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
After these things, Giulio Romano, who in his modesty would never have
any of his works engraved during the lifetime of his master Raffaello,
lest he should seem to wish to compete with him, caused Marc' Antonio,
after the death of Raffaello, to engrave two most beautiful battles of
horsemen on plates of some size, and all the stories of Venus, Apollo,
and Hyacinthus, which he had painted in the bathroom that is at the
villa of Messer Baldassarre Turini da Pescia. And he did the same with
the four stories of the Magdalene and the four Evangelists that are in
the vaulting of the chapel of the Trinita, which were executed for a
courtezan, although the chapel now belongs to Messer Agnolo Massimi. By
the same master was drawn and reproduced in engraving a very beautiful
ancient sarcophagus containing a lion-hunt, which was formerly at
Maiano, and is now in the court of S. Pietro; as well as one of the
ancient scenes in marble that are under the Arch of Constantine; and,
finally, many scenes that Raffaello had designed for the corridor and
Loggie of the Palace, which have since been engraved once more by
Tommaso Barlacchi, together with those of the tapestries that Raffaello
executed for the public Consistory.
[Illustration: THE MARTYRDOM OF S. LAWRENCE
(_Engraved after Bandinelli by =Marcantonio Bolognese=. London: British
Museum_)
_M.S._]
After this, Giulio Romano caused Marc' Antonio to engrave twenty plates
showing all the various ways, attitudes, and positions in which
licentious men have intercourse with women; and, what was worse, for
each plate Messer Pietro Aretino wrote a most indecent sonnet, insomuch
that I know not which was the greater, the offence to the eye from
the drawings of Giulio, or the outrage to the ear from the words of
Aretino. This work was much censured by Pope Clement; and if, when it
was published, Giulio had not already left for Mantua, he would have
been sharply punished for it by the anger of the Pope. And since some of
these sheets were found in places where they were least expected, not
only were they prohibited, but Marc' Antonio was taken and thrown into
prison; and he would have fared very badly if Cardinal de' Medici and
Baccio Bandinelli, who was then at Rome in the service of the Pope, had
not obtained his release. Of a truth, the gifts of God should not be
employed, as they very often are, in things wholly abominable, which are
an outrage to the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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