^iRAPHAEL*LE0MRD0DA^NCI*

*MlCHAEL AnGELO *

4^

ILLUSTRATED

JL a

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

AT LOS ANGELES

THE GIFT OF

MAY TREAT MORRISON

IN

MEMORY OF
F

ALEXANDER

MORRISON

^M^'

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES.
IN FIVE VOLUMES,
Vol.
I.

RAPHAEL. LEONARDO DA VINCL MICHAEL ANGELO.

ARTIST- BIOGRAPHIES.

RAPHAEL

'J

i^VTfoJ^S^^.j.i'

BOSTON:
HOUGHTON, OSGOOD AND COMPANY.
Wifi iAtbersitie Press, (lam&ritise.

1880.

Copyright,

1877,

By

JAMES
An

R.

OSGOOD &

CO.

Sights Reterved.

University Press: John Wilson Cambridge.

&

Son,

NDsS
V.
I

PREFACE.

The

object of this

work

is

to place before the peo-

ple a biography of the greatest of Italian painters, at

once authentic, compact, and inexpensive.

The

last

two requisites are

in the province of the publishers

and

in order to

approximate to the
earnestly.

first

the author

has labored long and

All the recorded

life

facts of the artist's personal

and professional

have
influ-

here been set forth, with some of the outside

ences which combined to shape his course and indicate the lines for the development of his

genius.

Many of
with as

his

famous pictures have also been described,

of detail as

much

would

interest the general

reader; and their oftentimes singular histories are set

forth briefly

and without needless words.

Students of the history of art

who wish
on

to read

and

ponder over long

Raphael's
life,

discussions

minor points of

or

who

enjoy the singular and some-

times amusing theories of French and

German

critics,

can find satisfaction in the numerous heavj' tomes and

3

PREFACE,

manifold volumes wherein these subjects have been

infinitesimally wire-drawn.

The

present work aims at

giving the results of such controversies, without a

paragraph of padding.
It is

almost needless to say that the chief authority

this

on which

biography rests
(in

is

Passavant's "Rare-

phael of Urbino "

Paul Lacroix's edition, with

Paris in
I

visional notes, published at

i860, in

two

volumes).

With

this art-classic

have compared the

biographies of Raphael which have been written by

Vasari, Ouatrem^re de Quincy,

Von Wolzogen,
I

Charles

Blanc, Charles Clement, C. P. Landon, and others.

For

Italian art-history at that

epoch

have consulted

Lanzi, Kugler, Eastlake, Layard,

caselle,

Crowe and Cavaland Jameson.

Womum,

Rosini,

Symonds,

Gruyer's voluminous works on the Madonnas and the

frescos of Raphael have also been useful; with the
Italian travels of Taine, Hare, Jarves,

Head, Burck;

hardt, Hillard,

Waagen,

Fairholt, &c.

and Dennis"

toun's "

Dukes

of Urbino,"

and Roscoe's

Leo X."

M. F. SWEETSER,

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
1483-1495.
I.

FAGI
studies.
.

Giovann. Santi.

Urbino. Birth of Raphael. Early Perugia. The Umbrian School. Perugino.

.

CHAPTER
1495-1504.

II.

Early Works. Raphael in Perugino' s Studio. At Citt^ del Ca At Siena. tello. Honors at Urbino. " Lo Sposalizio." Ambition

16

CHAPTER
1 504-1 508.

III.

Raphael's Life and

Works

at Florence,

from 1504 to

cursions to Perugia, Bologna, and Urbino.

The

1508.

Exto

Summons

Rome

25

CHAPTER
1508-1513.

IV.

Raphael

at

Rome from

Frescos.

150810 1513, under Julius The Vatican Influence of Michael Angelo. La Fomarina
II.

4s

CHAPTER
1513-1514-

V.

The

Accession of Leo X.
Paintings in 1513-14.

Raphael's Appointed

Palace and his Friends.

Architect of St. Peter's.

66

Maria da Bibiena

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
'

VI.

I5I4-ISJ6.

The

The Stanza dell' Incendic The Vatican Decorations. Architectural Works and DrawLoggie and the Tapestries. Raphael's Pupils ings.

3;

CHAPTER

VII.

1516-1518.

PAGE

Raphael's Paintings in 1516, 1517, and 1518.

Florence.

The Sistine Madonna. The Chigi Frescos

CHAPTER
VIII.
1518-1520.

The

Madonnas
.

at
.

108

Raphael's Last
roundings.

Two Years. His

Personal Appearance and Sur-

"The

Transfiguration."

Death

of

Raphael

His Rank among Artists

List of Pictures
.

125

..* ..

145 i|t

ILLUSTRATIONS.
RAPHAEL,
Portrait of Raphael
St. Cecilia St.

....

Frontispiece.

78

Margaret

116
122

Sistine

Madonna

LEONARDO DA
MoNNA
Lisa

VINCI,

The Battle of the Standard

....
.

58

66 80

The Virgin of the Rocks

Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci
.

.128

MICHAEL ANGELO,
Portrait of Michael Angelo

....
...
. .

6
32

Cartoon of Pisa

The Last Judgment

The Three Fates

98

.130

RAPHAEL.
CHAPTER I. - Birth of Raphael. - Early Studies. Giovanni Santi. - Urbino. Perugia. The Umbrian School. Perugmo.
Raphael Sanzio da Urbino,
Painters,

the Prince of

was born

in the city of

Urbino, on the

6th of April, 1483.

zio,

The

family of Santi, or San-

which inwas an old and respectable one, ecclesiastics, and had cluded several artists and
recently

moved

hamlet of

Urbino from the outlying castleSanti Colbordolo. The young Giovanni

to

"the admirable devoted himself to what he called due time became one of art of painting," and in
the best of the

Umbrian

artists,

nearly equal to

About twenty of his Perugino or Pinturicchio. feeble color and pictures still remain, showing combined with correct drawing
rigid
outlines,

and

simplicity of conception.

Giovanni was also

a poet,

hundred and wrote a quaint epic of two

"

RAPHAEL,
in terzii rima^

and twenty-four pages

now

in

the

Vatican Libriry, celebrating the martial deeds of

the Duke'; of

U ""biuo
Raphael stands on a bold

The
cliff

natal city of

over the brawling Metaurus, surrounded by

the sharp peaks of the central Apennines, and

commanding a
It is

distant view of the blue Adriatic.

now

a half-forgotten town of eight thousand

inhabitants, " presenting

more

forcibly the appear;

ance of fallen grandeur than any town in Italy

and

is

still

remarkable
youths.

for

the extraordinary
it

beauty of

its

In the fifteenth century

was called " the Italian Athens," and stood pre-

eminent

in religion, culture,

and

chivalry,

under

the patriarchal government of Federigo da

tefeltro,

Mon-

a valiant general and judicious art-patron.

thirty copy-

For fourteen years he kept twenty or

ists at

work transcribing Greek and Latin manuon vellum, which were afterwards bound
in

scripts

crimson velvet with silver clasps.

On

his return

from the Papal-Venetian wars, he

built the

most

splendid palace in Italy, beautified the city with

gardens and statuary, and surrounded himself

with artists and learned men.

Amid

these glad activities of the liberal arts

RAPHAELS BIRTHPLACE,

Giovanni Santi prospered amain, and soon married Magia Ciarla, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, with
this

whom

he lived in rare

felicity.

To

couple a child was born, to

whom
if

Giovanni

gave the name of Raphael, as

glorious future, while at the

he foresaw his

same time he declined

to follow the prevalent Italian custom of provid-

ing a wet-nurse for him, desiring the mother to

nurse the child herself.

The house

in

which

Raphael was born

as public property,

is

still

reverently preserved
hillside

and stands on a steep

up which the pack-mules clamber,

rugged stone steps.

cat-like,

over

It contains a fresco of the

Madonna, painted by
the Virgin
is

Santi, in

which the face of

a portrait of Magia,

and

that of the

infant Jesus represents the

young Raphael.

Gio-

vanni and Magia had three other children, all of whom died young and in 149 1 the mother herself
;

died also.
that his
tions,

Seven months

later,

Giovanni, feeling

beloved boy needed a woman's ministragold-

married Bernardina di Parte, the

smith's daughter, a lady of strong and determined

character.

The young

child grew

up

in the hillside

home,

under the tender care of his mother and the tutel

lO

RAPHAEL,
un-

who guarded him from all worthy associations. He spent much time in
age of his father,
studio,

the

and was familiar with the implements and

Several

terms of art from his earliest childhood.

crude Umbrian paintings are claimed by tradition

as his juvenile works, but their authenticity is

denied by the best authorities.

In 1492 Santi

frescoed the Tiranni chapel, at Cagli, in his best

Mantegnesque manner.

At

this

time the lad was

with him, perhaps as a humble assistant, and his

portrait
is

recognized in the sweet face of one of

the angels in the fresco.

There
first

is

a tradition that Raphael received his

lessons in art from

;

Luca

Signorelli or

Timoin-

teo della Vite

but Lanzi says that he was

structed by Fra Carnevale, the best painter then

in Urbino,

whose pictures were certainly

carefully
It is

studied both by Raphael and Bramante.

also reported that Venturini, the tutor of Michael

Angelo, taught him the Latin language

and that

Bramante, Pacciolo, and other members of the

galaxy of learned

men

then at the court of

Duke

Guidobaldo, assisted in other branches of his

education.

Giovanni Santi died in 1494, leaving his widow

PERUGIA,
Bernardina and his brother
Santi,

II

Don Bartolommeo
But Bernardina was

a well-to-do ecclesiastic, to act as guar-

dians for his orphaned boy.

a resolute woman, and Bartolommeo was a grasping and officious priest

;

and they soon became

about the manage-

engaged

in sharp contentions

ment
lected

of the

Santi

estate.

Raphael was neg-

amid

these domestic turmoils, until his

well-beloved uncle
his genius,

Simone

Ciarla, appreciating

and deploring

his

unhappy

situation,

arranged that he should be sent away to pursue

his studies in art.

After a careful consideration

of the advantages of the schools of

Leonardo,
it

BeUini, Mantegna, Francia,

and Perugino,

was

decided to

commit him

to the care of the latter.

in-

There

is

a tradition that the painter, after

specting several of the lad's sketches, exclaimed,

" Let him be

my

pupil

he

will

soon become

my

master."
Perugia, where
the

young student remained

one of the most picturhill-cities

for nearly nine years, is

esque of the renowned

of Italy.

Its

ponderous

walls

and
hill,

gray

Etruscan

bastions

crown a high green

and are overtopped by a

cluster of church towers

and domes.

The

battle-

12

RAPHAEL.

ments command a magnificent view over the val

ley of the Tiber
Assisi,

and the white

cities of Spoleto,

and Foligno, and along the

lofty

and

aus-

tere

Apennines, from Radicofani to the cloud-

piercing
streets

Monte

Caltrio.

The

steep and rocky

open on paved

squares,

adorned with

ancient sculptured fountains and papal statues,

and overlooked by rugged Gothic facades and

vast silent churches, rich in mediaeval

monuments
a

and

Pre-Raphaelite paintings.

At

remote

period the Etruscan city of Perusia stood here,

and was destroyed by Augustus

placed
it

Caesar,

who

re-

by a

Roman

military colony, afterwards

Totila.

the prey of the

Goths under

In the

Middle Ages
lioni family,

it

was seized by the ferocious Bagit

who held

for several generations,

desolating the

Umbrian Campagna by
lair.

forays

from their grim

These

lion-hearts guarded
;

the city while Raphael dwelt there

lic

and the pub-

squares often ran with noble blood,

when
by

the

rival

Oddi

chieftains were cut to pieces

their

pitiless

foes,

and the cathedral was so stained

it

with massacres, that

was washed with wine and

of these terrible
so-

reconsecrated.
conflicts,

The memories

prolonged through the years of his

THE UMBRIAN PAINTERS.

13

journ, are preserved in certain of Raphael's later

paintings.

One
brian

of the strangest

phenomena

of the

Middle

Ages was the growth and culmination

rapine and carnage.

of the

Umtheir

school of painting in the midst of these

scenes of
earliest
artists

Drawing

inspiration

from

Siena,

the Umbrian

had preserved a quiet and contemplative

manner, even
in the face

spirituality of

of the

popular Florentine realism, and had developed

the expression of ardent religious aspirations and

profound devotion.

For centuries the earnest

mountaineers had revered the memory of the

marvellous
St.

Francis,

"The
;

Seraphic,"

who

was buried among them

and from

his sacred

mausoleum

at Assisi

had emanated the mighty

influences which were manifested in the solemn

tenderness and ecstatic contemplations of myriads of disciples.

With the grim

austerity of

its

rugged heights and the sympathetic sweetness of

its

rich

and flowery

valleys, the land

seemed

cre-

ated for mystery, and was peopled with legends.

Isolated

among

the glens of the cloudy Apennines

and remote from the influences of the history and

art of

pagan or papal Rome, as well as from the

14
materialistic

RAPHAEL.
methods of the commercial
cities ol

the coast, the spirit of the people

their pietistic
artists,

was

reflected

by

who formed what may be

devout

called the last group of purely Christian painters.

The

pictorial flowering of this

in

spirit

appeared
gino,
in

Bonfigli, Santi, Francia,

and Peru-

pictures

whose mechanical defects are

counterbalanced by their evidence of religious

enthusiasm.

Perugino was born in 1446, at the highland

hamlet of Citta della Pieve, and
at

an early age
art with

was carried

to Perugia,

where he studied

a local painter.

He

afterwards entered the Flor-

entine studio of Verocchio, in

company
in

of Leo-

nardo,

and labored

diligently,

painful

and

abject poverty, until he

painter of Italy, and

became the most popular

Rome and

Florence con-

tended for his presence.

Although exhibiting

more

artistic

symmetry than the older Umbrian

stiff

works, his figures are often

and ungraceful,
It

and

are painted in a hard

and dry manner.

has been said that Raphael's

tiful

Madonnas

are beau-

and gracious, but those of Perugino are inno-

cent and saintly.

The

history of Perugino has

been

called " the saddest in the annals of Chris-

PERUGINO.
5

IS

an adherent of the noble SaFlorence

;

vonarola,
rolling

while laboring in
of
hostile

under a

fire

criticism

but after the

martyrdom
his faith in

of the great reformer,

he renounced

God and man.

how

While on his death-

bed, in

1524, he refused a confessor, saying, "I

wish to see

a soul will fare in that Land, which

has not been confessed."

noble, gracious,

Ruskin
laborer,

calls

him "a-

and quiet

never weary,
flexibility,

never impatient, never untender, never untrue.

Not Tintoret

in

power, not Raphael in

not Holbein in variety, not Luini in love

their

gathered
measure,

gifts
fit

he has

in

balanced and

fruitful

to

be the guide and impulse and

father of all."

After settling at Perugia the master painted an

immense number

of pictures,

which are now

scat-

tered in all the galleries of Europe,

showing the

tender earnestness of his renewed earlier style,

with marvellous faces and grouping, and

back-

grounds of

fair

landscapes and bright skies.

for

He

was driven by an inordinate desire

money,

and became, as Taine

says, a

mere saint-manuand owning

facturer, accumulating great wealth,

numerous houses

in

Florence and Perugia.

"

RAPHAEL

CHAPTER
Raphael in Perugino's Studio.
telle.

II.

Early Works. At Cittd del Cas At Siena. " Lo Sposalizio." Honors at Urbino.
Perugino's studio late in 1495,
years, conforming

Ambition.

Raphael entered

and remained there nearly nine

to the rigid discipline of the master,

and gaining

a thorough knowledge of the technique of his profession.

Among

his

comrades and fellow-pupils

were Pinturicchio, Lo Spagna, L'Ingegno, Ferrari,

and

Alfani.

The master soon

utilized his services

on the constantly increasing work for the churches,

and parts of Perugino's large
altar-pieces are

now
dis-

recognized as of his pupil's execution.

Raphael's

copy of the " Infant Jesus and

St.

John," in
is

temper, on a gold background,

Pietro

at

the

San

Church
"

in

Perugia

and the large " Resura

rection of Christ,"

copy.

now in the Vatican, was also The Archangels Michael and Raphael
and were removed

were painted by his own hand, for the wings of a

large " Nativity " at Pavia
;

to

EARLY WORKS,

l^

Paris in 1797, and afterwards to the British National

this

Gallery.

A
now

few of Raphael's studies

in

at

period are

England and

at

Venice.
to

In 1499 t^^ young student was

summoned

Urbino

to

mediate

in

new and

bitter quarrel

between his stepmother and the rapacious Barto-

lommeo

Santi.

He

soon quieted the domestic

storm, and settled an annuity on the persecuted

lady, after
trait

which he returned

to Perugia.

por-*

painted about this time by Vite or Ghirlan-

dajo,

and now

in the

Borghese Palace, shows ihe

great physical beauty of the youth.

In the year 1500, while Perugino was at Florence, Raphael

was called

to Cittk del Castello,

at the court of

where he sojourned for some time

Vitelli,

the head of the league which had recently

defeated the papal army and forced Urbino to

ransom

its

captive Duke.

Here he painted a

processional banner for the Trinitk Church, showing St. Sebastian and St.
the

Roch kneeling
sleeping
little

before

Holy

Trinity,

and, on the

other side, the

Creator approaching the

Adam, and
church
A.
still

about to

make

Eve.

The proud

preserves this canvas with jealous care.

more

important picture was

"The

Coronation of St

tS

RAPHAEL,
Tolentino," which

Nicholas

remained

in

the

Augustinian Church for two hundred and eightynine years,

VI.,

when

it

was purchased by Pope Pius

and disappeared during the French invasion

"

of Italy.

The

Crucifixion, with

Four Saints,"

was executed

for the

Gavarni family, and after

remaining for three centuries in the Dominican

Church, passed through the galleries of Cardinal

Fesch and Prince Canino

tion.

to

Lord Ward's

collecleft at

The works which

and possess but few

the young artist

Cittk del Castello are in the Peruginesque

ner,
traits of originality.

man-

In the same year Raphael assisted his master

in

the great frescoes

in

the Sala del Cambio,

or municipal
hall

chamber

of

commerce, a dusty old

which

is

now

often reverently visited by artrich decorations included repre-

pilgrims.

These

sentations of the

Pagan

Virtues, the

Triumph

of

Religion, the Nativity, and the Transfiguration,

attended by a confused company of saints and

sibyls,

prophets and philosophers.

painter/

It is

thought
sibyls,

that

Raphael

*he prophets and

and most

of the arabesques.
faith blotted out

As Perugino declined under a

and an invention paralyzed, Raphael advanced,

AT
and a closer

SIENA.

19

of character slowly acquiring a deeper spirituality

fidelity to nature.

Among

his pro-

" Solly ductions at this time were the

Madonna,"
St.

now
and

at

Berlin;

the

"Mary Magdalen and

Catherine," in the Northumberland Collection; rethe beautiful " Alfani Madonna," recently

moved from

Perugia.

in Perugino's studio,

These works were executed in the building which is still

Via Deliziosa, near

carefully preserved at No. 18,

the city wall.

PintuIn 1502 Cardinal Piccolomini engaged Siena Cathericchio to adorn the library of the
dral with ten subjects

from the

life

of

^neas
induced

Sylvius Piccolomini.

The

fortunate artist

Raphael

to aid

him with

certain drawings for this

important work, in connection with which he spent the summer of 1502 in Siena. Raphael's

drawings for the

preserved.

first

and

fifth

pictures are

still

The hero-worshipping Vasari and

but there
is

in several other authors credit the best coloring

these frescos to Raphael

no

suffi-

cient reason for thus detracting

from the merit

is
still

work of the amiable Pinturicchio, whose famous for its beauty and richness.
In 1503 the young
artist

executed

ieveral in-

20
teresting delicately

RAPHAEL,
easel-pictures, including the small

and
Je-

drawn " Madonna between

St.

St.

rome and
seum.
large

Francis,"

now

in the Berlin

Mu-

"The Coronation
work
in the

of the Virgin"

was a

Umbrian manner, though the

Madonna, and the twelve

four angels around the

Apostles at the flower-filled tomb, show a marked

approach towards the later

tion

style.

The Coronadegli

was ordered by the Lady Maddalena

to

Oddi ; and was carried

"

France during the Na-

poleonic invasion, and afterwards restored to the

Vatican.

The

Staffa

Madonna

"

is

an exquis-

itely finished circular picture,

showing the Virgin

spring-time
landIt

pensively walking in a rural

scape, with

snowy mountains

in the distance.

remained
years,

in the Staffa Palace, at Perugia, for

368

and was sold

to the

Emperor

of Russia, in

187 1, for $70,000.

When
of

about twenty years old, Raphael

illus-

trated his position

and temptations

in the picture

"Ihe

Knight's Dream,"
It

now

in the

British

National Gallery.

shows an armor-clad youth,

sleeping on his shield at the foot of a laurel-tree,

approached by two female

gentle

figures,

one of whom,
invit-

and

serious, bears a

book and sword,

zo sposALizior

21

or arms, while ing to the noble ambition of study brilliant, calls him to the tlie other, beautiful and
city beyond. joys of earthly luxury in the stately

The small
seum,

picture of a

young man, painted by

South-Kensington Muto represent, the artist

Raphael, and
is
;

now

at the

supposed by some

himself

and an undoubted

portrait of this period,

at Oxford.

by a

fellow-pupil, is

now

Tradition

painted claims that about the same date Raphael "The Adoration of the Magi," for the Abbey of
Ferentillo,

which was purchased for the Berlin

;

Museum
work
to

for $6,000

but most

critics refer this

Lo Spagna.
the

When

Urbinese

lad

entered Perugino's

studio, in 1495, the master

was engaged on a pic-

of the Virgin, ture of the Sposalizio, or Espousals (and now in the for the Cathedral of Perugia

Caen Museum).

It

was representative

of a scene

of the from the Flos Sanctorum, or the Gospel church. Nativity, then very popular in the Italian

On

the finally leaving his master's studio,

young
of
for

artist

was commissioned by the Franciscans subject Cittd del Castello to paint the same
their

church

and he imitated the older

work,

though with superior perspective, and more beauty

22

RAPHAEL,
In

and graciousness.
Brescia,
in

1798

Count Lecchi

of

commanding a French brigade, with sword

of Perugia to
it

hand compelled the magistrates

;

present this picture to him

chief

and

is

now
at

the

ornament of the Brera Gallery

Milan.

It is well preserved,

and

is

the best example of

Raphael's

first

or Peruginesque style.

The
the

" St.

Sebastian," at Bergamo, dates from

period.

same

In the autumn of 1504, Raphael returned to

his native city,

which had recently passed through

a series of disasters.

The

viperous Csssar Borgia

of his

had defrauded Duke Guidobaldo

treasury,

army and

and then occupied

his territories.

year later the Borgia Pope and his evil son were

poisoned
troops,
exile

and the Urbinese expelled the

their

alien
his

and welcomed back

at

Duke from
.

Venice.

Guidobaldo was
;

appointcid

Standard-Bearer of the Holy Church

the benign rule of
its

and under

learned and pious prince,

city,

the golden age returned to the

and the

fore-

most scholars of

Italy entered her gates.

The

Duchess Elisabetta and other high-born dames,

who stimulated a pure

chivalry

among

the deni-

zens of the palace, took a

warm

interest in the

AT
and honor.

URBINO.

23
to preferment

young Raphael, and helped him

He made

copies of the portraits of

ancient philosophers and poets, in the Ducal Library,

and a sketch
as a

of the city,

which he carried
of his childhood.

away

memento

of the

home

He

also painted for the

of Olives,"

Duke, " Christ on the

Mount

now

in

England; small round

pictures of the Pieta, St. Ercolano,

and

St.

Lo" St.

dovico, in the

Berlin

Museum

and the
St.

George slaying the Dragon," and "

attacking Satan," in the Louvre.

Michael

But he soon wearied of the quiet provincial

court,
'

and

grew

restless
fields,

and
and

eager
to see

to

seek

knowledge on wider

the great

achievements of Angelo and Leonardo in Florence.

During the

exile

of

the

Medici, Pietro

Soderini was Gonfaloniere of Florence, to

whom

Duke Guidobaldo's
letter
t

sister

wrote the following

magnificent and

"Most
I

powerful lord,
:

whom
is

must ever honor as a father

" xle

you
Ra-

who

presents

this

letter to

phael, a painter of Urbino,

talent in art.

endowed with great

He

has decided to pass some time

in Florence, in order to

improve himself

in his

24
studies.
full of

RAPHAEL.
As
good
the father,

who was dear

the

tc

me, was

qualities, so

son

is
;

modest

young man
I

of distinguished

manners

and thus

bear him an affection on every account, and

wish that he should attain perfection.

This

is

why
to

recommend him

as earnestly as possible
it

your highness, with an entreaty that

may

please you, for love of me, to

show him help and

I

protection on every opportunity.

as rendered to myself,

shall regard

and as an agreeable proof and kindness

of friendship to me, all the services

that he

may

receive from your lordship.

herself to you,
offices in return.

"
is

From her who commends

any good
" Joanna

and

willing to render

Feltra de Ruvere,
and
Prefectissa of Rome,

'^Duchess of Sora,
*

Urbino,

Oct.

1,

1504."

FLORENCE,

25

CHAPTER
Raphael's Life and

III.

Works

at Florence,

from 1504 to 1508.

Excursions to Perugia, Bologna, and Urbino.

to

The Summons
artist,

Rome.

A NEW life now opened

flush of

before the young

Lilies.

in the peerless City of the

In the

full

the

dawning Cinque - cento, and

sur-

rounded by the rich art-treasures of the Tuscan

capital,

he

daily

drank

in

fresh

inspirations.

Among

the jewels of Florence, even at that early

day, were the marvellous bronze gates of Ghiberti, the

marbles and bronzes of Donatello and

Verocchio, the enamels of Luca della Robbia,

the

monuments
of

of the Medici, the vast cathedral-

dome
and

Brunelleschi, the campanile of Giotto,

the

paintings

of

Masaccio, Ghirlandajo,

Angelico, and the ancient schools, with the fresh

wonders of
artist
it

Angelo and

Leonardo.

For

the

was indeed a

city of

enchantment.

The brave

old Gonfaloniere was then engaged

in curbing the restless agitators of Florence, after

26
the decline of her
cration,

RAPHAEL.
strange
to

Christocratic conseto

and appears
care
to

have been too busy

give

much
with

the

ambitious youth from

beyond the Apennines.

ceived

But Raphael was

re-

warm

hospitality

by the wealthy

Taddeo Taddei,

the friend of the learned

Bem-

bo; and became intimate with San Gallo, Ghirlandajo,

and other

artists.

With these associates

he studied the frescos of Masaccio in the Car-

mine Church, which were famous

position and soft coloring.

for

grand comfirst

Masaccio was the

the formal
fifty

Florentine
Giotto,
for

who abandoned
nature,

method

of

and became eminent,

of

years before,
coloring,

love

richness

of

and

subtlety of expression.

He

is

said to have held

to

Giotto by one

hand,

and reached forward

Raphael with the

other.

Our

artist's

sketch-

book contains numerous pictures from

at this

life,

made
Flor-

period, and imitations of the great

artists.

entine

He

did

not

meet

Leonardo,

though under the profound influence of his works

he sensibly modified his Umbrian manner, and

adopted the serene smile which afterwards graced

the faces of his

Madonnas.

During the winter he painted for his friend

FLORENTINE MADONNAS,

27

Lorenzo Nasi, the famous " Madonna della Gran

Duca," now
in the Pitti Palace,

which

is

so called
III.

from the fact that the Grand-Duke Ferdinand

of

Tuscany carried

it

with him on
it

all

his jour-

neys,
ing.

and prayed before

every night and morn-

The Madonna

is

depicted in a flowing blue

at the

mantle, looking

down

infant Jesus

and

the firmly-outlined figures stand out in impressive

distinctness.

"

The Madonna with

the-

Chil-

dren"

is

a round picture on wood, showing the

St.

Virgin and Child, with

John and another

infant, in a rich landscape.

The Dukes

of Ter-

ranova retained
the

this at

Naples
it

until 1854,

when

King

of Prussia

bought

for the Berlin

Mu-

seum

for $34,000.

From

the

same period dates

the small

and finely-preserved Madonna which

to his gal-

Lord Cowper purchased and transferred

lery at
or

Penshangar, near Hertford; the portrait

in the

young Riccio,

Munich Pinakothek

and

the large

fresco of
in

"The Last
1845 ^^

Supper," which
refectory of the
is

was discovered

^^

Florentine Convent of St. Onofrio, and

attrib-

uted to Raphael by

many

connoisseurs.

Early in 1505, after several months of earnest

labor,

Raphael made a journey

to Urbino,

and

*S

RAPHAEL.

from thence to Perugia, where he finished the

a! tar-piece

which he had previously begun for

It

St.

Anthony's Convent.

was composed of a Maand

the

donna and
four other

Child, with the infant St. John

saints;

lunette

representing

Eternal

Father; and

five predella-pictures, in-

cluding Christ in the Garden, Christ Bearing the

Cross, the Pietd, St. Francis, and St.
of Padua.

Anthony

The main

picture

is

at

Madrid, and
"

the predellas are in English galleries.

La Main fine

donna

dei Ansidei "

is

was painted
at
in

for the Ansidei

Chapel, and
preservation.

now
It
is

Blenheim Palace,

the Florentine manner,

and includes a portrait of the venerable Bishop

Nicholas de Bari.
are
in
Italy,

Two

of

its

predella-pictures
at

and the

third

is

Lansdowne

House.
"

Other works executed

in

1505 were the

Pax Vobis," a small

in the

picture of the risen Christ,

;

now

Brescia Gallery
brick,

and a fresco

of a

child's

head on a

which King Louis of

re-

Bavaria bought for a thousand scudi, and

moved
melite

to the

Munich Pinakothek.
first

These were
in the Car-

followed by his

mural painting,

Church

of

San Severo, representing the

Holy

Trinity,

surrounded by angels, and blessing

LEONARDO AND ANGELO,

a group of sainted Carmelites.

29

The

grace and

dignity of Angelico appear in this picture, whose

arrangement was repeated

fresco of " Theology."

in the

famous Vatican

Impatient to return to the prouder possibilities

and freer

criticisms

of

the great

Tuscan

city,

and weary
cial

of the

empty adulation

of the provin-

artists,

he postponed orders from Atalanta

left

Baglione and the nuns of Monte Luce, and

his

work

at
it

San Severo half

finished.

Several

years later

was completed by Perugino.

at

On

his

arrival

Florence, early in 1506, he

found a new revelation of the power and possibilities of art in

bition,

the two great cartoons then on exhiLeonardo da Vinci's " The Battle of the

Standard," and Michael Angelo's "

Soldiers."

The Bathing
disaprivalry

These works, which have now

of

peared,

marked the culmination

the

between the two great masters, and were designed for the decoration
chio.

of

the

Palazzo Vec-

They showed

to the student of the tender-

ness and sweetness of the

Umbrian school new

and the

realms of

art, in

which the canvas should exhibit

life,

scenes of vigorous and heroic

sity of the highest

inten-

passions should be depicted

so
in

RAPHAEL,
glowing colors.
But, though

permeated by

these

new

thoughts, the artist refused to abandon

the traditions of the last of the schools of Christian

art,

and would not throw himself

into the

strong current of paganized sentiment which was

rising so rapidly about him.

He

re-entered the coterie of artists and patrileisure

cians which assembled at

hours in the

house of Baccio d'Agnolo, the architect who was

then supervising so

many new

buildings.

Here

he met Sansovino, Lippi, Cronaca, Majani, Granacci, the

San

Galli,

and the great Angelo, and

to their discussions

listened with

deep interest
art.

about the principles of

Through

his

inti-

macy with

certain wealthy merchants

and nobles,

he secured several orders for portraits, the best

of which were those of

the

art-patron

Angelo

Doni, and Maddalena his wife.

in the Pitti Palace,

These are now

and show warm coloring and

careful finish,

combined with poor drawing and

timid execution.

Raphael next painted the

celebrated

"Ma-

donna

del Cardellino," or " Virgin of the Gold-

finch," as a wedding-present for his friend Nasi,

a frequenter of Agnolo's symposia.

The Virgin

''TEMPI madonna:'
is

31

shown

as seated in a graceful landscape, look-

ing with unspeakable tenderness at

Jesus,
St.

the

infant

who

is

about to caress a goldfinch held by

John.

This picture was sacredly preserved

until the fall of the

it

Nasi Palace,

in

1547,

when

was broken
it

in pieces.

Carefully repaired an^

of the chief

restored,

now forms one

ornaments

of the Uffizi Tribujie.

The

artist

next showed his appreciation of

Taddei's courtesy, and his warm-hearted fellowship at Agnolo's reunions, by painting for
the famous pictures of

him
the

"The Madonna
the

in

Meadow," now

in

the
at

Vienna Belvedere, and

Palm-Tree," in the

"The Holy Family

Bridgewater Gallery at London.

This
to

Madonna
in

shows Raphael's nearest approach

manner, and depicts
flowery

Leonardo's
a

the

Virgin

sitting

meadow, and holding the

"

infant Jesus,
St.

who
and

looks with sweet gravity at the kneeling

John.

The Holy Family

"

shows the Madonna

St.

Child

near a palm-tree, with

Joseph

kneeling before them and offering flowers.

The

contemporary "Tempi Madonna" was painted

for the

Tempi

family,

and was discovered

in their

Florentine palace three centuries later, and sold

32
to the art-loving

RAPHAEL,
and munificent King Louis
of

Bavaria for $16,000.

Early in 1506 Raphael journeyed Northward
over the Apennines to the famous old city of Bologna, where he

became intimate with Francesco

of the
;

Francia, " one

most sincerely pious of

"

Christian painters

"

and painted

The

Nativity

"

for Bentivoglio, the lord of the city.

artist

The busy
just

next visited his native

city,

which had

been scourged by the plague.

equitable reign of Guidobaldo

The

peaceful and

had nevertheless

increased the prosperity of Urbino, and enriched

its

palaces and people, so that his was the forecourts,

most among the minor Italian

whether in

learning or morals, gayety or splendor.

its

Among
Genoese

members were Andrea

;

Doria, the

Admiral
of

the exiled Giuliano de' Medici, brother

;

Pope Leo X.

the soldier Ottaviano Fregoso,

of

prospective

Duke

Genoa

Federigo Fregoso,
;

afterwards Cardinal-Archbishop of Salerno

the
;

Count of Canossa, some time Bishop of Bayeux

the valiant

and

stainless

Count Castiglione,

whom

Charles V. called " one of the best knights in the

world ; " the wise Bibiena, afterwards a cardinal

and the

light of

Rome; and

the scholar

Bembo,

AT
who became

URBINO.

33
Castiglione
II

cardinal under

Leo X.

described the manners of the palace in "

del

Libro

Cortigiano" (The

Courtier's

Book), several
fre-

passages of which imply that Raphael was

quently present, and was highly regarded, at the

discussions of the
literati.

Henry VIII.
and insignia
his

of

England had sent the Abbot

Guidobaldo, with the order
;

of Glastonbury to

of the Garter

and the Duke showed

gratitude

by despatching Castiglione with

rich presents to the King,

who

received

him

at

London with

great pomp.
St.

Among

the gifts was

a small picture of "

George and the Dragon,"

through

by Raphael, which afterwards passed

strange adventures, and
is

now

in

the Hermitage

Palace at

St.

Petersburg, hung in the

manner

of

an ex

vofo,

over a perpetually burning lamp.

During

this visit

Raphael painted the long-lost

his

portraits of

Guidobaldo and

Duchess, the
;

heir-apparent,

Bembo, and

others

and " The

Joseph,"
classic

Holy Family with the Beardless

St.

now

at the

Hermitage Palace.

His

first

theme, and one of happy augury, was

"The Three
antique
col-

Graces," which was

suggested by an
is

group at Siena, and

now

in

Lord Ward's

34
lection.

RAPHAEL,
The
small " Orleans Madonna," lately
for

bought by the Duke of Aumale

is

$30,000,

a pleasing work in the Florentine manner, with

details

certain
niers.

afterwards added by David Teinteresting picture of this period

artist

The most

was a

portrait of the

himself,

now

in

the
face,

Uffizi Gallery,
full

showing a pale and gentle

of nobility
hair,

and earnestness, with brown eyes

figure clad in plain black.

and

and a slender

Eastlake thinks that he remained at Urbino until

autumn, when he met Pope Julius

II.,

who came
bril-

to the city with twenty-two cardinals

liant retinue of halberdiers

and a

and men-at-arms.
Flor-

Raphael
ence

set out

on

his third journey to

late in

1506,

and paused on the way over

the mountains, at the

Tuscan Abbey of Vallomand

brosa, where he painted portraits of Blasio

Baldassare, eminent Benedictine monks.

pictures are

These

now

at the Florentine

Academy, and

show a

spirited execution

and severe correctness

of drawing.

On
"

reaching Florence he painted the valuable

of the Canigiani Family," a pyr-

Holy Family

amidal group composed of the Virgin and Child,

with St. Elizabeth and St. John kneeling, and St

FRA BARTOLOMMEO.
Joseph leaning on- a
staff.

35
to

It

was jiresented

the Princess de' Medici

on her marriage with the

Elector Palatine, and

is

now

at

Munich.

A con;

temporary work at Madrid shows the Virgin holding Jesus on a lamb, in a rich landscape

and
St.
is

another charming work of this season

is

the "

Catherine " of the National Gallery, whose face

radiant with sacred peace and deep conservation.

Among
tion,"

Raphael's friends was the Dominican

monk, Fra Bartolommeo, "the painter of devo-

who had renounced

the profession of art

at the instance of his friend Savonarola, burning

his pictures

on the great pyre of earthly

vanities.

After the reformer's martyrdom, he entered the

Convent

of

San Marco, and gave himself up

In 1506 his superior
;

to
or-

the severest austerities.

iered
in

him

to

resume

his painting

but he labored
until

a feeble and perfunctory

manner

he met

the Urbinese artist,

lectual inspiration.

who gave him

new modes
of

a fresh intelin-

In return, Bartolommeo

structed his friend in

of vivid coloring

and
him

rich arrangements
his

drapery, and taught

system of grouping based on geometrical

principles.

Early in 1507 the artist finished his studies

foi

36
the

RAPHAEL.
picture

ordered by Atalanta Baglioni, the

grieving mother of the

murdered Grifonnetto,

but rejected them at last for an adaptation of

Mantegna's composition on the

same

subject.
of

The

result
full-

was the
of

majestic "
skill

Entombment

Chi ist,"

consummate
is

and anatomical

knowledge, which

now

the chief ornament of

for

the Borghese Palace,

centuries.
ner, in

and has been studied

artist's

This was in the

second man"

which he painted the long-lost

Madon-

na with the Pink," of which several charming

copies remain
della
in
;

and the more

is

spiritual "

Madonna

Casa Nicolini," which

now

at

Penshangar

England.

The year
half

1507 was mainly devoted

to perfectijig the study of the Florentine masters.

In the

first

of

1508,

Raphael executed

"The

Virgin with Jesus Asleep," of which one or

two replicas remain; and the

"Madonna
gem

di

Casa

Colonna," an unfinished work in the Berlin Museum.

"La
art,

Belle Jardiniere," the

of

the

Louvre, and one of the noblest achievements of

human

came next

in order,

and was the

It

last

oi his important

Tuscan

pictures.

portrays

the Virgin in a flowery landscape, looking with intense

maternal tenderness into the

celestial

MADONNAS.
eyes of the Child Jesus
artless
;

Z1
is

and

pre-eminent for

and

idyllic

grace and perfect harmony.

of its

Clement gives the origin

tion that the
to

name

in a tradiflower-girl,

model was a beautiful

whom
"

the painter was

much

attached.

The Madonna

del Baldacchino "

was one

of
in-

his latest transitional works,

and shows the

fluence of Fra Bartolommeo.

The Virgin
down on
It

is

on

a high and
the

canopied throne, pressing to her heart

Holy
St.

Child,

who

looks

St.

Peter

and

Bruno and other

saints.

was ordered
Napoit

by the Dei family, but was not finished.

leon carried
Brussels,
it

away
it

in

1798,

and gave
to

to

whence

was restored

the

Pitti

Palace after 18 15.

finished

Another beautiful but unpresented by Pope ClemElizabeth,

Madonna was
to

ent

XL

the

Empress

and

was

included in the great Esterhazy Gallery, which

was bought by Hungary

Pesth.

in 1865 for the city of

In April, 1508,

Raphael wrote

to his

uncle

Simone
pects,

Ciarla, giving

some

details of his pros-

and asking that the new Duke

of

Urbino
by

might send him a

letter to the Gonfaloniere,

vvhose aid he could secure

work

in

the

Palaz

38 zo Vecchio.
It

RAPHAEL.
seems that the young aspirant

wished to

measure strength with Leonardo and

Angelo, on the very ground of their triumphs.

At
old,

this

time
his

Raphael was twenty-five years

Italy.

and

fame had spread throughout

fiftieth year,

I^eonardo was in his

his thirty-third
;

and Angelo

in

and both stood at the zenith of

so-

their fame.

For three years Raphael had

Florence,

journed

in

where he

had

executed

about thirty pictures, some of which were among

his noblest

works.

Meanwhile he had passed

in-

through a marvellous change, as the solemn

fluences
of

the

Franciscan pietists had

of

given

place to the hurrying conflicts

the city of

Savonarola and the Medici.

The

spiritual mysti-

cism and sweet unearthly devoutness delineated

by the

artist in his earlier years,

had yielded
Tuscan

to a

brilliant

realism

and

a fascinating

display of
val-

color.
leys,

The

practical theories of the

peopled with busy myriads, foremost

in arts

of

luxury and culture,

and exulting

in

civic

splendor,

had triumphed over the solemn un-

worldliness of the
in

Umbrian mountains, standing

emanated from
Assisi.

the dim light which

pallid

The

and nun-like oval faces

of Raphael's

CHANGED MANNER,
earlier

39
types
of
a

Madonnas were replaced by

higher earthly beauty, in

whom

maternal
;

affec-

tion often overflowed religious devotion

and the

Virgin seemed to look on Jesus as her beloved

child,

rather

than as her Divine

Lord.
of

The
his

breezy landscapes and

earlier

warm

blue skies

works had

been

metamorphosed

into

elaborate architectural environings and richness of

costume.

The

Syrian

rustic

had become

Florentine patrician.

Yet who

shall say that this great

'i

change

v/as

not also a great advance

The

pictures in the

new manner show

expressions which

the Virgin as a tender

human

mother, with earnest impulses of affection, and

are
at

once comprehensible

and pleasing.

The dry Peruginesque reverence

;

has passed away

but a new element

is

added,

appealing more surely to the universal

heart.
skill

human
The

And how
of

great have been the gains in

coloring
!

draping, grouping, and

genius of the Urbinese youth, and the enthusiastic

devoutness of his earlier training, had met and

been influenced by the intense power of Angelo,

the versatility of Leonardo,

and the holiness

of

Fra Bartolommeo, whose most excellent

traits

40

RAPHAEL.
spirit, to

were assimilated by his glowing

in the great

appear

works of the

future.

Perhaps the Duke of Urbino had used his

influence for

Raphael

at the

Vatican

itself

per-

haps the

Pope had seen and admired

;

his

works

while at Urbino
the

perhaps his kinsman Bramante,

invited

papal

architect,

him

to

better his

fortunes

under his own

to

patronage.

He

was

summoned
1508,
tD the

Rome

about the middle of the year

and immediately departed with great joy

Eternal City.

THE EVIL POPES.

4i

CHAPTER
Raphael at

IV.
under Julius II.

Rome from

1508 to

1513,

Vatican Frescos.
narina.

Influence

of Michael Angelo.

The La For-

In order

to

comprehend the

state of affairs in
its

Rome
Itily

at this period, one

must review

then

recent history.

At the time

of Raphael's birth,

was

free

from foreign invaders, and was

rrled by several petty princes and despots, over

whom
power.

the

Papacy strove
evil

to

exercise a central

The

and simoniac Pope Sixtus IV.

was then
ily,

in power,

and crushed the Colonna fam-

intrigued against the Medici, betrayed Venice,

laid

Florence under interdict, and founded the

Inquisition in Spain.

The next Pope, Innocent

was an average

VIII., reduced the standard of morals so low that

for

many months

at a time there

of fifteen assassinations daily in the city.

He was
with

succeeded by the Spanish Borgia, Alexander VI.,

a vigorous ruler and able financier, but
filled

crimes, perfidies, and obscenities, and controlled

42

RAPHAEL.

by his mistresses, Giulia Farnese and Vannozza.

His illegitimate son, Caesar Borgia, became the

scourge of Italy,
filling

the land with carnage,

poisoning the nobles and prelates, and abandoning the cities to rapine.

France, Germany, and with

ferocious

Spain
armies
;

invaded

the

peninsula

Savonarola thundered

from
St.

Florence

against the desecrated chair of

the

Peter, and

endless feuds of the

Colonna and Orsini

to a

families
silent

reduced

the

Roman Campagna
of

desolation.

The land

the

Madonna

had become an Aceldama.

At

the

same

time, in the quickening of intel-

lectual life

which war always brings, the Pagan

in
full

revival

was

force at the
;

brilliant

little

capitals of the principalities

literature

and both
their

art

and

advanced

toward

culmination.

Angelo, Leonardo,

Raphael, Titian, Correggio,

re-

Bartolommeo, Andrea del Sarto, were the

splendent names of this period of art
republic of letters was
of
;

and the

honored by the genius

Ariosto,

Sannazaro,

Bembo,

Politian,

and

Acquaviva.
After the brief reign of Pius
della
III.,

Cardinal

Rove re succeeded

to the papal tiara,

under

POPE JULIUS
Ae name

II.

43

of Julius II., in October, 1503.

in years,

He
in-

was then advanced

but possessed

domitable energy and courage and considerable

military skill.
in

His court was the most

its

brilliant

Europe, and he rigidly purified

morals.

Many eminent

scholars were attracted to settle

near the Vatican by his wise and judicious pat-

ronage of art and

bition

letters.

His absorbing amof Italy

;

was

for the glory

and unity

and

all political

and military enterprises were devoted

Julius at-

to

freemg her shores from invaders.

tacked Venice with the ban of the Church and

the armies of the

League

of

Cambrai

and then

opposed France with the decrees of the Fifth

Lateran Council and the battalions of the Holy
League.

The armor

of the knightly

commander
than the

was more congenial

to this heroic soul

robes of the ecclesiastic.

The

artistic enterprises

which the active mind

of Julius conceived were

on a magnificent
St.

scale,

and included the reconstruction of

Peter's

Church, the erection of a costly mausoleum for

himself,

and the enlargement of the Apostolic

Palace of the Vatican to the dimensions of a

city

under a single

roof.

It

was

to

be made the

44

RAPHAEL.

heart and centre of Christendom, and to contain

not only the apartments of the

suite

Pope and

his

of

nobles and prelates, ambassadors and

courtiers, but also the offices

and archives

of the

administration of the universal church.

The Pope
upon

received Raphael with cordiality

his arrival at

Rome, and commissioned him

assembly called
the four

to fresco the hall of the judicial

"

La

Segnatura."

This was one of

halls, or

Le

Stanze^

which had already been decoBut

rated by Perugino, Francesca, and others.

the

Pope was so astonished and pleased with

in

Raphael's paintings

the

first

hall,

that

he

commanded
entire suite.

>the destruction of the

older works,

in order that his

new

favorite

might decorate the

The

artist,

however, preserved cer;

tain small

works by Sodoma

and

his reverence

for his old master led to the retention of

tire

an en-

vault which

had been painted by Perugino.

Segnatura was frescoed in

The

Stanza

della

1508-11 by the master's

own hand;
by him

the Stanza
;

di Eliodoro in 15 12-14, mostly

the Stan-

za deir Incendio in 15 14-17, by his pupils, and

from his designs; and the

in

Sala di Costantino

1519-24 by his

disciples, following his draw-

VATICAN FRESCOS.
ings.

45

For the work

thirty-six

in the first three halls, he

received

hundred ducats.

The

fres-

cos were seriously injured in

1527, during the

sack of

Rome by

the imperial troops under the

Constable Bourbon, when the rude soldiery built

their camp-fires in the Vatican.

About the year

1700 they were restored by Carlo Maratti, "the

last

of

the

Romans," but are now much the

worse for age.

For the decoration of the august chamber of

the Segnatura, the artist sought conceptions of
lofty dignity,
in art,

and resolved

to enter a

new domain
alleal-

by portraying
as

in colors

such imposing

gorical themes

Dante and Petrarch had

ready developed in flowing verse.

The

designs

were of broad expanse, and ingeniously adapted

to

the Procrustean requirements of the various

walls.

While the origination and execution

is

of

the work
painter,

due to the daring conception of the

also evident that the extraordinary

it is

display of erudition in the details of the Segnatura frescos

is

a mirror of the best thought of the

contemporary papal court.

to

The

artist is

known
cer-

have obtained advice and information on

tain points

from learned scholars and prelates

6
then in the city
;

RAPHAEL,
and he also wrote
for counsel to

his friend Ariosto,

who was then

ai

the court of

Ferrara, engaged in the composition of the great

epic of " Orlando Furioso."

The
in

first

of the Segnatura frescos

is

was executed

1508-9, and

called " Theology," or "

The

Debate of the Holy

cation of Saints."

Sacrament," or "
It is in

The Convo-

two sections, repre-

senting the Church triumphant in glory, and the

Church militant on

earth.

In the upper part

is

the Almighty Father, surrounded by a countless

host of singing angels

and below

Him
St.

is

the en-

throned Christ, with the Virgin and

Baptist.

John the

From

these

a half-circle of glorified

prophets and apostles, sitting upon the clouds,

extends out to the limits of the picture.

the throne
Spirit,
is

Below

the descending

Dove

of the.

Holy

flanked by cherubim bearing the gospels.

section
is

The lower

occupied by a semicircular

line of prelates, with

an

altar in the centre

is

on

which the Holy Eucharist

exposed.

Sts. Je-

rome, Ambrose, Augustine, and Gregory, the four

Latin fathers, are nearest the
chief
altar,

bearing their

works

and

in

the groups beyond are a few

laymen and schismatics, with Dante, Savonarola.

''SCHOOL OF ATHENS.''
and Fra Angelico, and a great company of
trious saints.
ing, perfect

47
illus-

The admirable
place

grouping, rich color-

harmony, and noble significance of

it

this

picture

above

all
art.

rivalry in the

history of ancient or
"

modern

The School

of

Athens " was the next of the

fifty-

Segnatura frescos, and shows an assembly of

two ancient philosophers in a magnificent vaulted

nail,

with Plato and Aristotle in the foreground,

surrounded by their disciples.

Socrates,

On

the

left

is

with Alcibiades and others, and also

Pythagoras, illustrating his harmonies, with

Em-

pedocles, Anaxagoras, and the Saracen Averroes.

On

the right are the Epicureans

and

Stoics, with

Archimedes and Zoroaster, and other masters.

Diogenes
is filled

sits

on the central steps

and the

hall

with other groups of antique sages, cor-

rectly

costumed and picturesquely disposed, with

the traditional

Tuscan symmetry
of this picture

of arrangement.

The conception

was daring and

in-

without precedent, and combines high poetic

spiration with remarkable precision of idealized

portraiture.
nificent

Passavant

calls this " the

most mag-

work the master ever produced."

" occupies another side of the

"

The Parnassus

48
hall,

RAPHAEL,
and
is

surmounted by a sublime

figure

of.

Poetry, laurel-crowned, with soaring wings and

star- strewn

robes.

Here Apollo

is

seen playing
of.

on a
the

violin,

under the laurels on the banks

Hippocrene, and surrounded by the Nine

Muses.

On

the

left

Homer

is

singing,
;

and
in

Dante and
the

Virgil

are in conversation

and

foreground, near Sappho of Mytilene, the

three lyric poets, Anacreon, Alcaeus, are talking with Corinna of

right are Pindar,

and Petrarch,

Thebes.

On

the

Horace, and Ovid, with a group

of mediaeval Italian poets.

