Lives of the most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 06 (of 10): Fra Giocondo to Niccolo Soggi — John Shaqi
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
As for his works in oils, he painted a picture of S. Rocco for the altar
of the Santificazione in the Church of the Madonna della Scala, in
emulation of the S. Sebastian which Il Moro painted for the other side
of the same place; which S. Rocco is a very beautiful figure. But the
best figures that this painter ever executed are in S. Bernardino, where
all the large pictures that are on the altar of the Cross, round the
principal altar-piece, are by his hand, excepting that with the Christ
Crucified, the Madonna, and S. John, which is above all the others, and
is by the hand of his master Francesco. Beside it, in the upper part,
are two large pictures by the hand of Paolo, in one of which is Christ
being scourged at the Column, and in the other His Coronation, painted
with many figures somewhat more than life-size. In the principal
picture, which is lower down, in the first range, he painted a
Deposition from the Cross, with the Madonna, the Magdalene, S. John,
Nicodemus, and Joseph; and he made a portrait of himself, so good that
it has the appearance of life, in one of these figures, a young man with
a red beard, who is near the Tree of the Cross, with a coif on his head,
such as it was the custom to wear at that time. On the right-hand side
is a picture by Paolo of Our Lord in the Garden, with the three
Disciples near Him; and on the left-hand side is another of Christ with
the Cross on His shoulder, being led to Mount Calvary. The excellence of
these works, which stand out strongly in comparison with those by the
hand of his master that are in the same place, will always give Paolo a
place among the best craftsmen.
On the base he painted some Saints from the breast upwards, which are
all portraits from life. The first figure, wearing the habit of S.
Francis, and representing a Beato, is a portrait of Fra Girolamo
Rechalchi, a noble Veronese; the figure beside the first, painted to
represent S. Bonaventura, is the portrait of Fra Bonaventura Rechalchi,
brother of the aforesaid Fra Girolamo; and the head of S. Joseph is the
portrait of a steward of the Marchesi Malespini, who had been charged at
that time by the Company of the Cross to see to the execution of this
work. All these heads are very beautiful.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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