Knights of Art: Stories of the Italian PaintersSteedman, Amy
General
Knights of Art: Stories of the Italian Painters
Steedman, Amy
Art -- Juvenile literature; Painters -- Italy
Again he travelled along the winding road, and his heart beat fast as
he drew nearer and saw the familiar towers and roofs of Perugia. How
well he remembered that long-ago day when the cool touch of the grass
was so grateful to his little tired dusty feet! He stooped again to
fill his hands with the sweet violets, and thought them sweeter than
all the fame and fair show of the gay cities.
And as he passed through the ancient gateway and threaded his way up
the narrow street towards the little shop, he seemed to see once more
the kindly smile of his old master and to hear him say, 'Thou wilt soon
be the greatest man in Perugia, and we will call thee no longer Pietro
Vanucci, but Perugino.'
So it had come to pass. Here he was. No longer a little ragged, hungry
boy, but a man whom all delighted to honour. Truly this was a world of
changes!
A bigger studio was needed than the little old shop, for now he had
more pictures to paint than he well knew how to finish. Then, too, he
had many pupils, for all were eager to enter the studio of the great
master. There it was that one morning a new pupil was brought to him, a
boy of twelve, whose guardians begged that Perugino would teach and
train him.
Perugino looked with interest at the child. Seldom had he seen such a
beautiful oval face, framed by such soft brown curls--a face so pure
and lovable that even at first sight it drew out love from the hearts
of those who looked at him.
'His father was also a painter,' said the guardian, 'and Raphael, here,
has caught the trick of using his pencil and brush, so we would have
him learn of the greatest master in the land.'
After some talk, the boy was left in the studio at Perugia, and day by
day Perugino grew to love him more. It was not only that little Raphael
was clever and skilful, though that alone often made the master marvel.
'He is my pupil now, but some day he will be my master, and I shall
learn of him,' Perugino would often say as he watched the boy at work.
But more than all, the pure sweet nature and the polished gentleness of
his manners charmed the heart of the master, and he loved to have the
boy always near him, and to teach him was his greatest pleasure.
Those quiet days in the Perugia studio never lasted very long. From all
quarters came calls to Perugino, and, much as he loved work, he could
not finish all that was wanted.
It happened once when he was in Florence that a certain prior begged
him to come and fresco the walls of his convent. This prior was very
famous for making a most beautiful and expensive blue colour which he
was anxious should be used in the painting of the convent walls. He was
a mean, suspicious man, and would not trust Perugino with the precious
blue colour, but always held it in his own hands and grudgingly doled
it out in small quantities, torn between the desire to have the colour
on his walls and his dislike to parting with anything so precious.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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