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
This master made for the Cornaro family two very beautiful designs of
tombs, which were to be erected in S. Salvatore, at Venice--one for the
Queen of Cyprus, a lady of that family, and the other for Cardinal
Marco Cornaro, who was the first of that house to be honoured with
that dignity. And in order that these designs might be carried out, a
great quantity of marble was quarried at Carrara and taken to Venice,
where the rough blocks still are, in the house of the same Cornari.
Giovan Maria was the first who brought the true methods of building and
of good architecture to Verona, Venice, and all those parts, where
before him there had not been one who knew how to make even a cornice or
a capital, or understood either the measurements or the proportions of a
column or of any Order of architecture, as is evident from the buildings
that were erected before his day. This knowledge was afterwards much
increased by Fra Giocondo, who lived about the same time, and it
received its final perfection from Messer Michele San Michele, insomuch
that those parts are therefore under an everlasting obligation to the
people of Verona, in which city were born and lived at one and the same
time these three most excellent architects. To them there then succeeded
Sansovino, who, not resting content with architecture, which he found
already grounded and established by the three masters mentioned above,
also brought thither sculpture, to the end that by its means their
buildings might have all the adornments that were proper to them. And
for this a debt of gratitude--if one may use such a word--is due to the
ruin of Rome, by reason of which the masters were dispersed over many
places and the beauties of these arts communicated throughout all
Europe.
Giovan Maria caused some works in stucco to be carried out in Venice,
and taught the method of executing them. Some declare that when he was a
young man he had the vaulting of the Chapel of the Santo, at Padua,
decorated with stucco by Tiziano da Padova and many others, and also had
similar works executed in the house of the Cornari, which are very
beautiful. He taught his work to two of his sons, Ottaviano, who was,
like himself, also a painter, and Provolo. Alessandro, his third son,
worked in his youth at making armour, and afterwards adopted the calling
of a soldier; he was three times victor in the lists, and finally, when
a captain of infantry, died fighting valiantly before Turin in Piedmont,
having been wounded by a harquebus-ball.
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