,i will now add that1 to judge
 by appearances1 the tribune is of a    
later date4 ,at the time when ,alesso   
,baldovinetti1 succeeding the           
,florentine painter ,lippo1 repaired the
 mosaics it appeared as if it had       
anciently been painted in red1 the      
designs being executed on the stucco4   
,now ,andrea ,tafi and ,apollonius the  
,greek1 in their scheme for the         
decoration of the tribune1 divided it   
into compartments4 ,starting from the   
top of the vault next to the lantern    
these became gradually larger until they
 reached the cornice below4 ,the upper  
part is divided into rings representing 
various subjects4 ,the first contains   
all the ministers and performers of the 
,divine will1 such as the ,angels1      
,archangels1 ,cherubim1 ,seraphim1      
,dominions1 ,principalities1 ,powers4   
,the second1 in which the mosaics are   
executed in the ,byzantine style1 are   
the principal acts of ,god from the     
creation of light to the flood4 ,the    

circle underneath this which descends   
with increased space to the eight faces 
of the tribune contains the history of  
,joseph and his twelve brethren4 ,these 
are followed by other spaces of the same
 size and a like situation containing   
the life of ,jesus ,christ in mosaic    
from the ,conception of ,mary to the    
,ascension4 ,next1 following the same   
order1 under the three friezes1 is the  
life of ,st ,john the ,baptist1         
beginning with the apparition of the    
angel to ,zacharias the priest and      
continuing to ,john's beheading and the 
burial of his body by the disciples4    
,all these things are rude1 without     
design and without art1 and they are no 
advance upon the ,byzantine style of the
 time so that ,i cannot praise them     
absolutely1 though they merit some      
commendation1 when one considers the    
methods in use at the time and the      
imperfect state in which pictorial art  
then was4 ,besides1 the work is sound   
and the pieces of mosaic are very well  

set4 ,in short1 the latter part of the  
work is much better or rather less bad  
than is the beginning1 although the     
whole1 when compared with the works of  
to-day rather excites laughter than     
pleasure or admiration4 ,ultimately     
,andrea made the ,christ1 #g braccia    
high1 for the tribune on the wall of the
 principal chapel1 which may be seen    
there to-day1 and this he did by himself
 without the aid of ,apollonio1 to his  
great glory4 ,having become famous      
throughout ,italy by these works and    
being reputed excellent in his own land1
 he received the richest honours and    
rewards4 ,it was certainly a great good 
fortune for ,andrea to be born at a time
 when only rude works were produced1 so 
that things which should have been      
considered of very slight account or    
even worthless1 were held in reasonable 
repute4 ,the same thing happened to fra 
,jacopo da ,turrita1 of the order of ,st
 ,francis1 who received extraordinary   
rewards for the mosaics which he        

executed for the small choir behind the 
altar of ,s4 ,giovanni1 although they   
deserved little praise1 and he was      
afterwards invited to ,rome as a great  
master1 where he was employed on some   
works in the chapel of the high altar of
 ,s4 ,giovanni ,lateram and in that of  
,s4 ,maria ,maggiore4 ,he was next      
invited to ,pisa1 where he did the      
,evangelists and other things which are 
in the principal tribune of the ,duomo1 
in the same style as the other things   
which he executed1 although he was      
assisted by ,andrea ,tafi and ,gaddo    
,gaddi4 ,these were finished by ,vicino1
 for ,jacopo left them in a very        
imperfect state4 ,the works of these    
masters obtained credit for some time1  
but when the productions of ,andrea1    
,cimabue1 and the rest had to bear      
comparison with those of ,giotto1 as    
will be said when the time comes1 people
 came to recognise in which direction   
perfection in art lay1 for they saw how 
great a difference there was between the

 first manner of ,cimabue and that of   
,giotto in the delineation of figures1 a
 difference equally strongly marked in  
the case of their pupils and imitators4 
,from this time others gradually sought 
to follow in the footsteps of the better
 masters1 surpassing each other more and
 more every day1 so that art rose from  
these humble beginnings to that summit  
of perfection to which it has attained  
to-day4 ,andrea lived eighty-one years  
and died before ,cimabue in #abid4 ,the 
reputation and honour which he won by   
his mosaics1 because it was he who had  
first brought to ,tuscany the better    
manner of executing and who had taught  
it to the men of that province1 led to  
the execution of the excellent works in 
that art by ,gaddo ,gaddi1 ,giotto1 and 
the rest1 which have brought them fame  
and immortality4 ,after ,andrea's death 
his merits were magnified in the        
following inscription3      ,here lies  
,andrea1 who produced graceful and      
beautiful works     ,in all ,tuscany4   

,now he has gone4     ,to adorn the     
realm of the stars4  ,buonamico         
,buffalmacco was a pupil of ,andrea1 and
 played many pranks on him when a youth4
 ,from his master ,buonamico had the    
portraits of ,pope ,celestine ,,iv4 and 
,innocent ,,iv41 both of which he       
afterwards introduced in the paintings  
which he made in ,s4 ,paolo a ,ripa     
d',arno at ,pisa4 ,another pupil was    
,antonio di ,andrea ,tafi1 who may      
possibly have been his son4 ,he was a   
fair painter1 but ,i have not been able 
to find any works by his hand1 and there
 is nothing beyond a bare mention of him
 in the old book of the company of      
artists in design4  ,but ,andrea ,tafi  
deserves a high place among the old     
masters1 because1 although he learned   
the principles of mosaic from the       
craftsman whom he brought from ,venice  
to ,florence1 yet he introduced such    
improvements into the art1 uniting the  
pieces with great care1 and making his  
surfaces as smooth as a table 7a very   

important thing in mosaics71 that he    
prepared the way for ,giotto among      
others1 as will be said in that artist's
 life2 and not for ,giotto alone1 but   
for all those who have since practised  
this branch of pictorial art to our own 
day4 ,thus it may be asserted with      
perfect truth that the marvellous works 
in mosaic1 which are now being carried  
out in ,s4 ,marco1 at ,venice1 owe their
 origin to ,andrea ,tafi4     ,gaddo    
,gaddi1 ,florentine ,painter4   ,gaddo1 
painter of ,florence1 who flourished at 
this same time1 showed more design in   
the works which he produced in the      
,byzantine style1 and which he executed 
with great care1 than did ,andrea ,tafi 
and the other painters who preceded him4
 ,this was possibly due to his close    
friendship and intercourse with         
,cimabue1 for1 whether it was through   
congeniality of disposition or through  
the goodness of their hearts1 they      
became very much attached to each other1
 and their frequent conversations       

together1 and their friendly discussions
 upon the difficulties of the arts1 gave
 rise to many great and beautiful ideas 
in their minds4 ,this came to pass the  
more readily1 because they were aided by
 the quality of the air of ,florence1   
which usually produces ingenious and    
subtle spirits1 and which made them     
strangers to that ruggedness and        
coarseness from which ,nature cannot    
entirely free herself even when assisted
 by the rivalry of the good craftsmen   
and the precepts laid down by them in   
every age4 ,it is1 indeed1 abundantly   
clear that1 when things have been talked
 over in a friendly way1 without any    
reserve of convention1 although this    
rarely happens1 they may be brought to a
 great state of perfection4 ,the same   
remark applies to those who study the   
sciences2 for1 by discussing            
difficulties among themselves when they 
arise1 they remove them1 rendering the  
path so clear and easy1 that the        
greatest glory may be won thereby4 ,but1

 on the other hand1 there are some who1 
with devilish arts1 and led by envy and 
malice1 make profession of friendship   
under the guise of truth and affection1 
give the most pernicious advice1 so that
 the arts do not attain to excellence so
 soon as they do where the minds of     
noble spirits are united by such a bond 
of love as that which drew together     
,gaddo and ,cimabue1 and1 in like       
manner1 ,andrea ,tafi and ,gaddo4 ,it   
was ,andrea who took ,gaddo into his    
companionship to finish the mosaics of  
,s4 ,giovanni4 ,here ,gaddo learned so  
much1 that he was able1 without         
assistance1 to make the prophets1 which 
may be seen round the walls of that     
sanctuary1 in the squares under the     
windows2 and1 as he executed these      
unaided and in a much improved style1   
they brought him great renown4          
,encouraged by this1 he prepared himself
 to work alone1 and devoted himself     
constantly to the study of the          
,byzantine style1 combined with that of 

,cimabue4 ,by such means1 it was not    
long before he became an excellent      
artist2 so that the wardens of ,s4      
,maria del ,fiore entrusted to him the  
semi-circular space within the building 
above the principal entrance1 where he  
introduced a ,coronation of the ,virgin1
 in mosaic4 ,upon its completion1 it was
 pronounced by all the foreign and      
native masters to be the finest work of 
its kind that had yet been seen in      
,italy1 for they recognised that it     
possessed more design and more judgment1
 and displayed the results of more      
study1 than were to be found in all the 
remaining works in mosaic then in       
existence in the peninsula4 ,thus1 his  
fame being spread abroad by this work1  
he was summoned to ,rome  by ,clement   
,v4 in the year #acjh1--that is to say1 
in the year following the great fire1 in
 which the church and palaces of the    
,lateran were destroyed4 ,there he      
completed for the ,pope some works in   
mosaic1 which had been left unfinished  

by ,jacopo da ,turrita4  ,his next work1
 also in mosaic1 was in the church of   
,st ,peter's1 where he executed some    
things in the principal chapel and for  
other parts of the church2 but          
especially a ,god the ,father1 of large 
size with many figures1 which he did for
 the faade4 ,he also assisted in the    
completion of some mosaics on the faade 
of ,s4 ,maria ,maggiore1 somewhat       
improving the style1 and departing      
slightly from the ,byzantine manner1    
which was entirely devoid of merit4 ,on 
his return to ,tuscany1 he did some work
 in mosaic for the ,tarlati1 lords of   
,pietramala1 in the old ,duomo1 outside 
,arezzo1 in a vault entirely constructed
 of spungite4 ,he covered the  middle   
part  of this building with mosaics2 but
 the church fell down in the time of    
,bishop ,gentile  ,urbinate1 because the
 old stone vaulting was too heavy for   
it1 and it was afterwards  rebuilt in   
brick by that bishop4 ,on his departure 
from ,arezzo1 ,gaddo went to ,pisa1     

where he made1 for a niche in the chapel
 of the ,incoronata in the ,duomo1 the  
,ascension of ,our ,lady into ,heaven1  
where ,jesus ,christ is awaiting her1   
with a richly appareled throne for her  
seat4 ,this work was executed so well   
and so carefully for the time1 that it  
is in an excellent state of preservation
 to-day4 ,after this1 ,gaddo returned to
 ,florence1 intending to rest4          
,accordingly he amused himself in making
 some small mosaics1 some of which are  
composed of egg-shells1 with incredible 
diligence and patience1 and a few of    
them1 which are in the church of ,s4    
,giovanni at ,florence1 may still be    
seen4 ,it is related that he made two of
 these for ,king ,robert1 but nothing   
more is known of the matter4 ,this much 
must suffice for the mosaics of ,gaddo  
,gaddi4 ,of pictures he painted a great 
number1 among them that which is on the 
screen of the chapel of the ,minerbetti 
in ,s4 ,maria ,novella1 and many others 
sent to different places in ,tuscany4   

,thus1 by producing now mosaics and now 
paintings1 he executed many very        
tolerable works in both mediums1 which  
will always assure him good credit and  
reputation4 ,there is a great deal more 
which ,i might say about ,gaddo1 but ,i 
will pass it over in silence1 because   
the manner of the painters of those days
 cannot be of great assistance to       
artists2 and ,i shall dwell at greater  
length upon the lives of those who may  
be of some help1 because they introduced
 improvements into the art4  ,gaddo     
lived seventy-three years1 and died in  
#acab4 ,he was honourably buried in ,s4 
,croce by his son ,taddeo4 ,this        
,taddeo1 who had ,giotto for his        
godfather1 was the only one of all      
,gaddo's children who became a painter1 
learning the rudiments of the art from  
his father and the rest from ,giotto4   
,besides ,taddeo1 a ,pisan painter named
 ,vicino was also a pupil of ,gaddo4 ,he
 did some excellent work in mosaic for  
the great tribune of the ,duomo of      

,pisa1 where the following words still  
testify to his authorship3    ,tempore  
,domini ,johannis ,rossi operarii istius
 ecclesi1 ,vicinus    pictor incepit et 
perfecit hanc imaginem ,b4 ,mari1 sed   
,majestatis1    et ,evangelistae per    
alios incept1 ipse complevit et         
perfecit4    ,anno ,domini #acba4 ,de   
mense ,septembris4 ,benedictum sit nomen
 ,domini    ,dei nostri ,jesu ,christi4 
,amen4  ,the portrait of ,gaddo1 by the 
hand of ,taddeo his son1 may be seen in 
the ,baroncelli chapel in the church of 
,s4 ,croce1 where he stands by the side 
of ,andrea ,tafi1 in the marriage of the
 ,virgin4 ,in the book1 which ,i have   
mentioned above1 there is a miniature by
 ,gaddo1 like those of ,cimabue1 and    
which serves to show his ability as a   
draughtsman4  ,now1 because an old book 
from which ,i have extracted these few  
notices about ,gaddo ,gaddi1 speaks of  
the building of the church of ,s4 ,maria
 ,novella in ,florence for the ,friars  
,preachers1 a truly magnificent and     

imposing structure1 ,i will take this   
opportunity of relating the             
circumstances of its erection4 ,while   
,st ,dominic was at ,bologna1 the place 
of ,ripoli outside ,florence was granted
 to him4 ,accordingly he sent twelve    
friars thither under the care of the    
blessed ,giovanni da ,salerno4 ,not many
 years after they came to ,florence1 to 
the church and place of ,s4 ,pancrazio1 
and established themselves there4 ,when 
,dominic himself came to ,florence they 
left it1 and went to stay in the church 
of ,s4 ,paolo1 as he wished them to do4 
,subsequently when the place of ,s4     
,maria ,novella and all its possessions 
were granted to ,blessed ,giovanni by   
the papal legate and by the bishop of   
the city1 they entered into possession  
and began to live in that place on the  
last day of ,october #abba4 ,but as this
 church was rather small1 with a western
 aspect and the entrance on the old     
piazza1 the friars1 who had increased in
 numbers and who were in great credit in

 the city1 began to think of enlarging  
their church and convent4 ,so1 having   
collected a great sum of money1 and many
 people of the city having promised     
every assistance1 they began the        
construction of a new church on ,st     
,luke's day1 #abgh1 when the first stone
 was laid with great ceremony by the    
,cardinal ,latino degli ,orsini1 legate 
of ,pope ,nicholas ,,iii4 to the        
,florentines4 ,the architects of the    
church were fra ,giovanni of ,florence1 
and fra ,ristoro of ,campi1 lay brethren
 of the order1 who had restored the     
ponte alia ,carraia1 and that of ,s4    
,trinita1 after their destruction by the
 flood of ,october #abfd4 ,the greater  
part of the land covered by the church  
and convent was given to the friars by  
the heirs of ,m4 ,jacopo1 de'           
,tornaquinci knight4 ,the cost1 as has  
been said1 was defrayed partly by alms1 
partly by the money of various persons  
who gave assistance readily1 but        
especially by the good offices of friar 

,aldobrandino ,cavalcanti1 who was1     
afterwards bishop of ,arezzo1 and who is
 buried over the gate of the ,virgin4   
,besides other things this friar is said
 to have collected by his industry all  
the labour and materials required for   
the church4 ,it was completed when fra  
,jacopo ,passavanti was prior of the    
convent1 who thus deserved his marble   
tomb which is on the left hand side in  
front of the principal chapel4 ,the     
church was consecrated by ,pope ,martin 
,v4 in the year #adgj1 as appears by an 
inscription on marble on a pillar on the
 right of the principal chapel1 which   
runs3     ,anno ,domini #adbj die       
,septembris1 ,dominus ,martinus divina  
providentia ,papa ,v personaliter hanc  
ecclesiam consecravit1 et    magnas     
indulgentias contulit visitantibus      
eamdem4  ,all these things and many more
 are related in a chronicle of the      
building of this church1 which is in the
 possession of the fathers of ,s4 ,maria
 ,novella1 as well as in the history of 

,giovanni ,villani4 ,i did not wish to  
omit these few particulars1 because the 
church is one of the finest and most    
important in ,florence1 and also because
 it contains many excellent works of the
 most famous artists of a later time1 as
 will be related hereafter4             
,margaritone1 ,painter1 ,sculptor and   
,architect of ,arezzo4   ,among the     
other painters of old time1 in whom the 
well-deserved praise accorded to        
,cimabue and his pupil ,giotto aroused a
 great deal of fear1 for their good     
workmanship in painting was hailed      
throughout ,italy1 was one ,margaritone1
 painter of ,arezzo1 who recognised     
equally well with the others who        
previously occupied the foremost        
positions in painting in that unhappy   
age1 that the work of these two men     
would probably all but obliterate his   
own reputation4 ,margaritone was        
considered excellent among the painters 
of the age who worked in the ,byzantine 
style1 and he did a number of pictures  

in tempera at ,arezzo4 ,he worked in    
fresco also1 painting almost the whole  
of the church of ,s4 ,clemente1 an abbey
 of the order of the ,camaldolites1 but 
these occupied him a long time and cost 
him much trouble4 ,the church is        
entirely destroyed to-day1 together with
 many other buildings1 including a      
strong fortress called ,s4 dementi1     
because the ,duke ,cosimo de' ,medici   
not only here1 but round the whole      
circuit of the city1 pulled down many   
buildings and the old walls which had   
been restored by ,guido ,petramalesco1 a
 former bishop and lord of the city1 in 
order to reconstruct them with curtains 
and bastions much stronger and of less  
circuit than the former ones had been1  
and consequently more easy to defend    
with a smaller number of men4           
,margaritone's pictures in this church  
contained many figures both small and   
great1 and although they were executed  
in the ,byzantine style1 yet they were  
admitted to show evidence of having been

 executed with good judgment and with   
love of art1 as may be inferred from the
 works of this painter which are still  
extant in that city4 ,of these the      
principal is a picture1 now in the      
chapel of the ,conception in ,s4        
,francesco1 representing a ,madonna with
 modern ornamentation1 which is held in 
great veneration by the friars there4   
,in the same church he did a large      
crucifix1 also in the ,byzantine style1 
which is now placed in the chapel where 
the quarters of the superintendent are  
situated4 ,the ,saviour is delineated   
upon the axes of the cross1 and         
,margaritone made many such crucifixes  
in that city4 ,for the nuns of ,s4      
,margherita he painted a work which is  
now placed in the transept of their     
church4 ,this is canvas stretched on a  
panel1 containing subjects from the life
 of ,our ,lady and of ,st ,john the     
,baptist in small figures1 executed in a
 much better style1 and with more       
diligence and grace than the large ones4

 ,this work is noteworthy1 not only     
because the little figures in it are so 
carefully finished that they resemble   
the work of an illuminator1 but because 
it is a wonderful thing that a picture  
on canvas should have lasted three      
hundred years4 ,he did an extraordinary 
number of pictures for all the city1 and
 a ,st ,francis drawn from life at      
,sargiano1 a convent of the bare-footed 
friars4 ,to this he placed his name1    
because he considered that it was more  
than usually well done4 ,he afterwards  
made a large crucifix in wood1 painted  
in the ,byzantine manner1 and sent it to
 ,florence to ,m4 ,farinata degli       
,uberti1 a most famous citizen who1 in  
addition to many other notable exploits1
 had saved his native city from imminent
 danger and ruin4 ,this crucifix is now 
in ,s4 ,croce1 between the chapel of the
 ,peruzzi and that of the ,giugni4 ,in  
,s4 ,domenico1 at ,arezzo1 a church and 
convent built by the lords of           
,pietramela in the year #abge1 as their 

coat of arms proves1 he did many things 
before returning to ,rome1 where he had 
already given great satisfaction to     
,pope ,urban ,,iv4 by doing some things 
in fresco for him in the portico of ,st 
,peter's2 for although in the ,byzantine
 style of the time1 they were not       
without merit4 ,after he had finished a 
,st ,francis at ,ganghereto1 a place    
above ,terranuova in the ,valdarno1 he  
devoted himself to sculpture1 as he was 
of an ambitious spirit1 and he studied  
with such diligence that he succeeded   
much better than he had done in         
painting2 for although his first        
sculptures were in the ,byzantine style1
 as may be seen in four figures in wood 
of a ,deposition from the ,cross in the 
,pieve1 and some other figures in relief
 which are in the chapel of ,st ,francis
 above the baptismal font1 yet he       
adopted a much better manner after he   
had visited ,florence and had seen the  
works of ,arnolfo1 and of the other more
 celebrated sculptors of the time4 ,in  

the year #abge he returned to ,arezzo in
 the suite of ,pope ,gregory1 who passed
 through ,florence on his journey from  
,avignon to ,rome4 ,here an opportunity 
presented itself to make himself better 
known1 for the ,pope died at ,arezzo    
after having given #cj1jjj scudi to the 
,commune wherewith to finish the        
building of the ,vescovado which had    
been begun by ,master ,lapo1 and had    
made but little progress4 ,the ,aretines
 therefore ordained that the chapel of  
,st ,gregory should be made in memory of
 the ,pope in the ,vescovado1 in which  
,margaritone afterwards placed a        
picture1 and in addition that           
,margaritone should make a marble tomb  
for the ,pope in the ,vescovado4 ,he set
 to work upon the task and brought it to
 such a successful completion1          
introducing the ,pope's portrait from   
life both in marble and in painting1    
that it was considered to be the best   
work which he had ever produced4        
,margaritone then set to work to        

complete the ,vescovado1 following the  
design of ,lapo1 and he displayed great 
activity2 but he did not complete it1   
for a few years later1 in #abhi1 war    
broke out again between the ,florentines
 and ,aretines1 through the fault of    
,guglielmo ,ubertini1 bishop and lord of
 ,arezzo1 aided by the ,tarlati of      
,pietramela and by the ,pazzi of ,val   
d',arno1 when all the money left by the 
,pope for the building of the ,vescovado
 was expended upon the war1 while evil  
befell the leaders1 who were routed and 
slain at ,campaldino4 ,the ,aretines    
then ordained that the tolls paid by the
 surrounding country1 called a dazio1   
should be set aside for the use of the  
building1 and this toll has lasted to   
our own day4 ,to return to ,margaritone1
 he seems to have been the first1 so far
 as one can judge by his works1 who     
thought it necessary to take            
precautions1 when painting on wood1 that
 the joints should be secure1 so that no
 cracks or fissures should appear after 

the completion of the painting1 and it  
was his practice to cover the panel     
completely with canvas1 fastened on by a
 strong glue made of shreds of parchment
 and boiled in the fire2 he then treated
 the surface with gypsum1 as may be seen
 in many of his own pictures and in     
those of others4 ,over the gypsum1 thus 
mixed with the glue1 he made lines and  
diadems and other rounded ornaments in  
relief2 and it was he who invented the  
method of grounding in bol-ar-moniac1 on
 which he laid gold leaf which he       
afterwards burnished4 ,all these things 
which had never been seen before may be 
noticed in his works1 especially in an  
antependium in the ,pieve of ,arezzo1   
which contains scenes from the life of  
,st ,donate1 and also in ,s4 ,agnesa and
 ,s4 ,niccolo in the same city4         
,margaritone produced many works in his 
own country which were sent out of it1  
part of which were at ,rome in ,s4      
,giovanni and in ,st ,peter's1 and some 
at ,s4 ,caterina at ,pisa1 where there  

is a ,st ,catherine of his over an altar
 in the transept1 containing many small 
figures in a representation of her life1
 and also a panel of ,st ,francis with  
many subjects from his life1 on a gold  
ground4 ,in the upper church of ,s4     
,francesco at ,assisi is a crucifix by  
his hand painted in the ,byzantine      
style1 on a beam which spans the church4
 ,all these works were greatly prized by
 the people of the time1 although they  
are not valued to-day1 except as being  
curious on account of their age2 indeed 
they could only be considered good in an
 age when art was not at its zenith1 as 
it is to-day4 ,margaritone also paid    
some attention to architecture1 although
 ,i have not mentioned any things made  
from his designs because they are of    
slight importance4 ,however1 ,i must not
 forget to say that he designed the     
palace of the governors of the city of  
,ancona1 as ,i have found1 in #abgj1 in 
the ,byzantine style2 and what is more1 
he carved in sculpture eight windows for

 the faade1 each of which has two       
columns in the middle1 which support two
 arches4 ,over each window is a         
representation in half relief1 occupying
 the space between the arches and the   
top of the window1 of an ,old ,testament
 subject1 carved in a species of stone  
found in the country4 ,under the windows
 and on the faade are some letters1 the 
purport of which must be conjectured1 so
 badly are they done1 which give the    
date and time at which the work was     
executed4 ,the design of the church of  
,s4 ,ciriaco at ,ancona was also by his 
hand4 ,margaritone died at the age of   
seventy-seven1 regretting1 it is said1  
that he had lived long enough to see the
 changes of the age and the honours     
accorded to the new artists4 ,he was    
buried in the old ,duomo of ,arezzo1 in 
a tomb of ,travertine1 which has been   
destroyed in our own time by the        
demolition of that church4 ,the         
following epitaph was written for him3  
,hic jacet ille bonus pictura           

,margaritonus1        ,cui requiem      
,dominus tradat uhique plus4            
,margaritone's portrait was in the old  
,duomo by the hand of ,spinello1 in the 
,adoration of the ,magi1 and was copied 
by me before the church was pulled down4
     ,giotto1 ,painter1 ,sculptor1 and  
,architect of ,florence4   ,the debt    
which painters owe to ,nature1 which    
serves continually as an example to     
them1 that from her they may select the 
best and finest parts for reproduction  
and imitation1 is due also to the       
,florentine painter1 ,giotto2 because1  
when the methods and outlines of good   
painting had been buried for so many    
years under the ruins caused by war1 he 
alone1 although born in the midst of    
unskilful artists1 was able1 through    
,god's gift in him1 to endow art with a 
proper form after it had been revived in
 a bad style4 ,certainly it was nothing 
short of a miracle1 in so gross and     
unskilful an age1 that ,giotto should   
have worked to such purpose that design 

of which the men of the time had little 
or no conception1 was revived to a      
vigorous life by his means4 ,the birth  
of this great man took place in the year
 #abgf1 fourteen miles from ,florence1  
in the town of ,vespignano1 his father1 
who was a simple field labourer1 being  
named ,bondone4 ,he brought up ,giotto  
as well as his position in life allowed4
 ,when the boy had attained the age of  
ten years he exhibited1 in all his      
childish ways1 an extraordinary         
quickness and readiness of mind1 which  
made him a favourite1 not only with his 
father1 but with all who knew him1 both 
in the village and beyond it4 ,bondone  
then set him to watch a few sheep1 and  
while he was following these from place 
to place to find pasture1 he was always 
drawing something from nature or        
representing the fancies which came into
 his head1 with a stone on the ground or
 on sand1 so much was he attracted to   
the art of design by his natural        
inclination4 ,thus one day when ,cimabue

 was going on some business from        
,florence to ,vespignano1 he came upon  
,giotto1 who1 while his sheep were      
grazing1 was drawing one of them from   
life with a pointed piece of stone upon 
a smooth surface of rock1 although he   
had never had any master but nature4    
,cimabue stopped in amazement at the    
sight1 and asked the boy if he would    
like to come and stay with him4 ,giotto 
replied he would go willingly if his    
father would consent4 ,cimabue lost no  
time in finding ,bondone1 who joyfully  
consented and allowed his son to        
accompany ,cimabue to ,florence4 ,after 
his arrival there1 assisted by his      
natural talent and taught by ,cimabue1  
the boy not only equalled his master's  
style in a short time1 but became such a
 good imitator of nature that he        
entirely abandoned the rude ,byzantine  
manner and revived the modern and good  
style of painting1 introducing the      
practice of making good portraits of    
living persons1 a thing which had not   

been in use for more than two hundred   
years4 ,and although there were some few
 portraits made in this manner1 as has  
been said above1 yet they had not been  
very successful1 nor were they nearly so
 well executed as those of ,giotto4     
,among other portraits which he made1   
the chapel of the ,podesta palace at    
,florence still contains that of ,dante 
,aligheri1 his close companion and      
friend1 no less famous as a poet than   
,giotto then was as a painter4 ,this    
poet has been warmly praised by ,m4     
,giovanni ,boccaccio in the introduction
 to the story of ,m4 ,forese da         
,rabatta4 ,in this same chapel ,giotto  
has also painted his own portrait as    
well as those of ,ser ,brunetto ,latini1
 ,dante's master1 and ,m4 ,corso        
,donati1 a famous citizen of the time4  
,giotto's first paintings were in the   
chapel of the high altar of the ,badia  
at ,florence1 in which he made a number 
of things which were considered         
beautiful1 but especially an            

,annunciation4 ,in this he has          
represented with extraordinary truth the
 fear and astonishment of the ,virgin   
,mary at the salutation of ,gabriel1    
who1 in her terror seems ready to run   
away4 ,the picture of the high altar in 
the same chapel is also by ,giotto's    
hand1 and it has continued to retain its
 position there1 rather because of a    
certain reverence which is felt for the 
work of such a man than for any other   
reason4 ,in ,s4 ,croce there are four   
chapels decorated by his hand1 three    
between the sacristy and the principal  
chapel1 and one on the other side4 ,in  
the first of these1 that of ,m4 ,ridolfo
 de' ,bardi1 in which the bell ropes    
hang1 is the life of ,st ,francis1 at   
whose death a number of friars exhibit  
the effect of weeping with considerable 
fidelity to nature4 ,in the second1     
which is that of the family of the      
,peruzzi1 are two subjects from the life
 of ,st ,john the ,baptist1 to whom the 
chapel is dedicated4 ,here is a very    

life-like representation of the dancing 
of ,herodias1 and of the promptitude    
with which some servants are performing 
the service of the table4 ,in the same  
chapel are two miracles of ,st ,john the
 ,evangelist1 the one representing the  
raising of ,drusiana1 the other his     
being caught up into ,heaven4 ,the third
 chapel1 that of the ,giugni and        
dedicated to the ,apostles1 contains    
representations by ,giotto of the       
martyrdom of many of them4 ,in the      
fourth1 that of the ,tosinghi and       
,spinelli1 which is on the north side of
 the church and is dedicated to the     
,assumption of ,our ,lady1 ,giotto      
painted the ,nativity of the ,virgin1   
her marriage1 the ,annunciation1 the    
adoration of the ,magi1 and the         
presentation of the ,christ child to    
,simeon4 ,this last is a most beautiful 
thing1 for not only is the warmest love 
depicted in the face of the old man as  
he receives the ,christ1 but the action 
of the child1 who is afraid of him and  

stretches out his arms to return to his 
mother1 could not be represented with   
more tenderness or greater beauty4 ,in  
the ,death of ,our ,lady the ,apostles  
are represented with a number of very   
beautiful angels4 ,the ,baroncelli      
chapel in the same church contains a    
painting in tempera by ,giotto's hand1  
in which he has represented with great  
care the coronation of ,our ,lady4 ,it  
contains a very large number of small   
figures and a choir of angels and       
saints1 produced with great diligence4  
,on this work he has written his name   
and the date in gold letters4 ,artists  
who reflect that at this time ,giotto   
was laying the foundations of the proper
 method of design and of colouring1     
unaided by the advantages of seeing the 
light of the good style1 will be        
compelled to hold him in the highest    
veneration4 ,in the same church of ,s4  
,croce there are in addition a crucifix 
above the marble tomb of ,carlo         
,marzuppini of ,arezzo1 ,our ,lady with 

,st ,john and the ,magdalene at the foot
 of the cross1 and opposite on the other
 side of the building an ,annunciation  
towards the high altar over the tomb of 
,lionardo ,aretino1 which has been      
restored by modern artists with great   
lack of judgment4 ,in the refectory he  
has done the history of ,st ,louis1 a   
,last ,supper1 and a ,tree of the       
,cross1 while the presses of the        
sacristy are decorated with some scenes 
from the lives of ,christ and of ,st    
,francis in small figures4 ,at the      
church of the ,carmine in the chapel of 
,st ,john the ,baptist he represented   
the whole of that saint's life in       
several pictures2 and in the ,palazzo   
della parte ,guelfa at ,florence there  
is the history of the ,christian faith  
painted admirably by him in fresco1 and 
containing the portrait of ,pope        
,clement ,,iv41 who founded that        
monastery to which he gave his arms1    
retained by them ever since4  ,after    
these works ,giotto set out from        

,florence for ,assisi in order to finish
 what ,cimabue had begun there4 ,on his 
way through ,arezzo he painted the      
chapel of ,st ,francis1 which is above  
the baptistery in the ,pieve there1 and 
a ,st ,francis and a ,st ,dominic1      
portraits from life1 on a round pillar  
near to a most beautiful antique        
,corinthian capital4 ,in the ,duomo     
outside ,arezzo he decorated the        
interior of a large chapel with the     
,stoning of ,st ,stephen1 an admirable  
composition of figures4 ,on completing  
these things he proceeded to ,assisi1 a 
city of ,umbria1 whither he was summoned
 by fra ,giovanni di ,muro della ,marca1
 at that time general of the friars of  
,st ,francis4 ,in the upper church of   
this town he painted a series of        
thirty-two frescoes of the life of ,st  
,francis1 under the corridor which      
traverses the windows1 sixteen on each  
side1 with such perfection that he      
acquired the highest reputation thereby4
 ,in truth the work exhibits great      

variety1 not only in the postures of the
 different figures1 but in the          
composition of each subject1 besides    
which it is very interesting to see the 
various costumes of those times and     
certain imitations and observations of  
,nature4 ,one of the most beautiful of  
these represents a thirsty man1 whose   
desire for water is represented in the  
most lively manner as he kneels on the  
ground to drink from a spring1 with such
 wonderful reality that one might       
imagine him to be a real person4 ,there 
are many other things most worthy of    
notice into which ,i will not enter now1
 because ,i do not wish to be tedious4  
,let it suffice to say that by these    
works ,giotto acquired the highest      
reputation for the excellence of his    
figures1 for his arrangement1 sense of  
proportion1 fidelity to ,nature1 and his
 innate facility which he had greatly   
increased by study1 while in addition to
 this he never failed to express his    
meaning clearly4 ,giotto indeed was not 

so much the pupil of any human master as
 of ,nature herself1 for in addition to 
his splendid natural gifts1 he studied  
,nature diligently1 arid was always     
contriving new things and borrowing     
ideas from her4  ,when these works were 
completed ,giotto painted in the lower  
church of the same place the upper part 
of the walls beside the high altar1 and 
all four angles of the vaulting over the
 spot where the body of ,st ,francis    
lies1 the whole displaying his beautiful
 and inventive imagination4 ,the first  
contains ,st ,francis glorified in      
,heaven1 surrounded by those ,virtues   
which are required of those who wish to 
be perfect in the sight of ,god4 ,on the
 one side ,obedience puts a yoke on the 
neck of a friar who kneels before her1  
the bands of which are drawn by hands to
 ,heaven4 ,with one finger on her mouth 
she signifies silence1 and her eyes are 
turned towards ,jesus ,christ1 who is   
shedding blood from his side4 ,beside   
her are ,prudence and ,humility to show 

that where true obedience exists1 there 
also will be humility and prudence1     
causing everything to prosper4 ,in the  
second angle is ,chastity1 who will not 
allow herself to be won by the kingdoms1
 crowns1 or palms which are being       
offered to her4 ,at her feet stands     
,purity who is washing the naked1 while 
,fortitude is bringing others to be     
washed and cleansed4 ,on one side of    
,chastity is ,penitence1 chasing a      
winged ,love with the cord of discipline
 and putting to flight ,uncleanness4    
,poverty occupies the third space1      
treading on thorns with her bare feet2  
behind her barks a dog1 while a boy is  
throwing stones at her and another is   
pushing thorns into her legs with a     
stick4 ,poverty here is espoused by ,st 
,francis1 while ,jesus ,christ holds her
 hand in the mystical presence of ,hope 
and ,chastity4 ,in the fourth and last  
of these places is a ,st ,francis in    
glory1 clothed in the white tunic of a  
deacon1 in triumph and surrounded by a  

multitude of angels who form a choir    
about him and hold a banner on which are
 a cross and seven stars1 while over all
 is the ,holy ,spirit4 ,in each of these
 angles are some ,latin words           
explanatory of the subject4 ,besides    
these four angles the paintings on the  
side walls are most beautiful1 and      
deserve to be highly valued both for the
 perfection which they exhibit and      
because they were produced with such    
skill that they are in an excellent     
state of preservation to-day4 ,these    
paintings contain an excellent portrait 
of ,giotto himself1 and over the door of
 the sacristy is a fresco by his hand of
 ,st ,francis receiving the stigmata1 so
 full of tenderness and devotion that it
 seems to me to be the most excellent   
painting that ,giotto has produced here1
 though all are really beautiful and    
worthy of praise4  ,when ,s4 ,francesco 
was at length finished ,giotto returned 
to ,florence1 where he painted with     
extraordinary care1 a picture of ,st    

,francis in the fearful desert of       
,vernia1 to be sent to ,pisa4 ,besides a
 landscape full of trees and rocks1 a   
new thing in those days1 the attitude of
 the saint1 who is receiving the        
stigmata on his knees with great        
eagerness1 exhibits an ardent desire to 
receive them and an infinite love       
towards ,jesus ,christ1 who is in the   
air surrounded by seraphim granting them
 to him1 the varied emotions being all  
represented in the most telling manner  
imaginable4 ,the predella of the picture
 contains three finely executed subjects
 from the life of the same saint4 ,the  
work may now be seen in ,s4 ,francesco  
at ,pisa1 on a pillar beside the high   
altar1 where it is held in high         
veneration in memory of so great a man4 
,it led the ,pisans1 on the completion  
of their ,campo ,santo from the plan of 
,giovanni di ,niccola ,pisano1 as       
already related1 to entrust to ,giotto  
the painting of a part of the walls4    
,for as the exterior of the walls was   

incrusted with marble and sculptures at 
a great cost1 the roof being of lead1   
and the interior filled with antique    
sarcophagi and tombs of ,pagan times1   
gathered together in that city from all 
parts of the world1 the ,pisans wished  
the walls to be decorated with a series 
of noble paintings4 ,accordingly ,giotto
 went to ,pisa1 and beginning at the end
 of one of the walls of the ,campo      
,santo he depicted the life of the      
patient ,job in six frescoes4 ,now it   
occurred to him that the marbles of the 
part of the building in which he was at 
work were turned towards the sea1 and   
being exposed to the south-east wind1   
they are always moist and throw out a   
certain saltness1 as do nearly all the  
bricks of ,pisa1 and because the colours
 and paintings are eaten away by these  
causes1 and as he wished to protect his 
work from destruction as far as         
possible1 he prepared a coating for the 
whole of the surface on which he        
proposed to paint his frescoes1 which   

consisted of a plaster or incrusture    
made up of lime1 chalk and brick-dust4  
,this device has proved so successful1  
that the paintings which he subsequently
 executed on this surface1 have endured 
to this day1 and they would have stood  
better had not the neglect of those who 
should have taken care of them1 allowed 
them to be much damaged by the damp4    
,the want of attention to this detail1  
which would have involved little        
trouble1 has caused the pictures to     
suffer a great deal in some places where
 the damp has converted the crimsons    
into black and caused the plaster to    
fall off4 ,besides this it is the nature
 of chalk when mixed with lime to become
 corroded and to peel1 whence it happens
 that the colours are destroyed1        
although they may originally appear to  
take well4 ,these frescoes contain the  
portrait of ,m4 ,farinata degli ,uberti1
 besides many fine figures1 among which 
one may remark some countrymen1 who in  
bringing the sad news to ,job1 exhibit  

the utmost sorrow for the lost animals  
and the other misfortunes4 ,there is    
also much grace in the figure of a      
servant1 who with a fan of branches     
stands near the bowed figure of ,job1   
abandoned by everyone else1 for in      
addition to the figure being well       
executed in every particular1 his       
attitude is wonderful1 as with one hand 
he drives away the flies from his       
leprous and noisome master1 and holds   
his nose with the other with disgust1 to
 escape the smell4 ,very fine also are  
the other figures of these pictures and 
the heads of both men and women1 and the
 delicate treatment of the drapery1 so  
that it is small wonder that the work   
brought ,giotto such renown in that city
 and elsewhere2 that ,pope ,benedict    
,,ix41 who was proposing to decorate ,st
 ,peter's with some paintings1 sent a   
courtier from ,treviso to ,tuscany1 to  
see what manner of man ,giotto was1 and 
to report on the quality of his work4   
,on the way the courtier learned that   

there were other excellent masters in   
painting and mosaic in ,florence1 and he
 interviewed a number of artists at     
,siena4 ,when he had received designs   
from these1 he proceeded to ,florence4  
,entering ,giotto's shop one morning1 as
 he was at work1 the envoy explained to 
him the ,pope's intention1 and the      
manner in which he wished to make use of
 his work1 and finally asked ,giotto for
 some small specimen of work to send to 
,his ,holiness4 ,giotto1 who was always 
courteous1 took a sheet of paper and a  
red pencil1 pressed his arm to his side 
to make a compass of it1 and then with a
 turn of his hand1 produced a circle so 
perfect in every particular that it was 
a marvel to see4 ,this done1 he turned  
smiling to the courtier and said3 ,here 
is the design4 ,the latter1 who thought 
he was joking1 said3 ,am ,i to have no  
other design but this8 ,it is enough and
 more than enough1 replied ,giotto2 send
 it in with the others and you will see 
if it is recognised4 ,the messenger     

perceived that he would obtain nothing  
else1 and left in a state of            
considerable dissatisfaction1 imagining 
that he had been laughed at4 ,however1  
when he sent in the other designs with  
the names of their authors1 he included 
that of ,giotto1 and related how the    
artist had executed it without moving   
his arm and without compasses4 ,from    
this the ,pope and all the courtiers    
present recognised to what an extent    
,giotto surpassed all the other painters
 of the time in excellence4 ,when the   
story became public it gave rise to a   
saying which is still used for people of
 dull wits3 ,you are more round 7tondo7 
than ,giotto's ,o4 ,this proverb        
deserves to be considered a good one1   
not only from the circumstances out of  
which it arose1 but much more for its   
meaning1 which is due to the two-fold   
significance of the word tondo in       
,tuscany1 that of a perfect circle1 and 
slowness and heaviness of mind4         
,accordingly the ,pope sent for ,giotto 

to ,rome1 where he received him with    
great honour1 and recognised his worth4 
,he caused him to paint for the tribune 
of ,st ,peter's five subjects from the  
life of ,christ1 and the principal      
picture for the sacristy1 all of which  
were executed with great care1 nothing  
in tempera ever leaving his hands before
 it was perfectly finished2 thus he     
richly deserved the reward of #fjj gold 
ducats which the delighted ,pope gave to
 him1 bestowing many other favours upon 
him1 so that it became the talk of all  
,italy4  ,as ,i do not wish to omit a   
memorable circumstance concerning art1  
,i will notice here that there happened 
to be in ,rome at this time a great     
friend of ,giotto named ,oderigi        
d',aggobbio1 an excellent illuminator of
 the day1 who adorned many books for the
 ,pope for the palace library1 though   
they are now mostly destroyed by time4  
,in my own book of old designs there are
 some remnants by his hand1 and he      
certainly was a clever artist4 ,but a   

much better master than he was ,francis1
 an illuminator of ,bologna1 who did    
some very fair things for the ,pope for 
the same library at that very time1 in a
 like style1 as may be seen in my book1 
where ,i have some designs by his hand1 
both for painting and illuminations1    
among them an eagle1 excellently done1  
and a fine lion tearing up a tree4      
,these two excellent illuminators are   
referred to by ,dante in the passage on 
the vainglorious in the eleventh chapter
 of the ,purgatorio1 in these lines3    
,oh1 dissi lui1 non se' tu ,oderisi     
,l'onor d',aggobbio e l'onor di quell'  
arte            ,ch' alluminare  chimata
 in ,parisi8            ,frate1 diss'   
egli1 pi ridon le carte1            ,che
 pennelleggia ,franco ,bolognese        
,l'onor  tutto or suo1 e mio in parte4  
,when the ,pope had seen these works he 
was so enchanted by ,giotto's style that
 he commissioned him to surround the    
walls of ,st ,peter's with scenes from  
the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,giotto  

therefore began these1 and painted the  
fresco of the angle1 seven braccia high1
 which is above the organ1 and many     
other paintings1 of which some have been
 restored by other artists in our own   
day1 and some have been either destroyed
 or carried away from the old building  
of ,st ,peter's during the founding of  
the new walls and set under the organ4  
,among these was a representation of    
,our ,lady on a wall4 ,in order that it 
might not be thrown down with the rest1 
it was cut out1 supported by beams and  
iron1 and so taken away4 ,on account of 
its great beauty1 it was afterwards     
built into a place selected by the      
devotion of ,m4 ,niccolo ,acciancoli1 a 
,florentine doctor enthusiastic over the
 excellent things of art1 who has richly
 adorned it with stucco and other modern
 paintings4 ,giotto is also the author  
of the mosaic known as the ,navicella1  
which is over the three doors of the    
portico in the courtyard of ,st         
,peter's4 ,this is a truly marvellous   

work1 well deserving its high reputation
 among all persons of taste4 ,in        
addition to its excellent design1 the   
apostles are admirably disposed1 toiling
 in different ways in the midst of the  
tempest1 while the winds fill the sail1 
which bellies out exactly like a real   
one2 and yet it is a difficult task so  
to unite those pieces of glass to form  
the light and shade of so real a sail1  
which1 even with the brush1 could only  
be equalled by a great effort4 ,besides 
all this1 there is a fisherman who is   
standing on a rock and fishing with a   
line1 whose attitude is expressive of   
the extreme patience proper to that art1
 while his face betrays his hope and    
desire to catch something4 ,beneath the 
,navicella are three small arches       
painted in fresco1 but as they are      
almost entirely effaced1 ,i will say no 
more about them4 ,all artists1 however1 
unite in praise of these works4  ,at    
last1 when ,giotto had painted a large  
crucifix in tempera in the ,minerva1 a  

church of the ,friars ,preachers1 which 
was then much admired1 he returned to   
his own country1 from which he had been 
absent for six years4 ,but soon after   
,pope ,clement ,v4 was elected at       
,perugia1 on the death of ,pope         
,benedict ,,ix41 and ,giotto was obliged
 to accompany the new pontiff to his    
court at ,avignon to execute some works 
there4 ,thus1 not only in ,avignon1 but 
in several other places of ,france1 he  
painted many very beautiful frescoes and
 pictures1 which greatly delighted the  
,pope and all his court4 ,when he at    
length received his dismissal1 he was   
sent away kindly with many gifts1 so    
that he returned1 home no less rich than
 honoured and famous4 ,among other      
things which he brought away with him   
was the ,pope's portrait1 which he      
afterwards gave to ,taddeo ,gaddi1 his  
pupil4 ,the date of this return to      
,florence was the year #acaf4 ,but he   
was not long permitted to remain in     
,florence1 as he was invited to ,padua  

to do some work for the lords della     
,scala1 for whom he painted a beautiful 
chapel in the ,santo1 a church built in 
those times4 ,he thence proceeded to    
,verona1 where he did some pictures for 
the palace of ,messer ,cane1            
particularly the portrait of that lord1 
and a picture for the friars of ,s4     
,francesco4 ,on the completion of these 
things he was detained at ,ferrara1 on  
his way back to ,tuscany1 to paint for  
the lords of ,esti in their palace and  
,s4 ,agostino some things which may be  
seen there to this day4 ,when the news  
of ,giotto's presence at ,ferrara       
reached the ,florentine poet ,dante1 he 
succeeded in inducing his friend to     
visit ,ravenna1 where the poet was      
exiled1 and caused him to paint some    
frescoes about the church of ,s4        
,francesco for the lords of ,polenta1   
which are of considerable merit4 ,from  
,ravenna ,giotto proceeded to ,urbino1  
and did a few things there4 ,afterwards 
he happened to be passing through       

