Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 05 (of 10): Andrea da Fiesole to Lorenzo LottoVasari, Giorgio
History
Lives of the Most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 05 (of 10): Andrea da Fiesole to Lorenzo Lotto
Vasari, Giorgio
Art, Italian; Artists -- Italy -- Biography
that he had thrown away his time and labour.
[Illustration: ELIJAH
(_After_ Lorenzetto. _Rome: S. Maria del Popolo, Chigi Chapel_)
_Anderson_]
Next, by way of executing the testament of Raffaello, Lorenzo was
commissioned to make a marble statue of Our Lady, four braccia high, for
the tomb of Raffaello in the Temple of S. Maria Ritonda, where the
tabernacle was restored by order of that master. The same Lorenzo made a
tomb with two children in half-relief, for a merchant of the Perini
family, in the Trinita at Rome. And in architecture he made the designs
for many houses; in particular, that of the Palace of Messer Bernardino
Caffarelli, and in the Valle, for Cardinal Andrea della Valle, the inner
facade, and also the design of the stables and of the upper garden. In
the composition of that work he included ancient columns, bases, and
capitals, and around the whole, to serve as base, he distributed ancient
sarcophagi covered with carved scenes. Higher up, below some large
niches, he made another frieze with fragments of ancient works, and
above this, in those niches, he placed some statues, likewise ancient
and of marble, which, although they were not entire--some being without
the head, some without arms, others without legs, and every one, in
short, with something missing--nevertheless he arranged to the best
advantage, having caused all that was lacking to be restored by
good sculptors. This was the reason that other lords have since done the
same thing and have restored many ancient works; as, for example,
Cardinals Cesis, Ferrara, and Farnese, and, in a word, all Rome. And, in
truth, antiquities restored in this way have more grace than those
mutilated trunks, members without heads, or figures in any other way
maimed and defective. But to return to the aforesaid garden: over the
niches was placed the frieze that is still seen there, of supremely
beautiful ancient scenes in half-relief; and this invention of Lorenzo's
stood him in very good stead, since, after the troubles of Pope Clement
had abated, he was employed by him with much honour and profit to
himself. For the Pope had seen, when the fight for the Castello di S.
Angelo was raging, that two little chapels of marble, which were at the
head of the bridge, had been a source of mischief, in that some
harquebusiers, standing in them, shot down all who exposed themselves at
the walls, and, themselves in safety, inflicted great losses and baulked
the defence; and his Holiness resolved to remove those chapels and to
set up in place of them two marble statues on pedestals. And so, after
the S. Paul of Paolo Romano, of which there has been an account in
another Life, had been set in place, the commission for the other, a S.
Peter, was given to Lorenzetto, who acquitted himself passing well, but
did not surpass the work of Paolo Romano. These two statues were set up,
and are to be seen at the present day at the head of the bridge.
[Illustration: S. PETER
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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