" Jurisprudence "
side,
is

represented on the fourth

over and around a window.

On

the left

is

the

Emperor

Justinian, with his jurists, founding

the laws of the State by giving the

Codex and
is

the

Pandects to Trebonian.

On

the right

Pope
sur-

Gregory IX., with the features of Julius

II.,

rounded by cardinals, and establishing the laws

of the

Church by placing the Decretals

of

in

the

hands

an advocate.

Some
done by

of the lunettes
pupils,
;

and

ceiling-frescos

were
of

and show much inequality

the

execution

while

smaller historical

scenes

below were painted by Perino della Vaga, and add

VATICAN FRESCOS.
greatly
unity. to

49
elegance
of

the

general

effect

of

and

They

are in the
of

new process
Raphael.

chiaro-

scuro, an

invention

The

leading

merits of this great illuminated epic of humanity are purity and truth
influences of
;

and they show forth the

Leonardo and Bartolommeo, unafin this hall the artist "

fected by the exaggerated grandeur of Angelo.

Ruskin says that

wrote

upon the walls the Mene^

Art of Christianity.

Tekel, Upharsi?t, of the

And from

that spot,

and

from that hour, the

date

intellect

and the

art of Italy

their degradation."

But the mind which

remains unprejudiced by the quaint conceits of

Anglican mediaevalism must rejoice at the emancipation of Raphael and his successors from the

formal
art,

traditions
their

of

the epoch of the

dawn

of

and

advance into the realms of higher

like a rock in the

beauty.

Standing

midst of the

downward current
archaism
in art,

of 'materialism

and pseudo-

Raphael refused

to yield to the

fascinations of these corrupting

influences,

and

contented himself with a close and profitable study

of pure antiquity, without sinking into base imita-

tion

and

servility.

He

blent the art-ideals of the

of the

Church with the triumphant theories

Greek

so
sculptors,

RAPHAEL,
and thus conveyed " the golden
treas-

ure of the Christian spirit into the silver vessel of

antiquity."

Until

the

Segnatura

frescos

were

finished,

Michael Angelo was engaged,

in jealous seclusion,

on the world-renowned frescos

of

the

Sistine

Chapel, which were not seen by his rival until

they were publicly unveiled in
15 12.

Angelo

was not friendly to

his

young competitor, and

accused him of conspiring with Bramante to have

him removed from the execution

frescos, adding that "

of

the Sistine
of
art

Whatever he knew

he had learned from me."

this jealousy,

Though annoyed by
of

which the great Tuscan also showed

artists,

to
his

many

other

Raphael spoke highly

revealing

masterly works, which were

new

possibilities for art.

Lanzi likens the rivaliy of

to that

Raphael and Angelo

Parrhasius, in
its

between Zeuxis and

beneficial results in stimulating

both

artists to their

highest efforts.

The

Floren-

tine biographers, Vasari

and Condivi, were townstheir disparage-

men
ment

of Angelo,

and hence an^se

of his rival.

Nor

did their victim have a

chance to repel -their attacks; for when their

books appeared, he was

in his grave.

Vasari's

VASARI.

51

work was published

in 1550,

under the

title

of

**The Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors,

and Architects."
attractive

It

was written

in a quaint

and

manner, but was based mainly on

hearsay, and bristles with inaccurate statements

and apocryphal anecdotes.

that
''

Ruskin bluntly says

Vasari

is

an ass with precious things in his

ask his opinion on

panniers

but you must not

first

any matter."

During the

years of his

life

at

Rome,
still

Raphael

lived in the four-story

house which

remains at No. 124 Via Coronari, near the

St.

Angelo Bridge.
old

Here he probably received

his

master Perugino, who was at

Rome

from

1509 to 1512, and his early friends Pinturicchio

and

Signorelli.

In September, 1508, he wrote a

Francia, acknowledging the

letter to his friend

receipt of his portrait,

and sending him a draw-

ing of the " Praesepio," with a promise to forward

his

own

portrait

in

return.

He

spoke of his
of his

intense activity,

and alluded

to the fact

possessing pupils even at that early date.

Soon

afterwards Francia wrote in his he nor a resounding laudatory sonnet, addressed

of qur day."

"To

the Zeuxis

52

RAPHAEL.
In 15 lo

Marc Antonio Raimoncli,

of Bologna,
jour-

the

most famous engraver of ancient times,

neyed to Rome, and became closely connected

with Raphael,
lie engraved

who

assisted

him

for several years,

many

of the artist's best works, not

from the finished paintings, but from the drawings,

aided by the master himself.
ideas of the

By

this

means

the

new school were spread

;

far

and wide
Raphael

over Europe

and the

joint efforts of
art of

and Marc Antonio raised the

engraving to

an excellence which in some respects has never

been surpassed.

The

plates were given to Ba-

viera, the color-grinder for the studio,

who derived

great profits from their printing.

ziano,

Agostino Vene-

Hugo da

Carpi,

Marco da Ravenna, and

Raphael's
works,

other artists

also

engraved
in

which were thus preserved

Prof. Miiller of
that

many

duplicates.

Diisseldorf has recently proved

peintre-graveiir^
like Diirer,

Raphael was a

and once made a remarkable plate of a Madonna.

During the three years of the Segnatura works,
the master probably designed

and

left in

various

stages of progress

numerous

pictures,

which he

completed in rapid succession after that absorbing

task

was done.

Eight of these inchoate

PICTURES OF

1511.

S3
1.

compositions were finished in 151

nunciation "
of Bologna,

was ordered for

"The AnAgamemnon Grass),

11.

and has long since disappeared. The

represents

magnificent portrait of Pope Julius

a mild and thoughtful old ecclesiastic, with bright

eyes and a long white beard.
Pitti

It is

now

in the

Palace, with copies in the Uffizi Tribune

and elsewhere.

The

portrait of
is

the chivalrous
at Charlcote

young Marquis of Mantua

Park, near Warwick.

now

The

portrait

of

Raphael

made
his

at this time has disappeared, but that of

mistress has been in the

Barberini

Palace

since 1642.

She

is

a beautiful half-draped girl of

passionate expression, with a circlet of gold and

jewels on her hair, and a bracelet on her left

arm

bearing the
portrait,

name Raphael
in the Louvre,
is

Urbinas.

Another

now

showing a blue-eyed

and

light-haired youth,

sometimes incorrectly

called his

own

likeness.

"The Alba Madonna,"

copyists,

a very beautiful round picture on wood, and a

favorite
in

subject

with

was
of

purchased
Russia,
for

England,

by the
is

Emperor
in

$70,000, and
ace.

now

the

Hermitage Palin

"

The Aldobrandini Madonna," now

is

London,

notable for

its

clear flesh-tints, and

54
k

RAPHAEL.
and land

for the quiet coloring of the drapery

scape.

The Madonnas
are

of

Raphael's

Roman

period

grander and stronger than those which he

at Florence.

produced

He had now
women

under his

observation the stately

still

of Trastevere,

who
in-

claim to be the only descendants of the an-

cient

Romans, and the magnificently formed

habitants of the
attribute the

Campagna.

Lanzi and Mengs

grandeur of his third period, not to

artists,

adaptations from other

nor yet to a close

study of nature, but rather to his earnest contemplation of the antique,

whose

ideals at length be-

came

his inspiration.

The gaunt figures of the

the no-

Umbrian mountaineers were replaced by

ble dignity of

Greek heroes and demi-gods.

He

was not

satisfied with the

study of the antique

sculptures in

Rome

alone, but

employed

artists to

copy the classical remains at Pozzuoli and other

Italian tov/ns,

and even obtained transcripts

of

certain of the art-treasures of Greece.

He

for-

bade

his pupils to

make exact
that
*'

delineations

of

the actualities of their beautiful Italian models,

establishing as a

maxim

We

must not

rep-

resent things as they are, but as they should be."

"MADONNA OF FOLIGNOy
"The Loreto Madonna,"
to the shrine at Loreto,

55

Eight pictures are referred to the year 15 12.

after

passing

from

Santa Maria del Popolo to Florence, and thence

disappeared during the

s'orm of the French Revolution.

"

The Madonna
in a

di Foligno "

shows the Virgin

and Child

golden glory, among the clouds,

with St. Jerome below, presenting the kneeling

Sigismondo Conti, while

St.

Francis

and

St.

John

the Baptist are on the other side.

is

Between

these groups
tablet
j

little

naked angel, bearing a

Foligno
is

and the

city of

seen in the
it.

background, with a
masterpiece
skilful
is

bomb

falling into
its

This

peculiar for

felicitous drawing,

chiaroscuro, and

rich coloring;

showing

the influence of the gorgeous Venetian painters,

one of whom, Sebastiano del Piombo, had

rived
at

ar-

Rome

the

previous year.

It

was a

votive picture for Conti, the historian

and Papal
to

secretary; and in

1750

it

was offered

the

agent of the Elector of Saxony for $3,000, while

the

world-renowned "

St.

Cecilia "

was offered

for $18,000.

The

frugal commissioner haggled

for a lower price,

and

lost

both chances, to the

great chagrin of his master.

The

picture was

56
carried to Paris

RAPHAEL,
by Napoleon, but was returned

to Italy after 1815, together with scores of other

plundered pictures.

About

this

time the wealthy Agostino Chigi

life

was leading the

at his

of a Maecenas, assembling
artists,

sumptuous feasts the chief nobles,

and

literati of

Rome, together with

fair

the queenly

Imperia and other

Siena,

women.

Chigi was from

in Italy,

and was the greatest ship-owner

besides being the operator of lucrative salt and

alum mines

in the

Papal States.

He

was highly

honored by Julius

II.

and Leo X.

for his probity

and patriotism
literature,

and became also a patron

a printing-press
to

of
re-

establishing

produce the Greek

classics.

Peruzzi, "the

Ra

phael of architecture," had built him one of the

handsomest Renaissance

villas in

Rome,

in the
it

ancient gardens of Geta, on the Tiber; and

had been frescoed by Sebastiano, Razzi, and

Romano.
for

As

early as

15 10,

Raphael designed

Chigi

two classic goblets, which were exe-

cuted in bronze by Cesarino.

The noble patron

Santa Maria del

afterwards commissioned him to erect and decorate chapels in the churches of

Popolo and Santa Maria

della Pace, the former

ANGELESQUE STUDIES.
of

57
1099,

which was

built

by Pope Paschal
site

II., in

on the spectre-haunted
It

of the grave of Nero.

contained

the

magnificent
cardinals
;

mausoleums

of

several

patrician

and Chigi ordered

Raphael
him.

to build a similar sepulchre-chapel for

This work was carried

on

slowly

and

fitfully, until

the deaths of both artist

in

and patron,
Raphael

which occurred

the

same month.
\

drew several of the cartoons

for

and the mosaics

Creator and
the

the

dome, showing

the

heavenly luminaries, were executed in 15 16.

It is incontestable that

Raphael was strongly

influenced by the sight of Angelo's Sistine frescos.

He commenced
to his pencil
;

similar works,

in

fields

new

and the Prophets and

of the

Sibyls,

and the decorations

Chigi chapel, show

Several of his
still

the effects of this fresh impulse.

drawings from the Sistine frescos are

served,

pre-

and show that he had begun on Angelo's

works the same process of analysis and appropriation which he

of

had previously applied

to those

Masaccio,

Bartolommeo, and Leonardo.

Gorizius
of

In
friend

15 1 2

John

Luxembourg,
artists,

and patron of the Roman

placed

a marble group of the Virgin and

St.

Anna

58
in

RAPHAEL.
the

Church

of

St.

Augustine,

and ordered

Raphael
above
it.

to execute a

fres(^.o

of the Prophet Isaiah

filling this order,

Vasari says that after

the artist saw Angelo's Sistine frescos, and was

so displeased at the weakness

of his

work that
in

he erased

it,

and repainted the subject

the

grander Angelesque manner.

Another

tradition

says that Gorizius was dissatisfied with the price,

and asked Angelo about

work, and
price
replied, "

it,

who examined
alone
is

the

The knee

worth the

demanded."

Later in 15 12, the master painted the portrait

of a beautiful

and

richly attired
at

woman, which
It
;

is

now

in the

Tribune

Florence.

was long
but later

supposed to represent La Fornarina

critics

demonstrate that

it

is

some other lady

Colonna or the imAnother
pic-

either the admirable Vittoria

provisatrice Beatrice
ture of

of
is

Ferrara.

great merit

that of

Raphael's friend

Bindo

Altoviti, a blue-eyed

youth of twenty-two,
of palaces

famous
in

for his beauty,

and the owner

This
is

Rome

and Florence.

the finest piece

j

of coloring that the

master ever accomplished

and Bottari

calls

it

equal to Titian's richest work.

Among

the portraits sometimes attributed tc

DOUBTFUL PICTURES.
Raphael's
Pucci,

59

Roman
;

period, are those of Cardinal

;

now

in Scotland

Cardinal Borgia, at the

Borghese Palace
in

Cardinal del Monte, formerly

the

Fesch Gallery;
;

Cardinal Passerino,
at St.

at

Naples

and Cardinal Polus,

list

Petersburg.

Passavant gives a
fifty

of over

one hundred and

attrib-

doubtful pictures which have been

the

uted to

great master,

some

of

which are

copies by his pupils, retouched by his

own hand,

or possibly genuine productions which are with-

out definite authentication.

the Virgin,"

" St.

Luke Painting

was probably designed and partly

It is at the

executed by Raphael.
St.

Academy

of

Luke, at Rome,

and shows

the

kneeling

apostle

depicting the heavenly vision, with Ra-

phael himself observing his work.

The marvellous
his

variety
still

and noble dignity

further at this

of

Madonnas appear

time

in the

Madonna
is

of the Bridgewater (Ellesmere)

Gallery, which
ling.

famous

for its beautiful modelin

"

The Madonna with Jesus Standing,"

collection,
is

Lady
ples "

Burdett-Coutts's
"

now much
of

injured and worn.

is

The Holy Family

by the

Na-

a well-preserved specimen of the

artist's

best work,

and

is

called

Italians,

"

La

6c

RAPHAEL.
design for
a
beautiful

Madonna del Divino Amore." The "The Madonna dell' Impannata,"

Giulio

domestic scene, which was probably executed by

Romano, dates from

this period.

It

was

painted on an- order from Bindo Altoviti, for a

present to the city of Florence, and
Pitti Palace.
is

now

in the

The

history of the domestic

is

and private

life

of

Raphael

wrapped

in

obscurity, or confused

with conflicting traditions.

There

is

no doubt

that during the early part of his sojourn at

Rome,
fair

he was passionately
Margherita, to
sonnets.

in love with a certain

whom

he addressed three graceful

Vasari says that Raphael

Certain

remained

attached to her until he died.

German
after-

scholars have maintained that he had an intrigue

with a potter's daughter in

Urbino,

who

wards dwelt with him

at

Rome.

But Misserini
the

gives the statement of a

MS. discovered by
was the daughter

Abbe

Cancellieri, that she

of a
in

baker inTrastevere, famous for her beauty, even

that dwelling-place of physical perfection, so that

the youths often watched her from over the wall

of her father's garden.
her, while she

There Raphael

first

saw

was bathing her delicate

feet in a

LA FORNARINA.
fountain; and
her,

64

when he was made acquainted with

and found that the perfections of her mind

equalled the charms of her person, he became

completely infatuated, and henceforth knew peace

only in her presence.

The name La Fornarina

baker
late
origin.
It

refers to the occupation of her father, the

(^fornajo),

but

is

of

should be
the
re-

noticed that Passavant throws

doubts on

whole story of Raphael's

pudiates
it

love-life,

and Hare

utterly.

The

gossiping Vasari

says

that

when the
his inamo-

master was painting the

Palace, he

first floor

of the Chigi

was so much occupied with

rata that the

work

of

decoration received but

scant attention.
of
its

Chigi at last began to despair

accomplishment, and, in order to keep the

artist

on the scene

of his labors,

he persuaded

the lady to take

up her abode

in the palace, in

rooms near the new paintings.

When Raphael
all

was thus accommodated, and could have her

day on the platform by
his side, the

work went
"

on bravely, and reached a successful termination.

The

old chronicler adds, quaintly enough,

He
and
he

was much disposed

to the gentler affections,

delighted in the society of

women,

for

whom

63

RAPHAEL.
to

was ever ready

perform acts of service.

to

But

he also permitted himself

be devoted somelife,

what too earnestly

this respect

to the pleasures of

and

in

was perhaps more than duly consid-

ered and indulged by his friends and admirers."

In the winter of 15 12-13, the master painted

the famous "

Madonna

del Pesce," which East-

lake assigns as the closing work of his second

manner, and Viardot ranks as co-equal with the

Sistine

Madonna, and even

in

as

surpassing that
its

masterpiece

the expression of

figures.

It

represents the ideally lovely Virgin, seated on a

throne, and holding the radiant Child,

who
St.

rests

His hand on an open book proffered by

Jerome.

To these approaches
and comes
ness.

Tobit,

who

is

led

by an angel,

to implore a cure for his father's blind-

The name
fish

del Pesce (of the Fish) refers to

carries.

the

which Tobit

Tobit's

prayer

alludes to the destination of the picture, which

was

for a

famous chapel

at Naples,

containing

the crucifix that once spoke to St.

nas,

Thomas Aquiwith disto the

and resorted

to

by persons

afflicted

eases of the eyes.

fact that the

Another allusion was

Church had recently acknowledged

of

the

canonicalness

the

apocryphal

Book

ol

HALL OF HELIODORUS.
Tobit, which St.

63

Jerome

translated.

The

Perugi-

nesque devoutness and Raphaelesque grandeur of

this picture are illuminated

by a clear and
to

vigor-

ous coloring.
1644,

It

was forcibly carried

in

Spain in
skil-

and

to

France

18 13.

After being
to

fully transferred

from wood
in 182,2.

canvas,

it

was

restored to

Madrid
to

From 1512

151 4, Raphael was engaged in

the second Vatican hall,

La Stanza

di Eliodoro,

which had been frescoed by Francesca and Bramantino of Milan.

Their paintings contained

many
at the

portraits of

eminent men, and were copied

by Raphael's pupils before they were destroyed

Papal order.
grisaille,

The

antique decorations in

gold and
left

forming the frame-works, were

intact;

and

in order to give his pictures a

lighter appearance, the artist imitated stretched

canvas.
is

The

epic cycle represented in this hall

that of the divine protection

of the

and ultimate

tri-

umph

Church.

The

frescos on the ceiling

show scenes from the Old Testament,

Jehovah

appearing to Noah, Jacob's Vision, Moses at the

Burning Bush, and the Sacrifice of Isaac.

"

The Miraculous Expulsion of Heliodorus from

Temple
at

the

Jerusalem " was the

first

large

64

RAPHAEL.
its

mural painting, and gives

It represents tlie

name

to the

ha'.l.

angels attacking Heliodorus as

he was removing the widows' fund from the Temple, at the

falls falls

order of King Seleucus.

A great

fear

on the assembled multitude as the robber

before the lightning-like rush of the goldenhis minions fly

armored angels, while

from the
is

swift celestial vengeance.

On
of

one side

an ana-

chronistic group

composed

Pope

Julius II.

and

four assistants, two of

whom

are Giulio

Romano

and Marc Antonio.

illustrates

This vigorous composition

the principle of
its

God's protection of

the

Church against

enemies, and the interpo-

lated papal group refers to Julius's expulsion of

his

enemies from Rome.

The

picture

is

full

ol

inimitable expression

and dramatic

fervor,

and

shows not only the richness of the new Venetian

coloring, but also the

freedom of the picturesque

its skilful

school, with

its

disregard of details and

of light

handling of broad masses

"

and shade.
second great

The Miracle

of Bolsena " is the

fresco,

and portrays the

tradition that in the year

1264 a Bohemian priest of Bolsena doubted the

doctrine of transubstantiation, but was convinced

by the miraculous flowing of blood

from the

DEATH OF JULIUS
the origin of the festival of

II.

65

Host while he was celebrating mass.

Corpus

This was

Christi.

The
terri-

chief features of this grand picture are the

fied

and repentant face of the

priest, the agitated

surprise

and varied gestures of the crowd, and

Cardinal Riario.

the blazing wrath of

also are

Herein

shown the two great antagonistic forces

Pope
and phleg-

of the sixteenth century, in the richly arrayed

and Cardinals, and a group

of honest

matic Swiss guardsmen below.

The deadly battle

soldiers,

between Italian priests and German

which

has not yet ceased, was then about to begin.

When Raphael
Mass

is

spoken of as a

colorist, the

pictures of the Expulsion of Heliodorus

and the

of Bolsena are usually referred to.

They
works

are called the

most

richly colored frescos in the

to the best

world,

and have been preferred

of Titian or Andrea.
hall
illustrate

The

other pictures in this

regime,

different

and are de-

scribed farther on.

On

the

2 2d

of

February,

15 13,

Rome was

plunged into profound grief by the death of Pope

Julius II.

His

last

words crystallized the grand

life,

idea of his long and heroic

all

" Far from

Ital)

the French, far from Italy

all

the barbarians.'

66

RAPHAEL,

CHAPTER V. The Accession of Leo X. Raphael's Palace and his Friends. Paintings 15 13-14. Appointed Architect of St.
in

Peter's,

Maria da Bibiena.

The

wise and courageous Julius

brilliant

II.

was sucX.,

ceeded by the

and lavish Leo

interests

who

strove to advance

the

of his

family,

and

to

make Rome
Christendom.

the literary and artistic capi-

tal of

He had

long been famous

;

as a generous patron of letters

and

his palace

on the Piazza Navona had been the rendezvous

of authors.
thirty-nine,

He

received the tiara at the age of

on the 19th of March, 15 13.

Leo
Medici

was

of the very flower of the illustrious

family,

and exhibited

all

their refined taste, ur-

bane manners,

liberality,

and

erudition.

His

extravagant munificence towards

of the higher arts led

the

disciples

him

to give over

one hun;

dred thousand ducats a

table

3^ear in

presents

and

his

consumed

half the revenues of

Romagna.

The

easy-going epicureanism of this dull-eyed

THE PAGAN REVIVAL.

Neo-Pagan Renaissance,

67

and thick-lipped Primate was a representative

production of
the
in

which Latinity was more important than ortho-

doxy; the immortahty of the soul was held as an

open question

and sermon-writers substituted the

name

of Jupiter for Jehovah.

The

revival of the

study of classic art and literature passed into a

perfect delirium
evil

among

all

classes.

Even the

traits

of

the

ancients were

admired and

copied, and the puerilities of the Silver

Age were
Pagan
and
of Flor;

held up for imitation.

philosophers, which had

The study

of the
life

become the

entine society, was transplanted to

Rome

the Pontiff himself headed the re-action from the

dry subtleties of the schoolmen to the enlivening

theories of

the

Neo-Platonists.

Prophets and

sibyls, apostles

and demigods, were given equal

rank in the new system, and Olympus and Olivet

were confused and united.

Among
were
the

the chief writers of this barocco age

graceful

Venetian

idyllist

Navagero
of

and the Latin historian Paulo Giovio, both

whom
of

were born

in

the

same year

as Raphael.

The Latin language was

the
''

also used in Vida's epic

Christiad,"

Politian's

"Sylv^e"

and

68

RAPHAEL.
Sadoleto's " Laocoon,"

" Nutricia," the austere

Castiglione's
elegies,

Pantanus's

amorous

ec-

logues of Southern Italy, and Canisio's orations.

Sannazaro added

to his

" elegies the " Arcadia

to

and the " Partus Virginis,"

twenty years.
the

which he devoted

Bembo

wrote delicious odes after

manner

of Catullus,

and amatory songs

and

Frascatoro treated didactically of

themes.

unspeakable

This strange literary amalgam

soon

passed into a condition of unworthy license, so

that even

Erasmus stigmatized

its

followers as

" apes of Cicero."

If the literature

and

politics of the

day were
were

corrupt

and heathen, the vices

of society

worse than heathen.

vied in lewdness
;

The simoniac

cardinals

and the Pope derived amusein a blanket,

ment from seeing monks tossed

the foot-races of
the

and

naked men.

The

treasures of

Church were wasted

for banquets,
vanities.

pagan

fres-

cos, classic villas,

this city of luxury

and other and

lust

Through
fair-

wandered the
Britain,

haired pilgrims from

hal

Germany and

who

come on

religious journeys to the capital of

Christendom.

With wide eyes they observed,

to

and with grieving hearts they returned

the

RAPHAEL AND LEO

Yet

X.

69

North, and prepared Transalpine Europe for the

Reformation.
court

different

men saw

the Papal

in varying
*'

lights.
all

Luther called

Leo's

Rome
mus

the sink of

abominations ; " but Eras-

praised the light

and freedom

of

"that

radiant city."

Raphael was favorably received by the new

Pope, and was retained at his labors in the Vatican.

He

was already intimate with several and was conformed

of

the leaders of the court,

the drift of

to

Roman

sentiment.

Yet, from the

little

nature of his occupations, he was in

danger

of being swept into the full current of the general

decadence.

In 15 13 the well-beloved monk-artist. Era Bartolommeo, came to Rome, and was bewildered
with the grand works of Michael Angelo and his

former comrade.

He

was hospitably received by

BarSt.

Raphael, to

whom

he had long been dear.

of St. Peter

tolommeo began the paintings

Paul, which are

and

now

in the Quirinal Palace, but,

being unfavorably affected by the air of the Campagna, he returned to Florence.

While Raphael

was

finishing his friend's pictures, two cardinals

visited the studio,

and complained of the redness

0/

70
the apostles' faces.

RAPHAEL.
To whom Raphael made
I

an-

swer

"

You need

not be surprised.

have given
;

them

that color after

much

deliberation

for

it

may
and

well be supposed that the Apostles St. Peter

St.

Paul must blush as deeply in heaven as

in these pictures,

on seeing the Church governed

by such men as you."

In
1

5 13

Leonardo journeyed from Milan

five pupils,

to

Rome, with
works

and was gladly received

his

by Raphael, who had learned so much from

;

but Michael Angelo showed a marked

hostility to the

new-comer, and embarrassed him

so seriously that he left

Rome

the next year.

The poet

Ariosto was also

now

in the Eternal

City, seeking the

patronage of the new Pontiff,

his old friend Raphael.

and doubtless often met

But Leo gave him only smooth words and compliments

;

and the disappointed poet

left

the city,

never to return.

Raphael
early

tried in

vain to bring to

Rome

his

companions and dear friends Alfani and

Ghirlandajo.

The

latter

shared the

fanatical

patriotism of the Florentines to such an extent

that

he could not be persuaded

\

to

go beyond

sight of the cathedral-dome

and Alfani was now

hampered by family

cares.

RAPHAELS PALACE.

yr

Albert Diirer, the famous artist of Nuremberg,

was for many years a correspondent of Raphael,

whom
ity,

he resembled in personal

beaut}^, amiabil-

versatility,

and strong imagination.

drawings,

They
a

exchanged

several

Diirer sending
of

number

of sketches, with a portrait

himself
\

ingeniously done in water-colors on linen

while

Raphael returned a red-crayon study of naked

men, and other drawings.

The

great master was

now

not only renowned

;

and honored, but

also wealthy

and he erected
Square of

for himself a small palace, facing the

St.

Peter's.

He drew

the plans, and Bramante

supervised their execution, which was finished in

1

1 4.

The ground floor was of

rustic architecture,

with five entrances; the main floor was Doric,

and the entablature severely antique

while the

fa9ade was adorned with a line of papal portraits.

Landon

gives thirty-two plates from a set

of pictures illustrating Apuleius's fable of

Cupid
have

and Psyche, with which he was said

adorned the palace.

to

Some

of these subjects are

ac-

very voluptuous, and Passavant declines to

cept them as the conceptions of Raphael.

The

amiability

and sweetness

of

the

artist's

72

RAPHAEL,
many warm
friends, be-

character secured him

sides the admirers
of his genius.

who were drawn

to the light

Among

these were the learned

of

and benevolent Count Castiglione, the envoy

Urbino, for

whom

he painted two portraits, show-

ing a refined face with blue eyes and a manly

beard.

Another was Pietro Bembo, the Papal

secretary,

who

restored the careful finish of Ital-

ian literature, but

life.

was

less scrupulous in private

To

this circle of

comrades belonged Andrea

Navagero, the Venetian historian, and the poet

Beazzano, both of

whom

were portrayed on one

v/hich a

picture by Raphael, of

good copy

re-

mains

in the

Doria Palace.

Sannazaro, the Neaof the coterie

;

politan poet,

was a member

and

also Tebaldeo, the Ferrarese poet.

The master
"

made

a portrait of the latter in 1516, of which

Bembo
much

wrote to

Cardinal Bibiena

Raphael

has just painted our friend Tebaldeo with so

truth that he himself does not

more resemhim."

ble himself than this painting resembles

Other intimates of

this

group were Baldassare

;

Turini, President of the

Chancery

and Branconio
painted

dair Aquila, for

Visitation,"

whom Raphael

"The

and made plans

for a palace opposite

**ATTILA
St. Peter's.

REPULSED^

73

One

of his chief protectors

was the

Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, Archbishop of Florence, a serious

and earnest

prelate,

who

after-

wards became Pope Clement VII.

master painted
signed
the

For him the

Villa

"The Transfiguration," and deMadama, on Monte Mario.

and Riario
artist.

Among
The
latter

the other cardinals, Bibiena

were the best patrons of the

friendship and mutual assistance of Ra-

phael and Bramante remained unbroken.

The

wrote and

presented

to

his

illustrious

protege a treatise on the proportions of

men and

horses

and, at a later day, caused him to choose

which of the competing wax-models of the Laoc-

oon was worthiest

of perpetuation in bronze.

The
left

frescos of the Hall

of

Heliodorus were
II.,

half-done at the death of Julius

and were

finished during the first two years of Leo's reign.

The

third in the succession of these great mural

paintings was " Attila Repulsed fi-om

Rome

by

Pope Leo
Attila

I.,"

illustrating the

legend that when

in

was leading the Huns against Rome,

the year 452, St.

Leo rode

forth to

meet him,

warning him to beware of the fate of Alaric, who

had offended

St.

Peter by plundering his holy

74
city.

RAPHAEL.
At
this juncture
St.

Pster and

St.

Paul

appeared in

the clouds, waving flaming swords,

which so

terrified the

barbarian King that

he.

hastily concluded a peace^

and led

his

army out

of Italy.

In the centre of the picture :he fearis

stricken Attila

seen, riding a fiery black horse,

while his savage hordes are filled with

dismay,

the trumpets are sounding retreat, and the armor-

clad horses are neighing in terror, with the bril

liant

apparitions

above,

and a wild hurricane

this

raging on the plain.

confusion,
St.

To

scene of panic and

dignified

approaches the calm and

Leo, riding on a white mule, and surrounded

by plump cardinals and prelates.

This

is

one of

the best frescos of the master, both in richness

of color, accuracy of drawing, picturesque grouping,

and powerful execution.

Leo X. had

his

own
from

portrait painted for the victorious Pope, in

to

allusion

the recent expulsion of the French

Italy,

when

the troops of the league formed

of England, Maximilian
of Spain, defeated the
;

by Rome, Henry VIII.

of Austria,

and Ferdinand

armies of France in several battles

and Colonna

destroyed their Venetian allies at the battle of

Vicenza.

THE
The
tions.

SIBYLS,

75

last of the
St.

Heliodorus frescos was " The

Peter," which
is

Deliverance of

in three sec-

The

first

shows the aged saint

in prison^

sleeping between two mediaeval men-at-arms, with

a shining angel appearing to free him

in

the

second the

angel leads

the awe-stricken Peter

;

through the slumbering guards

and

in the third
first

the alarmed soldiers are awaking.

are
lit

The two

up by the resplendent angel, and

the third

by a torch and the young moon, giving a novel

and

effective variety of lights reflected

from

ar-

mor and
fresco

relieved

by deep shadows, which excited

great praise in Italy.

The

covert allusion of this

was

to the wonderful escape of the

new

Pope, when he was taken prisoner by the French

army

at the battle of

Ravenna.

The Church
Sixtus

of

Santa Maria della Pace was

erected in 1484, in

memory

of the efforts of to

Pope

IV. to restore

peace

Christendom.

Here, at Chigi's order, Raphael ornamented a

chapel with
the
Sibyls

and

Prophets,

which

Burckhardt claims as " the best calculated among

all

his frescos to

attract the admiration of the

of

spectator."
antiquity, the

The mysterious prophetesses

Cumaean, Persian, Phrygian, and

^6

RAPHAEL.

Tiburtine Sib}^^, are here depicted w'th a gentle-

ness and grace which contrast finely with

the

grandeur of Angelo's Sibyls in the Sistine Chapel.

The

Prophets, Daniel

and David, Hosea and

Jonah, are of inferior merit, and were probably

painted by Timoteo della Vite, from the cartoons
of the master.
Cinelli relates that after

Raphael
for

had secured an advance of a hundred scudi

this

commission, he made a further demand of

Giulio Borghese, Chigi's cashier.

But the dry

and practical man

of business demurred, suppos-

ing that a sufficient compensation had already

been made.

The

artist

then demanded that the

;

work should be appraised by an expert

and Bor-

ghese invited Michael Angelo, supposing that his

jealousy would lead him to depreciate
it.

As

the

great Florentine was contemplating the fresco in

silence,

Borghese questioned him, and he replied,

is

"

That head alone

others
are

worth a hundred scudi, and

the

not worth less."

When

Chigi

heard of this scene, he ordered the cashier to pay

a

hundred scudi

for each of the remaining heads,

saying, "

Go and

give that to Raphael in pay-

ment

for his heads,

and behave very

satisfied
;

politely to

him, so that he

may be

for

if

he

insists

''GALATEA?'

'

77

on

my
The

paying also for the drapery, we shall prob-

ably be ruined."
fresco of " Galatea "

was executed and

is

in 15 14,

in a hall of the Chigi Palace,

tiful

a very beau-

work.

It

represents the fair and undraped

goddess gently sailing in a conch-shell, guided by

Love and drawn by dolphins, with

tritons

and

centaurs bearing the nymphs, and flying Cupids

shooting arrows into the throng.

Castiglione,

In a letter to
paint a figure

Raphael

says,

"To

truly beautiful, I should see

But good judges and beautiful

I avail

many beautiful forms. women being rare,

myself of certain ideas which come into

my

mind."

In 15 13 the master painted an interesting portrait of

the portly librarian, Phaedra Inghirami

of Volterra, " the Florentine Cicero," a protege

of the Medici,

and then bearing the

of Ragusa.

titles

of

Count Palatine and Bishop

During

the year 15 14, the master executed the pictures

of Giuliano de' Medici, both of which are

lost,

now

leaving only copies to attest their form<^r

existence.

The

portrait

of

Cardinal Bibiena
ecclesiastic,

shows a middle-aged, thin-visaged

with bright black eyes and an Italian physiog-

78

RAPHAEL.
The Cardinal bequeathed
ambassador
it

nomy.

to

Count
it

Castiglione, the

to Spain,

and

is

now in Madrid. The picture of is now at the Louvre is one of

works
in portraiture,

Castiglione which
the master's best

and represents a strong and

pleasing face.

In 15 13 a noble lady of Bologna heard celestial

voices

commanding her
She
in

to erect a chapel in

honor

of St. Cecilia. of

built the shrine at the

Church

San Giovanni

Monte ; and her kinsman. CarRaphael

to paint

dinal de' Santi Quattroj ordered

an altar-piece for
Cecilia,

it.

The

picture represented St.

in the chapel in 15 17,

and was displayed

liveliest

awakening the
It

enthusiasm in Bologna.

was consigned

to the artist's old friend Francia,

to correct or repair
it, if

who was requested

sary
it,
;

neces-

but tradition says that he died at sight of

being heart-broken at the thought of his

own

hopeless inferiority.

The

holy Cecilia

is

richly

clad in cloth of gold, and stands foremost

the grand figures of St. Paul

among
St.
is

and

St.

John,

Augustine, and

St.

Maiy Magdalene.
filled

She

looking upward, with a face

ecstasy,

with ineffable

and listening

to the

harmonies of the
Nagler says, "
It

angels in the heavenly city.

RAPHAEL'S CATHOLICITY,
is

79

full

of

calm devotion,
of

like

the solemn long-

drawn

tones

old

church

melodies ; "

and

Goethe adds, " There are five saints there side by

side,

who
is

in

no wise concern

us,

but whose
picture

existence

so perfect that

we wish the

could continue forever, until we also are ready

for departure."

"
the
is

The Vision
same

of Ezekiel "

was painted about

time, for a

gentleman of Bologna, and

It is

now

in the Pitti Palace.

a representation

of Jehovah, seated in an intensely brilliant glory,

surrounded by cherubim.

picture

of

"

The

Nativity " was executed during the year, and sent

to the

Count Canossa,
it;

at

Verona, who refused

great sums for

but

all

traces of this

work are

now

lost.

Early in 15 14, Raphael was admitted into the

Frateinitas Corporis Christi, a rigid ecclesiastical society of the

most high-church Catholicity,

devoted to an especially scrupulous participation

in the Eucharistic sacrament.
is

From

this fact,

it

justly inferred that

he was an earnest believer

of the Catholic

in the doctrines

and ceremonials

Church, and that his Madonnas were tributes of

spiritual love, as well as

triumphs of

artistic skill.

8o

RAPHAEL,
In March, 1514, Bramante, being about to
die,

recommended

the

Pope

to

appoint Raphael as his

successor in the office of Papal architect.

The
flat-

Papal nomination was couched in the most

tering terms, saying
:

"

To Raphael

of

Urbino

Besides the art of painting, in which you are

universally
itect

known

to excel,

you were, by the arch-

Bramante, equally esteemed for your knowl;

edge in that profession

so that,

when

dying, he

justly considered that to

you might be intrusted

the construction of that temple which by

him was
j

begun

at

Rome

to the Prince of the Apostles

and you have learnedly confirmed that opinion,

by the plan of the temple requested
Let your
efforts

of you.

correspond to our hope in you,

benevolence, towards you, and

to our paternal

lastly to the dignity

and fame

of

that

temple,

even the greatest in the whole world and most

holy
;

and

to our devotion for the Prince of the

Apostles."

His deep

interest in the
:

new work appears

in

his letter to Castiglione

laid a great

"

Our Holy Father has

shoulders, in giving

burden on

my

me

the superintendency of the building of

I

St

Peter's.

hope, indeed, that I shall not sink

ARCHITECTURAL WORKS.
under
it.

81

...

would

fain revive the. beautiful

I

forms of the buildings of antiquity, but

not whether the fate of Icarus
is

know
me."

before

Yet Raphael's share in the construction of the

great Basilica was

unimportant, on

account of

the diversion of the funds intended therefor to the expenses of the war with

Urbino, and the

costly splendors of the Papal court.

His only

service

was

to strengthen the four

columns on

which the dome was intended to

rest,

by

enlar-

ging their slender foundations with a series of

piers

and arches.

In 15 14 he restored and gave a new portico to

the venerable
cella,

Church

of Santa
Hill.

Maria della Navialso completed

on the Ccelian

He

the Loggie in the Court of San Damaso, at the

Vatican, which

is

one of the most beautiful pal-

ace-courts ever constructed.

rich palace of

He

designed the

Branconio

dall' Aquila,

and several
;

other houses in the Borgo San Pietro

de' Berti, a hewn-stone structure in

the Casa

the Borgo
beautiful

Nuovo

the Villa

Madama and
;

the

still

Palazzo Vidoni.

His buildings were among the

showing a notable richness
at the

finest of the century,

and picturesqueness, while

same time ap

82

RAPHAEL.

predating the effect of grand masses and harmonious arrangement.

The master devoted much

of

time to the study of the treatise on architecture

which Vitruvius, the imperial superintendent

buildings, wrote at the request of Augustus Caesar.

He had

a translation of this book

made

into Italian

by the venerable scholar Marco Fa-

bio Calvio of Ravenna,

who was kept

tenderly

and generously

in his palace until his death.

At a

later

day Raphael secured the publica-

tion of a

Papal brief commanding the citizens of

its

Rome and

environs for ten miles out to suball

mit to his inspection

the

hewn stone and mar-

ble which should be discovered in that district.

This order accomplished the double end of providing a great quantity of stone for the works on
St.

Peter's,

and

of saving

from destruction many

fact,

curious antiques.

In point of

he performed

the duties of a director of antiquities.

It

was probably about

this time that

Raphael
at-

turned his attention to sculpture, in which he

tained

some

success,

having executed the fine

statue of

Jonah

for the Chigi chapel,

and modPie

elled the statue of Elias for the

same

place.

also designed a group of

a wounded

child borne

LETTER TO

CIA RLA.

Z^

by a dolphin through the waves, which was put

into

marble by Lorenzetto under his supervision

original
is

The

lost,

but the plaster model

in

is

at

Munich, and a handsome copy

marble

is

at

Down

Hill, in Ireland.

Certain ancient writers

have stated that the master at one time devoted

himself to the decoration of maiolica and porcelain,

but there

is

now no

authentic proof of this

statement.

In July, 15 14, Raphael wrote the following

letter,

which
:

illustrates

his

position

and pros-

pects

"

To my

uncle, dear to

me

as a father,
I

Simone

di Battista di Ciarla

da Urbino ...

have already property at

Rome

to the value of

three thousand ducats of gold,

fifty

and an income

of

ducats.

Then His

Holiness, our Lord, has

in the

proposed to

me some works
will
all.

Church

of St.
of

Peter, with a salary of three

gold,

hundred ducats

which
is

not

fail

me

as long as I live.

This
for

not

Besides

this,

they will pay

right
to

me
me.

my work

whatever

may seem

The paintings also

undertaken
of gold.
will

in another hall that I

have

produce twelve hundred ducats

Thus,

my

dear uncle,

am

doing honor

Lo you, as well

as to

my

other relations, and to

84

RAPHAEL.
native town.
I
I

my
as

bear you continually in

it

my

heart,
if

and when
heard

hear you mentioned

.
.

seems

my

father named.

"I

had

left off
it,

speaking of

my

marriage, but

return to

to tell

you that the Cardinal of Santa

Maria

in Portico [Bibiena] wishes to give

of his relations,

and that with the

me one consent of my
I

uncle the priest, and your consent,

have placed
I

myself at the disposal of his Lordship.

cannot

withdraw

my word we
;

are nearer than ever to

the conclusion.

...

'As to

my
I

sojourn at

Rome,

I cannot, for the love of the

works
have

at St. Peter's,

remain long elsewhere, for

place of Bramante.
worthier than

at present the

And what
first

city in the

world

is

Rome, and what

enterprise greater
.?

than St. Peter's, the

is

temple in the world

It

the greatest building ever seen, and will cost

million
of

more than a

gold.

The Pope has

granted sixty thousand ducats a year for the

works, and he thinks of nothing else.
given

He

has

me

as a colleague a very learned father, of

at least eighty years of age,

and who has not

this

long to

live.

His Holiness gave me

man

of

great reputation and

great learning for a

col-

league, that I might profit

by him, and,

if

he has

MARIA DE BIBIENA.
a noble secret in architecture, that
it

85
I

might learn

also,
is

and thus

attain perfection in the art.

His

name

Fra Giocondo.

The Pope sends

for us

every day, and speaks to us for some time about

the works."

The lady
letter

to

whom Raphael

alluded in this
of

was Maria da Bibiena, daughter

of

the
fre-

nephew

Cardinal Bibiena;

and

it

has

quently been intimated that the young

reluctant to

consummate the marriage.

man was Some

say that his assent was

won by

the influence of

the Cardinal, and without consulting the dictates

of his heart.

But

in point of fact the rich artist

was in a position
to

to help the prelate, rather than

be benefited by him.

The humble and

sub-

missive tone in which he speaks of the engage-

ment was

characteristic of his time

and country,

where marriages were usually arranged by the

elders,

and the candidates

for the

union adapted
certain
in

themselves to the situation.

this

It is

that

engagement was formally renewed

it

1515,
15 17.

and that
It

was

in force at least as late as

has been suggested that Raphael was waiting

to fix his fortunes

on a sure foundation before

Another theory, and

marrying a patrician lady.

86

RAPHAEL.
is

perhaps the most probable,

that Maria

was

of

a very delicate constitution, and that the delays

were made

in

her favor.

The absurd Vasari

nuptials

claims that the postponements of the

arose from the artist's hope of being
cardinal, in

made a

recompense for the money which the

Pope owed him.

The death
their

of the

Lady Maria

occurred before that of the master, and put a

short

end

to

al/

hopes and plans.

THE VATICAN.

87

CHAPTER VI. Incendio. The The Vatican Decorations. The Stanza Loggle and the Tapestries. Architectural. Works and Draw Raphael's Pupils.
dell'

ings.

The
those

Apostolic

Palace of the Vatican was in

splendid

days the most

it

palace

in

the

world, as

is

still

the largest.
it

The

genius of
archi-

Bramante had given

tectural unity

an expression of
its

by uniting

scattered
its

sections;

and the Popes had been enriching

surround-

ings for over a century with decorations

by the was

leading artists of Italy.

When

the gold-work

undimmed, the colors unfaded, the marbles

and the stuccos
in

fresh,

their

pure whiteness, these

great halls must have appeared like the courts

of Paradise.
at
It is too often forgotten

by

visitors

Rome,

that the vicissitudes of three

hundred

years

have wrought
;

sad

damage

to

many

of

these paintings

and hence a feeling of disaprises

pointment often

when

the pilgrim stands

before the stained and faded remnants of the

88

RAPHAEL,
Sir

art of the sixteenth century.

Joshua Rey

nolds

confesses

that

he

felt

deeply humiliated

because of his inability to appreciate Raphael's Vatican frescos at

first

sight.

But he was con-

soled on being assured by artist-friends and by

the
officers

of

the

palace, that

this

feeling of
at
first,

disappointment was almost always

felt

even by
art.

men

of cultivation

and connoisseurs

in

He

relates

how he

studied and copied the

to affect

frescos,

and forced himself

an admiration
to

for them, until at last

he had come

understand
of art.

and venerate these high excellences

thereupon naturally concludes
tliat

He

a relish for

the best style of paintings, as well as for poetry

or music,
attention,

is

an acquired

taste,

demanding

time,

and hard work.

opened a

It will

be remembered

that even Taine

flage

rattling fire of persiat the Vatican,

on Raphael's works

during

his first visit;

but after longer study he grew

interested

and then fascinated, and ended by

echoing old Vasari's most high-flown panegyrics

on the painter

of Urbino.

The Loggie
of

of the Vatican consist of a series

galleries,

open arcaded

three

stories

high,

which were erected by Bramante and Raphael

THE LOGGIE FRESCOS.

around

89

The

San Damaso. tl: ^e sides of the Court of " celebrated frescos called " Raphael's Bible

were executed for the decoration of the middle

story,

which formed the passage

to

the papal

apartments, and

commands an

exquisite view over

Cit}^,

the colonnade of St. Peter's, the Leonine

and out

to the blue Sabine Mountains.

There

are thirteen arcades, each of which contains four

pictures,

whereof forty-eight are drawn from the

life

Old Testament, and four from the

of Christ.

The

city

was

filled

with admiration during the

progress of this grandly conceived work, which

was destined

to attest to

subsequent generations

the glory of the golden age of art.

of poetic imagination

The depth
this

displayed
is

in

illumi-

nated epic of the Church

combined with a

rich
of

and charming fancy and a sustained strength

execution.

The Loggie were painted

phael

in 15 14-16.

Ra-

made

the sepia sketches for the pictures,

which were executed by Giulio Romano, Penni,

Vaga, Polidoro da Caravaggio, and others of his

best pupils.

In order to enrich the cloister to

the highest degree, the master brought to

Rome

the Florentine engraver of gems, Giovanni Barile,

RAPHAEL.
all

who carved

the

woodwork

the younger

Luca

della Robbia,

who paved

the floor with colored

imitating a carpet
;

and enamelled earthen

tiles,

which bore the Papal arms

artificers.

and other
of

skilful

Even Vasari
is

said

the

completed

decorations, "It

impossible to execute or to

conceive a more exquisite work."

The

subjects of

the

frescos

are

as

follows

First Arcade, Separation of Light

from Darkness,
of the

God

creating the

Dry Land, Creation

of the Animals.

Sun

and Moon, Creation

cade, Creation of

Second ArFall, Exile

from Eden,
cade,

Adam and Eve, the Adam and Eve at Work.

Sacrifice.

Third Ar-

Noah

building the Ark, the Deluge, Egress

from the Ark, Noah's

Fourth Arcade,

Abraham and Melchizedek, God's Covenant with

Abraham, Abraham and the Three Angels, Lot's
Flight from

Sodom.

Fifth Arcade,

God

appearIsaac

ing to Isaac, Isaac embracing Rebecca,

blessing

Jacob,

Esau claiming

his

Birthright.

Sixth Arcade, Jacob's Ladder, Jacob and Rachel

at the Well,

Jacob asking Laban for Rachel, Jato

cob returning
telling his

Canaan. Seventh Arcade, Joseph

is

Dream, Joseph

sold,

Joseph and

Poti-

phar's Wife, Joseph interprets Pharaoh's Dream.

THE LOGGIE FRESCOS.

Red
the

91

Righth Arcade, Finding of Moses, the Burning

Bush, Passage of the
Sea,

Moses smiting the

receiving the DecCalf,

Rock.

Ninth Arcade, Moses

of

alogue, Adoration

Golden

Moses

kneeling before the Pillar of Cloud, Moses giving

the

Law

to

the

People.

Tenth Arcade, the

Crossing of the Jordan, the Fall of Jericho, Josh-

ua bidding the Sun to stand

of Palestine.

still,

the

Division

Eleventh Arcade, Samuel anoint-

ing David as King, David

and Goliath, David

sees

conquers the Syrians, David

Bathsheba.

Twelfth Arcade, Consecration of Solomon, Solo-

mon's Judgment, the Queen of Sheba, Building

of the

Temple.

Thirteenth Arcade, Adoration

of the Shepherds, Adoration of the Magi,

Bap-

tism of Christ, the Last Supper.

el's

It

was Rapha-

design to have frescoed the other arcades on

story with scenes from the
lives of

this

New

Testament

and the

the saints
its

but his premature

death prevented

achievement.

The Loggie

are also ornamented with quaint

grotesques and bas-reliefs in stucco, executed by

Giovanni da Udine, who had been a pupil of the Venetian Giorgione, and excelled in depicting
animals and birds, flowers and
fruits.

He

was a

92

RAPHAEL.

favorite disciple of Raphael, with

whom
is

he made
that

several
tliey

artistic

excursions.

It

related

once explored together the newly discovered

Baths of Titus, and were surprised at the freshness and beauty of the antique stucco ornaments

found among the

material,

ruins.

Giovanni analyzed

this

and formed a composition of marble, and chalk, which presented the same

travertine,

appearance.

Working the new compound

into

skilful designs,

he produced ornaments equal to

the antique

and proceeded, under the master's

to

superintendence,

decorate the Loggie

with

them.

La
halls

Stanza delV Incendio was the third of the

which Raphael frescoed

in

in

the

Vatican.
in

The work was begun

15 1 7.

15 14,

and finished

The theme

for celebration in this series

was the era

of the glory of the Papacy,

and

its

victories over all adversaries.

By a remarkable
this

coincidence,

during the very years when

proud record was being emblazoned on the walls

of

the Vatican, the

transalpine

nations were

seething with discontent, the flames of the Ref-

ormation were beginning to crackle, and

the

Roman

hierarchy was hunying towards the most

LUTHER AND RAPHAEL.

fearful catastrophes in its history.

93
secession

The

of the northern
trol of

kingdoms from the

spiritual con-

the Pope, and the sack and destruction of

the Eternal City by the imperial army, occurred

within ten years.

the same year

Martin Luther was born in

as Raphael,
time.

and

visited

Rome

at

nearly the
artist

same

In 15 17, while the Italian

was closing

his illustrations of the victories

of the Pontiffs, the

five

Saxon monk

nailed' his ninety-

theses to the door of Wittenberg church, and

the Gothic nations from the

led the exodus of

Roman
The

Church.
first

fresco in the Stanza dell' Incendio

of

is

"The Oath
portrays

Leo

III.,"

whi^h was designed by

It

Raphael, and painted by Perino della Vaga.

the

marvellous

scene

in

St.