,arezzo1 and being unable to refuse a   
favour to ,piero ,saccone1 who had been 
very kind to him1 he executed in fresco1
 on a pillar of the principal chapel of 
the ,vescovado1 a ,st ,martin1 who is   
cutting his mantle in two and giving    
part of it to a beggar who is all but   
naked4 ,then1 when he had painted in    
tempera a large crucifix in wood for the
 ,abbey of ,s4 ,fiore1 which is now in  
the middle of that church1 he at length 
reached ,florence4 ,here1 among many    
other things1 he painted some pictures  
in fresco and tempera for the ,nunnery  
of ,faenza1 which no longer exist owing 
to the destruction of that house4  ,in  
#acba occurred the death of ,giotto's   
dearest friend ,dante1 to his great     
grief2 and in the following year he went
 to ,lucca1 where1 at the request of    
,castruccio1 then lord of that city1 his
 birthplace1 he made a picture of ,st   
,martin1 with ,christ above in the air1 
and the four patron saints of the       
city--,st ,peter1 ,st ,regulus1 ,st     

,martin1 and ,st ,paulinus--who seem to 
be presenting a pope and an emperor1    
believed by many to be ,frederick of    
,bavaria and the anti-,pope ,nicholas   
,v4 ,there are also some who believe    
that ,giotto designed the impregnable   
fortress of the ,giusta at ,s4 ,fridiano
 at ,lucca4 ,when ,giotto had returned  
to ,florence1 ,king ,robert of ,naples  
wrote to his eldest son ,charles1 ,king 
of ,calabria1 who was then in that city1
 to use every means to induce the       
painter to go to ,naples1 where the king
 had just completed the building of the 
,nunnery of ,s4 ,chiara and the royal   
church1 which he wished to have         
decorated with noble paintings4 ,when   
,giotto learned that he was wanted by so
 popular and famous a king1 he departed 
to serve him with the greatest alacrity1
 and on his arrival he painted many     
scenes from the ,old and ,new           
,testaments in some chapels of the      
monastery4 ,it is said that the scenes  
from the ,apocalypse which he made in   

one of those chapels were suggested by  
,dante1 as also perchance were some of  
the much-admired works at ,assisi1 of   
which ,i have already spoken at length2 
and although ,dante was dead at this    
time1 it is possible that they had      
talked over these things1 as friends    
frequently do4 ,to return to ,naples1   
,giotto did many works in the ,castel   
dell' ,uovo1 especially in the chapel1  
which greatly delighted the king1 who   
became so fond of him that he often came
 to talk with the artist while he was at
 work1 and took delight in seeing him at
 work and in listening to his           
conversation4 ,giotto1 who always had a 
jest ready or some sharp retort1        
entertained the king with his hand in   
painting and with his tongue by his     
pleasant discourse4 ,thus it once       
happened that the king told him it was  
his intention to make him the first man 
in ,naples1 to which ,giotto replied3   
,no doubt that is why ,i am lodged at   
the ,porta ,reale to be the first man in

 ,naples4 ,another day the king said to 
him3 ,giotto1 if ,i were you1 this hot  
day1 ,i would leave off painting for a  
while4 ,he answered3 ,so ,i should1     
certainly1 if ,i were you4 ,being thus  
on very friendly terms with the king1 he
 painted a good number of pictures for  
him in the chamber which ,king ,alfonso 
,i4 pulled down to make the castle1 and 
also in the ,incoronata1 and among those
 in the chamber were the portraits of   
many famous men1 ,giotto among the      
number4 ,one day1 by some caprice1 the  
king asked ,giotto to paint his kingdom4
 ,it is said that ,giotto painted for   
him a saddled ass1 with another new     
saddle at its feet at which it was      
sniffing1 as if he wished for it in     
place of the one he had on4 ,on each    
saddle were the royal crown and the     
sceptre of power4 ,when the king asked  
,giotto for the meaning of this picture1
 he replied3 ,such are your subjects and
 such is the kingdom1 where every day   
they are wanting to change their master4

  ,on his departure from ,naples for    
,rome1 ,giotto stayed at ,gaeta1 where  
he was constrained to paint some        
subjects from the ,new ,testament in the
 ,nunziata1 which have suffered from the
 ravages of time1 but not to such an    
extent that it is not possible to       
distinguish a portrait of ,giotto       
himself near a large crucifix of great  
beauty4 ,this done1 he remained a few   
days at ,rome1 in the service of the    
,signor ,malatesta1 whom he could not   
refuse this favour1 and then he went on 
to ,rimini1 of which city ,malatesta was
 lord1 and there in the church of ,s4   
,francesco he painted a large number of 
pictures1 which were afterwards         
destroyed by ,gismondo1 son of ,pandolfo
 ,malatesta1 who rebuilt the whole of   
that church4 ,in the cloister of the    
same church1 towards the church front1  
he painted in fresco the life of the    
,blessed ,michelina1 which ranks with   
the best things which he ever did1 on   
account of the many fine things which he

 took into consideration in executing   
it1 for1 quite apart from the beauty of 
the drapery and the grace and vigour of 
the heads1 which are truly marvellous1  
there is a young woman of the most      
exquisite beauty1 who in order to free  
herself from an accusation of adultery1 
takes a most solemn oath upon a book1   
keeping her eyes fixed on those of her  
husband1 who has made her swear because 
his suspicions had been aroused by her  
giving birth to a black son1 whom he    
could not be persuaded to acknowledge as
 his own4 ,just as the husband shows his
 anger and mistrust in his face1 so his 
wife betrays1 to those who look         
carefully at her1 her innocence and     
simplicity1 by the trouble in her face  
and eyes1 and the wrong which is done to
 her in making her swear and in         
proclaiming her publicly as an          
adulteress4 ,giotto has also expressed  
with great realism a man afflicted with 
sores1 as all the women who are about   
him1 disgusted by the stench1 turn away 

with various contortions in the most    
graceful manner imaginable4 ,then again 
the foreshortening in a picture         
containing a number of lame beggars is  
highly praiseworthy1 and should be much 
prized by artists1 since it is from     
these works that the origin of          
foreshortening is derived2 and when it  
is remembered that they are the first1  
they must be considered very tolerable  
achievements4 ,but the most remarkable  
thing of all in this series is the      
action of the saint with regard to      
certain usurers who are paying her the  
money realised by the sale of her       
possessions1 which she intends to give  
to the poor4 ,her face displays contempt
 for money and other earthly things1    
which she seems to abhor1 while the     
usurers are the very picture of human   
avarice and greed4 ,similarly the face  
of one who is counting the money1 which 
he appears to be communicating to the   
notary who is writing1 is very fine1 for
 although his eyes are turned towards   

the notary1 yet he keeps his hand over  
the money1 thus betraying his greed1    
avarice1 and mistrust4 ,also the three  
figures in the air representing         
,obedience1 ,patience1 and ,poverty1 who
 are holding up the habit of ,st        
,francis1 are worthy of the highest     
praise1 chiefly on account of the       
natural folds of the drapery1 showing   
that ,giotto was born to throw light on 
the art of painting4 ,finally he has    
introduced into this work a portrait of 
the ,signor ,malatesta in a ship1 which 
is most life-like2 and his excellence is
 also displayed in the vigour1          
disposition1 and posture of the sailors 
and other people1 particularly of one   
figure who is speaking with others and  
putting his hand to his face spits into 
the sea4 ,certainly these things may be 
classed among the very best works in    
painting produced by the master1        
because1 in spite of the large number of
 figures1 there is not one which is not 
produced with the most consummate art1  

being at the same time exhibited in an  
attractive posture4 ,accordingly there  
is small need for wonder that the       
,signor ,malatesta loaded him with      
rewards and praise4 ,when ,giotto had   
completed his works for this ,signor1 he
 did a ,st ,thomas ,aquinas reading to  
his brethren for the outside of the     
church door of ,s4 ,cataldo at ,rimini  
at the request of the prior1 who was a  
,florentine4 ,having set out thence he  
returned to ,ravenna1 where he executed 
a much admired painting in fresco in a  
chapel of ,s4 ,giovanni ,evangelista4   
,when he next returned to ,florence1    
laden with honours and riches1 he made a
 large wooden crucifix in tempera for   
,s4 ,marco1 of more than life-size1 with
 a gold ground1 and it was put on the   
right-hand side of the church4 ,he made 
another like it for ,s4 ,maria ,novella1
 in which his pupil ,puccio ,capanna    
collaborated with him4 ,this is now over
 the principal entrance to the church1  
on the right-hand side1 above the tomb  

of the ,gaddi4 ,for the same church he  
made a ,st ,louis1 for ,paolo di ,lotto 
,ardinghelli1 with portraits of the     
donor and his wife at the saint's feet4 
,this picture is placed on the screen4  
,in the following year1 #acbg1 occurred 
the death of ,guido ,tarlati da         
,pietramala1 bishop and lord of ,arezzo1
 at ,massa di ,maremma1 on his return   
from ,lucca1 where he had been visiting 
the ,emperor4 ,his body was brought to  
,arezzo1 where it received the honour of
 a stately funeral1 and ,pietro ,saccone
 and ,dolfo da ,pietramala1 the bishop's
 brother1 determined to erect a marble  
tomb which should be worthy of the      
greatness of such a man1 who had been   
both spiritual and temporal lord and the
 leader of the ,ghibelline party in     
,tuscany4 ,accordingly they wrote to    
,giotto1 desiring him to design a very  
rich tomb1 as ornate as possible2 and   
when they had supplied him with the     
necessary measurements1 they asked him  
to send them at once the man who was1 in

 his opinion1 the most excellent        
sculptor then living in ,italy1 for they
 relied entirely upon his judgment4     
,giotto1 who was very courteous1        
prepared the design and sent it to them1
 and from it the tomb was made1 as will 
be said in the proper place4 ,now       
,pietro ,saccone was a great admirer of 
,giotto's worth1 and when1 not long     
after1 he took the ,borgo a ,s4         
,sepolero1 he brought from that place to
 ,arezzo a picture by the artist's hand1
 of small figures1 which was afterwards 
broken into fragments2 but ,baccio      
,gondi1 a ,florentine of gentle birth1 a
 lover of the noble arts and of every   
kind of virtue1 made a diligent search  
for the pieces of this picture when he  
was commissioner at ,arezzo1 and        
succeeded in finding some4 ,he brought  
them to ,florence1 where he holds them  
in great veneration1 as well as some    
other things in his possession1 also by 
,giotto1 who produced so much that an   
enumeration of all his works would      

excite incredulity4 ,it is not many     
years since that ,i happened to be at   
the hermitage of ,camaldoli1 where ,i   
have done a number of things for the    
fathers1 and in a cell to which ,i was  
taken by the ,very ,rev4 ,don ,antonio  
da ,pisa1 then general of the           
congregation of ,camaldoli1 ,i saw a    
very beautiful crucifix1 on a gold      
ground1 by ,giotto1 with his signature4 
,i am informed by the ,rev4 ,don        
,silvano ,razza1 a ,camaldolian monk1   
that this crucifix is now in the cell of
 the principal1 where it is treasured   
for its author's sake as a most precious
 thing1 together with a very beautiful  
little picture by the hand of ,raphael  
of ,urbino4  ,for the ,umiliati brethren
 of ,ognissanti at ,florence ,giotto    
painted a chapel and four pictures1 one 
of them representing ,our ,lady         
surrounded by a number of angels1 with  
the child at her neck1 on a large       
crucifix of wood1 the design of which   
was subsequently copied by ,puccio      

,capanna1 and reproduced in every part  
of ,italy1 for he closely followed      
,giotto's style4 ,when this work of the 
,lives was printed for the first time1  
the screen of that church contained a   
picture painted in tempera by ,giotto1  
representing the death of ,our ,lady1   
surrounded by the apostles1 while       
,christ receives her soul into ,his     
arms4 ,the work has been much praised by
 artists1 and especially by             
,michelagnolo ,buonarotti who declared1 
as is related elsewhere1 that it was not
 possible to represent this scene in a  
more realistic manner4 ,this picture1   
being as ,i say held in great esteem1   
has been carried away since the         
publication of the first edition of this
 work1 by one who may possibly have     
acted from love of art and reverence for
 the work1 which may have seemed then to
 be too little valued1 and who thus from
 motives of pity showed himself         
pitiless1 as our poet says4 ,it is      
certainly a marvel that ,giotto should  

have produced such beautiful paintings  
in those times1 especially when it is   
considered that he may in a certain     
sense be said to have learned the art   
without a master4  ,after these things1 
in the year #accd1 on the ninth day of  
,july1 he began work on the campanile of
 ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore1 the foundations 
of which were laid on a surface of large
 stones1 after the ground had been dug  
out to a depth of #bj braccia1 the      
materials excavated being water and     
gravel4 ,on this surface he laid #ab    
braccia of concrete1 the remaining #h   
braccia being filled up with masonry4   
,in the inauguration of this work the   
bishop of the city took part1 laying the
 first stone with great ceremonial in   
the presence of all the clergy and      
magistrates4 ,as the work was proceeding
 on its original plan1 which was in the 
,german style in use at the time1       
,giotto designed all the subjects       
comprised in the ornamentation1 and     
marked out with great care the          

distribution of the black1 white1 and   
red colours in the arrangement of the   
stones and lines4 ,the circuit of the   
tower at the base was #ajj braccia1 or  
#be braccia on each side1 and the height
 #add braccia4 ,if what ,lorenzo di     
,cione ,giberti has written be true1 and
 ,i most firmly believe it1 ,giotto not 
only made the model of this campanile1  
but also executed some of the marble    
sculptures in relief1 which represent   
the origin of all the arts4 ,lorenzo    
asserts that he had seen models in      
relief by the hand of ,giotto1 and      
particularly those of these works1 and  
this may readily be credited1 since     
design and invention are the father and 
mother of all the fine arts1 and not of 
one only4 ,according to ,giotto's model1
 the campanile should have received a   
pointed top or quadrangular pyramid over
 the existing structure1 #ej braccia in 
height1 but because it was a ,german    
thing1 and in an old-fashioned style1   
modern architects have always           

discountenanced its construction1       
considering the building to be better as
 it is4 ,for all these things ,giotto   
received the citizenship of ,florence1  
in addition to a pension of one hundred 
gold florins yearly from the ,commune of
 ,florence1 a great thing in those days4
 ,he was also appointed director of the 
work which was carried on after him by  
,taddeo ,gaddi1 as he did not live long 
enough to see its completion4  ,while   
the campanile was in progress1 ,giotto  
made a picture for the nuns of ,s4      
,giorgio1 and three half-length figures 
in the ,badia of ,florence1 in an arch  
over the doorway inside1 now whitewashed
 over to lighten the church4 ,in the    
great hall of the podesta at ,florence1 
he painted a representation of the      
,commune1 which has been appropriated by
 many people4 ,the figure represents a  
judge1 seated with a sceptre in his     
hand1 over whose head are the scales1   
equally poised to indicate the just     
measures meted out by him1 while he is  

assisted by four ,virtues1 ,fortitude   
with the soul1 ,prudence with the laws1 
,justice with arms1 and ,temperance with
 words2 a fine painting1 and an         
appropriate and plausible idea4  ,giotto
 made a second visit to ,padua1 where   
besides painting a number of chapels and
 other things1 he executed a famous     
series of pictures in the place of the  
,arena1 which brought him much honour   
and profit4 ,in ,milan also he left a   
few things which are scattered about the
 city1 and which are considered very    
beautiful to this day4 ,at length1      
shortly after his return from ,milan1 he
 rendered his soul to ,god in the year  
#accf1 to the great grief of all his    
fellow-citizens1 and of all those who   
had known him or even heard his name1   
for he had produced so many beautiful   
works in his life1 and was as good a    
,christian as he was an excellent       
painter4 ,he was buried with honour1 as 
his worth deserved1 for in his life he  
was beloved by everyone1 and especially 

by distinguished men of every           
profession4 ,besides ,dante1 of whom we 
have spoken above1 he and his works were
 highly esteemed by ,petrarch1 who in   
his will left to ,signor ,francesco da  
,carrara1 lord of ,padua1 among other   
things which were held in the greatest  
veneration1 a ,madonna by ,giotto's     
hand1 as a rare thing1 and the gift most
 worthy to be offered to him4 ,the words
 of this part of the will ran           
thus3--,transeo ad dispositionem aliarum
 rerum2 et predicto igitur domino meo   
,paduano1 quia et ipse per ,dei gratiam 
nan eget1 et ego nihil aliud habeo      
dignum se1 mitto tabulam meam sive      
historiam ,beat ,vlrginis ,mariae1      
operis ,jocti pictoris egregii1 qu mihi 
ab amico meo ,michaele ,vannis de       
,florentia missa est1 in cujus          
pulchritudinem ignorantes non           
intelligunt1 magistri autem artis       
stupent3 hanc iconem ipsi domino lego1  
ut ipsa  ,virgo benedicta sibi sit      
propitia apud filium suum ,jesum        

,christum1 c4 ,it was ,petrarch also who
 said the following words in the fifth  
book of his ,familiari written  to his  
intimate friends3 ,atquc 7ut a veteribus
 ad nova1 ab externis ad nostra         
transgrediar7 duos ego  novi pictores   
egregios1 nec formosos1 ,jottum         
,florentinorum civem1 cujus inter       
modernos fama urgens est1 et ,simonem   
,sanensem4 ,novi scultores aliquot1 c4  
,giotto was buried in ,s4 ,maria del    
,fiore1 on the left hand as one enters  
the church1 where a white marble slab is
 set up to the memory of this great man4
 ,as ,i remarked in the life of         
,cimabue1 a contemporary commentator of 
,dante said3 ,giotto was1 and is the    
chief among the painters in that same   
city of ,florence1 as his works in      
,rome1 ,naples1 ,avignon1 ,florence1    
,padua1 and many other parts of the     
world testify4  ,giotto's pupils were   
,taddeo ,gaddi1 his godson as ,i  have  
already said1 and ,puccio ,capanna1 a   
,florentine1 who painted for the        

,dominican church of ,s4 ,cataldo at    
,rimini a most perfect fresco           
representing a ship apparently about to 
sink1 while the men are throwing their  
goods into the water4 ,puccio has here  
portrayed himself in the midst of the   
sailors4 ,after ,giotto's death1 the    
same artist painted a number of things  
in the church of ,s4 ,francesco at      
,assisi1 and for the chapel of the      
,strozzi1 beside the door on the river  
front of the church of ,trinita he did  
in fresco a coronation of the ,virgin   
with a choir of angels1 in which he     
followed ,giotto's style rather closely1
 while on the side walls are some very  
well executed scenes from the life of   
,st ,lucy4 ,in the ,badia of ,florence  
he painted the chapel of ,s4 ,giovanni  
,evangelista of the family of the       
,covoni1 which is next to the sacristy4 
,at ,pistoia he did frescoes in the     
principal chapel of ,s4 ,francesco1 and 
the chapel of ,s4 ,ludovico1 with scenes
 from the lives of the patron saints1   

which are very tolerable productions4   
,in the middle of the church of ,s4     
,domenico in the same city is a crucifix
 with a ,madonna and ,st ,john1 executed
 with much softness1 and at the feet an 
entire human skeleton1 an unusual thing 
at that time1 which shows that ,puccio  
had made efforts to understand the      
principles of his art4 ,this work       
contains his name1 written after this   
fashion3 ,puccio di ,fiorenza me ,fece4 
,in the same church1 in the tympanum    
above the door of ,s4 ,maria ,nuova are 
three half-length figures1--,our ,lady1 
with the ,child on her arm1 ,st ,peter  
on the one side and ,st ,francis on the 
other1 by the same artist4 ,in the lower
 church of ,s4 ,francesco at ,assisi he 
further painted in fresco some scenes   
from the passion of ,jesus ,christ1 with
 considerable skill and much vigour1 and
 in the chapel of ,s4 ,maria degli      
,angeli of that church he executed in   
fresco a ,christ in glory1 with the     
,virgin1 who is interceding with ,him   

for ,christian people1 a work of        
considerable merit1 but much smoked by  
the lamps and candles which are always  
burning there in great quantity4 ,in    
truth1 so far as one can judge1 although
 ,puccio adopted the style and methods  
of his master ,giotto1 yet he did not   
make sufficient use of them in his      
works1 although1 as some assert1 he did 
not live long1 but sickened and died    
through working too much in fresco4 ,his
 hand may also be recognised in the     
chapel of ,st ,martin in the same       
church1 in the history of the saint1    
done in fresco for the ,cardinal        
,gentile4 ,in the middle of a street    
called ,portica may also be seen a      
,christ at the ,column1 and a picture of
 ,our ,lady between ,st ,catherine and  
,st ,clare4 ,his works are scattered    
about in many other places1 such as     
,bologna1 where there is a picture of   
the passion of ,christ in the transept  
of the church1 and scenes from the life 
of ,st ,francis1 besides other things   

which ,i omit for the sake of brevity4  
,but at ,assisi1 where the majority of  
his works are1 and where ,i believe he  
helped ,giotto to paint1 ,i found that  
they consider him to be a               
fellow-citizen1 and there are some      
members of the family of the ,capanni in
 that city to this day4 ,from this we   
may gather that he was born in          
,florence1 since he himself wrote that  
he was a pupil of ,giotto1 but that he  
took his wife from ,assisi1 and had     
children there1 whose descendants still 
inhabit the town4 ,but this matter is of
 very slight importance1 and it is      
enough to know that he was a skilful    
master4 ,another pupil of ,giotto1 and a
 very skilful painter was ,ottaviano da 
,faenza1 who painted many things in  ,s4
 ,giorgio at ,ferrara1 a convent of the 
monks of ,monte ,oliveto4 ,in ,faenza1  
where he lived and died1 he painted in  
the tympanum above the door of ,s4      
,francesco1 ,our ,lady and ,st ,peter   
and ,st ,paul1 and many other things in 

his own country and at ,bologna4        
,another pupil was ,pace di ,faenza1 who
 was often with his master1 and helped  
him in many things4 ,at ,bologna there  
are some scenes in fresco by his hand on
 the outside front of ,s4 ,giovanni     
,decollato4 ,this ,pace was a clever    
artist1 especially in painting small    
figures1 as may be seen to-day in the   
church of ,s4 ,francesco at ,forli1 in a
 tree of the cross and in a panel in    
tempera containing the life of ,christ1 
and four small subjects from the life of
 ,our ,lady1 which are all very well    
executed4 ,it is said that he executed  
in fresco for the chapel of ,st ,anthony
 at ,assisi1 some scenes from the life  
of that saint for a duke of ,spoleto1   
who is buried there with a son4 ,these  
two princes had been killed while       
fighting in the suburbs of ,assisi1 as  
may be seen by a long inscription on the
 sarcophagus of their tomb4 ,the old    
book of the company of painters records 
that one ,francesco1 called of ,master  

,giotto1 was another pupil of the       
master1 but ,i know nothing more about  
him4  ,yet another pupil of ,giotto was 
,guglielmo da ,forli1 who1 besides many 
other works1 painted the chapel of the  
high altar for ,s4 ,domenico at ,forli1 
his native place4 ,other pupils were    
,pietro ,laureati1 ,simone ,memmi of    
,siena1 ,stefano of ,florence1 and      
,pietro ,cavallini of ,rome4 ,but as ,i 
intend to deal fully with these in their
 lives1 ,i shall content myself here    
with simply saying that they were pupils
 of ,giotto4 ,that the master drew      
extremely well for his day may be seen  
on a number of parchments containing    
some water colours1 pen and ink         
drawings1 chiaroscuros with the lights  
in white1 by his hand1 in our book of   
designs1 which are truly marvellous when
 compared with those of the masters who 
preceded him1 and afford a good example 
of his style4  ,as has been said1       
,giotto was a very witty and pleasant   
person1 very ready in speech1 many of   

his sayings being still fresh in the    
memory of his fellow-citizens4 ,besides 
the one related by ,m4 ,giovanni        
,boccaccio1 several very good stories   
are told by ,franco ,sacchetti in his   
,three ,hundred ,tales4 ,i give one in  
the author's own words1 because it      
contains many expressions and phrases   
characteristic of the time4 ,the rubric 
of this one runs3 ,giotto1 the great    
painter1 is requested by a person of low
 birth to paint his buckler4 ,making a  
jest of the matter1 he paints it so as  
to cover the applicant with confusion4  
,,tale ,,lxiii4  ,every one must have   
heard of ,giotto1 and how as a painter  
he surpassed all others4 ,his fame came 
to the ears of a rude artizan1 who1     
having to do service in some castle1    
wanted his buckler painted4 ,accordingly
 he presented himself abruptly at       
,giotto's workshop1 with a man to carry 
the buckler behind him4 ,he found       
,giotto in1 and began3 ,god save thee1  
,master1 ,i want to have my arms painted

 on this buckler4 ,giotto took stock of 
the man and his manners1 but he said    
nothing except ,when do you want it1 and
 the man told him4 ,leave it to me1 said
 ,giotto1 and the man departed4 ,when   
,giotto was alone he reflected3 ,what is
 the meaning of this8 ,has someone sent 
him here to play a trick on me8 ,be that
 as it may1 no one has ever before      
brought me a buckler to paint4 ,and the 
fellow who brought it is a simple       
creature1 and asks me to paint his arms 
as if he was of the royal house of      
,france4 ,decidedly ,i shall have to    
make him some new arms4 ,reflecting thus
 with himself he sat down before the    
buckler1 and having designed what he    
thought proper1 he called a pupil and   
told him to complete the painting of it1
 which he accordingly did4 ,the painting
 represented a light helmet1 a gorget1 a
 pair of arm pieces1 a pair of iron     
gauntlets1 a pair of cuirasses1 a pair  
of cuisses and gambadoes1 a sword1 a    
knife1 and a lance4 ,when the worthy man

 returned1 who knew nothing of all this1
 he came up and said3 ,master1 is the   
buckler finished4 ,oh yes1 said ,giotto1
 go you and bring it here4 ,when it     
arrived this gentleman by proxy looked  
hard at it and said to ,giotto3 ,what   
rubbish have you painted here8 ,will you
 think it rubbish to pay for it8 said   
,giotto4 ,i won't pay you four deniers1 
said the man4 ,what did you ask me to   
paint8 asked ,giotto4 ,my arms1 replied 
the man4 ,well1 said ,giotto1 are they  
not here1 are any wanting8 ,that is  so1
 said the man4 ,a plague on you1 said   
,giotto1 you must needs be very simple4 
,if anyone asked you who you were you   
would be at a loss to tell him1 and yet 
you come here and say1 'paint me my     
arms4' ,if you had been one of the      
,bardi1 well and good1 but what arms do 
you bear8 ,where do you come from8 ,who 
were your ancestors8 ,begin at least by 
coming into the world before you talk of
 arms as if you were the ,dusnam of     
,bavaria4 ,i have represented all your  

arms on the buckler1 and if you have any
 more tell me and ,i will have them     
painted4 ,you have given me rough words1
 said the man1 and spoilt my buckler4   
,he then departed to the justice1 and   
procured a summons against ,giotto4 ,the
 latter appeared1 and on his side issued
 a summons against the man for two      
florins1 as the price of the painting4  
,when the magistrates had heard the     
arguments1 which were much better       
advanced on ,giotto's side1 they        
adjudged that the man should take away  
his buckler1 and give six lire to       
,giotto1 because he was in the right4   
,accordingly the rustic took his        
buckler1 paid the money1 and was allowed
 to go4 ,thus this man1 who did not know
 his place1 had it pointed out to him1  
and may this befall all such fellows who
 wish to have arms and found houses1 and
 whose antecedents have often been      
picked up at the foundling hospitals6   
,it is said that while ,giotto was still
 a boy1 and with ,cimabue1 he once      

painted a fly on the nose of a figure   
which ,cimabue had made1 so naturally   
that when his master turned round to go 
on with his work1 he more than once     
attempted to drive the fly away with his
 hand1 believing it to be real1 before  
he became aware of his mistake4 ,i could
 tell many more of ,giotto's practical  
jokes1 and relate many of his sharp     
retorts1 but ,i wish to confine myself  
to the things which concern the arts1   
and ,i must leave the rest to ,franco   
and the others4  ,in conclusion1 in     
order that ,giotto should not be without
 a memorial1 in addition to the works   
which came from his hand1 and to the    
notices left by the writers of his day1 
since it was he who found once again the
 true method of painting1 which had been
 lost many years before his time1 it was
 decreed by public order that his bust  
in marble1 executed by ,benedetto da    
,maiano1 an ,excellent sculptor1 should 
be placed in ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore4     
,this was due to the activity and zeal  

displayed by ,lorenzo dei ,medici1 the  
,magnificent1 the elder1 who greatly    
admired ,giotto's talents4 ,the         
following verses by that divine man1    
,messer ,angelo ,poliziano1 were        
inscribed on the monument1 so that all  
men who excelled in any profession      
whatever1 might hope to earn such a     
memorial1 which ,giotto1 for his part1  
had most richly deserved and earned3    
,ille ego sum1 per quem pictura extincta
 revixit1      ,cui quam recta manus4   
tam fuit et facilis4      ,naturae      
deerat nostrae1 quod defait arti3       
,plus licuit nulli pingere1 nec melius4 
,miraris turrim egregiam sacro aere     
sonantem8      ,haec quoque de modulo   
crevit ad astra meo4      ,denique sum  
,jottus1 quid opus fuit illa referre8   
,hoc nomen longi carminis instar erit4  
,and in order that those who come after 
may see by ,giotto's own designs the    
nature of the excellence of this great  
man1 there are some magnificent         
specimens in my book1 which ,i have     

collected with great care as well as    
with much trouble and expense4          
,agostino and ,agnolo1 ,sculptors and   
,architects of ,siena4   ,among the     
others who worked in the school of the  
sculptors ,giovanni and ,niccola ,pisani
 were ,agostino and ,agnolo1 sculptors  
of ,siena1 whose lives we are now       
writing1 and who achieved great success 
according to the standard of the time4  
,i have discovered that their father and
 mother were both ,sienese1 and their   
antecedents were architects1 for the    
,fontebranda was completed by them in   
the year #aaij1 under the government of 
the three ,consols1 and in the following
 year they founded the ,custom ,house   
and other buildings of ,siena1 under the
 same consulship4 ,indeed it is often   
seen that where the seeds of talent have
 existed for a long time they often     
germinate and put forth shoots so that  
they afterwards produce greater and     
better fruit than the first plants had  
done4 ,thus ,agostino and ,agnolo added 

many improvements to the style of       
,giovanni and ,niccola ,pisani1 and     
enriched art with better designs and    
inventions1 as their works clearly show4
 ,it is said that when ,giovanni ,pisano
 returned to ,pisa from ,naples in the  
year #abhd1 he stopped at ,siena to     
design and found the faade of the       
,duomo1 where the three principal doors 
are1 so that it should be entirely      
adorned with marble4 ,it was then that  
,agostino1 who was not more than fifteen
 years of age at the time1 associated   
with him in order to study sculpture1 of
 which he had learned the first         
principles1 being no less attracted by  
that art than by architecture4 ,under   
,giovanni's instruction and by means of 
unremitting study he surpassed all his  
fellow-pupils in design1 grace and      
style1 so that everyone remarked that he
 was his master's right eye4 ,and       
because it is natural to desire for     
those whom one loves beyond all other   
gifts of nature1 mind or fortune1 that  

quality of worth which alone renders men
 great and noble in this life and       
blessed in the next1 ,agostino took     
advantage of ,giovanni's presence to    
secure the same advantages for his      
younger brother ,agnolo2 nor was if very
 difficult to do so1 for the practice   
already enjoyed by ,agnolo with         
,agostino and the other sculptors1 and  
the honour and benefits which he        
perceived could be gained from this art1
 had so inflamed him with a desire to   
take up the study of sculpture1 that he 
had already made a few things in secret 
before the idea had occurred to         
,agostino4 ,the elder brother was       
engaged with ,giovanni in making the    
marble reliefs for the high altar of the
 ,vescovado of ,arezzo1 which has been  
mentioned above1 and he succeeded in    
securing the co-operation of ,agnolo in 
that work1 who did so well1 that when it
 was completed1 it was found that he had
 surpassed ,agostino in excellence4     
,when this became known to ,giovanni1 he

 employed both brothers in many other   
works undertaken by him subsequently in 
,pistoia1 ,pisa1 and other places4 ,and 
because ,agostino practised architecture
 as well as sculpture1 it was not long  
before he designed a palace in          
,malborghetto for the ,nine who then    
ruled in ,siena1 that is to say1 in the 
year #acjh4 ,the execution of this work 
won the brothers such a reputation in   
their native place1 that1 when they     
returned to ,siena after the death of   
,giovanni1 they were both appointed     
architects of the ,state1 so that in the
 year #acag the north front of the      
,duomo was made under their direction1  
and in #acba the building of the wall of
 the porta ,romana1 then known as the   
porta ,s4 ,martino1 was begun from their
 plans in its present style1 being      
finished in #acbf4 ,they restored the   
,tufi ,gate1 originally called the ,gate
 of ,s4 ,agata all ,arco1 and in the    
same year the church and convent of ,s4 
,francesco were begun from their design1

 in the presence of the cardinal of     
,gaeta1 the papal legate4 ,not long     
afterwards ,agostino and ,agnolo were   
invited by means of some of the ,tolomei
 who were staying in exile at ,orvieto1 
to make some sculptures for the work of 
,s4 ,maria in that city4 ,going thither 
they made in sculpture some prophets    
which are now on the faade1 and are the 
finest and best proportioned parts of   
that celebrated work4 ,now in the year  
#acbf it chanced that ,giotto was       
summoned to ,naples by means of         
,charles1 ,duke of ,calabria1 who was   
then staying in ,florence1 to do some   
things in ,s4 ,chiara and other places  
there for ,king ,robert1 as has been    
related in that master's life4 ,on his  
way to ,naples ,giotto stopped at       
,orvieto to see the work which had been 
executed there and which was still being
 carried on by so many men1 wishing to  
examine everything minutely4 ,but the   
prophets of ,agostino and ,agnolo of    
,siena pleased him more than all the    

other sculptures1 from which            
circumstance it arose that ,giotto not  
only commended them1 but counted them   
among the number of his friends1 to     
their great delight1 and further        
recommended them to ,piero ,saccone of  
,pietramala1 as the best sculptors of   
the day1 and the best fitted to make the
 tomb of ,guido1 the lord and bishop of 
,arezzo1 a matter referred to in the    
life of ,giotto4 ,thus the fact that    
,giotto had seen the work of many       
sculptors at ,orvieto and had considered
 that of ,agostino and ,agnolo of ,siena
 to be the best1 gave rise to their     
being commissioned to make this tomb    
after his designs and in accordance with
 the model which he had sent to ,piero  
,saccone4 ,they finished the tomb in the
 space of four years1 conducting the    
work with great care1 and they set it up
 in the chapel of the ,sacrament in the 
church of the ,vescovado of ,arezzo4    
,above the sarcophagus1 which rests on  
brackets carved in a really admirable   

manner1 is stretched the form of the    
bishop1 in marble1 while at the side are
 some angels drawing curtains1 done with
 considerable skill4 ,twelve square     
panels contain scenes of the life and   
acts of the bishop in an infinite number
 of small figures carved in half-relief4
 ,i do not think it too much trouble to 
relate the subjects of these scenes1 so 
that it may appear with what labour they
 were executed1 and how these sculptors 
endeavoured to discover the good style  
by study4  ,the first shows how the     
bishop1 aided by the ,ghibelline party  
of ,milan1 who sent him #djj masons and 
money1 entirely rebuilt the wall of     
,arezzo1 lengthening it more than it had
 previously been so that it took the    
shape of a galley4 ,the second is the   
taking of ,lucignano di ,valdichiana2   
the third1 that of ,chiusi2 the fourth1 
that of ,fronzoli1 a strong castle of   
that time above ,poppi1 held by the sons
 of the count of ,battifolle4 ,the fifth
 contains the final surrender to the    

bishop of the castle of ,rondine1 after 
it had been besieged by the ,aretines   
for many months4 ,the sixth is the      
capture of the castle del ,bucine in    
,valdarno4 ,the seventh contains the    
storming of the ,rocca di ,caprese1     
which belonged to the ,count of ,romena1
 after it had been besieged for several 
months4 ,in the eighth the bishop is    
dismantling the castle of ,laterino1 and
 causing the hill which rises above it  
to be cut in form of a cross1 so that it
 should not be possible to make another 
fortress there4 ,the ninth represents   
the destruction and burning of ,monte   
,sansavino and the driving out of all   
the inhabitants4 ,the eleventh contains 
the bishop's coronation1 with a number  
of richly dressed  soldiers1 both horse 
and foot1 and of other people4 ,the     
twelfth and last represents the bishop  
being carried by his men from           
,montenero1 where he fell sick1 to      
,massa1 and thence1 after his death1 to 
,arezzo4 ,in many places about the tomb 

are the ,ghibelline insignia and the    
bishop's arms1 which are six-squared    
stones or on a field azure1 following   
the same arrangements as the six balls  
in the arms of the ,medici4 ,these arms 
of the bishop's house were described by 
friar ,guittone1 knight and poet of     
,arezzo1 when he wrote of the site of   
the castle of ,pietramala1 whence the   
family derived its origin1 in the lines3
          ,dove si scontra il ,giglion  
con la ,chiassa         ,ivi furon i    
miei antecessori1         ,che in campo 
azzurro d'or portan sei sassa4  ,agnolo 
and ,agostino displayed more art1       
invention1 and diligence in this work   
than had ever been employed on anything 
before their time4 ,and indeed they     
deserve the highest praise1 having      
introduced into it so many figures1 such
 a variety of landscapes1 places1 towns1
 horses1 men1 and other things1 that it 
is a veritable marvel4 ,and although the
 tomb has been almost entirely destroyed
 by the ,french of the ,duke of ,anjou1 

who sacked the greater part of the city 
in revenge for some injuries received by
 them from their enemies1 yet it is     
still clear that it was executed with   
the most excellent judgment by ,agostino
 and ,agnolo1 who carved on it in rather
 large letters3 ,hoc opus fecit magister
 ,augustinus et magister ,angelus de    
,senis4 ,in #acbi they did a marble     
bas-relief for the church of ,s4        
,francesco at ,bologna1 which is in a   
very fair manner1 and besides the       
carved ornamentation1 which is very     
fine1 they introduced figures a braccia 
and a half high1 of ,christ crowning    
,our ,lady1 with three similar figures  
on either side1 ,st ,francis1 ,st       
,james1 ,st ,domenic1 ,st ,anthony of   
,padua1 ,st ,petronio1 and ,st ,john the
 ,evangelist1 and under each of these   
figures is carved in bas-relief a scene 
from the life of the saint above4 ,all  
these scenes contain a great number of  
half-length figures1 which make a rich  
and  beautiful ornamentation after the  

manner of those times4 ,it is very      
apparent that ,agostino and ,agnolo     
threw an immense amount of labour into  
this work1 and that they applied all    
their care and knowledge to make it     
worthy of praise1 as it truly was1 and  
even now when it is half destroyed1 it  
is possible to read their names and the 
date1 by means of which and of a        
knowledge of the time when they began   
it1 one may see that they spent eight   
whole years upon it1 although it is true
 that at the  same  time they made many 
other small things in different places  
for various persons4  ,now while they   
were at work at ,bologna1 that city gave
 itself freely to the ,church1 through  
the mediation of the papal legate1 and  
the ,pope in return promised that he and
 his court would go to live at ,bologna1
 but that for his security he wished to 
build a castle or fortress there4 ,this 
was granted by the ,bolognese1 and the  
castle was quickly built under the      
direction and from the design of        

,agostino and ,agnolo2 but it had a very
 short life1 for when the ,bolognese    
discovered that all the promises made by
 the ,pope were vain1 they dismantled   
and destroyed it much more quickly than 
it had been made4  ,it is said that     
while these two sculptors were staying  
at ,bologna1 the ,po impetuously burst  
its banks1 doing incredible damage to   
the territories of ,mantua and ,ferrara1
 causing the death of more than ten     
thousand persons1 and wasting the       
country for miles around4 ,being clever 
and worthy men1 the assistance of       
,agostino and ,agnolo was requested1 and
 they succeeded in finding means of     
reducing that terrible river to its bed1
 and of confining it there with ditches 
and other effective remedies4 ,this     
brought them much praise and benefit1   
for besides the fame which they acquired
 thereby1 their services were           
acknowledged by the lords of ,mantua and
 by the house of ,este with most liberal
 rewards4  ,when they next returned to  

