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
This work finished, Domenico returned to Florence, where he painted a
panel for Signor di Carpi, sending another to Rimini for Signor Carlo
Malatesta, who had it placed in his chapel in S. Domenico. The latter
panel was in distemper, with three very beautiful figures, and with
little scenes below; and behind were figures painted to look like
bronze, with very great design and art. Besides these, he painted two
panels for the Abbey of S. Giusto, a seat of the Order of Camaldoli,
without Volterra; these panels, which are wondrously beautiful, he
executed at the order of the Magnificent Lorenzo de' Medici, for the
reason that the abbey was then held "in commendam" by his son Cardinal
Giovanni de' Medici, who was afterwards Pope Leo. This abbey was
restored not many years ago by the Very Reverend Messer Giovan Batista
Bava of Volterra, who likewise held it "in commendam," to the said
Congregation of Camaldoli.
Being then summoned to Siena through the agency of the Magnificent
Lorenzo de' Medici, Domenico undertook to adorn the facade of the Duomo
with mosaics, Lorenzo acting as surety for him in this work to the
extent of 20,000 ducats. And he began the work with much confidence and
a better manner, but, being overtaken by death, he left it unfinished;
even as, by reason of the death of the aforesaid Magnificent Lorenzo,
there remained unfinished at Florence the Chapel of S. Zanobi, on which
Domenico had begun to work in mosaic in company with the illuminator
Gherardo. By the hand of Domenico is a very beautiful Annunciation in
mosaic that is to be seen over that side-door of S. Maria del Fiore
which leads to the Servi; and nothing better than this has yet been seen
among the works of our modern masters of mosaic. Domenico used to say
that painting was mere drawing, and that the true painting for eternity
was mosaic.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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