Peter's

Church, in the year 800, at the

trial

of the

Pope

by the Emperor Charlemagne on charges preferred

by the nephews of Pope Adrian, when the

solemn conclave was startled by a supernatural

voice proclaiming that no mortal could be allowed
to

judge the Pontiff.

The second

fresco

is

"

The
and

Coronation of Charlemagne by Leo

alludes also to

III.,"

the recent alliance between King

X.,

Francis

I.

and Pope Leo

whose

portraits are

94

RAPHAEL.

seen in the faces of the two principal personages

of the picture.

"

The Burning

of the

Borgo "

is

the third

in

the series, and dehneates the great conflagration

which swept the Saxon and Lombard quarter

of

Rome

in

847, aided by a wild hurricane, until

its

Pope Leo IV. arrested

prayers.

further advance

by

his

The genius

of the

master

is

shown here

in its full strength, in the

groups of

fugitives, the

flying

women, and the

falling

buildings.

Here

also he boldly enters into rivalry with

Michael
sexes,

Angelo

in portraying

nude forms of both

in powerful attitudes.

There are more undraped

figures here

than in any of his other pictures.

is

The

allusion

to the

devouring flames of war

after Francis
at
I.

which menaced Italy in 1515,

defeated the Swiss allies

had

of Milan

Marignano,

slaying fifteen thousand of their soldiers.

The

diplomacy of Leo X. then saved the penuisula

from further invasion.

"

The Victory

of

Leo IV. over the Saracens

fleet

at

Ostia" shows the Italian

invading

destroying the

Moslem squadron
in prayer,

in the port of

Rome.
on the

The Pope,
shore,

v/ith the features of

Leo

X.,

is

engaged

and

is

attended by Car-

THE TAPESTRIES.
dinals de' Medici

95

and Bibiena.
is

In the foreground

terrific

naval battle

going on, in the midst of

sent to scourge the

a tempest which
hostile armada.

God had
This
is

an emblematic represen-

tation of the danger of

Europe from the Sultan

Persia,

Selim, the Ferocious,

who had conquered

Turkestan, Armenia, and Egypt, and ravaged the

Italian coasts with his cruisers.

The cartoons

for the ten tapestries

w^re exe-

cuted by the master in 15 15-16.

productions of the
artist's

These rare

brain and the weaver's

loom were
Sistine

to

be used

in the

decoration of the

Chapel on high

festivals,

according to a

plan originated by Raphael and approved by the

Pope.

The

early Florentine artists

had adorned
of Moses,

the chapel with subjects from the

to

life

which Michael Angelo had added

prophets and
race.

his

wonder-

ful pictures of the

sibyls,

and the

history of the

human

The new works conday finished

tinued the series by a pictorial history of the

Apostles

and Angelo

at a later

it

by

his terrific " Last Judgment."

The

first

tapestry

is

"

The Miraculous Draught

in

of Fishes,"

showing the majestic Saviour seated

a fishing-boat, in a beautiful lake and landscape

96
scene, while

RAPHAEL.

He

says to the prostrate and humili

:

ated Peter, " Fear not

from henceforth thou

is

art

a fisher of

men."
Peter,"

The second
the

" Christ's

Charge

to

with the white-robed Lord kneeling Peter,

pointing witli one hand to

and with the other to a

flock of sheep.

Back

of

Peter are the other Apostles, with a town in the

distance,

and a cove of the Lake of Gennesaret on

the

left.

The

third

is

"

The Martyrdom

of St,

Stephen," showing the false witnesses hm"ling

stones at the kneeling saint,

who with

ecstatic

upward gaze

cries out, " Lord, lay not this sin to

their charge."

The

fourth
St.

is

"The Healing
St.

of

the Paralytic," where

Peter and

Paul anj

entering the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, be-

tween twisted columns of amazing richness, and

Peter says to the blind beggar,
"

In the

name
The

of

Jesus of Nazareth, rise up and walk."

is

fifth

"The Death
Ananias

of Ananias," with the false

and

abject

expiring

under the

judgment
St.

invoked by the tranquil and austere

Peter.

The

sixth

is

"

The Conversion
the

of St. Paul," rep-

resenting

Saul

persecutor prostrate before

his

the heavenly vision, while

fleeing in
terror.

companions are
Blind-

"Elymas Struck with

THE TAPESTRIES.
ness " shows the hostile Cretan magician,

97
totter-

ing in the total darkness which has been brought

upon him by the denunciation

of St. Paul, while

the enthroned proconsul, Sergius Paulus, gazes in

astonishment upon the dramatic scene.

"Paul

and Barnabas

at

Lystra"

illustrates

the wrath

and sorrow

of the miracle-working disciples,

when
sacriSt.

the grateful Lystrans were about to offer

fices to

them as Jupiter and Mercury.

at

In "

Paul Preaching
is

Athens," the inspired Apostle

seen standing on the steps of the Areopagus,

of attentive

and addressing groups

philosophers.
in the last

and curious
architecture

The splendid Greek

is

two pictures

accurately drawn, and

indicates the artist's familiarity with the antique.

" St. Paul in Prison " shows the Apostle praying

in his
cell,

while the walls

are

shaken by an
of

earthquake.

"The Coronation
of

the Virgin"

was a representation

Christ on

His throne,

crowning the Madonna, with the Father and the Holy Spirit in a glory above, and St. Jerome and
St.

John the Baptist below.

This was the closing

canto of the great illuminated song of the Church,

manifesting the glorification of the Holy Trinity,

and the resplendent honor of the Mother

oi

God.

98

RAPHAEL.
In these tapestries the master showed how

well he

apprehended the radical ideas of early

Christian history, and

to

how

carefully he adhered

the

facts

of

the

Apostolic snnals, without

accessories.

interpolating

arbitrary

They

are

marked by

true

and devout expression, a close

following of traditional tvpes, and an ennobling

harmony

of arrangement.

Quatremere de Quin-

cy calls them

" the climax, not only of the proall

ductions of Raphael, but of

those of modern

genius in painting."

The superintendence
by the master
to his

of the

weaving was given

Flemish pupils, Bernard

van Orley and Michael Coxcie.

They were

de-

spatched to Arras, in Flanders, where the looms

were

established.

The

completed
fifty

tapestries

weighed four hundred and

pounds each, and

silk,

were skilfully and richly wrought in wool,

and gold.
Chapel
ple,

They were

exhibited in

the Sistine
of the peo-

in 15 19,

amid the enthusiasm

but were seized and carried away to Lyons

years
later,

eight

when

Charles

V.

reduced
sold

Rome.
them
to

The Constable de Montmorenci

Pope
Julius III. in 1555.
set

During the

French invasion of 1798 the

was stolen again,

THE CARTOONS.
and sold
to certain Jews,

99
to

who proposed

burn

them

for the sake of the gold, but

were unsuc-

cessful in their first attempt,

and disposed of the

remaining pieces to some Genoese merchants.

Pope Pius VII. bought them

placed them in the Vatican.

in 1808,

and

re-

There they are

now

preserved, in one of the large upper halls,

soiled

much
colors.

and faded, and otherwise injured on

account of the deterioration of the non-mineral

The

cartoons or models for the tapestries were

paintings in distemper, filled in on chalk sketches

on strong paper.

They were twelve

feet high

by

from fourteen to eighteen feet long, with figures

above
life-size.

Seven of these are now sacredly

the

preserved

in

South -Kensington
at Arras, in the

Museum.
strips

They were bought

Charles

into

which they had been cut by the weavers, by King

I.,

on the recommendation of Rubens.

During the English Revolution Cromwell purchased

for

them
set,

for
at

the

nation,

giving

$1,500

the

the

auction of

the property of

the executed king.

fixed to canvas

William

III.

had them

af-

and hung

in a hall erected for the

purpose by Sir Christopher Wren, at Hampton-

lOO

RAPHAEL.
These seven cartoons represent

Court Palace.

the stories of the Miraculous Draught, the Charge

to Peter, the Paralytic,

Ananias, Elymas, and St

Paul at Lystra and at Athens.

ferred

They
to

are pre-

by some English connoisseurs

any other
simplicity,

of Raphael's works, as

showing ease,

and grandeur

of

thought,

unhampered by the
painting.

mechanism

of

elaborate

They

are

yearly studied and admired by

of people,

many thousands
ir

and have frequently been copied

engravings.

duplicate set of these tapestries was

made
Eng-

at Arras,

and presented

to

Henry VIII.

of

land by the Venetian Republic.

cution of Charles
I. it

After the exeto Spain

was taken

by the
dec-

Duke

of Alva, but returned to

it

London some

ades since, where

was purchased by the King

of Prussia for the Berlin

Museum.

Another

set

was presented by Leo X.

ony, and six of
its

to the Elector of Sax-

pieces

now hang
at

in the ro-

tunda of the Royal Gallery

set

Dresden.

Another

was bequeathed

to

the

King

of France by

Cardinal Mazarin, and was seen at

in

Strasbourg
kepi

1770
the

by Goethe.

Still

another was

in

Church

of

Santa Barbara, at Mantua

''ROXANAr
until

loi
carried
..

1783,

and has

recently been
-

to
.

Vienna.
It is said that

Raphael also designed ton

in-

rich

Lapestries

from scenes

the-

Old

l-e'&tkment;

which were presented to Chartres Cathedral by

Bishop de Thon

but these have disappeared.

several smaller frescos

The master executed

pared the design for
Cecilia,"

during 15 15 and the early part of 15 16.

He
of

preSt.

"The Martyrdom

which was painted either by himself or

in the chapel of the Pope's

one of his best pupils

hunting castle,

La Magliana.

In 1830 this work

was ruined by an act of Vandalism on the part

of the farmer Vitelli,

who wished
coming

to

attend ser-

vice in the chapel without

in contact with

the peasantry, and cut a gallery through the centre

of the picture.

The remains
Roxana "

of

the fresco

are
"

now

at the Louvre.

The Marriage

of

is

a fresco repre-

senting the magnificent Roxana, sitting on the

edge of a bed, with Alexander approaching and

about to crown her.

Ephestion and

Hymen
veil

are

behind, and Cupids carry

slippers,
of

away Roxana's

and

and play with the weapons and armor

This picture was painted in the

the hero.

I02

RAPHAEL.

building in the Borghese Park which was after

wards

.called .the Villa

S-aphael.

In 1845

it

was
for

fortunately
lh(^ .Yi'lbi;

i-emovedtc the Borghese Palace,

Raphael was destroyed in the revolu-

tion of 1848.

In the winter of 15 15-16 Leo X. visited Florence, intending to

erect

a splendid fagade on

the

Church

of

San Lorenzo.

He summoned

the chief architects of Italy to comiDCte on the

plans

but Michael Angelo afterwards refused

to allow their participation,

and secured the work

himself.

The Pope

required that only Tuscan

marble should be employed, and before the roads

could be built to the remote quarries, the church-

funds were exhausted, and the fagade was never

erected.

During the competition, Raphael

vis-

ited Florence,

and submitted a

rich

and

pictur-

esque design.

While he sojourned

in the

Tuscan
most

capital he executed the plans for

two of

its

symmetrical palaces, one of which was for Pandolfini,

Bishop of Troy, and the other was for

the Uguccioni family.

The

first

is

seventy feet
floor

wide, with

Tuscan columns on the lower

and Ionic columns above, an admirable classical

entablature,

and a beautiful

triple

arcade open-

RAPHAEL'S DRAWINGS.

103

mg on
oni
tic
is

the inner gardens.

The Palazzo Ugncciis

on the Grand-Ducal Square, and

of rus-

architecture below

and Ionic and Corinthian

above, combining richness and simplicity.

About

this time, at

the order of

Leo

X., he

made

careful

drawings, with measurements and

descriptions, of the buildings of

ancient

Rome

which then remained.

Of

this
it

work Michiel

said that whoever inspected

might be said to

have seen the

city of

the Caesars, so correctly

were

the

forms,

proportions,

and

ornaments

depicted.

Many

of the buildings therein delin-

eated have since been destroyed, and. the drawings of

Raphael have not been seen since the

sack of the city in 1527.

After returning to

Rome,

in April,

15 16, the

master was overburdened with orders, and was

compelled to
postpone
works.
his great

decline

some, and

permanently

the

completion of

several

promised

All the time which he could spare from

works was cheerfully given

to his pupils

and

friends.

The fecund genius

of

the great

artist

was not exiiausted by the

multiplicity of
of sketches

his

works;

and he made hundreds

and drawings

in pen, pencil, crayon, sepia,

and

104
bistre,

RAPHAEL.
treating widely varying subjects with the

sprightly play of his fancy, or the deeper serious-

ness of close study.

his

The minute
is

care with which

works were planned

shown by the many

of his drawings

sketches

made

for each.

Some

were given as mementos to friends, and others

as models to pupils, and are

now preserved

in

the galleries

of

Europe.

The engravings
plate

of

Marc Antonio have

in

retained the forms of others,

some cases retouched on the

by the mas-

ter's

own hand.

His designs were scattered

broadcast over the Continent by the labors of

the industrious engravers, to the great increase
of Raphael's fame.

Among

the chief collections

that
\

of his original drawings

may be mentioned

in the Uffizi at Florence, with over

40 specimens

and 100

in the

Venetian Academy.
in the

France has

36 in the Louvre, and 42

at Lille.

Wicar Gallery

Germany has 150

in the Albertina at

Vienna, 10 at Berlin, an<J 10 at Frankfort.

Eng-

land has 20 in the Royal Collection, 14 in the

National Gallery, ^and about 50 in the palaces

of

her

nobles.

The
about

University Galleries

at

Oxford

contain

140

original

drawings.

Among

the most famous collections was that of

RAPHAEUS
Sir

PUPILS.

105

Thomas Lawrence, which contained

160

drawings of Raphael, valued at $75,000.

Raphael's devotion to his pupils was one
the
oi

most beautiful features of

his character,

and

resembled the

warm
in

interest of

an elder brother.

They were not only

indoctrinated

inspired by his genius, and

his

methods

of

study

and

thought, but were furnished with frequent opportunities

for honorable

independent work.
the

The

wonderful productions of

master, and his

inexhaustible imagination, aided

and stimulated

them

to

emulate the careful observation, close

attention,

and minuteness

in details,

which had

rendered him cajoable of such rapid and wellsustained work.

One

of

these disciples
to
;

asked

him how he had been able

pictures
"
in

produce so many

so

short a time

and he
I

replied,
it

From my

earliest

childhood

have made

principle never to neglect any thing."

No

other
influ-

master has ever been able to control and

ence so great a number of talented men, even

such as might have aspired to become his

but were content to be his pupils

rivals,

and

friends.

The

proverbial jealousies of artists were

unknown

among

the dwellers in his studio, their only

em

io6

RAPHAEL,
and
.0

ulation being to increase his advantage,

heighten the glories of

the school of

Raphael.

Vasari attributed this peculiar power of the master to

his

exquisite courtesy
;

and willingness

to

accommodate

traits

which were soon reflected

among

the pupils, and

became

the prevailing law

of the studio.

The Roman school was

main
attributes

thus formed, with

;

its

foundation on the ideal and the classic

and

its

may be
It

stated as judiciousness of

invention, chasteness of composition,

and

quiet-

ness of coloring.

gave great promise of future

of

achievements

and Lanzi, the learned historian

if

art in Italy, says that "

Raphael's,

maxims had

remained unaltered, Italian painting would probably have flourished for as long a period as Greek
sculpture."
all

The

destruction of the school

its

came

too swiftly,

when

members were

scattered
at

in distant cities

by the untoward events

Rome,
of

and deprived by isolation of the advantages

joint

study and advancement.

The causes

of the

dispersion were the accession to the Papacy in

1520, of the austere

and iconoclastic German,

Adrian VI.
522;

the desolation of the pestilence, in

of

and the sack

Rome,

in

1527,

aftei

RAPHAEUS
years in a profound stupor.

PUPILS.

107
city lay for

which the ruined and desecrated

Among
Giulio
er
j

the

leaders

of

the

school

which

Raphael founded with such earnest care were

Romano,
most

a noble designer and poor paintII

Gianfrancesco Penni of Florence, called

of

Fattore,

whose works have disappeared

rich

Timoteo della Vite, a

Perino della Vaga,

and delicate

colorist

who

excelled in designing; and

Giovanni da Udine, whose pictures of birds and

flowers,

arabesques and

ornaments,

are

truly
assist-

exquisite.

These

five

were the favorite

ants of the master, and painted

many

pictures

from his drawings, and

in

concert

with

him.

Among
doro

the other artists of this school were Poli-

da

Caravaggio,

Pellegrino

da

Modena,
Ferra-

Bagnacavallo, Biagio
ri,

Pupini, Gaudenzio
II

San Gimignano, and

Garofalo.

lo8

RAPHAEL.

CHAPTER
Raphael's Paintings in
Florence.
1

VII.
at

516, 1517, and 1518. The Madonnas The Sistine Madonna. The Chigi Frescos.

In the year 15 16 the master finished the Loggia

and the

Sistine tapestries,

and continued the

Incendio.

decoration of the

Stanza

dell'

He

received at this time

new honors from

the Pope,

and an enlargement

of his authority in regard to

the public buildings of

Rome and

its

antiquities.

The

details of his personal history

and private

life at this

important period of three years are of

the most meagre and unsatisfactory description,

and leave us

to infer that his time

was devoted

to studio-work, secluded

from the world of events. he made. a series

of

In the spring of
sketches for his

15 16

warm

friend

and would-be kins-

man, Cardinal Bibiena, who then inhabited the

third floor of the Vatican.

They were
the

for the

decoration of his bath-room,

that they should represent

and the order stated

omnipotence
of

Love

in

Nature.

The

first

sketch

was "The

"Z^ MADONNA BELLA SEDIAr

Birth
of

109

Venus," showing

the

fair

Aphrodite

rising from the foam of the

sea, radiant with life

and beauty.

Tlie

next represents Venus and

Cupid seated on dolphins, and riding through the

wide
tree,

sea.

Then she appears

who

resting

under a
in her

and pressing her hand upon a wound

breast inflicted by Cupid,

in easy

reclines near her

is

unconcern.

Again, she

seen drawing

a thorn from her right foot, while the blood flowing from the

wound

stains the white rose to a

perennial redness.

The room was decorated

in

the antique style, with seven frescos painted

on

reddish-brown

ground, in grotesque frames,

below which were seven victorious Cupids.

The
in

extraordinary character of these ornaments

the apartments of a prince of the Church, at the

central shrine of Christendom,
is

feebly explained

by Passavant by a reference
court of
classical.

to the passion of the

Rome

at that

time for the antique and

pictures

The bath-room

met with a

great and immediate success, and were frequently

copied and engraved.

They

are

now

nearly

obliterated.

Three

famous

Madonnas date from

della Sedia " is

15 16.

"The Madonna

now

in the Pitti

no
Palace, and
is

RAPHAEL.
one of the best-beloved works of
Virgin seated in a

Raphael.

It represents the

chair (sedid), with graceful striped drapery on her

head, encircling the Holy Child with both arms,

and bending a face

of

indescribable sweetness

against His beautiful head.

is

The

infant St.
of the

John

below, in adoration.

The shape The

work

is

round

and

it is

eminent for clear and luminous

religious idea

color and skilful chiaroscuro.

is

here overflowed by a boundless wealth of ma-

ternal love
it is

and

filial

affection

and, in this aspect,

one of the most fascinating achievements of

Copies and engravings have been
distrib-

art.

uted in myriads throughout the world.

"The Madonna
derives
its

della

Tenda"

is

somewhat
and

similar to the picture previously described,

name from

a curtain {tenda) in the

background, before which the sweet and saintly

Virgin
sits,

holding the Divine Child, with the

adoring

St.

John below.

It

was bought by King

the the

Louis of Bavaria for $25,000, and

Munich Pinakothek.

is now in "The Madonna with

Candelabra " passed from the Borghese Gallery

to that of

Lucien Bonaparte, thence to the Duke

of Lucca,

and thence

to

London.

The

face

"of

'Z(9

SPASIMO:'

III

the Virgin
tic

is filled

with noble dignity and majes-

calm, and her eyes are cast

It is after

down

in

modest

humility.

describing this work that

Gruyer repels the oft-repeated charge that Raphael's

Roman Madonnas

are pagan, as com-

pared with those of Florence and Umbria. In the year 15 17, Raphael concluded his works in the Stanza dell' Incendio, and enjoyed a respite

from the arduous tasks of the Apostolic Palace. During the twelvemonth he executed
"Christ Bearing his Cross"

several easel-pictures.
is

called

''

El Ex-

tremo Dolor " by the Spaniards, in allusion to the

last

agony of the Saviour, and

Italians, after the
It

''

Lo Spasimo'' by
it

the

church for which

the

was

painted.

represents

Redeemer sinking
amid a crowd of

under the weight of the

cross,

Roman
who
lem,

soldiers; while

He

turns to the

women

follow after, and says, " Daughters of Jerusa-

weep not

for

me

but weep for yourselves

and

for your children."

The

picture

is

a master-

piece, perfect in arrangement, strong in dramatic

unity, filled with life

and energy, and pathetic

in

the display of divine majesty blent with

human

agony

in the face of the Saviour.

This was the

112

RAPHAEL.

only representation of the Passion which Raphael

made during

his

maturer years, and was entirely

executed by his own hand.

critics, it is

According

to

some

equalled only by "

for the

The

Transfigura-

tion."

It

was painted

Sicilian convent-

church of Santa Maria dello Spasimo, and was

despatched to Palermo by sea.

But the vessel

was

lost,

with

all

on board

and nothing was

recovered. but this picture, which floated into the

harbor of Genoa, uninjured by the winds and

waves.

The

Sicilian

monks reclaimed

it

but the

exultant Genoese refused to surrender their prize,

until the

Pope himself intervened.

It is

now

at

Madrid.
"

The Madonna

of the Pearl " represents the

loving and
knees, while
St.

tender Virgin holding Jesus on her

He
is

reaches out His hands toward

John,
St.

who

offering

Him

fruit.

St.

Elizabeth
a

and

Joseph are also

present, forming

group which

illustrates the joys of

domestic

life.

The

soft violet tones

and minute

finish of this
It

work evince great care and

designed

precision.

was
and

and

retouched

by

the

master,

mainly executed by Giulio Romano, at the order

of the

young Marquis

of

Mantua.

Transferred to

''THE visitation:'
the

113

gallery of

Charles
IV.

I.

of England, after his of

tragic

death Philip
for $10,000.

Spain secured the

Upon receiving it, the soverwork eign cried, "This is my pearl;" and it has ever since retained that name, and is now one of the
gems
"
of the

Madrid Museum.

The

Visitation " portrays the aged St. Eliza-

beth joyfully saluting the Virgin with the words,

" Blessed art thou

among women
is

" while in the

in

background

St.

John
It

seen baptizing Jesus

the River Jordan.

was painted

at the order

of Branconio for a church at Aquila, in the

Ab-

ruzzi Mountains,

and was held

to

in

such reverence
it.

that no one

was allowed
to

copy

This was
in

transferred

the

Spanish

Escurial

1655,
re-

and was carried

to Paris

by Napoleon, and

turned to Madrid after the peace of 18 15.

"The Holy Family under the Oak-tree," and "The Holy Family with the Rose," are also in
Spain, and were executed from Raphael's sketches

and by

his pupils.

The former

is

somewhat

stiff

in its composition,

and was painted probably by

Francesco Penni.

"The Holy Family

;

of

the

Passeggio " has disappeared

cost $15,000
is

but a copy which

now

in the

Bridgewater Gallery,

114
at

RAPHAEL.
*'

London.
in

The Repose
are

in

Egypt,"

''The

Virgin
doubtful
vant.

the

Ruins," and other pictures of

described by Passa-

authenticity,

The

architectural

and antiquarian studies

bearing rich
fruit,

of

the master were

now

in

his

reports to the Pope, and his careful drawings.

He
the

had been aided and accompanied

in

many
gave

excursions by the erudite Count Castiglione and

antiquarian

Andrea

Fulvio,

who

also

him wise counsel with regard

to his reports,

and

helped him to trace the plan of ancient

Rome

from

its

ruins

and the descriptions of the Latin

wrote
also

authors.

He
of

a manuscript on the notes

subject

art,

with copious historical

which

is

now

lost,

much

to the grief of

modern

scholars.

In 1518 the master was free from the engrossing works at the Vatican
;

and he therefore dereli-

voted his time to the preparation of seven

gious pictures, five portraits, and the large frescos

in the

Chigi Palace.

"

The Archangel Michael

"

shows a striking and admirable contrast between

the
ideal grace

of

youth and heroism, in the

young champion, and the dark and grovelling

''THE
fi^'ure

HOLY

family:'
its

115

of

Satan, hideous in

deformity.

The

angel descends like lightning, and disdainfull)

crushes the

demon

to the flaming earth, while he

raises his spear with

striking.

both hands, in the act

this picture

of

Louis XIV. placed

o\er

his throne at Versailles, as a

symbol of the royal

in the

power victorious over the insurgents

of the Fronde.

wars

"

The Large Holy Family

of the

Louvre "

is

also called
largest

La
It

Vierge de Fontamebleau,
this subject that

and

is

the

work on

Raphael ever

painted.
the

shows the Virgin raising Jesus from

the kneeling St. Elizabeth
to adore
is

cradle, while
St.

teaching
is

John

Him, and

St.

Joseph

wrapped

in meditation.

This chaste and sim-

ple scene illustrates the bliss of the

and the devotion

Holy Family,
style

in

the grandest and most

m.aster, with

harmonious

of

the

noble

grouping and purity of manner.

Quatremere de
Raphael's

Quincy

calls

it

" the chef-cVceuvre of all

Holy Families."
These two pictures were designed
touched by Raphael, but Giulio

and

re-

Romano

did

most of the painting.

Art-critics

maintain that

no part of the "St. Michael" came from the

Ii6

RAPHAEL.

master's pencil, except the original sketch, but

concede that the "Holy Family" was from

hand, and was one of his finest works.

his

They

were presented to Francis

I.,

the

King

of France,

by Lorenzo de' Medici, who had recently possessed himself unjustly of the

Duchy

of Urbino,

and wished

to secure the protection of the

King

in

his usurpation.

During the summer the pictures

were sent overland on mules, by way of Florence and Lyons, to the royal palace at Fontainebleau.

Great was the rejoicing

in the

court

'of

France over these wonderful works, which

passed
all

sur-

expectations.

It

is

said

that

the

prodigal Francis rewarded the master so munificently that he entreated

him

to

accept another

picture as a present, to which the

King made
shared the

answer that men celebrated

in

art

immortality of great kings, and might treat with

them as equals.
" St. Margaret " represents a noble
tiful

and beau-

maiden, bearing the palm of martyrdom, and

treading on a horrible dragon, in allusion to her

victory over the temptations of the world

by the

power

of faith.

It

was drawn by Raphael, and

sent to Francis
I.

painted by

Romano, and was

JOANNA OF ARRAGON.
The
very similar to that in the
of the

17

" St. Margaret " in the Belvedere Gallery at

is

Vienna

Louvre.

"The Small Holy Family

Jesus

Louvre " shows

standing in

the cradle, supported by the

of
St.

Virgin,

and caressing the cheeks

held by
St.

John,
tlie

who

is

Elizabeth.

Raphael made
it.

design,

and Romano painted

it

The master
at

presented

to Cardinal

de Boissy, his friend

the court of France.

In 15 18 Raphael painted his finest work in

portraiture, a picture of

Pope Leo

X., with Cardi-

nal Giulio de' Medici (afterward

Pope Clement
This work
truth,

VIL), and Cardinal Lodovico de' Rossi, Leo's

nephew and inseparable companion.

is

now

in the Pitti Palace,

and shows the

style,

execution, and

coloring of the master in

It

their best aspects.

portrays the white-robed

and venerable

Pontiff, sitting in

an arm-chair and

holding an illuminated breviary, with a rich pile

of architecture in the

background, and the attend-

ant cardinals at the sides.

The

portrait of the peerless blonde,

Joanna

of

Arragon, was executed for Lorenzo de' Medici,

who
ful

sent

it

to Francis
It is

I.,

a great lover of beauti-

women.

supposed that Raphael pdnted

18

RAPHAEL.
and Romano the
patrician
rest of the

the exquisite head,

picture.
Tliis

sweet

lady was

the

daughter of the Duke of Montalto, and the wife

of Prince Ascanio Colonna, Constable of Naples.

She was one

of the

most famous wits and beauties

of her century,

and the heroine of many adven-

tures in prison

and

in war.

It

was

of this rare
"

damosel that Cardinal Colonna wrote,

But

in

our time. Nature, the generous creator, wishing

to

show the world something marvellous,

perfect,

and resembling the immortals, has created Joanna

Arragonia Colonna."

At

this time also

he executed a portrait of Lo-

renzo de' Medici, Gonfaloniere of Florence, and

Duke

of

Urbino, whose daughter, the

Medici,

famous
11.

Catharine de'
France.

married
is

Henri
lost,

of

The
at

original picture

but a copy
the

remains
features

Montpellier,

showing

Medici

and a rich mediaeval costume.

Of the

many

other portraits which Vasari attributes to

the master,

some are now

lost,

and others appear

unworthy of his pencil.

The famous

and well-preserved
is

picture

of

"The

Violin-Player"

probably a portrait of

Andrea Marone

of Brescia,

a successful young

THE

SIS TINE

MADONNA.
of

119
It

improvisatore, and a favorite

the Pope.

represents an intellectual face, with large eyes

and brown

hair,

and a well-shaped head.

It is

in the artist's best

manner, and appears to have

This picture was recently

been a labor of

love.

purchased from the Sciarra-Colonna family by

Lord Russell.

The now
in

celebrated portrait of Raphael's mistress,

the Pitti Palace, shows a beautiful Ro-

man maiden,
black eyes,

with

pale

oval

face,

lustrous
is

and smiling

lips.

She

sump-

tuously dressed in a gold-trimmed bodice, white

damask

sleeves,

and a gracefully draped

with the picture
of

veil.

When compared

the

same
shows

maiden painted ten years before,

this face

a wonderful increase in intelligence and animation,

such as might be expected in one who had

of

been so long intimate with one of the noblest

minds.

Some

critics

are

even of the opinion

that these two portraits are of different

women

and others see

in the face of the Sistine

Madonthis por-

na an ennobled and idealized copy of

trait.

"The Madonna
called the Sistine

di

San

Sisto,"

more commonly
also

Madonna, and sometimes

f20
the

RAPHAEL.
Dresden Madonna, bears the
its

latter

name on

account of

present location, and the others

is

because

St.

Sixtus

the most prominent of the

secondary figures
gin
of
is

in its

composition.

The

Vir-

seen standing on the clouds,

in the

midst

an immense glory

composed

of

myriads of

cherubs' heads, with green curtains drawn away

at the sides, giving her the

appearance of a mir-

aculous revelation in the heavens.

out of
the
picture

She looks
in

with large sweet eyes,

deeply-shadowed
of

rings,

and has an expression

combined majesty and melancholy, modesty

and innocence.

The Child Jesus

her, as

bears

re-

markable resemblance to

He

rests in her

arms

in a simple
is

and

childlike

attitude.
lips,

His
dilated

divine face
nostrils,

marked by compressed
strong

and

and

contemplative

eyes

which look out into the heart of the reverent

visitor.
St.

Sixtus kneels on the

left, in

a white

tunic

and gold-colored and

is

pallium bordered with

purple,

praying for his people, to

whom
Bar-

he points, while with ecstatic face he regards the

Madonna.

On
filled

the right

is

the kneeling

St.

bara, with her

hands folded on her breast, and

with
love

her face,

and charity, looking

THE SISTINE MADONNA.

down on
the

121

assembly of the
picture are

faithful.

In the

lower part of the

celestial

two

cherubs, of

beauty and

innocence,

leaning

on

balustrade, and looking upward.

" This sublimest lyric of the art of Catholicity "

was the
his

last

work which Raphael completed with

to

own hands, and appears

have been dictated

by a divine inspiration, as an apotheosis of his

genius.

From

this,

more than from any other

title

work,
Its

he receives his
simplicity

of

"The

Divine."

rare

and

sublime ideality unite

with a certain

unearthly sweetness

and super-

natural elevation to produce the religious enthu-

siasm arising
picture.
It

in

the soul which rightly views the

after

was

contemplating this work,

I

that Correggio exultingly exclaimed, "

too

an

artist

"

as

if

earth

knew no nobler

am men

than those who could thus surpass and look be-

yond

nature,

and portray the divine mysteries.

The

Sistine

Madonna was

painted in 1518 for

the Benedictine Monastery of San Sisto, at Piacenza, from which it was purchased in 1754, by

Augustus
It

III.,

Elector of
at

Saxony, for $40,000.

was received
in

Dresden with great pomp, and

of

placed

the

reception-hall

the

Electoral

122

RAPHAEL.
where the throne of Saxony was
it

Palace,

dis-

placed in order to give

tion.

the best-lighted posi-

Without doubt,

it

is

the finest picture in

is

the North of Europe.

It

distinguished for a

certain pyramidal symmetry,

tion according
aiirea.

and

for

its

construc-

to

the

ancient law of the sedio

Later in

15 18

the

decoration of

the

Chigi

Palace occupied the attention of Raphael,

who

drew

a series of twelve cartoons for the frescos

hall.

on the ceiling of the lower

The

subject

was Cupid and Psyche,

leius,

after

the fable of Apu-

and the pictures represent:

to

The jealous
rival,

Venus urging her son Cupid

an unworthy mortal
to the

punish her

the beautiful Psyche, by inspiring her with love

for
;

the

enamoured Cupid
;

shows Psyche
presence of
Psyche,

Three Graces

Venus

in the

Juno and Minerva, searching

led

for

who had been

away by Cupid, and

his
;

afterwards abandoned

when she broke

slept

com-

mands by looking
hastens to

at

him while he

Venus

Olympus

in
;

her dove-chariot, to secure

she implores him to send

Jupiter's assistance

Mercury
of

to aid her
\

Mercury

flies

forth in search

Psyche

Venus torments her by imposing

''ST.

yoHNr
she
accomplishes,

123

arduous

tasks,

which

even
\

bringing up a vase from the infernal regions

she lays this trophy before the astonished Venus;

Jupiter consents to Cupid's union with Psyche;

Mercury

carries her to

Olympus

Cupid

vindi-

cates himself before the assemblage of the gods,

and Psyche
mortal
while
;

is

given ambrosia, and becomes im-

the gods celebrate the nuptial banquet,

the

Three

Graces

pour perfumes over

Psyche, and the rose-crowned Venus prepares to

dance.

One
fell far

of

the Three Graces

is
;

the only

painting here by Raphael's

pupils

own hand

and

his

short of that high achievement,

heavily, without delicacy,

and
in

finished

the work

and

coarse

tints.

The
in

" St. John the Baptist in the Desert,"

now

the Florentine Tribune, was prepared about

this time for Cardinal

Colonna.

It represents

a youth of

fifteen,

seated on a mossy rock, near a

spring, in a desert land.

He

is

partly clad in a

panther's skin, and holds a scroll in one hand,

while with the other he points to the luminous

rays which stream from a rude cross.

This

pic-

ture lacks several elements of the master's -best

style,

but became very popular, and was

fre-

124

RAPHAEL.
It
is

quently reproduced.
that
this work, the

worthy of mention

Sistine

Madonna, and the

banner for the Trinita Church, were the only

paintings which Raphael put on canvas,
all

the

remaining easel-pictures being on wood.

King Francis
Ivvelve

I.

gave Raphael an order for

subjects
in

cartoons

from

the

life

of
to

Christ, for the tapestries

which he presented
gift

the

Pope.

This royal

was exhibited
is

for
in

many
made
pleted

years in St. Peter's Church, and

now

the Halls of Pius V., at the Vatican.

Raphael

sketches for most of these works, but com-

only one, "

The Massacre

of the Inno-

cents," showing

three

scenes in the horror of

Bethlehem, and powerfully expressing the despair

of

the mothers and

the brutality of the

soldiers.

His pupils finished the other cartoons

drawings of the
the

after his death, incorporating the

master.

They represent
the

the Adoration of

Shepherds, the Adoration of the Magi, the Presentation

Christ,
in

Temple, the
to

Resurrection

of

Christ appearing

Mary Magdalene,
the Ascen-

Christ in Hades, Christ at

sion,

Emmaus,

the Descent of the Holy Ghost, and a

labored allegory of the Papacy.

RAPHAEVS PHYSIQUE,

12$

CHAPTER VIII. Raphael's Last Two Years. His Personal Appearance and Siuroundings. " The Transfiguration." Death of Raphael.
His Rank among
Artists.

Anton Springer
work as Raphael's.
seems indeed
to

says

that

"no

artist's

life

passed so completely and immediately in

artistic

The essence

of the beautiful

have belonged to him as a per-

sonal quality."
joy,

The world brought

to

him only

and he returned as he had received.

He

had

escaped the poverty and the vicissitudes through

which most men of genius struggle upward, and

was even shielded from the malignity of

criticism.

hostile

Living in the era of Italian anarchy,

its

he was delivered from

horrors

and the

free

lances and grim battalions of Borgias and Bour-

bons shattered each other throughout Tuscany

and Lombardy, while he passed

in depicting

his short May-life

and delivering

his tender

and harmo-

nious message to humanity.

His physical frame was feeble and

delicate,

126
yet symmetrical.

RAPHAEL,

He was

five

feet

and eight

inches high, with slender arms and chest, firmly

built legs

and

feet,

and a long neck.

hea\'}'

His head

was small and shapely, with

masses of long

brovvn hair, a beardless face of an olive complexion,

tender brown eyes, a large and well-shaped

nose, full lips,

teeth.

and an unbroken

set of perfect

His features were not regular, but agree-

able,
bility.

and had an expression of grace and

sensi-

This delicate and flexible beauty, charmits

ing with

open sweetness, was the

fair

index to

a soul

at

once gentle, chivalrous,

self-sacrificing,

and

free

from jealousy.
in

He

was now wealthy, and owned a palace

and a
villa

the city

beyond the
richly, after

walls,

and was
of

accustomed to dress
the
also

the

manner

Roman
made

court,

whose urbane manners he had

Vasari says that he lived not

his own.

as a painter, but as a prince.

fully

Though

his care-

finished sonnets are not remarkable as poetic

productions, the correspondence with Castiglione

and other scholars shows that

tion

his general cultivaof attaining

was

of a high order.

His hopes

the rank of a cardinal were

now

at their highest,

according to some accounts, and he was already

LOYAL INVITATIONS.
chamberlain to the Pope.
friends

127

Besides the noble

to,

and patrons before alluded

he had

acquired
rank.

new

intimates and an advanced social

The correspondence between Cardinals Bembo and Bibiena shows in what great esteem
was held by both these
prelates,

the master

and

with what friendship he honored them.

attractive
of

As an

man

of the world

and an acute judge

of

human

nature, he found

means

meeting

men

of rank

on a plane

of equality,

and thus advan-

cing the interests of his profession.

He was prompt
of Francis
I.,

to decline the munificent offers

to

who wished

make him

the court-

painter of France, though even Leonardo da Vinci

was happy

at being called to that brilliant court,

until

where he remained

his

death.

Horace

Walpole

states that

Raphael was also invited by

England, and become
at-

Henry VIII.

to visit

tached to the Court of London.

He preferred to abide
gance-,

in his well-beloved

Rome,
ele-

where, indeed, he lived in a style of refined

and maintained the

state

due

to the Prince

of Painters.

Vasari says that when he went to

the papal palace he was usually accompanied by

fifty

artists of

high rank, forming a proud and

"

128
brilliant train.

RAPHAEL.
Michael Angelo was accustomed

to

go alone

and one day when he met Raphael

he exclaimed, " Where are you
?

and

his disciples,

going thus, surrounded like a general

his

" to which

young
?

rival replied, "

And

you, alone, like the

hangman
found

In 15 19 the following contemporary description

is

in a letter

from Calcagnini, the

first sec-

retary of the Pope, to Jacob Ziegler, the

famous

mathematician
Urbino,

"

The

very rich

Raphael
the

da

who

is

so

much esteemed by

Pope
and

he
of

is

a young

man

of the greatest kindness,

an admirable mind.
first qualities.

He

is is

distinguished by

the

Thus he

perhaps the

first
j

of all the painters, as well in theory as in practice

moreover, he

is

an architect of such rare talent

that he invents

and executes things which men

of

the greatest genius

is.restoring

deemed

impossible.

He

Rome

in almost its ancient

grandeur;

for,

by removing the highest accumulations of

earth, digging

down

to the lowest

foundations,

and restoring every thing according

tion

to the descrip-

of

ancient authors, he has so carried the

as to

Pope Leo and the Romans along with him

induce every one to look on him as a god sent

THE CONSTANTINE FRESCOS,

from Heaven
former majesty.

129

to restore to the ancient city hei

With

all this,

he

is

so far from

being proud that he comes as a friend to every

one,

and does not shun the words and remarks

of

any one.
in

He

likes to

have his views discussed,

order to obtain

instruction

and

to

instruct
life."

Others,

which he regards as the object of

last

The

commission given to Raphael

in the
hall,

Vatican was for the decoration of the fourth

now known

as

La

Sala di Costantino ; and he

intended to represent there the union of the

Church and State

Constantine.
tapestry,

as exemplified in the

life

of of

The

frescos

are

in

imitation

and are surrounded by

allegorical figures,
historical pictures.

portraits of the popes,

and small

The cartoon

of "

The

Battle of Constantine "

was

entirely executed

by the master, and shows the

horse, with

Emperor dashing forward on a white

three
tius

armed angels above

hostile

his head, while

Maxen-

and the

pagan army are being driven

is at

into the Tiber.

The scene

the Ponte Molle,

with

Monte Mario and

the Janiculan Hill in the

of

background.
dressing his
ter,

The

fresco
"

"Constantine Ad-

Army

was

also

drawn by the mastroops,

and shows the tents of the Roman

I30

RAPHAEL.

near the Tiber, with the Emperor narrating his

miraculous vision to his standard-bearers, while in

the sky
is

the apparition of a shining cross.

These

two grand designs were deprived of much of their

boldness and strength by the coldness of the
painting, which

was done by Giulio Romano.

to

The

hall

had hardly commenced

show the

designs of the frescos

died,

when Leo and Raphael

practical

and the work was stopped by the

art-detesting

and

Pope Adrian

VI.

But the
frag-

Medici Pope, Clement VII., gathered the

ments

of

the

Roman
It

school of artists in 1523,

and recommenced
Constantine.

the decoration of the Hall of

was hardly finished when the

organization of the

Holy League by the Pope

drew down the hot anger of the Emperor Charles

v.,

and Rome was plundered and trampled under

by the imperial troops for seven months, and
rising

foot

the

splendors of the

Renaissance were
a
solitude

annihilated.

Then ensued
years.

and the

calm of death, which rested over Italy for three

hundred and

fifty

The

unfortunate execution of the Chigi fresinferi-

cos by his delegates, and the comparative

ority of

some

of

the

easel-pictures which

had

''THE

TRANSFIGURATIONS

131

recently gone out from his studio, the works of

the pupils, caused the

Roman

artists

and people

to whisper that Raphael's genius

was declining.

He

was deeply wounded by these rumors, and

resolved to execute with his

piece which should silence

own hands
all

a master-

criticism,

and win
h\.

back the veneration

this time

of his contemporaries.

Cardinal de' Medici ordered him to

Transfiguration " for the

paint "

The

Narbonne

Cathedral.

Simultaneously the Cardinal commissioned Sebastino

del

Piombo

to paint

"The Raising
their

of

Lazarus."
for this
filled

Michael Angelo made the drawings

thinking that

picture,

symmetry,

out with Sebastiano's rich coloring, would

produce a work which would far surpass that of

his competitor.

Raphael

said, "
it

Michael Angelo
in reality

pays

me

a great honor, since

is

him-

self that

he offers as

my

rival,

and not Sebasoften acknowl-

tiano."

The Tuscan master had

of the
is

edged the excellence

competitor, and there

works of his young

to infer that

no reason

the two artists were engaged in the pettiness of

private animosities.
Still
it

is

evident that they

re-

sometimes clashed, and the only ungracious

132

RAPHAEL.
as

mark on record
to

made by Raphael was

directed

Angelo, as before stated.

At the same time

he frequently said that he rejoiced to have lived

in

Angelo's day, because that great genius showed

art

him a phase of
never developed.
fairly,

which the older masters had

Vasari balances the two

men

when he

says that "

when vanquished by

Art in the person of Michael Angelo, Nature

deigned to be subjugated in that of Raphael, not

by Art
"

only, but

by goodness
is

also."
in

The

Transfiguration "

two

sections.
air,

The upper
ineffable

part shows Christ rising into the

with uplifted eyes and arms, in the midst of an

and supernatural

light.

It

is

at the
is

moment when

the celestial voice cries, " This

;

my

beloved Son
of

hear ye him."
Elias
;

At His

side are

figures

Moses and
the

while below, on

Mount Tabor,
mystical light.

Apostles Peter, James, and

John are prostrate on the ground, dazzled by the

This majestic scene
is

contrasted

with that in the lower part of the picture, at the

foot of

the mountain, where an afflicted father

has brought his distorted and demon-possessed

boy
ple.

to the Apostles, attended

by a crowd

of peoto

But the powerless disciples point up

'*THE transfiguration:'
Christ, as the only
evil things.

135
all

One who has power over

Their gestures join the action of the

rich

two sections of the picture, showing the

unity and deep significance of the design.

The

dual arrangement of the transfigured group above

and the sad earthly scene below has been severely criticised,

but Goethe has defended

it

most

eloquently.

When Rome as
in

the

work was done,

its

it

was retained

in

a memorial of

maker, and was kept

in Montorio.

the Church of

San Pietro

In

1797 the French troops removed

figuration " to Paris, but
it

"The

Transto the

was returned

Vatican in 18 15.
ings have been
turies,
is

Countless copies and engravthe last three cen-

made during

and scattered over the world. The picture

Transfiguration " was the

valued by experts at $300,000.

"

The

last
if

and the

noblest of

Raphael's paintings,

we except
it

"The

Sistine

Madonna," with which

supremacy,
art.

stands
other

in unapproachable

above

all

achievements of pictorial

The coincidence
last pictures

has already been noted, that the two

which the mastei^ painted of Christ and of the

Madonna

leave

them

in

the profound splendor

134

RAPHAEL.

of their heavenly glorification, portrayed with an

inspired art which

scribable.

is at

once inimitable and inde:

As Passavant says

"

These two mas-

ter-pieces are those that

have excited the most

constant admiration and the warmest veneration

during three centuries throughout

all

Christen-

dom."
After these almost miraculous achievements,

no further advance seems

even
to Raphael.

to

have been possible,

Why,

then,

need he linger

to

feel himself falling slowly from his proud emi-

nence, and to decline into an old age surrounded

with enemies, like

far

Michael Angelo
Italy,

or exiled

from his beloved

like

Leonardo; or
?

shivering in chill atheism, like Perugino

Why
Rome,
have

need he stay

to see the downfall of art in

and the mournful destruction

It

of

the fair city?

was decreed that

his glorious life should

no anti-climax of

decadence.

From

the very

empyrean
into the

of his

fame and honor he was ushered

let

life

immortal, there to dwell,

us hope,

with the saints and sages, apostles and heroes,

whom
trayed,

his

glowing imagination had so often porin the ver)^ presence

and

of the Blessed

Virgin and her Divine Son.

RAPHAEL'S DEATH.
Before
its

135

"The

Transfiguration "

was completed,
fever,

autlior

was stricken down by a violent

fatal inroads

which quickly made

organization.

on

his delicate

Vasari states that his marriage

with Maria da Bibiena was then at hand; and,

during his last weeks of

draining the cup of
dregs.

independence, he was

unlawful pleasure to the

h(2

On

one occasion

indulged in such
ill.

excesses, that

he returned home very

The

doctors thought that he had taken a severe cold,

and he was ashamed

his prostration.
in his

to reveal the true cause of

They
state,

therefore bled him, which,

fatal.

reduced

proved speedily

Lan-

don and some other biographers have repeated

this

painful story
all

but Passavant,

Pungileoni,

Longhena, and
of Raphael's

the most careful investigators

life,

agree in saying that the fatal

his

fever

arose

from

protracted

labors in the
ruins.

malarious localities of the

Roman

Vasari

took his account from the unreliable and some-

what disreputable Fornari, who had published

in

it

1549, in his " Observations on Ariosto."

He

adds, with a confidence which seems indeed singular in view of the alleged circumstances, that,

"as he embellished the world by his talents while

136

RAPHAEL.
earth, so
it

on

is

to

be believed that his soul

is

now adorning heaven."

Although generally doubted,
this story

was not

disproved for three centuries, until Longhena, in

1823,
first

demonstrated

its

high improbability,

and "then published the

death, which the

true account of the artist's

Abbe

Cancellieri received from

in

an ancient manuscript
librar}^,

Cardinal Antonelli's

indorsed by Camuccini.

According

to

this narrative,

which

is

the only one accepted by

delicate constituat that

modern biographers, Raphael's

tion

and limited physical strength had

time been taxed to the uttermost by his labors in

the studio

and among the

at

ruins.

He was

one

day busily

work

in the Chigi Palace,

when he

was sent

for at court,

whither he hastened at

great speed, being impatient at the interruption.

The Romans have

ti piglia^

a proverb

Sole di
at

Marzo,

se

fammazzo.

He

arrived

the Vati-

can breathless and perspiring, and remained for

some time
on

in

one of the cold and draughty

halls,

consulting with the

St. Peter's

Pope about the

new works
a violent

Church.

He

quickly

felt

chill,

and returned home, where he was imme*

diately prostrated with the fever.

RAPHAELS BEQUESTS.
The
at the

137
agitated

entire population of

Rome was

sudden

peril

which menaced the beloved

master,

him who
famous.

had done so much

to

make

their city

The Pope

rested under the

shadow

of the general anxiety,

and sent frequent

his

messages of encouragement and

diction.

solemn bene-

The

sickness lasted but eight days.

rapidly,

Raphael sank
his earthly life

and soon realized

its

that

was near

close.

He

arranged

* his temporal affairs with tranquillity,

and named

as executors his old friends, Baldassare Turini

and Branconio
court.

dall'

Aquila, officers of the Papal

The

beautiful
to

house near the Vatican

was bequeathed
then in financial

Cardinal Bibiena,

who was
family,
;

difficulty,

and
the

at

odds with the

at

Pope.

The kinsmen

of

Santi

Urbino, received a thousand ducats in gold

and

the old paternal estate went to the Brotherhood

of Santa of art

Maria della Misericordia.

The works
to his

in his studio,

and the unfinished commiselsewhere, were

left

sions at

Rome and

favorite pupils, Giulio

Romano and Francesco was made to Margherita, A Penni. La Fornarina, the maiden whom he had loved so long and so well, and to whom he was always
large bequest

constant.

138

RAPHAEL.

After having thus settled his affairs with the

world, he received the
last

sacraments of the

Church, and commended his soul to God.

the night of

Or

Good

Friday, April

6,

1520, Raphael

died, at the age of exactly thirty-seven years.

The Pope was

for him,

staying that night in the apart-

ments of the Vatican which Raphael had erected

when suddenly they

came

fell

into ruins,

and

he had scarcely escaped from the ominous wreck

when
dead.

the tidings

that the great master

was

The Roman legend

and cried

says that the Pontiff

out, "

burst into tears,

as
if

Ora pro

nobis^^^

the artist

had already become a canonized

saint.

The Eternal

City was plunged into grief

and

the bereft disciples arranged the

state,

body

to lie in

on a catafalque surrounded by lighted

tapers,
his

with "

The

Transfiguration " overhead.

Here

friends came, in mournful groups,

and looked

for

the last time

on the sweet and beloved

face, in

the presence of his crowning work.

The

great

light of the city had been extinguished.

