Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 01 (of 10): Cimabue to Agnolo GaddiVasari, Giorgio
History
Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 01 (of 10): Cimabue to Agnolo Gaddi
Vasari, Giorgio
Art, Italian; Artists -- Italy -- Biography
Now, while this work continued to be carried forward, he made a panel
for the Nuns of S. Giorgio, and three half-length figures in an arch
over the inner side of the door of the Badia in Florence, now covered
with whitewash in order to give more light to the church. And in the
Great Hall of the Podesta of Florence he painted the Commune (an idea
stolen by many), representing it as sitting in the form of Judge,
sceptre in hand, and over its head he placed the balanced scales as
symbol of the just decisions administered by it, accompanying it with
four Virtues, that are, Strength with courage, Wisdom with the laws,
Justice with arms, and Temperance with words; this work is beautiful as
a picture, and characteristic and appropriate in invention.
[Illustration: _Alinari_
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
(_After the fresco by_ Giotto. _Padua: Arena Chapel_)]
Afterwards, having gone again to Padua, besides many other works and
chapels that he painted there, he made a Mundane Glory in the precincts
of the Arena, which gained him much honour and profit. In Milan, also,
he wrought certain works, that are scattered throughout that city and
held most beautiful even to this day. Finally, having returned from
Milan, no long time passed before he gave up his soul to God, having
wrought so many most beautiful works in his life, and having been no
less good as Christian than he was excellent as painter. He died in the
year 1336, to the great grief of all his fellow-citizens--nay, of all
those who had known him or even only heard his name--and he was buried,
even as his virtues deserved, with great honour, having been loved by
all while he lived, and in particular by the men excellent in all the
professions, seeing that, besides Dante, of whom we have spoken
above, he was much honoured by Petrarca, both he and his works, so
greatly that it is read in Petrarca's testament that he left to Signor
Francesco da Carrara, Lord of Padua, among other things held by him in
the highest veneration, a picture by the hand of Giotto containing a
Madonna, as something rare and very dear to him. And the words of that
clause in the testament run thus:
"Transeo ad dispositionem aliarum rerum; et praedicto igitur domino meo
Paduano, quia et ipse per Dei gratiam non eget, et ego nihil aliud habeo
dignum se, mitto tabulam meam sive historiam Beatae Virginis Mariae, opus
Jocti pictoris egregii, quae mihi ab amico meo Michaele Vannis de
Florentia missa est, in cujus pulchritudinem ignorantes non intelligunt,
magistri autem artis stupent; hanc iconam ipsi domino lego, ut ipsa
Virgo benedicta sibi sit propitia apud filium suum Jesum Christum."
And the same Petrarch, in a Latin epistle in the fifth book of his
_Familiar Letters_, says these words:
"Atque (ut a veteribus ad nova, ab externis ad nostra transgrediar) duos
ego novi pictores egregios, nec formosos, Joctum Florentinum civem,
cujus inter modernos fama ingens est, et Simonem Senensem. Novi
scultores aliquot," etc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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