Lives of the most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 06 (of 10): Fra Giocondo to Niccolo SoggiVasari, Giorgio
History
Lives of the most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 06 (of 10): Fra Giocondo to Niccolo Soggi
Vasari, Giorgio
Art, Italian; Artists -- Italy -- Biography
Working in this manner in the service of his master Raffaello, and
learning the most difficult secrets of art, which were taught to him by
Raffaello himself with extraordinary lovingness, before a long time had
passed Giulio knew very well how to draw in perspective, take the
measurements of buildings, and execute ground-plans; and Raffaello,
designing and sketching at times inventions after his own fancy, would
afterwards have them drawn on a larger scale, with the proper
measurements, by Giulio, in order to make use of them in his works of
architecture. And Giulio, beginning to delight in that art, gave his
attention to it in such a manner, that he afterwards practised it and
became a most excellent master. At his death, Raffaello left as his
heirs Giulio and Giovan Francesco, called Il Fattore, on the condition
that they should finish the works begun by him; and they carried the
greater part of these to completion with honour.
[Illustration: THE BATTLE OF CONSTANTINE
(_Detail, after the fresco by =Giulio Romano=. Rome: The Vatican_)
_Anderson_]
Now Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, who afterwards became Pope Clement VII,
took a site under Monte Mario at Rome, in which, besides a beautiful
view, there were running waters, with some woods on the banks and a
lovely plain which, running along the Tiber as far as the Ponte Molle,
formed on either side a wide expanse of meadowland that extended almost
to the Porta di S. Pietro; and on the highest point of the bank, where
there was a level space, he proposed to build a palace with all the best
and most beautiful conveniences and adornments that could be desired in
the form of apartments, loggie, gardens, fountains, groves, and other
things. Of all this he gave the charge to Giulio, who, undertaking it
willingly, and setting his hand to the work, brought that palace, which
was then called the Vigna de' Medici, and is now known as the Villa
Madama, to that condition which will be described below. Accommodating
himself, then, to the nature of the site and the wishes of the Cardinal,
he made the facade in the form of a semicircle, after the manner of a
theatre, with a design of niches and windows of the Ionic Order; which
was so excellent, that many believe that Raffaello made the first sketch
for it, and that the work was afterwards pursued and carried to
completion by Giulio. The same Giulio painted many pictures in the
chambers and elsewhere; in particular, in a very beautiful loggia beyond
the first entrance vestibule, which is adorned all around with niches
large and small, wherein are great numbers of ancient statues; and among
these was a Jupiter, a rare work, which was afterwards sent by the
Farnese family to King Francis of France, with many other most beautiful
statues. In addition to those niches, the said loggia is all wrought in
stucco and has the walls and ceilings all painted with grotesques by the
hand of Giovanni da Udine. At the head of this loggia Giulio painted in
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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