Count

Castiglione wrote to his

mother, "It seems to

me

that I

am no

longer in

Rome,

since

my

pool

RAPHAEL'S FUNERAL.
dear Raphael
is

139

not here."

"
;

He

was mistaken.
as Paul or

Raphael
Cassar,"

lives ever in

Rome

as

much

adds an eloquent American.

;

Thousands
Pantheon

of citizens followed his body to the and the unfinished " Transfiguration,"
in

on which the colors were yet damp, was borne

the solemn procession.
el

He was

buried in a chapfitted for

which he had previously restored and

the purpose, and which he had

endowed with a

house, whose rent should defray the expenses of

twelve masses monthly at

its altar.

This

rite

was

kept up for 185 years, until the income from the

house had dwindled

to

an insufficient sum.

The

chapel was decorated, at the master's order, with a

marble statue of the Virgin, by Lorenzetto, which

is

now venerated by

the

Romans

as instrumental

in several miracles.

In 1833 the tomb was opened,

and the complete skeleton of Raphael was found

and exposed

to the reverent

view of an immense

number

of

Romans.

After five weeks the pre-

cious remains were enclosed in a leaden coffin

and a marble sarcophagus,

after

which they were

restored to the sepulchre-chapel, in a solemn nightservice,

when

the

Pantheon was illuminated, and

and
artists

the

chief

literati

of

the

city bore

<^orches in the funeral procession.

I40

RAPHAEL,
the following epitaph for the

Bembo composed
tomb
of his friend
:

D. O. M.
'

RaPHAELI
PicTORi

SAI4CTIO

lOANN
'

F URBINATI
*

Eminentiss Vetervmq

Aemvlo

Cvivs

Spirantes Prope Imagines Si

Contemplere Natvrae Atqve Artis Foedvs

Facile Inspexeris

IvLii

II

Et Leonis

Pont Maxx Pictvrae

Et Architect Operibvs Gloriam Avxit Vix Annos XXXVII Integer Integros Qvo Die Natvs Est Eo Esse Desiit

VIII Id Aprilis

MDXX.

Ille Hic Est Raphael Timvit

Qvo Sospite Vinci Rervm Magna Parens Et Moriente Mort.

(Dedicated to Raphael Sanzio, the son of Giovanni of

Urbino, the
ancients.

most eminent

painter,

who emulated

the

In

perceived.
II.

whom the union He increased the

his

of

Nature and Art

is easily

glory of the Pontiffs Julius

and Leo X. by

works

of painting

and architecture.
anni-

He

lived exactly thirty-seven years,

and died on the

versary of his birth, April 6, 1520.

Living, great Nature feared he might outvie

Her works,

and, dying, fears herself to die.)

RAPHAEL'S LABORS.
When Lomazzo
g-eat

141

of

Milan gave symbols to the

painters of the Renaissance, he assigned to

of
sagacity, to Michael

Mantegna the serpent

Angelo the dragon

of contemplation,

and

to

Ra-

phael the figure of a man, the

emblem

of incar-

nate intellect and graceful strength.

No

artist

was ever endowed with such a power of assimilation as this one,

true,

who gathered and blended

the

the beautiful, and the good, from

Umbria

and Florence and Rome, and placed them on the

glowing canvas.
ticism,

Yet he avoided

all

taint of eclec-

and was ever the same

in himself.
six-

Angelo's best work was done when he was

ty-seven years of age, Titian's after his seventieth

year,

and Murillo's

after

he had passed
life

fifty.

But

into the short springtime of the

of the Urbin-

ese painter was compressed an enormous

of work, enlightened

amount

by a fully-ripened judgment.

The

prodigality of invention

and the accuracy

in

design in his paintings

are

continued through

countless original drawings, which are overflowing

with conscientious brain-work and earnest study.

Raphael

is

at the

head

of the art of painting,

all

because, although not pre-eminent in

its

de-

partments, he

combined more excellences and

142

RAPHAEL
In drawing

fewer defects than any other painter.

he could not surpass Michael Angelo, though he

had no other peer.

In chasteness of design he

resembled the ancient Greeks, attaining a marvellous symmetry, a

wisdom
the

of selection,

and a

close adherence to

best

natural

and ideal

models.
apostles,

The

expressive heads of his men, the

martyrs,

and

saints,

are

among

his

noblest works.
tions, delicately

His figures are personified emo-

and inimitably shown

in all their

gradations,

and illuminated by the rare faculty

in imagination

which he had of placing himself under similar circumstances with

his subjects.

In the quality of grace, the master was so en-

dowed

as to have

won
of his

the

name

of "

The new
children,

Apelles."

This

trait

appears in the tender faces

and delicate forms

Madonnas and

where modesty and purity are portrayed with a

charming freedom of execution and an evident

innate facility of comprehension.

In coloring and chiaroscuro he

inferior to Titian

may have been

far in
his other con-

and Correggio, but was

advance of Michael Angelo and

temporaries.
his best

The

portraits of

the Popes

show

work

in this regard, since in

them he was

TECHNICAL IDEAS.

^43

precluded from invention, and there remained

only this one method of attaining distinction.

In the composition of groups, and unity of

action,

he

is

unsurpassed, and exhibits a rare

skill

in disposing of

masses of

light

and shade.

The
repre-

costumes of the figures are of remarkable accuracy and careful

sented.

harmony with the era

The

sublimity exhibited in

many
its

of his
since,

religious paintings has never

been equalled

and impresses the

grandeur.

lightest

mind with

pure

At the same

time, the representations

of sensuous scenes

and fascinating voluptuous-

ness in classic fables or on the pagan

are full-blooded
of the myths,

Olympus

and seductive, true

to the motives

and

to the taste of the licentious

patrons

who ordered them.

his highest merit

But the crowning talent of the master, and that

which gave him

ful celebrity,

and

his

wonderthe

was

his marvellous

felicity in

invention and disposition of subjects, in which he

has had no equal.

He

includes the whole theme

under

illustration in

one rapid survey, and makes

the story easily intelligible by skilful arrangements

of figures, judicious selections of circumstances,

and the subordination and blending of numerous

144
collateral
picture.

RAPHAEL.
episodes with the main action of the

Schelling says that

of the bright

"Raphael takes possession

Olympus, and carries us away from

of

earth to the assemblage

the

gods

beings
most

permanent and
cultivated
tion,
life,

useful.

The prime

of the

the sweet fragrance of imaginaof mind, all breathe

and the vigorous power

forth from his works.

He

is

no longer a painter

he

is at

once a philosopher and a poet.

;

His wis-

dom

equals the power of his mind

and things

are ordered in the everlasting decrees just as he

portrays them.

In him art has reached

its

goal

and, as the

human and

divine can be purely bal-

anced
is

at one point alone, the

all

stamp of uniqueness

impressed on

his works."

A LIST OF

RAPHAEL'S PAINTINGS
NOW
IN EXISTENCE,

TION,

WITH THE DATES OF THEIR AND THEIR PRESENT LOCATIONS.

EXECU-

#* The interrogatiotp-point after a title regarded as unauthentic by two or more

tain
its

signifies that the picture

critics,

it

while others tnaif^

genuineTiess.

ITALY.

Rome.
the

The

Vatican,

The

Transfiguration, 1519-20;

Madonna

of Foligno, 1512; the Coronation of the Vir-

gin, 1503; predella-pictures of the Annunciation, the

Adora-

tion of the Magi,

tion;

and the Presentation, 1503; the Assumppredella-pictures.

Faith,

Hope, and Charity,

The

Stanze of Raphael,
nassus,

Theology, the School

of Bolsena, Repulse

of Athens, Par;

and Jurisprudence, executed 150S-11

the Expulsion
of Attila,

of Heliodorus,

Mass

and

Liberation of St. Peter, 1512-14; and the

Halls of the

Incendio and of Constantine, decorated by his pupils from

his designs;
Jries,

the Loggie, 1514-16; the Gallery of Tapes-

twenty-one in number, 151 5-19.

Borghese Palace,

The

Entombment,

507

the Mar(?).

riage of Roxana, 1515; Cardinal Borgia;

Raphael
145

Bar-

146
berini Palace,

RAPHAEL.

La Fornarina,

51 1.

Academy of

St.

Luke^

St.

Luke, and the Virgin

(partly).

La

Farnesina,

Ga-

latea,

1513; Cupid and Psyche, 1518-19.

Late in Sciarra-

Colonna Palace,
Pace,

The Violin-Player.
statuary.

Santa Maria della

Mosaics and
and

Santa Maria del Popolo,

St.

Sibyls

Prophets,

1513.

Agostino,

Fresco

of

Isaiah, 151 2.

Florence.

Pitti

Palace,

Portraits
Madonna

of

Angelo and

Maddalena Doni, 1506; Pope Julius IL, 1511; Pope Leo

X.,
1

518; Phsedra Inghirami, 1513; Cardinal Bibiena; the

del Baldacchino,
della

Vision of Ezekiel, 151 3; the

1507;

Madonna

della Sedia, 1516;

dell'

Madonna

Gran

Duca, 1504; Madonna

na,
1

Impannata, 151 2;

La

Fornari-

518.

Uffizi

Gallery,

ToYtrait
St.

of a Lady, 151 2; Julius II.,

in the

1511; Raphael, 1506;

John

Desert, 1518-19;

Madonna

del Cardellino, 1506.

St.

Academy of

Mark,

Two monks, 1506.

(?).

St. Onofrio^

Fresco
nude

of the Last

Supper

Milan.

Lo

Sposalizio,

1504; water-color sketch of

figures.
St. Pietro de' Cassijiense,

Perugia.
St.

John, before

500.

San

Severo,

Infant Jesus and The Trinity and Car1^05.

melite

Monks,

1505.
1

Brescia,
504.

mo,

St. Sebastian,

Bologna,

Pax Vobis,

Bergor
1513-17.

St. Cecilia,

Citth dil Gzj/^//^,

Naples.
1

Banner of Santa Trinita, 1500. National Museum, Holy Family of Naples/

Saints J Cardinal Passerino
(?);

512;

Madonna and

Tebal?

dec

(?).

LIST OF PAINTINGS.
FRANCE.

147

The Louvre. La
mXh. a

Belle Jardiniere, 1508; the

Virgin

Diadem

the Large
;

Holy Family, or 1a Vierge de Holy Family, 1 518 St Mar;

Fontainebleau, 1518
garet, 1518
;

the Small

St.

Michael and the Dragon, 1518

St George

St Michael; St

Cecilia (fresco), 1515; Castiglione, 1513;

Joanna of Arragon, 1518; Portrait of a Young Man; Portrait

(?).

SPAIN.

Madrid Museum.
of the Pearl, 151 7;

Madonna del Pesce, 1513; Madonna

of the

Madonna

Rose

Holy Family

at

the Oak,

1507; the Visitation, 1517;

151 3;

Lo Spasimo,

1517;

Holy Family; Bibiena,

*

two portraits of men.

ENGLAND.
London. National
andria, 1507
;

Gallery^

St

Catherine of AlexII. (replica)

the Knight's

Dream, 1500; Julius

Aldobrandini Madonna, 1511; replica of the Bridgewatei

Madonna; Archangels Michael and Raphael.

SotUh-Kensington Museum^

Portrait

of a

Young Man
Ward,

seven cartoons for the

tapestries.

Lord

The
Lady
1504;

Gavami

Crucifixion, 1500; the

Three Graces, 1506; Mutt-

Madonna with Candelabra, 1516. Burdett'Coutts, Christ on the Mount of Olives,

ro Collection,

Madonna with Jesus

St.

Standing, 151 2.
of Padua.

Dulwich

College,

Francis and

St.

Anthony

Bridgewater Gallery,
1506;

Holy

Family at the Palm-Tree,

;

Mado ma

of the Bridgewater Gallery, 1512

and two

dubious Madonnas.

148

RAPHAEL.

Penshangar (Lord Cowper),

na della Casa Nicolini, 1507.
dei Ansidei.
na.

Madonna,

1505;

Madon

Blenheim Palace,

Madonna

Bowood,
Hill,

Barron

quis of Mantua,

Cross; Julius

II.;

Predella of the Blenheim Madon PietL Charlcote Park, The MarLeigh Court, Christ Bearing the 151 MadonMadonna Alnwick
1.
(?).

Castle,

na with the Pink;

St.

Catherine and

Mary Magdalen,

1502.

GERMANY.
Berlin Museum,

Solly
1

Madonna, 1501
503
;

Madonna

with Sts. Jerome and Francis,

(coi Bambini), 1505;

Terranuova Madonna,

Madonna
;

della

Casa Colonna, 1508;

Dr. Spicker,

Pieta, 1504; St.

Lodovico

St.

Ercolano, 1504; Diotalevi

(?).

Madonna; Adoration

of the

Shepherds

A Carthusian Monk.
Munich Pinakothek,
ani Family, 1506;
of the

Holy
della

Family of the CanigiTenda, 1516; Madonna

Madonna

Tempi Family,
a Man, 1505

1506; Baptism and Resurrection of

Christ (two doubtful pictures); Bindo Altoviti, 1512; Portrait of

;

Small

Head

frescoed on a brick, 1505.

Dresden Museum,

The Sistine Madonna, 1518.

AUSTRIA.

Vienna Belvedere,
St. Margaret.

Pesth,

Holy Family Verde, 1507; Madonna from Esterhazy Gallery.

al

RUSSIA.
St. Petersburg. ^^rmzV^^^/'a/^*:^, The

Alba Ma-

donna, 1511

the Staffa

Madonna;

the

Holy Family with

LIST OF PAINTINGS.
the Beardless St. Joseph, 1506; Portrait of an

149
Old Man,

(Sannazaro ?)

St.

George, 1506.

*#* Numerous other pictures in Passavanfs long list of doubtful Raphaels are regarded as genuine^productions of the great master b) competent modern critics, such as IVaagen and Wornum but it ; seems

inexpedient to give here

tJie titles

of tliese controverted paintings.

to

The pictures now

tioned in the
accessiile.
is
list,

in

America attributed
tlie

Raphael are not

tnefp-

because

proofs of their authenticity are not easily

The

Pieth, which

was purchased by Mr.

is

J. J. Jarves,

and

now in

the Vale-College Gallery,

undoubtedly an early

work of
tht

Raphael.

The author will welcome ccrrections at

list it

to

any point tH which

erroneous or impttfect.

INDEX.
Adoration of ilu Magit Agnolo, 3o Alexander VI., 41.
Alfani, 16, 70.
Alto\'iti, 58, 60.

ai.

Crucifixion, The, 18. Cupid arid Psydie, 7I1 vax

Death of A nanias, 96. Death of Raphael, 137.

dall',

Angelo, Michael, 29, 50, 57, 70, 76,

95, 128, 131.

Aquila, Branconio
137-

8i,

113,

Doni, Angelo, 30. Doubtful Pictures, 59. Drawings, 103.

Diirer, Albert, 71.

Archangel MicJuielf

114.

ArchcBological Works, 103, 114, 128. Architect of St. Peter's, 80. Architectural Works, 81, 102. Ariosto, 46, 70. AtiMs Repulse, 73.

Elymas,
Erasmus,

96.

Engravings, 52.

Entombvient of Christ,
68, 69.

%b,

Evil Popes, The, 41.

Expidsion of Heliodorus,
Baglioni Family, 12. Bartolommeo, Fra, 35, 69.
Santi, II, 17.

63,

Battle of Constantine, 129. Belle Jardiniere, La, 36.

Bembo,

Pietro, 32, 72.

Ezekiel, Vision of, 79. Florence, 25, 102. Fornarina, La, 53, 61, 119, 137. Francia, 32, 51, 78. Francis I., 116, 127. Funeral, 139.

Bernadina, 9, 11, 17. Bibiena, 32, 73, 77, 84, 108, 137.

Maria

da, 84, 85.

Bologna, 32. Bolsena, The Miracle of, 64. Borgia Family, 22, 41. Bramante, 40, 71, 73, 80.

Galatea, 77. Ghirlandajo, 70. Giocondo, Fra, 85. Giovanni, Santi, 7.

Guidobaldo, 22, 32.

Bur fling of tJie Borgo,

Cagli, 10,

94.

Healing of

tJie

Paralytic, 96.
63, 73.

Heliodorus Frescos,
Canossa, Count
of, 32, 79. 10.

Holy Family at Palm, 31. Large, of Louvre, 1 15.

Caitigiani, 34.

Came vale,
114, 138.

Fra, Cartoons, The, 99.

Castiglione, Count, 32, 33, 72, 78,

of Naples, 59. with Beardless St. Joseph^

Libro del Cortigiano, 33. Incendio, Stanza dell', 92.
II

Jjr

Catholicity of Raphael, 79. Chigi, 56, 75, 77, 122. Christ Bearing tlie Cross, in.

Cittidel Ca?tello, 17, 21. CoTisianiine's A ddress, 129.

Inghirami, Phsedra, 77. Innocent VIII., 41.

Coronation of Charlemagne, 93.

of the Virgin,

20, 97.

Joanna of Arragon, yuliusn.,^1.

117.

^52
Julius II., 34, 43i 64, '^

INDEX,
Oath of Leo
III., Tfu^ 93*
6;

Jurisprudence^

^
Pagan Revival,
20.

Knighfs Dream,
Last Sickness,

127.
_

Palace of Raphael, 71. Parnassus, The, 47. Penni, 107.

29,

Last Supper, 27, Leonardo da Vinci, 26, Leo X., 66, 74, 94, 117.
Letter, Joanna's, 23.

7a

Perugia, 11, 28. Perugino, 14, 44, 51.

Physique

of

Raphael, 125.

Lo

Loggie, The, 88. Spasitno, iii.

53.

Pinturicchio, ig. Portrait of Raphael, 34. Pupils, 105.

Madonna, Alba,
y4
yi nsidei, 28.

Idobrandini, Alfani, ig.

53.

RapIiaeVs Bible, 89. Reynolds, Sir Joshua,

88.

Roman

School, The, 106.

of, 45, 106, 130.

Rome, Sack

Baldacchino, 37.

Summons
Roxana, 101. Ruskin quoted,

to, 40.

Bambini,

27.
59.

5^//^ Jardinikre, 36.

49, 51.

Bridgeiuater,

Candelabra, no.
Cardellino, 30.

St. Catherine, 35. St. Cecilia, 78, 55, loi.

St. Francis, 13.

Cja Colonna, 36.

Crtj Nicolini, 36.

St George,
St.

33.

Divino

A tnore,
37.

60.

St. John, 123.

Esterkazy,

Foligno, 55.

GVa Duca,

27.
59.

Luke, 59. St. Margaret, 116. St. Nicholas ToUniino,

St.

18.

Ifnpannata, 60. ;/V^ 7^j?^.y Standing, Lord Cowper's, 27.

Paul at

A thens,

and Barnabas^
in Prison, 97.
St. Peter,

97. 97.

Lor etc, 55. / Meadow,

Orleans, 34.

Charge

to, 96.

1.

St.

Deliverance of, 75. Peter's Church, 80, 84.

/"^ar/, 112. ^<?/ /"^jc^, 62. Sedia, 109. ^^/()/, 19. Staffa, 20. Sistine, 119.
a!^//a

St. Stephen, Martyrdom of, 96k Sala del Cambio, 18. Sala di Costantino, 129. Sannazaro, 68, 72. Santa Maria del Popolo, 56. Santa Maria della Pace, 75.
1

Tempi, 31. Tenda,

10.

Santi Family, 7, 137. Savonarola, 35, 42.

39.

Madonnas, Florentine, Roman, 54. Magia Ciarla, 9.

Maiolica, 83.

School of

A thens,

47.

Sculptures of Raphael, 82. Sebastiano, 131. Segnatura Frescos, 44.

Sibyls, 75.

Marc Antonio,

52.

Margherita, 60, 137. Masaccio, 26. Medici, Cardinal, 73. Medici, Lorenzo de', 116, 118. Miraculo7cs Draught, 95. Montefeltro, S.

Siena,

ig.

Ciarla, 11, 37, 8j. Sistine Chapel, 50, 57. Sistine Madonna, 119. Sixtus IV., 41.

Simone

Navagero,

67, 72.

Solly Madotina, 19. Sposalizio, Lo, 21. Stanza, Le, 44, 63.

INDEX.
Taddeo Taddei, 26, 31. Taihe, 88. Tapestries, 95. Duplicates, 100. for Francis I., 124.
Their history, 98. Tebaldeo, 72. Theology, 46. Three Graces, 33. Tomb of Raphael, 139. Tratisfiguration, The, 133. Triniti Banner, 17.
Turini, 72, 137.

'53
School,

Udine^ Giovanni da, 91, 107.

Umbnan
Urbino,

13.

8, 17, 22, 27,

32.

Vallombrosa, 34.

Vasari, 50. Vatican, The, 43, 87.

Venus and Cupid

Series, 108.

Violin-Player, The, 118. Visitation, The, 113. Wealth of Raphael, 83. ia6.

AR TIST-BIOGRAPHIES.

Leonardo da

Vinci.

BOSTON:
HOUGHTON, OSGOOD AND COMPANY.
(Cl^? lt!ibcr?iDe

^re?^, CamBrib0e,
1880.

Copyright.

By HOUGHTON, OSGOOD & CO.

1878.

Univbrsity Prhss: John Wilson

&

Son,

Cambridge

PREFACE
The
true
life

of

Leonardo da Vinci has not yet been

faithful

chronicled,

and awaits the

and discipHned
to

precision and tirelessness of a

justice.

German pen

do

it

What Grimm and Passavant have done

theirs,

for

Angelo and Raphael, some countryman of

on the

cold and arid plains of Prussia, must accomplish for the eldest of the great artistic triumvirate.

In the

meantime, we

may

read the Vincian biographies by

MM.
tiful

Rio and Arsene Houssaye, and enjoy their beau-

language and poetic thoughts, more pleasing, certhan the Dryasdust Teutonic works, but less

tainly,

philosophic and less profitable.

In our

own language we have

J.

the

commonplace

little

biography, written by

W. Brown, many

years since

and the bright and agreeable " Leonardo da Vinci and

his

Works," edited by Mrs. Heaton and Mr. C. C.

1S73.

Black, and published in London, in

Besides

these books,

have drawn

facts from the writings of

Amoretti, Bossi, Landon, Lomazzo, Borghini,

Rosini, RigoUot,

Gaye,

Blanc, Clement,

Stendhal, Viardot,

PREFACE.
Cavalcaselle,

Crowe and

Taine,

Waagen, and

the

delightful old Vasari.

rest

The

foundations of

my

sketch
Vinci

on Houssaye's Histoire de Leonard de

(Paris, 1869).

We

may

easily collect
life,

the chief external facts of

Leonardo's

but in his inner being he remains a

perplexing mystery, regarded by some as an intellectual butterfly, lightly tasting the

sweets of learning,
terrible

and avoiding contact with the nobler but more

problems which agitated Europe

in his day, while others

dream of him as possessed by deeper and profounder

thoughts than came to the

men

of those centuries, a

seer, in the highest sense of the

word,

filled

with the

glory of ineffable visions.

If

he had not passed most

of his

life

in a provincial city

if

he had not spread

if

his energies over too wide a field

he had not been

popular

so pleasantly indolent

and

socially

what

might he not have accomplished

M.

F.

SWEETSER.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. PAGB Inmates. Verocchio's Studio. LeoAchievements. A Society Favorite. A Selfits

The

Castle of Vinci and

nardo's First

Appreciative Letter

CHAPTER II. Journey to Milaru The Welcome. The Sforzas. Cecilia and Lucrezia. The Villa Melzi. The Equestrian Statue. Sculptures. Festivals. Flight from War CHAPTER
The Last Supper
III.

24

43

Return to Florence.
Service with

CHAPTER IV. Perugino and Monna Lisa. Borgia. Rivalry with Michael Angelo. The
Botticelli.

Cartoons

54

CHAPTER
Second Sojourn
at

V.

Milan.

High

Prosperity.

Patronage of the King of France. Family Litigations. A Group of Pictures

5

68

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI. The Exodus of Leonardo's School. Leonardo at Rome. Leo Pictures painted at Rome. The Old Master overmatched

X.
.

8a

CHAPTER
The Call of France.
nardo
in

VII.
Italy.

France.

Leo Pavian Festivities. Farewell to His Death. The Last Testament

.

90

CHAPTER
Leonardo as a Philosopher and a Writer

VIII.

...
IX.

108

CHAPTER
The Academia Leonardi Vinci and
ian Art

the Master's Heritage to Ital139

LEONARDO DA
CHAPTER
The
Castle of Vinci and
its

VINCI,

I.

Inmates.

First Achievements.
Letter.

Society Favorite.

Verocchio's Studio. Leonardo's Appreciative A

Self-

The

second half of the fifteenth century, the

long hush of peace

and prosperity before the

storm,

breaking

of

the

Reformation

was

the

golden era of the Middle Ages, during which

the
early

Medicean poets of
pages;
while
the

Italy

wrote

their

immortal
chieftains,

great

ecclesiastical

Luther and Reuchlin, Erasmus and the

Medici, were preparing their weapons of spiritual

warfare, or passing through the

deep experiences

which
at

fitted

them

for the heroic contests so close

hand.

The

richest

blooming-time

of

art

was

also

found during these decades, when Raphael and

Angelo, Titian and Giorgione, were learning

how

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

to prepare their celestial colors.

this

The

eldest of

marvellous group was Leonardo da Vinci,

the most versatile and many-sided, and in

respects
of

many

the

most extraordinary, representative

Italy.

mediaeval
to

When Lomazzo

assigned

emblems

the artists of Italy, in the realms

of mythology, zoology,

and the metals, he gave

as

Leonardo's representatives, Prometheus, the

lion,

and gold.
in 1452, at the little castle

Leonardo was born

of Vinci, which stood in the Vale of the Arno,

not far from the Pistojian frontier, and hard by

the Fucecchio Lake.

In

1852, Stendhal

rever-

ently visited the ruins of this ancient building.

Leonardo's father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a

notary of the Florentine Republic, and a
influence
five

man

of

and
old.

position,

though not yet twenty-

years

Piero was married four times,

but Leonardo's mother was not his wife.

Her
she

name was Catarina;

and,

in

later

years,

married a certain Accattabriga del Vacca,

and

became an honest woman.

nardo was
illegitimate,

But,

although Leo-

he was legitimized and

eleven
lawful
chil-

brought up among
dren,

Piero's

and became

the pet of

the family,

on

i^INCI

CASTLE AND ITS INMATES.

his

9
brill-

account of
iancy.

superior intelligence

and

The

successive wives of Piero

Albiera
him

Amadori, Francesca Lanfredini, Margherita Guglielmo,

and Lucrezia Cortigiani

care

treated
whom
of

with

tender
for

and

affection,

and consoled
he had
these

him

the loss of the

mother

never seen.
fair

The

loving ministrations
ladies

and charitable Tuscan

abiding

made a deep
heart
of

and

impression on the
in

the

young Leonardo, and

some measure prepared

portrayal of

him

for his appreciative

noble wofa-

manhood.

He was

a frequent guest at his

last marriage,

ther's house,

even after the

when

Piero had a villa on the heights near Florence,

since
Belincionni's sonnet to

Madame

Lucrezia

da Vinci alludes

to the poet's joyful sojourn,

"-^ Fiesole con Piero

Leonardo^
with
its

Remote from
activities

the busy

city,
its

human
and
for-

and speculations,

iron creeds
left

mulae, the lion-like youth

ture, to
verity.

was

alone with Na-

learn her deepest lessons of faith and

In the forests about the

castle,

along the

mountain-ridges, and by the bright and impetuous

Arno, he studied the sky, and her storm-robes

lo

LEONARDO DA
star-jewelry, the vast

VINCI.

and

expanses of verdure and

their annual changes, the blue river of

autumn

and the tawny floods

of spring-time.

His impulse

towards natural science was very strong, and grew

with his dawning youth.
in
later

He

advanced a theory
their
if

years, that sons are usually like

;

mothers, and daughters like their fathers

there
rina
to
is

and,

reason in this hypothesis, the

frail

Cata-

must have been a remarkable woman, worthy

have enthralled the young Piero da Vinci.

Piero was proud of his brave boys, and brought

a pedagogue
jects with

to Vinci, to teach

them

in the

sub

which a gentleman's children should

be

familiar.

But Leonardo was distinguished

all
all

above them
searching on

by

his

insatiable

questionings,

sides for knowledge,

and never
Vasari

content save with clear demonstrations.

says that,

"In

arithmetic,

he often confounded

the master

who

taught him, by his reasonings and

the problems he proposed."
in the

by the

difficulty of

His ardent observations

open

fields

and on

the rocky heights were echoed by his earnest

labors in the library and over the student's desk

and
to

his life

seemed consecrated

to

one object,

know

HIS EARLY YEARS.

ll

From

his earliest years,

he devoted himself also

to improvise

to music,

and quickly learned how

fill

both words and melodies, and to

halls of the castle with the sweet

the ancient

harmonies of the

lute

and

guitar.

This, indeed,

was not enough

of

to satisfy

him

and he invented a new form

the lyre, with which to develop fresh

ideas in

harmony.
In those happy days
entered the battle of
teens.
life

men

ripened

fast,

and

before they passed their

The

artist

learned to draw by drawing,

the musician

by playing, the poet by rhyming,

told, for years,

and not by being

things.

how

to

do these
lec-

The

reign of the
far

academy and the

its

ture

was yet and

away

and genius made

own

rules,

felt its

own way,

slowly and painfully,

sometimes indeed wrongly, but, in the long run,

surely

and

freely.

Almost from

his infancy,

Leonardo had been

familiar with the use of the pencil,

and he

fre-

quently turned aside from the drudgery of mathematics to amuse himself by drawing.

The same
let-

paper which held his columns of figures and

tered angles was adorned with simple bits of land-

scape or quaint

little

caricatures.

At

last these

12

LEONARDO DA
several
of

VINCI.

sketches attracted such attention that Ser Piero

carried

them

to

his

friend,

Andrea

Verocchio, a famous

artist of

Florence,

who was

amazed

at their originality,

and strongly advised

painter.
left his father's

that the youth should

become a

About the year

1470,

Leonardo

home, and entered the picture-shop of Verocchio,

that kind old master
children,
zeal.

who held

his pupils as his

and taught them with a consecrated

His dry and precise manner reflected the

art,

hard and cold school of early Florentine

its

with

confused composition, naive sentiment, and

melancholy coloring, and an exactness derived

from his long practice in sculpture.

Verocchio

was

also a musician

and a geometer, and thus

contact with his disciple
:

had many points

and

of

but his chief excellence was in architecture and

sculpture,
elry,"

in

making

exquisite

''

religious jew-

crucifixes,

statuettes^

and

cups

of

gold

and

silver.

Probably Leonardo's
his attaining

fatal versatility,

which prevented
thing,

supremacy

in any-

was fostered and stimulated by

it

his master,

when

should have been restricted.

He became
were three

great in

many

things, but greatest in none.

Among

Leonardo's

fellow-pupils

HIS ACHIEVEMENTS,
youths

13

who were destined

to

become famous,
and Lo-

Pietro Perugino, Gian Antonio Rustici,

renzo di Credi.

The
of

latter followed his master's

teaching so diligently that

chaic

he preserved the

ar-

manner

painting,

and never emerged

;

from the crudeness of the fourteenth century

but

Leonardo and

Perugino whom

Giovanni Santi,

Raphael's father, spoke of as " equal in age and

in love,"

were not

satisfied

even with the studies

of

perspective and the

chemical nature of pig-

ments, but advanced rapidly beyond Verocchio's

horizon,
other.

encouraging

and

influenced

by each

When

the master was employed to paint

St.

a picture of

John baptizing

Christ, for the

to

monks
execute

of Vallombrosa,

he desired Leonardo

an

angel
that
his

therein,

which he did with

the
rest,

such

skill

part far excelled

wherefore Verocchio desired to

ing,

abandon

paint-

being displeased that a mere child could so

far surpass him.

in the

This interesting picture

at Florence.

is

now

Academy

One day a countryman brought to Ser Piero a

round of wood cut from a
have
it

fig-tree,

wishing him to
Piero turned
it

painted as a shield

and

over to his son to amuse himself with.

Leonardo

14

LEONARDO DA
room a number
of

VINCI.

resolved to paint something

in his

terrific,

and collected

lizards, newts, snakes,

hedgehogs, bats, locusts, dragon-flies, and other

creatures,

and from these drew a hideous monster,

fire

surrounded by
flames.

and breathing out poison and

to hasten the work,

He

was forced

on

ac-

count of the foul stench rising from his models.

Piero,

when he

first

saw the

painting, fled

from the

room

in wild consternation.
shield,

He

gave the rustic

an ordinary

and sold the pictured one to

a merchant for loo ducats,

who gave
It

it

to the

Duke

of Milan for 300 ducats.

has been lost

for almost four centuries.

Once more Leonardo supped on

he painted the
'

horrors,
is

Medusa's Head which

'

when now in

the Uffizi Gallery, with a head covered and

horrific

made

by hissing and interlacing green serpents,

eyes,

glassy

and death-like

and a mouth distorted

Another

with agony, and breathing out poison.

picture of this time, showing the half-length figure

of

an angel,

is

now among

the small
It

Tuscan

pic-

tures in the Uffizi Gallery.

was painted

for the

Grand-Duke Cosimo

I.,

but afterwards disappeared

from the palace, and was bought by a merchant

for six cents,
cents.

who

sold

it

to Fineschi for sixty-two

FIRST ACHIEVEMENTS.
The
picture of
*

1$
long-lost

Neptune was another

'

work of Leonardo's youth, which met with high

praises,

and was inscribed with a quaint Latin

quatrain.

The god appeared on

the storm-tossed

waves, drawn by sea-horses, and attended by a

group of nymphs, winds, and marine

cartoon of
*

deities.

A
ac-

Adam and Eve was

'

admired on

count of

its

groups of animals and great variety of

vegetation, the

exuberant flowers and

fruits of

Paradise, whereof, says Vasari, "for careful exe-

cution and fidelity to nature, they are such that

there
is

no genius

in the world,

however God-like,
results with equal

which could produce similar

truth."
tain, to

This cartoon was made for a tapestry cur-

be woven
of

in Flanders, of silk
;

and

gold, for

the

King

Portugal
is

and was acquired by the

lost.
'

Medici family, but

*

now

The Madonna
the

della Caraffa

was another

pic-

ture of this of

time,^ famous for the exquisite beauty

dewy

flowers in a vase near the Virgin.

this as

Pope Clement VII. held

it

very precious

and

was seen

in the
it

Borghese Palace as

late as 1846,

since which

has disappeared.

The Madonna
was another

now
early

in the

Casa Buonvisi,

at Lucca,

picture.

Among

the portraits which the

LEONARDO DA
furtively,

VINCI.
their subjects

master made

by following

around

until their features

and expressions were

thoroughly familiar, Vasari speaks of the charcoal

head

of the venerable

Amerigo Vespucci, and an-

other picture of the Gipsy Captain Scaramuccia.

'The Adoration

of the Magi,'

now

in the Uffizi,

was another of the early Florentine works, and

the last of the group.

The

artist

admitted
it

many

visitors to see this picture before

was

finished,
it
it.

and

their praise

was so hearty that he

left it as

stood, lest
It
its

by further additions he might

injure

was one of

his largest sketches, and, although

bituminous colors have blackened, and some

it

parts are only outlined,

artists.

is

a favorite study for

The
his

Florentine

manner

of

Leonardo

illustrates

manner

of designing with the pencil

and

ar-

ranging perspective.

The

chief
colors,

masses of shade

were made by bituminous

in the

from which, and

most delicious harmony, he brought out the

lights.

needful

He was
-

accustomed

to leave his studies betimes,

and wander through the

streets of

Florence in

search of strange and expressive countenances, of

which,

when he had found them, he

rapidly seized

MODELLING.
in

i)

memory
cry,

the

chief

peculiarities.

His faces
veri-

laugh,

and grimace, with marvellous

just as did those

similitude,

of

the gentlemen,

peasants, or soldiers, with

table, telling

whom

he used

to sit at

them

stories full of fun or of horror,

to call out their varying expressions.

this

He
of
his

has in

way preserved

to us the naive

and innocent
time.

smile which was

so

characteristic

When

criminals were executed, he used to watch

their dying agonies,

and study the muscular conIn his girdle he always

tractions of their limbs.

carried a small sketch-book, wherein he

drew such
all

objects as attracted his fancy

artists to

and he advised

do the same.
also gave

The youth
ling,

much

attention to model-

making
children.

several terra-cotta heads of

women
and one and
deli-

and

His most
to

original device,
soft

which helped

form his subsequent

cate style, consisted in covering clay models with

drapery dipped in plaster, and then making careful

drawings therefrom,

in

black and white, on fine

figures

prepared linen.

Sometimes he modelled

to paint in his pictures, attaining in this

way a

rare

command
similar

over shadows.

In later years he made

his pupils, saying

models for the use of

f8
that
it is

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

only by modelling that a painter can learn

the science of shadows.

The many accomplishments

of the notary's son

made him very popular

classes of citizens.

in Florentine society,

and

his easy good-fellowship secured

all

him friends among

Clearly, a youth

who was
of

beautiful

on the promenade, magnificent on horseterrible with the sword,

back and

had the best

credentials to the fair ladies of the city,

who were
and

moreover charmed by

his beauty, his poetry

music, and his graceful dancing.

at all the balls in the

He

was sought

and promenades, the

riding-parties

Vale of Arno, and the musical entertainhis

ments; and such were

that he

powers of fascination

was called the magician. His contemporahe was the handsomest of men, and

ries said that

his rich costumes were always in keeping with his

personal presence.

Leonardo spent about eleven years

having set up a studio of his
rocchio, about the year

in Florence,

own

after

he

left

Ve-

1477, although his

name
Com-

had been registered

pany of Painters
advanced
five

in the

Red Book

of the

years earlier.

His father had

in importance,

and was now notary to the

Medici and to several religious houses, so that he

A SOCIETY FAVORITE.
gave up his home
ence.
at Vinci,

19
in Flor-

and took a house

But the young

artist lived in

a place of his

own, and continued his experiments and studies.

He received but little patronage, and was not noticed

by Lorenzo
de' Medici, the greatest noble
city.

and

art-

patron in the

But the time thus given to him

in

was bravely improved

perfecting himself
in that intimate

in

manly accomplishments, and

com-

munion with the best Tuscan

charm
manner.

society which gave

him an unrivalled refinement and a wonderful

of

Even

at this early time, with

style,

his limited

means, he lived in grand

in

"keep-

ing many servants and horses,

great delight."

which he took

He

admired spirited horses, and

skill

possessed remarkable

in their

management.
towards
:

He

was

also very

tender-hearted

ani-

mals, as Vasari thus prettily proves

"

When

he

passed places where birds were sold, he would

frequently take them from their cages, and having

paid the price

demanded
them

for

them by the
air,

sellers,

would then
to

let

fly into

the

thus restoring

them the
"

liberty they

had

lost."
will,

He who

cannot do what he

must

will that

which he can do," said Leonardo, and made endless

experiments to find where his possibilities

20
ended.

LEONARDO DA
His labors

VINCI.

at painting

and

his continual
this

social recreation

were not enough, and during

period he studied mechanics, designed mills and

other hydraulic machinery, and

made deep

re-

searches in military and naval engineering.

By

systems of levers, screws, and cranes he devised

methods of getting water from great depths,

rais-

ing heavy weights, and dredging sea-ports and

channels.

He

also

made

plans for a canal from

Florence to Pisa, by changing the Arno's course

at certain points,
later.

which was done

if

two centuries
:

Vasari was right when he said

profits,

"

He would
vari-

have made great

he had not been so

able and unstable."

At

last,

however, Leonardo desired greatly to

seek a change, and to leave the neglectful Medici,

in favor of

some more

liberal

and understanding

patrons.
Sforza, the

He

therefore

addressed to Lodovico

Regent

of Milan, the following long

and remarkable
"

letter

My

most Illustrious Lord

Having seen
of all those

and duly considered the experments

who

repute themselves masters and constructors

of warlike instruments,

and that the inventions and

LETTER TO DUKE OF MILAN.

from those
in

21

operations of the said instruments are not different

common use,

I will

endeavor, without

derogating from any one

else, to

make known

to

Your Excellency
at

certain secrets of
I shall

my

own, and,

an opportune time,
if

hope

to put

them

into

execution,

they seem valuable to you.

:

I briefly

note these things below

1.
fit

have a method of making very light bridges, be carried most

;

to

easily,

with which to follow

se-

the flight of enemies

and others strong and

;

cure against
to
lift

fire

and

battle

easy and commodious

up and

also to burn
2.

I have methods and destroy those of the enemy. know, in case of the siege of a place, how

to place in position.

to take

away the water from

infinite variety

.the ditches,

and

to

make an

of

scaling-ladders

and

other instruments pertinent to such an expedition.

3.

Item.

If

by the height of the ramparts, or

it is

the strength of the position and works,

sible to use in a siege the office of

impos-

bombardment,

have a method of ruining any castle or other

if it is

fortress,
4.

not founded on the rock.

have also kinds of cannon most commoin-

dious and easy to carry, with which to throw

flammable matters, whose smoke causes

great

22

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

fright to the

enemy, with serious injury and con-

lusion.
5.

Item.

have means by excavations and

to

straight
to

and winding subterranean ways

[point] without noise,
to pass
I

come
it

any given

even though
rivers.

be necessary
6.

under moats and

Item.

make wagons
there

covered, secure and

indestructible, which, entering

among

the

enemy
and

with

artillery,

is

no multitude of armed men

break through
;

so great that

we

shall not

back

of these the infantry .can follow safely

and

without impediment.
7.

Item.

The need

occurring, I shall

make

can-

non, mortars and field-pieces of most beautiful and

useful forms, different from the
8.

common
balistae,

usage.

Where

the operations of artillery are impossi-

ble, I shall construct

mangonels,

and other
of

engines, of man^ellous

efiicacy,

and out

the

common
infinite
9.

use

and,

in

short,

according to the

variety of the events, I shall build various

and

means

of offence.
it

And when

shall

happen

to

be upon the

sea,

have means of preparing many instruments most

efficient in attack or defence,

and vessels that

shall

make
ment
;

resistance to the

most powerful bombard-

and powders and smokes.

LETTER.
10.

23

In time of peace
all

believe I can satisfy very

well

and equal

others in architecture, in design-

ing public edifices and private houses, and in con-

ducting water from one place to another.

Item.
I

can carry on works of sculpture, in

I

marble, bronze, or terra-cotta, also in pictures.

can do what can be done equal to any other, whoever he

may

be.

Also, I shall undertake

the

execution of the

bronze horse, which

eternal

will

be the immortal glory and

honor of the happy memory of

illustrious

my

lord,

your father, and of the

house of Sforza.

And

if

any of the above-mentioned things seem

I offer

impossible and impracticable,

myself most

ready to make experiment of them in your park,

or in whatever place
to

Your Excellency
as I can, I

shall please,

whom,
This

as

humbly

commend

myself."

self-reliant letter is written

from right

to

left,

in

the Oriental

manner, with a thoroughly

Leonardo's boast that he
artist
still

original

orthography.
to

was equal

any living

was not an empty

one, because Angelo

was

young and almost

just

unknown, and Raphael was but

bom.

24

LEONARDO DA VINCL

\
CHAPTER
Joumey
to Milan.
crezia.

II.

The Welcome. The Sforzas. Cecilia and Lu The Villa Melzi. The Equestrian Statue. Sculptures. Festivals. Flight from War.

The Regent of Milan made no delay in summoning to his court such a man of men, whose brain
conceived with equal
clads, Apollos
skill

Madonnas and

iron-

and

siege-batteries, church-shrines

and pontoon-bridges.

Perhaps he also knew that

Leonardo's feet were as firm in the stirrups of the

war-horse as they were graceful in the dance on
palace-floors
;

that his

hand could bend an

iron

horse-shoe, or touch the delicate strings

lyre with

of the

magic

skill

that his eye

was as quick

and

efficient in the

tournament or the sword-play

as in melting the hearts of Italian beauties; that

his voice

was as ready

for the discussion of Archi-

medes or

Aristotle as for singing improvised love-

sonnets, or wooing the not unwilling ladies of the

court.

At the

close of the year 1481,

to Milan,

Leonardo
joyfully.

was summoned

and went hither

THE WELCOME.
Belincionni, the court-poet, celebrated the
rival of

25
ar-

Leonardo thus

" Like bees to hive, here flocks

each learned sage

is

With

all

that

's

good and great the court

fair

thronged

From

Florence

hath an Apelles come."

Many

other verses, in the curious

manner

of

the fifteenth century, flowed from Belincionni's

pen, to augment Leonardo's fame.

Lodovico Sforza, the son of the Milanese genof eral who had usurped the government, was one
those

men
in

of

whom Hallam
palaces of

says, "

The

ordinary

vices of
guilt

mankind assumed a
the

tint of

portentous

Italian

princes.

Their
In

revenge was fratricide and their lust incest."

order to cover the barbarities
his court,

and

sensualities of
literati

he invited

to

it

artists

and

from

all parts of Italy,

and made

his capital the

home

of the fine arts.

Campori thinks that Leonardo

was summoned
Francesco

to

make

the equestrian statue of

the

Sforza,

since

Florentines

were
Vasari

famous

for their skill in bronze casting.

attributes the invitation to Lodovico's love of

sic,

muand

in

which Leonardo was known

to excel,

tells

of

the master's arrival at Milan, with his

26
silver lyre,

LEONARDO DA
shaped

VINCI.

like a horse's head,

designed

by himself, and capable

tion

of giving increased vibrato the sounds.

and sonorousness

sort of

musical tournament ensued,

when Leonardo van-

quished the Milanese minstrels, and was hailed

as the

most wonderful iinprovvisatore of

his time.

The

sovereign attested his appreciation of the

talents of the

Tuscan by granting him an annual

hundred ducats, with many pres-

salary of five

ents and perquisites besides.

The Regent
tainer,

w^as fascinated

with his

new

re-

and declared that "his speech was

Lodovico (called
II

like

singing."
stitiously

Moro) was super-

devout and marvellously sensual, his

ascetic
less

penances mingling with outbursts of reck-

profligacy,

poisoning
and
the

his

nephew,

killing

his

wife

by

neglect,

kneeling
his

alternately

before the
already

Madonna and
master's

mistresses.
art,

He
being

knew

merit in

the possessor of the famous painted shield, and

probably desired him to establish a school of art

in

Milan, to increase the splendor of a capital

w^hich he

had marked

for his own.

During the heroic age of Francesco Sforza,

Milan

had commanded the

services

of

many

THE SFORZAS.
famous architects and
of note
;

27

sculptors, but

no painters
re-

and when Lodovico assumed the

gency,

during the minority of his nephew, he

tliis

endeavored to make up

deficiency,

and

to

do

for

Milan what the Medici had done for Flor-

ence.

Yet while he was the despot of the people,

his

he was ruled by

women, who influenced

his

every act; and Houssaye thinks that Leonardo

strove to reform this gilded barbarian,

by appeal-

ing to him in the lofty voices of the sister arts.

Cecilia Gallerani

was

at this time

Lodovico's

reigning favorite, and her portrait was executed

by Leonardo upon
picture
is

his

arrival.

copy of

this

preserved in the Ambrosian Library.

portrait

The

original

was praised by the court

Cecilia
it

poet, in a glowing sonnet.

was a

skilful

musician and poetess

and

was perhaps on that

St.

account that the master portrayed her also as

Cecilia, in a picture

owned by

Prof. Franchi, of

Milan, and noticed by Rio.

brilliant talents,

She was a lady of

and made a good marriage with

Count Pergamino, which did not abate Lodovico's

love a whit.

A few

years later, Leonardo executed

;

Cecilia's portrait at the height of her glory

this

and

work

is

now held by

the Pallavicini Family,

at

San Calo^ero.

28

LEONARDO DA
Leonardo painted

VINCI.

for Cecilia another picture,

containing the Blessed Virgin (perhaps a portrait

of the lady herself)

and the Child Jesus, who

is

blessing a freshly blown

Madonna

rose,

one of the

symbols of
this

St.

Cecilia.

In 1804, Amoretti saw

marvellous picture in a wine-shop at Milan

it

but

has since disappeared, and not even a copy

remains.

Lucrezia Crivelli was another mistress of Lodovico,

and her portrait was painted by Leonardo, and

honored with three highly eulogistic Latin verses.

It

was long supposed that the picture

in the

Louvre,

called
crezia,

La

Belle Ferronih-e^ was the portrait of Lucritics reject this theory,

but some modern

it

one calling

Ginevra Benci, another

Madame
is

Feron, and another the Marchioness of Mantua.

There are

also those

who maintain
She

that this

Lu-

crezia's portrait,

which was purchased and brought

I. is

to Paris

by Francis

seen to the waist,

handsomely dressed, and wearing a black cord

across

her forehead, fastened with a diamond.

is at

The

face

once proud and melancholy, with a

warm and
parent.

brilliant coloring

and

soft

pure

lines,

the head full of light, and even the shadows trans-

CECILIA

AND

LUCREZIA.
portraits of

29

The master executed two noble

Isabella of
in the

Gian

Galeazzo Sforza, the lawful Duke, and his wife,

Arragon.

These are now preserved

beyond

Ambrosian Library, and Burckhardt says

latter-

that the beautiful

picture "is

all

description
also

and charming."

The master

made
at the

two drawings of Lodovico, which are now

Ambrosian Library and Christ Church College.

The

Codice Triulziano

was a quaint

little

parch-

ment volume, written by the Regent's

lian,

son,

Maximi-

and enriched by numerous heraldic devices

pictures.

and

Two

6f the latter

were drawn by

Leonardo, and show the young prince paying homage to the Emperor, and again as playing with
birds, in the presence of his tutor.

Another work,

which was illustrated under the master's supervision,

was Gambagnola's biography

of Francesco
ara-

Sforza,

which contained many miniatures and

besques in the Vincian manner.

In the year 1482, Leonardo designed and supervised the erection of a house for the Count Gio-

vanni Melzi,* at Vaprio.

This afterwards became

retreats.

one of the master's most happy

The
by
the

Villa Melzi formerly contained a wall-painting

Leonardo, which has now disappeared.

On

30
fa9ade there

LEONARDO DA
still

VINCI.

remain fragments of a colossal

Madonna and
and
from early

Child, attributed to the

same hands,

calling forth
visitors.

the most extravagant praises

In 1796, a party of soldiers

-villa,

bivouacked under the walls of the

and the

smoke and heat

the

of their camp-fires, built against

facade, blackened
It is

and well-nigh ruined the

fresco.
is

believed that the house thus adorned

that

the

same

was occupied by Leonardo for

Martesan Canal,

some

years, while supervising the

which was conveniently near the

locality.

The Melzi

family had two establishments at Vaprio, the palace

and

the canonicate,

and

probably the master

hired one of these.

intimate social

Here he enjoyed the most

the Melzi,

communion with

and

re-

newed

his studies of rural nature.

He

also devoted

many months
ings

to the consideration of ancient writ-

about Ptolemy's canals in Egypt, and the

in

works of the Emperor Trajan

navigation,

improving

river-

by which he formed Nicopuedia

into a
ex-

port of the sea.

From thence

also he

made
Dr.

cursions in the lake-country, and obtained fresh

revelations of the beauty of the earth.

Waaon

gen

is

of

the opinion that the contemplation of

effect

Lake Como and the Alps had a marked

THE EQUESTRIAN STATUE.

Leonardo's
art,

31

especially as

regards the back-

grounds of his pictures.

In 1483, Leonardo began to model the grandiose
equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza, and was

engaged upon

this task for

more than ten

years,

reading ancient writers, studying classic

statuar}-,

and above
of
live

all

closely examining every

movement

horses

and

ever}^

muscle of dead ones.

of drawings, exhibiting
in the fierce ac-

He made

a vast

number
if

horses in repose, as
tion of the charge,

on parade,

and

in various other positions.

still

Many

of these drawings are

preser\'ed, espec-

ially at

Windsor

Castle.

He

also tried to design

a group in which Death should appear at the

triumph, but the national character of the monu-

ment made such an idea seem too

wrote on one of his MSS.,
1490, I

fantastic.

