Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 09 (of 10): Michelagnolo to the FlemingsVasari, Giorgio
History
Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 09 (of 10): Michelagnolo to the Flemings
Vasari, Giorgio
Art, Italian; Artists -- Italy -- Biography
[Illustration: THE FISHERMAN AND THE DOGE GRADENIGO
(_After the painting by =Paris Bordone=. Venice: Accademia_)
_Anderson_]
But, knowing that he who wishes to be employed in Venice is obliged to
endure too much servitude in paying court to one man or another, Paris
resolved, as a man of quiet nature and far removed from certain
methods of procedure, whenever an occasion might present itself, to go
abroad to execute such works as Fortune might set before him, without
having to go about begging. Wherefore, having made his way with a good
opportunity into France in the year 1538, to serve King Francis, he
executed for him many portraits of ladies and other pictures with
various paintings; and at the same time he painted for Monseigneur de
Guise a most beautiful church-picture, and a chamber-picture of
Venus and Cupid. For the Cardinal of Lorraine he painted a Christ
in an "Ecce Homo," a Jove with Io, and many other works. He sent to
the King of Poland a picture wherein was Jove with a Nymph, which was
held to be a very beautiful thing. And to Flanders he sent two other
most beautiful pictures, a S. Mary Magdalene in the Desert accompanied
by some Angels, and a Diana who is bathing with her Nymphs in a fount;
which two pictures the Milanese Candiano caused him to paint, the
physician of Queen Maria, as presents for her Highness. At Augsburg,
in the Palace of the Fugger family, he executed many works of the
greatest importance, to the value of three thousand crowns. And in the
same city he painted for the Prineri, great men in that place, a large
picture wherein he counterfeited in perspective all the five Orders of
architecture, which was a very beautiful work; and another
chamber-picture, which is in the possession of the Cardinal of
Augsburg. At Crema he has executed two altar-pieces for S. Agostino,
in one of which is portrayed Signor Giulio Manfrone, representing a S.
George, in full armour. The same master has painted many works at
Civitale di Belluno, which are extolled, and in particular an
altar-piece in S. Maria and another in S. Giosef, which are very
beautiful. He sent to Signor Ottaviano Grimaldo a portrait of him the
size of life and most beautiful, and with it another picture, equal in
size, of a very lustful woman. Having then gone to Milan, Paris
painted for the Church of S. Celso an altar-piece with some figures in
the air, and beneath them a very beautiful landscape, at the instance,
so it is said, of Signor Carlo da Roma; and for the palace of the same
lord two large pictures in oils, in one Venus and Mars under Vulcan's
net, and in the other King David seeing Bathsheba being bathed by her
serving-women in the fount; and also the portrait of that lord and
that of Signora Paola Visconti, his consort, and some pieces of
landscape not very large, but most beautiful. At this same time he
painted many of Ovid's Fables for the Marchese d'Astorga, who took
them with him to Spain; and for Signor Tommaso Marini, likewise, he
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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