,siena in the year #acch1 the new church
 of ,s4 ,maria1 near the old ,duomo1    
towards the piazza ,manetti1 was made   
under their direction from their design1
 and not long after1 the ,sienese1 who  
were greatly pleased with all the works 
which they executed for them1 decided to
 seize this excellent opportunity of    
carrying into effect a plan which they  
had long discussed1 but till then       
without any result1 namely1 the erection
 of a public fountain on the principal  
piazza opposite the palace of the       
,signoria4 ,the charge of this          
undertaking was entrusted to ,agostino  
and ,agnolo1 and although it was a      
matter of great difficulty they brought 
water to the fountain by pipes made of  
lead and earth1 and the first jet of    
water was thrown up on #ast ,june #acdc1
 to the great delight and contentment of
 all the city1 which on this account was
 under a great obligation to the talent 
of these two citizens4 ,at the same time
 the hall of the greater council was    

made in the ,palazzo del ,pubblico1 and 
the same artists directed and designed  
the building of the tower of that       
palace1 which they completed in the year
 #acdd1 hanging two great bells on it1  
one of which came from ,grosseto1 while 
the other was made at ,siena4 ,in the   
course of time ,agnolo arrived at       
,assisi1 where he made a chapel in the  
lower church of ,s4 ,francesco1 and a   
marble tomb for a brother of ,napoleone 
,orsini1 a cardinal and a ,franciscan   
friar1 who had died in that place4      
,agostino1 who had remained at ,siena in
 the service of the ,state1 died while  
he was engaged upon the designs for the 
ornamentation of the piazza fountain1   
mentioned above1 and was buried in the  
,duomo with honour4 ,i have not been    
able to discover how or when ,agnolo    
died1 so that ,i can say nothing about  
it1 nor do ,i know of any other works of
 importance by his hand1 and so this is 
the end of their lives4 ,it would1      
however1 be an error1 as ,i am following

 a ,chronological order1 not to make    
mention of some1 who1 although they have
 not done things which would justify a  
narration of their whole life1 have     
nevertheless in some measure added      
things of utility and beauty to art and 
to the world4 ,therefore in connection  
with the mention made above of the      
,vescovado and ,pieve of ,arezzo1 let me
 here relate that ,pietro and ,paolo1   
goldsmiths of ,arezzo1 who learned      
design from ,agnolo and ,agostino of    
,siena1 were the first who executed     
great works of any excellence with the  
chisel2 for they made for the head      
priest of the ,pieve of ,arezzo a silver
 head of life-size1 in which was put the
 head of ,st ,donato1 bishop and        
protector of that city1 a work which was
 certainly praiseworthy1 if only because
 they introduced into it some figures in
 enamel1 which were1 as ,i have said1   
among the first things executed with the
 chisel4  ,about the same time1 or      
shortly before1 the art of the ,calimara

 at ,florence1 entrusted to ,master     
,cione1 an excellent goldsmith1 the     
greater part1 if not the whole1 of the  
silver altar of ,s4 ,giovanni ,batista1 
which contains many scenes from the life
 of that saint1 engraved in a very      
creditable manner on a silver plate4    
,this work1 on account of its           
dimensions1 and the novelty of its      
execution1 was considered marvellous by 
everyone who saw it4 ,the same ,master  
,cione1 in #accj1 when the body of ,st  
,zenobius was found under the vaults of 
,st ,reparata1 placed in a silver head  
of life-size1 the piece of the head of  
that saint which is still preserved     
therein1 and is carried in procession4  
,this head was considered a most        
beautiful thing at the time1 and brought
 much reputation to the artist1 who died
 soon after1 a wealthy man1 and held in 
high esteem4  ,master ,cione left many  
pupils1 and among others1 ,forzore di   
,spinello of ,arezzo1 who did all manner
 of engraving excellently1 but was      

especially good in making scenes in     
enamel on silver1 such as may be seen in
 the ,vescovado at ,arezzo1 for which he
 made a mitre with a beautiful border of
 enamel1 and a fine pastoral staff in   
silver4 ,he also executed many things in
 silver for the ,cardinal ,galeotto da  
,pietramala1 who bequeathed them to the 
friars of la ,vernia1 where he wished to
 be buried1 and where1 besides the wall1
 which the ,count ,orlando1 lord of     
,chiusi1 a small castle below la        
,vernia1 had caused to be set up1 he    
built the church and many rooms in the  
convent1 and all this without leaving   
any notice or other memorial of himself 
in any part of that place4 ,another     
pupil of ,master ,cione was ,lionardo di
 ,ser ,giovanni of ,florence1 who       
executed a number of works with the     
chisel and with solder1 with a better   
design than those who preceded him1     
especially the altar and silver         
bas-reliefs of ,s4 ,jacopo at ,pistoia1 
where1 beside a large number of         

subjects1 the half-length figure of ,st 
,james1 more than a braccia high1 is    
much admired4 ,it is in full relief1 and
 finished with such elaboration1 that it
 seems to have been cast rather than    
engraved4 ,the figure is placed in the  
midst of the scenes of the altar table1 
about which runs a legend in letters of 
enamel3    ,ad honorem ,dei et ,s4      
,jacobi ,apostoli1 hoc opus factum fuit 
tempore   ,domini ,franc4 ,pagni dictae 
operae operarii sub anno #acga per me   
,leonardum ,ser ,jo4 de ,floren4        
aurific4  ,now to return to ,agostino   
and ,agnolo1 they had many pupils who   
produced many works after them in       
architecture and sculpture in ,lombardy 
and other places in ,italy4 ,among them 
was ,jacopo ,lanfrani of ,venice1 who   
founded ,s4 ,francesco of ,imola1 and   
executed the sculptures for the         
principal door1 where he carved his name
 and the date1 #acdc2 for the church of 
,s4 ,domenico at ,bologna the same      
,master ,jacopo made a marble tomb for  

,gio4 ,andrea ,calduino1 doctor of law  
and secretary of ,pope ,clement ,,vi41  
and another very well executed also in  
marble and in the same church for       
,taddeo ,peppoli1 protector of the      
people and of justice at ,bologna4 ,in  
the same year1 that is to say in #acdg1 
after the completion of this tomb1 or   
shortly before1 ,master ,jacopo returned
 to his native ,venice and there founded
 the church of ,s4 ,antonio1 which was  
originally of wood1 at the request of a 
,florentine abbot of the ancient family 
of the ,abati1 ,m4 ,andrea ,dandolo1    
being doge at the time4 ,this church was
 completed in the year #acdi4  ,then    
again ,jacobello and ,pietro ,paolo1    
,venetians1 who were pupils of ,agostino
 and ,agnolo1 erected in ,s4 ,domenico  
at ,bologna a marble tomb for ,m4       
,giovanni da ,lignano1 doctor of laws1  
in the year #achc4 ,all these and many  
other sculptors continued for a long    
space of time to employ the same manner1
 so that they filled all ,italy with    

examples of it4 ,it is further believed 
that the native of ,pesaro1 who besides 
many other things did the door of the   
church of ,s4 ,domenico in his native   
town1 with the three marble figures of  
,god the ,father1 ,st ,john the ,baptist
 and ,st ,mark1 was a pupil of ,agostino
 and ,agnolo1 and the style of the work 
gives colour to the supposition4 ,this  
work was completed in the year #ache4   
,but since it would take much too long  
to enter into particulars of the works  
made in this style by many masters of   
the time1 ,i will let what ,i have said1
 in this general way1 suffice1 chiefly  
because they have not exercised a great 
influence upon our arts4 ,yet ,i thought
 it good to mention these men1 because  
even if they do not deserve a long      
notice1 yet they are not so             
insignificant as to be altogether passed
 over in silence4     ,stefano1 ,painter
 of ,florence1 and ,ugolino of ,siena4  
,stefano1 painter of ,florence and pupil
 of ,giotto1 was so excellent that not  

only did he surpass all the artists who 
had studied the arts before him1 but he 
so far surpassed his master himself that
 he was deservedly considered the best  
of the painters up to that time1 as his 
works clearly prove4 ,he painted the    
,madonna in fresco for the ,campo ,santo
 at ,pisa1 and it is somewhat superior  
in design and colouring to the work of  
,giotto4 ,in the cloister of ,s4        
,spirito at ,florence he painted three  
arches in fresco1 in the first of which1
 containing the ,transfiguration with   
,moses and ,elias1 he represented the   
three disciples in fine and striking    
attitudes4 ,he has formed a fine        
conception of the dazzling splendour    
which astonished them1 their clothes    
being in disorder1 and falling in new   
folds1 a thing first seen in this       
picture1 as he tried to base his work   
upon the nude figures1 an idea which had
 not occurred to anyone before1 no not  
even to ,giotto himself4 ,under that    
arch1 in which he made a ,christ        

releasing a demoniac1 he drew an edifice
 in perspective1 perfectly1 in a style  
then little known1 displaying improved  
form and more science4 ,he further      
executed it in the modern manner with   
great judgment1 and displayed such art  
and such invention and proportion in the
 columns1 doors1 windows and cornices1  
and such different methods from the     
other masters that it seemed as if he   
had begun to see some glimpses of the   
light of the good and perfect manner of 
the moderns4 ,among other ingenious     
things he contrived a very difficult    
flight of steps1 which are shown both in
 painting and in relief1 and possess    
such design1 variety1 and invention1 and
 are so useful and convenient that      
,lorenzo de' ,medici1 the ,magnificent1 
the elder1 made use of the design for   
the steps outside the palace of ,poggio 
a ,caiano1 now the principal villa of   
the ,most ,illustrious ,duke4 ,in the   
other arch is a representation of       
,christ saving ,st ,peter from the fury 

of the waters1 so well done that one    
seems to hear the voice of ,peter       
saying3 ,domine1 salva nos1 perimus4    
,this work is considered much finer than
 the other1 because1 besides the grace  
of the draperies1 there is a sweetness  
in the bearing of the heads1 a fear of  
the fortunes of the sea1 while the      
terror of the apostles at various       
motions and appearances of the water1   
are represented in very suitable        
attitudes and with great beauty4 ,and   
although time has partly destroyed the  
labour expended  by ,stefano on this    
work1 one may still discern confusedly  
that the apostles are defending         
themselves with spirit from the fury of 
the winds and waves4 ,this work1 which  
has been highly praised by the moderns1 
must certainly have appeared a miracle  
in all ,tuscany at the time when it was 
produced1 ,stefano then painted in the  
first cloister of ,s4 ,maria ,novella a 
,st ,thomas ,aquinas1 next a door1 where
 he also made a crucifix which has since

 been much damaged by other painters in 
restoring it4 ,he also left unfinished a
 chapel in the church1 which he began1  
now much damaged by time4 ,in it may be 
seen the fall of the angels through the 
pride of ,lucifer1 in divers forms4     
,here it is noteworthy that the         
foreshortening of the arms1 busts1 and  
legs of the figures is much better done 
than ever before1 and this shows us that
 ,stefano began to recognise and had    
partially overcome the difficulties     
which stand in the way of the highest   
excellence1 the mastery of which by his 
successors1 by means of unremitting     
study1 has rendered their works so      
remarkable4 ,for this cause artists have
 well named him the ape of nature4      
,some time after ,stefano was invited to
 ,milan where he began many things for  
,matteo ,visconti1 but was not able to  
complete them1 because having fallen    
sick owing to the change of air1 he was 
compelled to return to ,florence4 ,there
 he regained his strength and executed  

in fresco in the chapel of the ,asini in
 ,s4 ,croce1 the story of the martyrdom 
of ,st ,mark by being drawn asunder1    
with many figures which possess merit4  
,as a pupil of ,giotto he was then      
invited to ,rome where he did in fresco 
for the principal chapel of ,st         
,peter's1 which contains the altar of   
that saint1 some scenes from the life of
 ,christ between the windows of the     
large apse1 with such care that he      
approaches very closely to the modern   
style and surpasses his master ,giotto  
in design and other things4 ,after this 
he executed in fresco1 at ,araceli1 on a
 pillar beside the principal chapel on  
the left1 a ,st ,louis1 which is much   
admired because it possesses a vivacity 
which had not been apparent in any works
 up to that time1 not even in those of  
,giotto4 ,indeed ,stefano had great     
facility in design1 as  may be seen in a
 drawing by his hand in our book1 in    
which the transfiguration is represented
 which he made for the cloister of ,s4  

,spirito1 and indeed in my opinion he   
designed much better than ,giotto4 ,he  
next went to ,assisi and in the apse of 
the principal chapel of the lower       
church1 where the choir is1 he began a  
representation in fresco of the         
,heavenly ,glory2 and although he did   
not finish it1 what he did perform shows
 that he used the utmost diligence4 ,in 
this work he began a series of saints   
with such beautiful variety in the faces
 of the youths1 the men of middle age   
and the old men1 that nothing better    
could be desired1 and those blessed     
spirits exhibit so sweet and so united a
 style that it appears all but          
impossible that they could have been    
done by ,stefano at that time4 ,he      
however did execute them1 although no   
more than the heads of the figures are  
finished4 ,above them is a choir of     
angels rejoicing in various attitudes1  
appropriately carrying theological      
symbols in their hands4 ,all are turned 
towards a crucified ,christ who is in   

the midst of the work immediately above 
a ,st ,francis1 who is surrounded by a  
multitude of saints4 ,besides this he   
made some angels as a border for the    
work1 each of them holding one of those 
churches of which ,st ,john the         
,evangelist writes in the ,apocalypse4  
,these angels are represented with such 
grace that ,i am amazed to find a man of
 that age capable of producing them4    
,stefano began this work with the       
intention of thoroughly completing it1  
and he would have succeeded had he not  
been forced to leave it imperfect and to
 return to ,florence on some important  
affairs of his own4 ,during this stay at
 ,florence and in order to lose no time1
 he painted for the ,granfigliazzi lung'
 ,arno1 between their houses and the    
ponte alle ,carraia in a small          
tabernacle on one side1 ,our ,lady      
seated sewing1 to whom a clothed child  
who is seated1 is offering a bird1 done 
with such care that although it is small
 it merits no less praise than the more 

ambitious efforts of the master4  ,on   
the completion of this work and the     
settling of his affairs1 ,stefano was   
summoned to ,pistoia by the lords there1
 and was set by them to paint the chapel
 of ,st ,james in the year #acdf4 ,in   
the vault he did a ,god the ,father with
 some apostles1 and on the side walls   
the life of the saint1 notably the scene
 where his mother1 the wife of ,zebedee1
 asks ,jesus ,christ to permit that her 
two sons shall sit1 one on ,his right   
hand and the other on ,his left in the  
kingdom of ,his ,father4 ,near this is a
 fine presentation of the beheading of  
the saint4 ,it is thought that ,maso1   
called ,giottino1 of whom ,i shall speak
 afterwards1 was the son of this        
,stefano1 and although1 on account of   
his name1 many believe him to be the son
 of ,giotto1 ,i consider it all but     
certain that he was rather the son of   
,stefano1 both because of certain       
documents which ,i have seen1 and also  
because of some notices written in good 

faith by ,lorenzo ,ghiberti and by      
,domenico del ,grillandaio4 ,however1   
this may be1 and to return to ,stefano1 
to him is due the credit of the greatest
 improvement in painting since the days 
of ,giotto2 because1 besides being more 
varied in his inventions1 he showed more
 unity in colouring and more shading    
than all the others1 and above all1 in  
diligence he had no rival4 ,and although
 the foreshortenings which he  made     
exhibit1 as ,i  have said1 a bad manner 
owing to the difficulties of execution1 
yet as the first investigator of these  
difficulties he deserves a much higher  
place than those who follow after the   
path has been made plain for them4 ,thus
 a great debt is due to ,stefano1       
because he who presses on through the   
darkness and shows the way1 heartens the
 others1 enabling them to overcome the  
difficulties of the way1 so that in time
 they arrive at the desired haven4 ,in  
,perugia also1 in the church of ,s4     
,domenico1 ,stefano began in fresco the 

chapel of ,st ,catherine which is still 
unfinished4  ,at the same time there    
lived a ,sienese painter1 called        
,ugolino1 of considerable repute1 and a 
great friend of ,stefano4 ,he did many  
pictures and chapels in all parts of    
,italy4 ,but he kept in great part to   
the ,byzantine style1 to which he had   
become attached by habit1 and always    
preferred1 from a caprice of his own1 to
 follow the manner of ,cimabue rather   
than that of ,giotto1 which was held in 
such esteem4 ,his works consist of a    
picture for the high altar of ,s4       
,croce1 on a gold ground1 and another   
picture which stood for many years on   
the high altar of ,s4 ,maria ,novella1  
and which is now in the chapter-house1  
where every year the ,spanish nation    
celebrates with a solemn feast the day  
of ,st ,james and its other offices and 
burial services4 ,besides these he did  
many other things in a good style1 but  
without in the least departing from the 
manner of his master4 ,it was he who    

painted on a pillar of bricks in the    
loggia1 which ,lapo had built on the    
piazza of ,orsanmichele1 that ,madonna  
which1 not many years after1 worked so  
many miracles that the loggia was for a 
great time full of images1 and to this  
day is held in the highest veneration4  
,finally1 in the chapel of ,m4 ,ridolfo 
de' ,bardi1 in ,s4 ,croce1 where ,giotto
 painted the life of ,st ,francis1 he   
did a crucifix in tempera with the      
,magdalene and ,st ,john weeping1 and   
two friars on either side4 ,ugolino died
 at an advanced age in the year #acdi1  
and was honourably buried at ,siena1 his
 native place4  ,but to return to       
,stefano1 who1 they say1 was also a good
 architect1 and what has been said above
 makes this likely2 he died1 it is said1
 at the beginning of the ,jubilee of    
#acej1 at the age of forty-nine1 and was
 buried at ,s4 ,spirito in the tomb of  
his ancestors with this epitaph3        
,stephano ,florentino pictori1 faciundis
 imaginibus ac colorandis    figuris    

nulli unquam inferiori2 ,affines        
moestiss4 pos4 vix4 an4    ,,xxxxix4    
,pietro ,laurati1 ,painter of ,siena4   
,pietro ,laurati1 an excellent painter  
of ,siena1 proved by his life how great 
may be the contentment of men of        
undoubted talent1 who realise that their
 works are valued1 both in their native 
land and outside it1 and who see        
themselves in request by all men2 for in
 the course of his life he was employed 
and caressed by all ,tuscany4 ,the first
 works which brought him into notice    
were the scenes which he painted in     
fresco in la  ,scala1 a hospital of     
,siena1 in which he imitated the style  
of ,giotto so successfully that these   
paintings became known throughout       
,tuscany and gave rise to the           
well-founded belief that he would become
 a better master than ,cimabue1 ,giotto1
 and the others1 as he actually did4 ,in
 these scenes he represented the ,virgin
 mounting the steps of the ,temple1     
accompanied by ,joachim and ,anna1 and  

received by the priest2 then her        
marriage1 both remarkable for good      
ornamentation1 well-draped figures with 
simple folds of the clothes1 and a      
majesty in the carnage of the heads1    
while the disposition of the figures is 
in the finest style4 ,during the        
progress of this work1 which introduced 
the good style of painting to ,siena1   
being the first gleam of light for the  
many fine spirits who have flourished in
 that land in every age1 ,pietro was    
summoned to ,monte ,oliveto di          
,chiusuri1 where he painted a picture in
 tempera which is now placed in the     
paradiso under the church4 ,he next     
painted a tabernacle at ,florence1      
opposite the left door of the church of 
,s4 ,spirito1 on the side where a       
butcher's shop  now stands1 which merits
 the highest praise from every attentive
 artist1 on account of the grace of the 
heads and the smoothness which it       
exhibits4 ,proceeding from ,florence to 
,pisa1 he did for the ,campo ,santo on  

the wall next the principal door1 all   
the life of the ,holy ,fathers1 with    
such striking reality and in such fine  
attitudes1 that they rival ,giotto4 ,for
 this work he won the highest praise1   
having expressed in some heads1 in      
drawing and colour1 all the vivacity of 
which the manner of the time was        
capable4 ,from ,pisa he passed to       
,pistoia1 and in ,s4 ,francesco did a   
picture of ,our ,lady in tempera1       
surrounded by some angels1 very well    
arranged1 the predella beneath          
containing some scenes with small       
figures1 presented with a vigour and    
life remarkable for those times4 ,this  
work satisfied him as much as it        
delighted others1 and accordingly he put
 his name to it in these words3 ,petrus 
,laurati de ,senis4 ,afterwards1 in the 
year #acee1 ,pietro was summoned to     
,arezzo by ,m4 ,guglielmo1 head priest1 
and by ,margarito  ,boschi and the other
 wardens of the ,pieve of ,arezzo4 ,this
 church had been brought to an advanced 

stage in a better style and manner than 
had been practised in ,tuscany up to    
that time1 being ornamented with squared
 stones and carvings by the hand of     
,margaritone1 as has been said4 ,there  
,pietro painted in fresco the tribune   
and all the great apse of the chapel of 
the high altar1 representing twelve     
scenes from the life of ,our ,lady1 with
 life-size figures1 from the chasing of 
,joachim out of the ,temple1 to the     
birth of ,jesus ,christ4 ,in these works
 in  fresco  one meets with the ideas1  
lineaments1 carriage of the heads1 and  
attitudes of the figures characteristic 
of ,giotto1 his master4 ,and although   
the whole of this work is beautiful1 yet
 the paintings in the vault of the apse 
are certainly much better than the      
rest1 because1 in the place where he    
represented the ascent of ,our ,lady to 
heaven1 besides making the apostles four
 braccia high each1 in which he showed  
his greatness of mind1 being the first  
artist who attempted to aggrandise his  

style1 he gave such a beautiful turn to 
the heads and such grace to the         
vestments that more could not have been 
desired in those days4 ,in like manner  
he painted in the vaulting a choir of   
angels flying in the air about a        
,madonna4 ,as they gracefully dance they
 appear to be singing1 with a joy truly 
angelic and divine2 whilst they are     
playing various instruments their eyes  
are fixed and intent on another choir of
 angels1 sustained by a cloud of almond 
shape bearing the ,madonna to heaven    
arranged in beautiful attitudes and     
surrounded by rainbows4 ,this work1     
which was deservedly popular1 procured  
him a commission to paint in tempera the
 picture of the high altar of that      
,pieve1 where in five panels of         
life-size figures1 represented to the   
knees1 he made ,our ,lady with the      
,child on her arm1 with ,st ,john the   
,baptist and ,st ,matthew on one side of
 her1 and on the other the ,evangelist  
and ,st ,donate4 ,in the predella are   

many small figures1 as well as in the   
frame of the picture above1 all really  
fine and executed in the best style4 ,i 
have entirely restored this altar at my 
own expense and with my own hands1 so   
that this picture has been placed above 
the altar of ,st ,christopher1 at the   
bottom of the church4 ,i may take this  
opportunity1 without appearing to be    
impertinent1 of saying in this place    
that ,i have myself restored this       
ancient collegiate church1 moved by     
,christian piety and by the affection   
which ,i bear to the venerable building1
 because it was my first instructress in
 my early childhood4 ,this ,i did also  
because it appeared to me to be as it   
were abandoned1 and it may now be said  
to have been called back to life from   
the dead4 ,besides increasing the light1
 for it was very dark1 by enlarging the 
original windows and making new ones1 ,i
 also took away the choir1 which used to
 occupy a great part of the church1 and 
put it behind the high altar1 to the    

great satisfaction of the canons there4 
,the new altar stands alone1 and has on 
the table before it a ,christ calling   
,peter and ,andrew from their nets1 and 
on the side next the choir is another   
picture of ,st ,george killing the      
serpent4 ,on the sides are four panels1 
each of which contains two saints of    
life-size4 ,above and below in the      
predella are numerous other figures1    
which are omitted for the sake of       
brevity4 ,the ornamentation of the altar
 is thirteen braccia high1 and the      
predella two braccia4 ,the interior is  
hollow and is approached by a staircase 
through a small iron door1 very well    
arranged4 ,many valuable relics are     
preserved there1 which may be seen from 
the outside through two iron gratings in
 the front4 ,among others is the head of
 ,st ,donato1 bishop and protector of   
,arezzo4 ,in a chest of various         
materials1 three braccia high1 which ,i 
have caused to be newly made1 are the   
bones of four saints4 ,the predella of  

the altar1 which entirely surrounds it1 
has in front of it the tabernacle or    
ciborium of the ,sacrament1  in carved  
wood1 all gilt1 about three braccia     
high1 and it may be seen from the choir 
side as well as from the front4 ,as ,i  
have spared neither pains nor expense1  
since ,i considered myself bound to do  
my best to honour ,god1 ,i may venture  
to affirm that1 so far as my ability    
would allow1 this work lacks nothing in 
the way of ornament1 whether of gold1   
carving1 painting1 marble1 trevertine1  
porphyry1 or other stones4  ,now to     
return to ,pietro ,laurati4 ,when he had
 completed the picture mentioned above1 
he did many things for ,st ,peter's at  
,rome1 which were afterwards destroyed  
in building the new church4 ,he also    
executed some works at ,cortona and at  
,arezzo1 besides those already          
mentioned1 and some others in the church
 of ,s4 ,fiore e ,lucilla1 a monastery  
of black monks1 notably a representation
 in a chapel of ,st ,thomas putting his 

hand into the wound in ,christ's side4  
,a pupil of ,pietro was ,bartolommeo    
,bologhini of ,siena1 who executed many 
pictures at ,siena and other places in  
,italy4 ,there is one by his hand at    
,florence1 on the altar of the chapel of
 ,st ,silvester in ,s4 ,croce4 ,the     
paintings of this man were executed     
about the year #acej4 ,in my book1 which
 ,i have so often referred to1 may be   
seen a drawing by ,pietro1 representing 
a shoemaker sewing in a simple but most 
natural manner with an admirable        
expression4 ,it affords a good example  
of ,pietro's peculiar style4 ,his       
portrait by the hand of ,bartolommeo    
,bologhini was in a picture at ,siena1  
where not many years ago ,i copied it1  
in the manner seen above4     ,andrea   
,pisano1 ,sculptor and ,architect4      
,while the art of painting has          
flourished1 sculptors have never been   
lacking who could produce excellent     
work4 ,to the attentive mind1 the works 
of every age bear testimony to this     

fact1 for the two arts are really       
sisters1 born at the same time and      
nourished and animated by the same      
spirit4 ,this is seen in ,andrea        
,pisano1 who practised sculpture in the 
time of ,giotto1 and made so much       
improvement in that art1 both by        
practice and study1 that he was         
considered the best exponent of the     
profession who had until then appeared  
in ,tuscany1 especially in casting      
bronze4 ,for this reason his works were 
so honoured and prized by those who knew
 him1 and especially by the             
,florentines1 that he was able without a
 pang to change his country1 relations1 
property1 and friends4 ,it was a great  
advantage to him that the masters who   
had preceded him in sculpture had       
experienced so much difficulty in the   
art that their works were rough and     
common1 so that those who saw his       
productions1 judged him a miracle by    
comparison4 ,that these first works were
 rude may be credited1 as has been said 

elsewhere1 upon an examination of some  
which are over the principal door of ,s4
 ,paolo at ,florence1 and some stone    
ones in the church of ,ognissanti1 which
 are so executed as to move to laughter 
those who regard them1 rather than to   
excite in them any admiration or        
pleasure4 ,it is certain that it was    
much more easy to recover the art of    
sculpture when the statues had been     
lost1 as a man is a round figure by     
nature1 and is so represented by that   
art1 whereas in painting1 on the other  
hand1 it is not so easy to find the     
right shapes and the best manner of     
portraying them1 which are essential to 
the majesty1 beauty1 grace1 and ornament
 of a picture4 ,in one circumstance     
fortune was favourable to ,andrea1      
because1 as has been said elsewhere1 by 
means of the numerous victories won by  
the ,pisans at sea1 many antiquities and
  sarcophagi were brought to ,pisa1     
which are still about the ,duomo and    
,campo ,santo4 ,these gave him great    

assistance and much light1 advantages   
which could not be enjoyed by ,giotto1  
because the ancient paintings which have
 been preserved are not so numerous as  
the sculptures4 ,and although statues   
have frequently been destroyed by fire1 
devastation1 and the fury of war1 or    
buried or transported to various places1
 yet it is easy for a connoisseur to    
recognise the productions of all the    
different countries by their various    
styles4 ,for example1 the ,egyptian is  
slender1 with long figures2 the ,greek  
is artificial1 and much care is         
displayed on the nude1 while the heads  
nearly always have the same turn2 and   
the ancient ,tuscan is careful in the   
treatment of hair and somewhat rude4 ,as
 regards the ,romans1 and ,i call ,roman
 for the most part those things which   
were brought to ,rome after ,greece was 
subjugated1 as all that was good and    
beautiful in the world was carried      
thither2 this ,roman work1 ,i say1 is so
 beautiful in expression1 attitudes1    

movements both in nude figures and in   
draperies1 that the ,romans may be said 
to have extracted the beautiful from all
 the other provinces and gathered it    
into a single style1 making it the best 
and the most divine of all the arts4    
,at the time of ,andrea all these good  
methods and arts were lost1 and the only
 style in use was that which had been   
brought to ,tuscany by the ,goths and   
the rude ,greeks4 ,thus he noted the new
 style of ,giotto and such few          
antiquities as were known to him1 and   
somewhat refined a great part of the    
grossness of that wretched manner by his
 own judgment1 so that he began to work 
in better style1 and endow his works    
with far more beauty than had hitherto  
been seen4 ,when his intelligence1      
skill1 and dexterity had become known he
 was assisted by many of his            
compatriots1 and while he was still a   
young man1 he was commissioned to make  
some small figures in marble for ,s4    
,maria a ,ponte4 ,these brought him such

 a good name that he was most earnestly 
desired to come to work at ,florence by 
those in charge of the building of ,s4  
,maria del ,fiore1 as after the faade of
 the three doors had been begun1 there  
was a lack of masters to execute the    
subjects which ,giotto had designed for 
the beginning of that structure4        
,accordingly ,andrea went to ,florence  
in order to undertake that work1 and    
because at that time the ,florentines   
were desirous of making themselves      
agreeable and friendly to ,pope         
,boniface ,,viii41 who was then chief   
pontiff of the church of ,god1 they     
wished ,andrea1 before everything else1 
to make his statue in marble4 ,andrea   
therefore set to work1 and did not rest 
until he had finished the ,pope's figure
 placed between ,st ,peter and ,st      
,paul1 the three figures being set up on
 the faade of ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore1    
where they still are4 ,afterwards       
,andrea made some figures of prophets   
for the middle door of that church1 in  

some tabernacles or niches4 ,these      
showed that he had made great           
improvements in the art1 and that in    
excellence and design he surpassed all  
those who had laboured for that         
structure up to that time4 ,hence it was
 decided that all works of importance   
should be entrusted to him and not to   
others4 ,soon after he was commissioned 
to make four statues of the principal   
doctors of the church--,st ,jerome1 ,st 
,ambrose1 ,st ,augustine1 and ,st       
,gregory4 ,when these were finished they
 brought him favour and renown with the 
craftsmen and throughout the city1 and  
he was commissioned to make two other   
figures in marble of the same size4     
,these were ,st ,stephen and ,st        
,laurence1 which are on the front of ,s4
 ,maria del ,fiore at the outside angle4
 ,by ,andrea's hand also is the marble  
,madonna1 three and a half braccia high 
with the child at her neck1 which is    
over the altar of the little church and 
company of the ,misericordia on the     

piazza of ,s4 ,giovanni at ,florence4   
,this was much praised in those times1  
especially as on either side of the     
,madonna he put an angel two and a half 
braccia high4 ,a setting of very finely 
carved wood has been made for this in   
our own day by ,maestro ,antonio called 
,il ,carota1 with a predella beneath1   
full of most beautiful figures coloured 
in oil by ,ridolfo1 son of ,domenico    
,grillandai4 ,in like manner the        
half-length ,madonna in marble which is 
over the side-door of the ,misericordia1
 on the faade of the ,cialdonai1 is by  
,andrea's hand1 and was highly praised1 
because in it he had imitated the good  
antique manner1 contrary to his habit1  
which was always different from it1 as  
shown by some designs of his which are  
in our book1 and in which he represents 
all the scenes from the ,apocalypse4    
,now ,andrea had studied architecture in
 his youth1 and an opportunity occurred 
for his employment in this art by the   
commune of ,florence1 for as ,arnolfo   

was dead and ,giotto absent1 he was     
entrusted with the preparation of plans 
for the castle of ,scarperia1 which is  
in ,mugello at the foot of the ,alps4   
,some say1 though ,i will not vouch for 
the truth of it1 that ,andrea stayed a  
year at ,venice1 and there executed some
 small marble figures which are on the  
faade of ,s4 ,marco1 and that in the    
time of ,m4 ,piero ,gradenigo1 doge of  
that republic1 he designed the ,arsenal4
 ,but as ,i know nothing of this beyond 
the bare mention of it which occurs in  
some writers1 ,i must leave the matter  
to the judgment of my readers4 ,from    
,venice he returned to ,florence1 where 
the city1 fearing the coming of the     
emperor1 with ,andrea's co-operation1   
hastily added eight braccia to part of  
the wall between ,s4 ,gallo and the     
,prato ,gate1 and in other places he    
made bastions1 palisades and works in   
earth and wood4 ,now some three years   
before1 he had shown his skill in       
casting bronze in a much admired cross  

which he had sent to the ,pope at       
,avignon1 by means of his close friend  
,giotto2 accordingly he was commissioned
 to make in bronze one of the doors of  
the church of ,s4 ,giovanni1 for which  
,giotto had already made a very fine    
design4 ,this1 as ,i say1 was given to  
him to finish1 because he was considered
 the most talented1 skilful1 and        
judicious master of all those who had   
worked until then1 not only in ,tuscany1
 but throughout ,italy4 ,he set to work1
 resolved to spare neither time1 pains1 
nor diligence upon the completion of a  
task of such importance4 ,fate was      
propitious to him in his casting1 at a  
time when men were ignorant of the      
secrets known today1 so that in the     
space of twenty-two years he brought the
 door to its present stage of           
perfection2 and what is more1 at the    
same time he made not only the          
tabernacle of the high altar of ,s4     
,giovanni1 with an angel on either side 
which were considered most beautiful1   

but also the small marble figures about 
the base of the door of the campanile of
 ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore1 after ,giotto's 
design1 and about that campanile1 in    
certain mandorle1 the seven planets1 the
 seven virtues1 and the seven works of  
mercy in small figures in half-relief1  
which were then much admired4 ,at the   
same time he made the three figures of  
four braccia high1 which were placed in 
niches in that campanile1 on the side   
towards the place where the ,pupilli now
 are1 that is towards the south1 figures
 which were considered at the time to be
 of considerable merit4 ,but to return  
to my starting-point1 ,i say that the   
bronze door contains scenes in          
bas-relief from the life of ,st ,john   
the ,baptist1 from his birth to his     
death1 most happily conceived and       
executed with great care4 ,and  although
 many are of opinion that these stories 
do not exhibit that fine design nor that
 high art which should be put into      
figures1 yet ,andrea merits the highest 

praise1 because he was the first who    
undertook to complete a work which      
rendered it possible for those who came 
after him to produce what is beautiful1 
difficult and good in the other two     
doors1 and in the exterior ornaments now
 to be seen4 ,this work was set in the  
middle door of the church1 and remained 
there until ,lorenzo ,ghiberti made the 
present one1 when it was removed and set
 up opposite the ,misericordia1 where it
 is at the present time4 ,i must not    
omit to say that in making this door    
,andrea was assisted by his son ,nino1  
who afterwards became a much better     
master than his father had been1 and    
that it was finished in the year        
#acci--that is to say1 not only polished
 and cleaned1 but gilt at the fire4 ,it 
is thought that the metal was cast by   
some ,venetian masters very skilful in  
founding2 and a record of this is in the
 library of the art of the ,calimara1   
guardians of the work of ,s4 ,giovanni4 
,whilst the door was being made1 ,andrea

 not only made the altars aforesaid1 but
 many others1 and in particular the     
model of the church of ,s4 ,giovanni at 
,pistoia1 which was founded in the year 
#accg4 ,in this same year1 on the #beth 
day of ,january1 was found the body of  
,st ,atto1 bishop of that city1 in      
excavating the foundations of the       
church4 ,the body had been buried in    
that place for #acg years4 ,the         
architecture of that temple1 which is   
round1 was meritorious for the time4    
,also by the hand of ,andrea is a marble
 tomb in the principal church of        
,pistoia1 the body of the sarcophagus of
 which is full of small figures1 with   
some larger ones above4 ,in this tomb   
rests the body of ,m4 ,cino             
d',angibolgi1 doctor of laws1 and a very
 famous man of letters in his day1 as   
,m4 ,francesco ,petrarca testifies in   
the sonnet3            ,piangette donne1
 e con voi pianga ,amore2  and in the   
fourth chapter of the ,trionfo d',amore1
 where he says3            ,ecco ,cin da

 ,pistoia2 ,guitton d',arezzo1          
,che di non esser primo per ch' ira     
aggia4  ,this marble tomb of ,andrea's  
contains the portrait of ,m4 ,cino1 who 
is represented as teaching a number of  
his scholars1 who are about him1 with   
such a fine attitude and style that it  
must have been considered a marvellous  
thing in those days1 although it would  
not be valued now4  ,walter1 ,duke of   
,athens and tyrant of ,florence1 also   
employed ,andrea to enlarge the piazza1 
and to fortify his palace by barring the
 bottom of all the windows on the first 
floor1 where the hall of the ,two       
,hundred now is1 with very strong square
 iron bars4 ,the same duke also added1  
opposite ,s4 ,piero ,scheraggio1 the    
rough stone walls which are beside the  
palace to augment it1 and in the        
thickness of the wall he made a secret  
staircase1 to mount and descend         
unperceived4 ,at the bottom face of the 
wall he made a great door1 which now    
serves for the ,customs1 and over this  

he set his arms1 the whole after the    
designs and with the advice of ,andrea4 
,although the arms were defaced by the  
magistracy of the twelve1 who took pains
 to obliterate every memorial of that   
duke1 yet on the square shield there    
remained the form of the lion rampant   
with two tails1 as any attentive        
observer may see4 ,for the same duke    
,andrea made many towers about the city1
 and not only began the fine gate of ,s4
 ,friano1 leaving it in its present     
form1 but also made the walls of the    
portals and all the gates of the city1  
and the smaller gates for the           
convenience of the people4 ,and1 because
 the duke purposed to make a fortress on
 the hill of ,s4 ,giorgio1 ,andrea      
prepared a model for it1 which was never
 used1 as the work was not begun1 the   
duke being driven out in the year #acdc4
 ,the duke's plan to convert the palace 
into a strong castle was in great       
measure effected1 for a considerable    
addition was made to the original       

building1 as may be seen to-day1 the    
circuit comprising the houses of the    
,filipetri1 the tower and houses of the 
,amidei1 and ,mancini1 and those of the 
,bellaberti4 ,and because1 after this   
great undertaking was begun1 all the    
materials required for it and for the   
great walls and barbicans were not      
ready1 he kept back the building of the 
,ponte ,vecchio1 which was being hurried
 forward as a necessary thing1 and made 
use of the dressed stones and timber    
designed for this without any           
consideration4 ,although ,taddeo ,gaddi 
was probably not inferior to ,andrea    
,pisano as an architect1 the duke would 
not employ him on these works because he
 was a ,florentine1 but made use of     
,andrea4 ,the same ,duke ,walter wished 
to pull down ,s4 ,cicilia1 in order to  
obtain a view of the ,strada ,romana and
 the ,mercato ,nuovo from his palace1   
and would also have destroyed ,s4 ,piero
 ,scheraggio for his convenience1 but   
the ,pope would not grant him licence4  

,at length1 as has been said above1 he  
was driven out by the fury of the       
people4  ,for his honoured labours of so
 many years ,andrea not only deserved   
the highest rewards1 but also civil     
honours4 ,accordingly he was made a     
,florentine citizen by the ,signoria1   
offices and magistracies in the city    
were given to him1 and his works were   
valued during his life and after his    
death1 as no one was found to surpass   
him in workmanship until the advent of  
,niccolo of ,arezzo1 ,jacopo della      
,quercia of ,siena1 ,donatello1 ,filippo
 di ,ser ,brunellesco1 and ,lorenzo     
,ghiberti1 whose sculptures and other   
works were such that people recognised  
in what error they had been living up   
till then1 as these men had again       
discovered the true excellence which had
 been hidden for so great a number of   
years4 ,the works of ,andrea were       
executed about the year of grace #acdj4 
,the pupils of ,andrea were numerous1   
and1 among others1 ,tommaso1 architect  

and sculptor1 of ,pisa1 who finished the
 chapel of the ,campo ,santo1 and       
brought the campanile of the ,duomo to  
completion--that is to say1 the last    
part1 where the bells are4 ,this        
,tommaso was ,andrea's son1 if we may   
believe an inscription on the high altar
 of ,s4 ,francesco at ,pisa1 on which a 
,madonna and other saints are carved by 
him in half relief1 with his name and   
that of his father beneath4 ,andrea left
 a son ,nino1 who devoted himself to    
sculpture1 his first work being in ,s4  
,maria ,novella at ,florence1 where he  
finished a marble ,madonna1 begun by his
 father1 which is inside the door1 near 
the chapel of the ,minerbetti4 ,going   
afterwards to ,pisa1 he made for the    
,spina a half-length marble ,madonna    
suckling the infant ,jesus ,christ1     
clothed in delicate draperies4 ,in the  
year #aebb a marble ornament for this   
,madonna was made for ,m4 ,jacopo       
,corbini1 who had a much larger and     
finer one made for another full-length  

marble ,madonna of ,nino1 representing  
with great grace the mother offering a  
rose to the child1 who takes it in      
childish fashion1 and so prettily1 that 
one may say that ,nino had made some    
steps to subduing the roughness of the  
stone1 and endowing it with the         
attributes of living flesh4 ,the figure 
is between a ,st ,john and a ,st ,peter 
in marble1 the head of the latter being 
a portrait of ,andrea4 ,nino also made  
two marble statues for an altar of ,s4  
,caterina at ,pisa--that is to say1 the 
,madonna and an angel in an             
,annunciation1 executed1 like his other 
works1 with such care that they may be  
considered as the best productions of   
those times4 ,on the base beneath this  
,madonna ,nino carved the following     
words3 ,on the first day of ,february   
#acgj2 and beneath the angel3 ,nino1 son
 of ,andrea ,pisano1 made these figures4
  ,he produced yet other works in that  
city and at ,naples which it is not     
necessary to mention here4 ,andrea died 

at the age of seventy-five1 in the year 
#acde1 and was buried by ,nino in ,s4   
,maria del ,fiore with the following    
epitaph3          ,ingenti ,andreas     
jacet hie ,pisanus in urna1             
,marmore qui potuit spirantes ducere    
vultus          ,et simulacra ,deum     
mediis imponere templis          ,ex    
acre1 ex auro1 candenti et pulcro       
elephanto4     ,buonamico ,buffalmacco1 
,painter of ,florence4   ,buonamico di  
,cristofano1 called  ,buffalmacco1      
painter of ,florence1 who was a pupil of
 ,andrea ,tafi1 celebrated for his jests
 by ,m4 ,giovanni ,boccaccio in his     
,decameron1 is well known to have been  
the close companion of ,bruno and       
,calandrino1 painters1 and themselves   
facetious and pleasant men4 ,he         
possessed a very fair judgment in the   
art of painting1 as may be seen by his  
works1 which are scattered throughout   
,tuscany4 ,franco ,sacchetti relates in 
his ,three ,hundred ,tales 7to begin    
with the deeds of this artist while he  

was still young7 that1 while            
,buffalmacco was a boy with ,andrea1 it 
was his master's custom1 when the nights
 were long1 to rise to work before dawn 
and to call the boys4 ,this thing       
displeased ,buonamico1 who enjoyed a    
good sleep1 and he tried to devise a    
plan that should induce ,andrea to leave
 off calling them to work so much before
 daylight4 ,he soon found one1 for in an
 ill-swept loft  he happened to find    
thirty great beetles or cockroaches4    
,with some thin needles and corks he    
fixed a small candle on the back of each
 beetle1 and when the hour came for     
,andrea to rise he lighted the candles  
and put the beetles one by one through a
 hole leading into ,andrea's room4 ,when
 the master awoke1 just about the hour  
when he was accustomed to call          
,buffalmacco1 and saw these lights he   
began to tremble with fear1 and to      
recommend himself to ,god1 repeating his
 prayers and psalms4 ,at length he put  
his head under the clothes and did not  

call ,buffalmacco that night1 but       
remained trembling in that posture until
 the day4 ,the following morning when he
 arose he asked ,buonamico if he1 like  
himself1 had seen more than a thousand  
devils4 ,buonamico said ,no1 because he 
had kept his eyes shut1 and had wondered
 why he had not been called4 ,what6 said
 ,tafi2 ,i had something else to think  
of besides painting1 and ,i am resolved 
to go and live in another house4 ,the   
following night1 although ,buonamico    
only put three beetles into ,tafi's     
chamber1 yet the poor man did not sleep 
a jot1 owing to his fear of the past    
night and to those devils which he saw4 
,no sooner was day come than he left the
 house1 declaring he would never return 
to it1 and it was long before they were 
able to induce him to change his mind4  
,but ,buonamico brought him the priest  
of the parish1 who consoled him as best 
he could4 ,when ,tafi and ,buonamico    
were talking over the matter afterwards1
 the latter said3 ,i have always heard  

tell that the devils are the greatest   
enemies of ,god1 and consequently they  
must also be the chief adversaries of   
painters1 because1 besides the fact that
 we always make them very ugly1 ,we do  
nothing else but represent saints on    
walls and tables1 in order to render men
 more devout or better in despite of the
 devils4 ,for this cause the devils are 
enraged with us1 and as they have more  
power at night than during the day1 they
 come and play these pranks1 and will do
 worse if this practice of early rising 
is not entirely abandoned4 ,with these  
words1 and many others1 ,buffalmacco    
succeeded in settling the matter1 as the
 priest supported his arguments1 so that
 ,tafi left off his early rising and the
 devils ceased to go through the house  
at night with lights4 ,but not many     
months afterwards1 when ,tafi1 induced  
by desire of gain1 and crushing every   
fear1 began once more to rise and work  
at night and to call ,buffalmacco1 the  
beetles also began to make their rounds1

 so that the master was compelled by    
fear to give it up entirely1 being      
strongly advised to this by the priest4 
,when this thing became known through   
the city1 it for a while prevented other
 painters as well as ,tafi from rising  
to work at night4 ,when1 shortly        
afterwards1 ,buffalmacco himself became 
a fairly good master he left ,tafi1 as  
the same ,franco relates1 and began to  
work by himself1 and he never lacked    
employment4 ,accordingly he took a house
 to serve equally as a workshop and a   
dwelling-house1 next door to a worker of
 wool in easy circumstances1 who1 being 
a raw simpleton1 was called ,goosehead4 
,this man's wife rose early every night1
 when ,buffalmacco1 who had worked up to
 that time1 was going to rest1 and      
setting herself at her spinning wheel1  
which she unfortunately placed over     
against ,buffalmacco's bed1 she spent   
all the night in spinning thread4       
,buonamico was unable to sleep a moment1
 and began to devise a means whereby to 

rid himself of this nuisance4 ,it was   
not long before he perceived that1      
behind the brick wall which separated   
him from ,goosehead1 was the fire of his
 objectionable neighbour1 and by means  
of a crack he could see everything that 
she did at the fire4 ,accordingly he    
devised a new trick1 and provided       
himself with a long tube4 ,when he found
 that the wife of ,goosehead was not at 
the fire1 he every now and again put    
through that hole in the wall into his  
neighbour's pot as much salt as he      
wished4 ,when ,goosehead returned either
 to dine or to sup he could1 as a rule1 
neither eat nor drink or taste either   
soup or meat1 as everything was made    
bitter by too much salt4 ,for a little  
while he had patience1 and only spoke of
 it or grumbled2 but when he found that 
words did not suffice1 he frequently    
gave blows to the poor woman1 who was in
 despair1 because she thought she had   
been more than cautious in salting the  
dish4 ,as her husband beat her from time

 to time1 she tried to excuse herself1  
which only increased the anger of       
,goosehead1 so that he began to strike  
her again1 and as she cried out at the  
top of her voice1 the noise penetrated  
the whole neighbourhood1 and drew       
thither ,buffalmacco among others4 ,when
 he heard of what ,goosehead accused his
 wife and how she excused herself1 he   
said to ,goosehead3 ,worthy friend1 you 
should be reasonable2 you complain that 
your morning and evening dishes are too 
salt1 but ,i only wonder that your wife 
makes them so well as she does4 ,i      
cannot understand how she is able to    
keep going all day1 considering that she
 is sitting up the whole night over her 
spinning1 and does not1 ,i believe1     
sleep an hour4 ,let her give up rising  
at midnight1 and you will see1 when she 
has enough sleep1 her brain will not    
wander1 and she will not fall into such 
serious mistakes4 ,then he turned to the
 other neighbours1 and succeeded so well
 in convincing them that he had found   

the true explanation that they all told 
,goosehead that ,buonamico was right1   
and that he should follow this advice4  
,goosehead1 believing what he was told1 
ordered his wife not to rise so soon1   
and the dishes were afterwards          
reasonably salted1 except sometimes when
 the goodwife had risen early1 because  
then ,buffalmacco had recourse to his   
remedy1 a fact which induced ,goosehead 
to cause his wife to give up early      
rising altogether4  ,one of the earliest
 works ,buffalmacco did was the         
decoration of the church of the nunnery 
of ,faenza at ,florence1 where the      
citadel of ,prato now is4 ,here he      
represented scenes from the life of     
,christ1 among other things1 everything 
in which is in good style1 and he also  
did there the massacre of the ,innocents
 by ,herod's order4 ,here he displays   
with considerable vigour the expressions
 of the murderers as well as of the     
other figures1 because some nurses and  
mothers1 who are snatching the children 

from the hands of the murderers1 are    
using their hands1 nails1 teeth1 and    
every bodily agent to help them as much 
as possible1 showing that their minds   
are not less full of rage and fury than 
of grief4 ,as the monastery is destroyed
 to-day1 nothing more of this work is to
 be seen than a coloured drawing in our 
book of designs1 which contains the     
sketch for this by ,buonamico's hand4   
,in executing this work for the nuns of 
,faenza1 ,buffalmacco1 who was as       
eccentric in his dress as his behaviour1
 did not always happen to wear the hood 
and mantle customary in those times1 and
 the nuns who sometimes looked at him   
through the screen which he had caused  
to be made1 began to say to the         
custodian that they objected to seeing  
him always in his doublet4 ,after he had
 reassured them1 they remained quiescent
 for a while4 ,at length1 as they always
 saw him attired after the same fashion1
 they thought he must be the boy to mix 
the colours and accordingly they induced

 the abbess to tell him that they should
 like to see the master himself at work 
and not this other one always4          
,buonamico1 who always loved his joke1  
told them that so soon as the master    
arrived he would let them know1 although
 he was sensible of the small amount of 
confidence which they placed in him4    
,then he took a table and put another on
 the top of  it1 setting a water jug on 
this1 over the handle of which he put a 
hood and then covered the rest of the   
pitcher in a civilian's mantle1         
fastening it firmly about the tables4   
,after this he put a brush in the spout 
from which the water flows1 and there   
left it4 ,when the nuns returned to see 
the work through an opening where he had
 torn the canvas1 they saw the supposed 
master in his attire4 ,they believed    
that he was working there to the utmost 
of his power1 and would do much better  
than the mere boy had done1 so they were
 several days thinking of nothing else4 
,at last they were anxious to see what  

beautiful things the master had made4   
,fifteen days had passed since          
,buonamico had set foot in the place1   
and one night they went to see the      
paintings1 thinking that the master     
could no longer be there4 ,they were    
covered with confusion and blushes when 
one bolder than the rest discovered the 
nature of the solemn master1 who had not
 done a stroke in the fortnight4 ,when  
they learned that ,buonamico had treated
 them according to their deserts1 and   
that the works which he had made were   
excellent1 they recalled him and he     
returned with much laughter and joking  
to take up the work1 making them see    
that there is a difference between men  
and dummies1 and that works must not    
always be judged by the clothes of those
 who produce them4 ,after a few days he 
finished one subject there1 with which  
they were very delighted since it       
appeared to them to be satisfactory in  
all its parts1 except that the figures  
in the flesh colouring seemed to them to

 be rather too pale4 ,when ,buonamico   
heard this and learning that the abbess 
had the best vernaccia in ,florence1    
which served for the sacrifice of the   
mass1 he told them that in order to     
remedy such a defect1 nothing would be  
serviceable except to temper the colours
 with a good vernaccia1 for if the      
cheeks and other flesh parts of the     
figures were touched with this1 they    
would become red and very freshly       
coloured4 ,when the good sisters heard  
this they believed it completely and    
afterwards kept him supplied with the   
best vernaccia so long as the work      
lasted1 while he on his part made merry 
and thenceforward with his ordinary     
colours rendered his figures more fresh 
and brilliant4  ,on the completion of   
this work ,buffalmacco painted in the   
abbey of ,settimo some scenes from the  
life of ,st ,james in the chapel        
dedicated to that saint which is in the 
cloister1 on the vault of which he did  
the four ,patriarchs and the four       