He

"The 23d

of April,

commenced

this

book, and recommenced

before, in his exact-

the horse."

How many times

work
?

ing search after the perfect ideal beauty, had he

begun

this great

Indefatigable toiler though

he was, and luminous

in genius,
little,

he advanced but

slowly and achieved but

satisfy his

because unable to

high ideals and unwilling to stop short

of perfection.

32

LEONARDO DA
No

VINCI.

one knows what the design for Francesco's

was, for after the master had devoted
it

monument
into

ten years to making the clay model,

was not put

it

bronze,

and

twenty

years
little

later

had

disappeared.

A
and

beautiful

wax model was

book
of studies

destroyed

also the master's

on the anatomy of horses.

As a

sculptor Leonardo

won

great fame

and

Jovius and Paciolo,

his contemporaries, held that

in that

he was more excellent

painting.

department than

in

Lomazzo

writes of the divine expression

and adorable grace of the heads which he modelled

;

and Houssaye, speaking of Leonardo's head

of wax, in the Lille

Museum,

says, " I

know

of noth-

ing more beautiful in Greek art."

studies w^ere long

His anatomical
both

and

careful, as regards

men

and animals, and gave him a vast fund

edge in
this

of knowl-

department.

President Thiers pos-

sessed an exquisite statuette in ivory, showing the

rarest
ally

knowledge

of the muscles,
to

which has gener-

been attributed

Leonardo.

The

rapid changes then going on in the great

Cathedral

rendered

it

necessary to remove the

ar-

relics of St.

Clou, which were under the last

cade

and Leonardo arranged such an ingenious

FESTIVALS.
system of ropes and cables that
achieved with but
little difficult}^

ZZ
this result
It
is

was

said that

he also designed several domes and lanterns for

the Cathedral.

In 1492, the master paid a debt

to the

which he owed
Cathedral,

board of works of Milan

probably for marble which he had

taken for purposes of sculpture.

Leonardo was the master of ceremonies

the great feasts, tournaments,

at all

and pageants which

took place at the

rator, architect,

Lombard

court, acting as deco-

and deviser

of all sorts of

merry
of

conceits.

In 1489, when the rightful

(for

Duke

Milan,

Gian Galeazzo Sforza

whom

Lodo-

vico acted as

Regent), was married to Isabella

of Arragon, he arranged a representation of the

heavens and the revolving planets, each of which

opened as the bride and bridegroom approached

while a person dressed as the deity of the planet

emerged and
Bellincionni.
entitled

recited

complimentary verses by

This curious mechanical device was

The Paradise.

In 1490, Leonardo was sent to Pavia, in com-

pany with Francesco

itary

di Giorgio, the

famous

mil-

engineer,

to

draw up

report

on

the

architecture of the
3

new

cathedral at that place.

34

LEONARDO DA
and shadows.

VINCI.
treatise

About the same time he began the

lights

on

He

doubtless derived
in

much
Lom-

assistance from

Di Giorgio,
to

the plans which

he was engaged upon,

strengthen the

bard fortresses so that they might successfully

resist the

heavy

artillery

then coming into use.

his

Leonardo devised another protection against

master's enemies, by inventing a steam cannon,

called the Architonitro, or

Lord

of Thunder, the

plans for which have been found

pers.

among

his pa-

Well may Hamerton exclaim, " Oh, splen!

did Leonardo

the many-sided

a narrower nafruit."

ture might have yielded

more abundant

In the year of the discovery of America, Leonardo was engaged in planning and executing great

works of hydraulic engineering,' for the purpose of

utilizing the waters of the Ticino

River in

irrigat-

ing the Sesto

dry plains of

Lombardy.

He

visited

Calende, Varal

Piombo, Vegevano, and

other towns,

and noted where "in winter the

vines are buried."

A
St.

picture of

the

Madonna,

with

St.

John and

Michael,

now

in the palace
is

of the

Count San

Vitale, at

Parma,

inscribed

with Leonardo's name, and the date, 1492.

Dur-

ing the same busy year, the master arranged the

FESTIVALS.
jousts

35
to the

and tournaments given

Duke by
in

Sanseverino.
for

This was the same noble Lombard

built

whom Leonardo

a palace

Milan.

Now,

also, the versatile artist

made

his first at-

tempts at engraving.

During the same year the gentle and

Beatrice d'Este
tious

saintly

married Lodovico, whose. licen-

manners and sensual court she sensibly

ameliorated, although he would by no

means
and

give

up

his mistresses.

Leonardo organized and conof the wedding,

built

ducted the

festivities

and decorated the

bride's apartments in the vener-

able Castello della Rocca, besides a beautiful bath-

room

in the garden,

adorned with mosaics,

col-

ored marbles, and a statue of Diana.

delicate

drawing of Beatrice's

face,

now

in the

Ambrosian

Library, attests Leonardo's skill in catching ex-

pressions
in the

and another and larger

collection,
is

portrait of her,

same

attributed to his hand.

Only

five

years later, the master conducted the

ceremonies at her funeral, which the chronicler

describes as " most stupendous obsequies."

When

the

Emperor Maximilian married

Regent

the

sister of the

of Milan, in the year 1493,

the master again showed his ingenuity in contriv-

36

LEONARDO DA
The

VINCI.
chief feature of the

ing brilliant pageantry.

decorations was the

clay model

of

Francesco

Sforza's equestrian statue, which

was placed under

a triumphal arch, in the great square before the

castle,
Italy.

and was saluted with the praises

" Let the brass flow " {Fluat
!

of

all

ces /)

cried

an

enthusiastic

poet,

urging

that
but,
it,

the
if

bronze
ever the

statue should

be cast speedily;

material was collected to found

of Milan rendered
into cannon.
of
it

the necessities

expedient to melt the brass

Fra Paciolo estimated that ten tons

be
requisite
;

metal would
ill

and

the

Duke
its

could

afford such extravagance for mere dec-

orations.

The

designer of the work delayed

in refining

completion so
ing,

many years,
the

and retouchit

that

when he was ready

miCtal,

to reproduce

in

enduring
ing.

means were
letters,

altogether lack-

In one of his

complaining that his

salary

had not been paid

for

two years, he

said,

" I shall not speak of the horse, because I

know

the times."

When

the French

army entered Mi-

lan, in 1499, the

model was shamefully mutilated

by being made a target for the arrows of the

Gascon archers
years later,

yet

it

was

still

in existence,

two

when

the

Duke

of

Ferrara ordered

FLIGHT FROM WAR.

his

37
to his

ambassador to acquire
as a

it,

to

be sent
statue

own

city,

model

for

new

of

himself.

But the Lord Cardinal of Rouen declined to

allow this transfer, saying that his master, the

King
it

of France, greatly

admired the work.

So
it

remained

at Milan, where, in all probability,

was

afterguards destroyed.

When Gian
demanded

Galeazzo Sforza came of age, and

that his uncle

Lodovico should

sur-

render the government to him, the latter invited

the French to enter Italy, and freely yielded several of

his fortresses

to the

welcome invaders.

Lodovico went to Pavia to meet the French King,

Charles

VIIL

and during

his absence

Gian Galhis

eazzo died (perhaps by

poison),

and

uncle

became Duke
in realit}'.

in

name, as he had long been

in the jourfestiv-

Leonardo attended him

ney to Pavia, and directed the magnificent

ities

which signalized the meeting of the two

sovereigns.

During

this

journey,

he

became

acquainted with the famous Genoese anatomist,

Marc Antonio della Torre, from whom he obtained a more thorough and profound knowledge
of anatomical

science than he had hitherto en-

joyed.

Della Torre was at that time delivering

38

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

lectures in Pavia,

and expounding the doctrines

of Galen, then almost

filled

unknown

and Leonardo

a book with red-crayon sketches, outlined

with the pen, of subjects revealed in his

dissections.

own
and

"In

this

book," says Vasari, "he

set forth the entire structure, arrangement,

disposition of the bones, to which he afterwards

added
next
are

all

the

nerves in their due order,

of

and
first

supplied the muscles,

affixed

which the

to

the

bones, the second give the

firmly,

power of cohesion, or holding

third impart that of motion.
part,

and the

Of each separate
rude characters."

he wrote a description,

in

All these drawings were in the collections inherited

and scattered by the Melzi

farnily,

and the

red-crayon sketches are

library.

now
cited

in the British royal

Dr. Hunter highly praised the exactness

of these drawings,
tures," published at

and

them

in his

"Lec-

London

in 1784.

The enlargement and improvement

tesan Canal was

of the

Mar-

begun and carried on while

behy-

'The Last Supper' was being painted, and came Leonardo's most important work in
draulic engineering.

The

canal

is

two hundred

miles long, and brings the waters of the

Adda

A DEAR DISCIPLE.

39

through the Valtellina and across the Chiavenna

district,

contributing greatly to the fertility of

the garden of Northern Italy, that land of glori-

ous richness and beauty,

over which rise the

white spires of the snowy Alps.

In 1497, besides his work on the great

tory picture,

refec-

the

master made

many

miscella-

neous drawings, mostly of an anatomical character,

with heads

of

saints

and

dignitaries.

He

also

engaged earnestly
it

in the great engineering

works, by which

was sought
river

to

make

the rocky-

bottomed and rapid

Adda
It
is

navigable be-

tween Brizzio and Trezzo.

probable that
after-

he planned the canals and dykes which

wards accomplished
Sala'i,

this object.

or Salaino, Leonardo's dear pupH,

is

whom
this

he called his son,

year.
It is

first

mentioned during

thought that the master painted

many

of

his

angels' heads

from

this

disciple,

whom
hair,

Vasari describes as

"a youth

of singular grace

and beauty

of person, with curling

and wavy

a feature of personal beauty by which Leonardo

was greatly pleased."

From 1496

until

1499,

Leonardo dwelt

in the

same house with the celebrated Fra Luca

Paci-

40
olo,

LEONARDO DA
author of the
artist

VINCI,
for

De
until

Divina Proportioned

which the

made

sixty drawings.

This book
it

was not published

1509,

when

received a

dedication to Soderini, the Gonfaloniere of Florence.

Paciolo wrote the famous epigram, " Vinci

[he conquers], in sculpture, in casts,

and

in paint-

ing

verifies his

name

with each."

He had come

from Florence
tion,

to

Milan, at Leonardo's sugges-

and the two compatriots made earnest and

prolonged researches together.

The storm

of war,

always fatal to the

arts,

suddenly broke over Milan, when Louis XII. of

France, claiming the

Duchy by
its

virtue of his being

a grandson of the Visconti,

former

rulers,

took
year

possession thereof with a powerful army.

later,

A
last

Lodovico attempted to regain

it,

but was
ten

betrayed by his army,

years of his
life

and spent the

French prison
Louis's
at

in a of

Loches.

Between the time

final fall of the

advance and the

Duke, Leonardo obeyed his calm maxim, " Flee from storms " and remained in
!

quiet seclusion at the Villa Melzi.

six

He

also sent

hundred

florins,

in

drafts

on Piero Capponi

and Taddeo Gaddi,

at the Hospital of

to

be deposited to his credit

Santa Maria Nuova, in Flor-

FLIGHT FROM WAR.

ence.
It is

41

probable that he also visited Venice

during this period, early in the year 1500; and

at that time

he painted a portrait of the Duchess

of

Mantua.

The master had kept up

barrassed
especially

a luxurious estab-

lishment at Milan, and was often seriously em-

by

the

nonpayment

of

his

salary,
fail.

when

the Duke's power began to

letter

Amoretti quotes a fragmentary

from him

in

which he complains of the

straits to

which he was

thus reduced, and the resulting discouragements.

In 1499, the

Duke granted him

a vineyard con-

taining seventeen perches of land, which Hous-

saye calls the adieu of Lodovico.

This domain

was situated near the Vercelline Gate.

Among

Leonardo's writings are found detached

notes of the ravages of war, as affecting his Milanese friends, from day to day.

Among

these

items
less
:

is

the following, which seems almost heartlost his state, his fortune,

"

The Duke
;

and

his

liberty

he has finished nothing which he

began."

42

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

CHAPTER

III.

The Last Supper.

The Dominican

monastery of Santa Maria delle

sanctuary of the pious
Crivel-

Grazie was the favorite

Duchess Beatrice, and whenever Lucrezia

li's

influence
large

was not

in the

ascendant the

Duke

had

works of reconstruction and embellishMontorfani had already

ment

carried on there.

painted a Calvary in the refectory, and on either

side thereof

Leonardo placed kneeling

portraits of

Lodovico and Beatrice, and their children.

pictures have

These
blank

faded out

entirely, leaving
still

spaces, while the Calvary

remains.

The Grazie

Church

had

miracle-working

image, like that in San Celso, and Beatrice's pro-

found devotion, joined to the

of her husband, gave great

fitful pietistic

moods

honor
if

to this shrine.

At one time

it

seemed

as

Lodovico was deter-

mined

to

make

the convent as rich and splendid

as the Cathedral and the Pavian Certosa, which

THE LAST SUPPER.

the preceding dynasty

43

had

left as its

monuments.

Architects, sculptors, artists,

and church-jewellers,

were set to work there

rising to

and rare beauties were

Suddenly
all

crown their

labors.

this

was stopped,

for the fair Lucrezia Crivelli

rewon

the Duke's affections, and the poor Duchess was

left to
*

pine and pray alone.

'

The Last Supper was probably begun

in the

year 1496, in the refectory of Beatrice's favorite

convent, and

became the noblest manifestation

of

a theme in Christian art which had been neglected

since the days of Giotto.
to the Grazie

Beatrice used to
daily, to

come

Church almost

abandon

herself to pious meditations before the

tomb

of

the good

Duchess Bianca, and when she

died,

the melancholy

and remorseful Lodovico raised a

to her

splendid

monument

memory.

He

also or-

dered a hundred masses for the repose of her soul

to

be said each day for a month, and urged

for-

ward the decorative works

tuary.
feasts,

in her favorite sanc-

Leonardo, no longer drawn away to court-

now had

time to give his deepest thought to

significance he

'The Last Supper,' whose grand

fully felt.

This masterpiece was painted in about three

44
years.
It

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.
;

had been commenced by 1497

for the

convent architect in that year entered a charge

for

"works

in

the refectory where Leonardo

is

painting the Apostles."

In February, 1498, Fra

that
it

Paciolo wrote to the

Duke

was
his

finished.

The impatience

of Lodovico,

born of

remorse

and sorrow, spurred the

pose that he finished

artist

on to such purin less

this

immense work

time than he gave to the single head of

Lisa.

Monna
compo-

Leonardo made a cartoon

sition,

of the whole

and separate studies

of each of the figures,

executed in pastel, which Lomazzo says was a

favorite

method with him.

Count Arconati

ac-

quired these studies, which afterwards were pur-

chased by the British Consul

of

at

Venice

and ten

them are now

in the

Russian Palace of the

Hermitage, having been owned successively by

Sir

Thomas Lawrence and

Prior of

the

King

of Holland.

Three others were sold to an English lady.

The
picture,

the monastery could

not com-

prehend Leonardo's long meditations before the

and endeavored
labor,

to

incite

him

to

more

constant

complaining also to the Duke,

sent for the lagging
artist.

who thereupon

Let

THE LAST SUPPER.

Vasari
tell

45

the

story

in

his

own quaint way:

intelligent

"Leonardo, knowing the prince to be

and judicious, determined

to explain himself fully

on the subject with him, although he had never

chosen to do so with the Prior.

He

therefore disart,

coursed with him at some length respecting

and made
sion, that

it

perfectly manifest to his comprehenof genius are

to

men

sometimes producing
least, their

most when they seem

be laboring

minds being occupied

ideas,
to

in the elucidation of their

and

in the

completion of those conceptions

which they afterwards give form and expresthe

sion with

hand.

He
still

further informed

the

Duke
not

that there were

wanting to him two

heads, one of which, that of the Saviour, he could

hope

to

find

on

earth,

and
it

had not yet

to himself in of

attained the power of presenting

imagination, with

all

that perfection

beauty
to

and

celestial

grace which

appeared to him

be demanded for the due representation of the

Divinity Incarnate.

The second head

also

still

want-

ing was that of Judas, which

caused him
it

some
to

anxiety, since he did not think

possible

imagine a form of feature that should properly

render the countenance of a

man who,

after so

46

LEONARDO DA
benefits received

VINCI.

many

from his Master, had pos-

sessed a heart so depraved as to be capable of

betraying his Lord and the Creator of the world.

With regard

to

that second, however, he would

after
all, if

make search; and

better,

he could find no
loss, for

he need never be

at

any great

there would always be the head of that trouble-

some and

impertinent
all

Prior.

This

made

the

Duke

laugh with

his heart.
in

He

declared Le-

onardo to be completely

the right;

and the

poor Prior, utterly confounded, went away to drive

on the digging
in peace."

in his garden,

and

left

Leonardo

It is pleasant,

however, to
artist

know

that

the

popular belief that the

is

did actually

thus punish the Prior

prelate's face

incorrect,
in the

because that

was described

monkish Latin

of his time as quite different

from that of the

depicted Judas.

Bandello says that Leonardo often went to the

convent at daybreak, and painted on his scaffolding until the evening came, so perfectly absorbed
that

he never thought of eating or drinking.

"

At

other times he would remain three or four days

without touching
two,

it,

only coming for an hour or

and remaining with crossed arms, contem-

'

THE LAST SUPPER.

plating his figures as
if

47

criticising

them

himself.

...
sun

have also seen him

at

midday, when the

in the zenith causes all the streets of

Milan

to

be deserted, set out

in all haste

from the

citadel,

where he was modelling

his colossal horse, and,

without seeking the shade, take the shortest road

to the convent, to

where he would add a few strokes

one of

his heads,

and then return immediately."

Giraldi tells of Leonardo's

manner

of .securing

models for

his

heads

and

that after long medita-

tions as to the rank, age,

to

and expressions proper

each subject of his pencil, he used to sally out

streets,

on the

and scrutinize the passers,

trans-

ferring to his sketch-books such traits as he could

afterv/ards reunite for the desired head.

More

than any other of his works,

'

The Last Supper

this

was founded on prolonged out-door studies of

character.

The general plan

liar

of

'

The Last Supper

have

'

is

fami-

to

every one, from the innumerable copies

and

photographs which

been made, the

noble copies by Luini and Oggione, the engravhigs of

Morghen and Dick, and

the

countless

duplicates in costly mosaic and in coarse woodcuts, scattered

by myriads throughout Christen-

; ;

48

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.
are seated

dom.
at,

The Saviour and His Apostles

or standing by a long table in a high and

Stately hall,

with their faces or profiles turned

towards the spectator.

St.
St.

On

the

extreme

left

is

Bartholomew, rising at the end of the table

James the Less comes next

;

then

St.

Andrew,

holding up both hands

his

St. Peter,

with a knife in
;

hand

Judas, holding the money-bag

St. Peter.
is St.

and

St.
is

John, turning sadly towards

in the centre,

Christ

and on His
St.

right

Thomas

with

uplifted finger;

James the Greater, his arms

with his hands on his breast

outspread
St.

St. Philip,

Matthew, pointing to the central group; and

at the

end of the

table,

St.

Thaddeus and

St.

Simon.

The

figures of the apostles are depicted

with grand and powerful naturalism, showing the

profound agitation aroused by the Saviour's amazing words.

The moment chosen

he
said, Verily I

for portrayal
:

is

that which St.

Matthew thus describes

"

And

as

they did

eat,

say unto you, that

one of you

shall betray

me

and they were

"

ex-

ceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them

to

say unto him. Lord,

is it I

The head

of Christ caused

Leonardo

to devote

himself to long meditations, wrapped in the con-

THE LAST SUPPER.

templation of
its

49
to

ideal divinity;

and he used

say that his hand trembled whenever he attempted

to paint
it.

At

last,

despairing of being able to

attain perfection in this head,

he asked counsel
said,

of

his

friend

Bernardo Zenale, who

"O

Leonardo, the error into which thou hast fallen

is

one from which only the Divine Being Himself

;

can deliver thee

for

it is

not in thy power, nor in

that of any one else, to give greater divinity and

beauty to any figures than thou hast done

of

X.o

these

James the Greater and the Less.

Therefore

be of good cheer, and leave the Christ imperfect

for thou wilt

never be able to accomplish the

Saviour after such apostles."

In the face and attitude of Christ the

certainly less

artist

was
it

successful

than elsewhere, and

left

almost seems that he

these

unfinished, in

sheer despair, as Lomazzo has carefully recorded. The Abbe' Guillon says that in painting the cos-

tume he " bore

in

mind the

color and texture of

the true garment of Christ, preserved in an Italian church."

dignified,
it

The

face

is

refined,

melancholy,

and almost effeminate.

Some

see

in

the passionless calm of the Greek gods, and

Christ,

others find there the Byzantine type of

beautified

and softened.

50

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

Herein we see the high demands made upon

himself by this conscientious master,

whom Ham-

erton well calls " a transcendentalist in art," and

Dolce characterizes as " a sublime genius, always

discontented with his

own works."
the

The
which

rapid deterioration of the great painting

to

was due mainly

it

injudicious

manner

in

was executed.
it

Lomazzo and Armenini

in

both state that

oils,

was not done

in

tempera but

in

and doubtless

one of the unsafe exper-

imental methods which the master was always

trying.

But few works of

art

have suffered such

deplorable vicissitudes as
of the elements

this,

which the wrath

and the

folly of

man seem
it

to

have
perits

conspired to destroy.
fect
;

In 15 15,
I.

was

still

and King Francis

was so struck with

beauty that he made

tects

many

attempts to find archiit

who could detach

it

from the

wall,

and

transport

to

France, defended by braces and

covers of

iron

and wood.

Failing in this
Luini, which

en-

deavor, he had a copy

made by
St.

was

placed in the Church of

at Paris.

Germain-l'Auxerrois,
later,

Twenty-five years
half destroyed;

Armenini said

that

it

was
it

and

in 1585,

Lomazzo

mourned

as "utterly ruined."

In the mean-

THE LAST SUPPER.

time,

an inundation had laid the refectory under

water for

many

days,

and saturated the alread;

years later. Cardinal Borro
the
relics

damp walls. A few meo said that only

of

the

picture

remained visible; and, in 1624, the Carthusian

Sanese found nothing to be seen there.

The

monks

of the convent aided in the destruction

of

by cutting a doorway through the lower part

the picture, thus removing the feet of Christ and the riearest apostles.

In 1726, the Dominicans employed Belotti, a mediocre

it

artist, to

restore the picture,

and he painted

all

over, except
fifty

a few hand-breadths of sky.

About

years

later,

another bungler in colors,

here,
color,

one Mazza, was set

to

work

and overlaid the

whole fresco with a neutral

on which he
Sts.

re-

painted everything except the heads of

thew, Thaddeus, and Simon.

Mat-

Before he had pol-

luted these, the indignant Milanese compelled

to stop,

him

and the Prior

of the convent

was banished.

In 1796, Napoleon's cavalry turned the hall into a

stable (in spite of express orders to the contrary),

and the troopers amused themselves by throwing

bricks and shooting pistol-balls at the heads of the

Apostles.

Four years

later,

there was another

in-

52

LEONARDO DA

VINCI,

undation, and the refectory laid under water for

fifteen days.

During the Austrian domination

of

Lombardy, the imperial arms were nailed on the

wall,

over the
:

head of Christ; and

Sir

David

Wilkie wrote
sparing than

" Here
his

time has been more un-

is

wont

a shadow

is all

that re-

mains of

this

once great work."

Bossi, the Secretary of the

At one time

Academy,

called the attention of Prince Eugene, the Viceroy of Italy, to the ruined picture,

and was commisthe size of

sioned to
original.

make

a cartoon of
the

it,

the

He recomposed

work from Leonarand a mosaic

in a

do's drawings

and the older

copies,
is

was executed therefrom, and

church.
Barozzi,

now

Viennese

In 1853, the original was repainted by

and so thoroughly that Taine

later, that
'

said, thir'

teen years

The Last Supper was no

the picture, not as Leoreis

longer visible.

The photographs show

nardo
left
it,
it,

but as the restorers have utterly

colored

so that none of the present coloring

of the fifteenth century.

But the general design,

the composition, and the harmonious grouping of

Leonardo's work are

still

apparent,

and make

even

this ruin

a thing of deathless beauty.

Few

THE LAST SUPPER.

pictures have

53

been so much written about, and so

variously translated in books, arranging from Bossi's

voluminous Del Cenacolo and Rio's ultramon-

tane rhapsodies to the platitudes of the average

scribbling tourists.

The

first

famous engraving of the picture was

the year 1800,

made by Raphael Morghen, about

and nearly
graving was
Dick.
fifty

years later a very successful enthe American, Archibald L,

made by

54

LEONARDO DA VIKCL

CHAPTER
Return to Florence.
with Borgia.

IV.

Perugino and Monna Lisa. Service Rivalry with Michael Angelo. The Cartoons.
Botticelli.

Early
Florence,

in the year
after

1500,

Leonardo re-entered
nineteen
years.

an absence of

During

this

time Savonarola had fought his battles

and
into

lost his life,

exile,

and the Medici had been driven

where they were ceaselessly plotting

against the Republic.

ished,

Old

lights of art

had vanand

Baccio

della Porta into a convent,

Lorenzo

di Credi

under clouds of despair,

and

new ones had

risen,

Francia,

Signorelli, Filip;

pino Lippi, Sandro

Botticelli,

Perugino

and Mi-

chael Angelo and Raphael were just advancing

into fame.

But Leonardo was recognized as the

all

foremost of
at

these, for the

renown

of his

works

Milan had long preceded him.

city,

He

settled in

the

and shared

his

house with his old friend,

Salai.

Fra Paciolo, and the beautiful youth,

Perugino visited his old comrade at

this time,

RAPHAEL AND BOTTICELLI.

and perhaps led with him
of
his bright pupil,

55

Raphael

Urbino.

Somehow,

at least, the

youth came
pictures of

under Leonardo's influence, and

this

his

period strongly reflect the manner of the elder

artist.

There

is

a portrait of a young man, in the

Uffizi

Gallery, which has often

been referred
is

to

Leonardo's hand; and Bottari

highly of

the

opinion that this youth was Raphael.

Another

artist

whom Leonardo

often met, in

friendly guise,

was Sandro

Botticelli, his senior

by

a few years, and already celebrated for his frescos

in the Sistine Chapel.

In one of his writings,

Da

Vinci speaks of Botticelli as his friend, and regrets

his depreciation of landscape-painting.

Fra Barinfluence,

tolommeo

also

came under Leonardo's

his

soon afterwards, and derived the greatest benefit

from studying

manner

of painting.

The

Servite

monks had commissioned

Filippino

Lippi to paint an altar-piece for the Annunziata

Church, and when Lippi heard that Leonardo had expressed a wish for that work, he graciously with-

drew
artist

in his favor.

The monks took

all

their

new

into

the

convent, with

his household,

but he delayed the execution of their picture for a long time, and finally produced the cartoon of

56
*

LEONARDO DA
St.
is

VINCI,
Christ,

The Madonna,

Anna, and the Infant

which

now

in the Royal

Academy

at

London.
it

Vasari says that " the chamber wherein

stood
old

was crowded and young

;

for

two days by

men and women,

all

a concourse, in

fact,

such as one sees

hastening

flocking to the most solemn festivals,

to see the

wonders produced by Leonardo, and

which awakened amazement in the whole people."

But the impatient

artist

did not paint a picture

to

from the cartoon, and the monks were obliged

get their altar-piece done by Lippi and Perugino.

Another beautiful work

trait of

of this time

was the por-

Ginevra Benci, one of the most famous of

the Florentine beauties,

who was

also painted in

two of Ghirlandajo's frescos,

at the Sassetti Chapel.

Amerigo Benci, her

lord, so that

father,

was Leonardo's landfair lady,

he frequently saw the

is

and

her portrait

now
of

in

the great Uffizi Caller}'

art,

Rosini, the historian of Italian

had another

charming picture
easel.

Ginevra,

from Leonardo's

The arch

smile peculiar to the master's

female portraits
is

still

broods on her sweet

lips,

and

echoed from her tender and languid eyes.

There

is

a very beautiful female head by Leo-

nardo, in the* Augsburg Gallery, which Houssaye

MONNA
calls

LISA.
Lisa
'

57
in artistic

" a sister of

the

'

Monna

beauty and perfection."

Monna

Lisa was the subject of Leonardo's most

marvellous portrait, the

La

Joconde^ which

now

adorns the Louvre, and which has been called, by

some

critics, his

supreme masterpiece.

She was a

beautiful

woman,

the third wife of Francesco del

Giocondo, and, as some suppose, the one most beloved of the

in
this
artist's soul.

Profounder minds see

of

work

the

crystallization

Leonardo's
filled

haunting ideals of

supreme beauty,

with

mystery and glamour, and the deepest and most

subtle
to the to

expression,

the
all

final

effort

which was

Tuscan dreamer what the Melencolia was

of

him

Nuremberg.

Pater says, " Here

is

the

head upon which

'the ends of the earth are

little

come,' and the eyelids are a

weary.

It

is

beauty wrought out from within upon the

the deposit,
little cell

flesh,

by

cell,

of strange thoughts

and

fantastic reveries

and exquisite passions."

critic,

Perhaps the words of the ancient

express the matter
grace,
that
it

Felibien,

still

better

" It has so

much
to

and such sweetness

in the eyes
;

and

features,

appears almost living

this portrait, that

and
is

it

seems

one

who sees

it

that of a

woman

58

LEONARDO DA
takes pleasure
i7t

VINCI.

who

being ad^jtired^

The hands

are conspicuously shown, and are of most exquisite

shape, but have

become very dark

in color.

In-

deed, the whole picture has deteriorated in this

regard,

and we no longer see the vivid carnations

flesh-tints
I.

and warm

which fascinated the contem-

poraries of Francis

The background
;

is

a brilliant

dream

of Alpine scenery

and the

entire

work

is

so exquisitely finished that

we may

well believe the

statement of the ancients, that Leonardo devoted

four years to this single picture.

The
to the

'

Monna

Lisa

'

v/as retained

by Leonardo
it

(and not by the lady's husband,) until he sold

French King for the enormous sum of three

Says Vasari

thousand golden crowns ($9,000).

"Monna

Lisa was exceedingly beautiful, and while

portrait,

Leonardo was painting her

he took the

precaution of keeping some one constantly near

her, to sing or play

on instruments, or

to jest

and

otherwise amuse her, to the end that she might

continue cheerful, and so that her face might not

exhibit the melancholy expression often imparted

by painters
portrait of

to the likenesses they take.

In

this
is

Leonardo's, on the contrary, there

so pleasing an expression, and a smile so sweet,

SERVICE WITH BORGIA.

that while looking at
it

59

one thinks

it

rather divine
art,

than human."

Rio, the historian of Christian

'

regarded the

Monna

Lisa

'

as " one of the rarest

chefs-d'ceiLvre that

ever issued from the pencil of

in

an

artist."

It

was duplicated

hundreds of copies;
schools of
art.

attesting the admiration of

all

In 1502, Caesar Borgia, the usurping Duke of Romagna and Urbino, who was ambitious of being

King

of Italy, appointed

Leonardo

his general en-

gineer,

and sent him out

to inspect the fortresses in

:

his domains, bearing the following commission

" Csesar Borgia of

France

By

the Grace of

God, Duke of Romagna and Valentinois, Prince of

Adria, and

Lord

of

Piombino

To

all

our

lieu-

tenants, castellans, captains, free-lances, officials,

soldiers,

and

subjects, to

whom

this notice shall

come, we commit and

skilful
eral,

command

that to our

most

and worthy Architect and Engineer-GenLeonardo Vinci, who by our commission is to

examine the strong places and fortresses of our States, in order thatwe may provide for them according to their need and his judgment, they

may

give free passage and exemption from the public

tax-duties,

both for him and his company, and that

tliey shall receive

him as a

friend,

and allow him

6o

LEONARDO DA
to this effect let

VINCI.
will.

to see, measure,

and examine as much as he

And

men be summoned

to his

requisition,

and lend him whatever

assistance, aid

and favor he may wish."

Well compensated and honored by
ruffian, the

this liberal

master made extensive and profitable

travels throughout Central Italy, of

which he

left

many
new
bino

notes.

In the

summer
we

of 1502, he designed

stairways and ramparts to the Citadel of Ur;

and

after that time

;

find

him

at Pesaro,

devising

machinery
its

at
;

Rimini,

admiring the

music of

fountains

at

Cesena, planning better

;

methods
tico,

of transporting grapes

and

at

Cesena-

arranging to

make a new gateway.

He

re-

turned to Florence by way of Imola, Faenza, and

Forli
j

and thence undertook an excursion

Perugia,

to

Chiusi,

and

Foligno,

making

careful

studies of a clock at Siena,

lar

and noting the regu-

cadence of the waves on the sea-shore at PiomPie probably did something at this time in

bino.

an

art

which he had successfully practised

in

Lom-

bardy,

that of founding cannon.

at

It

appears that

Leonardo

also painted Borgia's portrait,

which the
in

Count de Betz recognized

Bologna

1845.
father,

During the next summer, Caesar Borgia's

RIVALRY WITH MICHAEL j^GELO,

Pope Alexander VI., died
his

61

of poison, which he

and

son had prepared for a guest and accidentally

;

drank themselves
affected
ery.

and Caesar himself was severely

visitation.

by the sam.e
Julius
II.,

Before his recovhis schemes,

Pope

had counteracted

and the

baffled conspirator fled to Spain, leaving

his engineer to

resume the practice of

art.

The

hand which painted 'The Last Supper' was thus

freed from the strange task of drawing batteries

and planning redoubts.

Early in 1503, Leonardo was in Florence, and
acted on the committee to choose a fitting place
for Michael Angelo's great statue of David.

In

the summer, he was sent by the republic to the

camp near
the enemy.

Pisa, to consider the plans for divert-

ing the Arno, and fortifying the position against

At several times during the year he

from
his deposit at Sta.

drew

fifty florins

Maria

Nuova.

In the ensuing winter he visited Rome,

and painted the picture of the Virgin and Child,

with
its

donor, in the Convent of

still

St.

Onofrio, his

only work in fresco, and

tion.
It is

in

good preservato this

supposed that he was invited

task by Pinturicchio, the pupil of his old friend,

Perugino,

who was engaged

in

frescoing

the

62

LEONARDO DA VINCL
of St. Onofrio.

Church

The

picture has recently

been restored, on a gold background, by Palma

roll.

At

last

Michael Angelo and Leonardo da Vinci

in direct competition with

were placed

each other,

when

Soderini,
life

who had been

1502,

elected Gonfaloof

niere for
both,

in

and had been the friend

to

commissioned them

adorn the walls of

the Great Hall in the Palazzo Vecchio with two

large mural paintings.

Angelo chose a scene

in

the

Pisan war, where a company of Florentine

soldiers

were surprised by the enemy while bath-

ing in the

Arno

and thus sought opportunity

of the

to

exhibit his

knowledge

human

form.

But

Leonardo, one of the most

skilful of equestrians,

had studied the structure and habits of horses

Hntil

he was altogether familiar with them

and

so he

chose for his subject a cavalry combat,

where men and horses were raging and struggling

in

a pell-mell
'

conflict,

blind with the

the

thirst
'

of

blood.

The

Battle of

Standard

was an

episode of the battle of Anghiari, which the Florentines fought against the North-Italians.

The
of^

master worked on his cartoon in the Hall

the
in

Pope, at the Church of Sta. Maria Novella, but

'BATTLE OF THE STANDARD:

such a dilatory manner that
until the close of 1506.
it

63
finished

was not

He

was allowed a salary

of

of fifteen florins a month,

and the assistance

several

other painters.

When

the two master-

pieces were exhibited to public view, the Italian

art-world

was

filled

with

vehement

discussions,

and

all

Florence hastened to compare the mighty

It

works.
ael

was a duel of Titans

in art,

and Raph-

was a spectator.

Both the cartoons have now

vanished, and only copies of parts of them re-

main, that of Leonardo being a reproduction by

Rubens
the

of the central group in

'The

Battle of

Standard,'

a splendid work, but evidently

It

tinged with Flemish character.

gested, indeed, that

has been sug-

Rubens never saw Leonardo's

composition, but painted his picture from Vasari's

long and graphic description thereof.

Before beginning his cartoon, Leonardo gath-

ered

all

the accessible facts about the battle of

still

Anghiari, which are

preserv^ed,

in his
terrific

own
con-

handwriting, and convey the idea of a

test.

Yet Macchiavelli says that there was but

one

man

killed in this battle,

and even he was

;

slain accidentally
illustrates the

by the kick

of a horse

and thus

exceeding distaste of Italians for

64

LEONARDO DA
we

VINCI.

scenes of actual peril and suffering.

ardo's account

In Leon-

see the Milanese chief advancforty

ing
alry

by San Sepolcro, with

and two thousand

companies of cav-

infantry,

and storming the

bridge, while the venerable Patriarch of Aquileia,

directing the Florentines, sees

and converses with

a vision of

St.

Peter in the clouds, and then

it

places his artillery so that

decimates the ene-

my.

As

a matter of course, the side which comthe services of the Prince of the Apostles,

manded
and the

the heaviest cannon, an archiepiscopal artillerist,

painter,

was bound
artists

to

win the day.

Neither of the
the Great Hall.

painted their pictures in

his
;

Angelo never began

and

Leonardo, attempting to paint the wall

tic

in encaus-

(having covered

it

with

wax and

a solvent, with

glim to harden the mixture), was so discouraged at

seeing the colors sink into the prepared cement,

and the

entire wall-covering melt

built fires

and run down

it,

when he

on the

floor to dry

that he

abandoned the work,

after painting for five

months,

and that which he had done faded away before

many years had

money on
justly
this

passed.

He had

already received

commission, and the Gonfaloniere

reproached him for giving up a task for

RIVALRY WITH MICHAEL ANGELO.

which he had been paid in advance.
lielp of his friends, the artist collected a

65
the

With

sum equal
it

to

that which he

had drawn, and carried

refused
to

to

Soderini,

who generously

take

the

money.

He

had previously been greatly annoyed

Dy the Florentine treasurer, who paid him a sum

due for certain works,

ever,

in

copper coin, which, howI

Leonardo angrily refused, saying, "

am

not

a painter for pennies."

The

following anecdote

is

preserv^ed in an old
of a

Florentine

MS.: "Leonardo was

handsome

person, graceful, and with a beautiful countenance.

He

wore a short rose-colored cloak, reaching the

only, at a time

knee

when long robes were

in

vogue; and he had a magnificent head of

hair,

which

fell

in curls

and

carefully dressed, as far

Sta.

down

as his breast.

Leonardo passing by

Trinita from the Spini, where there was a meeting

of honorable

men

disputing about a passage of

Dante, they called to him requesting him to explain

it.

It

happened by chance that

in

at that

mo-

ment Michael Angelo came

called said that Michael
sage.

sight,

and was

by one of those present, when Leonardo

Angelo would explain the pasthought that he v.as being

But the

latter

66

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.
it

mocked, and cried

out, 'Explain

yourself,

who

designed a horse to be cast in bronze, which you

could not cast, and shamefully gave up.'
saying, he turned his

And

so

back and went on

his way,

adding, whilst Leonardo reddened at these words

intended to wound him

in

' :

And you were

believed

by these Milanese blockheads.'" Leonardo was then

fifty-seven years old,
;

and

Angelo was twenty-seven and we may well believe

that the courtly dignity of the elder master

was

often sorely tried by the irascibility and bitterness

of his

young

rival.

In the contest of the cartoons

praise,

both

artists

won high

and

it

would be

diffi-

cult to say

which was the

victor.

At

this time

Leonardo worked out a new scheme,

" often

and made drawings by means of which he

sought to prove to the different citizens
of

them men

of

great

many who then discernment

it,

governed Florence, that the Church of San Giovanni (the Baptistery) in that city could be raised,

and steps placed beneath

edifice
;

without injury to the

he supported his assertions with reasons

so persuasive, that while he spoke the undertaking

seemed

feasible, although every

one of his hearers,

when he had

departed, could see for himself that

STATUARY.
such a thing was impossible."

67

American

engi-

neers of the present day would find but

little diffi-

culty in raising the venerable Baptistery, or even

in

moving

it,

intact, to Fiesole

and

it is

to

be

re-

gretted that

Da Vinci was
skill in

not allowed to

make

the

attempt which he so earnestly desired.

Leonardo's

statuary

is

also attested

by

three bronze figures over the portal of the Baptistery, at

Florence.

They were

cast

by

Rustici,

under

the master's supervision,

and Vasari praises them

as " without doubt the most beautiful castings that

have been seen

in these later days,

whether for
while

design or finish,"

The models were made

the master was finishing his cartoon.

In the

summer of

1504, Ser Piero da Vinci died,

at the venerable age of seventy-seven, leaving be-

hind him ten sons and two daughters.

illustrious

His most
with

son now had serious

difficulties

the other children,

who

insisted

on

his illegitimacy,
in the paternal

and refused
estate.

to allow

him any part

But Leonardo would not yield without a

struggle,

and brought the controversy

it

into

the

courts,

where

long remained.
1505,

In the springtime of

Leonardo was

at

Barbiga, near Fiesole, where he observed and described the flight of birds of prey.

68

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

CHAPTER
Second Sojourn
Prosperity.

V.

at Milan. Patronage of the Kiog of France. High Family Litigations. A Group of Pictures.

In the meantime, Leonardo's plans

the

for diverting

Arno from

its

course, near Pisa,

had

failed

utterly,

although Florence had spent an enormous

sum

of

money

to carry

them

out.

He

was deeply

mortified at this costly blunder, and at the mur-

murs which doubtless arose against

gacity.

his lack of sahis

Younger men were now contesting

laurels, while a generation

had arisen which knew

of the stars of
light of his
ties to

him

not,

and the superior radiance

Angelo and Raphael was dimming the

glory.

There were no longer any family

detain
for a

him

in

Tuscany, and he began to look abroad

the disappointments

new home, remote from

and the
For

fierce rivalries of the City of the Lilies.

this

reason he readily accepted an invita-

tion to revisit Milan,

which was sent by the French

enlight-

Governor of the Duchy, the prudent and

SECOND JOURNEY TO MILAN

The
Sforzas were no

69

ened George d'Amboise, Marshal de Chaumont.

longer in Lombardy, but
his

under the benign rule of Louis XII. and

Gov-

ernor prosperity retugied, with abundant blessings,

and the great works on the Cathedral were resumed.

Leonardo wished indeed
his to settle

permanently
so,

in

adopted

city,

but could not do

on account

of his

engagement with the Florentine Republic.

to Villa Melzi for a visit, early in the

He

went out

next summer, for a fragment of one of his letters

has been found, dated at Vaprio, July 5th, 1507,

and

saying, "

My
I

dear mother and

sister, I

send

you advices that

of

am

in

good

health,

by the grace

God."
Early in the year the King of France told the

Florentine ambassador that he wished to retain

Leonardo

in his

own

service,

having seen and ad-

mired a painting by his hand, saying that he desired

him

to

execute "Certain small pictures of

Our

Lady and

others, according as the idea occurs to

I shall

me

perhaps also

get

him

to paint

my

por-

trait."

Pandolfini, the ambassador, reported this

conversation to his government, and Marshal de

Chaumont

also wrote from

Milan

to ask Soderinj

to allow the artist to remain.

70

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.
justly

But the Gonfaloniere answered, dryly and

"

Your Lordship must excuse us from granting

the

delay which you have asked for Leonardo da Vinci,

who has not comported himself

this Republic, since

as he ought towards

he has accepted a large sum

of

money and
not
solicit

gives in return but a feeble begin-

ning to the great work which he engaged to do.

Do

us further, because his task should

be finished to the satisfaction of our people, and

we cannot

wait longer, without injury."

Later in the summer, Leonardo returned to

Florence, to claim a part in the estates of his
father

and

his uncle,

from which the other mem-

bers of the family tried to exclude him.

preceded by the following

letter

He

was

"

To our very dear and great friends,

niory of Florence

allies,

and conSeig-

federates, the perpetual Gonfaloniere

:

and
of

Louis, by the grace

God

King of France, Duke of Milan, Lord of Genoa Very Dear and Great Friends:

We

have been notified that our dear and

well-

beloved Leonardo da Vinci, our painter and engineer, has

some dispute and process pending

at

Florence against his brothers on account of cer-

PATRONAGE OF THE KING OF FRANCE.

tain inheritances
self
;

71

and since he cannot give him-

up

to this business because of the continual

occupation which he has near and about our per-

son

also because

we

earnestly desire that an end

may be
you.

put to the said process as quickly as justice

;

will allow

for these reasons

we have

written to

And we
suit as

pray you to close the said process

;

and

soon as justice can be doi^e

us greatly by so doing.
.

and you
Louis."

will please

Leonardo
ilar strain,

also bore a letter, conceived in a simto the

from the Marshal de Chaumont

Gonfaloniere Soderini, and the latter ordered the

judge to decide the case before All Saints' Day.

Upon

this the artist

wrote to the Cardinal d'Este,

whom

he had known when Archbishop of Milan,

stating the case at issue,

and requesting the CarLord

to

dinal to use his well-known influence with the

Raphael Theronymo, who had been assigned

try the process, "

recommending

to

him Leonardo

Vincio, the most devoted servant of your Lordship,

as I
still call

myself and always shall remain, beg-

ging and charging him not only to do

but to give

me
not

justice,

me

a speedy decision."

It is
suit,

known

which of the contestants won the

but at anv

72
rate
it

LEONARDO DA
was quickly
at

VINCI.

settled or postponed, for the

master was back

visits w^hich

Milan by winter.
to

The

frequent

he afterwards made

Florence on

this business,

warrant us in believing that the Tusin court for several at their leisure.

can lawyers retained the case

years, devouring the

DaVinci estate

At one time during

nardo had. only
thirty

this year of troubles, Leo--

crowns

left,

and he gave
the marriage-

thirteen of these to Salai to

make up

portion of his

sister.

Between 1507 and summit of

and revered by

n, Leonardo was at the honor and greatness, when surrounded

15
his

old pupils,

generously be-

friended by Marshal de

Chaumont, and highly

Louis XII. apit

esteemed by

his

many

friends.

pointed him Painter to the King, but

is

not

known

precisely

what pictures he executed during

is silent

these years, especially since Vasari

that part of his
life

about

between 1504 and 15 15.

His

labors were mostly in building hydraulic works, the

chief of which were the

improvements

in the great

Martesan Canal, which he had planned for the

Sforzas,

and now executed

for their conqueror.

difficulties

There were numerous grave

connected

with this task, and lengthy notes are found thereon

in his

MSS.

HIGH PROSPERITY.
The king rewarded
his

73

engineer-painter

by

presenting him with twelve ounces of water, to be

taken from the Grand Canal, near San Cristoforo

certainly a curious
for
gift,

and

also a valuable one,

he often wrote to

De Chaumont,

Melzi,

and

the President of the Milan Water-Works, insisting

on

his claim.

It is

supposed that the

of as

gift

was the

permanent control

much water

as could be

drawn

off in

a pipe twelve inches in diameter, to

be applied
could
sell
it

to
it

any purpose which he pleased.

He

to adjacent land-owners for irrigation,

or use

for hydraulic purposes,

and thus get a

fixed revenue, or great facilities for experimenting.

He
will,

does not seem to have used the

it

gift,

how-

ever, although

was carefully disposed

of in his

as something of value.

In connection with
at

the canal

was the great basin

San

Cristoforo,

which Leonardo designed and supervised, and

from thence,
drawn.

it

is

seen,

his

reward was to be

He

wrote a pamphlet, in 1508, on the Martesan

Canal, and devoted

much

of the next year to con-

structing the great docks

and basins

at Milan.

Probably

also,

he planned many

mills, for fulling

and other purposes, since he had a thorough un-

74

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

derstanding of this work, and Vasari says that he

frequently utilized
it.

In March, 1509, he made a

visit

to Florence,

probably to take care of new litigations with his

brothers.
It is

supposed that he returned to Micele-

lan

by June, and superintended the splendid

brations which took place there

when Louis XII.

at

returned from his victory over the Venetians,

Agnadello.
zens, he

In

common

with the Milanese

of Louis as "

citi-

now always spoke

King."

Our most

Christian

Frequent journeys now took

place between Florence and Milan, while he con-

tinued his contest with the

15 10,
at

Da Vincis.
later

In March,

he designed a wharf on the Great Canal,

;

Milan

and a few months

he wrote from

Florence, telling of the progress of the lawsuit.

However

this

contest in the courts

may have

terminated, Leonardo was afterwards reconciled

with his brothers, and bequeathed to them his

property at Florence.

The

wise Marshal de

Chaumont died

in 151

and, during the next year, the French

army made

a fearful sack of Brescia.

This terrible event

aroused
pants
;

all

Lombardy

against the foreign occu-

and

after the battle of

Ravenna, when the

RESIDENCE AT MILAN.
French,
losses,

75

though victorious, suffered such heavy

a Swiss army occupied Milan, in the

name

of Maximilian Sforza, Lodovico's son.

Maximiltri-

ian himself soon entered the city, under the

umphal arches which had been erected

antagonist
;

for

his

and the war between the French and

all

North-Italians spread throughout

Lombardy,
Leonardo's
al-

carrying with

it

unnumbered woes.
this

hopes were shattered by

great change,

though he was immediately employed by the new

Duke, Maximilian, who had

twice.

his portrait painted

During these seven years of Leonardo's second

residence at Milan, he was in the maturity of his

powers

and

it

was evident that not

in

all his

time

was occupied

engineering.

To

this

period,

therefore, the critics assign several of his

pictures.

undated

One

of these

was the

portrait of

MarLouis

shal Trivulzio, a Milanese general,

whom

XII.

made governor

of a part of

Lombardy, and
at the battle of this por-

who commanded under

Marignano.
trait is

Francis

I.,

Some
in the

critics

suppose that

now
is

Dresden Gallery,

the same
Others

which

also

called

Lodovico Sforza.

think that Holbein painted this fine picture, and

76
that
it

LEONARDO DA
of

VINCI.

represents Morett, the jeweller of Henry

VIII.,

England.

*La Monaca,' now

in

the

Pitti Palace, is

a picture of a young nun, with a

face of alluring beauty,

and

is

probably the same

which Leonardo's brother-in-law gave to Cardinal

Salviati, in 1536.

*La Colombine,' or

'Flora,'

is

the picture of
at

a beautiful woman, in blue draper}^, now

the

Hague, where the Hollanders

or
it
'

call

it

'

Frivolity,'

Vanity.'

It is believed

by many
celebrated
it

critics that

was a

portrait

of

the

Diana

of

Poictiers, while others see in

a mysterious repof the artist.

resentation of

some dreamy conceit

Several copies and perhaps replicas of this figure

are
still

in

existence.
to of
this

Another picture which

period
is

Rumohr

assigns

the

'Leda,'

where the bride

Jupiter,

perfectly

nude,

is

seen, with two children,

tor

and the new-born Cas-

and Pollux, near a far-winding and reedyriver,

margined
distance.
figures

with a mountain range in the

This was one of the very few nude

fa-

which Leonardo painted (although so

miliar with anatomy),

classical compositions.

and also one of

his

five

Leda was once provided

barbarians, and

with garments by

some prudish

PORTRAITS.
renamed
*

77
its

Charity

;
'

but since

journeys from

the Hesse-Cassel Gallery to

Malmaison and the

its

Hague,
of

it

has been restored to

purity.

former estate
in

undraped

There are three pictures

'

Roman

palaces, representing

Vanity

'

and

'

Mod-

esty' in the usual

allegorical
all

manner; but the

doubting Germans refer

pupils,

these to Leonardo's

Luini and Salai.

Viardot, however, says

of the

one

in the Sciarra Palace, " Its

admirable
its

beauty does not permit of doubts as to

thenticity."

au-

Another picture painted

Sebastian,' probably

at

Milan was the

'

St.

an emblematic portrait of
in the city.
It

some eminent person

at Turin,

was bought

about the year 1805, by the famous Dugallery

for

bois,

who was forming a

a young

Italian prince.

