Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 02 (of 10): Berna to Michelozzo MichelozziVasari, Giorgio
History
Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 02 (of 10): Berna to Michelozzo Michelozzi
Vasari, Giorgio
Art, Italian; Artists -- Italy -- Biography
After this, returning to the work of the Chapel of the Brancacci, and
continuing the stories of S. Peter begun by Masolino, he finished a part
of them--namely, the story of the Chair, the healing of the sick, the
raising of the dead, and the restoring of the cripples with his shadow
as he was going to the Temple with S. John. But the most notable among
them all is that one wherein S. Peter, at Christ's command, is taking
the money from the belly of the fish, in order to pay the tribute, since
(besides the fact that we see there in an Apostle, the last of the
group, the portrait of Masaccio himself, made by his own hand with the
help of a mirror, so well that it appears absolutely alive) we can
recognize there the ardour of S. Peter in his questioning and the
attentiveness of the Apostles, who are standing in various attitudes
round Christ, awaiting his determination, with gestures so vivid that
they truly appear alive. Wonderful, above all, is the S. Peter who,
while he is labouring to draw the money from the belly of the fish, has
his head suffused with blood by reason of bending down; and he is even
more wonderful as he pays the tribute, for here we see his expression as
he counts it, and the eagerness of him who is receiving it and looking
at the money in his hand with the greatest pleasure. There, also, he
painted the resurrection of the King's son, wrought by S. Peter and S.
Paul; although by reason of the death of Masaccio the work remained
unfinished, and was afterwards completed by Filippino. In the scene
wherein S. Peter is baptizing, a naked man, who is trembling and
shivering with cold among the others who are being baptized, is greatly
esteemed, having been wrought with very beautiful relief and sweet
manner; which figure has ever been held in reverence and admiration by
all craftsmen, both ancient and modern. For this reason that chapel has
been frequented continually up to our own day by innumerable draughtsmen
and masters; and there still are therein some heads so lifelike and so
beautiful, that it may truly be said that no master of that age
approached so nearly as this man did to the moderns. His labours
therefore deserve infinite praise, and above all because he gave form in
his art to the beautiful manner of our times. And that this is true is
proved by the fact that all the most celebrated sculptors and painters,
who have lived from his day to our own, have become excellent and famous
by exercising themselves and studying in this chapel--namely, Fra
Giovanni da Fiesole, Fra Filippo, Filippino, who finished it, Alesso
Baldovinetti, Andrea dal Castagno, Andrea del Verrocchio, Domenico del
Ghirlandajo, Sandro di Botticello, Leonardo da Vinci, Pietro Perugino,
Fra Bartolommeo di San Marco, Mariotto Albertinelli, and the most divine
Michelagnolo Buonarroti; likewise Raffaello da Urbino, who owed to this
chapel the beginning of his beautiful manner, Granaccio, Lorenzo di
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account