,evangelists1 among whom the attitude of
 ,luke is noteworthy for the natural way
 in which he is blowing his pen to make 
the ink flow4 ,in the subjects for the  
walls1 which are five1 the figures are  
represented in fine attitudes and       
everything is carried out with          
originality and judgment4 ,in order to  
make his flesh colouring easier to paint
 ,buonamico used a ground of pavonazzo  
di sale1 as is seen in this work1 which 
in the course of time has caused a      
saltness by which the white and other   
colours are corroded and consumed so    
that it is no marvel that the work is   
damaged and destroyed1 while many that  
were made long before have been         
excellently preserved4 ,i formerly      
considered that the  injury was caused  
by the damp1 but afterwards by an       
examination of his other works ,i have  
proved by experience that it is not the 
damp1 but this peculiar practice of     
,buffalmacco which has caused them to be
 so damaged that it is not possible to  

see the design or anything else1 and    
where the flesh colour should be there  
remains nothing but the pavonazzo4 ,this
 method of working should not be        
practised by anyone who desires a long  
life for his paintings4  ,after the two 
pictures mentioned above1 ,buonamico did
 two others in tempera for the monks of 
the ,certosa at ,florence1 one of which 
is in the place where the singing books 
for the choir rest1 and the other is    
below in the old chapels4 ,in the ,badia
 at ,florence he painted in fresco the  
chapel of the ,gondi and ,bastari1      
beside the principal chapel1 which was  
afterwards granted to the family of the 
,boscoli1 and still retains these       
paintings of ,buffalmacco4 ,here he did 
the ,passion of ,christ1 with fine and  
original expressions1 showing in        
,christ1 when ,he washes the disciples' 
feet1 the greatest humility and         
benignity1 and cruelty and fierceness in
 the ,jews who lead ,him to ,herod4 ,but
 he displayed especial originality and  

facility in a ,pilate whom he painted in
 prison and in ,judas1 hung to a tree1  
from which we may readily believe what  
is related of this pleasant painter1    
that when he wished to be diligent and  
take pains1 which rarely happened1 he   
was not inferior to any other artist of 
his time4 ,that this is true is proved  
by his works in fresco in ,ognissanti1  
where the cemetery now is1 produced with
 such diligence and with such           
precautions that the water which has    
rained upon them for many years has not 
injured them or caused any harm except  
by preventing a recognition of their    
excellence4 ,they are so well preserved 
because they were done simply upon fresh
 lime4 ,on the walls are the ,nativity  
of ,jesus ,christ and the ,adoration of 
the ,magi1 that is to say1 over the tomb
 of the ,aliotti4 ,after these works    
,buonamico went to ,bologna1 where he   
painted in fresco on the vaults of the  
chapel of the ,bolognini in ,s4         
,petronio1 but did not finish them1 for 

some reason unknown to me4 ,it is said  
that in the year #acjb he was summoned  
to ,assisi1 and in the chapel of ,st    
,catherine in the church of ,s4         
,francesco he painted the history of the
 former saint's life in fresco1 works   
which are very well preserved1 and      
containing some figures well worthy of  
praise4 ,when he had completed the      
chapel and was on his way through       
,arezzo1 the bishop ,guido1 who had     
heard that ,buonamico was a pleasant man
 and a painter of talent1 wished him to 
stay in the city and paint for him the  
chapel in the ,vescovado containing the 
,baptism of ,christ4 ,buonamico put his 
hand to the work and had already done a 
considerable part of it when a very     
strange adventure happened to him1      
related by ,franco ,sacchetti in his    
,three ,hundred ,tales4 ,the bishop     
possessed a baboon1 the most mischievous
 and malignant creature that ever was   
seen4 ,this animal was one day standing 
on his perch and watching ,buonamico    

work1 having lost thought of everything 
else1 and never taking his eyes off him 
as he mixed the colours1 managed the    
tools1 broke the eggs to make the       
tempera1 or did any other thing1 no     
matter what4 ,one ,saturday evening     
,buonamico left the work and this       
baboon2 on ,sunday morning1 although he 
had a great log of wood attached to his 
legs1 which the bishop made him carry so
 that he should not leap everywhere1    
notwithstanding this heavy weight1 leapt
 on to the scaffolding where ,buonamico 
used to stand to work1 and there took up
 the phials and emptied them one by one1
 made the mixtures1 broke as many eggs  
as were there1 and began to daub all the
 figures with the brush1 never resting  
until he had repainted everything       
himself4 ,that done he made a fresh     
mixture of all the colours which were   
left over1 although they happened to be 
few1 and then descended from the        
scaffolding and departed4 ,when         
,buonamico came back to his work on     

,monday morning and saw his figures     
spoiled1 his phials emptied and         
everything upside down1 he was filled   
with amazement and confusion4 ,after    
turning the matter over in his mind for 
some time he concluded that some        
,aretine had done this from envy or for 
some other reason4 ,accordingly he went 
to the bishop and told him what had     
happened and what he suspected1 at which
 the bishop was much troubled1 yet he   
encouraged ,buonamico to go on with the 
work1 and to repaint the part which had 
been spoiled4 ,he further pledged       
himself to give the artist six armed men
 of his infantry1 who should stand with 
falchions to watch1 when he was not     
working1 and to cut to pieces without   
mercy anyone who should come4           
,accordingly the figures were repainted 
a second time1 and one day while the    
soldiers were on the watch they heard a 
curious rolling noise in the church1 and
 soon after the baboon appeared1 jumped 
upon the seat1 made the mixtures in an  

instant1 and set to work upon the saints
 of ,buonamico4 ,the guard then called  
the master1 and showed him the criminal1
 and when they saw him standing with    
them and watching the animal work1 they 
burst into laughter1 and ,buonamico     
himself1 though grieved at the damage1  
could not help laughing in the midst of 
his sorrow4 ,at length he dismissed the 
soldiers who had been on guard with     
their falchions1 and went to the bishop 
and said to him3 ,my lord1 you like my  
manner of painting1 but your baboon     
prefers another4 ,he then related the   
matter1 adding3 ,it was not necessary   
for you to send away for painters since 
you had a master in the house1 although 
perhaps he did not know how to mix his  
colours properly4 ,now that he knows1   
let him work by himself1 for ,i am of no
 further use here1 and as his worth is  
now recognised1 ,i shall be contented   
with no other wages for my work except  
permission to return to ,florence4      
,although much displeased1 the bishop   

could not refrain from laughing when he 
heard this1 especially when he          
considered that a beast had made a jest 
of the most jest-loving man in the      
world4 ,after they had laughed and      
talked over this new adventure1 the     
bishop prevailed so far1 that ,buonamico
 set himself a third time to do the     
work1 and he finished it4 ,the baboon1  
as a punishment and penance for his     
fault1 was shut up in a large cage of   
wood1 and kept there while ,buonamico   
worked1 until the painting was quite    
finished4 ,it is not possible to imagine
 the antics which the great beast played
 in that cage with his mouth1 his body  
and his hands1 at seeing others work    
while he was not able to imitate them4  
,when the decoration of the chapel was  
completed the bishop asked1 for a jest  
or for some other reason1 that          
,buffalmacco should paint him on a wall 
of his palace an eagle on the back of a 
lion which it had killed4 ,the cunning  
painter promised to do as the bishop    

desired1 and made a large partition of  
boards1 saying that he did not wish     
anyone to see such a thing being        
painted4 ,this done1 and while being    
shut up all alone inside1 he painted the
 contrary to what the bishop wished1 a  
lion crushing an eagle4 ,when the work  
was completed1 he asked licence from the
 bishop to go to ,florence to procure   
some colours which he needed4           
,accordingly1 having locked up his      
picture1 he went to ,florence intending 
never to return4 ,the bishop after      
waiting some time and seeing that the   
painter did not return1 caused the      
painting to be opened1 and found that   
,buonamico was wiser than himself4      
,furious at the trick which had been    
played upon him he threatened to take   
the artist's life4 ,when ,buonamico     
heard this1 he sent to tell him to do   
his worst1 wherefore the bishop menaced 
him with a malediction4 ,but at length  
he reflected that the artist had only   
been jesting1 and that he should take   

the matter as a jest1 whereupon he      
pardoned ,buonamico the insult1 and     
acknowledged his pains most liberally4  
,what is more1 he induced him to come   
again to ,arezzo not long after1 and    
caused him to paint many things in the  
old ,duomo1 which have been thrown down 
to-day1 treating him always as his      
friend and most faithful servant4 ,the  
same artist also painted in ,arezzo the 
apse of the principal chapel of ,s4     
,giustino4 ,some write that when        
,buonamico was in ,florence he was often
 in the workshop of ,maso del ,saggio   
with his friends and companions4 ,he was
 also present with many others in       
arranging the regatta which the men of  
the borgo ,s4 ,friano in ,arno celebrate
 on the calends of ,may1 and that when  
the ponte alla ,carraia1 which was then 
of wood1 broke down because it was too  
crowded with people1 who had run thither
 to see the spectacle1 he did not perish
 then like many others1 because when the
 bridge fell right on a machine1        

representing ,hell in a barque on the   
,arno1 he had gone to buy some things   
that were wanted for the feast4  ,not   
long after these things ,buonamico was  
invited to ,pisa1 and painted a series  
of subjects from the ,old ,testament1   
from the ,creation of ,man to the       
building of the ,tower of ,nimrod1 for  
the abbey of ,s4 ,paolo a ripa d',arno1 
which then belonged to the monks of     
,vallombrosa1 on the whole of the       
crossing of that church1 on three sides1
 from the roof to the ground4 ,this     
work1 which is now almost entirely      
destroyed1 is remarkable for the vigour 
of the figures1 the skill and beauty of 
the colouring and artist's faculty of   
expressing his ideas1 although he was   
not very good in design4 ,on the wall of
 this crossing opposite that which      
contains the side door1 there are some  
scenes of the life of ,st ,anastasia1   
where some women1 painted in a graceful 
manner1 exhibit certain antique habits  
and gestures1 very prettily and well4   

,no less fine are some figures in a     
barque1 arranged in well designed       
attitudes1 among them being the portrait
 of ,pope ,alexander ,,iv41 which it is 
said ,buonamico had from his master     
,tafi1 who had represented that pontiff 
in mosaic in ,st ,peter's4 ,similarly in
 the last subject which represents the  
martyrdom of the saint1 and of others1  
,buonamico finely expresses in the faces
 the fear of death1 the grief and dread 
of those who are standing by to see her 
tormented and put to death1 while she   
stands bound to a tree1 and above the   
fire4 ,bruno di ,giovanni1 a painter1   
assisted ,buonamico in this work4 ,he is
 called painter in the old book of the  
company4 ,this ,bruno1 also celebrated  
as a joke-loving man by ,boccaccio1     
finished the said scenes for the walls1 
and painted the altar of ,st ,ursula for
 the same church1 with her company of   
virgins1 inserting in one hand of the   
saint a standard with the arms of ,pisa1
 which are a white cross on a red       

ground1 while she places the other on a 
woman who is rising between two         
mountains1 and touches the sea with one 
foot and places her hands together in an
 act of entreaty4 ,this woman represents
 ,pisa1 her head being circled with a   
gold crown1 while she wears a garment   
full of circles and eagles1 and being in
 much trouble at sea she petitions the  
saint4 ,but because ,bruno complained   
when he executed those figures that they
 were not life-like as those of         
,buonamico were1 the latter in jest1 to 
teach him to make figures1 which if not 
life-like1 should at least converse1    
made him put some words issuing from the
 mouth of the woman who is entreating   
the saint1 and also the saint's reply to
 her1 a device which ,buonamico had seen
 in the works executed by ,cimabue in   
the same church4 ,this thing pleased    
,bruno and other foolish men of the     
time1 just as to-day it pleases certain 
clumsy fellows1 who have thus employed  
vulgar devices worthy of themselves4 ,it

 is certainly curious that in this way  
advice intended simply as a jest has    
been generally followed1 so much so that
 a great part of the ,campo ,santo done 
by masters of repute is full of this    
clumsiness4  ,the works of ,buonamico   
having greatly pleased the ,pisans1     
those in charge of the fabric of the    
,campo ,santo commissioned him to do    
four scenes in fresco from the beginning
 of the world until the building of     
,noah's ark1 surrounding them with an   
ornamentation1 in which he drew his own 
portrait from life1 that is to say1 in a
 border in the middle and  at the       
corners of which are some heads1 among  
which1 as ,i have said1 is his own4 ,he 
wears a hood1 just like the one that may
 be seen above4 ,this work contains a   
,god who holds in his arms the heavens  
and the elements1 and all the apparatus 
of the universe1 so that ,buonamico1    
explaining his scene with verses1 like  
the paintings of the age1 wrote at the  
foot in capital letters with his own    

hand the following sonnet1 as may be    
seen1 which for its antiquity and       
simplicity of diction peculiar to the   
time1 has seemed to me to be worth      
insertion in this place1 so that if it  
does not perchance give much pleasure1  
though ,i think it will1 yet it is a    
matter which will perhaps bear testimony
 to the amount of the knowledge of the  
men of that age3              ,voi che  
avvisate questa dipintura               
,di ,dio pietoso sommo creatore1        
,lo qual fe' tutte cose con amore       
,pesate1 numerate ed in misura4         
,in nove gradi angelica natura          
,in ello empirio ciel pien di splendore1
              ,colui che non si muove et
  motore1              ,ciascuna cosa   
fecie buona e pura4              ,levate
 gli occhi del vostro intelletto        
,considerate quanto  ordinato           
,lo mondo universale2 e con affetto     
,lodate lui che l' ha si ben creato3    
,pensate di passare a tal diletto       
,tra gli angeli1 dove e ciascun beato4  

,per questo mondo si vede la gloria1    
,lo basso1 e il mezzo1 e ,palto in      
questa storia4  ,it was indeed bold of  
,buonamico to set himself to make a ,god
 the ,father five braccia high1 the     
hierarchy1 the heavens1 the angels1 the 
zodiac1 and all the things above to the 
sky of the moon1 and then the element of
 fire1 the air1 the earth1 and finally  
the centre4 ,for the two lower corners  
he did a ,st ,augustine and a ,st       
,thomas ,aquinas4 ,at the top of this   
,campo ,santo1 where the marble tomb of 
the ,corte now is1 ,buonamico painted   
the ,passion of ,christ1 with a great   
number of figures on foot and on horse1 
all in varied and beautiful attitudes1  
and in conformity with the story4 ,he   
also did the ,resurrection and the      
,apparition of ,christ to the apostles  
very satisfactorily4 ,when he had       
completed these labours1 and had at the 
same time spent everything that he had  
gained at ,pisa1 which was not a little1
 he returned to ,florence as poor as he 

had left it1 and there he did many      
pictures and works in fresco1 which it  
is not necessary to describe further4   
,when his close friend ,bruno1 with whom
 he had returned from ,pisa after       
squandering everything1 was employed to 
do some works in ,s4 ,maria ,novella1   
because he had not much skill in design 
or invention1 ,buonamico designed for   
him all that he afterwards did for a    
wall of that church opposite the pulpit1
 filling the space between column and   
column4 ,this was the story of ,st      
,maurice and his companions1 who were   
beheaded for the faith of ,jesus        
,christ4 ,bruno executed this work for  
,guido ,campese1 then constable of the  
,florentines4 ,the artist took his      
portrait before  his death1 in the year 
#acbj1 and afterwards put it in this    
work1 as an armed man1 as was customary 
in those days1 and behind him he made an
 array of warriors1 all armed in the    
antique style1 forming a fine spectacle1
 while ,guido himself kneels before ,our

 ,lady1 who has the child ,jesus in her 
arms while ,st ,domenic and ,st ,agnes1 
who are on either side of her1 intercede
 for him4 ,although this painting is not
 remarkable for its design and          
invention1 yet it is worthy of some     
amount of praise1 chiefly on account of 
the variety of clothing1 and of the     
barbed and other armour of the time4 ,i 
myself made use of it in some scenes    
which ,i did for ,duke ,cosimo1 in which
 it was necessary to represent an armed 
man in the antique style and other      
similar things of that age4 ,this thing 
greatly pleased ,his ,most ,illustrious 
,excellency and others who have seen it4
 ,from this it may be seen what an      
advantage it is to draw materials from  
inventions and works made by these      
ancients1 for although they are not     
perfect1 yet it is useful to know in    
what manner they can be made of service1
 since they opened the way to the       
marvels which have since been produced4 
,whilst ,bruno was engaged upon these   

works1 a rustic desired him to do a ,st 
,christopher1 and they made an agreement
 at ,florence1 the terms being that the 
price should be eight florins1 and the  
figure should be twelve braccia high4   
,accordingly ,buonamico went to the     
church where he was to do the ,st       
,christopher1 and found that as its     
length and breadth did not exceed nine  
braccia he could not manage to get the  
figure in1 so he determined1 in order to
 fulfil the agreement1 to make the      
figure lying down1 but as even then it  
would not entirely come in1 he was      
compelled to turn it from the knees     
downwards on to another wall4 ,when the 
work was completed the rustic refused to
 pay for it1 exclaiming that he had been
 cheated4 ,the matter thus came before  
the official of the ,grascia1 who judged
 that ,buonamico was justified by the   
terms of the contract4  ,at ,s4         
,giovanni in l',arcore there was a very 
fine ,passion of ,jesus ,christ by      
,buonamico's hand1 and among other much 

admired things it contained a ,judas    
hanging from a tree1 done with much     
judgment and in good style4 ,there was  
also an old man blowing his nose very   
naturally1 and the ,maries are          
represented with such a sad air in      
weeping that they merit high praise for 
a time when men had not acquired the    
facility of expressing the emotions of  
the soul with the brush4 ,in the same   
wall is a ,st ,ivo of ,brittany with    
many widows and orphans at his feet--a  
good figure--and two angels in the air  
who crown him1 executed in the sweetest 
style4 ,this building1 together with the
 paintings1 was thrown down in the year 
of the war of #aebi4 ,again ,buonamico  
painted many things in the ,vescovado of
 ,cortona for ,m4 ,aldebrando1 bishop of
 that city1 especially the chapel and   
the picture of the high altar2 but as   
during the restoration of the palace and
 church everything was thrown down1 it  
is not worth while to say more about    
them4 ,in ,s4 ,francesco and in ,s4     

,margherita of the same city1 there are 
still some pictures by the hand of      
,buonamico4 ,from ,cortona he went once 
more to ,assisi1 where in the lower     
church of ,s4 ,francesco he painted in  
fresco all the chapel of the ,cardinal  
,egidio ,alvaro of ,spain1 and because  
he was successful he was liberally      
recognised by the cardinal4 ,finally1   
after ,buonamico had done many pictures 
in every part of la ,marca1 he stayed at
 ,perugia on his way back to ,florence1 
and there painted the chapel of the     
,buontempi in fresco in the church of   
,s4 ,domenico1 representing scenes from 
the life of ,st ,catherine1 virgin and  
martyr4 ,in the old church of ,s4       
,domenico he painted also in fresco on  
the wall the scene where ,st ,catherine1
 daughter of ,king ,costa1 disputes     
with1 convinces1 and converts certain   
philosophers to the faith of ,christ4   
,as this scene is the finest that       
,buonamico ever produced1 it may be said
 with truth that he has surpassed       

himself1 and moved by this1 as ,franco  
,sacchetti writes1 the ,perugians       
directed that he should paint on the    
piazza ,st ,ercolano1 bishop and        
protector of that city4 ,accordingly    
when the terms had been settled a screen
 of boards and wicker work was made in  
the place where he was to paint1 so that
 the master should not be seen at work1 
and this done he set himself to the     
task4 ,but before ten days had passed   
everyone who passed asked when the      
picture would be finished1 as if such   
things were cast in moulds4 ,this       
disgusted ,buonamico1 who was angered by
 such importunity1 and when the work was
 finished he resolved to be quietly     
avenged on the people for their         
impatience4 ,an idea came to him1 and   
before he uncovered his work he showed  
it to the people1 who were delighted4   
,but when the ,perugians wanted to      
remove the screen1 ,buonamico said that 
they must let it remain for two days    
longer1 because he wished to retouch    

some things a secco1 and this was done4 
,buonamico then climbed up to where he  
had made a great diadem of gold for the 
saint1 done in relief with the lime1 as 
was customary in those days1 and        
replaced it by a crown or garland of    
fish4 ,that done1 permission to depart  
being granted to him1 he went away to   
,florence4 ,when two days had passed1   
the ,perugians not seeing the painter   
about1 as he was accustomed to be1      
enquired what had become of him1 and    
learned that he had returned to         
,florence4 ,accordingly they at once    
went to uncover the work1 and found     
their ,st ,ercolano solemnly crowned    
with fishes4 ,they immediately informed 
their magistrates1 and horsemen were    
sent off in haste to find ,buonamico4   
,but all was in vain1 since he had      
returned with great speed to ,florence4 
,they1 therefore1 agreed to get one of  
their own painters to remove the crown  
of fishes and to repaint the saint's    
diadem1 saying all the evil things      

imaginable of ,buonamico and of the     
other ,florentines4 ,thus ,buonamico    
returned to ,florence1 caring little for
 what the ,perugians said1 and began to 
do many works which ,i shall not mention
 for fear of being too tedious4 ,i will 
only remark that having painted a       
,madonna and child at ,calcinaia1 the   
man who had commissioned him to paint   
it1 gave him promises instead of gold4  
,buonamico1 who had not reckoned upon   
being used and cheated in this way1     
determined to be even with him4         
,accordingly he went one morning to     
,calcinaia and converted the child which
 he had painted in the ,virgin's arms   
into a little bear1 with simple tints1  
without glue or tempera1 but made with  
water only4 ,when the countryman saw    
this not long after1 he was in despair1 
and went to find ,buonamico1 begging him
 to be so good as to remove the bear and
 repaint a child as at first1 because he
 was ready to satisfy him4 ,buonamico   
did this with pleasure1 for a wet sponge

 sufficed to set everything right1 and  
he was paid for his first and second    
labours without further delay4 ,as ,i   
should occupy too much space if ,i      
wished to describe all the jests and    
paintings of ,buonamico ,buffalmacco1   
especially these perpetrated in the     
workshop of ,maso del ,saggio1 which was
 a resort of citizens and of all the    
pleasant and jest-loving men in         
,florence1 ,i shall conclude this notice
 of him4 ,he died at the age of         
seventy-eight1 and he was of the company
 of the ,misericordia1 because he was   
very poor1 and had spent more than he   
had earned1 that being his temperament1 
and in his misfortunes he went to ,s4   
,maria ,nuova1 a hospital of ,florence4 
,he was buried in the year #acdj1 like  
the other poor in the ,ossa1 the name of
 a cloister or cemetery of the hospital4
 ,his works were valued during his      
lifetime1 and they have since been      
considered meritorious for productions  
of that age4    ,ambruogio ,lorenzetti1 

,painter of ,siena4   ,great as the debt
 owed by artists of genius to ,nature   
undoubtedly is1 our debt to them is far 
greater1 seeing that they labour to fill
 our cities with noble and useful       
buildings and with beautiful paintings1 
while they usually win fame and riches  
for themselves4 ,this was the case with 
,ambruogio ,lorenzetti1 painter of      
,siena1 whose powers of invention were  
fine and prolific1 and who excelled in  
the arrangement and disposition of the  
figures in his subjects4 ,evidence of   
this may be seen at the ,friars ,minors 
at ,siena in a very gracefully painted  
scene by him in the cloister4 ,here he  
represented the manner in which a youth 
becomes a friar1 and how he and some    
others go to the ,soldan1 and are there 
beaten and sentenced to the gallows1    
hung to a tree1 and finally beheaded1   
during the progress of a fearful        
tempest4 ,in this painting he has very  
admirably and skilfully depicted the    
disturbance of the and the fury of the  

rain and wind1 by the efforts of the    
figures4 ,from these modern masters have
 learned originally how to treat such a 
scene1 for which reason the artist      
deserves the highest commendation4      
,ambruogio was a skilful colourist in   
fresco1 and he exhibited great address  
and dexterity in his treatment of       
colours in tempera1 as may still be seen
 in the pictures which he completed at  
,siena in the hospital called ,mona     
,agnesa1 in which he painted and        
finished a scene with new and beautiful 
composition4 ,on the front of the great 
hospital he did in fresco the ,nativity 
of ,our ,lady1 and when she goes among  
the virgins to the temple4 ,for the     
friars of ,st ,augustine in that city he
 did the chapterhouse1 on the vault of  
which are represented the ,apostles     
holding scrolls containing that part of 
the ,credo which each of them made4 ,at 
the foot of each is a small scene       
representing the meaning of the writing 
above4 ,on the principal wall are three 

scenes of the life of ,st ,catherine the
 ,martyr1 representing her dispute with 
the tyrant in the temple1 and in the    
middle is the ,passion of ,christ with  
the thieves on the ,cross and the       
,maries below1 supporting the ,virgin1  
who has fallen down4 ,these things were 
finished by ,ambruogio with considerable
 grace1 and in a good style4 ,he also   
depicted in the great hall of the palace
 of the ,signoria at ,siena the war of  
,asinalunga1 the peace following1 and   
the events which then took place1       
comprising a map1 perfect for the time4 
,in the same palace he did eight scenes 
in terra verde very smoothly4 ,it is    
said that he also sent to ,volterra a   
picture in tempera1 which was much      
admired in that city2 and at ,massa1 in 
conjunction with others1 he did a chapel
 in fresco and a picture in tempera1    
showing the excellence of his judgment  
and talent in the art of painting4 ,at  
,orvieto he painted in fresco the       
principal chapel of ,st ,mary4 ,after   

these works he betook himself to        
,florence1 and in ,s4 ,procolo did a    
picture and the life of ,st ,nicholas on
 small figures in a chapel1 to please   
some of his friends1 who were anxious to
 see a specimen of his work4 ,he        
completed this painting in so short a   
time1 and with such skill1 that he      
greatly increased his name and          
reputation4 ,this work1 in the predella 
of which he made his own portrait1      
procured him an invitation to ,cortona1 
by command of the ,bishop degli         
,ubertini1 then lord of that city1 where
 he worked in the church of ,s4         
,margherita1 which had shortly before   
been erected on the summit of the       
mountain for the friars of ,st ,francis4
 ,some of this1 particularly parts of   
the vaulting and walls1 is so well done1
 that even now when they are almost     
destroyed by time1 it is clear that the 
figures had very good expressions1 and  
show that he deserved the commendation  
which he received4 ,on the completion of

 this work ,ambruogio returned to       
,siena1 where he passed the remainder of
 his days1 honoured not only because he 
was an excellent master in painting1 but
 also because in his youth he had       
devoted himself to letters1 which were a
 sweet and useful companion to painting1
 and such an ornament to all his life1  
that they rendered him no less amiable  
and pleasing than the profession of     
painting had done4 ,thus he not only    
conversed with men of letters and of    
worth1 but was also employed on the     
affairs of his republic with much honour
 and profit4 ,the manners of ,ambruogio 
were in every respect meritorious1 and  
rather those of a gentleman and a       
philosopher than of an artist4          
,moreover1 and this tests the prudence  
of men more severely1 he was always     
ready to accept what the world and time 
brought him1 so that he supported with  
an equable mind the good and the evil   
which ,fortune sent him4 ,in truth it is
 impossible to overestimate what art    

gains by good society1 gentle manners1  
and modesty1 joined with other excellent
 traits1 especially when these emanate  
from the intellect and from superior    
minds4 ,thus everyone should render     
himself no less pleasing by his         
character than by the excellence of his 
art4 ,at the end of his life ,ambruogio 
executed a much admired picture for     
,monte ,oliveto of ,chiusuri4 ,soon     
after1 at the age of eighty-three1 he   
passed in a happy and ,christian manner 
to the better life4 ,his works were     
executed about #acdj4  ,as has been     
said1 the portrait of ,ambruogio by his 
own hand may be seen in ,s4 ,procolo in 
the predella of his picture1 where he is
 wearing a hood on his head4 ,his skill 
as a designer may be seen in our book1  
which contains some things by his hand  
of considerable merit4     ,pietro      
,cavallini1 ,painter of ,rome4   ,at a  
time when  ,rome had been deprived for  
many centuries1 not only of good letters
 and of the glory of arms1 but also of  

all the sciences and fine arts1 there   
was born in that city1 by ,god's will1  
one ,pietro ,cavallini1 at the very time
 when ,giotto1 who may be said to have  
restored life to painting1 had attained 
to the  chief place among the painters  
of ,italy4 ,pietro1 who had been a pupil
 of ,giotto1 and had done some mosaics  
with him in ,st ,peter's1 was the first 
after him who illuminated that art1 and 
who first showed signs that he was not  
an unworthy pupil of so great a master1 
when he painted over the door of the    
sacristy at ,araceli1 some scenes which 
are now destroyed by time1 and in ,s4   
,maria di ,trastevere very many coloured
 things in fresco for the whole church4 
,afterwards he worked in mosaic in the  
principal chapel1 and did the front of  
the church1 proving that he was capable 
of working in mosaic without ,giotto's  
assistance1 as he had already succeeded 
in doing in painting4 ,in the church of 
,s4 ,grisogono he also did many scenes  
in fresco and endeavoured to make       

himself known as the best pupil of      
,giotto and as a good artist4 ,in the   
,trastevere also he painted almost the  
whole of the church of ,s4 ,cecilia in  
fresco1 and many things in the church of
 ,s4 ,francesco appresso ,ripa4 ,he then
 executed in mosaic the front of ,s4    
,paolo1 outside ,rome1 and in the middle
 nave did many scenes from the ,old     
,testament4 ,in executing some things in
 fresco for the chapter-house of the    
first cloister1 he displayed such       
diligence that he was considered by men 
of judgment to be a most excellent      
master1 and was for the same reason so  
much favoured by the prelates1 that they
 employed him to do the wall space      
between the windows inside ,st ,peter's4
 ,among these things he did the four    
,evangelists1 of extraordinary size as  
compared with the figures of the time   
usually seen1 executed very finely in   
fresco2 also a ,st ,peter and a ,st     
,paul1 and in the nave a good number of 
figures1 in which1 because the          

,byzantine style greatly pleased him1 he
 always used it in conjunction with that
 of ,giotto4 ,we see by this work that  
he spared no effort to give his figures 
the utmost possible relief4 ,but the    
best work produced by him in that city  
was in the church of ,araceli sul       
,campidoglio mentioned above1 where he  
painted in fresco on the vaulting of the
 principal apse1 ,our ,lady with the    
child in her arms1 surrounded by a      
circle of suns2 beneath her is the      
,emperor ,octavian1 adorning the ,christ
 who is pointed out to him by the       
,tiburtine sybil4 ,the figures in this  
work1 as has been said elsewhere1 are   
much better preserved than the others1  
because dust cannot attack the vaulting 
so seriously as the walls4 ,after these 
things ,pietro came to ,tuscany in order
 to see the works of the other pupils of
 his master ,giotto1 and those of the   
master himself4 ,upon this occasion he  
painted in ,s4 ,marco at ,florence many 
figures which are not visible to-day1   

the church having been whitewashed with 
the exception of an ,annunciation which 
is beside the principal door of the     
church1 and which is covered over4 ,in  
,s4 ,basilio1 by the aide of the        
,macine1 there is another ,annunciation 
in fresco on the wall1 so similar to the
 one which he had previously made for   
,s4 ,marco1 and to another which is at  
,florence that there are those who      
believe1 not without some amount of     
reason1 that all of them are by the hand
 of this ,pietro2 certainly it is       
impossible that they could more closely 
resemble each other4 ,among the figures 
which he made for ,s4 ,marco of         
,florence was the portrait of ,pope     
,urban ,v41 with the heads of ,st ,peter
 and ,st ,paul4 ,from this portrait ,fra
 ,giovanni da ,fiesole copied the one   
which is in a picture in ,s4 ,domenico1 
also at ,fiesole4 ,this is a fortunate  
circumstance because the portrait which 
was in ,s4 ,marco was covered with      
whitewash as ,i have said1 together with

 many other figures in fresco in that   
church1 when the convent was taken from 
the monks who were there originally and 
given to the ,friars ,preachers1        
everything being whitewashed with little
 judgment and discretion4 ,on his way   
back to ,rome ,pietro passed through    
,assisi in order not only to see the    
buildings and notable works done then by
 his master and by some of his          
fellow-pupils1 but to leave something of
 his own there4 ,in the transept on the 
sacristy side of the lower church of ,s4
 ,francesco he painted in fresco a      
,crucifixion of ,jesus ,christ with     
armed men on horseback1 in varied       
fashions1 with a great variety of       
extraordinary costumes characteristic of
 divers foreign nations4 ,in the air he 
made some angels floating on their wings
 in various attitudes2 all are weeping1 
some pressing their hands to their      
breasts1 some crossing them1 and some   
beating their hands1 showing the        
extremity of their grief at the death of

 the ,son of ,god1 and all melt into the
 air1 from the middle downwards1 or from
 the middle upwards4 ,in this work which
 is well executed in fresh and vivacious
 colouring1 the joints of the lime are  
so well made that it looks as if it had 
all been done in a single day3 in it ,i 
have found the arms of ,walter1 ,duke of
 ,athens1 but as it contains no date or 
other writing1 ,i cannot affirm that it 
was executed by command of that prince4 
,but besides the fact that everyone     
considers it to be by ,pietro's hand1   
the style alone is a sufficient         
indication1 while it seems most probable
 that the work was made by ,pietro at   
the duke's command seeing that the      
painter flourished at the time when the 
duke was in ,italy4 ,be that as it may1 
the painting is certainly admirable for 
an antique production1 and its style1   
besides the common report1 proclaims it 
as being by ,pietro's hand4 ,in the     
church of ,s4 ,marco at ,orvieto1 which 
contains the most holy relic of the     

,corporale1 ,pietro executed in fresco  
some scenes of the life of ,christ and  
of ,his body1 with much diligence4 ,it  
is said that he did this for ,m4        
,benedetto1 son  of ,m4 ,buonconte      
,monaldeschi1 at that time lord and     
tyrant of the city4 ,some further affirm
 that ,pietro made some sculptures with 
success1 because he excelled in whatever
 he set himself to do1 and that the     
,crucifix which is in the great church  
of ,s4 ,paolo outside ,rome is by him4  
,this is said to be the same one that   
spoke to ,st ,brigida in the year #acgj1
 and we are bound to believe it4 ,by the
 same hand were some other things in    
that style which were thrown down when  
the old church of ,st ,peter's was      
destroyed to make the new one4  ,pietro 
was very diligent in all his efforts and
 endeavoured steadily to do himself     
honour and to acquire fame in art4 ,not 
only was he a good ,christian1 but very 
devoted and kind to the poor1 and       
beloved for his goodness1 not only in   

his native city of ,rome1 but by every  
one who knew him or his works4 ,in his  
extreme old age he devoted himself so   
thoroughly to religion1 leading an      
exemplary life1 that he was considered  
almost a saint4 ,thus there is no cause 
for marvel if his crucifix spoke to the 
saint1 as is said1 nor that a ,madonna1 
by his hand1 has worked and still works 
miracles4 ,i do not propose to speak of 
this work1 although it is famous        
throughout ,italy1 and although it is   
all but certain that it is by ,pietro's 
hand by the style of the painting1 but  
,pietro's admirable life and piety to   
,god are worthy of imitation by all men4
 ,let no one believe by this that it is 
impossible to attain to honoured rank   
without good conduct1 and without the   
fear and grace of ,god1 for constant    
experience proves the contrary4         
,giovanni of ,pistoia was a pupil of    
,pietro1 and did some things of no great
 importance in his native place4 ,pietro
 died at length in ,rome1 at the age of 

eighty-five1 of a malady in his side    
caused by working at a wall1 by the damp
 and by standing continually at that    
exercise4 ,his paintings were executed  
about #acfd4 ,he was buried in ,s4      
,paolo outside ,rome1 with honour1 and  
with this epitaph3            ,quantum  
,romans ,petrus decus addidit urbi      
,pictura1 tantum1 dat decus ipse polo4  
,simone ,martini and ,lippo ,memmi1     
,painters of ,siena4   ,happy indeed may
 we call those men who are inclined by  
nature to those arts which may bring    
them not only honour and great profit1  
but what is more1 fame1 and an all but  
immortal name4 ,how much more happy then
 are those who1 from their cradle1      
besides such an inclination1 exhibit    
gentleness and civil manners1 which     
render them very acceptable to all men4 
,but the most happy of all1 ,i speak of 
artists1 are those who1 besides having a
 natural inclination to the good1 and   
whose manners are noble by nature and   
training1 live in the time of some      

famous writer1 by whose works they      
sometimes receive a reward of eternal   
honour and fame in return for some small
 portrait or other courtesy of an       
artistic kind4 ,this reward should be   
specially desired and sought after by   
painters1 since their works1 being on a 
surface and a field of colour1 cannot   
hope for that eternity that bronze and  
marble give to sculpture1 and which the 
strength of building materials afford to
 the architect4 ,it was thus a very     
fortunate matter for ,simone that he    
lived in the time of ,m4 ,francesco     
,petrarca1 and happened to meet this    
amorous poet at the court of ,avignon1  
anxious to have the portrait of ,madonna
 ,laura by his hand2 because when he had
 received one as beautiful as he        
desired1 he celebrated ,simone in two   
sonnets1 one of which begins3           
,per mirar ,policleto a prova fiso      
,con gli altri1 che ebber fama di quell'
 arte2  and the other3                  
,quando giunse a ,simon l'alto concetto 