When
Paris
j

the latter died, the picture

was taken

to

and, in
it,

i860, the Czar of

it

Russia paid $12,000 for

and removed

to the

Hermitage Palace.

The most

familiar portrait of

Leonardo

is

that

which he made of himself, in the year 15 12, showing a venerable old man, with long and flowing
hair, thick

gray beard, large

and mobile black

This
is

eyes,

and an aquiline nose.

the picture

78

LEONARDO DA
in the
Uffizi Gallery,

VINCI.

now

from which so manv

Other portraits of
in

engravings have been made.

the master,

drawn by himself,

red or black

chalk, are found at

Windsor
and
in

Castle, the Venetian

Academy,
ler}^,

at Milan,

the

Esterhazy Cal-

at Pest.

Caterina di San Celso was

now

the

reigning

beauty at Milan, famous for her songs, her dancing,

and her fascinating

face,

which had con-

quered even King Louis himself.

this fair enchantress

Rio says that

was Leonardo's model when

Catherine of Alexandria,'
St.

he painted
.perhaps the

the

'

St.

sublime picture at
attributes to
St.

Petersburg,

which Stendhal
are

Leonardo.

There

many

other

Catherines which their posto the great

sessors refer to the

same hand,

wrath

of the art-critics.

About

this time,

Leonardo was commissioned

degli Albizzi, to
Baptist.

by the noble Florentine, Camillo

paint a picture
of
St.

John the

This
Spain,

famous work was subsequently taken

to

and was seen by Mengs

Princess of the Asturias.

in the possession of the

Another picture

of the

same subject afterwards

passed into the hands of Louis XIIL, who gave

'LA VIERGE
it

AUX ROCHERS:
Titian's
'

79

to

Charles
'

I.

of
'

England, in exchange for

Holbein's

Erasmus
it,

and

Holy

Family.'

Cromwell owned

in his turn;
it

and

finally the
it

amateur Jabach sold

still

to the
like

Louvre, where

remains, looking

more

an antique Bac-

chus than the great Forerunner.

Two Madonnas
of

were also painted for the King

France

and Leonardo wrote from Florence

to finish

that he
15 1
1.

hoped

them by the Easter

of

These have disappeared; and Rio thinks

England when Henrietta
in

that they were taken to

Maria married Charles L, and perished

conflagration at Whitehall Palace.

the

Three of Le-

onardo's pictures were

destroyed at that time,

and probably these were among them.

'

The Virgin among

is

the

Rocks {La
'

Vierge

aux
Ital-

Rochers)
ian

one of the most exquisite of the

Madonnas.

There are three representations

Louvre
of
is

of this scene, of which that in the

best

known, and the one

collection

in

the

Duke

Suffolk's

has the highest claims to originality.

stigmatize the Louvre picSuffolk's canvas, which
for

Waagen and Passavant

ture as a copy,

and prefer
1796,

was bought,
thirty sequins.

in

by Gavin Hamilton,

Theophile Gautier has described

So
this

LEONARDO DA
composition as follows
is
:

VINCI.
"

The

aspect of the

Virgin

mysterious and charming.

grotto of

basaltic rocks shelters the divine group,

sitting

who

are

on the margin of a clear spring, in the

transparent depths of which

of its bed.

we

see the pebbles

of the grotto,

Through the arcade

we
of

discover a rocky landscape, with a few scattered

trees,

and crossed by a stream, on the banks

rises a village.
;
. .

which
in

Her head

is
;

spherical

form

the forehead well developed

is

the fine

oval of her cheeks

inclose a chin

gracefully rounded, so as to
;

most delicately curved

the eyes
;

with lowered lids inclosed with shadow

nose, not

and the

on a

line with the forehead, like that of

still

a Greek statue, but

finely cut."

For the Church of San Celso the master painted

his celebrated composition of
'

The

Virgin Seated

on the Knees

of St. Anna,' which

is

was afterwards
in the Louvre,

replaced by a copy, and

now

The

miracles attributed to the image of the Vir-

gin at

San Celso (which continued

until 1845) at-

tracted

such a vast wealth of offerings to that

its

church that
Raphael,

clergy commissioned

Bramante,
of

and

Leonardo

to

execute works

adornment

therefor.

Leonardo's picture was so

1;

'THE VIRGIN AND

fame

ST.

ANNA:
it

8
to

famous that Bishop Giovio thought

insure his
forever,

enough

and many

repetitions were

made by
churches.

Salai, Luini,

and

others, for the Italian

chal-

Waagen, Rosini, and Delecluze

lenge the authenticity of the picture at the Louvre,

and Passavant, Taine, and Houssaye defend

In a light-toned rocky landscape the Virgin
seated on
is is

it.

seen

St.

Anna's knees, and the Infant Saviour

playing with a lamb.

is

As Gautier

says

"

The

head of the Virgin

exquisitely fine in outline

her face beams with virginal grace and maternal

love
;

her eyes are bathed in tenderness, and her

half-smiling
of

mouth has

that indefinable expression

which Leonardo alone knew the secret."

6

82

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

CHAPTER
The Exodus
of Leonardo's School.
Pictures Painted at

VI.
X.

Rome.

Leonardo at Rome. Leo The Old Master Overmatched.

The

wars and confusions which were sweeping

through Lombardy rendered that country an uncongenial

finally

home

for the tranquil Leonardo,

to seek a

who

made ready

more peaceful abode.

In September, therefore, the patriarch of Milanese

art set out

on a long journey

to Central Italy, atdisciples, Melzi,

tended by his devoted and

Salai,

filial

Giovanni

Beltraffio,

Lorenzo

(a Florentine

pupil),

and Fanfoia.

After remaining for a short

time in Florence, under the

the
little

new Medici
and went

regime^

band

of artists joined the train of the

to

Duke

Giuliano de' Medici,

Rome.

Michael Angelo was in Florence

as Vasari says, " there

at that time, and,

was great disdain between

Michael Angelo Buonaroti and Leonardo."

great architect either followed his rival to
or else plotted against

The
Rome,

him

there, reviving the jeal-

LEO
ousy of the previous years.

X.

Zz

Raphael, on the other

hand, treated him with honor and courtesy.

Pope Leo X. received Leonardo very

and bade him
"

cordially,
Italy,

work

for the glory of

;"

God,

Leo

X.,

and Leonardo da Vinci

but gave him no

commission of importance, since the strong AntiGallican feeling then prevailing at

Rome

naturally

antagonized an

artist

who had been The Pope,

so long con-

nected with the French.

indeed, valued

him

chiefly as

an alchemist, and Vasari thus deof

his achievements in this direc-

scribes
tion
:

some

" Leonardo, having

this,

composed a kind
while
it

of paste
in
its

from wax, made of

was

still

half-liquid state, certain figures of animals, entirely

hollow, and exceedingly slight in texture, which

he then
figures,

filled

with

air.

When

he blew into these

fly

he would make them

into the

air,

but
to

when

the air within

them had escaped they

fell

the ground.

One day

the vine-dresser of the Bellizard,

vedere found a very curious

and

for this

creature Leonardo constructed wings,

made from
;

the skins of other lizards flayed for the purpose

into these wings

he put quicksilver, so that when

the animal walked, the wings

moved

also,

with a

tremulous motion

he then made eyes, horns, and

84

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

a beard for the creature, which he tamed and kept

in a case
;

he would then show

it

to the friends

who came
terrified.

to visit him,

and

all

who saw it ran away

and scraped

He more

than once, likewise, caused

the intestines of a sheep to be cleaned

until they

were brought into such a

state of tenuity

that they could be held within the hollow of the

hand.

Having then placed

in a

neighboring cham-

ber a pair of blacksmiths bellows, to which he had

made

fast

one end of the

until

intestines,

he would
fill

blow into them

he caused them to

the

whole room, which was a very large one, insomuch

that

whoever might be therein was compelled

;

to

take refuge in a corner

he thus showed them

transparent and
as they

full of

wind, remarking that where-

had previously been contained within a

was a

small compass, they were

this,

he would

say,

now filling all space, and fit emblem of talent or

follies

genius.

He made

numbers of these

in

various kinds, occupied himself

much

with mirrors

and

optical instruments,

and made the most singuand

lar experiments in seeking oils for painting,

varnishes to preserve the work

when executed."
lizard

The

description of the

metamorphosed

illustrates

one of Leonardo's favorite amusements,

ROMAN

WORKS.

85

which he spent much valuable time.

Among

his papers,

we
:

find the following

exti aordinary

prescription

"If you wish to make a chimera, or

(let

imaginary animal, appear natural

us suppose

a serpent), take the head of a mastiff, the eyes of a

cat,

the ears of a porcupine, the

mouth

of a

hare, the

brows of a

lion,

the temples of an old

cock, and the neck of a sea-tortoise."

Baldassare Turini, of Pescia, Raphael's friend

and Leo's almoher, secured two pictures from

Leonardo, which
family, but are

long remained in the Turini

lost.

now

One

of these

was a

careful

and very beautiful Madonna and Child;

the other was a picture of an infant,

beautiful

"which

is

and graceful

to a miracle."

Mr. James
is

Jackson Jarves thinks that the Madonna

picture which he acquired,

the

now

in the Yale-Colit

lege

Gallery; but

Houssaye says

is

now

in

the

Munich

Gallery,

and somewhat resembles

'The Virgin among the Rocks.'

It is

supposed that Leonardo painted for Leo

'

X. the beautiful

Holy Family
is

of St. Petersburg,'

wherein the Virgin

Child, to
St.

seen holding
offers

the

Holy

whom

St. St.

John

a tazza, while

Joseph and

Catherine stand in the back

86
ground.

LEONARDO DA
The
latter is

VINCI.
to

supposed

have been

a portrait of the beautiful Princess Philiberta of

Savoy, the bride of Giuliano de' Medici.

Viardot
this

and other

critics
;

refuse

to

consider

work

as Leonardo's

but Passavant affirms

it.

Pagavi
it

thought

it

so beautiful that he held that

Vinci's
to

was
it

marked with Da

monogram
Raphael
;

to prevent

from being attributed

and Stendhal

says that " Leonardo never painted anything better or

more sublime."
Mantua,
this

When

the

Germans

plun-

dered

picture

vanished from the

fell

ducal palace, and long afterwards

into

the

possession of the

Abbe

Salvadori, a secretary of

the Count Firmian, Governor of

Mantua.

The

Abbe
him
death

hid the picture, lest Firmian should compel

it

to restore
it

to

the palace

and

after his

was

secretly forwarded to Mori, a village

of the district of Trent,

where Salvadori's

heirs,

long afterwards, sold

of Russia.
'

it

to the

Empress Catherine

The Madonna

of the Bas-relief
;

'

is

in the poscalls
it

session of

Lord Monson

and Passavant

"one

of the best preserved works of Leonardo,

original picture,"
it

an admirable and

though certain
It is

other critics consider

as a skilful copy.

LEONARDO CRITICISES ANGELO.

similar in composition to the

87
at the

Holy Family
is

Hermitage, save that

for St. Catherine,

St.

Zacharias
its

substituted

and derives

name from

a bit

of bas-relief in the lower left corner.

Cardinal

Fesch also owned a picture similar

the

to this;

and

Duke

of Melzi has another, in his palace at

is

Milan, which

attributed to Cesare da Sesto.

is

The
Lanzi

infant
to

picture of Turini
is

supposed by
in the

be the same which

now

muni-

cipal palace at Bologna,

Child Jesus, lying in

a rich cradle ornamented with pearls. His head

surrounded by a luminous
believes that this
circle.

Stendhal also

work was by Leonardo.

After the master had closely studied Angelo's

famous fresco of

The Last Judgment,' he turned

Angelo
is

aside and said, " Michael

a great

man

but he has few models for so

criticism

many

figures,"

which has often been repeated by mod-

ern connoisseurs.

Vasari says that when Leo X. commissioned

Leonardo

to

paint

a certain picture, he began

for the varnish

to distil oils

and prepare herbs

before commencing the design, at which the Pope

exclaimed,

" Alas
all,

this

man
is

will

assuredly do

nothing at

since he

thinking of the end

88

LEONARDO DA
made

VINCI.

before he has

a beginning of his work.*'

This remark was quickly borne to the painter, to

whom
It

it

caused the greatest displeasure.

for the veteran artist,

was impossible

who had
Italy,

so long been the

first

master in Northern

to content himself as the third at

Rome, where

Raphael and Angelo received

able commissions,
skilful juggler

all

the most honoras a

and he was treated rather

than as a painter of transcendent

power.

When

he was drawn into the competition

the fa9ade of

for the plans of

San Lorenzo,

at

Florence, and Angelo overmastered him, the venerable Leonardo determined

his talents could
^^.

seek a land where

be more highly appreciated, and

to

leave

the

rich

Roman

field

to

Angelo and
always

Raphael, and the younger

artists.
art,

He had
at his

been, in so far as relates to

a prophet without

honor

in his

own Florence

and

advanced
two
if

age he could hardly have ventured to

great artists then in favor at

rival the

Rome.

Probably,

he had tried some worthy work

in the Eternal City,

he would have proved his equality with the two

princes of
art,

and become a worthy member

of

an

illustrious triumvirate, enriching

Rome

with the
procras*

choicest of masterpieces.

Whether the

A FAIR CHANCE.
tinating,

89

fastidious,

and

impractical

Leonardo

could have frescoed the Vatican halls as his rivals

did,

may be

matter of doubt, but there

is

no

rea-

son to believe that under proper influences he could not have repeated and perhaps surpassed his

Milanese triumphs.

90

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

CHAPTER
The
Call of France,

VII.

nardo in France.

Pavian Festivities. Farewell to Italy. Leo His Death. The Last Testament.

ijEonardo had not long to wait before finding

the noblest and most congenial patron.

When

Francis

I.

succeeded

Louis XII. on the throne

of France, he straightway led an

army

into Italy,

defeated the Lombards in the tremendous battle of

Marignano, and re-occupied Milan.

The Pope

hastened to make peace with the brilliant young

sovereign,
to him,

and yielded

also

Parma and Piacenza

by the treaty

of Viterbo, in October, 15 15.

No

sooner had Leonardo heard of these successes

of the French than he hastened to

Lombardy, and

was received with great joy by Francis L, who

restored to

him the

office of

Painter to the King,

of seven

and

settled

upon him an annual pension

hundred golden crowns.

The master owned an

estate at Fiesole, near

Florence, which was perhaps a part of the patri-

mony

for

which he had fought so long in the


VINEYARD LESSONS.
courts, since Ser Piero

1;

da Vinci had owned prop-

erty at that place*

In the winter of 15 15-16, he

letter,

wrote to his

steward there the following

containing several ideas far in advance of the

times
"
:

The

four last bottles were not up to

my expecought to

tation, for

which

am

very sorry

the vines of

Fiesole, being

much improved

in quality,

furnish first-rate wine for our Italy, as well as for

Ser Ottaviano.

You know,

however, that
to

I told

you

it

would be necessary

manure the stony

ground with lime mortar from destroyed houses or

walls,

and

this dries the root

and the stem and

matters necessary
Besides,

leaves

draw

in

from the

air the

to the perfection of the grape.

we have

now a

very bad habit of making wine in uncovered

vessels,

and so the essence escapes

into the air

during fermentation, and nothing remains but a

tasteless liquor colored

by the dregs and the pulp

shift
it

moreover, they do not

as they ought from

vessel to vessel, in consequence of which the wine

becomes turbid and

ever,
ings,
if

difficult of digestion.

How-

you and others

shall drink

will profit

by these reason-

we

good wine.

May

the Blessed

Virgin save you."

92

LEONARDO DA
At Pavia marvellous

VINCI.

festivities

and

entertain-

ments greeted the advent of the knightly young

King, and
it is

supposed that at

this time

Leonardo

devised the wonderful automaton of which

speaks,

Lomazzo
and

a
its

lion filled with

it

hidden machinery by
to the throne,
filled

means

of which

walked up

opening

breast,

showed
in

it

with a great
to

number

of

fleurs-de-lys,

compliment

the

French sovereign.

It was thus that the artist's

philosophical studies enabled

foibles of his times,

him

to cater to the

and

to

mould

his experiments

to create diversions for the courtiers.

At about the
Leonardo
ac-

same time

as the Pavian festivities,

companied the

King

to Bologna, where Francis

;

held a conference with Leo X.

and here he who

had been treated

at

Rome

with scant honor,

now

appeared as the favorite of a mighty prince.

When

Francis

I.

was about

to return to his

own
he

country, after the brilliant

Italian campaign,

desired to carry with him

'

The Last

Supper,' and

finding this impossible, consoled himself

its artist

by taking

instead.

Neglected at Florence, chilled

stern military govleft

at

Rome, and uneasy under the

at

ernment
grief,

Milan, Leonardo

Italy without

and sought a new and goodlier

land.

If

LIFE IN FRANCE.
must be confessed that he had but
Italia spirit, that dauntless
little

93
of the

and pathetic love of

II.,

country which was the ruling thought of Julius

of Angelo, of Guido,

and

in this latest century, of

so

many

heroes

who have held

inspired.

their lives as of

light value

when thus

In his journey to France the venerable master

was attended by
Melzi and
lanis, all of
Sala'i,

his devoted friends

and

pupils,

and by

his favorite servant Vil-

whom had
sojourn.

also

been with him during

as

the

Roman

King Francis gave them

residence the Chateau of Cloux-de-Murailles, just

outside the walls of the royal castle of Amboise,

little

estate

which Charles VIII. had bought

in 1490.

from the mayor of Tours

Cloux was a

beautiful retreat, with forests

and meadows, garhall,

dens and fish-ponds, and a great

arranged as a studio.

which was

The Chateau
that
its

of

Cloux was so near

still

to

Amboise
gai-

occupants could

mingle with the

eties of the court,

tiers

and enjoy the society

of cour-

and

diplomatists, as aforetime.

He

even

set

the fashions for the royal household, says Michelet,

and the King and

his

dependants copied his

In

costumes, and the cut of his beard and hair.

94
15 17, he

LEONARDO DA
Duke

VINCI.

directed the festivities

when Lorenzo

de' Medici, the

of Urbino, married a prin-

cess of the

House

of Bourbon.

After breakfast the venerable master used to

take Salai's arm, and walk to Amboise, looking
like a white-haired Druid,

and meeting with tokens

His
life

of respect
ful

on

all

sides.

here was peaceto so

and serene, and made a and laborious a career.

at the

fitting close

active

Leonardo was placed

head

of all artistic

undertakings in France, and was furnished with a

pension, and horses to attend the
royal
court,

whether

at Blois, Paris, or

Fontainebleau.

French

art, at this

time,

had not progressed beyond the

it

illumination of manuscript, wherein, indeed,

had

excelled for two centuries.

But the two

last kings,

Louis

XH. and

Francis L,

who had

carried their

arms

far into Italy,

were charmed by the grandeur

of the art of that country,

and earnestly desired

to

transplant

it

across the Alps.

Francis probably

thought that Leonardo would found an academy

in France, as

he had done
a

in Milan,

and educate

a group of

artists in

new

Franco-Italian manner.
to

But the master made no attempt

establish

another Vincian academy, and had no French

HIS LAST YEARS.

pupils or followers.
Italians,
II

95
for three other
dell'

It

was reserved

Rasso, Primaticcio, and Niccolo

Abbate, to found a school for France,

bleau
;

at Fontaine-

but theirs was the art of the decadence and

its

the mannerists, and

extravagances and exagits

gerations corrupted the French school in

.

cradle.

Leonardo seemed

to

have been blighted the moto

ment he passed the Alps, and

former activity and ambition.

have

lost all his

Petted and rewarded

friends,

by the King, surrounded by the most loving

and reverently looked up

artists of

to

by the

far inferior

France, he had attained the summit of

ambition, and no longer felt the keen incentive to

labor,

which formerly overcame

his natural dila-

toriness.

He

was enerv^ated and rendered languid

which surrounded him, and

by the

fatal luxuries

ceased to be a creator of noble works of art or

science.

Perhaps his age had some

few

effect in this

direction, for there are but

men who
life.

can follow

Angelo and Titian

in carrying

on mighty enter-

prises to the very close of a long

No more
a few

great works issued from

Leonardo's once busy

brain and skilful hand, and he

made only

feeble plans, such as that of the canal of

entin,

RomerFie also

whither he went early in 1518.

9^
visited Blois,

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.
in Paris. to

and made a short sojourn The Abbe Fontani claims that he went
also,

Rouen

but abbes claim a great

fell

many

things.

At length Leonardo
gan
the

into a languor,

and beDuring

to decline, slowly, yet all too surely.

many months

in

which he was thus sinking

away, Vasari says that he " wrought diligently to

make

himself acquainted with the Catholic

ritual,

and with the good and holy path

religion.

of the Christian

He

then confessed with great penitence

;

and many tears

and, although he could not sup-

port himself on his feet, yet being sustained in

the arms of his servants and friends, he devoutly

received the

Holy Sacrament while thus out

of

bed."
It

has been inferred from certain expressions

last days, that

used by Vasari when writing of his

Leonardo's
scientific

and philosophical

studies

and speculations had made him a

rationalist, or

had

at

least given

him an

indifference towards
first

religion.

In a passage in the

edition

of

Vasari (afterwards suppressed),

this

it is

'said that,

"by

means he conceived such

heretical ideas that

he did not belong to any

better
to

religion,

esteeming

it

be a philosopher than a

Christian,"

HIS RELIGION.
It

97

does

not

yet

clearly

appear

whether

this

withdrawn charge was well-founded or otherwise,

although
it

is

certain that

Leonardo was always

a free and daring investigator, in an age when

faith

meant contented blindness, and examination

heresy.

meant
that he

Indeed,

it

is

more than

likely

would have been punished for sorcery or necromancy, if he had not always enjoyed the
protection of great princes.

Rio infers his orthoin

doxy from

his last will

and testament,
to

which

"he commends
our Lord,
saints

his soul

our sovereign Lord

and Master, God,

St.

to the glorious Virgin

all

Mary, to

Michael, and to
of

the beatified

and saintesses
to

Paradise;"

but
life

it

is

especially unwise

judge of a man's

and

opinions

by utterances
is

made

at

the

moments

when he

in contemplation of death.

In some of Leonardo's writings, we find keen

bits

of

satire

directed

apparently against

clergy,

"the
riches,

the

numerous

crowd

that

heap up

great

paying for the same in invisible

coin;" and "those who avoid hard work and

poor
living,

that they

may

inhabit rich palatial

that,

edifices, clearly

demonstrating

by so doing,

they exalt the glory of God."

Two memoranda

98

LEONARDO DA
to refer to

VINCI.

seem

some persecutions which Leo

said,

nardo suffered from the Church, which, he

reprimanded him " for working

days,

at his art

on

feast-

and investigating the works

this

of

God."
I

Else-

where he wrote
the

statement
infant,

"

When

made
treat

Lord God an
if

you imprisoned me

now,

make Him grown-up, you would

me

worse."
fell

There are no indications that Leonardo

away from a

life

of purity

and

dignity,

even in

that age of libertinism,

of his
tion as
religious

and under the influence

own
to

vivacity

and enthusiasm.

The

ques-

whether or no he was theoretically

not

may

now be answered, and

theories
;

based on assumed probabilities are unsafe

he certainly led a higher
pontiffs
life

yet

than most of the

;

and cardinals

of his generation
figures,

and even

when he painted undraped

modest
attitudes
will

he gave them

and downcast

eyes.

The

of

Leonardo, made only nine days

is

before his death,

a document

full of interest,

as

showing a fervent desire

that his funeral

cere-

monies should be attended with the high pomp of

the

Roman

ritual,

and also

his kindly care for

;

the friends and servants left behind

HIS LAST TESTAMENT.

"

99

The

said testator desires to be buried in the

of St. Florentin at

Church

Amboise, and that his

of

body be carried there by the chaplains

place.

that

That

his

body be accompanied from the

Church
of St. Florentin

said place to the said

by

the chapter of said church, and also

by the

rector

and

prior, or
St.

by the

vicars

and chaplains of the

Church of

Denis d'Amboise, as well as by the

Minorite Friars of the said place.

his

And

that before

body be carried

to the said church, the testa-

tor desires that there should

be three high masses

St.

celebrated in the said Church of

with deacons and sub-deacons
;

Florentin,

and

that,

on the

same

day, there shall also be said thirty low masses

of St. Gregory.

In the said Church of

St.

Denis,

a like service shall be celebrated, and also in the

church of the said Minorite Friars.

"

The

aforesaid testator gives and concedes to

Messire Francesco da Melzi, gentleman, of Milan,

in gratitude for the services that

he has rendered

him

in times past, all

and every one of the books

which the said testator now possesses, and other

instruments and drawings concerning his art and
the profession of painter.
"

The

testator gives

and concedes forever and

; :

lOO

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.
servant,

perpetually to Battista da

Villanis, his

the half of a garden that he has outside of the

walls of Milan
to Salai,
Sala'i
;

and the other half of

his

garden

his servant, in which garden the. said

has built and constructed a house which

shall

be and

shall

remain forever the property of

the said Salai, and of his heirs and successors

and

this in

recompense of the good and kind

Salai

ser-

vice that the aforesaid

and Villanis have

said testator gives

rendered him hitherto.

The

to his maid-servant, Maturina, a

garment of good
a

black cloth trimmed with

fur,
;

hood

of

cloth

and ten ducats paid

at

one time

and

this also in

recompense of the good services of the said Maturina

up

to this day.

"

He

wishes that at his obsequies there shall be

sixty torches

borne by sixty poor men, who shall

to the discre-

be paid for carrying them according

tion of

the said Melzi, which torches shall be

divided
tioned.

among
The

the four churches above

men-

said testator gives to each one of

the

said

churches ten pounds of wax in large

candles, which shall be sent to the said churches

to

be made use of on the day

in

which the ser

Item

vices above

named

shall

be celebrated.

HIS DESCENDANTS.
that alms shall be given to the poor of the
pital of

loi

Hos-

God, and
;

to the

poor of

St.

Lazarus, at

Amboise

and

that, for this purpose, there shall

be given and paid to the treasuries of each brotherhood the sum of seventy sous tournais."
Furthermore, he bequeathed to Melzi
all

his

garments and the arrears of the pension due him

from Francis

to Villanis his rights in the water

of the canal at Milan,

and also

all

his furniture

and

utensils at

Cloux

and

to his brothers, Giu-

liano
sole,

da Vinci and the

others, his estate at Fie-

and four hundred golden crowns deposited

at Florence.

The Da Vinci

family

is

kept up in the descend-

ants of his brother Domenico, the latest of

whom,

Paolo da Vinci, was born in 187 1.

Pierino da

Vinci, Leonardo's nephew, attained a fair rank as

an

artist

and two others who bore the nam.e beas musicians.

:

came famous

Vasari goes on to say

"

The

king,

who was
visit

ac-

customed frequently and affectionately to

him,

came immediately afterwards

sat in his bed, describing his

to his

room, and he

causing himself out of reverence to be raised up,

malady and

its

dif-

ferent circumstances, lamenting besides

that he

102

LEONARDO DA
he ought
to

VINCI.
in

had offended God and man, not having worked

art as

have done.

He was

then seized
death,

with violent paroxysm, the forerunner of

when
give
as

the King, rising and supporting his head to

him such assistance and do him such favor

spirit of

he could, the

Leonardo, which was

it

most

divine, conscious that

could attain to no

greater honor, breathed

its last in the

arms of the

King."

Many

subsequent writers have discredited Va-

sari's story that

Leonardo died

in the

arms of the
I.

King, and have tried to prove that Francis

not at Amboise at the time.
his information

was

But Vasari received

from Melzi, who was with the mas-

ter until the last,

and

it

is difficult

to see

how he

could have erred in this matter.

Arsene Hous-

saye has discussed the question at great length,

reviewing

all

the objections,

and professing

his

faith in the substantial truth

cler's account,

of the old chroni-

although for

many

years he had

been among the doubters.

lion,

M. Aime Champoland so do
other an-

M. Leon de Laborde, and other modern

critics

French

support the same view

Piles,

Felibien,

De

De Chambray, and

cient writers.

THE LOST TOMB.

Duf resne and

103

several other writers have favored

a hypothesis that the master died at Fontainebleau,

but that was only a small hunting-lodge at the

time, rarely visited

by the King.

Ten

or twelve

years later a colony of artists and architects went

there,

and began the erection

still

of the splendid pal-

ace which

adorns those vast forests.

painter

Among
erroneous

these was a Flemish

named Leonardi,

whose name probably gave

theory.
sible for

rise to this

Furthermore,

it

could not have been posto Fontainebleau

Leonardo

to

have gone

in the nine days

which elapsed between making

his death.

his will, at

Amboise, and

The body
the

of the great master

was buried
it

in

Church

of St. Florentin, but

is
it.

not

known

that a

monument was
of
religion,

erected over

The wars
Amboise
in
St.

which soon afterwards devastated France, in the

name

did not spare the

of

shrines; and no
Florentin.

tomb

note was

left

In

1808, the church v/as utterly de-

molished by the sacrilegious Senator Ducos, when

even the grave-stones were sold, and the leaden

coffins

were melted down.

In the

last

centur)^,

Pagavi made a pilgrimage to i\mboise,

of Leonardo's tomb, but could iind

in search of

no trace

104
itj

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

and, in 1863, Arsene Houssaye went thither,

officials,

attended by several high

ering the grave.

bent on discov-

The

site of the

church was occu-

pied by a grove, wherein an ancient gardener

had buried the bones

of the unearthed skeletons,

with which the children of Amboise had been

playing nine-pins.
three

Houssaye's workmen dug in

site,

places on the

finding several tombs,

bits of statuary

and

tablets, parts of the

pavement

of

the church,

and vaults reached by subterra-

nean stone

stairways.

At

last,

in

the

choir,

where tradition said that Leonardo was buried,

they found a skeleton, with the skull resting on
the hand, as
if

musing, and with fragments of

white hair, sandals, and brown cloth, coins of

mediaeval
filled

Italy

and of Francis L, and a vase

with perfumed charcoal.

Near by were

fragments of slabs, two of which were marked,

LEO INC EO DUS VINC.

The
skull,

skeleton measured

five

feet

and

eight

inches, the recorded height of Leonardo,

and the

pronounced by doctors as that of a septua-

genarian, corresponded in shape with the portrait

of the artist
It

was well-balanced and powerful,

HIS MONUMENT.
with
a

05

broad,

high,

and projecting brow.

M.

Houssaye submits the evidence thus obtained,

and leaves
ences.
his readers to

draw

their

own

infer-

His task was well and

faithfully done, in

the presence of artists, antiquaries, prelates, and

other

men

of high qualifications

and the general

impression

among

these was that the remains of

Leonardo had

at last

been restored

to honor.

In 1873, Italy raised a noble monument to

Leonardo, near the entrance of the Victor-Emanuel Arcades, at Milan.

The
his

statue of the ven-

erable master stands on a lofty pedestal, with his

arms on

his breast,

and

head bowed

in

deep

reflection.

Below are four large

life.

bas-reliefs, repre-

senting scenes in his

Projecting sub-pedestals sustain noble and

like statues of the master's chief disciples,

life-

Cesare

da

Sesto,

Marco d'Oggione, Giovanni

;

Beltraffio,

and Andrea Solario

tal

and

at the

base of the pedes-

are four inscriptions, one of which dedicates

the

monument

"

To

the

Renewer

of the Arts

and

Sciences."
tion of the
at Milan,

During the same year a loan

collec-

works of Leonardo's school was held

and about three hundred pictures were

placed on exhibition.

Io6

LEONARDO DA
letter,

VINCI.

In Melzi's

apprising the master's brothers

:

of his decease, he says

of fathers,

"

He

was

to

and

it

is

impossible for

me the best me to express

Until the
I

the grief that his death has caused me.

day when

my body

is

laid

under the ground,

shall experience perpetual sorrow,

and not without

reason, for he daily

showed me the most devoted

His
loss
is

and warmest
every one, for

affection.
it

a grief to

is

not in the power of nature to

reproduce another such a man.

accord him everlasting rest."

May the

Almighty

Leonardo's
up.

little

household was speedily broken

Melzi remained in France for some time, as

a pensioner of the King, and Villanis also staid,

in Melzi's service.

Salai returned to Italy,

and

won

great success by painting from the unfinished

designs,

having acquired the master's

are

st^-le

so

nearly that the best critics

unable to say

whether certain pictures are by him or Leonardo.

The marvellous scene

Angelica Kauffman
gie frescos at

at

Leonardo's death-bed

has been portrayed by Vien, Fleury, Gigoux, and

;

while Cornelius, in the Logbirth, his

Munich, illustrated his

manner
arms

of painting portraits,

and

his death in the

of Francis.

ms FAME.
Strozzi, the Florentine poet, said of our

107

Leon-

ardo:
"
Vanquished
all

He

alone

others

Phidias he surpassed,

Surpassed Apelles, and the conquering troop

Of

their

proud followers."

Io8

LEONARDO DA VINCL

CHAPTER

VIII.

Leonardo as a Philosopher and a Writer.

Humboldt

says

"

He was

the greatest physical

philosopher of the fifteenth century.

...

If the

views of Leonardo da Vinci upon physical subjects

had not remained buried

in his

MSS., the

field of

observation offered by the

in

New World
its

would have been explored

many

of

branches

of science before the grand epoch of Galileo, Pascal,

and Huygens."
sympathized profoundly with the revival of

He

ancient learning in Italy, and in an epitaph which

was prepared

for him,

under his own supervision,

he called himself, "The admirer of the ancients

and
to

their grateful disciple.

:

One

thing
I

is

lacking

me

their science of proportion.

have done

what

could;

may

posterity

pardon me."
to Vitruvius,

He

devoted the most earnest study

whose

book on

architecture

had recently been translated

of the

by Fra Paciolo; since the great quescion

NOTES AND MANUSCRIPTS.

day
in

109

Milan was one relating to architecture,

approaching comple-

when
tion,

the Cathedral, there

was about

to

be crowned with a cupola.

The

main contest arose over the question whether the

cupola
type,

should be of the Gothic or Renaissance

and was stormily debated by the and by others

Italian

architects,

whom

Sforza

summoned

from Germany.
After Leonardo's death, his vast collections of

manuscripts and notes were bequeathed to Francesco Melzi,

who

retained them with religious care,

although no attempt was

made

to arrange these
facts,

confused

treasures

of

scientific

hints

of

discoveries,

germ-thoughts,
also

and careless

notes.

There were

many

anatomical drawings, by

which, says Vasari, Melzi

"set great store,

to-

gether with the portrait of Leonardo of blessed

memory."
zi's

Some
;

of the papers passed out of Mel-

hands

and

his son allowed the

remainder to

be scattered
of

in all directions.

Thirteen volumes

them were

stolen from a later descendant,

loss
;

and

he was not aware of their

and when Mazenta

recovered them and returned them to him, Melzi

"wondered

that he should have taken so

much

trouble in the matter, and told

him

to

keep them.

"

no

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.
lain

adding that there were many more which had

for years in the garrets of the Villa Melzi."

The fragmentary
forecast

character of these papers

is

and explained by Leonardo himself,

in

the note prefixed to one of the

MSS.

"

Begun

at

Florence, in the house of Pietro di Braccio Martelli,

on the

2 2d of

March, 1508

and

a collection without order, extracted

may be from many

this

papers which I have copied, hoping hereafter to

arrange them in their proper order, according to
the subjects of which they treat.
I

expect that be-

fore concluding this task, I shall have to repeat the

same thing more than once

and

wherefore, reader, do

not blame me, seeing that the things are many,

I

cannot keep them in

I will
it.'

my memory
I

and

say,

'This
written

not write because

have already

Among
many

these

chaotic papers

are the hints of

ideas which subsequent discoverers realized,

to

though the too versatile Italian did not care

develop them.
rate deductions,

There are also

false

and inaccu-

sometimes corrected by the writer

;

himself in later treatises

cies,

and quests

after fallalike.

necromancy, perpetual motion, and the

Codice Atlantico
is

The

a collection of four hun-

1:

A TLANTIC
dred of

CODEX.

1 1

Leonardo's drawings and

manuscripts

gathered together by the CavaHere Leoni, and

afterwards

owned by Count Arconauti.

doubloons for
it

Refusing
I.

an

offer of 3000'

from James

of

England, the Count presented the Codice to the

Ambrosian Library

at Milan,

where
Italy

it still

remains.
this

When

Napoleon conquered

he carried
to

collection

and Petrarch's copy

of Virgil

his

palace himself, allowing no one to touch them,

and saying with great

own."
Atlantic

delight

"

These are

my

After the final humiliation of France, the

Codex was brought back from

Another great volume remains

Paris to
in

Milan.

the

National Library at Paris, containing 392 pages,

and bearing the following

"Designs of Machines

title

in gold

letters

for the

Secret Arts and

;

Other Things of Leonardo da Vinci

Gathered by

Pompeo Leoni."
the Arundel MSS.,

Another volume, composed of

is

notes on the mathematics and physics,

at the British

now

in

Museum.

Foui-

teen volumes

still

remain

in Paris,

and have never

yet been properly examined.

is

At Holkham there

MS.

of the Lihro Originale di Natura,

artist

Another Milanese
writings

had some

of Leonardo's
to

on

art,

which he showed

Vasari, an-

112

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.
publishing

nouncing his intention of

them

at

Rome.

These were probably the same as the

Trattato della Fittura, which

in

Du

Fresne published

Paris, in 165

1,

in

the Italian language, with

Alberti.

illustrations

by Poussin and
appeared
in

A
it

French

translation

the

same

year,

and an

English edition followed, since which*

published
in

has been

most

of

the languages of Europe.

is still

Schorn said that the Trattato

" one of the

;

best guides and counsellors of the painter

rotti

" Alga-

declared that he should not desire any better

;

elementary work on the art of painting

and

it

is

indeed an encyclopaedia of

art,

dry,

clear,

and

concise, but with an unfortunate lack of coherence

between

its
it

sections.

None

of

the manuscripts

from which

has been edited are in the master's

it

handwriting, whence

is

inferred that

it

was a

compilation of his sayings and notes, prepared by

some

disciple or friend.
this treatise
if
;

Rubens wrote a comand Annibale Caracci

mentary on

used to say that

the golden

during his youth he had read

book

of Leonardo's precepts,

he would

have been spared twenty years of useless labor.

The Trattato

del

Mo to

Misura delV Acqua

("Treatise on the Motion and Power of Water,")

STUDIES IN SCIENCE.
is

113

another of these manuscripts which has been

;

printed

and

in 1872 a folio

volume was published

the writings from the

at Milan, containing

many of

Atlantic Codex.

In 1797, Venturi wrote a treatise

on the physico-mathematical works of Leonardo,

revealing his vast knowledge on these topics, yet
scarcely

more than hinting

at the

comprehensive-

ness of his studies therein.

Leonardo declared that

ology, metaphysics,

all

sciences, except the-

and

law, were related to art;

this

and

his studies

ranged diligently over

wide

expanse of knowledge.
days, were

Most

scholars,

in those

paying close heed to theology and

metaphysics, but the master ignored these utterly,

in favor of the natural sciences.

Albertus

Magnus
it

was the only schoolman

is

whom

he studied, and

to

be remembered that Albertus was called a

magician, in his day, because of his knowledge of

chemistry and physics.

iS

Gioberti says that science

art is a

a straight

line,

and
walk

curved

line,

yet

Leonardo
time,

tried to

in

both ways at the same

though much to the damage of his paintings,

since he so often used fugitive

colors.

and experimental
his bias

Indeed,

it

seems certain that

art.

was

towards science, rather than

114

LEONARDO DA
says that Leonardo

VINCI.
first

Brown
art of

introduced the

engraving on wood and copper;

d'

and the

Marquis

Adda

points out an engraving of

Monna

Lisa as certainly by his hand.

lieves that the master

Brown

also be-

engraved the portraits of the

most eminent

literary

men
;

at

Lodovico's court,

prefaced to their works

rio's treatise

the frontispiece of Gafo*

on music

a rude print of

The Last

Supper

';

and other

pictures.

He

indulged freely in astronomical speculations,

at the

wondering

appearance of " the new

in her

moon

with the old

moon

arms

;" falsely referring

the twinkling of the stars to our

own

eyesight;

and dogmatically writing that "the moon must

have a spring and summer every month, with
greater variations of temperature and colder equi-

noxes than we have."

Geology was then an unknown science, and

sils

fos-

were regarded as caprices of nature, the

stars,

or the devil.

But Leonardo frequently observed

these things, especially during his journeys over

the Alps and Apennines, and rejected the crude

ideas then prevalent, considering the fossil shells

and ded

fishes as

remnants of

pre-historic

life,

imbed-

in

mud which had hardened

into stone.

A STUDENT OF BOTANY,

115
of

Leonardo was a close and admiring student

botany, and
Uzielli demonstrated, in the

"New
first

Journal of Italian Botany" for 1869, that he

laid

down

the fundamental

laws regidating the

sixth

distribution of leaves.

The

book

of the Pit-

many notes on leaves and boughs, bark and wood and the Atlantic Codex, among many other minutely accurate records of obsertura contains
;

vation, speaks of the circles of

wood denoting

the

age of a

tree,

while their density depends on the

dryness or wetness of their natal seasons, and

states that the centre of a tree
is

nearer the southis

ern bark than the northern.

cipe for coloring leaves
to

There

also a reas

and applying them so

form what

is

now

called nature-painting.

In chemistry he made
ing furnaces and
stills,

many

researches, improv-

studying the properties of

flame and smoke, inventing poisonous vapors to

be used

in war, purifying oils, distilling perfumes,

and compounding colors and varnishes, acids

engraving, and mixtures for fire-works.

for

In the
of

same connection he investigated the processes

metallurgy, and wrote copiously
art.

on the founder's

Leonardo's observations

in

hydrostatics were

1 1

LEONARDO DA

VINCI,
Italy,

fruitful in

benefits to Northern
infinite speculations

and con-

nected his

with the supply of

the wants of man.

He

studied nature earnestly,

in

and embodied the results thereof

fluids.

a treatise on

He

inquired into capillary attraction, the

properties of siphons,

and the phenomena attend;

ing the action of heat on water

rain-drops grew larger as
earth.

and argued that

they approached the

;

He

planned numerous canals

;

invented a

new form
drainage.

of lock-gates
;

economized the services

of

of excavators

and devised the colmata system

Leonardo's studies in optics were very careful

and minute, and resulted

in the discovery of

new

effects with the camera-obscura,

and

original ideas

recorded in

many

of

his

MSS.

He

understood
iris,

the offices of the crystalline lens, the

pupil
;

and the
;

tried to

measure the intensity of

light
;

ex-

perimented with concave and convex mirrors

and
dif-

foreshadowed the telescope and the theory of

fraction of light.

In perspective, he also

made

numerous

investigations,

and formulated several

Leonardo Vinexperiments

correct rules, which he signed, "

cio,

the disciple of Practice."

Many

on the properties of heat are detailed in the MSS.:

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES.
and show
that

117
di-

he understood radiation and the

latation of heated bodies,

and suspected the equiv-

alent character of heat and motion.

He

also gave

some
its

attention to magnetism, and noted certain of

phenomena.
In mechanical science

he made

yet

deeper

studies, saying that

" No
is

insensible thing can

move

of

itself;

its

motion must

be caused by
is

others,"

and

the moving power

:

force,

which
in-

he thus defines
corporeal,

" Force

a power spiritual,

and impalpable, which occurs

for a short

period in bodies which, from accidental violence,

are out of their natural repose.
I call it spiritual,
life
;

because

in

it

there

is

an invisible

and

incorit

poreal and impalpable, because the body in which

originates increases neither in form nor in weight."

Further on, he seems to have had intuitions of the

theory of gravitation, the grades of velocity and
their causes,

compound motion, varying

resistance.

attraction,

percussion,

and atmospheric

The

ex-

periments which he used in these researches were

curious and complex, and are recorded carefully
in the
It is

MSS.
probable that he wrote a treatise on
his drawings

human
still

anatomy; and

on

this

theme

ii8

LEONARDO DA
collection.

VINCI.
Vasari speaks also

adorn the Windsor

of his

work on the anatomy

of the horse, but this

has utterly disappeared.

Vasari says that Leonardo devised a method of
perforating mountains, so that they could thus be
easily passed

from one plain to another

little

and on

the other hand, he wasted not a

time " de-

signing a series

of

cords, curiously intertwined,

but of which any separate strand

guished

may be

distin-

from one end

to the

other, the

whole

forming a complete
It

circle."

was an age of ever new and

delightful sur-

prises to geographers, with

Vasco de Gama, Co-

lumbus, Magellan, and Cabot on the open seas

and Leonardo, the friend of Amerigo Vespucci,

was keenly
coveries.

alive to the

importance of their

dis-

In the Atlantic Codex he drew maps of

his canals

the districts where others

of
;

were made, with

Europe, Asia Minor,

St.

and

Northern

Africa

and quoted

Augustine's words, in the

De
also

Civitate Dei, against the possibility of the anif

lipodes, as

in raillery at

Mother Church.

He

made
to get

a note to " write to Bartolommeo, the

Turk, about the ebb and flow of the Pontic Sea,

and

information as to whether a similar

AS
phenomenon
Sea."
It
tist

AN

INVENTOR.

119

exists

in the

Hyrcanian or Caspian

was natural that he who was

at

once a scien-

and a

skilful

musician should devote

much

time to the study of acoustics.

He
to

analyzed the

phenomena

of

echo; attempted

measure the

time which sound took to pass over certain distances ; and argued naively as to whether the

sound

is

in the

hammer
to

or the anvil.

He

wrote

many

passages on these and cognate questions,

and often seemed

great discovery,
attained.

which, however, he never

be on the very verge of some

quite

writer, has described Leonardo's inventions in fire-arms, and maintains that he was among the first inventors
siege-artillery, wall-pieces, and mortars, for whose founding and boring he laid down many
rules.

Captain Angelucci, a modern Italian

of

He

also increased the powers of the not

yet obsolete catapult, ballista, ram, and cross-bow.

Among

his plans are

found weapons

like the Catif

ling gun,

and cannons with bent

barrels, which,

successful, could

have shot around corners.

He

advocated the use of conical shot, and the augmentation of the charges of powder, which, he

I20

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

argued, must be increased as well in the size of

its

grains, else a quantity of

unburnt powder would

leave the gun.

It is

almost impossible to enumerate

all

the

in-

ventions of this universal genius.

Among them
sur-

we may speak

of a proportional compass, a lathe

for turning ovals,

an hygrometer

an ingenious

gical probe, a universal joint, dredging-machines,

wheelbarrows,
grinder, boats

diving

suits,

porphyry

color-

moved by
air,

paddle-wheels, a roasting

jack worked by hot

stool

a three-legged sketching-

which folded up, a revolving cawl for chim-

neys, ribbon-looms, coining-presses, saws for stone,

silk spindles

and throwers, wire-drawing and

plate-rolling

file-

cutting

and

machines,

and many

other inventions, in widely different

fields.

He
discs

also devoted

much

time to devices by which

men might walk on

on
their feet.

the sea, with broad

wooden

Another study which he found

aerostation,

most fascinating was

and he contrived

various machines to enable

air.

men

to fly through the

flight of birds, to

He
if

carefully

watched the

see

he could not find a motive and directing

in the

power analogous

human

body.

"As

to

writing so detailedly about the kite," he said, "it

AEROSTA TICS.
seems that
it is

121
the earliest

recollections of

my destiny my infancy
with his

for
it

among
came
struck

appears to
to

me

that

when

was

in the cradle a kite

tail,

me, and,

opening

my mouth
it

times with

on the inside of the

me several lips." He then

:

narrates his plan for a parachute, as follows

" If up,

man have

a canopy with the orifices

filled

twelve braccia broad and of the same height, he

may throw
personal
vice

himself from any great height without

danger."

Two
great

centuries later, this de-

was successfully used.

also

He

made a

number

of experiments

in clocks,

and came near discovering the principle

of the pendulum.
ject of his quest,

The

telescope was another obforestalled Galileo

and he almost

therein.

Furthermore, he wrote a whole volume

mills, with their different ap-

on various kinds of

pliances and motive powers,

and

illustrated

it

with

many
liar
left,

drawings.

Leonardo's handwriting was of the most pecucharacter,

running backwards from right to

so that

it

must be read by means of a mirror.

Paciolo asserts that the master was left-handed,

and he probably devised and retained

of

this

method
he

writing because

it

was

easiest,

although

122
could,

LEONARDO DA
on occasion, write

VINCI.
ordinary manner.

in the

Some

authors suppose that he used this strange

chirography in order to baffle prying eyes, and keep

his notes

and discoveries from the knowledge of

persons.

unauthorized

But

the

generous and

prodigal character of the master renders this last

an unsatisfactory theory.
his

The

task of deciphering
difhcult

MSS.

is

rendered

still

more

by numer-

ous arbitrary abbreviations, omissions, and irregularities

in orthography

and grammar.
Vinci,

He

never

used the name Leonardo da

but always sub-

scribed himself Leonardo Vincio, or Leonardus

Vincius.

Leonardo,

like Giotto

and Orcagna, was an enand derived high

in-

thusiastic student of Dante,

spiration

from the melodious stanzas of the Divi-

na Commedia.

His own achievements as a poet

all

and improvvisatore are

philosophical sonnet
*'
:

lost,

except one quite

not, then content thee

It is

If

what thou wouldst thou canst

will as
will

To To To

thou mayst

act.
:

but folly

what cannot be

soon learns the wise

wrest his will from bootless wishes free.

"Our

bliss

and woe depend

alike

on knowledge
it.

Of what we

should do, and, that known, to do

A FABLE,
But he alone
shall

123

compass

this,

who never
him
stands.

Doth warp

his will

when

right before

" All he can do,

man may

not safely

will.

Oft seemeth sweet what soon to bitter turns.

How

have

wept of some fond wish possessed

"Thou,

therefore, reader of these lines, wouldst thou

to the

Count with the good, and

"Will only to

good be dear

be potent for the

right.*'

He
thus
in
:

also wrote several fables, one of which runs

"A
it

razor,

having come out of the sheath

itself

which

was usually concealed, and placed

in the sunlight,
flected
it
'

saw how brightly the sun was

re-

from

its

surface.

Mightily pleased thereat,

:

began
Shall
I

to reason with itself after this fashion

now go back
?

to the
it

shop which

have

just quitted

Certainly

cannot be pleasing to

the gods that

such dazzling beauty should be

spirit.

linked to such baseness of ness

it

What

a mad-

could be that should lead

me

to shave the
!

soaped beards of country bumpkins

Is this a
?

form

fitted to
;

such base mechaniciil uses

I

As-

suredly not

shall

withdraw myself into some

secluded spot, and in calm repose pass away

life.'

my
for

Having therefore

concealed

himself

124

LEONARDO DA
air,

VINCI.

some months, on leaving

returning to the open
just like a rusty saw,

his sheath

one day and

he found himself looking

totally

and

unable to

reflect

the glorious sun from his tarnished surface.

He
to

lamented
himself
'
:

in vain this irreparable loss,

and said

keenness

How much better had I kept up the lost of my edge, by practising with my friend
What has become
of

the barber.
surface
up.'
If
?

my once

brilliant
it

This abominable rust has eaten

it

all

genius chooses to indulge in sloth,

must

not expect to preserve the keen edge which the

rust of ignorance will soon destroy."

Three sentences written

full of

in his later years

are

profound wisdom
live, I
is

"

When

thought I was
to die.
. .

learning to
life

was but learning

long.
.
.

well spent

As a day
life

well

spent

gives a joyful sleep, so does

well

employed

give a joyful death."

The

following aphorisms and suggestions, exse-

tending to the end of this chapter, have been

lected from Leonardo's writings
*'
:

their fruit.

Theory

is

the general, practice the soldiers.

is

" Mechanics

the paradise of the mathematical

sciences, because therein

one attains

APHORISMS.
"
his

125

Whoever flatters himself that he can retain in memory all the effects of nature is deceived,
memories are not so capacious
;

for our

therefore

consult nature for everything.

"
all

A painter should
he sees
;

be universal.

