Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 03 (of 10): Filarete and Simone to MantegnaVasari, Giorgio
History
Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 03 (of 10): Filarete and Simone to Mantegna
Vasari, Giorgio
Art, Italian; Artists -- Italy -- Biography
were destroyed, while great harm came to the spectators, who, terrified
by the fire, struggled furiously to fly from the church, everyone
seeking to be the first, so that about eighty were trampled down in the
press, which was something very pitiful. This baldacchino was afterwards
reconstructed with greater richness, and painted by Giorgio Vasari.
Domenico then devoted himself to the making of glass windows, and there
were three by his hand in the Vescovado, which were ruined by the
artillery in the wars.
Another pupil of the same master was the painter Angelo di Lorentino,
who was a man of passing good ability. He painted the arch over the door
of S. Domenico, and if he had received assistance he would have become a
very good master.
The Abbot died at the age of eighty-three, leaving unfinished the Temple
of the Madonna delle Lacrime, for which he had made a model; it was
afterwards completed by various masters. He deserves praise, then, as
illuminator, architect, painter, and musician. He was given burial by
his monks in his Abbey of S. Clemente, and his works have ever been so
highly esteemed in the said city that the following verses may be read
over his tomb:
PINGEBAT DOCTE ZEUSIS, CONDEBAT ET AEDES
NICON, PAN CAPRIPES, FISTULA PRIMA TUA EST.
NON TAMEN EX VOBIS MECUM CERTAVERIT ULLUS;
QUAE TRES FECISTIS, UNICUS HAEC FACIO.
He died in 1461, having added to the art of illumination that beauty
which is seen in all his works, as some drawings by his hand can bear
witness which are in our book. His method of working was afterwards
imitated by Girolamo Padovano in some books that he illuminated for S.
Maria Nuova in Florence; by Gherardo, a Florentine illuminator; (and by
Attavante,[22]) who was also called Vante, of whom we have spoken in
another place, particularly with regard to those of his works which are
in Venice; with respect to which I included word for word a note sent to
me by certain gentlemen of Venice, contenting myself, in order to
recompense them for the great pains that they had taken to discover all
that is to be read there, with relating the whole as they wrote it,
since I had no personal knowledge of these works on which to form a
judgment of my own.
FOOTNOTES:
[22] The words in brackets have been added to correct an obvious
omission in the text. The account of Attavante is to be found at the end
of the Life of Fra Giovanni Angelico.
GHERARDO
GHERARDO
ILLUMINATOR OF FLORENCE
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