,ch'a mio nome gli pose in man lo stile4
  ,in truth these sonnets and the       
mention of the artist in one of his     
intimate letters in the fifth book1     
beginning ,non sum nescius1 have given  
more fame to the poor life of ,simone   
than all his own works have done or ever
 will do1 for a day will come when they 
will be no more1 whereas the writings of
 such a man as ,petrarch endure for all 
time4  ,simone ,memmi of ,siena then was
 an excellent painter1 remarkable in his
 own day and much esteemed at the       
,pope's court1 because1 after the death 
of his master ,giotto1 whom he had      
followed to ,rome when he did the       
,navicella in mosaic1 and other things1 
he had imitated his master's style in   
making a ,virgin ,mary in the porch of  
,st ,peter's1 and a ,st ,peter and a ,st
 ,paul in that place near where the     
bronze pine apple is1 in a wall between 
the arches of the portico1 on the       
outside4 ,for this style he was praised1
 especially as he had introduced into   

the work a portrait of a sacristan of   
,st ,peter's lighting some lamps1 and   
has made his figures very vigorous4     
,this led to ,simone being summoned very
 urgently to the ,pope's court at       
,avignon1 where he executed so many     
pictures in fresco and on panels that   
his works realised the fame which had   
preceded him thither4 ,returning to     
,siena in great credit and high in      
favour1 he was employed by the ,signoria
 to paint in fresco a ,virgin ,mary1    
with many figures about her in a chamber
 in their palace4 ,he completed this    
with every perfection1 to his great     
glory and advantage4 ,in order to show  
that he was no less skilful in painting 
on panels than in fresco1 he executed a 
panel in that palace1 for which reason  
he was afterwards commissioned to do two
 in the ,duomo and a ,madonna with the  
child in her arms in a most beautiful   
attitude1 above the door of the opera of
 that building4 ,in this picture some   
angels which are holding up a standard  

in the air1 are flying and looking down 
on saints below them1 who are           
surrounding ,our ,lady1 forming a very  
beautiful and decorative composition4   
,that done1 ,simone was invited to      
,florence by the general of ,st         
,augustine and did the chapter-house in 
,s4 ,spirito1 showing remarkable        
invention and judgment in the figures   
and horses1 as may be believed on seeing
 the story of the ,passion of ,christ1  
remarkable alike for the ingenuity1     
discretion1 and exquisite grace         
displayed by the artist4 ,the thieves on
 the cross are seen in the act of       
expiring1 the soul of the good one being
 carried with rejoicing to heaven by    
angels1 while that of the guilty one is 
roughly dragged down by devils to hell4 
,simone has also shown originality and  
judgment in the disposition and bitter  
weeping of some angels about the cross4 
,but most remarkable of all is the way  
in which the spirits cleave the air with
 their shoulders1 because they maintain 

the movement of their flight while      
turning in a circle4 ,this work would   
supply much clearer evidence of         
,simone's excellence if1 in addition to 
the ravages of time1 it had not been    
further damaged in the year #aefj1      
through the fathers who1 not being able 
to use the chapter-house on account of  
the damp1 and throwing down the little  
that remained of the paintings of this  
man1 in replacing a worm-eaten floor by 
vaulting4 ,about the same time ,simone  
painted in tempera on a panel ,our ,lady
 and a ,st ,luke with other saints1     
which is to-day in the chapel of the    
,gondi in ,s4 ,maria ,novella1 signed   
with his name4 ,simone afterwards did   
three sides of the chapter-house of ,s4 
,maria ,novella very successfully4 ,on  
the first1 that over the entrance door1 
he did the life of ,st ,domenic2 on the 
next one towards the church he          
represented the religious and order of  
that saint fighting against the         
heretics1 who are represented by wolves 

attacking some sheep1 these being       
defended by a number of dogs1 spotted   
white and black1 the wolves being       
repulsed and slain4 ,there are also some
 heretics who have been convinced in the
 disputes and are tearing up their      
books1 and1 having repented1 they       
confess1 and their souls pass to the    
gate of ,paradise1 in which are many    
small figures doing various things4 ,in 
heaven is seen the glory of the saints  
and ,jesus ,christ4 ,in the world below 
the pleasures and delights are          
represented by human figures1 especially
 some ladies1 seated among whom is      
,petrarch's ,laura drawn from life1     
clothed in green1 with a small flame of 
fire between her breast and her throat4 
,there also is the ,church of ,christ1  
guarding which are the ,pope1 the       
,emperor1 the ,king1 ,cardinals1        
,bishops1 and all the  ,christian       
,princes1 among them1 beside a knight of
 ,rhodes1 ,m4 ,francesco ,petrarch1 also
 drawn from life1 which ,simone did in  

order to keep green the memory of the   
man who had made him immortal4 ,for the 
,church ,universal he made the church of
 ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore1 not as it stands
 to-day1 but as he had taken it from the
 model and design left by the architect 
,arnolfo in the ,opera1 as a guide to   
those who were to continue the building 
after his death4 ,as ,i have said       
elsewhere1 no  memory of these models   
would have been preserved1 owing to the 
negligence of the wardens of ,s4 ,maria 
del ,fiore1 had not ,simone painted them
 in this work4 ,on the third side1 that 
of the altar1 he did the ,passion of    
,christ1 who is going up from ,jerusalem
 with the cross on ,his shoulder1 and   
proceeds to ,mount ,calvary1 followed by
 a throng of people1 where ,he is seen  
raised on the cross between the thieves1
 together with the other incidents of   
that story4 ,i shall not attempt to     
describe the presence of a good number  
of horses1 the throwing of lots by the  
servants of the court for the raiment of

 ,christ1 the release of the ,holy      
,fathers from limbo1 and all the other  
clever inventions which would be most   
excellent in a modern master and are    
remarkable in an ancient one4 ,here he  
occupies the entire wall and carefully  
makes the different scenes1 one above   
the other1 not dividing the separate    
subjects from one another by ornaments1 
as  the  ancients used to do1 and       
according to the practice of many       
moderns1 who put the earth above the air
 four or five times4 ,this has been done
 in the principal chapel of the same    
church1 and in the ,campo ,santo at     
,pisa1 where ,simone painted many things
 in fresco1 and was compelled against   
his will to make such divisions1 as the 
other painters who had worked there1    
such as ,giotto and ,buonamico his      
master1 had  begun the scenes in this   
bad style4 ,accordingly he continued    
that style in the ,campo ,santo1 and    
made in fresco a ,madonna above the     
principal door on the inside4 ,she is   

borne to heaven by a choir of angels1   
who sing and play so realistically that 
they exhibit all the various expressions
 which musicians are accustomed to show 
when playing or singing1 such as bending
 the ear to the sound1 opening the mouth
 in various ways1 raising the eyes to   
heaven1 puffing the cheeks1 swelling the
 throat1 and in short all the movements 
which are made in music4 ,under this    
,assumption1 in three pictures1 he did  
the life of ,st ,ranieri of ,pisa4 ,in  
the first is the youth playing the      
psalter1 to the  music of which some    
little children are dancing1--very      
beautiful for the arrangement of the    
folds1 the ornamentation of the clothes1
 and the head-dresses of those times4   
,the same ,ranieri is next seen rescued 
from such lasciviousness by ,st ,albert 
the hermit4 ,he stands weeping with his 
face down1 and his eyes red with tears1 
full of repentance for his sin1 while   
,god in the air1 surrounded by a        
heavenly light1 makes as if to pardon   

him4 ,the second picture represents     
,ranieri distributing his property among
 ,god's poor1 then mounting into a      
barque he has about him a throng of poor
 and maimed1 of women and children1     
anxiously pressing forward to petition  
and to thank him4 ,in the same picture  
is when the saint after receiving the   
pilgrim's dress in the church1 stands   
before ,our ,lady1 who is  surrounded by
 many angels1 and shows him that he     
shall rest1 in her bosom at ,pisa4 ,the 
heads of all these figures are vigorous 
with a fine bearing4 ,the third picture 
represents the saint's return after     
seven years from beyond the sea1 where  
he had spent three terms of forty days  
in the ,holy ,land1 and how while       
standing in the choir and hearing the   
divine offices where a number of boys   
are singing1 he is tempted by the devil1
 who is seen to be repelled by the firm 
purpose guiding ,ranieri not to offend  
,god1 assisted by a figure made by      
,simone to represent ,constancy1 who    

drives away the ancient adversary       
represented with fine originality not   
only as terrified1 but holding his hands
 to his head in his flight1 with his    
head buried as far as possible in his   
shoulders1 and saying1 according to the 
words issuing from his mouth3 ,i can do 
no more4 ,the last scene in the same    
picture is when  ,ranieri kneeling on   
,mount ,tabor sees ,christ miraculously 
in the air with ,moses and ,elias4 ,all 
the parts of this work and other things 
which concern it show that ,simone was  
very ingenious1 and understood the good 
method of composing figures lightly in  
the style of the time4 ,when these      
scenes were finished he made two        
pictures in tempera in the same city1   
assisted by ,lippo ,memmi his brother1  
who had also helped him to paint the    
chapter-house of ,s4 ,maria ,novella and
 other works4 ,although ,lippo did not  
possess ,simone's genius1 yet he        
followed his style so far as he was     
able1 and did many things in fresco1 in 

conjunction with his brother in ,s4     
,croce at ,florence1 the picture of the 
high altar of the ,friars ,preachers in 
,s4 ,catarina at ,pisa1 and in ,s4      
,paolo on the ,river ,arno1 and besides 
many beautiful scenes in fresco1 he did 
the picture in tempera now over the high
 altar1 comprising ,our ,lady1 ,st      
,peter1 ,st ,paul1 ,st ,john the        
,baptist1 and other saints1 to which    
work ,lippo put his name4 ,after these  
things he did by himself a picture in   
tempera for the friars of ,st ,augustine
 in ,s4 ,gimigniano1 and acquired such  
fame thereby1 that he was obliged to    
send to ,arezzo to the ,bishop ,guido   
de' ,tarlati a picture with three       
half-length figures1 which is now in the
 chapel of ,st ,gregory in the          
,vescovado4 ,while ,simone was working  
at ,florence1 a cousin of his who was a 
clever architect1 ,neroccio by name1    
succeeded in the year #accb in sounding 
the great bell of the commune of        
,florence1 which no one had been able to

 accomplish for the space of seventeen  
years1 except by the efforts of twelve  
men4 ,this man1 however1 balanced it so 
that it could be moved by two persons1  
and when once in motion one person alone
 could ring it1 although it weighed more
 than sixteen thousand pounds2          
accordingly1 in addition to the honour1 
he received three hundred gold florins  
as his reward1 a considerable sum for   
that time4 ,but to return to our two    
masters of ,siena4 ,besides the things  
already mentioned1 ,lippo executed from 
,simone's design a picture in tempera1  
which was taken to ,pistoia and put over
 the high altar of the church of ,s4    
,francesco1 where it was considered very
 fine4 ,when ,simone and ,lippo at      
length returned to their native ,siena1 
the former began a large coloured work  
over the great gate of ,camollia4 ,here 
he represented the coronation of ,our   
,lady with a quantity of figures1 but   
the work remained incomplete1 as he fell
 very sick1 and succumbing to the       

disease he passed from this life in the 
year #acde1 to the great sorrow of the  
whole city1 and of ,lippo his brother1  
who gave him honoured burial in ,s4     
,francesco4 ,lippo afterwards finished  
many pictures which ,simone had left    
imperfect4 ,among these were a ,passion 
of ,jesus ,christ at ,ancona1 over the  
high altar of ,s4 ,niccola1 in which    
,lippo finished what ,simone had begun1 
imitating what he had done in the       
chapter-house of ,s4 ,spirito at        
,florence1 and which ,simone had        
entirely completed4 ,this work is worthy
 of a longer life than it appears likely
 to enjoy1 for it contains many finely  
posed horses and soldiers1 actively     
engaged in various matters1 wondering   
whether or no they have crucified the   
,son of ,god4 ,at ,assisi he also       
finished some figures which ,simone had 
begun in the lower church of ,s4        
,francesco1 at the altar of ,st         
,elizabeth1 which is at the entrance of 
the door leading into the chapel1       

representing ,our ,lady1 a ,st ,louis1  
,king of ,france1 and other saints1     
eight figures in all1 from the knees    
upwards1 but good and very well         
coloured4 ,besides this ,simone had     
begun in the principal refectory of that
 monastery1 at the top of the wall1 many
 small scenes and a crucifix with a     
,tree of the ,cross4 ,this remained     
unfinished1 and is drawn1 as may be seen
 to-day1 in red with the brush on the   
rough wall4 ,this method was favoured by
 the old masters in order to work in    
fresco with greater rapidity1 for after 
they had sectioned out all their work on
 the rough wall1 they drew it with the  
brush1 following a small design which   
served as a guide1 increasing this to   
the proper size1 and this done they at  
once set to work4 ,that many other works
 were painted in the same manner as this
 is seen in those cases where the work  
has peeled off1 the design in red       
remaining on the rough wall4 ,but to    
return to ,lippo4 ,he drew very fairly1 

as may be seen in our book1 in a hermit 
with his legs crossed4 ,he survived     
,simone twelve years1 doing many things 
for all parts of ,italy1 but especially 
two pictures in ,s4 ,croce at ,florence4
 ,as the style of the two brothers is   
somewhat similar1 their works may be    
distinguished thus3  ,simone wrote at   
the bottom of his3 ,simonis ,memmi      
,senensis opus2 ,lippo omitted his      
surname and careless of his ,latinity   
wrote3 ,opus ,memmi de ,seals me fecit4 
,on the wall of the chapter-house of ,s4
 ,maria ,novella1 besides the portraits 
of ,petrarch and ,laura mentioned above 
by ,simone's hand1 are those of         
,cimabue1 ,lapo the architect1 ,arnolfo 
his son1 and ,simone himself1 the ,pope 
being a portrait of ,benedict ,,xi4 of  
,treviso1 a friar preacher1 whose figure
 had been given to ,simone by his master
 ,giotto1 when the latter returned from 
the ,pope's court at ,avignon4 ,in the  
same place1 next to the ,pope1 he       
portrayed the ,cardinal ,niccola da     

,prato1 who had at that time come to    
,florence as the ,pope's legate1 as     
,giov4 ,villani relates in his ,history4
 ,over ,simone's tomb was set the       
following epitaph3 ,simoni ,memmio      
pictorum omnium omnis aetatis           
celeberrimo1 ,vixit ann4 ix4 metis ii4  
d4 iii4 ,as may be seen in our book1    
,simone did not excel greatly in design1
 but was naturally full of invention and
 was very fond of drawing from life4 ,in
 this he was considered the best master 
of his time1 so that the lord ,pandolfo 
,malatesta sent him to ,avignon to make 
the portrait of ,m4 ,francesco          
,petrarch1 at whose request he          
afterwards made the much admired        
portrait of ,madonna ,laura4     ,taddeo
 ,gaddi1 ,painter of ,florence4   ,it is
 a truly useful and admirable task to   
reward talent largely at every          
opportunity1 because great abilities    
which would otherwise lie dormant1 are  
excited by this stimulus and endeavour  
with all industry1 not only to learn1   

but to excel1 to raise themselves to a  
useful and honourable rank1 from which  
flow honour to their country1 glory to  
themselves1 and riches and nobility to  
their descendants1 who1 being brought up
 on such principles1 often become very  
rich and noble1 as did the descendants  
of ,taddeo ,gaddi the painter1 by means 
of his works4 ,this ,taddeo di ,gaddo   
,gaddi of ,florence1 after the death of 
,gaddo1 had been the pupil of his       
godfather ,giotto for twenty-four years1
 as ,cennino di ,drea ,ceninni1 painter 
of ,colle di ,valdelsa writes4 ,on the  
death of ,giotto he became the first    
painter of the day1 by reason of his    
judgment and genius1 surpassing his     
fellow-pupils4 ,his first works1        
executed with a facility due to natural 
ability rather than to acquired skill1  
were in the church of ,s4 ,croce at     
,florence in the chapel of the sacristy1
 where1 in conjunction with his         
fellow-pupils of the dead ,giotto1 he   
did some fine scenes from the life of   

,st ,mary ,magdalene1 the figures and   
draperies being very remarkable1 the    
costumes being those then worn4 ,in the 
chapel of the ,baroncelli and ,bandini1 
where ,giotto had already done a picture
 in tempera1 ,taddeo did some scenes    
from the life of the ,virgin in fresco  
on the wall1 which were considered very 
beautiful4 ,over the door of the same   
sacristy he painted the scene of ,christ
 disputing with the doctors in the      
temple1 which was afterwards destroyed  
when ,cosimo de' ,medici the elder built
 the noviciate1 the chapel and the      
vestibule of the sacristy1 in order to  
put a stone cornice above that door4 ,in
 the same church he painted in fresco   
the chapel of the ,bellacci and that of 
,st ,andrew1 next to one of the three   
done by ,giotto1 in which he represented
 ,christ calling ,andrew and ,peter from
 their nets1 and the crucifixion of the 
latter apostle with such truth that it  
was much admired and praised when it was
 completed1 and is still held in esteem 

at the present day4 ,over the side door 
and under the tomb of ,carlo ,marsupini 
of ,arezzo1 he made a dead ,christ with 
,mary1 in fresco1 which was much        
admired4 ,below the screen of the       
church1 on the left hand above the      
crucifix of ,donato1 he painted in      
fresco a miracle of ,st ,francis1 where 
he raises a boy killed by a fall from a 
terrace1 with an apparition in the air4 
,in this scene he drew the portraits of 
his master ,giotto1 the poet ,dante1    
,guido ,cavalcanti1 and some say of     
himself4 ,in different places in the    
same church he made a number of figures1
 which are recognised by artists from   
their style4 ,for the company of the    
,temple he painted the tabernacle which 
is at the corner of the via del         
,crocifisso1 containing a fine          
deposition from the cross4 ,in the      
cloister of ,s4 ,spirito he did two     
scenes in the arches next the           
chapter-house1 in one of which he       
represented ,judas selling ,christ1 and 

in the other the ,last ,supper with the 
,apostles4 ,in the same convent over the
 door of the refectory he painted a     
crucifix and some saints1 which         
distinguish him1 among the others who   
worked there1 as a true imitator of the 
style of ,giotto1 whom he always held in
 the highest veneration4 ,in ,s4        
,stefano of the ,ponte ,vecchio he      
painted the picture and predella of the 
high altar with great care1 and in the  
oratory of ,s4 ,michele in ,orto he very
 skilfully represented in a picture a   
dead ,christ1 wept over by ,mary1 and   
deposited in the sepulchre by ,nicodemus
 with great devotion4 ,in the church of 
the ,servites he painted the chapel of  
,st ,nicholas1 belonging to the ,palagio
 family1 with stories of that saint1    
where1 in his painting of a barque1 he  
has clearly shown with the greatest     
judgment and grace1 that he had a       
thorough knowledge of a tempestuous sea 
and of the fury of ,fortune4 ,in this   
work ,st ,nicholas appears in the air1  

while the mariners are emptying the ship
 and throwing out the merchandise1 and  
frees them from their danger4 ,this work
 gave great satisfaction and was much   
admired1 so that ,taddeo was            
commissioned to paint the chapel of the 
high altar of that church4 ,here he did 
in fresco some stories of ,our ,lady1   
and in tempera on a panel1 ,our ,lady   
with many saints1 a very vigorous       
representation4 ,similarly1 on the      
predella of this picture he did some    
stories of ,our ,lady in small figures1 
into the details of which it is not     
necessary to enter1 because everything  
was destroyed in the year #adfg when    
,ludovico1 ,marquis of ,mantua1 made in 
that place the tribune which is there   
now1 from the design of ,leon ,battista 
,alberti1 and the choir of the friars1  
causing the picture to be taken to the  
chapter-house of that convent1 in the   
refectory of which he made above the    
wooden backs1 the ,last ,supper of      
,jesus ,christ with the ,apostles1 and  

above that a crucifix with many saints4 
,when ,taddeo had completed this work he
 was invited to ,pisa where he painted  
the principal chapel of ,s4 ,francesco  
in fresco1 very well coloured1 for      
,gherardo and ,bonaccorso ,gambacorti1  
with many figures and stories of the    
saint1 and of ,st ,andrew and ,st       
,nicholas4 ,on the vaulting and the wall
 is ,pope ,honorius confirming the rule1
 and a representation of ,taddeo from   
life1 in profile1 with a hood folded    
over his head4 ,at the bottom of this   
scene are these words3     ,magister    
,taddeus ,gaddus de ,florentia pinxit   
hanc hittoriam ,sancti    ,francisci et 
,sancti ,andre et ,sancti ,nicolai anno 
,domini ,,mcccxlii4    de mense         
,augusti4  ,in the cloister of the same 
convent he further made a ,madonna in   
fresco1 with the child at her neck1 very
 well coloured4 ,in the middle of the   
church1 on the left hand on entering1 is
 seated a ,st ,louis the bishop1 to whom
 ,st ,gherardo da ,villamagna1 who was a

 friar of the order1 is recommending one
 fra ,bartolommeo1 then superior of the 
convent4 ,the figures of this work1     
being drawn from life1 exhibit the      
utmost vivacity and grace1 in that      
simple style which was in some respects 
better than ,giotto's1 particularly in  
the expression of intercession1 joy1    
grief1 and other feelings1 the good     
representation of which always          
constitutes the highest claim of the    
painter to honour4 ,taddeo then returned
 to ,florence and continued for the     
commune the work of ,orsan-michele1     
refounding the pillars of the ,loggia1  
using dressed and hewn stones in place  
of the original bricks1 but without     
making any change in the design left by 
,arnolfo1 who provided that a palace    
with two vaults should be made above the
 ,loggia for the preservation of the    
provisions of grain made by the people  
and commune of ,florence4 ,for the      
completion of this work the ,art of the 
,porta ,s4 ,maria1 to whom the charge of

 the structure had been entrusted1      
ordained the payment of the gabelle of  
the piazza and of the grain market1 and 
some other changes of very small        
importance4 ,but an ordinance of far    
more importance was that each of the    
arts of ,florence should make a pilaster
 for itself1 placing on a niche in it   
the patron saint of each1 and that every
 year the consuls of the arts should go 
to make offerings on their saints' feast
 days and keep their standard and       
insignia there all that day1 but that   
the alms so collected should be made to 
the ,virgin for the needy poor4  ,in the
 year #accc a great flood had carried   
away the parapets of the ,ponte         
,rubaconte1 thrown down the castle of   
,altafronte1 left nothing of the ,ponte 
,vecchio except the two middle piles1   
entirely destroyed the ,ponte ,s4       
,trinita1 a single shattered pile alone 
standing1 and half the ,ponte alla      
,carraia1 breaking down the flood-gates 
of ,ognissanti4 ,for this cause the     

rulers of the city took counsel         
together1 because they did not wish that
 those who dwelt beyond the ,arno should
 again suffer this inconvenience of     
having to cross by barques4 ,accordingly
 they called in ,taddeo ,gaddi1 because 
his master ,giotto had gone to ,milan1  
and instructed him to make the model and
 design of the ,ponte ,vecchio1         
directing him to render it as strong and
 as beautiful as it could possibly be4  
,to this end he spared neither pains nor
 expense1 building it with such strong  
piers and  such fine arches1 all of hewn
 stone1 that it now sustains twenty-two 
shops on either side1 making forty-four 
in all1 to the great benefit of the     
commune1 who that year expended upon it 
eight hundred florins of rent4 ,the     
length of the span from one side to the 
other is #cb braccia1 the middle way is 
#af1 and the shops on either side #h    
braccia4 ,for this work1 which cost     
sixty thousand gold florins1 ,taddeo not
 only deserved the praise accorded by   

his contemporaries1 but he merits our   
commendation to-day to an even greater  
degree1 for1 not to speak of many other 
floods1 the bridge did not move in the  
year #aecg1 on #acth ,september1 when   
the ,ponte a ,santa ,trinita1 two arches
 of the ,carraia1 and a great part of   
the ,rubaconte all fell1 and more damage
 was done4 ,certainly no man of judgment
 can refrain from amazement1 or at least
 wonder1 when he considers how firmly   
the ,ponte ,vecchio resisted the impetus
 of the water1 the timber1 and other    
debris1 without yielding4 ,at the same  
time ,taddeo laid the foundations of the
 ,ponte a ,santa ,trinita1 which was    
finished with less success in the year  
#acdf at a cost of twenty thousand gold 
florins4 ,i say with less success1      
because1 unlike the ,ponte ,vecchio1 it 
was ruined by the flood of #aeeg4 ,it   
was also under ,taddeo's direction that 
the wall on the side of ,s4 ,gregorio   
was made at the same time1 with driven  
piles1 two piers of the bridge being    

taken to enlarge the ground on the side 
of the piazza de' ,mozzi1 and to set up 
the mills which are still there4        
,whilst all these things were being done
 under ,taddeo's direction and from his 
plans1 he did not allow them to stop his
 painting1 and did the tribunal of the  
old ,mercanzia1 where1 with poetical    
imagination1 he represented the tribunal
 of six men1 that being the number of   
the chief of that magistracy1 who are   
watching ,truth taking out ,falsehood's 
tongue1 the former clothed in velvet    
over her naked skin1 the latter in      
black3 underneath are these lines3      
,la pura ,verita per ubbidire           
,alla santa ,giustizia che non tarda    
,cava la lingua alla falsa bugiarda4    
,lower down are the following lines3    
,taddeo dipinse questo bel rigestro     
,discepol fu di ,giotto il buon maestro4
  ,in ,arezzo some works in fresco were 
allotted to him1 which he carried out   
with the greatest perfection with the   
aid of his pupil ,giovanni da ,milano4  

,one of these1 representing the ,passion
 of ,jesus ,christ1 may still be seen in
 the oratory of the ,holy ,spirit1 in   
front of the high altar4 ,it contains   
many horses1 and the thieves on the     
cross1 and is considered a very         
beautiful thing on account of his       
conception of the nailing to the cross1 
where there are some figures which      
vividly express the rage of the ,jews1  
some drawing ,him by the legs with a    
rope1 others bringing the sponge1 and   
others in various attitudes1 such as    
,longinus1 who pierces ,his side with   
the spear1 and the three soldiers who   
are playing for ,his garments1 their    
faces depicting hope and fear in        
throwing the dice4 ,the first of these  
men stands in a constrained attitude    
awaiting his turn1 and is so eager to   
draw that he apparently does not notice 
the discomfort2 the second is loading   
the dice-box1 and frowns as he looks at 
the dice1 his mouth and eyes open as if 
from suspicion of fraud1 showing clearly

 to an observant beholder his eagerness 
to win2 the third1 who is about to throw
 the dice1 spreads out on the ground    
with trembling arm the garments1 where  
he shows with a smile that he intends to
 throw them4 ,on the sides of the church
 also may be seen some stories of ,st   
,john the ,evangelist1 which are        
executed with such wonderful style and  
design that they cannot fail to excite  
astonishment4 ,in the chapel of ,st     
,sebastian1 next the sacristy in ,s4    
,agostino1 he did the life of that      
martyr and the dispute of ,christ with  
the doctors1 so well executed and       
finished that the beauty and variety    
displayed1 as well as the grace of their
 colouring1 are marvellous4  ,in        
,casentino1 in the church of the ,sasso 
del ,vernia1 he painted in the chapel   
the scene where ,s4 ,francis receives   
the stigmata4 ,here ,taddeo was assisted
 in matters of minor importance by      
,jacopo di ,casentino1 who thus became  
his pupil4 ,when this was completed     

,taddeo returned with ,giovanni of      
,milan to ,florence1 where in the city  
and without they made a number of panels
 and pictures of importance4 ,in the    
process of time ,taddeo acquired so much
 money that1 by steadily saving1 he     
founded the wealth and nobility of his  
family1 being always considered a wise  
and courteous man4 ,in ,s4 ,maria       
,novella he painted the chapter-house   
which was allotted to him by the prior  
of the place1 who supplied him with the 
idea4 ,it is known that1 because the    
work was a great one1 and as the        
chapter-house of ,s4 ,spirito was       
uncovered at the same time as the       
bridges were building1 to the great     
glory of ,simone ,memmi who painted it1 
the prior wished to secure ,simone to do
 half of the work2 accordingly he       
consulted ,taddeo1 who was very willing 
to agree to this1 since ,simone had been
 a fellow-pupil of ,giotto with him1 and
 they had always remained close friends 
and companions4 ,o truly noble souls to 

love one another fraternally without    
emulation1 ambition1 or envy1 so that   
each rejoiced at the advancement and    
honour of his friend as if it had been  
his own4 ,the work was accordingly      
divided1 three sides being allotted to  
,simone1 as ,i have said in his life1   
and the left side and the whole of the  
vaulting to ,taddeo1 who divided his    
work into four divisions or quarters1   
according to the disposition of the     
vaulting4 ,in the first he made the     
,resurrection of ,christ1 in which he   
apparently endeavours to cause the      
glorified body to emit light1 which is  
reflected on a city and on some mountain
 rocks2 but he abandoned this device in 
the figures and in the rest of the      
composition1 possibly because he was not
 confident of his ability to carry it   
out1 owing to the difficulties which    
presented themselves4 ,in the second    
compartment he made ,jesus ,christ      
delivering ,peter from drowning1 when   
the apostles1 who are managing the boat1

 are certainly very fine1 and especially
 a man who is fishing with a line on the
 sea-shore 7a thing first attempted by  
,giotto in the mosaic of the ,navicella 
in ,st ,peter's71 represented with      
vigorous and life-like expression4 ,in  
the third he painted the ,ascension of  
,christ1 while the fourth represents the
 ,descent of the ,holy ,spirit1         
remarkable for the fine attitudes of the
 ,jews1 who are endeavouring to enter   
the door4 ,on the wall beneath are the  
seven sciences1 with their names1 and   
appropriate figures below each4 ,grammar
 habited like a woman is teaching a boy2
 beneath her sits the writer ,donato4   
,next to ,grammar sits ,rhetoric1 at    
whose feet is a figure with its two     
hands resting on books1 while it draws a
 third hand from beneath a mantle and   
holds it to its mouth4 ,logic has a     
serpent in her hand1 and is veiled1 with
 ,zeno ,eleate at her feet reading4     
,arithmetic holds the table of the      
,abacus1 and under her sits ,abraham1   

its inventor4 ,music has musical        
instruments1 with ,tubal ,cain beneath1 
beating with two hammers upon an anvil1 
with his ears listening to the sound4   
,geometry has the quadrant and sextant1 
with ,euclid beneath4 ,astrology has the
 sphere of the heavens in her hands1 and
 ,atlas under her feet4 ,on the other   
side sit the seven theological sciences1
 each one having beneath it a person of 
an appropriate condition1 pope1 emperor1
 king1 cardinal1 duke1 bishop1 marquis1 
etc41 the pope being a portrait of      
,clement  ,v4 ,in the middle1 and       
occupying a higher place1 is ,st ,thomas
 ,aquinas1 who was master of all these  
sciences1 and certain heretics under his
 feet1 ,arius1 ,sabellius1 and          
,averroes4 ,about him are ,moses1 ,paul1
 ,john the ,evangelist1 and some other  
figures with the four cardinal virtues1 
and the three theological ones1 in      
addition to an infinite number of other 
ideas set forth by ,taddeo with no small
 design and grace1 so that this may be  

considered the best devised and the most
 finely preserved of all his works4 ,in 
the same ,s4 ,maria ,novello1 over the  
transept he did a ,st ,jerome dressed as
 a cardinal4 ,he held that saint in     
reverence1 choosing him as the protector
 of his house1 and after ,taddeo's death
 his son ,agnolo made a tomb for his    
descendants covered with a marble slab  
adorned with the arms of the ,gaddi     
under this picture4 ,for these          
descendants the cardinal ,jerome1 aided 
by their merits and the goodness of     
,taddeo1 has obtained from ,god most    
distinguished places in the church1 such
 as clerkships of the chamber1          
bishoprics1 cardinalates1 provostships1 
and most honourable knighthoods4 ,the   
descendants of ,taddeo have uniformly   
valued and encouraged men of genius in  
painting and sculpture1 assisting them  
to the utmost of their power4 ,at length
 when ,taddeo had reached the age of    
fifty years1 he was seized with a severe
 fever and passed from this life in the 

year #acej1 leaving ,agnolo his son and 
,giovanni to carry on the painting1     
recommending them to ,jacopo di         
,casentino for their material well      
being1 and to ,giovanni da ,milano for  
instruction in art4 ,this ,giovanni1    
besides many other things1 made a       
picture1 after ,taddeo's death1 which   
was placed in ,s4 ,croce at the altar of
 ,st ,gherardo da ,villamagna1 fourteen 
years after he had been left without his
 master1 and also the high altar picture
 of ,ognissanti1 where the ,umiliati    
friars are stationed1 a much admired    
work2 and in ,assisi he made for the    
tribune of the high altar a crucifix1   
,our ,lady1 and ,st ,clare1 and on the  
side wall stories of ,our ,lady4 ,he    
subsequently went to ,milan1 where he   
did many works in tempera and in fresco1
 and at length died there4  ,now ,taddeo
 always adopted ,giotto's style1 but did
 not greatly improve it1 except in the  
colouring1 which he made fresher and    
more vivid4 ,giotto had made such       

efforts to overcome other difficulties  
of this art1 that although he considered
 colouring also1 yet it was not granted 
to him to master this completely4       
,taddeo1 on the other hand1 profiting by
 his master's labours1 had an easier    
task1 and was able to add something of  
his own in improving the colouring4     
,taddeo was buried by ,agnolo and       
,giovanni his sons in ,s4 ,croce1 in the
 first cloister1 and in the tomb which  
he had made for ,gaddo his father4 ,he  
was much honoured in the verses of the  
learned of the time as a man who had    
deserved much for his character1 and    
because he had1 besides his pictures1   
successfully completed many structures  
very useful to his city4 ,in addition to
 the works already mentioned1 he had    
with care and diligence completed the   
campanile of ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore from 
the design of his master ,giotto4 ,this 
campanile was so constructed that it    
would be impossible to join stones with 
more care1 or to make a tower which     

should be finer in the matter of        
ornament1 expense1 and design4 ,the     
epitaph made for ,taddeo was as follows3
            ,hoc uno dici poterat       
,florentia felix           ,vivente3 at 
certa est non potuisse mori4  ,taddeo's 
method of designing was very broad and  
bold1 as may be seen in our book1 which 
contains a drawing by his hand of the   
scene which he did in the chapel of ,st 
,andrew in ,s4 ,croce1 at ,florence4    
,andrea di ,cione ,orcagna1 ,painter1   
,sculptor1 and ,architect of ,florence4 
,it frequently happens that when a man  
of genius excels in one thing1 he is    
easily able to learn another1 especially
 such as are similar to his first       
profession1 and which proceed1 as it    
were1 from the same source4 ,an example 
of this is ,orcagna of ,florence1 who   
was painter1 sculptor1 architect1 and   
poet1 as will be said below4 ,he was    
born in ,florence1 and while quite a    
child began to practise sculpture under 
,andrea ,pisano1 and so continued for   

many years4 ,when he afterwards became  
desirous of enriching his invention for 
the purpose of composing beautiful      
scenes1 he carefully studied design1    
aided as he was by nature1 who wished to
 make him a universal genius1 and as one
 thing leads to another1 he practised   
painting in colours in tempera and      
fresco1 and succeeded so well with the  
aid of ,bernardo ,orcagna his brother1  
that ,bernardo himself procured his     
assistance to do the life of ,our ,lady 
in the principal chapel of ,s4 ,maria   
,novella1 which then belonged to the    
family of the ,ricci4 ,this work was    
considered very beautiful1 although1    
owing to the neglect of those who       
afterwards had charge of it1 it was     
destroyed by water through the breaking 
of the roof not many years after1 and   
consequently it is restored in its      
present manner1 as will be said in the  
proper place4 ,suffice it to say1 that  
,domenico ,grillandai1 who repainted it1
 made considerable use of the inventions

 of ,orcagna which were there4 ,in the  
same church1 and in conjunction with his
 brother ,bernardo1 ,andrea did in      
fresco the chapel of the ,strozzi1 which
 is near the door of the sacristy and   
the belfry4 ,in this chapel1 which is   
approached by some stone steps1 he      
painted on one wall the glory of        
,paradise1 with all the saints in the   
various habits and head-dresses of the  
time4 ,on the other wall he did ,hell1  
with the holes1 centres1 and other      
things described by ,dante1 of whom     
,andrea was a diligent student4 ,in the 
church of the ,servites1 in the same    
city he painted in fresco1 also in      
conjunction with ,bernardo1 the chapel  
of the family of the ,cresci1 and in ,s4
 ,pier ,maggiore in a picture of        
considerable size1 the ,coronation of   
the ,virgin1 and another picture in ,s4 
,romeo near the side door4  ,he and his 
brother ,bernardo also painted in fresco
 together the faade of ,s4 ,apollinare1 
with such diligence that the colours are

 bright and beautiful and marvellously  
preserved to this day in that exposed   
place4 ,the governors of ,pisa1 moved by
 the renown of these works of ,orcagna1 
which were much admired1 sent for him to
 do a part of the wall in the ,campo    
,santo of that city1 as ,giotto and     
,buffalmacco had previously done4       
,accordingly he put his hand to the     
work1 and painted a ,last ,judgment1    
with some fancies of his own1 on the    
wall towards the ,duomo1 next to the    
,passion of ,christ made by             
,buffalmacco4 ,in the first scene he    
represented all ranks of temporal lords 
enjoying the pleasures of this world1   
seating them in a flowery meadow under  
the shadow of many orange trees1 forming
 a most agreeable wood4 ,above the      
branches are some cupids1 who are flying
 round and over a number of young women1
 evidently portraits of noble women and 
ladies of the day1 though they are not  
recognisable after this lapse of time4  
,the cupids are preparing to transfix   

the hearts of the ladies1 near whom are 
young men and lords listening to playing
 and singing and watching the amorous   
dancing of men and maidens1 delighting  
in the sweetness of their loves4 ,among 
these lords ,orcagna drew ,castruccio1  
the lord of ,lucca1 a youth of the most 
striking aspect1 with a blue hood bound 
about his head and a sparrowhawk on his 
hand4 ,near him are other lords of the  
time1 whose identity is not known4 ,in  
fine1 in this first part he represented 
in a most gracious manner all the       
delights of the world in accordance with
 the demands of the place and the       
requirements of art4 ,on the other side 
of the same scene he represented1 on a  
high mountain1 the life of those who1   
being moved by penitence for their sins 
and by the desire of salvation1 have    
escaped from the world to this mountain1
 which is thus full of holy hermits     
serving the ,lord1 and doing various    
things with very realistic expressions4 
,some are reading and praying1 and are  

all intent on contemplation2 while      
others are working to earn their living1
 and are exercising themselves in       
various activities4 ,here is a hermit   
milking a goat in the most vigorous and 
realistic manner4 ,below this is ,st    
,macario showing to three kings1 who are
 riding to hunt with their ladies and   
suite1 the corpses of three kings1      
partly consumed in a tomb1 emblematic of
 human misery1 and which are regarded   
with attention by the living kings in   
fine and varied attitudes1 expressive of
 wonder1 and they seem to be reflecting 
that they themselves must shortly become
 such4 ,one of these kings is the       
portrait of ,uguccione della ,faggiuola 
of ,arezzo1 in a figure represented as  
holding his nose with his hand in order 
not to smell the odour of the dead      
kings4 ,in the middle of this scene is  
,death1 flying through the air and      
clothed in black1 while he raises his   
scythe to take the life of many who are 
on the earth1 of every state and        

condition1 poor1 rich1 lame1 whole1     
young1 old1 men1 women1 and1 in short1 a
 multitude of every age and sex4 ,and   
because ,orcagna knew that the invention
 of ,buffalmacco had pleased the        
,pisans1 by which ,bruno caused his     
figures in ,s4 ,paolo a ripa d',arno to 
speak1 making letters issue from their  
mouths1 he has filled all these works of
 his with such writings1 of which the   
greater number1 being destroyed by time1
 cannot be deciphered4 ,he makes some   
lame old men say--              ,da che 
prosperitade ci ha lasciati4            
,o morte medecina d'ogni pena           
,deh vieni a darne omai l'ultima cena1  
with other words which cannot be made   
out1 and similar lines composed in the  
old style by ,orcagna himself1 as ,i    
have discovered1 for he was addicted to 
poetry1 and wrote some sonnets4 ,about  
these bodies are some devils1 who take  
their souls out of their mouths and     
carry them to gulfs full of fire upon   
the top of a very high mountain4 ,on the

 other hand1 there are some angels who1 
in like manner1 take the souls of the   
dead1 who happen to have been good1 out 
of their mouths1 and carry them flying  
to ,paradise4 ,in this scene is a large 
scroll1 held by two angels1 containing  
the following words3                    
,ischermo di savere e di richezza1      
,di nobilitate ancora e di prodezza1    
,vale neente ai colpi di costei1  with  
some other words which cannot easily be 
understood4 ,underneath in the          
ornamentation of these scenes are nine  
angels who hold some words written in   
the border of the painting1 in the      
vulgar tongue and in ,latin1 put there  
because they would spoil the scene if   
placed higher1 and to omit them         
altogether did not appear fitting to the
 author1 who considered this method very
 fine1 and perhaps it was to the taste  
of that age4 ,the greater part of these 
are omitted here in order not to tire   
the reader with impertinent matter of   
little interest1 and moreover the       

greater number of the scrolls are       
obliterated1 while the remainder are in 
a very imperfect condition4 ,after this 
,orcagna made the ,last ,judgment4 ,he  
placed ,jesus ,christ on high above the 
clouds in the midst of his twelve       
,apostles to judge the quick and the    
dead1 exhibiting on the one side1 with  
great art and vigour1 the despair of the
 damned1 as they are driven weeping to  
,hell by furious demons2 and on the     
other side the joy and rejoicing of the 
elect1 who are transported to the right 
hand side of the blessed by a troop of  
,angels led by the ,archangel ,michael4 
,it is truly lamentable that for lack of
 writers1 the names and identity of few 
or none of these can be ascertained out 
of such a multitude of magistrates1     
knights and other lords1 who are        
evidently drawn from life1 although the 
pope there is said to be ,innocent ,,iv4
 the friend of ,manfred4  ,after this   
work and some sculptures in marble      
executed to his great glory in the      