He
it

must study
attentively,

that

is

to say, consider

and by serious

reflection seek to find the cause of

;

that which he sees

but he should only take that

for his work.

which

is

the best

and most perfect

Thus, as a mirror
culiar colors

reflects all objects with their pe-

and characters,

the zmagmatio/i of

painter accustomed

to reflect will
all

represent to him

without difficulty
nature.

that

is

most beautiful

in

" Experience never deceives

only man's judgeffects

ment deceives when promising

not supported by experiments.
" Speculators
interpret
!

which are

do not

trust authors

who wish

to

between nature and

man

through their

own
their

imaginations, but trust only those

who have

exercised their understanding upon the results of

own

experiments.

Many will think themselves warranted in blaming me, alleging that my proofs are contrary to the authority of certain men whom they hold in high
"

126
reverence,
.

LEONARDO DA
.
.

VINCI.

not considering that

my

facts are
is

obtained by simple pure experiment, which

real mistress.
*'

our

Spirit
is

has no voice, for where there

is

is

voice
is

there

body, and where there

body there

oc-

cupation of place.
there
is

There can be no voice where

air,

no movement and percussion of

no
in-

percussion of air without some instrument, no

strument incorporeal.
"

When all seems easy,

workman has but
is

it is

an unerring sign that

ability,

the
task
"

scant

and that the

above his comprehension.

criticism of

The

enemies

is

more valuable than

the praises of friends, because friends desire only

to gild our defects.

"

Those who give themselves

to ready

and rapid

practice before they have learned the theory, re-

semble

sailors

who go

to

sea in a vessel without

rudder or compass.
"

A painter who servilely abandons himself to the

of another painter, shuts the

manner

window on

truth, since

he ought not to augment the works of

men, but those of nature.

" In the silence of the night, recall the ideas of

the

things which you

have studied.

Design

in

APHORISMS.
your
that
spirit the

127

contours and outlines of the figures

you have seen during the day.

Where
is

the

spirit
artist.

does not work with the hands, there

no

"

Do

not allege as an excuse your poverty, which

skilful

does not permit you to study and become

the

study of art serves for nourishment to the

well as the soul.

body as

" Contrive that your figures receive a broad light

from above, particularly

in portraits,
all

because we

see people in the streets receive

the light from

above.

It is curious to observe, that there is

not

a face ever so familiar but would be recognized

with difficulty were
"
it

lighted from beneath.

Do

not

make muscles

with hard lines, but let

into de-

the soft light glide

lightful

upon them, and blend

this gives

shadows

grace and beauty to

the face.
" Black
is

the most beautiful in the darks, white

in the strongest light, blue

tints,

and green

in the halflight,

yellow and red in the principal

gold

in the reflexes,

and lake

in the half-tints.

" For

harmony

of colors contrast blue with pale

yellow or white, and green near red.

A pale yellow

128
v/ill

LEONARDO DA
to purple.

VINCI.
if

cause red to appear more beautiful than

opposed

"Take

care

that the

shadows and
other, without

lights

be

united, or lost in each

any hard

strokes or lines,

as smoke loses

itself in air."

THE GREA T TEA CHER.

29

CHAPTER
The Academia Leonardi Vinci and
Art.

IX.

the Master's Heritage to Italian

No

record of Leonardo's

life

would be complete

without an allusion to the school of art which he

founded, and which was one of the chief glories of

Lombardy

at the

beginning of the Renaissance.

The

vitality of this school

was manifested by

its

splendid development in the midst of a half-century of terrible civil wars

;

and
still

its

high

artistic

and

humanistic excellence
dreds of noble pictures.

is

illustrated

by hun-

It
left

has been said that the

so few paintings was
life

reason

why Leonardo

that he spent the best part of his

in organizing

and regulating the work

of his successors,

and

in

ascertaining sure methods for their guidance.

late years

Of
been
art-

more

attention than formerly has

given to the achievements of these

ists,

Lombard

and several masters have been placed high

of the world.

in

the honor

Names

long since almost

forgotten have been invested with perennial inter-

130
est,

LEONARDO DA
to the faithful

VINCI.
at last

and tardy but hearty praise has

been

awarded

and affectionate

disciples

of the great Leonardo.

/' Soon

after

his

arrival

at

Milan, the master

Vinci^

founded the Acadeniia Leonardi

'

to

which

he devoted a large proportion of

years.

his time for

many

His numerous

treatises

were doubtless

prepared as rough notes of his lectures before the

;

Academy, and reveal a clear and

I

practical turn of

mind, and noble advice conveyed in the simplest

N^erms.

No

master ever had more devoted follow-

/ ers, or disciples
J

who adhered
;

so long

and so

care\

fully to his tenets

\

and

it

would be

difficult to find

a school with so

many famous names.

Among
othfirst

these were Luini, Solario,

Marco d'Oggione, Ceand many was the

''

sare da Sesto, Beltraffio, Lomazzo,

ers of renown.

Lanzi says that

this

academy

of design in Italy,

and gave the law

after the

to

others elsewhere.
ter

For many years

school

mas-

departed,

his

continued to flourish,

maintaining the principles of the founder,

and

forming
the

many

excellent
school,

artists.

These

lights of

Lombard

following their patriarch's

advice and axioms, became exceedingly accurate

in antiquity

and costumes, and excelled

in a cer-

LEONARDO'S ACADEMY.
tain fine relief of portrayed
faces,

131

heeding Leo-

nardo's

maxim

to

make
it

as cautious a use of light

as of a gem, reserving

always for the best place.

They
to

also

obeyed

his

canons on

perspective,
/

which Benvenuto Cellini acknowledged his indebtedness ; and on chiaroscuro, wherein Mengs
declared that no one could surpass Vinci's grand
effects.

Lodovico frequently proposed problems

artist to solve,

to his

and one day he demanded

art,

to

know

which was the nobler

painting or sculpture.

Lomazzo
this

says that the master wrote a treatise on

theme, concluding that the more the exercise

art wearies the

of

an

body the

less

noble

it is.

The Regent was indeed

Academy, since he had

the chief patron of the

for

many
court.

years advocated

the establishment of such an institution, in the

interests of
his brilliant

Leonardo had
from his manu-

several pupils in Milan, as

scripts,

we

find

and received from each of them the sum

of

one dollar a month.

He

led

them

to study first

causes and the simplest methods, praising Giotto

and Masaccio as students of nature, " who

mistress of us all."

is

the

Andrea Solario was one

of the foremost of these

132
disciples,

LEONARDO DA
and
his

VINCI.
are

pictures

oftentimes con-

founded with those of his master.

to the family

He
;

belonged
super-

which for so

many decades

intended the works at Milan Cathedral

afterwards

and was

summoned

to France, as the worthiest

art.

representative of his school of

Here he

exe-

cuted his greatest works in the Castle of Gaillon,

for Cardinal d'Amboise,

noble

mural paintings

which were afterwards destroyed by revolutionary

fanatics.

But the few easel-pictures which remain

to our day,

show

that the influence of

Leonardo

was paramount over him,

in its best phases of har-

mony and

suavity.

Cesare da Sesto was a pupil of Leonardo at

Milan, and went to
teacher.

Rome
called

at the

same time

as his
imita-

Lomazzo

him the happiest

tor of the master,

and Lanzi reported that he apstyle.

proached nearest to his

Many

a noble saint

and

fair

Madonna

did Cesare paint for the

Lom-

bard churches, in the tender harmony and beautiful

coloring of the Vincian manner.

He

imitated

his master in

making prolonged and most minute

preliminary studies, and advanced

-his

more nearly

to

grand model than any other

of his fellow-disfull

ciples could succeed in doing.

But the

meas-

PUPILS.

133

ure of success was never reached, since Cesare in

later years

became

unfaithful to his
of the

first

devotion,
school.

and adopted the manner

Beltraffio

Roman

was a Milanese gentleman, who took

painting from

lessons in

Leonardo, in order to
It is

have an amusement for his leisure hours.

indeed a pity that the master should have wasted

so

much

of his precious time

on mere

dilettantes,

like Beltraffio

and Melzi,

for

whom

art

was but an

incidental diversion.

But he of

whom we now

speak was more

rade,

fruitful

than his aristocratic com-

and

for

some years directed the Academy

In the course of his

during Leonardo's absence.

short
life

he executed a few devotional pictures

which

still exist,

and are marked by a strong por-

trait-character.

Marco d'Oggione was one

of the
full

of the best disciples

Academy, and achieved many notable works,

expression and masterly in composition.

of
it

He
\
is

was who made the famous copy of

in

The

Last Supper,' now

London, and the copy which

But when
his

in the Brera, at Milan.

master had

gone away, Marco showed that he could not continue unguided in the path of excellence, and his
later

works bear many marks of

inferiority.

134

LEONARDO DA
(of

VINCI.

Francesco Melzi was a Milanese of the noble

house of Melzi

which the Duke of Melzi

is

the present head),

who executed

pictures that were

frequently mistaken for those of his master, so

nearly did he approach the

manner
and

of Leonardo.

Unfortunately for himself

for

Lombardy,
little

Melzi was
attention

rich,

and therefore bestowed but and finished but few

on

painting,

pictures.

He

was one

of Leonardo's

warmest and nearest

friends,

and furnished Vasari and Lomazzo with

life.

notices of his

Salai stood in a

humbler

relation,

but his

name
was

takes precedence of Melzi's, because of his more

numerous and more excellent works.

He

too

beloved by the master, and became the object of

his

most

solicitous

and tender

care.

^\ Bernardino
heir of

Luini, the poet-painter,

was the chief

it

Leonardo's inspiration,

and yet

does

not appear whether he was ever his pupil or not,

although he certainly frequented the Academy.

He

was so imbued with the master's

in
art,

spirit,

and so

skilful

that his

works have often been

mistaken for those of Leonardo.

One

of

the

most important of these was the

Christ Disput-

ing with the Doctors,' a noble work in the British

LUINl.

135
\

National Gallery, which was long attributed to the

elder master.
'"ountry of

Luini came from the beautiful lake-'

Italy,

Northern

his birthplace having

;

been the hamlet of Luini, on T.^Ve Maggiore

and adorned the Lombard

most exquisite works of
art,

cities

with

many

of the

natural and unstudied,

and replete with tranquil

faith

and calm
is

dignity.
to his

Lanzi maintains that Luini's fame

due

mastery of the Academy precepts, and "to his

own
few.

genius, vast in
I

its

kind,

and equalled by very

all

say in

its

kind, for I allude to

that

is

sweet, beautiful, pious,

and
of

sensitive in the art."

Another noble painter

vicino of Brescia,

Northern Italy was Bonhis contemporaries called

whom

// Moretto

and the influence of the school of

calm and saintly
preserved in the

Milan

is

clearly traceable in his

pictures, scores of

which are
Italy.

still

churches of Upper

Two

other famous artists

who owed much

to the

precepts and principles of Leonardo, were

II

Sod-

doma and Gaudenzio names now stand high

Ferrari

Ferrari,
in the

masters whose

temple of fame.

was a pupil of the Vincian Academy, and

afterwards

became

the disciple of Luini

and the

master of Lomazzo.

13^

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

There are numerous pictures of the Madonna,

which have been designed or retouched by Leonardo, or executed so entirely under his influence
that critics

and connoisseurs

differ

widely as to

whether they should be attributed to him, or to

Luini, Salaino, or Solario.

Among

these are the

pictures at

Madrid and

in the

Esterhazy Gallery,
ad-

which Viardot defends against the claims

vanced on behalf of Luini,

Fumagalli
;

by Passavant and

one in the Brussels Museum, formerly

belonging to the King of France, and presented

by the Republic

to Brussels, in the year

XI

Lord

Ashburton's Madonna, brought by Gen. Sebastiani from the Escurial priory,

and attributed by

Waagen
ciated

to Luini;

that in

the Villa Albani, at Lanzi, but deprein the Pourtales

Rome, praised by Mengs and

by Passavant; that sold

Gallery, formerly belonging to the Spanish royal

family;

the Virgin holding a flower, with

Lake

Como

in the

background, now at Alton Towers,

;

and attested by Passavant

in the Louvre,

the Solario
in

Madonna,

whose design,
is still

Leonardo's red-

chalk drawing,

preserved at the Ambrosian

Library

the picture formerly

owned by

the Arch-

bishop of Milan, and

now

in the

Brera Gallery.

DUBIOUS PICTURES.
which Passavant refers to Solario
;

137

another in a

private collection at Milan, spoken of

by Kugler
Scales,' at
attrib-

and Clement; 'The Virgin with the

the Louvre, which Passavant and ute to other
artists,

Waagen

and

less skeptical critics ^^\nk

;

was done by Leonardo when depressed

gin of Pommersfeld,'

th'^

'Vir-

owned by Count Schonborn,

;

and attributed

to Solario

and many

others, with

more or

less claims to consideration.

The
ler)'" is

beautiful

head of Christ

in the

Brera Calis

another of the pictures which

variously

attributed, as are several other

works of a similar

character.

Although Passavant maintains that

all

Leonardo's pupils executed

figures of the Saviour,

these part-length
that

d'Adda says

"Never
head

has sentiment inspired by dignity and truth of

religion

been carried farther than

in the

of

Christ of the Brera."

There are as many as nine pictures

of

Herodias

(or Salome) attributed to Leonardo, but

none of

these
ful

is

above grave suspicion.

in

Even

the beauti-

one

the Uffizi Gallery has been referred to

Luini by

all

modern

critics.

The most important

drawings are
in the

collections of Leonardo's
at

Ambrosian Library,

Milan

138

LEONARDO DA
;

VINCI.

the Uffizi, at Florence

the
;

Academy,

at

Venice

the Albertina, at Vienna

the Louvre, the British

('hatsworth,

Museum, Windsor

Castle,

Christ

Church College, and the

collections of the Earl of

of Poltalloch.

Warwick and Mr, Malcolm

Leonardo's technical usages are minutely described in Eastlake's " Materials for a History of
Oil Painting," (Vol.
II.,

pp. 86-124.)

His

favorite

varnish was distilled nut-oil, thickened in the sun

and he feared the yellowing of the

oil

so greatly

that he gave pictures a purplish or violet tinge to

counteract
oil,

it.

He

also

made some use

of spike

distilled

from lavender.
;

His carnations were

for a

the color of wine-lees

red.
els

and he used opisso

He

stuccoed the backs of the wooden panin order to protect

on which he painted,

them

against the attacks of worms.

'W

In his pictures he strove to attain sculptur-

esque

effects,

with a definite rounding and projec-

tion to the figures.

He

said that

"The

first

object

of a painter
like a relief,

is

to

make

a simple
of
its

fl.at

surface appear

and some

parts detached from

the ground.

He who

excels in this deserves the

greatest praise.

This perfection depends upon

the correct distribution of lights and shades, called

EULOGIES.
chiaroscuro."

139

In order to attain this requisite he

finished backgrounds

and draperies
skill to

first,

and then

devoted his utmost

a microscopic treat-

ment

of the flesh, giving its lucidity

finest anatomical details.

and moisture,

and the

Vasari adds:
" It
ius,
is

this great gen-

worthy of admiration that

desiring to give the utmost possible relief to

the works painted by him, labored constantly, not

content with his darkest shadows, to discover the

ground tone of others

still

darker

thus he sought

a black that should produce a deeper shadow, and

be yet darker than

all

other

known
he

blacks, to the

end that the

dered
that
lutely
still

lights

might by these means be renfinally

more

lucid, until

produced
is

totally

dark shade, in which there

abso-

no

light left."
:

In the words of the Abbe Lanzi

two
opposite

"In

my

opinion Leonardo succeeded in uniting

minuteness
qualities,

and

sublimity,

these
artist.

before

any other
fully to

In subjects

which he undertook

complete he was not

satisfied with only perfecting the heads, counterfeiting the shining of the eyes,

the pores of the

of

skin, the roots of the hair,

and even the beating

I40
the arteries
;

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

he likewise portrayed each separate

garment and every accessory with minuteness.

Thus, in his landscapes,
gle herb or leaf of a tree,
like a portrait,
also, there

was not a

sin-

which he had not taken

;

from the select face of nature

air,

and

to his very leaves he gave a peculiar

and

fold,

and

position, best adapted to represent

.

them

rus-

tling in the wind.

The

characteristic of this

incomparable
taste,

artist

consists in a refinement of

of

which no equal example, preceding or

is

following him,

to

be found."
"

Arsene Houssaye says that

ardo great
tiful

what makes Leon-

among

us, is that

he formed the beau-

without copying the antique.

...

If

ever a
it is

work altogether divine was shown on

figure painted

earth,

by Leonardo."
:

Rio thus closes the record

if

"Leonardo da Vinci

is

the figure,

not the

most interesting and the most pure, certainly the

most grandiose that the history of
art presents,

not excepting ^Michael Angelo himself."

A LIST OF THE CHIEF PICTURES ATTRIBUTED TO

LEONARDO DA

VINCI,

AND THEIR PRESENT LOCATIONS.

many of these are held by able critics to be by Leonardo's while a majority of art-writers attribute them, to the master himself. A large number of still more doubtful pictures have been
*#* Very
disciples,

omitted

ITALY.

Florence.

Uffizi Gallery,
;

Medusa's
Fitti Palace,

Head;

Portrait
;

of Leonardo da Vinci

The Adoration

of the

Magi

Young Man

Ginevra Benci.
Arts,

La

Monaca.
*

Academy of Fine
tism of Christ.'

An

Angel, in Verocchio's

Bap-

Milan.

Brera

Gallery,

Two
gon
;

Angels.

Ambrosiana Library,

Gian Galeazzo

Head of Christ. Melzi Palace, Isabella of ArraLitta Palace, Madonna. Sforza.

deile

Grazie, The Last Supper. Convent Sanf Albani Rome. Onofrio, Madonna. of Palace, Madonna. Genoa. Brignole-Sale Palace, John the Baptist. Royal Palace, A Portrait. Naples. Fondi Palace, Mater Dolorosa.

Convent of Santa Maria

St.

142

LEONARDO DA

VINCI.

Lucca. Casa Buonvisi, Madonna. Correr Venice. Academy, Drawings.

Cccsar Borgia.

Museum^

Parma.
Vaprio.

Civic Gallery, A Head. The Madonna, in fresco.

FRANCE.

Paris.

The Lotivre, Monna Lisa

:

Lucrezia Crivelli
Child,

La Vierge aux Rochers

Anne
;

The Madonna,
;

and

St.

Saint John the Baptist

The Madonna with

the

Scales.

NORTHERN EUROPE.
Vienna.

Harrach Palace, Christ

Head of Christ
; ;

Bearing the Cross.

Lichtenstein Palace,

Lady.

Academy, Madonna Portrait of Leonardo. Berlin. Museum, Madonna and Child. Augsburg. Gallery, A Woman's Head. Munich. Pinakoihek. Madonna. Antwerp. Cathedral. Head of Christ. Catherine. Copenhagen. Royal Gallery,
Pest.
St.

The Hague.
St.
ily
;

Royal Gallery, - Leda

Flora.

Petersburg.
Sebastian.

The Hermitage Palace, Holy FamGREAT BRITAIN.

St.

London.
the Doctors

National
(?).

Royal Academy,

and

St.

Anne.

Lord

Christ Disputing with CdiVtoon of the Virgin The Infant Jesus and Ashburton,
Gallery,

LIST OF PICTURES.
;

I43

John the Baptist Madonna. Halford, Madonna's Head. Charlton Park (Earl of Suffolk), La Vierge aux Rochers. Gatton Park (Countess of Warwick), Holy Family
merly Lord Monson's).
wick),
Thirlestaine

(for-

House (Lord North-

Madonna.

Chatsworth (Duke of Devonshire),

Youth's Portrait.

Wooton Hally

Madonna.

Basildon

Park,

Female Figure.

Oxford.

Windsor Castle.

Several Sketches. Christ Church Three Volumes of Drawings.

College,

INDEX.

Academy, The,
Acoustics, 119.

129.
15.
16.

Adam and Eve,

Adda
River, 39.
Aerostatics, 120.

Codice Triulziano, 29. Colomhine, La, 76. Convent, The Dominican, 43. Credi, Lorenzo di, 13.

Adoration of the Magi,

Alchemy,
83.

Dante Discussed,
30.
16.

65.

Alpine Scenery,

Amboise, 93. Arnerigo Vespucci, Anatomy, 37, 117.

Death, 102. Delia Torre,

37.

Destruction of The Last Supper, ?a Doubtful Pictures, 136.

Angelo's Competition, 62, 82. Angelo's Last Judgment, 87. Anghiari, 62. Aphorisms, 124-128.
Artillery, 21-2, 60, 119. Automatic Lion, 92.

Drawings, Dynamics,

138. 117.
59.

Engineer to Borgia, Engraving, 114.

Equestrian Statue, The,

Fable of the Razor,
123.

31, 36.

Baptistery, The, 66.

Battle of the Standard, 62. Beatrice d'Este, 35, 42.

Beltraffio, 133.

Ferrari, 135. Fiesole, Estate

at, 90.

Birds, 19.

BombproofWagons,
Botany,
115. Botticelli, Sandro, 55. Bridges, 21.

22.

Flee from Storms, 40. Florence, Engineer of, 61. Florence, Return to, 54. Fontainebleau, 103. Force, 117.
Fossils, 114.

France, 92. Francis L, 90, loi.

Czesar Borgia, 59. Canals, 20, 30, 34, 38, 72, 95, 116. Cartoons, The, 63. Cecilia Gallerani, 27.

Fra Paciolo, 39, French Armies, French Art, 94.

54, 108. 37, 40, 90.

Chemistry,

115.

Child Christ, The,

87.

Geographical Studies, Ginevra Benci, 56,

118.

Christ's Head, 48. Clergy, Satires on the, 97.

Handwriting,

121.
85.

Cloux, Chateau

of, 93.

Holy Fa u lily. The,

Codex, Atlantic, no,

118.

Houssaye's Quest, 104.

INDEX.
Humboldt's Eulogy,
Hydrostatics, 113.
Inventions, 120. Ironclads, 22. Isabella of Arragon, 29.
108.

M5

Painting vs. Sculpture, 131. Pavia, 33, 37, 92.

Peripatetic Studies, 16. Peruglno, 13, 54. Poetic Tributes, 25, 107. Poetry of Leonardo, 122. Portraits of Leonardo, 77.
Prior,
PoT'.ty

La

yoconde,

Land Grant,

57. 41.

The
i;f

Hostile, 44.

Life, 98.
55, 83.

Languor in France, Last Stepper, The, Leda, 76.

95. 42.

Raphael,

LeoX.,

83, 87.

Letter of Louis XII., 70, Letter to Milan, 20. Lippi, Filippino. 55.
Litigation, Family, 70, 74.

Rationalism, 96. Religion, 96. Religious Persecutions, 98. Revival of Learning, loS. Rimini, 60. Rivalry with Angelo, 62, 82.

Lomazzo, 8, 49. Lord of Thunder,

34.

Rome, First Visit to, 61. Rome, Second Visit to, 82.
Royal Arms, In
the, 102, 106.

Louis XII., 40. Lucrezia CrivelH, 26, 42. Luini, Bernardino, 134. Luxury, 41.

Madonna
Madonna,

della Caraffa, Gallerafii, 28.

15.

M:idonna of the Bas-Relief, Madonna 0/ the Rocks., 79.

86.

Madonna 0/ the Turijii., Madonna 0/ Vaprio, 30.

Manuscripts, 109.

85.

Marshal de Chaumont, 69, 72. Martesan Canal, 34, 38, 72, 73. Master ot Ceremonies, 33, 92, 94. Maximilian, Emperor, 35. Mechanism, 20. Medusa's Head, 14.
Melzi, Francesco, 93, 99, 106, 109,
134.

Salaino. 39, 54,72, 93, 94, 100, 106. 13X. St. Catherine, 78. St. John the Baptist, 78, St, Sebastia7t, 77. Sta. Maria delle Grazie, 42. Science, 113Sculptures, 32, 67. Sesto, Cesare da, 132. Sforza, Gian Galeazzo, 29, 33, 37. Sforza, Lodovico, 25, 37, 40, 42, 131. Sforza, Maximilian, 75. Sforza, The Statue of, 31, 36.

Shadows,

139.

Shield, The Painted, 13. Favorite of, 18. Society, Solario, Andrea, 131.

Stepmothers, Dear,

9.

Melzi, Villa, 29, 40, 69. Milan Cathedral, 32, 109. Milan's Invitations, 24, 68.

Mining, 22. Minuteness, 139. Modelling, 17.

Technical Usages, 138. Tomb of Leonardo, 103. Trattato della Pittura, 112. Trivuizio, Marshal, 75.

Vanity.

76.

Monaca, La,

Venice, 41.

76,
57.

Monna

Liza,
to

Monstrosities, 83.

Verocchio as a Teacher, 12. Vierge aux Roche-r-s, La, 79.

105.

Monument

Leonardo,

Moretto, II., 133. Music, II, 25.

Neptune,

15.
d' 133.

Vinci, 8. Vinci, Ser Piero, 8, 17, 67. Vinci, The Modern Family, loi. Virgin and St. Anne, 80. Vitruvius, 108.
Will, Leonardo's Last, 98,

Oggione, Marco
Optics, 116.

Wine-making,

91.

ARTIST- BIOGRAPHIES.

MICHAEL ANGELO.

BOSTON
HOUGHTON, OSGOOD AND COMPANY.
%\it l^iijersiUc press, CambriJifle.

1880.

Copyright.

By HOUGHTON, OSGOOD & CO.

University Press

John Wilson Cambridge

:

&

Son,

PREFACE.
It
is

a work of greater

difficulty

than would at

first

appear, to compress within the limits of a libretto like

this a just

account of the

life

of

him whom Taine

beyond fourscore,

ranks

among
with

the four immortals of art and literature,

far out

ani v/hose years extended

filled

incident

and achievement.

Twice the

manuscript has been re-written, in order that by successive

compressions

the

fitting

limit

should

be

reached, without doing violence to integral parts of

the biography

and thus

it

is

believed that the main

career are herein

incidents and fruits

of Angelo's

preserved, in fair detail.

Several picturesque stories

is

about Angelo, such as that in which he

reported to
to die, in

have nailed a

man

to a cross

and

left

him

order that he might paint a Crucifixion, are omitted

here on account of their self-evident absurdity.

The
the

authority on which this biography

is

based

is

compendious Vita di Michelangelo

(in

two

vol-

umes), written by Aurelio Gotti, the Director of the

Royal Gallery, and published at Florence in 1876,

4
Several

PREFACE.
interesting facts
C.

have also been obtained

in

from Mr.

Heath Wilson's biography, pubHshed

Florence at the same time, in the English language.

In

many passages Wilson's work

its

is

merely a para-

phrase of Gotti's, and

author evidently labored

slight acquaint-

under the serious disadvantage of a

ance with the Italian language, wherefore he has made

frequent mistranslations, even in the case of Angelo's
letters.
I

have endeavored to avoid these serious

re^translating the original letters

errors

by

from the

collections of Gaye, Bottari,

and Milanesi.

Other authorities herein consulted are the biographies of Angelo written by

Herman Grimm,

Quatre-

mere de Quincy, Duppa, Harford, Perkins, Condivi,

and Vasari; numerous
articles in the Portfolio,

Art

Journal, and Gazette des

Beaux Arts

the accounts
of cer-

of various travellers in Italy;

tain well-known art-critics.

and the opinions

M. F. SWEETSER.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
I475-I49SI.

PAGB

Caprese Castle. Angelo's Parents. His Teachers.

Palace.

The

Platonists.

Flight

from

In the Medici Florence. Sojourn and

7

V/orks at Bologna

CHAPTER
1496-1505.

n.

Sculptures at
tion with

Rome.

Leonardo da Vinci.

The David. The Bruges Madonna. Competi Summoned to Rome. Carrara.

23

Pope Julius

n
CHAPTER
III.

1506-1513,

Angelo's Flight,

The Reconciliation. Julius The Frescos in the Sistine Chapel

II.'s

Statue at Bologna.

38

CHAPTER
1514-1522.

IV.

Raphael and Angelo. of San Lorenzo.

The Buonarroti Family. Leo X. The Fa5ade Life at the Quarries. Pope Adrian VI. 59
.

CHAPTER
1523-1532.
Florentine Labors.
Fortifications.

V.

Clement VII. Laurentian Library. Building The Siege of Florence. Fall of the Republic 77
.

CONTENTS,
CHAPTER
1533-1546.

VI.

PAGE

The Medici Chairel. Paul III. The The Famese Palace.

The Last Judgment. The Capitol.

Statue of Moses

....

90

CHAPTER
Vittoria Colonna.

VII.

1547-1553-

and Friends.

Angelo's Poetry. Leonardo Mode of Work

CHAPTER
VIII.

BuonanotL

Pupils
iix

J554-I564-

The

Peter's. The Pauline Chapel. Florentine Offers. Basilica of The Great Dome. The Last Sculptiue. Death of Angelo 130
St.
.

MICHAEL ANGELO.
CHAPTER
Caprese Castle.
Medici

I.

Angelo's

Parents.

Palace.

The

Platonists.

His Teachers. In the Flight from Florence.

on the

Sojourn and

Works

at Bologna.

The

ruins of the castle of Caprese stand

crest of a bold

and rocky ridge of the Catenaian and rugged

hills

Alp, overlooking the wild the sources of the Tiber

great

about

and the Amo, and the

mountain of Penna della Vernia, Dante's

St.

crudo sasso, amid whose holy soHtudes

received the stigmata.

Francis
this

Within the walls of

old stronghold stands the Casa

Communale, one
and
is

room of

whi':h

is

sacredly

preserved,

marked by a

tablet stating that therein

Michael
1475.

Angelo was bom, on the 6th of March,

His

celestial

name was

given because the parents

;

thought they perceived something divine in him

MICHAEL ANGELO.
that ISIercury

and the astrologers demonstrated

Venus were then

and

in a friendly aspect in the

house
art,

of Jupiter, " v/hich proved that his works of

whether as co^xceived in the

the hand, wcul
'

spirit

or performed by

be admirable and stupendous."

Lodovico
gelo's father,
castle,

di

Leonardo Buonarroti-Simoni, Anin

was

1474 the governor of the

in

which he held

the

name

of the Flordistrict

entines, together with Chiusi

and the

of

the Casentino.

The

family of Euonarroti-Simoni
in

had been

eminent

Florence,

and

claimed

descent from the celebrated Counts of Canossa, in

Northern Italy; a relationship which Angelo was

proud
his

of,

and the head of the Canossa family in

ized.

day recogr

Lodovico's wife was Francesca

del Sera; but the infrequency of allusions to her

in after-life

shows that her great son had but

slight

memory

of her.

She was then nineteen years

thirty-one.
office at

old,

and Lodovico was

When
his
villa

his

term of

Caprese had expired,

briefly at

Lodovico returned to Florence, pausing

at

Settignano,

on the

hills

eastward of

Fiesole, three miles from Florence,

and overlooking
city,

the beautiful Val

d'Amo and

its

queenly

and

the distant snow}- heights above Vallombrosa.

He

AT
left his

SCHOOL.

infant son there, in the care of a wet-nurse,

who was
the wife

the daughter of a stone-mason and also

of a

stone-mason, so

that, as

he

after-

wards
his

said,

he imbibed a love for marble with

first

nourishment.

He

was

in

his

infancy

surrounded by the implements of sculpture and the

quarried blocks from the neighboring ledges of

gray sandstone

and

his

innate

love

of design

found expression in rude charcoal-sketches on the

walls,

some of which

are

still

preserved.
his

Lodovico aftenvards sent

to

son to Florence,

attend the school of Francesco Venturini of

Urbino, the famous grammarian,

assigns as the teacher of Raphael,

whom

tradition
later.

some years

But even

at this early day, the boy's chief

dehght

was to handle a pencil, and to endeavor

his ideas

to express

and

fancies

by that medium.

He

ab-

stracted the time which should have been devoted to

his books,

and gave up

all his

leisure hours, for the

development of

this passion

of his soul.

Granacci,

a wealthy and accomphshed pupil of Ghirlandajo,

aided the lad by lending him drawings, and he

also sought the

company of

other

artists.

But

Buonarroti had intended his boy for the

silk

and
that

woollen trade

and

as

soon as he discovered

lO

MICHAEL ANGELO.

these artistic predilections were likely to disturb the

schemes

for his future

advancement, he forbade

such amusements, and punished him severely for

the
inevitable

disobedience.

The
its

pride

of the

family cried out against one of

members who

should dishonor the Buonarroti name, and lessen

its

commercial revenues, by embracing the

little-

esteemed and scantily-paid profession of a worker

in marble

and on canvas.
firm,

But Angelo remained

through

all

perse-

cutions, until at last the reluctant father yielded

and

in April, 1488, the lad entered the studio of

Domenico

Ghirlandajo,

the

foremcst

painter in

Florence, eminent for delicate minuteness, skilful

perspective,

and

rich

coloring.

His

style

was

founded on that of Masaccio, with the subsidiary

groups
in
his

pictures

enriched

by numerous
beautiful

portrait-figures of the

famous

men and

women

of his time.

He

was

at this time thirty-

seven years old, and had attracted to his studio

numerous

pupils,

and executed notable pictures

in

the cathedrals ani palaces of Tusca-iy.

Angelo
intense
Fuseli

labored
assiduity,

under

his

new

instructor

with

and gave himself no

that he seems
to

relaxation.

well says,

have had no boyhood.

UNDER GHIRLANDAJO.
Granacci
siill

\\

remained

his

warm and

congenial

fnend, and so continued through hfe.

Under

the guidance of Ghirlandajo the youth

art,

learned the technic of his

preparing colors,

copying drawings, and laying in the groundwork

of frescos.

He

was not content, however,

^^^th

simple copying, and often ventured to improve his

sketches Avith original ideas.

He

once corrected

a drawing of his master's, by a series of bold and

skilful

strokes,

and

so

successfully,

that

when
he

he was shown the sketch,

sixty years
I

later,

remarked, "I almost think that

art in

knew more of
It is

my

youth than

do

in

my

old age."

said that Ghirlandajo

pupil, that

became

so jealous of his

he tried to

arrest his

development by
rights of

withholding from him certain

the studio.

common

He made

an admirable drawing of the

master and his pupils on their scaffolding, frescoing

the interior of the

Church of Santa Maria Novella

it,

and when Ghirlandajo saw

already knows

he

said, "

This youth

more of

art

than I do myself."

He
St.

was told to copy Martin Schon's picture of

Anthony tormented by

devils,

and adopted the

novel expedient of visiting the fish-market, and

studying the colors of
fishes' fins, eyes,

and

scales,

12

MICHAEL ANGELO.
to the

which he gave
picture.

forms of the monsters in the

At another time he copied a portrait-head

his

so

exactly that

work was mistaken

for

the

original,

by the most expert judges,

it,

especially after

he had smoked
age.

and given

it

an appearance of

Ghirlandajo had but

style,

little

influence

on Angelo's

because the youth was removed from his

studio within a year,

and placed

in the

academy

which Lorenzo de' Medici had founded, near the

monastery of
Patriae,"
St.

Mark.

Cosmo

de' Medici, " Pater

had amassed a

vast collection of ancient

and modern

sculptures, paintings, rare gems,

art,

and

other works of

which had been further enillustrious

riched by his

grandson Lorenzo, the

its

head of the Republic, and one of

scholars

foremost

and philosophers,

Lorenzo arranged these

treasures of aft in appropriate galleries,

which he

opened
sions,

to

students, establishing prizes

and penthe

and placing the school under the care of

sculptor Bertoldo, the favorite disciple

tello.

of Dona-

The wealthy and

and her

cultured society of Flor-

ence,

rare facilities for artistic studies, with

the resulting achievements,

the

made

her at this time

most

brilliant of the cities

of Italy.

THE MEDICI.
Lorenzo de' Medici asked Ghirlandajo
to

13

choose

two of his best pupils, for the privileges of the

academy, and the favored youths were Angelo and

Granacci.

The former had hardly

;

yet learned the

rudiments of sculpture
a ready pupil, and his
of an antique

but Bertoldo found in him

first

work

in marble, a

copy

mask representing

the

head of a

faun, attracted the notice

of Medici himself,

who

suggested, however, that

for

its

teeth were too perfect

an old man.

Lorenzo was so pleased with the

chisel,

skilful

changes wrought by Angelo 's

fair

and

heard such

reports of his diligence

and genius,

that he asked Buonarroti to allow his son to live at

the Medici Palace, under his

care.

own patronage and

quite

The

father

consented, though not

willingly,

and received,
;

in return, a position at the

custom-house
signed a

while the

young sculptor was

and a

as-

room

in the palace,

seat at Loren-

zo's table, as if

he had been a Medici himself.

He

was, indeed, treated as one of the family and

for three years lived

on terms of the

closest intitnily

macy with
him

its

members.
his

Lorenzo took a

paternal interest in

young

protege^ instructing

in lofty themes, displaying to

him

his

unri-

valled collections of gems,

and giving him a key

14
to

MICHAEL ANGELO.
the gardens in which the antique sculptures

were placed.
five

He

also allowed

him a pension of
\vith

ducats a month, and provided him

violet-colored mantle.

Among

the eminent

men
were
after-

whom

he met frequently

at his master's table

Lorenzo's sons, Giovanni and Giulio,

who

wards Lecame Popes Leo X. and Clement

Bibiena and Castiglione,
est friends
;

VIL
dear-

who were Raphael's

elegant poet and

Pico della Mirandola, the prince, poet,

;

and scholar

Politian, the

pro-

found philosopher; and Ficino, the learned head

of the Platonic Academy. a society could
fail

Who

that lived in such

to

grow

in intellectual

power

and vigorous character?

The keen

susceptibiHties

of the young Buonarroti were deeply impressed by

those
things which he
daily

heard,

the

philo-

sophic discussions of the Academy, the melodious

songs of the Renaissance poets, and the heroic

words spoken

for

pure

religion

by Savonarob.

Here, then, in these golden years, the happiest

and

brightest of his

life,

Angelo learned to think

deeply, under the guidance of the noblest minds

of
at

Italy.

It

were perhaps unwise to conclude that

his

tender age (he was but fifteen

when he

entered the palace) he could have comprehendei^

SAVONAROLA.
the
full

15
argu

meaning of the
at

subtle

and profound

ments

Lorenzo's table, but impressions were

his

made upon
There

mind which

afterwards produced

the richest results.

is

a tradition that the young

artist

was

deeply attached to Luisa de' Medici, the daughter

of Lorenzo
renders
it
;

but the extreme youth of both parties

likely that his sentiments

were only those

certain influ-

of admiration and respect.

more
this

ence which acted upon him

at

time was the

preaching of the prophet-monk Savonarola, which

taught

him

at

once the religion of the Bible, and

the patriotic love of Florence and of Italy.

His
these

brother Leonardo was so deeply

moved by

sermons, that he withdrew from the world, and

became a Dominican monk.

Angelo continued
to

Throughout
the

his

life,

venerate

memory
;

of

Savonarola, and to recall his noble preaching

in his later years, his favorite studies

and

were the Holy

Scriptures

and the pubhshed

writings of the mar-

tyr-monk.
Politian

was the teacher of the Medici youths,

lofty spirit of

and was much pleased by the

Angelo,

and

his love for the beautiful

and the

true.

He

gave him valuable instruction in

many

ways, but

MICHAEL ANGELO.
and
familiar conversations, wherein
art.

chiefly in long

he incited him to renewed labors in his

He

proposed as a subject

for Angelo's chisel the battle

between Hercules and the Centaurs, an appropriate

theme

in a

community whose members were so

devoted to
relief,
is still

classical literature.

The

resulting bas-

executed in the sculptor's eighteenth year,

preserved in the Casa Buonarroti, and cona great

tains

number of vigorous
conflict,

figures,

inter-

twined in desperate
the sublimity with

and revealing already

all

which in

his later

works the

master imbued (and sometimes overcharged) the

simple elements of nature.

While Angelo was thus dwelling in the Medici

Palace,

and studying

sculpture, he also

devoted

many

days to the contemplation and copying of

the wonderful frescos of Masaccio in the Carmine

Church,

the

same which afterwards so deeply

influenced Raphael and Andrea del Sarto, and had

already

been the

admiration

of

Fra Angelico,

Botticelli,

and Perugino.
to

His emuloub ambition

steadily through holidays
careful investigations

forced

him

work on

and night hours.

were given to the

His most

human
to

body, whose every devel-

opment he

strove

analyze and comprehend;

A PUNISHMENT.
and
in this search

a masterly knowledge was ac-

quired.

He

had dead bodies conveyed from the

hospital to a cell in the convent of Santo Spirito,

and these he dissected with consummate

intense interest.

skill

and
of

The kind

offices of the Prior

Santo Spirito were rewarded by a crucifix which

Angelo carved from wood, and gave to him.

The

youth's unremitting studies

and productive
in the city,
artists

genius soon

made him widely known

and awakened among some of the younger

feeling of jealousy,

which was not mitigated by

his

proud and unconciliatory temper.

deference to the famous
Credi,
little

He

paid no

artists
;

then in Florence,

Da

Vinci,

and Perugino

and mingled but

with his brethren of the younger schools.

Pietro Torrigiano, one of his fellow-students, grew

angry at his

satirical

dogmatism, and, coming to

blows with the young sculptor, crushed his nose "by

a tremendcus blow, and

left

him
;

disfigured for

life.

He

was carried home as dead

this failed to

but even so severe

his

a lesson as

moderate

language and

demeanor, which afterwards raised such swarms of

enemies about him.
this

Torrigiano was banished for

assault,

and

fled to

England, but afterwards

iu

died miserably in the prison of the Inquisition

Spain

MICHAEL ANGELO,
In April, 1492, Lorenzo the Magnificent expired

at his villa

of Careggi.

" In the bitterest of suffer-

ings,
life

and with the

signs of fervent religion, that

was extinguished, than which no other ever was

for

prayed

with more

tears,

nor in
the

after-times

became more
tion

celebrated."

Amid

consterna-

which

fell

upon Florence, and was heralded

by such a portent as a thunderbolt piercing the

great

dome

cf the Cathedral,

Lorenzo's young
his

protege grieved
patron,

deeply at the loss of

kind

and returned
to
his
his

to Lodovico's house, unable

to attend

labors.

Piero

de'

Medici sucnot to his

life

ceeded to
virtue

father's

authority, but

and wisdom, and by a proud and vicious

the
affections

alienated

of the

Florentines,

and

prepared the ruin of the family.

In his studio at the Buonarroti mansion, Angelo

labored for the next two years to good purpose.

He

purchased a block of marble, and devoted hima statue of Hercules, which stood

self to carving

in the Strozzi Palace for

lost.

many

years,

and

is

now

He

also

made a

bas-relief of the
is

Madonna,

in

Donatello's manner, which

preserved in the
in

Casa Buonarroti.
the

The Taunton Madonna, now

Gallery,
is

London National

regarded as a

A SNOW STATUE.
work of
this

19
its

period,

and

is

notable for

pure
in

Tuscan

faces,

and

for strict

adherence to nature,

distinction from the

later compositions.

marked idealism of Angelo's

The

figures are sculpturesque,

and the drapery

is

vigorously portrayed.

Nearly two yeais after the death of Lorenzo, a

great snow-storm occurred at Florence,

whereupon

Piero was seized with a sudden fancy to have a

statue of

snow erected

in his palace-court.

He

sent for Angelo, and,

when he had done

the work

to his satisfaction, insisted that his

he should re-occupy

former room in the palace, and his seat at the

table.

He

was

proud

of the

sculptor,

when

considered as an appendage of the palace, but

spoke with equal

Spanish
situation,

enthusiasm

of his

handsome
at

groom.

Angelo was

mortified

the

and disgusted with

his patron;

but he

had received too many benefits from the Medici

to turn against

them now, environed

as they were

with dangers.

The French army was

crossing the

Alps to seize upon Naples, and the

Florentine

liberals under Savonarola were preparing to wel-

come

the

invaders

to

their

city,

and thus

to

dethrone the Medici.

Seeing, therefore, that ruin

to

was

inevitable,

and being unwilling

meet

it

with

to
a leader

MICHAEL ANGELO.
whom
he despised, he resolved to
fly

from

Florence.

The

self-exiled

artist

left

the

city,

with

two

companions, and journeyed to Venice, probably on

foot.

But he could not remain there long,

for his

scanty supply of

money was soon

exhausted, and

he was forced to take up the route to Florence

again.

When

he reached Bologna, he found that

their adherents
flight,

the Medici
there, in

and

had already arrived

with

headlong

and

filled its citizens

alarm.

Angelo and

his

companions were
to

seized,
fine

as suspicious strangers,

and ordered

pay a

or go to prison.

The former was

impossible,

and

Angelo would doubtless have been incarcerated,

had not the magistrate Aldovrandi, a gentleman

of culture and a friend of
his profession
artists,

inquured about

and

situation.

His sympathy was

awakened by the

recital of the captive's story,

and

he liberated him, and invited him

to dwell in his
year,

own

house.

Here he abode

for

more than a

and the magistrate was rewarded

aid

for his charitable

by the

society of

one who could regale him

at will with the dialogues of the Florentine

Neo-

Platonists^ or the

poems of Petrarch and Dante.

these great men, uttered

The resounding words of

BOLOGNESE WORKS.
in the

21
well

melodious Tuscan

dialect,

and by one

fitted to

such exercises by the ripe scholarship of

court, filled Aldovrandi with delight,

the

Medicean

while the conversation served to beguile the grief

of the

exile.

During

his

sojourn
to

at

Bologna,

Angelo
statue

was
St.

commissioned
Petronius,

finish

small

of
left

which Niccolo da Bari had

in-

complete on the sarcophagus of that

saint,

and

an exquisite kneeling angel

in the

Church of San

Domenico, which Niccolo Pisano had commenced.

Though

neither

of these works was up to

his

standard of
called
forth

ability,

they (and especially the latter)

praises

such

that

the

jealousy of

the Bolognese sculptors

was excited against the

it

Florentine boy of twenty, and he found

inex*

pedient to remain in their

city.

He

therefore returned to his

to

home

in Florence,

and went

work

quietly in his studio.

For the

younger Lorenzo de' Medici, who had the refined

djtistic tastes

of his great namesake, he executed a of

St.

email statue

John, which long since

critics

dis-

appeared, though some

claim that

it

has

recently been discovered at Pisa.

ful

Another beauti-

work of

this

time was a sleeping Cupid, which

22

MICHAEL ANGELO.

Lorenzo persuaded him to send to Rome, to be

bmied

in the earth for a season,

and then sold

for

an antique.
out
;

This trick was successfully carried

and Cardinal Riario purchased the exhumed

statue for 200 ducats,

and removed

it

to his palace
to

on the Lungara.
the

But he soon began

suspect

hoax, and sent an agent to

Florence,

who

ascertained that Angelo had carved the statue, and

had received
of the
full

for

it

but 30 ducats, being unaware

extent of the deception practised, and

in
its

without partnership

profits.

The agent
to

invited the sculptor to return with

him

Rome,

and recover

his

money,

offering
this

him the patronage

of the Cardinal;

and

proposal was gladly

accepted by Angelo, who departed for the Eternal

Cif.y forthwith.

AT ROME.

23

CHAPTER
Sculptures at

IL

Rome.

The

David.

Competition with Leonardo da Vinci.

The Bruges Madonna. Summoned to Rome.

entered the noble

Carrara. Pope Julius

II.

In June, 1496, Angelo

city

first

which he was destined to adorn with such

art

grandeur of
year of his

and

architecture.
Hfe, the

During the

first

Roman

sculptor lived
little

near
in in

Cardinal Riario, who. was but

interested

modern
idleness.

statuary, wherefore his client

remained
for

He

however furnished a design

a pic-

ture of St. Francis,

which was painted by the Car-

dinal's barber, himself a

good

colorist,

but without

the ability to compose.

lished,

After his studio was estab-

Jacopo Gallo caused him to carve a Cupid

(now
the

lost)

and a Bacchus (now

representing

in the Bargello),

latter

plump,

sensual,

and

drunken young man, complacently gazing into a

cup held

in his right hand, while in his left

is

is

bunch of grapes, which a boy-satyr

devouring.

roguishly
is

The modelling

of this work

very

24
beautiful,

MICHAEL ANGELO.
but the subject represented
is

the merry

patron of the Italian vintage, rather than the Greek

conception of Bacchus.
severity, calls
it

Shelley, with unnecessaiy

" a revolting misunderstanding of

the spirit

and the idea of Bacchus."

ncbler work, and one more congenial to the

of the
artist,

lofty spirit

was the Pieta, which he

St.

executed for Cardinal de

Deni^, +He French

ambassador
sists

at

Rome.

This marvellous group consitting

of the Virgin

Mary,

near the place

of the cross, and holding on her knees the body

of the dead Christ, both figures being exquisitely

finished

and

free

from exaggeration.

The

reverent

mother gazes upon the cold form of her Son with

inexpressible

tenderness and a calm and mystic

grief; while the face of Christ is

benign and holy,

even in the
truth

stillness

of death.
is

The anatomical
though the

of

the

details

remarkable,

drapery has somewhat of the

mediaeval rigidity

and

stiffness.

Angelo met the complaints of some

critics,

who

held that the Virgin had too youthful

an appearance, by saying that the perfect purity of

her thoughts had kept her ever young.
courtier asked where a
this one,

cavilling
like

mother could be found,

younger than her son, and the sculptor

dryly answered, " In Paradise."

THE
In
this great

PIETJL.
artist fulfilled

25
the promise
it

work the

made
the
that

for

him by

his friend Gallo, that "

shall

be

most beautiful work of marble in Rome, and

no master

living could

do

it

so well."
St.

It

was

placed in the French Chapel of

the old Basilica of St. Peter,
first

Petronilla, in

and became Angelo's

church which

contribution
built

to

the
that

vast
site,

he

afterwards Pieta
is

on

and of which the

still

one of the noblest ornaments.

The

unrivalled union of true art

and pure
liveliest

religious feel-

ing therein awakened

the

admiration in
it,

Rome.

Sonnets were written to

it,

artists

made

studies from

and Angelo was hailed

sculptors,

as the foreto those of

most of

modem

and equal

antiquity.

The
was

Buonarroti
this time.

affairs at

Florence were going on

badly at
at

Angelo's mother died while he

his father

Rome, and
menaced

had

lost

his

office

when

the Medici were expelled. the

city;

Famine and pes-

tilence

and the head of the

and counsel of
his

family, yearning for the support

gifted son, sent Angelo's favorite brother Buonar-

roto to
his

Rome,

to detail to diligent

him the sad

sculptor

estate of

people.

The

had saved a
it

certain

amount of money, and appropriated

to

26
set

MICHAEL ANGELO.
up
his brothers in business.

His father wrote

to

liim,

expressing great joy at this arrangement, and

tells

saying also, " Buonarroto

me
it

that
.

you

live
is

with great economy, or rather penury

economy
a vice

good, but penury

pleasing to God,

is

bad, because

is

dis-

and

to the people

of this world,

and, besides, will do

harm both

to soul

and body."

He

concluded

his garrulous letter

by again urging

his son to return to Florence.

Angelo had taken

into his studio only the youth Piero di Giannetto,

who loved him and was very

in self-denial

faithful.

Living thus
his

and

rigid

economy, neglecting

own
artist

personal comfort and health, the generous

continued to aid his unfortunate family.

Angelo returned to Florence

in

1501, bearing

back

to the scene of his

first

triumphs the aug-

mented
rience.

prestige of his four years of

Roman

expe-

Three years had passed since SavCxiarola

at the stake,
still

had been burnt

his

and the memory of

holy death was

in every heart.

Cardinal Piccolomini

(who afterwards became

Pope, under the name of Pius IH.) contracted

with Angelo for the making of fifteen statues of

Carrara marble, each about four feet high, for the

altar

of the Piccolomini Chapel in the Cathedra)

THE DAVID.
ot

27
to

Siena.