,madonna1 which is on the side of the   
,ponte ,vecchio1 ,andrea left his       
brother ,bernardo to work by himself in 
the ,campo ,santo at a ,hell made       
according to ,dante's description1 which
 was afterwards much damaged in #aecj1  
and restored by ,solazzino1 a painter of
 our own day4 ,meanwhile ,andrea        
returned to ,florence1 where he painted 
in fresco in the middle of the ,church  
of ,s4 ,croce on a very large wall on   
the right hand1 the same things which he
 had done in the ,campo ,santo at ,pisa1
 in three similar pictures1 but omitting
 the scene in which ,st ,macario is     
showing human wretchedness to the three 
kings1 and the life of the hermits who  
are serving ,god on the mountain4 ,but  
he did all the rest of that work1       
displaying better design and more       
diligence than at ,pisa1 but retaining  
almost the same methods in the          
inventions1 style1 scrolls and the rest1
 without changing anything except the   
portraits from life2 because in this    

work he introduced the portraits of some
 of his dearest friends into his        
,paradise1 while he condemned his       
enemies to hell4 ,among the elect may be
 seen the portrait in profile of ,pope  
,clement ,,vi4 with the tiara on his    
head1 who reduced the ,jubilee from a   
hundred to fifty years1 was a friend of 
the ,florentines1 and possessed some of 
their paintings which he valued highly4 
,here also is ,maestro ,dino del ,garbo1
 then a most excellent physician1       
clothed after the manner of the doctors 
of that day with a red cap on his head  
lined with miniver1 while an angel holds
 him by the hand4 ,there are also many  
other portraits which have not been     
identified4 ,among the damned he drew   
the ,guardi1 sergeant of the ,commune of
 ,florence1 dragged by the devil with a 
hook4 ,he may be recognised by three red
 lilies on his white hat1 such as were  
worn by the sergeants and other like    
officials4 ,andrea did this because the 
sergeant had upon one occasion          

distrained his goods4 ,he also drew     
there the notary and the judge who were 
against him in that cause4 ,next to     
,guardi is ,cecco d',ascoli1 a famous   
wizard of the time1 and slightly above  
him1 and in the middle is a hypocritical
 friar1 who is furtively trying to      
mingle with the good1 while an angel    
discovers him and thrusts him among the 
damned4 ,besides ,bernardo1 ,andrea had 
another brother called ,jacopo1 who     
devoted himself1 but with little        
success1 to sculpture4 ,for this brother
 ,andrea had sometimes made designs in  
relief in clay1 and this led him to wish
 to do some things in marble to see if  
he remembered that art1 which he had    
studied at ,pisa1 as has been said4     
,accordingly he applied himself         
earnestly to that pursuit1 and attained 
to such a measure of success that he    
afterwards made use of it with credit1  
as will be said4 ,he next devoted all   
his energies to the study of            
architecture1 thinking that he might    

have occasion to make use of it4 ,nor   
was he mistaken1 for in the year #acee  
the ,commune of ,florence bought some   
private houses near the palace to       
enlarge that building and increase the  
piazza1 and also to make a place where  
citizens could withdraw in time of rain1
 and in winter to do under cover the    
things which were done in the uncovered 
arcade when bad weather did not         
interfere4 ,they procured a number of   
designs for the construction of a large 
and magnificent loggia near the palace  
for this purpose as well as for a mint  
for coining money4 ,among these designs 
prepared by the best masters of the     
city1 that of ,orcagna was universally  
approved and accepted as being larger1  
finer and more magnificent than the     
others1 and the large loggia of the     
piazza was begun under his direction by 
order of the ,signoria and ,commune1    
upon foundations laid in the time of the
 ,duke of ,athens1 and was carried      
forward with much diligence in squared  

stones excellently laid4 ,the arches of 
the vaults were constructed in a manner 
new for that time1 not being pointed as 
had previously been customary1 but in   
half circles after a new pattern1 with  
much grace and beauty1 and the building 
was completed under ,andrea's direction 
in a short time4 ,if it had occurred to 
him to erect it next to ,s4 ,romolo and 
to turn its back towards the north1     
which he perhaps omitted to do in order 
that it should be convenient for the    
door of the palace1 it would have been a
 most useful construction for all the   
city1 as it is a most beautiful piece of
 work1 whereas it is impossible to      
remain there in winter owing to the     
strong wind4 ,in the decoration of this 
loggia ,orcagna made seven marble       
figures in half relief between the      
arches of the faade representing the    
seven virtues1 theological and cardinal4
 ,these are so fine1 that taken in      
conjunction with the whole work they    
prove their author to have been an      

excellent sculptor as well as a         
distinguished painter and architect4    
,besides this he was in all his deeds a 
pleasant1 well-bred and amiable man so  
that his fellow was never seen4 ,and    
since he never abandoned the study of   
one of his three professions when he    
took up another1 he painted a picture in
 tempera with many small figures while  
the loggia was building1 and a predella 
of small figures for that chapel of the 
,strozzi where his brother ,bernardo had
 already done some things in fresco4 ,on
 this picture he wrote his name thus3   
,anno ,domini ,,mccclvii ,andreas       
,cionis de ,florentia me pinxit1 being  
of opinion that it would exhibit his    
powers to better advantage than his     
works in fresco could4 ,when this was   
finished he did some paintings on a     
panel which were sent to the pope to    
,avignon1 in the cathedral church of    
which they still remain4 ,shortly       
afterwards1 the men of the company of   
,orsanmichele1 having collected a       

quantity of money of alms and goods     
given to the ,madonna there on account  
of the mortality of #acdh1 they decided 
that they would make about her a chapel 
or tabernacle richly adorned not only   
with marble carved in every manner and  
with other stones of price1 but also    
with mosaic and ornaments of bronze1 the
 best that could be desired1 so that in 
workmanship and material it should      
surpass every other work produced up to 
that day4 ,the execution of this was    
entrusted to ,orcagna as being the      
foremost man of the age4 ,he made a     
number of designs1 one of which was     
chosen by the directors of the work as  
being the best of all4 ,accordingly the 
task was allotted to him and everything 
was committed to his judgment and       
counsel4 ,he and his brother undertook  
to do all the figures1 giving the rest  
to various masters from other countries4
 ,on the completion of the work1 he     
caused it to be built up and joined     
together very carefully without lime1   

the joints1 being of lead and copper so 
that the shining and polished marbles   
should not be blemished4 ,this proved so
 successful and has been of such use and
 honour to those who came after him1    
that it appears to an observer that the 
chapel is hollowed out of a single piece
 of marble1 so excellently are parts    
welded together1 thanks to this device  
of ,orcagna4 ,although in the ,german   
style its grace and proportions are such
 that it holds the first place among the
 things of the time1 owing chiefly to   
the excellent composition of its great  
and small figures and of the angels and 
prophets in half-relief about the       
,madonna4 ,the casting of the carefully 
polished bronze ornaments which surround
 it is marvellous1 for they encircle the
 whole work1 enclose it and bind it     
together1 so that this  part is as      
remarkable for its strength as the other
 parts are for their beauty4 ,but he    
devoted the highest powers of his genius
 to the scene in half-relief on the back

 of the tabernacle1 representing in     
figures of a braccia and a half1 the    
twelve apostles looking up at the       
,madonna ascending to heaven in a       
mandorla1 surrounded by angels4 ,he     
represented himself in marble as one of 
the apostles1 an old  man1 clean shaven1
 a hood wound round his head1 with a    
flat round face as shown in his portrait
 above1 which it taken from this4 ,on   
the base he wrote these words in the    
marble3 ,andreas ,cionis pictor         
florentinus oratorii archimagister      
extitit hujus1 ,,mccclix4 ,it appears   
that the erection of the loggia and of  
the marble tabernacle1 with all the     
workmanship involved cost #if1jjj gold  
florins1 which were very well expended1 
because in architecture1 in sculpture   
and other ornaments they are comparable 
in beauty with any other work of the    
time1 without exception1 and so         
excellent as to assure to the name of   
,andrea ,orcagna immortality and        
greatness4 ,in signing his paintings he 

used to write ,andrea di ,clone1        
sculptor1 and on his sculptures1 ,andrea
 di ,cione1 painter1 wishing his        
sculpture to recommend his painting and 
his painting his sculpture4 ,florence is
 full of his paintings1 some of which   
may be recognised by the name1 such as  
those in ,s4 ,romeo1 and some by his    
style1 like that in the chapter-house of
 the monastery of the ,angeli4 ,some    
which he left imperfect were finished by
 his brother ,bernardo1 who survived    
him1 though not for many years4 ,andrea1
 as ,i have said1 amused himself in     
making verses and other poems1 and when 
he was an old man he wrote some sonnets 
to ,burchiello1 then a youth4 ,at length
 at the age of sixty he completed the   
course of his life in #achi1 and was    
borne with honour to burial from his    
house in the via ,vecchia de' ,corazzai4
  ,in the days of the ,orcagna there    
were many who were skilful in sculpture 
and architecture1 whose names are       
unknown1 but their works show that they 

are worthy of high praise and           
commendation4 ,an example of such work  
is the ,monastery of the ,certosa of    
,florence1 erected at the cost of the   
noble family of the ,acciaiuoli1 and    
particularly of ,m4 ,niccola1 ,grand    
,seneschal of the ,king of ,naples1     
containing ,niccola's tomb with his     
effigy in stone1 and those of his father
 and a sister1 both of whose portraits  
in the marble were made from life in the
 year #acff4 ,there also and by the same
 hand may be seen the tomb of ,m4       
,lorenzo1 ,niccola's son1 who died at   
,naples1 arid was brought to ,florence  
and buried there with most honourable   
obsequies4 ,similarly the tomb of the   
,cardinal ,s4 ,croce of the same family1
 which is before the high altar in a    
choir then newly built1 contains his    
portrait in a marble stone very well    
executed in the year #acij4  ,the pupils
 of ,andrea in painting were ,bernardo  
,nello di ,giovanni ,falconi of ,pisa1  
who did a number of pictures for the    

,duomo of ,pisa1 and ,tommaso di ,marco 
of ,florence1 who1 besides many other   
things1 painted a picture in the year   
#acib1 which is in ,s4 ,antonio at ,pisa
 on the screen of the church4 ,after    
,andrea's death1 his brother ,jacopo1   
who1 as has been said1 professed        
sculpture and architecture1 was employed
 in the year #acbh in building the tower
 and gate of ,s4 ,pietro ,gattolini1 and
 it is said that the four gilded stone  
lions at the four corners of the        
principal palace of ,florence are by his
 hand4 ,this work incurred no little    
censure1 because it was placed there    
without reason1 and was perhaps a       
greater weight than was safe4 ,many     
would have preferred the lions to have  
been made of copper gilded over and     
hollow inside1 and then set up in the   
same place1 when they would have been   
much less heavy and more durable4 ,it is
 said that the horse in relief in ,s4   
,maria del ,fiore at ,florence is by the
 same hand4 ,it is gilded1 and stands   

over the door leading to the oratory of 
,s4 ,zanobi4 ,it is believed to be a    
monument to ,pietro ,farnese1 captain of
 the ,florentines1 but as ,i know       
nothing more of the matter ,i cannot    
assert this positively4 ,at the same    
time ,andrea's nephew ,mariotto made a  
,paradise in fresco for ,s4 ,michel     
,bisdomini in the via de' ,servi at     
,florence1 over the altar1 and another  
picture with many figures for ,mona     
,cecilia de' ,boscoli1 which is in the  
same church near the door4 ,but of all  
,orcagna's pupils none excelled         
,francesco ,traini1 who executed for a  
lord of the house of ,coscia1 buried at 
,pisa in the chapel of ,st ,dominic in  
the church of ,s4 ,caterina1 a ,st      
,dominic on a panel on a gold ground1   
with six scenes from his life           
surrounding him1 very vigorous and      
life-like and excellently coloured4 ,in 
the chapel of ,st ,thomas ,aquinas in   
the same church he made a picture in    
tempera1 with delightful invention1 and 

which is much admired4 ,he introduced a 
figure of ,st ,thomas seated1 from life2
 ,i say from life because the friars of 
the place brought a portrait of him from
 the abbey of ,fossanuova1 where he had 
died in #acbc4 ,st ,thomas is seated in 
the air with some books in his hand1    
illuminating with their rays and        
splendour the ,christian people2        
kneeling below him are a large number of
 doctors and clerks of every condition1 
bishops1 cardinals and popes1 including 
the portrait of ,pope ,urban ,,vi4      
,under the saint's feet are ,sabellius1 
,arius1 ,averroes1 and other heretics   
and philosophers with their books all   
torn4 ,on either side of ,st ,thomas are
 ,plato1 showing the ,timus1 and        
,aristotle pointing to his ,ethics4     
,above is ,jesus ,christ1 also in the   
air1 with the four ,evangelists about   
him4 ,he is blessing ,st ,thomas1 and   
apparently sending the ,holy ,spirit    
upon him1 filling him therewith and with
 ,his grace4 ,on the completion of this 

work ,francesco ,traini acquired great  
name and fame1 for he had far surpassed 
his master ,andrea in colouring1 in     
unity1 and in invention4 ,andrea was    
very careful in his designs1 as may be  
seen in our book4     ,tommaso called   
,giottino1 painter of ,florence4   ,when
 there is emulation among the arts which
 are based on design and when artists   
work in competition with each other     
there is no doubt that men's abilities1 
being stimulated by constant study1     
discover new things every day to satisfy
 the varied tastes of man4 ,thus in     
painting1 some introduce obscure and    
eccentric things into their work and by 
a mastery of the difficulties display   
the brightness of their talent in the   
midst of darkness4 ,others employ       
themselves on soft and delicate things  
conceiving that these should be more    
pleasing to the eye of the beholder2 so 
that they pleasantly attract the greater
 number of men4 ,others again paint     
smoothly1 softening the colours and     

confining the lights and shades of the  
figures to their places1 for which they 
merit the highest praise1 displaying    
their intention with wonderful skill4   
,this smooth style is always apparent in
 the works of ,tommaso di ,stefano1     
called ,giottino1 who was born in the   
year #acbd1 and after he had learned the
 elements of painting from his father1  
he resolved while still a youth1 that he
 would most carefully imitate ,giotto's 
style rather than that of ,stefano4 ,he 
succeeded so well in this that he won   
thereby in addition to the style1 which 
was much finer than his master's1 the   
nickname of ,giottino1 which he always  
retained4 ,hence many1 misled  by his   
manner and name1 believed him to be     
,giotto's  son1 but they fell into a    
very great error1 for it is certain1 or 
rather highly probable 7since no one    
can  affirm  such things absolutely71   
that he was the son of ,stefano1 painter
 of ,florence4 ,tommaso was so diligent 
in painting and so fond of it1 that     

although not many of his works have been
 found1 yet those which are extant are  
good and in excellent style4 ,for the   
draperies1 hair1 beards1 and other      
details are executed and composed with  
such grace and care that they prove him 
to have possessed a far better idea of  
unity in art than was to be found in the
 works of ,giotto1 master of ,stefano   
his father4 ,in his youth ,giottino     
painted in ,s4 ,stefano at the ,ponte   
,vecchio at ,florence1 a chapel by the  
side door1 and although it has suffered 
a great deal from the damp1 yet enough  
remains to prove the skill and genius of
 the craftsman4 ,he next did ,,ss4      
,cosmo and ,damian beside the mills in  
the ,frati ,ermini1 of which but little 
can now be seen owing to the ravages of 
time4 ,he did a chapel in fresco in the 
old ,s4 ,spirito of that city1 which was
 afterwards destroyed at the burning of 
that church4 ,over the principal door of
 the same church he painted in fresco   
the ,descent of the ,holy ,spirit1 and  

on the piazza of the church1 leading to 
the side of the ,cuculia1 next the      
convent1 he did the tabernacle which may
 still be seen there1 with ,our ,lady   
and other saints about her1 who in their
 heads and other parts approach very    
closely to the modern style1 because    
,tommaso endeavoured to vary and change 
the flesh tints and to combine a        
graceful and judicious treatment of the 
figures with variety in the colouring   
and in the draperies4 ,in the chapel of 
,st ,silvester at ,s4 ,croce he did the 
history of ,constantine with great care1
 with many fine ideas in the gestures of
 the figures4 ,his next work was to be  
placed behind a marble ornament made for
 the tomb of ,m4 ,bettino de' ,bardi1 a 
man of eminent military rank of the     
time4 ,he represented him from life1 in 
armour1 rising on his knees from the    
tomb1 summoned by the ,last ,trump      
sounded by two angels who accompany a   
,christ in the clouds1 very well done4  
,at the entrance to ,s4 ,pancrazio1 on  

the right hand side1 he did a ,christ   
carrying the cross1 and some saints     
near1 markedly in ,giotto's style4 ,in  
,s4 ,gallo1 a convent outside the gate  
of that name1 and which was destroyed at
 the siege1 he painted a ,pieta in      
fresco in a cloister1 a copy of which is
 in ,s4 ,pancrazio mentioned above1 on a
 pilaster beside the principal chapel4  
,he painted ,,ss4 ,cosmo and ,damian in 
fresco in ,s4 ,maria ,novella at the    
chapel of ,st ,lorenzo de' ,giuochi1 at 
the entry of the church by the right    
hand door1 on the front wall4 ,in       
,ognissanti he did a ,st ,christopher   
and a ,st ,george1 which were ruined by 
bad weather and were restored by some   
ignorant painters4 ,an uninjured work of
 ,tommaso in the same church is in the  
tympanum over the sacristy door1 which  
contains a ,madonna in fresco1 with the 
child in her arms2 it is a good thing as
 he took pains with it4  ,by means of   
these works ,giottino acquired so much  
renown1 imitating his master1 as ,i have

 said1 both in design and in inventions1
 that the spirit of ,giotto himself was 
said to be in him1 owing to the         
freshness of his colouring and to his   
skill in design4 ,now1 on #bnd ,july    
#acdc1 when the ,duke of ,athens was    
hunted from ,florence1 and had by oath  
renounced the government and rendered   
the ,florentines their liberty1         
,giottino was constrained by the ,twelve
 ,reformers of the ,state1 and          
especially by the prayers of ,m4 ,agnolo
 ,acciaiuoli1 then a very distinguished 
citizen1 who had great influence over   
him1 to paint on the tower of the       
,podesta ,palace the duke and his       
followers1 ,m4 ,ceritieri ,visdomini1   
,m4 ,maladiasse1 his ,conservator and   
,m4 ,ranieri da ,s4 ,gimignano1 all with
 mitres of ,justice on their heads1     
represented thus shamefully as a sign of
 contempt4 ,about the duke's head he    
painted many beasts of prey and other   
sorts1 indicative of his nature and     
quality2 and one of these counsellors   

had in his hand the palace of the priors
 of the city1 which he was offering to  
the duke1 like a false traitor4 ,beneath
 everyone of them were the arms and     
insignia of their families1 with        
inscriptions which can now only be read 
with difficulty owing to the ravages of 
time4 ,this work1 because it was well   
designed and very carefully executed1   
gave universal satisfaction1 and the    
method of the artist pleased everyone4  
,he next made a ,st ,cosmo and a ,st    
,damian at the ,campora1 a place of the 
black monks outside the gate of ,s4     
,piero ,gattolini4 ,these were          
afterwards destroyed in whitewashing the
 church4 ,on the bridge at ,romiti in   
,valdarno he did the tabernacle which is
 built in the middle1 painting it in    
fresco in a very fine style4 ,it is     
recorded by many writers that ,tommaso  
practised sculpture1 and did a marble   
figure four braccia high for the        
campanile of ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore at   
,florence1 towards the place where the  

orphan asylum now stands4 ,at ,rome     
again he successfully completed a scene 
in ,s4 ,john ,lateran in which he       
represented the pope in various         
dignities1 but the painting is now much 
damaged and eaten by time4 ,in the house
 of the ,orsini he did a hall full of   
famous men1 and a very fine ,st ,louis  
on a pilaster at ,araceli1 on the       
right-hand side at the high altar4      
,above the pulpit in the lower church of
 ,s4 ,francesco at ,assisi1 that being  
the only place left undecorated1 he     
painted a coronation of ,our ,lady1 in  
an arch1 surrounded by many angels1 so  
graceful1 with such beautiful faces1 so 
soft and so delicate1 exhibiting that   
union of colours customary in the       
artist1 and which constitutes his       
peculiar excellence1 that he may clearly
 be compared with any of his            
predecessors4 ,about this arch he did   
some stories of ,st ,nicholas4          
,similarly1 in the middle of the church1
 in the monastery of ,s4 ,chiara1 in the

 same city1 he painted a scene in fresco
 of ,st ,clare1 upheld in the air by two
 angels1 represented with much life1    
raising a dead child1 whilst many       
beautiful women standing about are      
filled with amazement1 all being dressed
 in very graceful costumes of the time4 
,in the same city of ,assisi1 in an arch
 over the inside of the city door which 
leads to the ,duomo1 he did a ,madonna  
and child with so much care that she    
seems alive1 and a very fine ,st        
,francis1 with other saints4 ,these two 
works1 although the scene with ,st      
,clare is unfinished1 for ,tommaso      
returned sick to ,florence1 are perfect 
and worthy of all praise4  ,it is said  
that ,tommaso was a melancholy and      
solitary man1 but very diligent and fond
 of his art4 ,this is clearly shown in a
 picture of his in tempera in the church
 of ,s4 ,romeo at ,florence1 placed on  
the screen on the right-hand side1 for  
nothing was ever better done on wood4   
,it represents a dead ,christ with ,mary

 and ,nicodemus1 accompanied with other 
figures1 who are weeping bitterly for   
the dead4 ,their gentleness and         
sweetness are remarkable as they twist  
their hands and beat themselves1 showing
 in their faces the bitter sorrow that  
our sins should cost so dear4 ,it is a  
marvellous thing1 not that ,tommaso     
could rise to this height of            
imagination1 but that he could express  
his thought so well with his brush4     
,consequently this work deserves the    
highest praise1 not so much because of  
the subject and conception as for the   
art in which he exhibited the heads of  
some who are weeping1 for although the  
brows1 eyes1 nose and mouth are         
distorted by the emotion1 yet this does 
not mar or destroy the beauty of his    
faces1 which usually suffers much at the
 hands of those who represent weeping if
 they are not versed in the good methods
 of art4 ,but it is no wonder that      
,giottino was so successful with this   
picture1 because the object of all his  

labour was rather fame and glory than   
any other reward or desire of gain1     
which causes the masters of our own time
 to be less careful and good4 ,not only 
,tommaso did not endeavour to acquire   
great wealth1 but he went without many  
of the comforts of life1 living in      
poverty1 seeking rather to please others
 than to live at ease2 so managing badly
 and working hard1 he died of phthisis  
at the age of thirty-two1 and was buried
 by his relations outside ,s4 ,maria    
,novella at the gate of ,martello1 near 
the tomb of ,bontura4  ,the pupils of   
,giottino1 who left more fame than      
property1 were ,giovanni ,tossicani of  
,arezzo1 ,michelino1 ,giovanni dal      
,ponte1 and ,lippo1 who were meritorious
 masters of the art4 ,giovanni          
,tossicani excelled the others1 and     
after ,tommaso's death he executed many 
works in that same style1 in all        
,tuscany1 and particularly in the ,pieve
 of ,arezzo1 where he did the chapel of 
,st ,maria ,maddalena of the            

,tuccerelli1 and in the ,pieve of       
,empoli1 where he did a ,st ,james on a 
pilaster4 ,again1 he did some things in 
the ,duomo at ,pisa1 which were         
afterwards removed to make way for      
modern works4 ,his last work was        
executed in a chapel of the ,vescovado  
of ,arezzo1 for the ,countess ,giovanna1
 wife of ,tarlato di ,pietramala1 and   
represented an ,annunciation1 with ,st  
,james and ,st ,philip4 ,as this work   
was on a wall1 the back of which is     
exposed to the north1 it was almost     
destroyed by the damp1 when ,master     
,agnolo di ,lorenzo of ,arezzo restored 
the  ,annunciation1 and ,giorgio        
,vasari1 then a youth1 restored the     
,,ss4 ,james and ,philip1 to his great  
advantage1 as he learnt a great deal    
which he had not been able to obtain    
from other masters1 by observing        
,giovanni's methods1 and from the       
shadows and colours of this work1       
damaged as it was4 ,the following words 
of the epitaph to the ,countess1 who    

caused the work to be done1 may still be
 read3 ,anno ,domini #acce de mense     
,augusti hanc capellam constitui fecit  
nobilis ,domina comitissa ,joanna de    
,sancta ,flora uxor nobilis militis     
,domini ,tarlati de ,petramela ad       
honorem ,beat ,mari ,virginis4  ,i make 
no mention of the works of the other    
pupils of ,giottino1 because they are   
quite ordinary and bear little          
resemblance to those of their master and
 of ,giovanni ,tossicani1 their         
fellow-pupil4 ,tommaso drew very well1  
as appears by some sheets by his hand   
which are in our book1 which are very   
carefully executed4     ,giovanni da    
,ponte1 ,painter of ,florence4          
,although the old proverb that a bon    
vivant never lacks means is untrue and  
unworthy of confidence1 the contrary    
being the case1 since a man who does not
 live within his means comes at last to 
live in want1 and dies in misery2 yet it
 sometimes happens that ,fortune rather 
assists those who throw away without    

reserve than those who are orderly and  
careful in all things4 ,when the favour 
of ,fortune is wanting1 ,death          
frequently repairs the defect and       
remedies the consequences of men's      
thoughtlessness1 for it comes at the    
very moment when they would begin to    
realise1 with sorrow1 how wretched a    
thing it is to have squandered          
everything when young to pass one's age 
on shortened means in poverty and toil4 
,this would have been the fate of       
,giovanni da ,s4 ,stefano a ,ponte of   
,florence1 if1 after he had devoured his
 patrimony as well as the gains which   
came into his hand1 rather through good 
fortune than by his desserts1 and some  
legacies which came to him from         
unexpected quarters1 he had not reached 
the end of his life at the very time    
when he had exhausted his means4 ,he was
 a pupil of ,buonamico ,buffalmacco1 and
 imitated his master more in following  
worldly pleasures than in endeavouring  
to make himself a skilful painter4 ,he  

was born in the year #acjg1 and was     
,buffalmacco's pupil in his youth4 ,he  
executed his first works in fresco in   
the ,pieve of ,empoli in the chapel of  
,st ,laurence1 painting many scenes from
 the life of that saint with such care1 
that so good a beginning was considered 
to promise much better things in the    
future4 ,accordingly he was invited in  
the year #acdd to ,arezzo1 where he did 
an ,assumption in a chapel in ,s4       
,francesco4 ,being in some credit in    
that city1 for lack of other artists1 he
 next painted in the ,pieve the chapel  
of ,st ,onofrio and that of ,st         
,anthony1 ruined to-day by the damp4 ,he
 left other paintings in ,s4 ,giustina  
and ,s4 ,matteo1 which were pulled down 
with the churches when ,duke ,cosimo was
 fortifying the city4 ,almost on this   
very spot1 near ,s4 ,giustina1 at the   
foot of the abutment of an ancient      
bridge1 at the point where the river    
enters the city1 they there found a fine
 marble head of ,appius ,ciccus1 and one

 of his son1 with an ancient epitaph1   
which are now in the ,duke's wardrobe4  
,when ,giovanni returned to ,florence1  
at the time when the middle arch of the 
,ponte a ,s4 ,trinita was being         
completed1 he decorated a chapel built  
on a pile1 and dedicated to ,st ,michael
 the ,archangel1 an ancient and         
beautiful building1 doing many figures1 
both inside and out1 and the whole of   
the principal front4 ,this chapel was   
carried away1 together with the bridge1 
in the flood of #aeeg4 ,some assert that
 he owed his name of ,giovanni dal      
,ponte to these works4 ,in ,pisa1 in the
 year #acce1 he did some scenes in      
fresco behind the altar in the principal
 chapel of ,st ,paolo a ripa d',arno1   
which are now ruined by damp and time4  
,another work of his is the chapel of   
the ,scali in ,s4 ,trinita at ,florence1
 and another beside it1 as well as one  
of the stories of ,st ,paul beside the  
principal chapel1 which contains the    
tomb of ,maestro ,paolo1 the astrologer4

 ,in ,s4 ,stefano1 at the ,ponte        
,vecchio1 he did a panel and other      
paintings in tempera and fresco for     
,florence and elsewhere1 which won him  
considerable renown4 ,he was beloved by 
his friends1 but rather in his pleasures
 than in his labours1 and he was a      
friend of men of letters1 and especially
 of all those who were studying his own 
art in the hope of excelling in it2 and 
although he had not troubled to acquire 
for himself what he desired for others1 
he never ceased to advise others to work
 diligently4 ,at length1 when he had    
lived fifty-nine years1 he departed this
 life in a few days in consequence of a 
disorder of the chest4 ,had he lived a  
little longer1 he would have suffered   
much inconvenience1 as there remained   
hardly sufficient in his house to afford
 him decent burial in ,s4 ,stefano dal  
,ponte ,vecchio4 ,his works were        
executed about #acde4  ,our book of     
designs of various ancient and modern   
masters contains a water-colour by      

,giovanni representing ,st ,george on   
horseback killing a serpent2 also a     
skeleton1 the two affording an excellent
 illustration of his method and his     
style in designing4     ,agnolo ,gaddi1 
,painter of ,florence4   ,the virtue and
 husbandry of ,taddeo ,gaddi afford an  
excellent illustration of the advantages
 and honours accruing from excellence in
 a noble art1 for by his industry and   
labour he provided a considerable       
property1 and left the affairs of his   
family so ordered that when he passed to
 the other life his sons ,agnolo and    
,giovanni were enabled without          
difficulty to lay the foundations of the
 vast wealth and distinction of the     
house of ,gaddi1 which is now amongst   
the noblest in ,florence and of high    
repute in all ,christendom4 ,indeed it  
was no more than reasonable1 after      
,gaddo1 ,taddeo1 ,agnolo and ,giovanni  
had adorned with their art and talents  
so many considerable churches1 that     
their descendants should be decorated   

with the highest ecclesiastical         
dignities by the ,holy ,roman ,church   
and her ,pontiffs4 ,taddeo1 whose life  
we have already written1 left two sons1 
,agnolo and ,giovanni1 among his many   
pupils1 and he hoped that ,agnolo in    
particular would attain to considerable 
excellence in painting4 ,but although   
,agnolo when a youth promised to far    
surpass his father1 he did not realise  
the good opinions which were then formed
 about him4 ,being born and brought up  
in ease1 which is often a hindrance to  
application1 he was more devoted to     
trading and commerce than to the art of 
painting4 ,this is no new or strange    
circumstance1 for avarice almost        
invariably proves a bar to those        
geniuses who would have attained the    
summit of their powers1 had not the     
desire of gain stood in their way in    
their first and best years4  ,in his    
youth ,andrea did a small scene for ,s4 
,jacopo tra fossi at ,florence1 in      
figures of little more than a braccia   

high1 representing the ,resurrection of 
,lazarus1 who had been four days dead4  
,considering the corrupt state of the   
body1 which had been in the tomb three  
days1 he presented the grave clothes    
bound about him as soiled by the        
putrefaction of the flesh1 and certain  
livid and yellowish marks in the flesh  
about the eyes1 between quick and dead1 
very well considered4 ,he also shows the
 astonishment of the disciples and other
 figures1 who in varied and remarkable  
attitudes are holding their garments to 
their noses so as not to smell the      
stench of the corrupt body1 and exhibit 
every shade of fear and terror at this  
marvellous event1 as well as the joy and
 delight of ,mary and ,martha at seeing 
the dead body of their brother return to
 life4 ,this work was deemed so         
excellent that there were many who      
thought that the talents of ,andrea     
would prove superior to those of all the
 pupils of ,taddeo and even to those of 
the master himself4 ,but the event      

proved otherwise1 for as in youth will  
conquers every difficulty in the effort 
after fame1 so it often happens that the
 years bring with them a certain        
heedlessness which causes men to go     
backwards instead of forwards1 as was   
the case with ,agnolo4 ,owing to the    
high repute of his ability1 the family  
of the ,soderini1 expecting a great     
deal1 allotted to him the principal     
chapel of the ,carmine1 where he painted
 the whole of the life of ,our ,lady1   
but in a style so inferior to the       
,resurrection of ,lazarus that anyone   
could perceive that he had little desire
 to devote all his energies to the study
 of painting4 ,in the whole of this     
great work there is not more than a     
single good scene1 namely1 that in which
 ,our ,lady is in an apartment          
surrounded by a number of maidens1 whose
 habits and headdresses vary according  
to the divers customs of the time1 and  
who are engaged in various employments1 
some spinning1 some sewing1 some winding

 silk1 and some weaving and doing other 
things1 all very well conceived and     
executed by ,agnolo4  ,similarly in     
painting in fresco the principal chapel 
of the church of ,s4 ,croce for the     
noble family of the ,alberti1 he        
represented the incidents which took    
place on the finding of the ,cross1     
executing the work with much skill1     
though it is somewhat lacking in design1
 the colouring alone being meritorious4 
,he succeeded much better afterwards in 
some other paintings in fresco in the   
chapel of the ,bardi1 and in some       
stories of ,st ,louis in the same       
church4 ,he worked capriciously1        
sometimes with great care and sometimes 
with little4 ,thus in ,s4 ,spirito at   
,florence1 where he did the inside of a 
door leading from the piazza to the     
convent1 and above another door a       
,madonna and child1 with ,st ,augustine 
and ,st ,nicholas1 all in fresco--they  
are all so well done that they look as  
if they had been painted yesterday4 ,the

 secret of working in mosaic had as it  
were descended to ,agnolo by            
inheritance1 and in his house he had the
 instruments and other apparatus used by
 his grandfather ,gaddo2 accordingly to 
para the time1 and for one reason or    
another1 he did some things in mosaic   
when he had the whim4 ,thus since many  
of the marble facings of the exterior of
 ,s4 ,giovanni were wasted by time1 and 
as the damp had pierced through and done
 considerable injury to the mosaics     
previously executed there by ,andrea    
,tafi1 the ,consuls of the ,art of the  
,merchants proposed to restore the      
greater part of this marble covering1 in
 order that no further damage should be 
done1 and also to repair the mosaics4   
,the commission for this was given to   
,agnolo1 and in the year #acdf he caused
 the building to be covered with new    
marble1 overlaying the joints to a      
distance of two fingers with great care1
 notching the half of each stone as far 
as the middle4 ,he then cemented them   

together with a mixture of mastic and   
wax1 and completed the whole with such  
care that from that time forward neither
 the vaulting nor the roof has ever     
suffered any harm from the water4 ,his  
subsequent restoration of the mosaics   
led by his advice to the reconstruction 
from his well-devised plans of the whole
 of the cornice of the church above the 
marble1 under the roof1 in its present  
form1 whereas it was originally much    
smaller and by no means remarkable4 ,he 
also directed the construction of the   
vaulting for the hall of the ,podesta   
palace1 where an ordinary roof had      
formerly existed1 so that in addition to
 the added beauty which it gave the     
room1 it rendered it proof against      
damage by fire1 which it had frequently 
suffered before4 ,by his advice the     
present battlements were added to the   
palace1 where nothing of the kind had   
previously existed4  ,while these works 
were proceeding1 he did not entirely    
abandon painting1 but executed in       

tempera a picture of ,our ,lady for the 
high altar of ,s4 ,pancrazio1 with ,st  
,john the ,baptist1 ,st ,john the       
,evangelist1 the brothers ,st ,nereus1  
,achilleus1 and ,prancrazius1 and other 
saints hard by4 ,but the best part of   
this work1 and indeed the only part of  
it which is really good1 is the predella
 filled with small figures1 divided into
 eight scenes dealing with the ,madonna 
and ,st ,reparata4 ,subsequently in a   
picture for the high altar of ,s4 ,maria
 ,novella at ,florence1 executed for    
,barone ,capelli in #acdh1 he made a    
very fair group of angels about a       
,coronation of the ,virgin4 ,shortly    
afterwards he painted in fresco a series
 of subjects from the life of the       
,virgin in the ,pieve of ,prato1 which  
had been rebuilt under the direction of 
,giovanni ,pisano in #acab1 as has been 
said above1 in the chapel where ,our    
,lady's girdle was deposited1 and he did
 a number of other works in other       
churches of that same country which is  

full of very considerable monasteries   
and convents4 ,in ,florence he next     
painted the arch over the gate of ,s4   
,romeo1 and in ,orto ,s4 ,michele did in
 tempera a ,christ disputing with the   
doctors in the temple4 ,at the same time
 for the enlargement of the piazza of   
the ,signori a large number of buildings
 was pulled down1 and notably the church
 of ,s4 ,romolo1 which was rebuilt from 
,agnolo's plans4 ,in the churches of    
this city many pictures by his hand may 
be seen1 and a quantity of his works may
 be met with in the lordship4 ,these he 
produced with great advantage to        
himself1 although he worked rather for  
the sake of following in the steps of   
his ancestors than from any inclination 
of his own2 for he had devoted all his  
attention to trading1 which was of great
 service to him1 as appeared when his   
sons1 who did not wish to live by       
painting any longer1 devoted themselves 
entirely to commerce1 opening an        
establishment at ,venice in conjunction 

with their father1 who after a certain  
time abandoned painting altogether1 only
 to take it up as an amusement and      
pastime4 ,by dint of trading and        
practising his art1 ,agnolo had amassed 
considerable wealth when he came to die 
in the sixty-third year of his life1    
succumbing to a malignant fever which   
carried him off in a few days4 ,his     
pupils were ,maestro ,antonio da        
,ferrara1 who did many fine works in    
,urbino and at ,citta di ,castello1 and 
,stefano da ,verona1 who painted with   
the greatest perfection in fresco1 as   
may be seen in several places in his    
native ,verona1 and at ,mantua1 where   
his works are numerous4 ,among other    
things he excelled in beautifully       
rendering the expressions of the faces  
of children1 women and old men1 as his  
works show1 which were all imitated and 
copied by that ,piero da ,perugia1      
miniature painter1 who illuminated all  
the books in the library of ,pope ,pius 
in the ,duomo of ,siena1 and who was a  

skilful colourist in fresco4 ,other     
pupils of ,agnolo were ,michaele da     
,milano and his own brother ,giovanni1  
who in the cloister of ,s4 ,spirito1    
where the arches of ,gaddo and ,taddeo  
are1 painted the dispute of ,christ with
 the doctors in the temple1 the         
,purification of the ,virgin1 the       
,temptation of ,christ in the           
wilderness1 and the baptism of ,john1   
but after having given rise to the      
highest expectations he died4 ,cennino  
di ,drea ,cennini da ,colle of ,valdelsa
 also learned painting from ,andrea4 ,he
 was very fond of his art and wrote a   
book describing the methods of working  
in fresco1 in tempera1 in glue and in   
gum1 and also how to illuminate and all 
the ways of laying on gold4 ,this book  
is in the possession of ,giuliano1      
goldsmith of ,siena1 an excellent master
 and fond of that art4 ,the first part  
of the book deals with the nature of    
colours1 both minerals and earths1 as he
 had learned it of ,agnolo his master4  

,as he did not perhaps succeed in       
painting with perfection1 he was at     
least anxious to know the peculiarities 
of the colours1 the temperas1 the glues 
and of chalks1 and what colours one     
ought to avoid mixing as injurious1 and 
in short many other hints which ,i need 
not dilate upon1 since all these        
matters1 which he then considered very  
great secrets1 are now universally      
known4 ,but ,i must not omit to note    
that he makes no mention of some earth  
colours1 such as dark terra rossa1      
cinnabar and some greens in glass1      
perhaps because they were not in use4   
,in like manner umber1 yellow-lake1 the 
smalts in fresco and in oil1 and some   
greens and yellows in glass which the   
painters of that age lacked1 have since 
been discovered4 ,the end of the        
treatise deals with mosaics1 with the   
grinding of colours in oil to make red1 
blue1 green and other kinds of grounds1 
and with mordants for the application of
 gold but not at that time for figures4 

,besides the works which he produced    
with his master in ,florence1 there is a
 ,madonna with saints by his hand under 
the loggia of the hospital of ,bonifazio
 ,lupi1 of such style and colouring that
 it has been very well preserved up to  
the present day4  ,in the first chapter 
of his book ,cennino says these words in
 speaking of himself3 ,i1 ,cennino di   
,drea ,cennini da ,colle of ,valdelsa1  
was instructed in this art for twelve   
years by ,agnolo di ,taddeo of          
,florence1 my master1 who learned the   
art of his father ,taddeo1 whose        
godfather was ,giotto and who was       
,giotto's pupil for twenty-four years4  
,this ,giotto transmuted the art of     
painting from ,greek into ,latin1 and   
modernised it1 and it is certain that he
 gave more pleasure than any one else   
had ever done4 ,these are ,cennino's    
very words1 by which it appears that as 
those who translate from ,greek into    
,latin render a very great service to   
those who do not understand ,greek1 so  

,giotto1 in transmuting the art of      
painting from a style which was         
understood by no one1 except perhaps as 
being extremely rude1 into a beautiful1 
facile1 and smooth manner1 known and    
understood by all people of taste who   
possess the slightest judgment1         
conferred a great benefit upon mankind4 
,all these pupils of ,agnolo did him the
 greatest credit4 ,he was buried by his 
sons1 to whom he is said to have left   
the value of #ej1jjj florins or more1 in
 ,s4 ,maria ,novella1 in the tomb which 
he had made for himself and his         
descendants1 in the year #achg4 ,the    
portrait of ,agnolo by his own hand may 
be seen in the chapel of the ,alberti in
 ,s4 ,croce in the scene in which the   
,emperor ,heraclius is bearing the      
cross2 he is painted in profile standing
 beside a door4 ,he wears a small beard 
and has a red hood on his head1 after   
the manner of the time4 ,he was not a   
good draughtsman1 according to the      
evidence of some sheets from his hand   

which are in our book4     ,berna1      
,painter of ,siena4   ,if the thread of 
life of those who take pains to excel in
 some noble profession was not          
frequently cut off by death in the best 
years1 there is no doubt that many      
geniuses would attain the goal desired  
by them and by the world4 ,but the short
 life of man and the bitterness of the  
various accidents which intervene on    
every hand sometimes deprive us too     
early of such men4 ,an example of this  
was poor ,berna of ,siena1 who died     
while quite young1 although the nature  
of his works would lead one to believe  
that he had lived very long1 for he left
 such excellent productions that it is  
probable1 had he not died so soon1 he   
would have become a most excellent and  
rare artist4 ,two of his works may be   
seen in ,siena in two chapels of ,s4    
,agostino1 being some small scenes of   
figures in fresco1 and in the church on 
a wall which has recently been          
demolished to make chapels there1 a     

scene of a young man led to punishment1 
of the highest imaginable excellence1   
the representation of pallor and of the 
fear of death being so realistic that it
 merits the warmest admiration4 ,beside 
the youth is a friar who is consoling   
him1 with excellent gestures1 and in    
fine the entire scene is executed with  
such vigour as to leave no doubt that   
,berna had penetrated deeply into the   
horror of that situation1 full of bitter
 and cold fear1 since he was able to    
represent it so well with the brush that
 the actual event passing before one's  
eyes could not move one more4 ,in       
,cortona1 besides many things scattered 
up and down the city1 he painted the    
greater part of the vaulting and walls  
of the church of ,s4 ,margherita where  
the ,zoccolanti friars now are4 ,from   
,cortona he proceeded to ,arezzo in the 
year #acfi1 at the very time when the   
,tarlati1 formerly lords of ,pietramela1
 had finished the convent and church of 
,s4 ,agostino1 under the direction of   

,moccio1 sculptor and architect of      
,siena4 ,in the aisles of this building 
where many citizens had erected chapels 
and tombs for their families1 ,berna    
painted in fresco in the chapel of ,st  
,james1 some scenes from the life of    
that saint4 ,among these the most       
remarkable is the story of the cozener  
,marino1 who through love of gain had   
contracted his soul to the devil and    
then recommended his soul to ,st ,james1
 begging him to free him from his       
promise1 whilst a devil shows him the   
deed and makes a great disturbance4     
,berna expresses the emotions of all    
these figures with great vigour1        
especially in the face of ,marino1 who  
is divided between his fear and his     
faith and confidence in ,st ,james1     
although he sees the marvellously ugly  
devil against him1 employing all his    
eloquence to convince the saint4 ,st    
,james1 after he has brought ,marino to 
a thorough penitence for his sin1       
promises him immunity1 delivers him and 

brings him back to ,god4 ,according to  
,lorenzo ,ghiberti1 ,berna reproduced   
this story in ,s4 ,spirito at ,florence 
before it was burned1 in a chapel of the
 ,capponi dedicated to ,st ,nicholas4   
,after these works ,berna painted a     
large crucifix in a chapel of the       
,vescovado of ,arezzo for ,m4 ,guccio di
 ,vanni ,tarlati of ,pietramela1 with   
,our ,lady at the foot of the cross1 ,st
 ,john the ,baptist1 ,st ,francis la a  
very sad attitude1 and ,st ,michael the 
archangel1 with such care that he       
deserves no small praise1 especially as 
it is so well preserved that it might   
have been made yesterday4 ,at the foot  
of the cross1 lower down1 is the        
portrait of ,guccio himself1 in armour  
and kneeling4 ,in the ,pieve of the same
 city he did a number of stories of ,our
 ,lady for the chapel of the ,paganelli1
 and there drew from life a portrait of 
,st ,ranieri1 a holy man and prophet of 
that house1 who is giving alms to a     
crowd of poor people surrounding him4   

,again in ,s4 ,bartolommeo he painted   
some scenes from the ,old ,testament and
 the story of the ,magi1 and in the     
church of ,s4 ,spirito he did some      
stories of ,st ,john the ,evangelist1   
drawing his own portrait and those of   
many of his noble friends of the city in
 some figures there4 ,when these labours
 were completed he returned to his      
native city and did many pictures on    
wood1 both small and great4 ,but he did 
not remain there long1 because he was   
invited to ,florence to decorate the    
chapel of ,st ,nicholas in ,s4 ,spirito1
 as mentioned above1 and which was      
greatly admired1 as well as to do some  
other things which perished in the      
unfortunate fire at that church4 ,in the
 ,pieve of ,s4 ,gimignano di ,valdelsa  
he did in fresco some scenes from the   
,new ,testament4 ,when he was on the    
point of completing these things he fell
 to the ground from the scaffolding1    
suffering such severe injuries that he  
expired in two days1 by which art       

suffered a greater loss than he1 for he 
passed to a better sphere4 ,the people  
of ,s4 ,gimignano gave him honourable   
burial in that ,pieve1 with stately     
obsequies1 having the same regard for   
him when dead as they had entertained   
for him while alive1 while for many     
months they were constantly affixing to 
the tomb epitaphs in the ,latin and     
vulgar tongues1 for the people of those 
parts take a natural pleasure in belles 
lettres4 ,this then was the fitting     
reward of the honourable labours of     
,berna1 that those whom he had honoured 
with his paintings should celebrate him 
with their pens4 ,giovanni da ,asciano1 
who was a pupil of ,berna1 completed his
 work and did some pictures for the     
hospital of the ,scala at ,siena4 ,in   
,florence also he did some things in the
 old houses of the ,medici1 by which he 
acquired a considerable reputation4 ,the
 works of ,berna of ,siena were produced
 about #acha4 ,besides what we have     
already said1 he was a fairly facile    

draughtsman and the first who began to  
draw animals well1 as we see by some    
sheets by his hand in our book1 covered 
with wild beasts of various parts1 so   
that he merits the highest praise and   
that his name should be honoured among  
artists4 ,another pupil of his was ,luca
 di ,tome of ,siena who painted many    
works in ,siena and in all ,tuscany1 but
 especially the picture and chapel of   
the ,dragomanni in ,s4 ,domenico at     
,arezzo4 ,the chapel is in the ,german  
style and was very handsomely decorated 
by that picture and by the frescoes     
executed there by the skill and talent  
of ,luda of ,siena4     ,duccio1        
,painter of ,siena4   ,there is do doubt
 that those who invent anything         
noteworthy occupy the greatest share of 
the attention of historians1 ,the reason
 for this is that original inventors are
 more noticed and excite more wonder1   
because new things always possess a     
greater charm than improvements         
subsequently introduced to perfect them4

 ,for if no one ever made a beginning1  
there would never be any advance or     
improvement1 and the full achievement of
 marvellous beauty would never be       
attained4 ,accordingly ,duccio1 a much  
esteemed painter of ,siena1 is worthy to
 receive the praise of those who have   
followed him many years after1 since in 
the pavement of the ,duomo of ,siena he 
initiated the treatment in marble of    
figures in chiaroscuro1 in which modern 
artists have performed such wonders in  
these days4 ,duccio devoted himself to  
the imitation of the old style and very 
judiciously gave the correct forms to   
his figures1 overcoming the difficulty  
presented by such an art4 ,imitating the
 paintings in chiaroscuro1 he designed  
the first part of the pavement with his 
own hand2 and painted a picture in the  
,duomo which was then put at the high   
altar and afterwards removed to make    
room for the tabernacle of the body of  
,christ which is now seen there4        
,according to ,lorenzo di ,bartolo      

,ghiberti1 this picture was a           
,coronation of ,our ,lady1 very much in 
the ,byzantine style1 though mingled    
with much that is modern4 ,it was       
painted on both sides1 as the altar     
stood out by itself1 and on the back    
,duccio had with great care painted all 
the principal incidents of the ,new     
,testament in some very fine small      
figures4 ,i have endeavoured to discover
 the whereabouts of the picture at the  
present time1 but although ,i have taken
 the utmost pains in the search1 ,i have
 not succeeded in finding it or of      
learning what ,francesco di ,giorgio the
 sculptor did with it1 when he restored 
the tabernacle in bronze as well as the 
marble ornaments there4 ,at ,siena      
,duccio did many pictures on a gold     
ground and an ,annunciation for ,s4     
,trinita1 ,florence4 ,he afterwards     
painted many things at ,pisa1 ,lucca and
 ,pistoia for different churches1 which 
were all much admired and brought him   
much reputation and profit4 ,the place  

of his death is not known1 nor are we   
aware what relations1 pupils or property
 he left4 ,it is enough that he left to 
art the inheritance of his inventions in
 painting1 marble and chiaroscuro1 for  
which he is worthy of the highest       
commendation and praise4 ,he may safely 
be enumerated among the benefactors who 
have increased the dignity and beauty of
 our craft1 and those who pursue        
investigations into the difficulties of 
rare inventions1 deserve a special place
 in our remembrance for this cause apart
 from their marvellous productions4  ,it
 is said at ,siena that in #acdh ,duccio
 designed the chapel which is on the    
piazza in front of the principal palace4
 ,it is also recorded that another      
native of ,siena called ,moccio1        
flourished at the same time4 ,he was a  
fair sculptor and architect and did many
 works in every part of ,tuscany1 but   
chiefly at ,arezzo in the ,church of ,s4
 ,domenico1 where he made a marble tomb 
for of the ,cerchi4 ,this tomb supports 

and decorates the organ of that church1 
and if some object that it is not a work
 of high excellence1 ,i reply that it   
must be considered a very fair          
production seeing that he made it in the
 year #acef while quite a youth4 ,he was
 employed on the work of ,s4 ,maria del 
,fiore as under architect and as        
sculptor1 doing some things in marble   
for that structure4 ,in ,arezzo he      
rebuilt the ,church of ,s4 ,agostino1   
which was small1 in its present form1   
the expense being borne by heirs of     
,piero ,saccone de' ,tarlati1 who had   
provided for this before his death at   
,bibbiena in the territory of           
,casentino4 ,as ,moccio constructed this
 church without vaulting1 he imposed the
 burden of the roof on the arcading of  
the columns1 running a considerable     
risk1 for the enterprise was too bold4  
,he also built the ,church and ,convent 
of ,s4 ,antonio1 which were at the      
,faenza gate before the siege of        
,florence1 and are now entirely in      

ruins4 ,in sculpture he decorated the   
gate of ,s4 ,agostino at ,ancona1 with  
many figures and ornaments like those   
which are at the gate of ,s4 ,francesco 
in the same city4 ,in this church of ,st
 ,agostino he also made the tomb of ,fra
 ,zenone ,vigilanti1 bishop and general 
of the order of ,st ,augustine1 and     
finally the loggia of the merchants in  
that city1 which has from time to time  
received1 for one cause and another1    
many improvements in modern style1 and  
ornamentation of various descriptions4  
,all these things1 although very much   
below the general level of excellence of
 to-day1 received considerable praise   
then owing to the state of information  
of the time4 ,but to return to ,duccio1 
his works were executed about the year  
of grace #acej4     ,antonio1 ,painter  
of ,venice4   ,there are many men who1  
through being persecuted by the envy and
 oppressed by the tyranny of their      
fellow-citizens1 have left their native 
place and have chosen for a home some   

spot where their worth has been         
recognised and rewarded1 producing their
 works there and taking the greatest    
pains to excel1 in order1 in a sense1 to
 be avenged on those by whom they have  
been outraged4 ,in this way they        
frequently become great men1 whereas had
 they remained quietly at home they     
might possibly have achieved little more
 than mediocrity in their art4 ,antonio 
of ,venice1 who went to ,florence1 in   
the train of ,agnolo ,gaddi1 to learn   
painting1 so far acquired the proper    
methods that not only was he esteemed   
and loved by the ,florentines1 but made 
much of for this talent and for his     
other good qualities4 ,then1 becoming   
possessed by a desire to return to his  
native city and enjoy the fruits of his 
labours1 he went back to ,venice4       
,there1 having made himself known by    
many things done in fresco and tempera1 
he was commissioned by the ,signoria to 
paint one of the walls of the ,council  
,chamber1 a work which he executed with 

such skill and majesty that its merits  
should have brought him honours and     
rewards2 but the rivalry1 or rather the 
envy1 of the other artists1 together    
with the preference accorded by some    
noblemen to other and alien painters1   
brought about a different result4 ,hence
 poor ,antonio1 feeling himself repelled
 and rebutted1 thought it would be as   
well to go back to ,florence1 deciding  
that he would never again return to     
,venice1 but would make ,florence his   
home4 ,having reached that city1 he     
painted in an arch in the cloister of   
,s4 ,spirito the calling of ,peter and  
,andrew from their nets1 with ,zebedee  
and his sons4 ,under the three arches of
 ,stefano he painted the miracle of the 
loaves and fishes1 exhibiting great     
diligence and love1 as may be seen in   
the figure of ,christ ,himself1 whose   
face and aspect betray ,his compassion  
for the crowd and the ardent charity    
which leads ,him to distribute the      
bread4 ,the same scene also shows very  

beautifully the affection of an apostle1
 who is very active in distributing the 
bread from a basket4 ,the picture       
affords a good illustration of the value
 in art of always painting figures so   
that they appear to speak1 for otherwise
 they are not prized4 ,antonio showed   
this on the faade in a small            
representation of the ,fall of the      
,manna1 executed with such skill and    
finished with such grace1 that it may   
truly be called excellent4 ,he next did 
some stories of ,st ,stephen in the     
predella of the high altar of ,s4       
,stefano at the ,ponte ,vecchio1 with so
 much loving care that even in          
illuminations it would not be possible  
to find more graceful or more delicate  
work4 ,again he painted the tympanum    
over the door of ,s4 ,antonio on the    
,ponte alla ,carraia4 ,this and the     
church were both pulled down in our own 
day by ,monsignor ,ricasoli1 bishop of  
,pistoia1 because they took away the    
view from his houses1 and in any case   

even if he had not done so1 we should   
have been deprived of the work1 for1 as 
,i have said elsewhere1 the flood of    
#aeeg carried away two arches on this   
side1 as well as that part of the bridge
 on which the little church of ,s4      
,antonio was situated4 ,after these     
works ,antonio was invited to ,pisa by  
the wardens of the ,campo ,santo1 and   
there continued the series dealing with 
the life of ,st ,ranieri1 a holy man of 
that city1 which had been begun by      
,simone of ,siena and under his         
direction4 ,in the first part of        
,antonio's portion of the work is a     
representation of the embarkation of    
,ranieri to return to ,pisa1 with a     
goodly number of figures executed with  
diligence1 including the portrait of    
,count ,gaddo1 who had died ten years   
before1 and of ,neri1 his uncle1 who had
 been lord of ,pisa4 ,another notable   
figure in the group is that of a man    
possessed1 with distorted1 convulsive   
gestures1 his eyes glistening1 and his  

mouth grinning and showing his teeth1 so
 remarkably like a person really        
possessed that nothing more true or     
life-like can be imagined4 ,the next    
picture contains three really beautiful 
figures1 lost in wonder at seeing ,st   
,ranieri reveal the devil in the form of
 a cat on a tub to a fat innkeeper1 who 
looks like a boon companion1 and who is 
commending himself fearfully to the     
saint2 their attitudes are excellently  
disposed in the style of the draperies1 
the variety of poses of the heads1 and  
in all other particulars4 ,hard by are  
the maidservants of the innkeeper1 who  
could not possibly be represented with  
more grace as ,antonio has made them    
with disengaged garments arranged after 
the manner of those worn by the servants
 at an inn1 so that nothing better can  
be imagined4 ,nothing of this artist    
gives more pleasure than the wall       
containing another scene from the same  
series in which the canons of the       
,duomo of ,pisa1 in the fine robes of   

the time1 very different from those in  
use to-day and very graceful1 receive   
,st ,ranieri at table1 all the figures  
being made with great care4 ,the next of
 his scenes is the death of the saint1  
containing fine representations not only
 of the effect of weeping1 but of the   
movements of certain angels who are     
carrying his soul to heaven surrounded  
by a brilliant light1 done with fine    
originality4 ,in the scene where the    
saint's body is being carried by the    
clergy to the ,duomo one can but marvel 
at the representation of the priests    
singing1 for in their gestures1         
carriage1 and all their movements they  
exactly resemble a choir of singers4    
,this scene is said to contain a        
portrait of the ,bavarian4 ,antonio     
likewise painted with the greatest care 
the miracles wrought by ,ranieri when he
 was being carried to burial1 and those 
wrought in another place1 after his body
 had been deposited in the ,duomo1 such 
as blind who receive their sight1       

withered men who recover the use of     
their limbs1 demoniacs who are released1
 and other miracles represented with    
great vigour4 ,but one of the most      
remarkable figures of all is a dropsical
 man1 whose withered face1 dry lips1 and
 swollen body exhibit with as much      
realism as a living man could1 the      
devouring thirst of those suffering from
 dropsy and the other symptoms of that  
disease4 ,another marvellous thing for  
the time in this work is a ship         
delivered by the saint after it had     
undergone various mishaps4 ,it contains 
an excellent representation of the      
activity of the mariners1 comprising    
everything that is usually done in such 
case4 ,some are casting into the greedy 
sea without a thought the valuable      
merchandise won with so much toil1 some 
are running to preserve the ship which  
is splitting1 and in short performing   
all the other duties of seamen which it 
would take too long to tell4 ,suffice it
 to say that all are executed with      

remarkable vigour1 and in a fine style4 
,in the same place beneath the lives of 
the holy fathers painted by ,pietro     
,laurati of ,siena1 ,antonio did the    
bodies of ,st ,oliver and the ,abbot    
,paphnuce1 and many circumstances of    
their lives1 represented on a marble    
sarcophagus1 the figure being very well 
painted4 ,in short1 all the works of    
,antonio in the ,campo ,santo are such  
that they are universally considered1   
and with good cause1 to be the best of  
the entire series of works produced     
there by many excellent masters over a  
considerable interval of time4 ,in      
addition to the particulars already     
mentioned1 ,antonio did everything in   
fresco1 and never retouched anything a  
secco4 ,this is the reason why his      
colours have remained so fresh to the   
present day1 and this should teach      
artists to recognise the injury that is 
done to pictures and works by retouching
 a secco things done in fresco with     
other colours1 as is said in the        

theories1 for it is an established fact 
that this retouching ages the painting1 
and the new colours which have no body  
of their own will not stand the test of 
time1 being tempered with               
gum-tragacanth1 egg1 size1 or some such 
thing which varnishes what is beneath   
it1 and it does not permit the lapse of 
time and the air to purge what has been 
actually painted in fresco upon the soft
 stucco1 as they would do had not other 
colours been superimposed after the     
drying4 ,upon the completion of this    
truly admirable work ,antonio was       
worthily rewarded by the ,pisans1 who   
always entertained a great affection for
 him4 ,he then returned to ,florence1   
where he painted at ,nuovoli outside the
 gate leading to ,prato1 in a tabernacle
 at ,giovanni degli ,agli1 a dead       
,christ1 with a quantity of figures1 the
 story of the ,magi and the ,last       
,judgment1 all very fine4 ,invited next 
to the ,certosa1 he painted for the     
,acciaiuoli1 who built that place1 the  

picture of the high altar1 which        
survived to our own day1 when it was    
consumed by fire through the            
carelessness of a sacristan of the      
monastery1 who left the censer hung at  
the altar full of fire1 which led to the
 picture being burnt4 ,it was afterwards
 made entirely of marble by the monks1  
as it is now4 ,in the same place this   
same master did a very fine             
,transfiguration in fresco on a cupboard
 in the chapel4 ,being much inclined by 
nature to the study of herbs1 he devoted
 himself to the mastery of ,dioscorides1
 taking pleasure in learning the        
properties and virtues of each plant1 so
 that he ultimately abandoned painting  
and devoted himself to distilling       
simples with great assiduity4 ,having   
thus transformed himself from a painter 
into a physician1 he pursued the latter 
profession for some time4 ,at length he 
fell-sick of a disorder of the stomach1 
or1 as some say1 through treating the   
plague1 and finished the course of his  

life at the age of seventy-four in the  
year #achd1 when the plague was raging  
in ,florence4 ,his skill as a physician 
equalled his diligence as a painter1 for
 he gained an extensive experience in   
medicine from those who had employed him
 in their need1 and he left behind him a
 high reputation in both arts4 ,antonio 
was a very graceful designer with the   
pen1 and so excellent in chiaroscuro    
that some sheets of his in our book1 in 
which he did the arch of ,s4 ,spirito1  
are the best of the age4 ,gherardo      
,starnini of ,florence was a pupil of   
,antonio1 and closely imitated him1     
while another pupil of his1 ,paolo      
,uccello1 brought him no small credit4  
,the portrait of ,antonio of ,venice by 
his own hand is in the ,campo ,santo at 
,pisa4     ,jacopo di ,casentino1       
,painter4   ,as the fame and renown of  
the paintings of ,giotto and his pupils 
had been spread abroad for many years1  
many1 who were desirous of obtaining    
fame and riches by means of the art of  

painting1 began to be animated by the   
hope of glory1 and by natural           
inclination1 to make progress towards   
the improvement of the art1 feeling     
confident that1 with effort1 they would 
be able to surpass in excellence        
,giotto1 ,taddeo1 and the other         
painters4 ,among these was one ,jacopo  
di ,casentino1 who was born1 as we read1
 of the family of ,m4 ,cristoforo       
,landino of ,pratovecchio1 and was      
associated by the friar of ,casentino1  
then superior at the ,sasso del ,vernia1
 with ,taddeo ,gaddi1 while he was      
working in that convent1 in order that  
he might learn design and colour4 ,in a 
few years he so far succeeded1 that1    
being taken to ,florence in the company 
of ,giovanni di ,milano1 in the service 
of their master1 ,taddeo1 where they    
were doing many things1 he was asked to 
paint in tempera the tabernacle of the  
,madonna of the ,old ,market1 with the  
picture there1 and also the one on the  
,via del ,cocomoro side of the ,piazza  

,s4 ,niccolo4 ,a few years ago both of  
these were restored by a very inferior  
master to ,jacopo4 ,for the ,dyers1 he  
did the one at ,s4 ,nofri1 on the side  
of their garden wall1 opposite ,s4      
,giuseppe4 ,while the vaulting of       
,orsanmichele1 upon its twelve pillars1 
was being completed1 and covered with a 
low1 rough roof1 awaiting the completion
 of the building of the palace1 which   
was to be the granary of the ,commune1  
the painting of these vaults was        
entrusted to ,jacopo di ,casentino1 as a
 very skilled artist4 ,here he painted  
some prophets and the patriarchs1 with  
the heads of the tribes1 sixteen figures
 in all1 on an ultramarine ground1 now  
much damaged1 without other             
ornamentation4 ,he next did the lower   
walls and pilasters with many miracles  
of ,our ,lady1 and other things which   
may be recognised by their style4 ,this 
done1 he returned to ,casentino1 and    
after painting many works in            
,pratovecchio1 ,poppi1 and other places 

of that valley1 he proceeded to ,arezzo1
 which then governed itself with a      
council of sixty of the richest and most
 honoured citizens1 to whom all the     
affairs of the state were entrusted4    
,here1 in the principal chapel of the   
,vescovado1 he painted a story of ,st   
,martin1 and a good number of pictures  
in the old ,duomo1 now pulled down1     
including a portrait of ,pope ,innocent 
,,vi4 in the principal chapel4 ,he next 
did the wall where the high altar is1   
and the chapel of ,st ,maria della      
,neve1 in the church of ,s4             
,bartolommeo1 for the chapter of the    
canons of the ,pieve1 and for the old   
brotherhood of ,s4 ,giovanni de'        
,peducci he did a number of scenes from 
the life of that saint1 which are now   
whitewashed over4 ,he also did the      
chapel of ,st ,christopher in the church
 of ,s4 ,domenico1 introducing a        
portrait of the blessed ,masuolo        
releasing from prison a merchant of the 
,fei family1 who built the chapel4 ,this

 saint was a contemporary of the artist1
 and a prophet who predicted many       
misfortunes for the ,aretines4 ,in the  
church of ,s4 ,agostino1 ,jacopo did    
some stories of ,st ,laurence in fresco 
in the chapel and at the altar of the   
,nardi with marvellous style and skill4 
,since he also practised architecture1  
he was employed by the sixty chief      
citizens mentioned above to bring under 
the walls of ,arezzo the water which    
comes from the slopes of ,pori1 #cjj    
braccia from the city4 ,in the time of  
the ,romans this water had been         
originally brought to the theatre1      
traces of which still exist1 and thence 
from its situation on the hill where the
 fortress now is1 to the amphitheatre of
 the city in the plain1 the buildings   
and conduits of this being afterwards   
entirely destroyed by the ,goths4 ,thus 
after ,jacopo had1 as ,i  have said1    
brought the water under the wall1 he    
made the fountain1 then known as the    
,fonte ,guizianelli1 but is  now called 

by corruption ,fonte ,viniziana4 ,it    
remained standing from #aced until      
#aebg1 but no longer1 because the plague
 of the following year1 and the war     
which followed1 deprived it of many of  
its advantages for the use of the       
gardens1 particularly as ,jacopo did not
 bring it inside1 and for these reasons 
it is not standing to-day1 as it should 
be4  ,whilst ,jacopo was engaged in     
bringing water to the city he did not   
abandon his painting1 and in the palace 
which was in the old citadel1 destroyed 
in our day1 he did many scenes of the   
deeds of the ,bishop ,guide and of      
,piero ,sacconi1 who had done great and 
notable things for the city both in     
peace and war4 ,he also did the story of
 ,st ,matthew under the organ in the    
,pieve1 and a considerable number of    
other works4 ,by these paintings1 which 
he did in every part of the city1 he    
taught ,spinello of ,arezzo the first   
principles of that art which he himself 
had learned from ,agnolo1 and which     

,spinello afterwards taught to ,bernardo
 ,daddi1 who worked in the city and     
adorned it with many fine paintings1    
which1 united to his other excellent    
qualities1 brought him much honour among
 his fellow-citizens1 who employed him a
 great deal in magistracies and other   
public affairs4 ,the paintings of       
,bernardo were numerous and highly      
valued1 first in ,st ,croce1 the chapel 
of ,st ,laurence and those of ,st       
,stephen of the ,pulci and ,berardi1 and
 many other paintings in various other  
parts of that church4 ,at length1 after 
he had painted some pictures on the     
inside of the gates of the city of      
,florence1 he died1 full of years1 and  
was buried honourably in ,s4 ,felicita  
in the year #achj4  ,to return to       
,jacopo4 ,in the year #acej was founded 
the company and brotherhood of the      
,painters4 ,for the masters who then    
flourished1 both those who practised the
 old ,byzantine style and those who     
followed the new school of ,cimabue1    

seeing that they were numerous1 and that
 the art of design had been revived in  
,tuscany and in their own ,florence1    
created this society under the name and 
protection of ,st ,luke the ,evangelist1
 to render praise and thanks to ,god in 
the sanctuary of that saint1 to meet    
together from time to time1 remembering 
the welfare of their souls as well as of
 the bodies of those who might be in    
need of assistance at various times4    
,this is still the practice of many of  
the ,arts in ,florence1 but it was much 
more common in former times4 ,their     
first sanctuary was the principal chapel
 of the hospital of ,s4 ,maria ,nuova1  
which was granted them by the family of 
the ,portinari4 ,the first governors of 
the company were six in number1 with the
 title of captains1 and in addition     
there were two councillors and two      
chamberlains4 ,this may be seen in the  
old book of the company begun then1 the 
first chapter of which opens thus3      
,these articles and regulations were    

agreed upon and drawn up by the good and
 discreet men of the art of the         
,painters of ,florence1 and in the time 
of ,lapo ,gucci1 painter2 ,vanni        
,cinuzzi1 painter2 ,corsino ,buonaiuti1 
painter2 ,pasquino ,cenni1 painter2     
,segnia d',antignano1 painter4 ,the     
councillors were ,bernardo ,daddi and   
,jacopo di ,casentino1 painters4        
,consiglio ,gherardi and ,domenico      
,pucci1 painters1 the chamberlains4     
,the company being thus formed by the   
consent of the captains and others1     
,jacopo di ,casentino painted the       
picture of their chapel1 representing   
,st ,luke drawing a picture of ,our     
,lady1 and in the predella1 all the men 
of the company kneeling on one side and 
all the women on the other4 ,from this  
beginning1 whether they meet or no1 the 
company has existed continuously from   
this time and has recently been         
remodelled1 as is related in the new    
articles of the company approved by the 
,most ,illustrious ,lord1 ,duke ,cosimo1

 the very benignant protector of these  
arts of design4  ,at length ,jacopo1    
overwhelmed with years and toil1        
returned to ,casentino and died there at
 ,prato ,vecchio1 at the age of eighty4 
,he was buried by his relations and     
friends in ,s4 ,agnolo1 an abbey of the 
,camaldoline order1 outside ,prato      
,vecchio4 ,spinello introduced his      
portrait into a picture of the ,magi in 
the old ,duomo1 and his style of        
draughtsmanship may be seen in our book4
     ,spinello1 ,painter of ,arezzo4    
,upon one of the occasions when the     
,ghibellines were driven from ,florence 
and when they settled at ,arezzo1 ,luca 
,spinelli had a son born to him there1  
to whom he gave the name of ,spinello4  
,this boy had so much natural           
inclination to be a painter1 that almost
 without a master and while still quite 
a child he knew more than many who have 
practised under the best teachers1 and  
what is more1 he contracted a friendship
 with ,jacopo di ,casentino while the   

latter was working at ,arezzo1 and      
learned something from him1 so much so  
indeed that before he was twenty years  
of age he was a far better master1 young
 as he was1 than ,jacopo1 who was       
already an old man4 ,spinello's early   
reputation as a good painter induced ,m4
 ,dardano ,acciaiuoli to employ him to  
decorate the church of ,s4 ,niccolo at  
the pope's halls1 which he had just     
erected1 behind ,s4 ,maria ,novella in  
the ,via dei ,scala1 and there buried a 
brother who was a bishop4 ,here         
,spinello painted scenes from the life  
of ,st ,nicholas1 bishop of ,bari1 in   
fresco1 completing the work in #accd    
after two years of unremitting labour4  
,in it he exhibited equal excellence as 
a colourist and as a designer1 so that  
the colours remained in excellent       
preservation up to our own day1 and the 
excellence of the figures was well      
expressed1 until a few years ago when   
they were in great part damaged by a    
fire which unfortunately broke out in   

the church at a time when it happened to
 be full of straw1 brought there by some
 indiscreet persons who made use of the 
building as a barn for the storage of   
straw4 ,the fame of the work induced ,m4
 ,barone ,capelli1 citizen of ,florence1
 to employ ,spinello to paint in the    
principal chapel of ,s4 ,maria          
,maggiore1 a number of stories of the   
,madonna in fresco1 and some of ,st     
,anthony the abbot1 and near them the   
consecration of that very ancient church
 by ,pope ,paschal ,,ii4 ,spinello did  
all this so well that it looks as if it 
had all been the work of a single day   
and not of many months1 as was actually 
the case4 ,near the pope is the portrait
 of ,m4 ,barone from life1 in the dress 
of the time1 excellently done and with  
good judgment4 ,on the completion of    
this1 ,spinello worked in the church of 
the ,carmine in fresco1 doing the chapel
 of ,st ,james and ,st ,john1 apostles1 
where1 among other things1 he has given 
a very careful representation of the    

request made of ,christ by the wife of  
,zebedee and mother of ,james1 that her 
sons should sit the one on the right and
 the other on the left of the ,father in
 the kingdom of ,heaven4 ,a little      
further over one sees ,zebedee1 ,james  
and ,john leaving their nets and        
following ,christ1 done with wonderful  
vigour and style4 ,in another chapel of 
the same church1 beside the principal   
one1 ,spinello also did in fresco some  
stories of the ,madonna and the         
,apostles1 their miraculous appearance  
to her before her death1 her death and  
her being carried to ,heaven by angels4 
,as the scene was on a large scale1 and 
the chapel being a very small one of not
 more than ten braccia in length and    
five in height1 would not take it all1  
especially in the case of the           
,assumption of ,our ,lady1 ,spinello    
very judiciously continued the scene to 
the vaulting on one of the sides at the 
place where ,christ and the angels are  
receiving her4 ,in a chapel of ,s4      

,trinita1 ,spinello made a very fine    
,annunciation and for the high altar    
picture of the church of ,s4 ,apostolo  
he painted in tempera the ,descent of   
the ,holy ,spirit upon the ,apostles in 
tongues of fire4 ,in ,s4 ,lucia de'     
,bardi he also painted a panel and did a
 larger one for the chapel of ,st ,john 
the ,baptist1 decorated by ,giotto4     
,after these things1 and on account of  
the great reputation which his labours  
in ,florence had procured for him1      
,spinello was recalled to ,arezzo by the
 sixty citizens who governed it1 and was
 commissioned by the ,commune to paint  
the story of the ,magi in the old ,duomo
 outside the city1 and in the chapel of 
,st ,gismondo1 a ,st ,donate1 who by    
means of a benediction causes a serpent 
to burst4 ,similarly he made some       
various figures on many pilasters of    
that ,duomo1 and on a wall he did a     
,magdalene in the house of ,simon       
anointing ,christ's feet1 with other    
paintings which there is no need to     

mention1 since that church is now       
entirely destroyed1 though it was then  
full of tombs1 the bones of saints and  
other notable things4 ,but in order that
 the memory of it may at least remain1  
,i will remark that it was built by the 
,aretines more than thirteen hundred    
years ago1 at the time when they were   
first converted to the faith of ,jesus  
,christ by ,st ,donato1 who afterwards  
became bishop of the city4 ,it was      
dedicated to him1 and richly adorned    
both within and without with very       
ancient spoils of antiquity4 ,the ground
 plan of the church1 which is discussed 
at length elsewhere1 was divided on the 
outside into sixteen faces1 and on the  
inside into eight1 and all were full of 
the spoils of those times which had     
originally been dedicated to idols2 in  
short1 it was1 at the time of its       
destruction1 as beautiful as such a very
 ancient church could possibly be4      
,after the numerous paintings which he  
had done in the ,duomo1 ,spinello       

painted for the chapel of the ,marsupini
 in ,s4 ,francesco1 ,pope ,honorius     
confirming and approving the rule of    
that saint1 the pope being a portrait of
 ,innocent ,,iv41 he having by some     
means obtained the likeness4 ,in the    
chapel of ,st ,michael1 the ,archangel1 
in the same church in which the bells   
are rung1 he painted many scenes        
relating to him2 and rather lower down1 
in the chapel of ,m4 ,giuliano ,baccio1 
he did an ,annunciation1 with other     
figures1 which are much admired4 ,the   
whole of the works in this church were  
done in fresco with great boldness and  
skill between the years #accd and #acch4
 ,in the ,pieve of the same city he     
afterwards painted the chapel of ,st    
,peter and ,st ,paul1 and below it that 
of ,st ,michael the ,archangel2 for the 
fraternity of ,s4 ,maria della          
,misericordia he did the chapel of ,st  
,james and ,st ,philip2 and over the    
principal door of the fraternity which  
is on the piazza1 that is to say1 in the

 tympanum1 he painted a ,pieta1 with a  
,st ,john1 at the request of the rectors
 of the fraternity4 ,the foundation of  
the brotherhood took place in this way4 
,a certain number of good and honourable
 citizens began to go about asking alms 
for the poor who were ashamed to beg1   
and to succour them in all their        
necessities1 in the year of the plague  
of #acdh4 ,the fraternity acquired a    
great reputation1 acquired by means of  
the efforts of these good men1 in       
helping the poor and infirm1 burying the
 dead1 and performing other kindred acts
 of charity1 so that the bequests1      
donations and inheritances left to them 
became so considerable that they        
amounted to one-third of the entire     
wealth of ,arezzo4 ,the same happened in
 #achc1 which was also a year of severe 
plague4 ,spinello then being of the     
company1 often undertook to visit the   
infirm1 bury the dead1 and perform other
 like pious duties which the best       
citizens have always undertaken and     

still do in that city4 ,in order to     
leave a memorial of this in his         
paintings1 he painted for the company on
 the wall of the church of ,s4          
,laurentino and ,pergentino1 a ,madonna 
with her mantle open in front1 and      
beneath her the people of ,arezzo1      
comprising portraits of many of the     
earliest members of the fraternity1     
drawn from life1 with wallets round     
their necks and a wooden hammer in their
 hands1 like those with which they      
knocked at the doors to ask alms4       
,similarly1 in the company of the       
,annunciation he painted the large      
tabernacle which is outside the church1 
and part of a portico which is opposite 
it1 and the picture of the company1     
which is an ,annunciation1 in tempera4  
,the picture which is now in the church 
of the nuns of ,s4 ,giusto1 where a     
little ,christ1 who is at ,his mother's 
neck1 is espousing ,st ,catherine1 with 
six small scenes in little figures of   
the acts of that saint1 is also a work  

of ,spinello and much admired4 ,being   
afterwards invited to the famous abbey  
of ,camaldoli in ,casentino in the year 
#acfa1 he painted for the hermits of    
that place the picture of the high      
altar1 which was taken away in the year 
#aeci1 when the entire church was       
rebuilt and ,giorgio ,vasari did a new  
picture1 painting the principal chapel  
of the abbey all in fresco1 the transept
 of the church in fresco and two        
pictures4 ,summoned thence to ,florence 
by ,d4 ,jacopo d',arezzo1 ,abbot of ,s4 
,miniato in ,monte of the order of      
,monte ,oliveto1 ,spinello painted the  
vaulting and four walls of the sacristy 
of that monastery1 besides the picture  
of the altar1 all in tempera1 with many 
stories of the life of ,st ,benedict1   
executed with much skill and a great    
vivacity in the colouring1 learned by   
him by means of long practice and       
continual labour1 with study and        
diligence1 such as are necessary to     
every one who wishes to acquire an art  

perfectly4 ,after these things the said 
abbot left ,florence and received the   
direction of the monastery of ,s4       
,bernardo of the same order1 in his     
native land1 at the very time when it   
was almost entirely completed on the    
land granted by the ,aretines1 on the   
site of the ,colosseum4 ,here the abbot 
induced ,spinello to paint in fresco two
 chapels which are beside the principal 
chapel1 and two others1 one on either   
side of the door leading to the choir in
 the screen of the church4 ,in one of   
the two1 next the principal chapel1 is  
an ,annunciation in fresco1 made with   
the greatest diligence1 and on a wall   
beside it1 is the ,madonna ascending the
 steps of the ,temple1 accompanied by   
,joachim and ,anna2 in the other chapel 
is a ,crucifix with the ,madonna and ,st
 ,john weeping1 and a ,st ,bernard      
adoring on his knees4 ,on the inner wall
 of the church where the altar of ,our  
,lady stands1 he painted the ,virgin    
with the child at her neck1 which was   

considered a very beautiful figure1 and 
did many other things for the church1   
painting above the choir ,our ,lady1 ,st
 ,mary ,magdalene and ,st ,bernard1 very
 vivaciously4 ,in the ,pieve of ,arezzo 
in the ,chapel of ,st ,bartholomew1 he  
did a number of scenes from the life of 
that saint1 and on the opposite side of 
the church1 in the chapel of ,st        
,matthew1 under the organ1 which was    
painted by his master ,jacopo di        
,casentino1 besides many stories of that
 saint1 which are meritorious1 he did   
the four ,evangelists in some           
medallions1 in an original style1 for   
above the bust and human limbs he gave  
,st ,john the head of an eagle1 ,st     
,mark the head of a lion1 ,st ,luke that
 of an ox1 while only ,st ,matthew has a
 human face1 that is to say an angel's4 
,outside ,arezzo1 he decorated the      
church of ,s4 ,stefano1 built by the    
,aretines upon many columns of granite  
and marble1 to honour and preserve the  
names of several martyrs who were put to

 death by ,julian the ,apostate4 ,here  
he did a number of figures and scenes   
with great diligence and such a style of
 colouring that they were in a          
wonderfully fresh state of preservation 
when they were destroyed not many years 
ago4 ,but the really remarkable piece of
 work in that place1 besides the stories
 of ,st ,stephen1 in figures larger than
 life size1 is the sight of ,joseph1 in 
the story of the ,magi1 beside himself  
with joy at the coming of those kings1  
and keenly watching the kings as they   
are opening the vessels of their        
treasures and are offering them to him4 
,in the same church is a ,madonna       
offering a rose to the ,christ child1   
which was and is considered a most      
beautiful figure1 and so highly         
reverenced by the ,aretines that when   
the church of ,s4 ,stefano was pulled   
down1 without sparing either pains or   
expense1 they cut it out of the wall1   
ingeniously removed it and carried it   
into the city1 depositing it in a small 

church in order to honour it1 as they   
do1 with the same devotion which they   
bestowed upon it at first4 ,there is no 
wonder that the work inspired such      
reverence1 for it is a natural          
characteristic of ,spinello to endow his
 figures with a certain simple grace1   
partaking of modesty and holiness1 so   
that his saints and particularly his    
,virgins breathe an indefinable sanctity
 and divinity which inspire men with    
devotion4 ,this may be seen also in a   
,madonna which is on the side of the    
,albergetti1 in one on an outside wall  
of the ,pieve in ,seteria1 and in       
another of the same kind on the side of 
the canal4 ,by ,spinello's hand also is 
the descent of the ,holy ,spirit on the 
,apostles1 on the wall of the hospital  
of ,s4 ,spirito1 which is very fine1 as 
are the two scenes below representing   
,st ,cosmo and ,st ,damian cutting a    
healthy leg off a dead ,moor to attach  
it to a man whose broken limb they have 
removed4 ,in like manner the ,noli me   

tangere between these two works is very 
beautiful4 ,in a chapel of the company  
of the ,puracciuoli on the piazza of ,st
 ,agostino he did a very finely coloured
 ,annunciation1 and in the cloister of  
that convent he painted a ,madonna in   
fresco with ,st ,james and ,st ,anthony 
and the portrait of an armed soldier    
kneeling there1 with these words3 ,hoc  
opus fecit fieri ,clemens ,pucci de     
,monte ,catino1 cujus corpus jacet hic1 
etc4 ,anno ,domini #acfg die #ae mensis 
,maii4 ,the representations in the      
chapel of that church1 of ,st ,anthony  
and other saints are known by their     
style to be by ,spinello's hand1 and he 
afterwards painted the whole of a       
portico in the hospital of ,s4 ,marco1  
now the monastery of the nuns of ,st    
,croce as their original house1 which   
was outside1 was pulled down4 ,the      
figure of ,st ,gregory the ,pope1 among 
the many represented in this work1      
standing beside a ,misericordia1 is a   
portrait of ,pope ,gregory ,,ix4 ,the   

chapel of ,st ,philip and ,st ,james at 
the entry into the church of ,s4        
,domenico in the same city1 was done in 
fresco by ,spinello in a fine and       
vigorous style1 as was also a           
three-quarter length figure of ,st      
,anthony1 painted on the wall of the    
church1 which is so fine that it apes   
life4 ,it is placed in the midst of four
 scenes from his life1 and these and    
many other scenes of the life of ,st    
,anthony1 also by ,spinello's hand1 are 
in the chapel of ,st ,anthony1 in the   
church of ,s4 ,giustino4 ,on one side of
 the church of ,s4 ,lorenzo he painted  
some stories of the ,madonna1 and       
outside the church he painted her       
seated1 doing the work very gracefully  
in fresco4 ,in a small hospital opposite
 of the nuns of ,s4 ,spirito1 near the  
gate on the road to ,rome1 the whole of 
the portico is painted by his hand with 
a representation of the dead ,christ in 
the lap of the ,maries1 executed with so
 much skill and judgment that it proves 

him to have equalled ,giotto in the     
matter of design and to have far        
surpassed him as a colourist4 ,in the   
same place he has represented ,christ   
seated1 with a very ingenious           
theological signification1 having placed
 the ,trinity inside a ,sun so that the 
same rays and the same glory issue from 
each of the three figures4 ,but the same
 fate has befallen this work as has     
happened to many others1 to the infinite
 loss of the lovers of this art1 for it 
was thrown down to make way for the     
fortifications of the city4 ,at the     
company of the ,trinity may be seen a   
tabernacle outside the church1 by       
,spinello very finely worked in fresco1 
comprising the ,trinity1 ,st ,peter and 
,,ss4 ,cosmo and ,damian dressed in the 
robes habitually worn by the physicians 
of the time4 ,during the production of  
these works ,d4 ,jacopo d',arezzo was   
appointed general of the congregation of
 ,monte ,oliveto1 nineteen years after  
he had employed ,spinello to do a number

 of things at ,florence and at ,arezzo1 
as has been said above4 ,being stationed
 according to the custom of the order1  
at ,monte ,oliveto the greater1 of      
,chiusuri in the ,siena district1 as    
being the principal house of that body1 
he conceived a longing to have a        
beautiful picture made in that place4   
,accordingly he sent for ,spinello1     
remembering how well he had been served 
upon other occasions1 and induced him to
 do the picture for the principal       
chapel4 ,here ,spinello produced a large
 number of figures in tempera1 both     
small and great1 on a gold ground1 with 
great judgment1 and afterwards caused it
 to be framed in an ornament in         
half-relief by ,simone ,cini of         
,florence1 while in some parts he put an
 additional ornament with stucco of a   
rather firm glue1 which proved very     
successful4 ,it was gilded all over by  
,gabriello ,saracini1 who wrote at the  
bottom the three names3 ,simone ,cini of
 ,florence did the carving1 ,gabriello  

,saracini the gilding1 and ,spinello di 
,luca of ,arezzo the painting1 in the   
year #ache4  ,on the completion of this 
work1 ,spinello returned to ,arezzo     
having received numerous favours from   
the general and other monks1 besides his
 payment4 ,but he did not remain long   
there for the city was in disorder owing
 to the feuds of the ,guelph and        
,ghibelline parties and was just then   
sacked4 ,he removed with his family and 
his son ,parri1 who was learning        
painting1 to ,florence1 where he had a  
goodly number of friends and relations4 
,in that city1 in order to pass the     
time1 he painted an ,annunciation in a  
tabernacle outside the gate at ,s4      
,piero ,gattolini on the ,roman road1   
where the way branches to ,pozzolatico1 
a work which is now half destroyed1 and 
other pictures in another tabernacle1   
where the ruin of ,galluzzo is4 ,being  
afterwards invited to ,pisa to finish in
 the ,campo ,santo beneath the life of  
,st ,ranieri the remainder of other     

subjects in a blank space1 in order to  
unite them to the scenes painted by     
,giotto1 ,simone of ,siena1 and ,antonio
 of ,venice1 he there executed in fresco
 six stories of ,st ,petitus and ,st    
,epirus4 ,the first represents the saint
 as a young man1 presented by his mother
 to the ,emperor ,diocletian1 and       
appointed general of the armies which   
were to march against the ,christians4  
,as he is riding with his troop ,christ 
appears to him1 and showing him a white 
cross commands the youth not to         
persecute ,him4 ,another scene          
represents the angel of the ,lord giving
 to the saint1 while he is riding1 the  
banner of the ,faith1 with a white cross
 on a red field1 which has ever         
afterwards constituted the arms of the  
,pisans1 because ,st ,epirus had        
besought ,god to give him a sign to wear
 against the enemy4 ,next to this is    
another scene of a fierce battle engaged
 between the saint and the ,pagans1 many
 armed angels fighting for the victory  

of the former4 ,here ,spinello produced 
many things worthy of consideration in  
that day when art had not yet the       
ability nor any good method of          
expressing the ideas of the mind in     
colour in a lively manner4 ,among many  
other things in this composition are two
 soldiers1 who have seized each other by
 the beard1 and are endeavouring to kill
 each other with the naked rapiers which
 they hold in their disengaged hands2   
their faces and all the movement of     
their limbs show the desire of victory1 
their proud spirits being without fear  
and of the highest courage4 ,also among 
those who are fighting on horseback     
there is a finely executed knight who is
 fastening the head of an enemy to earth
 with his lance1 the other having fallen
 backward from his terrified horse4     
,another scene shows the saint presented
 to the ,emperor ,diocletian1 who is    
questioning him about the faith1 and who
 afterwards consigns him to the torture1
 putting him in a furnace in which he   

remains uninjured1 whilst the servants  
who are very ready on every side are    
burned in his stead4 ,in short1 all the 
acts of the saint are shown1 to his     
beheading1 after which his soul is      
carried to ,heaven4 ,the last scene     
shows the transportation of the bones   
and relics of ,st ,petitus from         
,alexandria to ,pisa4 ,the whole work in
 its colouring and conception is the    
finest1 most finished1 and best executed
 of ,spinello's paintings1 and this is  
shown by its present excellent state of 
preservation1 for its fresh appearance  
excites the wonder of everyone who sees 
it4 ,when this work in the ,campo ,santo
 was completed1 ,spinello painted in the
 church of ,s4 ,francesco1 in the second
 chapel from the high altar1 many       
stories of ,st ,bartholomew1 ,st        
,andrew1 ,st ,james1 and ,st ,john the  
apostles1 and he might perhaps have     
remained longer at work in ,pisa1       
because his paintings were admired and  
rewarded there1 but seeing the city     

thrown into an uproar and turned upside 
down through the murder of ,m4 ,pietro  
,gambacorti by the ,lanfranchini1 who   
were ,pisan citizens1 he once more      
removed to ,florence with all his       
family1 for he was by this time an old  
man4 ,he remained there for one year    
only1 and in the chapel of the          
,macchiavelli in ,s4 ,croce1 dedicated  
to ,,ss4 ,philip and ,james1 he did many
 stories of the life and death of those 
saints4 ,the picture of the chapel he   
did at ,arezzo1 and sent it on from     
there in the year #adjj1 for he was     
anxious to return to his native place1  
or1 to speak more correctly1 to the     
place which he looked upon as such4     
,having thus returned thither at the age
 of seventy-seven or more1 he was       
lovingly received  by his relations and 
friends1 and remained there1 much loved 
and honoured1 until the end of his life1
 which was in the ninety-second year of 
his age4 ,although at the time of his   
return to ,arezzo he was quite an old   

man1 and had enough property to enable  
him to live without working1 yet he     
could not remain idle1 since he had     
always been accustomed to work1 and     
undertook to do some stories of ,st     
,michael for the company of ,s4 ,agnolo 
in that city4 ,these are roughly drawn  
in red on the plastered wall1 as was the
 most ordinary method of the old        
artists1 and as an example he did a     
single scene in one corner1 colouring it
 entirely1 which gave considerable      
satisfaction4 ,having afterwards agreed 
upon the price with the wardens1 he     
completed the entire front of the high  
altar1 representing ,lucifer            
establishing his seat in the north1 and 
the fall of the angels who change into  
devils as they rain upon the earth4 ,in 
the air is ,st ,michael fighting with   
the serpent of seven heads and ten      
horns1 and in the middle of the lower   
part is ,lucifer already changed into a 
hideous monster4 ,it gave ,spinello so  
much satisfaction to make him horrible  

and distorted that it is said 7so great 
is the power of imagination7 that the   
figure in the picture appeared to him in
 a dream1 and demanded when the artist  
had seen him so ugly1 asking why he did 
him so great an indignity with his      
brush4 ,spinello awoke from his dream   
speechless from fear1 and shook so      
violently that his wife hastened to     
assist him4 ,yet he ran considerable    
risk of dying suddenly1 through the     
failure of the heart1 owing to this     
misfortune1 and it caused his death a   
short while afterwards1 until when he   
lived in an utterly dispirited manner   
with wide open eyes4 ,he died greatly   
lamented by his friends1 and left the   
world two sons--one called ,forzore was 
a goldsmith1 who did some admirable work
 in niello in ,florence2 the  other1    
,parri1 who followed his father and     
pursued the art of painting1 far        
surpassing ,spinello in design4 ,the    
,aretines were much grieved at this sad 
chance1 although ,spinello was old1 at  

being deprived of ability and excellence
 such as his4 ,he died at the age of    
ninety-two1 and was buried in ,s4       
,agostino at ,arezzo1 where there is a  
stone with a coat of arms made after a  
fancy of his own1 containing a hedgehog4
 ,spinello was far better able to design
 than to put his thoughts into practice1
 as our book of designs shows1 which    
contains two ,evangelists and a ,st     
,louis by his hand1 all very fine4 ,his 
portrait given above was taken by me    
from one which was in the old ,duomo    
before it was pulled down4 ,his         
paintings were executed between the     
years #achj and #adjj4     ,gherardo    
,stamina1 ,painter of ,florence4        
,certainly those who travel far from    
home to dwell in other parts very       
frequently do so to the advantage of    
their temperament1 for by seeing divers 
customs abroad1 even if they be of      
rather an extraordinary nature1 they    
learn to be reasonable1 kind and patient
 with considerably greater ease than    

they would have done had they remained  
at home4 ,indeed those who desire to    
refine men in their worldly conversation
 need no other fire and no better cement
 than this1 because those who are       
naturally rough become gentle1 and the  
gentle become even more gracious4       
,gherardo di ,jacopo ,stamina1 painter  
of ,florence1 though rather hasty than  
good-natured1 being very hard and rough 
in his dealings1 did more harm by this  
to himself than to his friends1 and it  
would have been even worse for him had  
he not remained a long time in ,spain1  
where he learned to be gentle and       
courteous1 for he there became so       
changed from his former nature that when
 he returned to ,florence a very large  
number of those who had mortally hated  
him before his departure1 received him  
with very great friendliness and        
continued to cherish a great affection  
for him1 so gentle and courteous had he 
become4 ,gherardo was born in ,florence 
in the year #aced1 and as he grew up and

 was naturally bent to the art of       
designing1 he was put with ,antonio da  
,vinezia to learn to design and to      
paint4 ,in the space of many years he   
not only learned the art and practice of
 colours1 but had shown his ability by  
some things produced in a good style2   
accordingly he left ,antonio and began  
to work on his own account4 ,in the     
chapel of the ,castellani at ,s4 ,croce1
 which was given to him to paint by     
,michaele di ,vanno1 an honoured citizen
 of that family1 he did in fresco many  
stories of ,st ,anthony the abbot and of
 ,st ,nicholas the bishop1 in such a    
good style that they attracted the      
attention of certain ,spaniards then    
staying in ,florence on business1 and   
ultimately led to his being invited to  
,spain to their king1 who saw and       
received him very gladly1 there being at
 that time a great lack of good painters
 in that country4 ,nor was it a         
difficult matter to induce ,gherardo to 
leave his country1 for as he had had    

hard words with some men after the      
affair of the ,ciompi and the           
appointment of ,michele di ,lando as    
gonfaloniere1 he was in considerable    
danger of his life4 ,accordingly he went
 to ,spain and did many things for the  
king there1 and became rich and honoured
 by the great rewards which he earned   
for his labours4 ,at length becoming    
desirous of showing himself to his      
friends in his improved estate1 he      
returned home and was warmly welcomed   
and received in a very friendly manner  
by all his fellow-citizens4 ,it was not 
long before he was employed to paint the
 chapel of ,st ,jerome in the ,carmine1 
where he did many stories of that saint1
 and in the story of ,paul1 ,eustace and
 ,jerome he represented some of the     
,spanish habits of the day with very    
happy invention and an abundance of     
fashions and ideas in the attitudes of  
the figures4 ,among other things1 in a  
scene where ,st ,jerome is receiving his
 earliest instruction1 he represented a 

master who has caused one boy to mount  
upon the back of another and strikes him
 with the whip in such a manner that the
 poor child is twisting his legs with   
pain and appears to be crying out and   
trying to bite the ear of the boy who is
 holding him4 ,the whole is executed    
with much grace and lightness1 and      
,gherardo appears to have delighted in  
these touches of nature4 ,in like       
manner1 when ,st ,jerome1 being at the  
point of death1 is making his will1 he  
has hit off some friars in a delightful 
and realistic manner1 for some are      
writing1 others listening attentively   
and looking about1 observing all the    
words of their master with great        
earnestness4 ,this work won ,stamina    
much fame and a high rank among artists1
 and his courteous and mild manners gave
 him a great reputation1 so that his    
name was famous throughout ,tuscany and 
indeed in all ,italy4 ,being at this    
time invited to ,pisa to paint the      
chapter-house of ,s4 ,niccola in that   

city1 he sent in his place ,antonio     
,vite of ,pistoia1 because he did not   
wish to leave ,florence4 ,antonio1 who  
had learned ,stamina's style under him1 
did the ,passion of ,jesus ,christ      
there1 completing it in its present form
 in the year #adjc1 to the great delight
 of the ,pisans4 ,afterwards1 it is     
said1 he finished the chapel of the     
,pugliesi2 and as the works which he did
 there at ,s4 ,girolamo greatly pleased 
the ,florentines1 because he had        
expressed in a lively manner many       
gestures and attitudes which had not    
been attempted by any painters before   
his time1 the ,commune of ,florence in  
the year that ,gabriel ,maria1 lord of  
,pisa1 sold that city to the            
,florentines for  #bjj1jjj scudi 7after 
,giovanni ,gambacorta had stood a siege 
of thirteen months1 although even he at 
length agreed to the sale71 employed    
,stamina to paint on a wall of the      
,palazzo di parte ,guelfa1 ,st ,denis   
the bishop1 with two angels1 and below  

it an accurate representation of the    
city of ,pisa4 ,in the execution of this
 he displayed such diligence in every   
detail1 especially in the colouring in  
fresco1 that notwithstanding the action 
of air and water and a northern aspect1 
the picture has always remained in      
excellent condition1 and even now it has
 all the appearance of having been newly
 painted1 an achievement worthy of high 
praise4 ,gherardo having by this and    
other works acquired a great reputation 
and much renown both at home and abroad1
 death1 the envious enemy of virtuous   
deeds1 cut off at the height of his     
powers the great promise of much better 
things than the world had yet seen from 
him2 and having come to his end         
unexpectedly in the forty-ninth year of 
his age1 he was buried with much pomp in
 the church of ,s4 ,jacopo sopra ,arno4 
,the pupils of ,gherardo were ,masolino 
da ,panicale1 who was at first an       
excellent goldsmith and then a painter1 
and some others whom it is not necessary

 to mention1 as they did not possess any
 remarkable talent4  ,the portrait of   
,gherardo occurs in the story of ,st    
,jerome1 mentioned above2 he is one of  
the figures who are standing about the  
dying saint1 represented in profile with
 a hood about his head and a mantle     
buttoned about him4 ,in our book are    
some designs of ,gherardo done with the 
pen on parchment1 which are of          
considerable excellence4     ,lippo1    
,painter of ,florence4   ,invention has 
been1 and always will be considered the 
true mother of architecture1 painting   
and poetry1 as well as of all the       
superior arts and of all the marvels    
produced by man4 ,by its aid artists    
develop their ideas1 caprices and       
fancies1 and are able to display more   
variety1 for all those who work at these
 honourable professions always seek     
after a laudable diversity1 and possess 
the power of delicate flattery and of   
tactful criticism4 ,lippo1 then1 painter
 of ,florence1 who was as varied and    

choice in his inventions as his works   
were really unfortunate and his life    
short1 was born at ,florence about the  
year of grace #aced2 and although he    
took up the art of painting somewhat    
late1 when he was already a man1 yet he 
was so far assisted by natural          
inclination and by his fine talents that
 he soon distinguished himself          
brilliantly4 ,he first painted in       
,florence and in ,s4 ,benedetto1 a large
 and fine monastery outside the gate of 
the ,pinti belonging to the ,camaldoline
 order1 now destroyed2 he did a number a
 figures which were considered very     
beautiful1 particularly the whole of a  
chapel1 which affords an example of how 
close study quickly leads to great      
performances in anyone who honestly     
takes pains with the desire for fame4   
,being invited to ,arezzo from          
,florence1 he did for the chapel of the 
,magi in the church of ,s4 ,antonio a   
large scene in fresco in which they are 
adoring ,christ2 and in the ,vescovado  

he did the chapel of ,st ,james and ,st 
,christopher for the family of the      
,ubertini4 ,all these things were very  
fine1 for the invention displayed in the
 composition of scenes and in the       
colouring4 ,he was the first who began1 
as it were1 to play with his figures1   
and to awaken the minds of those who    
came after him1 a thing which had never 
been done before1 only attempted4 ,after
 he had done many things in ,bologna and
 a meritorious picture at ,pistoia1 he  
returned to ,florence1 where he painted 
the chapel of the ,beccuti in ,s4 ,maria
 ,maggiore in the year #achc with scenes
 from the life of ,st ,john the         
evangelist4 ,following on from this     
chapel1 which is beside the principal   
one1 on the left hand1 six scenes from  
the life of this saint are represented  
along the wall1 by the same hand4 ,their
 composition is excellent and they are  
well arranged1 one scene in particular  
being very vivid1 namely1 that in which 
,st ,john causes ,st ,dionisius the     

,areopagite to put his vest on some dead
 men1 who come to life again in the name
 of ,jesus ,christ1 to the great        
wonderment of some who are present who  
can hardly believe their own eyes4 ,the 
foreshortening of some of the dead      
figures shows great art and proves that 
,lippo was conscious of some of the     
difficulties of his profession and      
endeavoured to some extent to overcome  
them4 ,it was ,lippo also who painted   
the wings of the tabernacle of the      
church of ,s4 ,giovanni1 where are      
,andrea's angels and his ,st ,john1 in  
relief1 doing some stories of ,st ,john 
the ,baptist in tempera1 with great     
diligence4 ,being very fond of working  
in mosaic1 he did some in that church   
over the door leading towards the       
,misericordia1 between the windows1     
which was considered very beautiful and 
the best work in mosaic produced in that
 place with them4 ,in the same church he
 further repaired some mosaics which had
 been damaged4 ,outside ,florence1 in   

,s4 ,giovanni fra l',arcora1 without the
 gate leading to ,faenza1 he painted a  
number of figures in fresco beside      
,buffalmacco's ,crucifixion1 which was  
considered very beautiful by all who saw
 them4 ,in certain small hospitals near 
the ,fnza gate and in ,s4 ,antonio      
inside that gate near the hospital1 he  
did some poor men1 in fresco1 in some   
varied styles and attitudes1 very       
beautifully executed1 and in the        
cloister within he made1 with beautiful 
and new invention1 the vision of ,st    
,anthony of the deceits of the world1   
and next to that the desires and        
appetites of men1 who are drawn hither  
and thither to divers things of this    
world1 the whole of the work being      
executed with much consideration and    
judgment4 ,lippo also did mosaic work in
 many places of ,italy1 and in the      
,guelph quarter at ,florence he made a  
figure with a glass head1 while ,pisa   
contains a number of his productions4   
,yet in spite of all this he must be    

considered a really unfortunate man1    
since at the present time the greater   
part of his works have disappeared1     
having been destroyed in the siege of   
,florence1 and also because his career  
was terminated in a very tragic manner2 
for being a quarrelsome man and liking  
turmoil belter than quiet1 he happened  
one morning to say some very insulting  
words to an opponent at the tribunal of 
the ,mercanzia1 and that evening as he  
was returning home1 he was dogged by    
this man and stabbed in the breast with 
a knife1 so that in a few days he       
perished miserably4 ,his paintings were 
produced about #adaj4 ,there flourished 
at ,bologna in ,lippo's time another    
painter whose name was also ,lippo      
,dalmasi1 who was a worthy man1 and     
among other things he painted a ,madonna
 in the year #adjg1 which may still be  
seen in ,s4 ,petronio at ,bologna and   
which is held in great veneration4 ,he  
also painted in fresco the tympanum     
above the door of ,s4 ,procolo1 and in  

the church of ,s4 ,francesco in the     
tribune of the high altar1 he made a    
large ,christ1 half length1 and a ,st   
,peter and a ,st ,paul1 in a very       
graceful style4 ,under these works may  
be seen his name written in large       
letters4 ,he also designed very fairly1 
as may be seen in our book1 and he      
afterwards taught the art to ,m4        
,galante da ,bologna1 who afterwards    
designed much better than he1 as may be 
seen in the same book in a portrait of a
 figure dressed in a short coat with    
wide open sleeves4     ,don ,lorenzo1   
,monk of the ,angeli of ,florence1      
,painter4   ,i believe that it is a     
great joy to a good and religious person
 to find some honourable employment for 
their hands whether it be letters1      
music1 painting or other liberal and    
mechanical arts which involve no        
reproach but are on the contrary useful 
and helpful to other men1 for after the 
divine offices the time may be passed   
with the pleasure taken in the easy     

labours of peaceful exercises4 ,to these
 advantages we may add that not only is 
such a monk esteemed and valued by      
others during his life-time1 except by  
such as are envious and malignant1 but  
he is honoured by all men after his     
death1 for his works and the good name  
which he has left behind him4 ,indeed   
whoever spends his time in this manner1 
lives in quiet contemplation without any
 danger from those ambitious stirrings  
which are almost always to be seen among
 the idle and slothful1 who are usually 
ignorant1 to their shame and hurt4 ,if  
it should happen that a man of ability  
acting thus is slandered by the         
malicious1 the power of virtue is such  
that time will reestablish his          
reputation and bury the malignity of the
 evil disposed1 while the man of ability
 will remain distinguished and          
illustrious in the centuries which      
succeed4 ,thus ,don ,lorenzo1 painter of
 ,florence1 being a monk of the order of
 the ,camaldolines in the monastery of  

the ,angeli 7founded in #abid by ,fra   
,giuttone of ,arezzo of the order of the
 ,virgin ,mother of ,jesus ,christ1 or  
of the ,rejoicing friars as the monks of
 that order were commonly called71      
devoted so much time in his early years 
to design and to painting1 that he was  
afterwards  deservedly numbered among   
the best men of his age in that         
profession4 ,the first works of this    
painter monk1 who adopted the style of  
,taddeo ,gaddi and his school1 were in  
the monastery of the ,angeli1 where     
besides many of the things he painted   
the high altar picture1 which may still 
be seen in their church4 ,when completed
 it was placed there in the year #adac  
as may be seen by the letters written at
 the bottom of the frame4 ,he also      
painted a picture for the monastery of  
,s4 ,benedetto of the same order of the 
,camaldoli1 outside the ,pinti gate1    
destroyed at the siege of ,florence in  
#aebi4 ,it represented the ,coronation  
of ,our ,lady and resembled the one he  

had previously done for the church of   
the ,angeli4 ,it is now in the first    
cloister of the monastery of the        
,angeli1 on the right hand side in the  
chapel of the ,alberti4 ,at the same    
time1 and possibly before1 he painted in
 fresco the chapel and altar picture of 
the ,ardinghelli in ,s4 ,trinita1       
,florence1 which was then much admired1 
and into this he introduced portraits of
 ,dante and ,petrarch4 ,in ,s4 ,piero   
,maggiore he painted the chapel of the  
,fioravanti and in a chapel of ,s4      
,piero ,scheraggio he did the altar     
picture1 while in the church of ,s4     
,trinita he further painted the chapel  
of the ,bartolini4 ,in ,s4 ,jacopo sopra
 ,arno a picture by his hand may still  
be seen1 executed with infinite         
diligence1 after the manner of the time4
 ,also in the ,certosa outside ,florence
 he painted some things with            
considerable skill1 and in ,s4 ,michele 
at ,pisa1 a monastery of his own order1 
he did some very fair pictures4 ,in     

,florence1 in the church of the ,romiti 
7,hermits71 which also belonged to the  
,camaldolines1 and which is now in ruins
 as well as the monastery1 leaving      
nothing but its name ,camaldoli to that 
part beyond the ,arno1 he did a crucifix
 on a panel1 besides many other things1 
and a ,st ,john1 which were considered  
very beautiful4 ,at last he fell sick of
 a cruel abscess1 and after lingering   
for many months he died at the age of   
fifty-five1 and was honourably buried by
 the monks in the chapter-house of their
 monastery as his virtues demanded4     
,experience shows that in the course of 
time many shoots frequently spring from 
a single germ owing to the diligence and
 ability of men1 and so it was in the   
monastery of the ,angeli1 where the     
monks had always paid considerable      
attention to painting and design4 ,don  
,lorenzo was not the only excellent     
artist among them1 but men distinguished
 in design flourished there for a long  
time both before and after him4 ,thus ,i

 cannot possibly pass over in silence   
one ,don ,jacopo of ,florence1 who      
flourished a long time before ,d4       
,lorenzo1 because as he was the best and
 most methodical of monks1 so he was the
 best writer of large letters who has   
ever existed before or since1 not only  
in ,tuscany but in all ,europe1 as is   
clearly testified not only by the twenty
 large choir books which he left in his 
monastery1 the writing in which is most 
beautiful1 the books themselves being   
perhaps the largest in ,italy1 but an   
endless number of other books which may 
still be found in ,rome and in ,venice  
and many other places1 notably in ,s4   
,michele and ,s4 ,mania at ,murano1 a   
monastery of the ,camaldoline order4 ,by
 these works the good father has richly 
deserved the honours accorded to him    
many years after he had passed to a     
better life1 his celebration in many    
,latin verses by ,d4 ,paolo ,orlandini1 
a very learned monk of the same         
monastery1 as well as the preservation  

of the right hand which wrote the books1
 with great veneration in a tabernacle1 
together with that of another monk1 ,d4 
,silvestro1 who illuminated the same    
books with no less excellence1 when the 
conditions of the time are taken into   
consideration1 than ,d4 ,jacopo had     
written them4 ,i1 who have seen them    
many times1 am lost in astonishment that
 they should have been executed with    
such good design and with so much       
diligence at that time1 when all the    
arts of design were little better than  
lost1 since the works of these monks    
were executed about the year of grace   
#acej1 or a little before or after1 as  
may be seen in each of the said books4  
,it is reported1 and some old men relate
 that when ,pope ,leo ,x4 came to       
,florence he wished to see and closely  
examine these books1 since he remembered
 having heard them highly praised by the
 ,magnificent ,lorenzo de' ,medici1 his 
father2 and that after he had           
attentively looked through them and     

admired them as they were all lying open
 on the choir-desks1 he  said1 ,if they 
were in accordance with the rules of the
 ,roman ,church and not of the          
,camaldolines1 ,i should like some      
specimens for ,s4 ,peter's at ,rome1 for
 which ,i would pay the monks a just    
price4 ,there were1 and perhaps still   
are1 two very fine ones at ,s4 ,peter's 
by the same monks4 ,in the same         
monastery of the ,angeli is a quantity  
of very ancient embroidery1 done in a   
very fine style1 with excellent designs 
by the fathers of the house while they  
were in perpetual seclusion1 with the   
title not of monks but of hermits1 and  
who never came out of the monastery as  
the nuns and monks do in our day4 ,this 
practice of seclusion lasted until      
#adgj4 ,but to return to ,d4 ,lorenzo4  
,he taught ,francesco ,fiorentino1 who1 
after his death1 did the tabernacle     
which is on the side of ,s4 ,maria      
,novella at the head of the via della   
,scala leading to the ,pope's chamber4  

,he also had another pupil1 a ,pisan1   
who painted in the chapel of ,rutilio di
 ,ser ,baccio ,maggiolini1 in the church
 of ,s4 ,francesco at ,pisa1 ,our ,lady1
 a ,st ,peter1 ,st ,john the ,baptist1  
,st ,francis and ,st ,ranieri1 with     
three scenes of small figures in the    
predella of the altar4 ,this painting1  
executed in #acae1 was considered       
meritorious for a work done in tempera4 
,in our book of designs ,i have the     
theological virtues done by ,d4         
,lorenzo's hand in chiaroscuro1 with    
good design and a beautiful and graceful
 style1 so that they are perhaps better 
than the designs of any other master of 
the time4 ,antonio ,vite of ,pistoia was
 a meritorious painter in ,lorenzo's    
time1 and is said to have painted1 among
 many other things described in the life
 of ,stamina1 in the palace of the      
,geppo of ,prato1 the life of ,francesco
 di ,marco1 who was the founder of that 
pious place4     ,taddeo ,bartoli1      
,painter of ,siena4   ,those artists who

 put themselves to a great deal of pains
 in painting in order to win fame1      
deserve a better fate than the placing  
of their works in obscure  and          
unhonoured  places where they may be    
blamed  by persons whose knowledge of   
the subject is not considerable4 ,their 
productions ought to be so prominently  
placed with plenty of light and air that
 they may be properly seen and examined 
by every one4 ,this is the case of the  
public work of ,taddeo ,bartoli1 painter
 of ,siena for the chapel of the palace 
of the ,signoria at ,siena4 ,taddeo was 
the son of ,bartoli son of the master   
,fredi1 who was a mediocre painter in   
his day1 and painted scenes from the    
,old ,testament on a wall of the ,pieve 
of ,s4 ,gimignano1 on the left hand side
 on entering4 ,in the middle of this    
work1 which if the truth must be told   
was not very good1 the following        
inscription may still be read3 ,ann3    
,dom #acef ,bartolus magistri ,fredi de 
,senis me pinxit4 ,bartoli must have    

been young at the time1 for there is a  
picture of his of the year #achh1 in ,s4
 ,agostino of the same district1 on the 
left hand side on entering the principal
 door4 ,the subject is the ,circumcision
 of our ,lord with certain saints1 and  
it is in a far better style both as     
regards design and colouring1 some of   
the heads being really fine although the
 feet of the figures are in the ancient 
style4 ,in fact many other works of     
,bartoli may be seen about that         
district4 ,but to return to ,taddeo1 as 
the best master of the time1 he received
 a commission1 as ,i have said1 to paint
 the chapel of the palace of the        
,signoria for his native place1 and he  
executed it with such diligence1 with   
consideration for so honoured a place1  
and he was so richly rewarded by the    
,signoria1 that he greatly increased his
 glory and renown4 ,thus not only did he
 afterwards make many pictures for his  
native land1 to his great honour and    
benefit1 but he was invited and asked of

 the ,signoria of ,siena as a great     
favour by ,francesco da ,carrara1 lord  
of ,padua1 to go there1 as he did1 and  
do some things in that most noble city4 
,he did some pictures and other things  
there1 notably in the ,arena and in the 
,santo with great care1 to his own great
 honour and to the infinite satisfaction
 of the said lord and of the whole city4
 ,returning subsequently to ,tuscany he 
did a picture in tempera in ,s4         
,gimignano1 which is something in the   
style of ,ugolino of ,siena and is now  
behind the high altar of the ,pieve     
facing the choir of the priests4 ,he    
next went to ,siena1 but did not remain 
long there as he was summoned to ,pisa  
by one of the ,lanfranchi1 a warden of  
the ,duomo4 ,having proceeded thither he
 did for the chapel of the ,nunziata the
 scene where the ,madonna is ascending  
the steps of the temple1 where the      
priest in his pontificals is awaiting   
her1 a highly finished work4 ,the face  
of the priest is the portrait of the man

 who had invited him1 while his own is  
hard by4 ,on the completion of this     
work1 the same patron induced him to    
paint over the chapel in the ,campo     
,santo1 the ,coronation of ,our ,lady by
 ,jesus ,christ1 with many angels1 in   
most beautiful attitudes and very finely
 coloured4 ,for the chapel of the       
sacristy of ,st ,francesco at ,pisa1    
,taddeo also painted a picture in       
tempera of the ,madonna and some saints1
 signing his name to it and the year    
#acid4 ,about the same time he did some 
pictures in tempera at ,volterra1 and   
another picture at ,monte ,oliveto1     
while on the wall he did an ,inferno1   
following the arrangement of ,dante as  
regards the division of the damned and  
the nature of their punishment1 but as  
regards the site he either could not or 
would not imitate him1 or perhaps he    
lacked the necessary knowledge4 ,he also
 sent to ,arezzo a picture which is in  
,s4 ,agostino containing a portrait of  
,pope ,gregory ,,ix41 the one who       

returned to ,italy after the papal court
 had been so many decades in ,france4   
,after these things he returned to      
,siena1 but did not make a long stay    
there as he was invited to ,perugia to  
work in the church of ,s4 ,domenico4    
,here he painted the whole of the life  
of ,st ,catherine in the chapel         
dedicated to that saint1 and did some   
figures in ,s4 ,francesco beside the    
sacristy door1 which may still be       
discerned to-day1 and are recognisable  
as being by ,taddeo1 because he always  
retained the same manner4 ,shortly      
after1 in the year #acih1 ,biroldo1 lord
 of ,perugia1 was assassinated4 ,taddeo 
accordingly returned to ,siena1 where he
 devoted constant work and steady       
application to the study of art1 in     
order to make himself a worthy painter4 
,it may be affirmed that if he did not  
perhaps attain his purpose1 it was not  
on account of any defect or negligence  
on his part1 but solely because of an   
obstructive malady which prevented him  

from ever realising his desire4 ,taddeo 
died at the age of fifty-nine1 after    
having taught the art to a nephew of his
 called ,domenico4 ,his paintings were  
done about the year of grace #adaj4     
,thus1 as ,i have said1 he left         
,domenico ,bartoli1 his nephew and      
pupil1 who devoted himself to the art of
 painting1 and painted with superior    
skill4 ,in the subjects which he        
represented he exhibited much more      
wealth and variety in various matters   
than his uncle had done4 ,in the hall of
 the pilgrims of the great hospital of  
,siena there are two large scenes in    
fresco by ,domenico1 which contain      
prospectives and other ornaments1       
composed with considerable ingenuity4   
,it is said that ,domenico was modest   
and gentle and of a singularly amiable  
and liberal courtesy1 which did no less 
honour to his name than the art of      
painting itself4 ,his works were        
executed about the year of our ,lord    
#adcf1 and the last were in ,s4 ,trinita

 at ,florence1 a picture of the         
,annunciation and the high altar picture
 in the church of the ,carmine4  ,alvaro
 di ,piero of ,portugal flourished at   
the same time1 and adopted a very       
similar style1 but made his colouring   
more clear and his figures shorter4 ,in 
,volterra he did several pictures1 and  
there is one in ,s4 ,antonio at ,pisa   
and others in various places1 but as    
they are of no great excellence it is   
not necessary to mention them4 ,in our  
book there is a sheet of drawings by    
,taddeo1 containing a ,christ and two   
angels1 etc41 very skilfully executed4  
,lorenzo di ,bicci1 ,painter of         
,florence4   ,when those who excel in   
any honourable employment1 no matter    
what1 unite with their skill as         
craftsmen1 a gentleness of manners and  
of good breeding1 and especially        
courtesy1 serving those who employ them 
with speed and goodwill1 there is no    
doubt that they are pursuing to their   
great honour and advantage almost       

everything which can be desired in this 
world4 ,this was the case with ,lorenzo 
di ,bicci1 painter of ,florence1 born in
 ,florence in the year #adjj1 at the    
very moment when ,italy was beginning to
 be disturbed by the wars which ended so
 badly for her1 was in very good credit 
from his earliest years2 for under his  
father's discipline he learned good     
manners1 and from ,spinello's           
instruction he acquired the art of      
painting1 so that he had a reputation   
not only of being an excellent painter1 
but of being a most courteous and able  
man4 ,while he was still a youth1       
,lorenzo did some works in fresco at    
,florence and outside to gain facility1 
and ,giovanni di ,bicci de' ,medici1    
having remarked the excellence of his   
style1 employed him to paint in the hall
 of the old house of the ,medici1 which 
afterwards was left to ,lorenzo1 natural
 brother of ,cosmo the ,ancient1 after  
the great palace was built1 all those   
famous men who may still be seen in a   

fairly good state of preservation4 ,this
 work being completed1 ,lorenzo di      
,bicci was anxious1 like the doctors who
 experiment in their art on the skins of
 poor rustics1 to have practice in the  
art of painting in a place where things 
are not so closely criticised1 and for  
some time he accepted everything which  
presented itself2 hence1 outside the    
gate of ,s4 ,friano at the ponte a      
,scandicci1 he painted a tabernacle1 as 
it may now be seen1 and at ,cerbaia     
under a portico he painted very         
agreeably a ,madonna and many saints on 
a wall4 ,afterwards a chapel in ,s4     
,marco at ,florence was allotted to him 
by the family of the ,martini1 and on   
the walls he painted in fresco a number 
of scenes from the life of ,our ,lady1  
and on the altar picture the ,virgin    
herself in the midst of many saints4 ,in
 the same church over the chapel of ,st 
,john the ,evangelist1 of the family of 
the ,landi1 he painted in fresco the    
angel ,raphael and ,tobias4 ,in the year

 #adah for ,ricciardo di ,m4 ,niccolo   
,spinello1 on the piazza front of the   
convent of ,s4 ,croce he painted a large
 scene in fresco of ,st ,thomas         
examining the wounds of ,jesus ,christ  
in the presence of all the other        
apostles who are kneeling reverently at 
the sight4 ,next to this scene and also 
in fresco he did a ,st ,christopher1    
twelve and a half braccia high1 which is
 a rare thing1 because with the         
exception of the ,st ,christopher of    
,buffalmacco1 a larger figure had never 
been seen1 and although the style is not
 good it is the most meritorious and    
best proportioned representation of the 
saint4 ,besides this the pictures were  
executed with such skill that although  
they have been exposed to the air for   
many years1 and being turned to the     
north1 they have suffered the violence  
of rain and storm1 yet they have never  
lost the brilliancy of their colouring  
and are in no wise injured by these     
accidents4 ,lorenzo also made a crucifix

 with many figures inside the door which
 is in the middle of these figures1     
called the door of the knocker1 at the  
request of the same ,ricciardo and of   
the superior of the convent1 and on the 
encircling wall he did the confirmation 
of the rule of ,st ,francis by ,pope    
,honorius1 and then the martyrdom of    
some friars of that order1 who are going
 to preach the faith to the ,saracens4  
,in the arches and on the vaulting he   
did some kings of ,france1 friars and   
followers of ,st ,francis1 drawing them 
from life1 as well as many learned men  
of the order1 distinguished by their    
several dignities of bishop1 cardinal   
and pope4 ,among these are the portraits
 from life of ,popes ,nicholas ,,iv4 and
 ,alexander ,v41 in medallions4 ,for all
 these figures ,lorenzo made the grey   
habits1 but with variety owing to his   
skill in workmanship1 so that they all  
differ from one another1 some inclining 
towards red1 others to blue1 some being 
dark and others more light1 so that all 

are varied and worthy of consideration4 
,what is more1 it is said that he       
produced these works with such facility 
and speed that when the superior1 who   
paid his expenses in designing1 called  
him one day1 when he had just made the  
colour for a figure and was beginning   
it1 he answered1 ,make the soup and ,i  
will come when ,i have finished this    
figure4 ,accordingly it is said with a  
great show of reason that no one ever   
exhibited such quickness of the hands1  
such skill in colouring1 or was so      
resolute as he4 ,by his hand also is the
 tabernacle in fresco which is beside   
the nunnery of ,foligno and the ,madonna
 and saints over the door of the church 
of that nunnery1 among them being a ,st 
,francis espousing ,poverty4 ,in the    
church of ,camaldoli at ,florence1 he   
painted for the company of the ,martyrs 
some scenes of the martyrdom of certain 
saints1 and decorated the chapels on    
either side of the principal chapel4 ,as
 these paintings gave considerable      

satisfaction to the whole city1 he was  
commissioned on their completion1 to    
paint a wall of the church in the       
,carmine for the family of the          
,salvestrini1 now almost extinct1 there 
being so far as ,i know1 no other       
surviving member than a friar of the    
,angeli at ,florence1 called ,fra       
,nemesio1 a good and courteous monk4    
,here he did the martyrs1 when they are 
condemned to death1 being stripped naked
 and made to walk bare-footed on thorns 
sown by the servants of the tyrants1    
whilst they are on the way to be        
crucified1 and higher up they are       
represented on the cross in varied and  
extraordinary attitudes4 ,in this work1 
the largest which had ever been         
produced1 everything is done with great 
skill and design1 according to the      
knowledge of the time1 being full of the
 expressions showing the divers ways of 
dying of those who are put to death with
 violence4 ,for this cause ,i am not    
surprised that many men of ability have 

made use of some things found in this   
picture4 ,after this ,lorenzo did many  
other figures in the same church1 and   
decorated two chapels in the screen4 ,at
 the same time he did the tabernacle on 
the side of the ,cuculia1 and the one in
 the via de' ,martelli on the wall of   
the houses1 and over the knocker door of
 ,s4 ,spirito he did a ,st ,augustine in
 fresco1 who is giving the rule to his  
brethren4 ,in ,s4 ,trinita in the chapel
 of ,neri ,capponi he painted in fresco 
the life of ,st ,john ,gualbert4 ,in the
 principal chapel of ,s4 ,lucia in the  
via de' ,bardi he did some scenes in    
fresco from the life of ,st ,lucy for   
,niccolo da ,uzzano1 whose portrait he  
introduced there from life together with
 those of some other citizens4 ,this    
,niccolo with the assistance and model  
of ,lorenzo1 built his own palace near  
the church1 and began a magnificent     
college or studium between the convent  
of the ,servites and that of ,s4 ,marco1
 that is to say1 where the lions now    

are4 ,this truly magnificent work1      
rather worthy of a prince than of a     
private citizen1 was not completed1     
because the immense sum of money which  
,niccolo left in his bank at ,florence  
for the building and endowment of it    
were expended by the ,florentines on war
 and other needs of the city4 ,although 
,fortune can never obscure the memory   
and greatness of the spirit of ,niccolo 
da ,uzzano1 the community suffered a    
great loss by the non-completion of the 
work4 ,therefore1 let anyone who desires
 to help the world in such a manner1 and
 to leave an honourable memorial of     
himself1 do so himself in his life-time1
 and not trust to the faithfulness of   
posterity and of his heirs1 as it very  
rarely happens that a thing is carried  
out where it is left to successors4 ,but
 to return to ,lorenzo4 ,besides what   
has been already mentioned1 he painted a
 ,madonna and certain saints very fairly
 in a tabernacle on the ponte ,rubaconte
 in fresco4 ,not long after1 ,ser       

,michele di ,fruosino1 master of the    
hospital of ,s4 ,maria ,nuova at        
,florence1 a building founded by ,folco 
,portinari1 citizen of ,florence1       
proposed1 as the property of the        
hospital had increased1 to enlarge his  
church outside ,florence1 dedicated to  
,st ,giles1 which was of small          
importance4 ,accordingly he consulted   
,lorenzo di ,bicci1 his close friend1   
and on #eth ,september #adah he began   
the new church1 which was completed in  
its present form in a year1 and then    
solemnly consecrated by ,pope ,martin   
,v4 at the request of ,ser ,michele1 who
 was the eighth master and a member of  
the family of the ,portinari4 ,lorenzo  
afterwards painted this consecration1 at
 the desire of ,ser ,michele1 on the    
front of the church1 introducing the    
portrait of the ,pope and of some       
cardinals4 ,this work was then much     
admired as something new and beautiful4 
,for this cause ,lorenzo was judged     
worthy to be the first to paint in the  

principal church of his native city1    
that is ,s4 ,maria del ,fiore1 where1   
under the windows of each chapel1 he did
 the saints to which they are dedicated2
 and afterwards1 on the pillars and     
through the church1 he did the twelve   
,apostles with the crosses of the       
consecration1 as the church was solemnly
 consecrated in that very year by ,pope 
,eugenius ,,iv4 of ,venice4 ,in the same
 church the wardens1 by a public        
ordinance1 employed him to paint on the 
wall in fresco a deposition1 finished in
 marble1 in memory of the ,cardinal de' 
,corsini1 whose effigy is there1 upon   
the sarcophagus4 ,above this is another 
like it1 in memory of ,master ,luigi    
,marsili1 a most famous theologian1 who 
went as ambassador with ,m4 ,luigi      
,giuccardini and ,m4 ,guccio di ,gino1  
most honoured knights1 to the ,duke of  
,anjou4 ,lorenzo was afterwards invited 
to ,arezzo by ,d4 ,laurentino1 abbot of 
,s4 ,bernardo1 a monastery of the order 
of ,monte ,oliveto1 where he painted    

scenes from the life of ,st ,bernard in 
fresco for the principal chapel for ,m4 
,carlo ,marsupino4 ,but as he was about 
to paint the life of ,st ,benedict in   
the cloister of the convent1 after he   
had painted the principal chapel of the 
church of ,s4 ,francesco1 for ,francesco
 de' ,bacci1 the elder1 where he alone  
did the vaulting and half the tympanum1 
he fell sick of a chest affection4      
,accordingly he caused himself to be    
carried to ,florence1 and left          
instructions that ,marco da             
,montepulciano1 his pupil1 should do    
these scenes from the life of ,st       
,benedict in the cloister1 from a design
 which he had made and left with ,d4    
,laurentino4 ,these ,marco did to the   
best of his ability1 completing them in 
the year #addh on #bdth  ,april1 the    
whole work being in chiaroscuro1 and his
 name may be seen written there1 with   
verses which are not less rude than the 
painting4 ,lorenzo returned to his      
country1 and1 having recovered1 he      

painted on the same wall of the convent 
of ,s4 ,croce1 where he had done the ,st
 ,christopher1 the ,assumption of ,our  
,lady surrounded in ,heaven by a choir  
of angels1 and below a ,st ,thomas      
receiving the girdle4 ,in the execution 
of this work1 as ,lorenzo was sick1 he  
was assisted by ,donatello1 then quite a
 youth1 and by means of such effective  
aid it was completed in the year #adej1 
so that ,i believe it to be the best    
work both in design and in colouring    
that ,lorenzo ever produced4 ,not long  
after1 being an old man and worn out1 he
 died at the age of about sixty years1  
leaving two sons who practised painting1
 one of whom1 named ,bicci1 assisted him
 in many of his works1 and the other1   
called ,neri1 drew the portraits of his 
father and himself in the chapel of the 
,lenzi in ,ognissanti1 in two           
medallions1 with letters about them     
giving the names of both4 ,in this same 
chapel ,neri did some stories of ,our   
,lady1 and took great pains to copy many

 of the costumes of his day1 both of men
 and women4 ,he did the altar picture   
for the chapel in tempera1 and painted  
some pictures in the ,abbey of ,s4      
,felice1 of the ,camaldoline order1 on  
the piazza of ,florence1 as well as the 
high altar of ,s4 ,michele of ,arezzo of
 the same order4 ,outside ,arezzo1 at   
,s4 ,maria delle ,grazie1 in the church 
of ,s4 ,bernardino1 he did a ,madonna   
with the people of ,arezzo under her    
mantle1 and on one side ,st ,bernardino 
is kneeling1 with a wooden cross in his 
hand1 such as he was accustomed to carry
 when he went through ,arezzo preaching2
 and on the other side are ,st ,nicholas
 and ,st ,michael the ,archangel4 ,the  
predella contains the acts of ,st       
,bernardino and the miracles which1 he  
performed1 especially those done in that
 place4 ,the same ,neri did the high    
altar picture for ,s4 ,romolo at        
,florence1 and in the chapel of the     
,spini in ,s4 ,trinita he did the life  
of ,st ,john ,gualbert in fresco1 as    

well as the picture in tempera which is 
above the altar4 ,from these works it is
 clear that if ,neri had lived1 instead 
of dying at the age of thirty-six1 he   
would have done many better and more    
numerous works than his father ,lorenzo4
 ,the latter was the last master to     
adopt the old manner of ,giotto1 and    
accordingly his life will be the last in
 this first part1 which ,i have now     
completed1 with ,god's help4     ,notes 
,,page     ,,line  xxiii4    #e4        
braccia1 may be considered roughly to   
represent                 about two     
feet2 literally translated it means an  
arm4  #g4        #f4    fresco1         
,painting al fresco1 upon fresh or wet  
ground is executed with mineral and     
earthy pigments                 upon a  
freshly laid stucco ground of lime or   
gypsum4--,fairholt4  #i4       #bh4     
old king ,charles of ,anjou1 the brother
 of ,st ,louis1                 crowned 
king of ,sicily in #abff4  #aj4         
#aj4    tempera1 a method in which the  

pigments are mixed                 with 
chalk or clay and diluted with size4    
#aa4      #ai4    ,credette1 etc4       
,cimabue thought                 ,to    
lord it over painting's field2 and now  
,the cry is ,giotto's1 and his name     
eclips'd4--,cary4  #ae4      #ac4       
drawings4 ,it is stated that the knight 
,gaddi sold                 five volumes
 of drawings to some merchants for      
several thousands of scudi1 which       
composed ,vasari's                      
famous book1 so often referred to by h  
m4 ,card4                 ,leopold de'  
,medici collected several of those by   
the                 most famous artists4
 ,this collection was sent to the       
,uffizi gallery in #agjj1 where they are
 merged with                 the other  
drawings4  #be4      #aa4    bridge     
which still bears his name4 ,m4         
,rubaconte was                 podesta  
of ,florence in #abcg and in addition to
 laying                 the foundation  
stone of this bridge1 he also caused    

the city to be paved4 ,villani1 vi4 #bf4
 ,the bridge                 is now     
known as the ,ponte alle ,grazie4  #de4 
#cb4    ,frederick ,barbarossa4         
,impossible1 for ,barbarossa            
died two centuries before4 ,perhaps     
,vasari means the                       
,emperor ,frederick ,,iii4  #ea4        
#ca4    ,ser ,ciappelletto1 the hero of 
the first story in                      
,boccaccio's ,decameron1 forger1        
murderer1                 blasphemer1   
fornicator1 drunkard and gambler1 he was
                 probably the worst man 
who was ever born1 to crown             
all1 he so deceived the priest to whom  
he confessed                 that he was
 canonised4  #ee4      #bc4    ,s4      
,giovanni4 ,bk4 i41 cap4 #db4 ,villani  
states that                 it was      
originally built by the ,romans in the  
time of                 ,octavian as a  
temple to ,mars4  #fg4      #be4    ,m4 
,farinata degli ,uberti4,cf1 p4 #cj     
above4 ,after                 the battle

 of ,montaperti in #abfj1 in which the  
,sienese aided by the ,ghibelline exiles
 of ,florence                 won a     
complete victory over the ,florentines1 
a                 council was held in   
which it was proposed to destroy        
,florence utterly4 ,the project was     
defeated by                 ,farinata1  
one of the most prominent of the        
victorious                 ,florentines4
 ,villani1 bk4 vi41 cap4 #ha4 ,cf1      
,dante                 ,inferno1 x4 #a4 
#ib4  #ge4      #ai4    ,m4 ,forese da  
,rabatta1 ,decameron1 #fth ,day1        
,novella #e4  #ha4      #bc4    life of 
the patient ,job4 ,it is now a well     
established fact that these frescoes    
were painted by                         
,francesco da ,volterra in #acga1       
several years after                     
,giotto's death4  #he4      #aj4    ,oh 
dissi lui1 etc4                         
,oh1 ,i exclaimed1          ,art thou   
not ,oderigi1 art not thou              
,agobbio's glory1 glory of that art     

,which they of ,paris call the limner's 
skill8          ,brother1 said he1 with 
tints that gayer smile1                 
,bolognian ,franco's pencil lines the   
leaves4          ,his all the honour    
now2 mine borrowed light4               
--,cary4  #ajb4      #d4     ,franco    
,sacchetti1 born at ,florence in #acce4 
,his                  ,novelle were     
considered the best after those of      
,boccaccio4  #aaj4     #bd4     ,where  
the ,giglion joins the ,chiassa         
,there did my ancestors flourish        
,who bear six golden stones on azure    
ground4  #aea4     #ad4     ,an eagle on
 the back of a lion4 ,the bishop was a  
prominent ,ghibelline1 whose figure was 
the imperial                  eagle1    
while the lion signified the opposing   
,guelph                  party4         
,buffalmacco as a ,florentine would     
belong to                  the latter   
faction4  #aee4      #e4     ,voi che   
avvisate1 etc4              ,ye who     
behold this painting                    

,think1 weigh and consider              
,upon the merciful ,god1 supreme        
creator1              ,who made all     
things in love4              ,he        
fashioned that angelic nature in new    
orders1              ,in that           
resplendent empire of heaven4           
,motionless ,himself yet the source of  
all motion              ,he made        
everything good and pure4               
,raise the eyes of your mind1           
,reflect upon the ordering              
,of the entire globe and reverently     
,praise ,him who has created so well4   
,think that you also may taste the      
delight              ,of living among   
the angels1 where all are blessed4      
,in this scene also we see the glory of 
the world1              ,the base1 the  
mean1 and the lofty4  #ahh4     ii4     
arts of ,florence4 ,the arts or guilds  
of ,florence                  formed the
 basis of the government of the city4   
,they                  were of two      
orders1 the greater and the lesser4 ,the

                  seven greater arts    
were3 ,lawyers 7,st ,luke71 the         
,calimara or dealers in foreign cloth   
7,st ,john                  ,baptist71  
money-changers 7,st ,matthew71 woollen  
manufacturers 7,st ,thomas71 physicians 
7,virgin ,mary71                  silk  
manufacturers 7,st ,john the ,divine71  
and the                  furriers 7,st  
,james74 ,the lesser arts were fourteen 
in number1 including armourers 7,st     
,george71                  locksmiths   
7,st ,mark71 farriers 7,st ,eloi71      
drapers                  7,st ,stephen71
 shoemakers 7,st ,philip71 butchers     
7,st ,peter74 ,they were admitted to the
 full                  citizenship in   
#acgh4  #aii4     #ba4     ,da che      
prosperitade1 etc4                      
,since every happiness has abandoned us1
                    ,come death1 the    
cure of every grief1                    
,come and give us our last meal4  #bjj4 
#c4     ,ischermo di saveri1 etc4       
,knowledge and wealth1                  

,birth and valour1 all                  
,are alike powerless against his        
strokes4  #bab4     #aj4      the ,duke 
of ,athens4 ,walter de ,brienne1 a      
,frenchman1 elected captain and         
protector of                   ,florence
 in ,june #acdb24 he endeavoured to     
become                   master of the  
city1 but was expelled in the popular   
rising referred to4  #bci4     #ca4     
the ,bavarian4 ,louis of ,bavaria1 the  
emperor who                   died in   
#acdg4  #bda4      #c       a secco4    
,fresco painting in secco is that kind  
which absorbs the colours into the      
plaster and                   gives them
 a dry sunken appearance4--,fairholt4   
#bfc4     #ca       affair of the       
,ciompi3 the name given to the          
rising of the lesser people against the 
powerful                   guilds1      
resulting in a wider distribution of the
                   powers of government4
 ,the lower classes won and             
appointed ,michele del ,lando as their  

,gonfaloniere4                   ,ciompi
 means the lowest classes4  #bfe4       
#ad4      #bjj1jjj scudi1 worth about   
#dd1ddd1 #is4