The

sculptor

was

receive

about

;^2,6oo, furnishing his

to

own

marble, and promising

do the work over again

to

if it

was not

satisfactory,

and superior

the, average

modern

statuary in
;

Rome.
the

Three years was allowed

for this task

but
Sts.

artist

made

only four statues, those of

Peter,

Paul, Gregory,

and

Pius, besides finishing

the

St.

Francis

which
still

Torrigiano

had

begun.

These statues are

in the

Piccolomini Chapel,

but are deficient in interest,

and appear

to have

been executed partly by

assistants.

The

colossal statue of

David was Angelo's next

work, commissioned by the Florentine authorities,

who gave him

for the

purpose a block of marble

eighteen feet long,

sculptor
to

which a previous incompetent

irreparably in trying

had deformed almost

statue.

make a

He

contracted to execute the

work

in two years, for which he

should receive
set to

$11.50 a month;

and immediately

work,
in

alone, and with chisels of his

own

fashioning,

a temporary building near the Cathedral.

statue was finished
in January,

The

1504; and the adit

miring throngs of citizens

it

who beheld
if

said that

vvas as

great a miracle as
life.

a d^^d body had

artists, lu-

been raised to

commission of

2S

MICHAEL ANGELO.

eluding Delia Robbia, Attavante, Roselli, Ghirlandajo, II Cronaca, Lippi, Botticelli, Granacci, Sangallo,

Da

Vinci,

and

Perugirio,

decided that
'

it

should ocupy the place of Donatello's

Judith and
It

Holofemes,' in the Piazza della Signoria.

foity

took

men

four days to drag the marble giant a

quarter of a mile, from

the

studio
it

to

its

place,

during which rioters attacked

injury befell the statue until

with stones.

No
arm

1527,

when

its

was broken

off

by a

missile tllro^vn

from the PaIn 1873

Arts, in
built

lazzo Vecchio, during a popular tumult.

it

was removed to the Academy of Fine

St.

the old Monastery of

for the purpose.

Mark, by a railroad

The young Hebrew hero

is

represented as naked,

with a beautiful, phant, and muscular form, in the

moment when he
proclaiming, "I
the

attacks

the Philistine Goliath,

come unto

thee in the
face
is

name

of

Lord of Hosts."

The

filled
is

with an

expression of inflexible courage, and

crowned
limbs,

by a mass of tangled locks

and the tense

marvellous in their anatomical precision, are nerved

for the

coming

contest.

In April, 1503, Angelo made a contract with the

officers

of the

Cathedral of

Florence, to

carve

ASSISTANTS.
colossal

29
al-

statues

of the twelve Apostles, being

for the work, with a

lowed twelve years

salary of

$10 a month, besides the cost of the marble,

his journeys to Carrara,

and the

living of himself

and an

assistant.

He
in

was provided with a house

and workshops
Cronaca
of the

the

Borgo

Pinti,

designed by
at the

for the purpose,

and erected

cost

Cathedral authorities.

The

frugal

priests

thought that they had secured a good bargain, but

the
that
St. artist

was so discouraged by

his

meagre stipend
statues, that of

he attempted only one of the

left it

Matthew, and

half-finished.

This

is

now

preserved in the Florentine Academy, one of the

first

of that long series of unfinished and undefined

works which the impetuous and variable sculptor

left

behind him.

It

has been

commonly beheved
;

that

Angelo labored

in sohtude

but

this

idea

is

erroneous, for he certainly had assistants at various

times,

and arranged

for the

employment of numerIt was-

ous sculptors, on some of his works.

im-

possible for his hands alone to keep pace with his

teeming brain, and

it

would have been well

for the

art of Italy if his irascible

and uneven temper had

not prevented the formation of a group of trusty

and

efficient assistants.

Between 1501 and 1504

so

MICHAEL ANGELQ.

alone he had commissions for thirty-seven statues

and

reliefs,

number

far

exceeding his utmost

capacity, diligent though he was.

The Madonna and Child now

in

the

Notre

Dame Church

at

Bruges was one of the best of

is

Angelo's earlier works, and

distinguished for

its

admirable drapery and perfect hands, as well as for

the

sweet expression and queenly gravity of the

Virgin's face,

and the easy and pleasing

attitude of

the Divine Child, standing at the mother's knee.

It

was presented to the church

at

Bruges by Flem-

ish

merchants of the Moscron family, and was seen

there

by Albert Diirer

in 15 21.

In
sioned

1504 the Florentine Government commisits

now
as

favorite

sculptor

to

model

statue of David,

which was to be cast in bronze,

and

sent

a present from the RepubUc to a

friendly official of the

French

court.

The records
of

of 1508 say,

"The David
was shipped

in the

name

God
is

is

packed and sent

from thence
lost.
it

as far as the port of Signa; " to France,

and

and

now
fin-

About

this time, also, the

reliefs

master partly

ished

two circular

in marble, representing

the Virgin

and Child.

One

of these, presented by

an

ecclesiastic of the Pitti family to Luigi Guic-

THE CARTOONS.
ciardini, is

31
at Flor-

now
is

in the National

Museum
for

ence, and
the
dei,

distinguished for the exquisite head of

Madonna.

The

other,

made
and

Taddeo Tad-

Raphael's friend, was afterwards

owned by
Royal

VVicar, the

French

painter,

is

now

in the

Academy

at

London.
in the

The Madonna now

was painted
before the year 1508,

Tribune at Florence

for the master's friend,

Angelo Doni,

and

is

in the conventional

and sculpturesque
art.

style

of the earlier schools of

is

The
is

Virgin's
in a

expression

unpleasing,

St.

Joseph

posed

the rude
a

and and imperfect landscape background

difficult position,

most

in
is

row of incomprehensible but admirably drawn naked men. The whole work is a type of the Sistine frescos, in powerful design

and formal man-

ner of coloring.
wise injured

It

has been darkened and otherrestorers,

by

modem

and

it

would be

unfair to judge
is

Angelo in a work so much of which

not his own.

In 1504 the Gonfaloniere Soderini commissioned

his

two

friends,

Michael Angelo and Leonardo da

Hall with

Vinci,

to

adorn the great Municipal

national pictures.
ti^ree

Although

Da

Vinci was twentyall

years his senior,

and had devoted nearly

32

MICHAEL ANGELO.
a department of
ai*-

his life to painting,

in

which

he himself had done almost nothing, Angelo boldly

accepted the commission, and dared the inevitable
comparison.

He

chose for his subject an episode

of the war with Pisa,

tine
soldiers,

when a company of FlorenRiver Arno,

bathing in the

were
Sir

warned of the approach of the enemy under

John Hawkwood.

While the trumpet was sound-

ing the alarm, the scattered soldiers were dashing

'

out of the water, and helping each other up the

steep banks,

and others were

hastily dressing
artist's

and

putting on their armor.

skill

The

pre-eminent
doubtless led

in portraying the

human form

him

to select this theme, as favorable for a display

it

of his chief excellence, and insured for

cessful treatment.

a suchall in

He

was provided with a

St.

the Dyers' Hospital at

Onofrio

and

finished

the cartoon after his flight from

Rome,

in

1506.

The two

great

artists

were not on good terms,

his rival with severe dis-

and the younger treated

courtesy.

Leonardo, fresh from his ten years of honorable

service at Milan,

where he had painted

'

The

Last

Supper,' engaged in this contest with great earnestness.

He

illustrated

a rencontre of cavalry at the

THE CARTOONS.
battle of Aiighiari,

33

where the Florentines had de;

feated the Milanese in 1440

it

and

partly executed

in

an attempt

at the revival of the ancient enit

caustic painting, which caused

fifty

to perish within

years.

Neither of these great works was ever

finished in the Municipal Hall, and, the cartoons

having

disappeared,

only unsatisfactory reminis-

cences of them remain to our days.

Benvenuto
toons
thus

Cellini said that

"While these

car-

hung opposite to each other [in the

Medici Palace], they formed the school of the

world."
dinelli,

Raphael, Andrea del Sarto, Baccio BanSansovino, Perino del Vaga, and other reartists

nowned
filled

made

studies from them,

and were

with admiration for these culminating glories

art.

of Tuscan

During the revolution of 15 12,

when

the Medici were recalled,

some one entered

and cut

the hall where Angelo's cartoon was hung,

it

to pieces

and Vasari says

artist,

that Baccio BandineUi,

the deadly foe of the the outrage.

was the perpetrator of

several

Sixty years

later,

fragments

of this great work were in the hands of the Strozzi

family, of

Mantua, but they have long since disap

peared.

Early in the year 1505, Angelo was

summoned

34
to

MICHAEL ANGELO.
Rome by Pope
at

Julius IL, that noble prince

who

was

once valiant in war and most

arts.

liberal in his

patronage of literature and the

Nothing but

the magnificent offers of such a patron,

fascinating

and the

power of

Rome

itself,

could have in-

duced the master to leave a

the great centre of the arts

city

which was then

their

and the home of

admirers,

and where he himself was overwhelmed

with lucrative

and honorable commissions.

similar character,
wilful,

Julius

and Angelo were men of

proud

and arrogant, energetic and

mous, honest, and
distrusting
resolute.

yet magnani-

They were

continually

each other and quarreUing, and yet as

often sought

and obtained reconcihation by means

of free and frank concessions, holding towards each

other a profound esteem and a rugged sort of love.

Angelo was the only

man who
;

ventured to contro-

vert the martial prelate

and, although his opposi-

tion

was almost always overborne, he

protest.
first

submitted

under

The Pope's

commission to

his sculptor,

and

one which involved him in countless embarrassments and anxieties

for over forty years,

was

for a

grand mausoleum, in which Julius himself should

be placed
after death.

The

plans of this monu-

THE JULIAN SEPULCHRE.

ment were drawn by Angelo, and provided
structure covering eight

35
for a

hundred square
all sides,

feet,

and

three stories high,

detached on

with termi-

nal figures at the ends, sixteen statues of the captive liberal arts,

and ten

statues of Victory treading

;

upon conquered provinces

story,

all

these on the lower

and over the second the sarcophagus of the

Pontiff, with his statue

and attendant

angels,

and

numerous other

statues of prophets

and apostles

and cherubs.

" It will cost a

hundred thousand
twice
that

crowns," said Angelo.

"It

may be

sum," answered the Pope.

ous
pile, rich in its

This vast and sumptuallegories,

pagan
;

was destined
it

for a place in St. Peter's

and when

was found

that that venerable basilica could not contain so

great a work,

Bramante advised the Pope

left

to build

the

apse which Nicholas V. had

unfinished.

But Julius had conceived a grander scheme, and

resolved to pull
build
it

down

the whole church, and re-

in greater splendor

and

extent.

He

ordered

several architects to prepare designs,

that

and selected

which Bramante had made, a decision highly

also,

approved by Angelo

who ranked

its

author as

equal to any architect of

modem

times

howbeit

Bramante injured him seriously by a

bitter enmity.

36
Julius

MICHAEL ANGELO.
commanded
its

the destruction of the ancient

basihca, with
that

monuments of eighty-seven popes,

on the

desert thus
;

made he might
it

rear his

own proud mausoleum and

that such vandalism
tification.

was a

just retribution

was punished by ultimate mor-

In April Angelo journeyed to the marble-quarries

at Carrara,

where he remained
fit

for eight

months,
at

selecting blocks of stone

for his

new works
shape.

Rome, and having them hewn

also

into

He

made an

abortive design for converting one of

the rocky peaks of the Carrara range into a colossal figure, to

be

visible

by mariners

far

out at sea.

During
vants,

this

sojourn he was attended by two serhorses.

and kept a pair of

He

went

firom

the

quarries to Lavagna, a port

on the Genoese by
sea, in

Riviera,
vessels

and

freighted his marble thence

it

which bore

up the Tiber

to

Rome.
after

Returning from Carrara to Florence,

remain-

ing there a short time, Angelo pursued his journey

to

Rome.
St.

The marble was placed

Peter's,

in the square

behind

and appeared

to

the

people

enough

to build a temple, rather than a tomb.

The

sculptor was

domiciled in a house between the

St.

Vatican and the Castle of

Angelo, near the

ANTIQUES.

S7

covered way which connects the palace and the

fortress
;

and the Pope had a bridge

built

thence
visited
artist

to the studio.

By

this

means he frequently

the scene of Angelo's labors,

as a familiar friend,
taste,

and treated the

perhaps not altogether to his

since he always preferred to

work without

supervision.

The

ancient statue of the Dying Gladiator was

its

discovered in the Gardens of Sallust, and

right

missing

arm was restored by Angelo.

The

celebrated

group of the Laocoon was found in 1506, near the

Baths of Titus, and repaired by Montorsol,
of Angelo's pupils, of the Apollo
d'Anzio, in

one

who

also

made

the

left

hand

Belvedere, discovered near Porto

1503.

Delia Porta also restored the

missing legs of the

Batjis of Caracalla.

Famese Hercules, found

It is said that

in the

Angelo added

some of

the lost parts to the Laocoon, the Satyr,

is

and other mutilated antiques, but there

room

for

doubt as to the accuracy of this statement

3^

MICHAEL ANGELO.

CHAPTER
Angelo's Flight. Bologna.
in

III.

The Reconciliation. Julius Statue The Frescos the Sistine Chapel.

II. 's

at

Suddenly the demeanor of the Pope

and he
ceased
his

altered,

intimacy with Angelo,

and

closed the Vatican against him.

Vasari says that

Bramante was the cause of the change, having

been aroused to jealousy by the success and the
vigilant scrutiny of the

new-comer, wherefore he
evil

told the
his

Pope

that

it

was an

augury to build
also

monument

in his life-time.

He

advised

Julius to

employ Angelo

to paint the ceiling of the

Sistine Chapel, believing that

trously.

he would

fail

disas-

Angry

at his exclusion

from the palace, and

at

the ill-treatment which he

met from
Julius,

his

patron,
to f^ee

Angelo determined to abandon

to Florence.

and

He

paid the sailors for the

his
all

last ship-

ment of Carrara marble, from

left

own

purse,

and

orders to

sell to

the Jews

the furniture of

his house.

He

told the Papal courtiers,

"When

FLIGHT FROM ROME.

the

39

Pope wants me, he must seek me elsewhere

than

m
fled

Rome."

Then he
at

left

the city secretly,

rate of speed, so

and
that

northward

terrific

he outrode no

less

than

five

Papal couriers,
Avith

who were
recalling

successively

despatched

letters

him.

Galloping over the broad

crossed
the

Cam-

pagna
hills

to

Ronciglione, he

Ciminian
c-i

to

Montefiascone, and skirted the Lake

Bolsena for

many

miles.

Then

his route

ascended

the lofty pass of Radicofani,

and passed through

Siena to the town of Poggibonsi, in the domains

of Florence, where he was safe
authority,

from the Papal

and rested

briefly, after his

tremendous
couriers

gallop of 130 miles.

The distanced

now
this

overtook him, and he sent them back with

haughty answer, "That he never would return;

that his

good and

faithful

service

did not merit

such reward, to be chased away Uke a perverse

fellow;

and since His Holiness would give no

to his

more heed
obligation,

monument, he was freed from

to

and would not bind himself

any

ihing else."

The

irate

sculptor

continued

his

journey to

Florence, whither fresh messages were conveyed,

promising to receive him well and keep him from

40

MICHAEL ANGELO.
if

haim

he should return, and engaging to advance

as fast as
it

money

was needed.

Angelo answered

promptly, recapitulating his grievances, and stating

that

he had been informed that

his

own

sepulchre
letter,

would be made before the Pope's.

Another

however, from Roselli, came to trouble Angelo, by

showing how active

Uius
that
:

his

enemies were.

It

reads

" Dear as a brother, I have to inform thee

on

Saturday evening

the

Pope, being
said
to

at

supper,

summoned Bramante, and

goes to-morrow to

him

^Sangallo

Florence, and will

bring back Michael Angelo.'

to the Pope,

Bramante replied
will

and

said

Holy Father, he

not

come,

for I

am

intimate with Michael Angelo,

and

he has said repeatedly to

to attend to the chapel,

me

that

he did not wish

and

that

you wished

to

give

him

this

charge

and

that nevertheless

he did

not wish to serve you, unless with the sepulchre,

and not

in painting.'

And he
in

also

added

'

Holy

Father, I believe that he has not the courage, for

he has not done much

figures that are high

figures,

and

especially
is

and foreshortened, which

another thing from painting on the ground.'

the

Then
not,

Pope answered and

said

'

If he

comes

he does

me

wrong, for

believe that he will cer-

A TURKISH INVITATION,
tainly return.'

At

that

moment

advanced and

gave Bramante a sound berating, the Pope being

present
;

and

said that which I beheve

you would
to

have said

f.^r

me

yet he did not

to think
:

know how

answer, and

seemed

he had spoken badly.

And
to

I told

him, also

'

Holy Father, he never spoke

Michael Angelo, and as to that which he has

said, if
it

now

be

true,

you may cut

off

my

head,
I

for he never spoke to Michael Angelo;

and

beheve that he
ness wishes.'

will surely return

when Your Holiby the

And

here the matter ended."

invited

While

at

Florence, Angelo was

Turkish Sultan, Bajazet H., to enter his service, and

to build a bridge across the

Golden Horn, between

Constantinople and Pera.

letter

The

Sultan sent a large

of credit, and offered him an escort of janis-

saries

through the Turkish dominions.

Though

Soderini told

him

that

he would make a better

live,
fly

choice " to die, siding with the Pope, than to

passing over to the Turk," he fully intended to

to the

Moslems

if

Florence should turn him out.

after

In May, 1506, he went to Carrara, to look

the marble which he

had selected

for the uiaiiso-

leum.

The remainder

of his time at Florence was

spent in working

on the unfinished cartoon.

Dur-

42

MICHAEL ANGELO.
the

ing this spring-time, Julius II. foundea

St. Peter's

new

Church,

at

Rome,

in

whose construction

the master afterwards bore so prominent a part.

The Pope not only employed

the

good

offices of

friends to recall his recalcitrant sculptor, but also

sent three 'briefs

to the

Florentine Government,

demanding
if

that

he should be forced to return,

Soderini,

persuasion failed.
felt

the

head of the

Republic,
lect of the

a certain danger attending the neg-

mandates of so warlike a prince-prelate,

Angelo
:

and

said to

"

Thou

hast tried an experi-

ment with the Pope which the King of France

would not have ventured on, but the time
entreaty
is

for

past.

We

will

not go to war with him

State to risk; so

on thy accourt, nor expose our

prepare thyself to return."

Angel 3's estimate of the

effect of Julius

II.'s

government

in

Rome

is

seen in one of his sonnets

**

Here helms and swords

are

made

of chalices

The blood
Must be

of Christ is sold so

much

the quart
;

His cross and thorns are spears and shields

and short

the time ere even His patience cease.

But

of that better life

what hope have we

ill."

"When the

blest

banner leads to nought but

THE PAPAL ARMY.

The advance of
the Papal

43

army

to

Bologna was

one of the most picturesque events of the Middle

Ages.

The Romar army was composed

and
infantry,

of a strong

force of men-at-arms

headed by the

nobles of the ancient historic families, and attended

by the Pope and twenty-four

briUiant retinues.

cardinals, with their

Their march followed the Tiber

across the desolate

Campagna to Orvieto, and thence

where the t}Tant Bagto

through the

hills

to Perugia,

Hone was reduced to submission, and forced

give a contingent of troops.

Defiling through the

mountains

for

many

days, they occupied

Imola,

and thence, being joined by French

auxiharies,

moved
city,

against Bologna.

Bentivoglio fled

from the

and the Pope entered

in triumph, after a

cam-

paign of eleven weeks.

One

of the Pope's

first

cares, after this

conquerhis

ing march, was to have Angelo brought back to

service
;

and he ordered the Cardinal of Pavia to

write to Florence, promising

him both

safety

and

emolument.

The

sculptor resolved to

seek the

Papal court, " with a halter round his neck," as he

said,

being desirous to return to Rome, and also to

deliver Florence

from the danger which she

in-

curred on his account.

He

took a

letter

from the

44

MICHAEL ANGELO.
"

Gonfaloniere Soderini to his brother, the Cardinal

of Volterra, in which
it

is

said
is

The

bearer

is

Michael Angelo, sculptor, who

satisfy

sent to please

and
you

His Holiness, our Lord.

is

We

certify to

that

be

an excellent young man, and in

his pro-

fession unequalled in Italy, perhaps in the

whole
him.

world.

We

cannot too earnestly

commend
if

He
It is

is

of such a disposition that,

will

he

is

kindly
thing.

bespoken and well treated, he

do every

needful to show him affection and favor, and

will
. .

he in return

do works which
.

will astonish all

who

see them.

The

said Michael
faith."

Angelo pro-

ceeds upon the pledge of our

Angelo's
to
first

care,

upon
the

arriving at Bologna,
St.

was

attend mass at

Church of

Petronius,

where he was recognized by the Papal grooms,

and persuaded
Julius

to wait immediately

upon the Pope.

was

at table, but, ordering that the visitor

in,

should be brought
courtesy, "

said

to him, with austere

to seek us,

Thou

hast

come

and thou
Angelo

didst expect that

we should seek

thee."

knelt, and craved pardon, saying that he had fled,

not from malignity, but in the passion which he

at

felt

being expelled from the Papal presence.

While

the

Pope

sat

silent

and angry, the bishop whom

STATUE OF JULIUS
sculptor exclaimed,

II.

45

Cardinal Soderini had sent to intercede for the

"Your

Holiness, do not con-

sider his fault, because he erred through ignorance.

Painters

are

always

so,

outside

of

their

art."

Whereupon
on the

the

Tope poured out

his pent-up wrat!

intercessor's head, saying,

"Thou
Thou

insultest

him, which
the ignorant

we have not done.

and the

thyself art
he.

rascally one,

and not

Leave our presence."

The

unfortunate

official

was driven out, with blows, and the Pontiff received

Angelo to

his favor again,

and desired him

to re-

main

in

Bologna.
Julius

Soon afterwards

commissioned

him

to

make a bronze
to

statue of himself, fourteen feet high,

St.

be placed before the Church of

it

Petronius,

He immediately set to work, in the hall of the Pavaglione,

liberally.

saying that he would pay for

behind the church, where he welcomed several visits from his great patron. His hfe in Bologna

was not luxurious,

to live in,

for

he rented a wretched room

for himself

and had but one bed

and

his

three Florentine assistants.

his

He

could not receive

brother Giovan Simone, wdio often wished to visit him, but wrote home frequently, telling of his
labors,
affairs.

and taking a

lively

interest in the family

46

MICHAEL ANGELO.
The work on
the statue advanced so rapidly that
left

the clay

model was ready before the Pope

for
if

Rome, and was inspected by him.

a

Being asked

book should be placed

said,

in

its

left

hand, the Pon-

tiff

"What book?

Rather a sword

am
and

no reader."
the right

He

then questioned as to whether

raised to bless or to curse,

hand was

the

quick-witted sculptor answered, " It menaces

this people.

Holy Father,

if

they are not prudent."

across the

The French King was now marching

Alps against the Genoese communists, and the

Pope, alleging that the

healthy, hastened to

air

of Bologna was unbefore he

Rome, though not

fortress,

had

laid the

comer-stone of a

hard by the

Ferrara Gate, in which he had more joy than in a

new church.
Wagon-loads of clay had been heaped up
studio,
in the

and out of the

statue,

lofty

mass the

sculptor
in wax.

moulded the

which was then cast

art of bronze-casting,

Being ignorant of the

Angelo

summoned
ivho

the master Bernardino from Florence,

his

began

work

in June, but failed

on account

of not having provided enough metal, so that the

molten mass only

filled the- mould

up

to the waist,

and the

statue

was finished by casting from above.

JULIUS'S STATUE.
The metal came from
tower,

47

the

bell

of Bentivoglio's
alloys,

and a broken cannon, unequal

which

melted unequally, leaving the cast in such a rough

state that the

weary sculptor was obliged to devote

smoothing and chasing
In February, 1508,
St.
it
it,

many weeks
and other

to

with

files

tools.

was placed

over the great door of

the presence of a vast

Petronius's Church, in

and applauding multitude.

Less than four years afterwards, the Bentivoglio

partisans broke
into
it

to pieces,

and

it

was converted

an enormous cannon, which the Duke of Fer-

rara

named La

Giulia,

and mounted on

his castle.

The head
served for

alone, weighing

600 pounds, was pre-

many

years.
artist,

Francia, the eminent Bolognese

see the Juhan
statue,

came

to

and praised the material

choleric

thereof,
out, " I

upon which

the

sculptor

cried
Julius,

have the same obligation to Pope

who

has given

me

this bronze, that

you have
for

to the

apothecary
ing,"

who

gives
to the

you your colors

paint-

adding

gentlemen standing near,

that the visiting artist

was a blockhead.
the

Again,

when he met one of

Francia, he
said,

handsome children of
makes
better live

"

Thy

father

figures than painted ones."

Albert Diirer visited

48

MICHAEL ANGELO.
there,

Bologna while Angelo was

knowTi that the two great

but

it

is

not

artists

met.

Early in March, 1508, Angelo returned to Florence, and leased for a year the house in the Borgo
Pinti,

which the Cathedral

officials

had formerly
in

built for his use, designing to

remain

the city,

to assist his family,

and
left

to finish the

works which

he had previously
the malaria of

incomplete.
its

He
settle

dreaded

Rome

net less than

rivalries

and

malignant hostihties, and \vished to

nently in his

perma-

own

city.

But the Pope summoned

months, and he

him

to the Vatican within three

sadly broke up the

new

establishment,

and bade

farewell to his people.

On

arriving in

Rome

he was informed that

his

allotted task

was to paint the ceiling of the

Sistine

Chapel, the scheme of the sepulchral

monument

having been laid aside.

Angelo

faltered at under-

taking so great a work in painting, an art in which

he had but

Httle practice,

and recommended the

Pope to choose Raphael,

city at

who had

arrived in the

about the same time, under the auspices of

Julius

Bramante.

vehemently insisted that

his Flor-

entine cUent should execute the Sistine paintings

and he therefore

reluctantly consented, the

Pope

THE
agreeing to
twelve

SIS TINE CHAPEL.

to

49
paint the

pay him 3,000 ducats

in

Apostles
in the

the lunettes, with ornamental

work

compartments.

Afterwards the
cf decoration,

artist

boldly objected to that

his

mode

and

patron tcld him to do

as he

pleased in the

matter of the designs.

The Papal

architect,

Bramante, was chosen to

construct the scaffold fr:m which the frescoing was

to

be done, but executed

his

work

in

an

inefficient

and perfunctory manner, without consulting the

artist

or allowing

him

to

make any changes

in

it.

Angelo therefore secured the Pope's permission to

build

new

staging,

which he completed with

great skill

and

rapidity,
feet

making a platform

like a

ship's deck,

130

long and 45 feet wide, and

50

feet

above the

pavement.

Upon

this

were

movable
overhead

scaffolds for reaching the

;

curved vaulting

and, since the platform was above the

tops of the windows, parts

of the flooring were

light,

arranged for easy removal, in order to admit

as well as to allow the
artist to

survey his work from

the

pavement below.
the loth of
his

On

May, the great master began

for

to

prepare

designs

the

frescos.

He

was

dubious of

his ability to

execute fresco-painting,

50
at least

MICHAEL ANGELO.
on so grand a
scale,

and summoned

to his

aid Granacci, the friend of his boyhood,

skilful Florentines.

and other

By September,

these assistants

were

fully at

work, transferring and coloring the

cartoons
previously

designs from the master's chalk

chapel- vaulting, which he had
off in conformity with
its

on the

marked

architectural

divisions,
fallacy
assist-

with infinite pains and accuracy.

But the

of

this

experiment was soon proved, for the

far short

ants

fell

of the

inspiration

which was

needful,

and

their coloring, timidly

executed and

in an outgro\vn manner, failed to harmonize with

the ideas of the master.

He

therefore sent

them
set

away, and, obliterating

to

their feeble

pictures,

work on the great task almost unaided; and

for

thereafter

many months

tciled

on,

in

the

gloomy space between the platform and the

living "like Elijah in the cave cf Carmel."

ceiling,

Ever

thus engaged, locking upward, with back-thrown

head and

straining

eyes,

his

vision

was so

in-

jured that for a long period he could read only

by holding the page above

His custom was
to

his head.

make

the

first

draught in red

or black chalk, on a very small scale, and to follow

that

by elaborating the idea

in a drawing

from

THE
model.

SIS TINE CHAPEL.

51
a

Armenini says that he saw him make

sketch of this kind in half an hour, which would

have

occupied

most

artists

for

full

month.

Some of
others

these draughts were

mere

outlines,

and
small

were

highly finished.

From

the

drawings thus

made he marked

out the full-sizeu

outlines

cartoons or working-drawings, whose

transferred to the plaster (not

he

by the usual process

of indenting with a stylus pressing along the hnes,

but)

by nailing the

cartoons

to

the

wall,

and

cutting
plaster
dust,

away the paper around the

was composed of

figures.

The

Roman

lime and marble-

and afforded a

beautifully

smooth and pol-

ished surface.
Vasari says that the Sistine-Chapel frescos were

completed

twenty months by Angelo alone

but

when
in

it is

considered that

many weeks were

spent

repose or in waiting for seasonable weather, and

that at least

200 days must be assigned

it is

for the

work

on the 60 cartoons,

readily seen that in the re-

maining time he could not have painted the crowds

of figures in the chapel.
that the master

Not only must we grant

which the frescos

had

assistants (of

furnish obvious evidence), but also that his labors

extended over a

much

wider space of time, even to

52

MICHAEL ANGELO.

the greater part of the four years between the be-

ginning of the work and the end of the year 15 12

He had

not worked long before an incrustation

frescos.

Uke mould appeared on the surface of the

Hurrying to the Pope in despair, the

claimed, "
I
I told
is

artist
;

ex-

you

was no fresco-painter

what

have done

ruined."

Sangallo was sent to the

chapel,

and consoled the

perturbed Angelo by
transitory,

showing that the damage was

disappear

and would
a

when

the plaster dried.

The Pope had

visit

ladder built by which he himself could

the

platform easily, and he frequently ascended to observ^e

the progress of the work.

This was not quite

pleasing to

the

artist,

who

preferred to work in

absolute solitude, since the task which was allotted

to his brain alone

was so great that he did not

wish any outside distractions.

The chapel was

when

kept closed against the outer world, except in the

brief

exposition

of the

first

finished

half,

Raphael was present, and caught the Angelesque

manner, to reproduce
it

admirably in his Prophets

and

Sibyls at Santa

Maria della Pace.

Sistine

While the drawing of the

vigorous

frescos

was

and

forcible, the

coloring was in the scft

sculptur-

Tuscan manner,

quiet,

monumental, and

THE
es(]ue.

SIS TINE CHAPEL.

53

The nude
the

parts of the figures are highly

finished, but

drapery

is

laid

in with

freer

hand
work

though the delicate perfection of the whole

is

far greater

than

it

needed
which

to
it

have been,
is

considering the distance

at

elevated

from the
-should
'lut

floor.

The Pope wished

that the frescos

be enriched with bright colors and gold;

replied, dryly, that the saints

Angelo

whom

he

had pamted were poor men, despising

did not wear gold.

riches,

and

Nevertheless he added

much

gilding to the decorative parts, extensively retouched

the figures with size-colors,

the skies with ultramarine

and planned
(although
it

to enrich

if

the latter

was ever done, no trace of

remains)

On
moved

All Saints'

Day, 1509, the work of Angelo

re-

was partly finished, and the scaffolding was

in order that

the

Pope might see

enterprise was

it.

The

completion of

the

great

reached
first

probably late in

15 12,

and the chapel was

March, 15 13.
131^- feet long

opened

to the
Sistine

pubhc

in
is

The
44

Chapel

and about

feet wide,

and the

side walls are divided into

three

longitudinal sections, which are subdivided

pilasters.

by painted

The lower

section was colored

silver,

to represent

hangings of cloth of gold and of

54

MICHAEL ANGELO.

embroidered with the arms of Sixtus IV., whereon

Raphael's tapestries were hung on
festival

days.

The second
subjects,
celli,

section contains frescos of scriptural

Roselli, Bottiis

by SignorelK, Ghirlandajo,

and Perugino.

The

third section

cut by

six

round-headed windows on each

side,

between

which are frescoed

portraits of twenty-eight popes,

by Sandro Botticelh.

The space given

for

Angelo's
feet,

genius to enrich covered about 10,000 square

including the arched roof and the pointed arches

and
343

lunettes at

its

sides.

There are no fewer than

figures in the ceihng-frescos, varying in pro-

portions from the colossal prophets to the graceful

boy-angels

who uphold

the cornices,

all

of them

full

of Hfe and thought, and marking the consummate

flower of an exhaustless inspiration in the glorious

epic of Christian redemption.

The

central idea of this vast conception

is

the

preparation of the world for the Advent of Christ,

in a

grand succession of portrayals of the typical

events in Old- Testament history.

ciously

These are

judi-

combined by an

architectural framework,

enlivened by numerous accessory figures, medallions,

and other ornaments, and separated appreciafigures,

bly

by faun-hke nude

of dark-toned colors,

THE
The

SIS TINE CHAPEL.

55

seated on pedestals, and representing the genii of

architecture.

central space of the ceiling con-

tains nine great pictures,

showing forth

God separat

ing the Light from the Darkness, the Creation of

the

Sun and Moon, the Separation of the Land and

Sea, the Creation of

Adam,

the Creation of

Eve

the Fall and Banishment from Paradise, the Sacrifice

of Noah, the Deluge, and the Drunkenness of

Noah.

The

fourth picture

on the

ceiling contains the

awakening Adam, which one

figure in the
Sistine Chapel,

critic calls

" the finest

perhaps the grandest

single figure to

be met with in the whole range of

modern
another
idea of

art

"

and
says,

that of the

Creator, of which

critic

" It

is

infinitely the

noblest

God which

ever emanated from art."

In

the next picture, the reverential nature of

is

woman
act

illustrated

by the new-bom Eve, her

first

being that of adoration.

The

fresco of the Del-

uge

is

filled

with terrible scenes of suffering and

death, the figures being of smaller size than those

in the other pictures, in

order to introduce more

figures in the other ceil-

numerous episodes.

The

ing-frescos are from ten to twelve feet high.

The

great sins

of

man and

their

two punish-

56

MICHAEL ANGELO.
illustrated in the central

ments having been

space,
re-

Angelo proceeded to show forth the promised

demption, in the long line of majestic and contemplative Prophets

and

Sibyls, sitting
filled

on thrones, and
all

attended by angels, and

spirit

with

the antique
figures

of the Scriptures.
feet

These imposing
high,
if

would be eighteen

they stood erect

filled

and

their massive forms

and eager faces are

with the intensest absorption, the most ravishing

expectation.

In the lower part of the vaulting are the Prophets

iel,

Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Zachariah, Isaiah, Dan-

and Jonah,

alternating with the ancient proph-

etesses, the Persian, Erythraean, Delphian,

Cumaean,

and Libyan

Sibyls.

In the pointed arches and

lunettes of the vaulting are the ancestors of Christ's

putative father from

Abraham

to St. Joseph, repre-

sented sometimes with great obscurity, and else-

where by pleasing family groups.

In the four

comer arches
the Death of

are

frescos

of the Brazen Serpent,

Haman, Judith and Holofemes, and

David and Gohath.

The

first

impression produced on one

who

en-

ters the Sistine

less

Chapel
of

is

that of a vast

and hopeamid

confusion

designs

and

paintings,

THE SISTINE CHAPEL.

vault, apparently

57

ivhich gigantic figures appear along all the mighty

without order or method.

They

are nearly seventy feet overhead,

and can only be

seen by assuming a painful attitude, which

bines

com

with

the

maltreatment they have

suffered

during a third of a millennium to detract from their

interest to

the casual visitor.

Obscured by

dust,

clouds of cobwebs, and the smoke of altar-candles,

conclave -ballots, and incense, they have acquired

a low tone which

is

almost the reverse of the rich

coloring with which they once stood out in bold

relief

on the white marbleized

was unevenly
all

ceiling.

The

plasarch-,

tering

laid,

on an unstable brick
and
the
parts of
it

and has cracked

over,

have

fallen
at

down
Castle

(especially
St.

when

powder-magazine
in
1

Angelo exploded,

798)

and the

colors have

been ruined

in

many

places by barbar-

ous Cleaning, when ordinary laborers have washed

the pictures with sponges filled with a caustic solution.

The enemies who had urged

Angelo decorate the
that
Sistine

the

Pope

to have

Chapel, in the hope

he would

fail

so signally as to be relegated to
at

lasting disgrace,
his

were astounded and dismayed

triumphant success.

He

was not a painter,

as

58

MICHAEL ANGELO.

he frankly stated in advance, and had made but

tvvo

or three pictures in

all his

previous active hfe.

this
all

But when he was forced to undertake

great

work of

frescoing,

he resolved to surpass

who

had preceded him, and concentrated the powers

of his mighty intellect to insure success.
festing

Manihe

a heroic contempt of
only the
lofty l}Tics

all

Hmitations,

followed

of his owti

fruitful

inspiration,

and with a

fearless

self-rehance passed

beyond the
his day.
It

traditions of the

academic

artists

of

was

his first fresco,

but he showed no

signs of inexperience,

and

its

technical execution

appears perfect.

Kugler says that " The ceiling of

the Sistine Chapel contains the most perfect works

done by Michael Angelo

in his long
its

and

active Hfe.

Here
in
its

his great spirit appears in

noblest dignity,
is

highest purity;

here the attention

not

disturbed by that arbitrary display to which his

great

power not unfrequently seduced him

in other

works."

RAPHAEL.

59

CHAPTER
Raphael and Angelo.

IV.

Fagade of San Lorenzo.

The Buonanoti Family. Leo X. The Life the Quarries. Pope Adrian
at

VL
Michael Angelo and Raphael, the two foremost
artists

of the world, were brought together in the

Vatican Palace, and labored near each other for

years, yet never

met

as friends, nor

seemed conother's

scious of their vicinity.

genius,

They admired each

and watched

their
;

developments and works

but Raphael shrank from

with the keenest interest

encountering the morose and savage temper of his

great rival,
artist

and Angelo was prejudiced against

the

of Urbino, because he was a friend of Bra-

mante and a pupil of Perugino (whom Angelo despised so thoroughly that he-was once arrested for

upbraiding him publicly as

"a blockhead

in art ").
artists

The separation thus formed between the two

was widened by the tale-bearing and
their followers, until
it

falsifying of

became impassable.

Bra-

mante even endeavored to have Raphael appointed

6o
to paint the

MICHAEL ANGELO.
remainder of the Sistine Chapel,
first

aftei

Angelo had finished the

artist
self,

half; but the

to the

wronged

made an impetuous appeal

.

Pope him-

in the presence

Bramante, and reported the

during the demolition of

misdeeds of the
St. Peter's

latter

Church.

Raphael " thanked

in the

God

that

he had been born

same century

as Angelo," but the less geneart,

rous Angelo said that " All that Raphael has of

he has from me."

The Pope's remark

to

to Sebastistate-

ano del Piombo helps

ments
as he
:

harmonize these

" See the work of Raphael, who, as soon

saw the pictures of Michael Angelo, suddenly-

abandoned the manner of Perugino, and approached

as near as

he could to that of Michael Angelo.

is

But he [xAngelo]

terrible, as

you know, and no

one can manage him."

Amid

his great

works in the

Sistine, the master's

mind was

continually disturbed by the dissensions

occurring in his family.

his benefits

He

proposed to remove

from the roistering Giovan Simone, and

to transfer

them

to Sigismondo

and advised

his

father to let his rural villa,

and

to live like a gentlehis self-

man.
denials

He

truly states the

grand object of
in a

and grinding economies,

letter filled

1;

SELF-DENIALS.
with noble anger
his

and sorrow, wherein he reproves

scapegrace younger brother, Giovan Simone,

:

saying

" If you will take care to

do

well,

and

to

honor and revere your

others,

father, I will aid

you

like the

and

will

scon establish you in a good shop.

all

...

have gone about tliroughout

life
;

Italy for
all

twelve years, leading a dog's

bearing
of

man-

ner of

insults;

enduring

all

sorts
;

dru^ery

lacerating
itself

my body with many toils

perils,

placing

nw Ute
nu

under a thousand
;

solely to aid

family
it

and now
litde,

that I

have commenced

to raise

up a

thou alone wishest to do that which

in

shall
I

confound and ruin

an hour every thing

thai

have done in so many years and with so

mam"

fatigues."

In a

letter to his father the

weary

artist said

stand here in intense anxiety, and with the greatest

fatigue of body,

and
;

have no friends of any

I

sort,

nor do
eat

wish any
is

and

have not time enough to

what

needful.

Let no more annoyances be

added
in the
heart,

to

me,

for I

cannot bear another ounce."

:

summer of 1508 he wrote

ill,

"I am

sick at

and worn

out with fatigue, helpless

later,

and

penniless."

year

he wrote again: "The

j

Pope has not given me

a groat for a year

and

62

MICHAEL ANGELO.
for
it,

do not ask
it,

for I feel that I

is

have not merited

and

this
is

because painting
profession.

not the sort of work

yet I waste

which

my

And
lielp

my

time
this

without

fruits

God
his

me!"
pitilessly

During

period of despair he wrote a scathing sonnet, re-

proaching JuKus with having

of his
toil

robbed him

from

youth up.

In September, 1509,

he sent 350 ducats of gold to be secretly deposited

in the-

hands of a Florentine
informing his father,
lawsuit, that
for

official,

to

his

ac-

count

who was about

to lose

an annoying

he was
funds,

at liberty to

draw

upon
filial

this

deposit

and adding, with

piety,

" I should rather have you, alive and

all

poor, than, you being dead, to possess

the gold
as

of the world."

Suffering with

ill

health

the

master was, he longed to go to Florence and rest

for a time,

but was prevented by the impatience

necessity

of the

Pope and the

of

of watching the

intrigues

Bramante's

partisans.

During the

winter he secured
repose,

many days

for deliberation

and
cH-

when

the physical conditions of the

it

mate rendered
frescoing.

impossible to proceed with the

his extraordinary bursts of pro-

After

longed and intense labor, he was accustomed to

rest for

some weeks, reading

his favorite authors,

THE POPE'S HASTE.

and contemplating
his great

63
its

work

in

entirety.

The

energetic

and unresting JuUus was

his

always

impatient

during these periods, and

called
forth

urgent

remonstrances
replies.

equally

passionate

The

rapidity with

which Angelo painted,

in the unrivalled figure
feet high,

when
of

in the

mood, appears

Adam, which, although ten

was

fin-

ished in four days.

In the summer of 1510 Angelo appHed to the

Pope for permission to
visit

Florence, and was

asked when he would have done with the Chapel.

"When
swer, to
his

I shall

be able," was

his

imprudent an-

which Juhus replied by

striking

him with
fly

cane.

The angry
the

artist

prepared to

from
re-

Rome, but

Pope sent

his

page with the

for

quested permission, and

money

his journey.

A few weeks
was

later his

beloved brother, Buonarroto,

if

was menaced with sickness, and he wrote that

really in danger,

he

"

I shall take post-horses,

:

and

be with you
than money."

in

two days
Again,

men

are worth

more

when Angelo returned an

aim

imprudent answer to the Pope's question about the

end of

his work, Julius

threatened to
"I'll

have

thrown from the platform.

take

care thai

you

shall

not have the opportunity," answered the

64
painter,

MICHAEL ANGELO.
and gave orders
that the platform should

be taken down.
In the

mean time

the

Pope had excommunicatetl

it

the Florentine State, because

persisted in

its

alli-

ance with France, and the Emperor had pledged

himself to restore
the

Medici family to power.

into the city with a

The Spanish Viceroy marched

large army, and the long-exiled Medici re-entered

its

gates under the protection of his battalions,

and

established their government

upon the
his

ruins of the

Repubhc.

Angelo counselled

family to

keep

out of the contest on either side, and furnished

them
the

freely with his hard-earned

money

to

meet

new

imposts, using also his influence with the

their favor.

Medici in
his father,

In remitting these things to

:

he adds the pathetic remark

" If you

are not to share in the honors of this world like

other citizens,
live well

it

is

enough

to have bread,

and

to

with Christ and poorly, as I do here, and

live miserably,

and care nothing

for

life

and honor,

that

is

of the world, and abide amid the greatest

fatigues

and with a thousand

mistrusts."
II.

Early in 15 13, Pope Julius

died,

and was

succeeded by Cardinal de' Medici of Florence, who

assumed the

title

of Leo X., and continued the

THE SEPULCHRE,
He

65

munificent patronage of art and letters which had

been inaugurated by
only a townsman

his predecessor.

was not

of Angelo's, but had also been a

fellow-pupil, while the latter

hved

in the
Politian.

Medici

Palace under the instruction of

The
left

completion of the works on the Sistine Chapel

Angelo

free to return to his prior

engagement,
II.

that of erecting the

late Pontiff

mausoleum of JuUus

The

had

left

directions for the execution of

scale than that of the

the
first

monument, on a smaller
design
;

and

his executors,

Lorenzo Pucci and

contract with

Cardinal Aginense,

made a new

An-

gelo for a sepulchral chapel, with outer platforms

and

pedestals,

and no fewer than

to

forty statues,

some of which were

established a

be

colossal.

The

sculptor

new

studio in the Macello de' Corvi,

and

set his assistants to vv^ork

on the facade of the

in the

monument, which they erected

St.

Church of

Peter in Vincoli.

He

himself engaged with

statues,

great energy

upon the carving of the

;

one

of which was that of Moses

tne
executors,

and received from

over

during the next two years,

6,000 ducats.
joy, as

He

resumed

this

task with great

it

he had previously relinquished

with reluchis master-

tance
piece.

and believed that

it

would be

66
Early in

MICHAEL ANGELO.
1515, Angelo began to draw his
at Florence, to carry

own
the

funds from the banker

on

work of Juhus

II. 's sepulchre,

whose models were

advancing rapidly toward completion.

of the

The

statues

Waking and Sleeping

out,

Prisoners

had already
carefully

been blocked
finished.
for the

and were afterwards

art

These grand works of

in
its

were too large

monument
Roberto
I.,

last

and reduced design,

and are now

Angelo
to

in the Louvre.
Strozzi,

They were given by

from

whom

they passed

to Francis

and then

to the Constable

de Mont-

morency.

During
visited

his visit to Florence, in 15 15, the

Pope
and
was
his

San Lorenzo, the church of

his father.

his family,

wept over the tomb of

built

The

edifice

by Cosmo de' Medici, "the Father of

;

Country," from Brunelleschi's designs

but

its

front

was

left (as it is

now) an unrelieved mass of black

to

rubble.

Leo determined

adorn

this

blank wall
chief

with a magnificent fagade, and invited the

Italian architects to

submit plans therefor.

Among

those

who competed were Raphael,

and Baccio d'Agnolo
;

Sangallo, San-

sovino,
also

and Michael Angelo

Although

was summoned to prepare a design.

he had never studied architecture, nor

made

POPE LEO

X.

67

design of any importance, his was the successful

plan

a victory which almost insured his ruin

for

he incurred the hostility of the powerful family of

the
II.'s

Rovere by

his enforced

abandonment of

Julius

monument, and the defeated

his enemies.
for

architects alco
this

became

Leo X. made

new work

a pretext

keeping the independent and highprolonged exile of three years

spirited artist in a

from

his court,

amid the rugged Tuscan mountains,

civil

doing the work of a

engineer.
:

Angelo

after-

wards wrote in bitter words

that I should not

" Pope Leo, desiring

make

the

monument

[of Julius

IL], pretended to wish to erect the front of San

Lorenzo in Florence."
In 15 16, Angelo went to Carrara to select and
oversee the quarrying of nineteen blocks of statu-

ary-marble for the sepulchre

as
if

and hired a house,

to

remain a long time.

But only two months

to

had passed, when Leo summoned him

in the matter of the church-facade
;

Rome,

command

which troubled him

greatly, since

he had hoped to

have finished Julius's monument before undertaking

new

works.

He

had already

built the

basement of
the

the sepulchre,

and had carved the Moses and

Captives, oesides modelling the reliefs,

and pur

68

MICHAEL ANGELO.
But the
will

chasing the copper for their casting.

of the Pope

overbore the interests of his prede-

cessor's family,

and the

desire of the artist

and

Angelo was appointed architect of San LorenzOj

Leo agreeing

to placate the

Rovere

family,

and

to

have the statues removed to Florence

tor to

for the sculp-

work on
;

at intervals.

This, however, was

tears of vexation,

not done

and Angelo, shedding

discharged his numerous assistants, and closed his

Roman

studio.

On

the last day of the year 15 16,

left

Angelo reached Carrara again, having

Baccio

d'Agnolo in Florence to make a model of the new

fagade.

On

his

way from Rome he

visited Flor-

ence

but received a sore rebuff from his father,

so long lived
city

who had
fled

on

his

generous bounty, yet

his approach,

from the

when he heard of

and

retired to Settignano.

Angelo wrote to the Pope's agent, proposing to

make
of

the front of San Lorenzo "the masterpiece

all Italy," in six

years of labor, the total cost to

be 35,000 ducats in g^ld.

In the

mean
his

time he
defeated

was suffering from th^ intrigues of

rivals,

Sansovino and

D'Agnolo

the

Carrarese,

jealous of the works at Serravezza, were hostile to

him

the Medici were growing impatient

and the

IN THE MOUNTAINS.

69

unfortunate master was surrounded by dishonesty

and dissimulation.

Hastening from Florence to

Rome,

to Pisa, to

Genoa, and through the grand

Appuan
while the

Alps, his precious time was squandered,

mad

carnival of Leo's semi-Pagan court

went on

at

Rome, and beyond

the Alps the Refor-

mation was beginning.

In the meantime the Pope

was emptying the treasury of the Church in the

Lombard

war,

and thus rendering

his architectural

plans impracticable.

In the solitudes of the Carrara mountains, Angelo

studied architecture with intense assiduity, learning
the cost of work

and

materials,

and the use of

machinery

for

moving heavy masses, and preparfit

ing the blocks of marble

facade.

for various parts of the

The

sculptor of Florence

had been con-

verted into a painter by the despotic will of Julius

IL, and

now

the no less peremptory orders of

Leo

X. made him an architect.

From

Carrara Angelo was

ordered to go to

Pietrasanta, to re-open the ancient quarries in the

adjacent mountains of Serravezza, to which he was

also to construct roads.

He
to

protested against this

indignity,

and professed

beheve that the newly-

discovered marble was inferior to that of Carrara

70
but the

MICHAEL ANGELO.
Pope and Cardinal
de'

Medici wrote to him,

insisting that Salviati

and other masters had praised and intimating

that the

the Serravezza marble,

men

of Carrara had bribed him to discredit the new

quarries.

Leo ordered

that

no other marble than

at

that of Serravezza should

St. Peter's,

be used in the works

San Lorenzo, or the Cathedral of Florresolved, as a true Florentine, that

ence

being

his patronage should

ries exclusively.

be given to the Tuscan quar-

But before these stones could be

placed on the plain,

much work

with the pick-axe

the

was necessary,
tains,

to

make a road through

moun-

and Angelo was ordered

to supervise this task,

and

to replace the

mountain foot-paths with massive

highways.

In 15 19 he was invited to go to Adrianople, there

to practise his profession

among

the Turks

but he

now

stood too high in

cities, to

Italy,

and was sought by too

many

allow

him

to think of expatriating

himself.

When
X. for

the Florentine

Academy

petitioned

Leo

permission to bring back the bones of Dante

Florence,

from Ravenna to
paper, saying, "
tlie
I,

Angelo

signed the

the sculptor Michael Angelo, ask

offering myself to

same of Your Holiness,

make

FREEDOM.
a worthy
give
tion
in
it

71

monument

for the

Divine Poet, and to

this city."

an honorable place in

The

petilie

was disregarded, and Dante's remains

still

remote Ravenna, though a noble monument was

erected in his honor, at Florence, in the year 1865.

Angelo's petition was ^vritten in Italian, though

the others -were in Latin, and in this
artist testified

all

way

the great

his love for the

language of Dante.

He

was a regular attendant

at the

meetings of the

Academy, of which he was a member, and delivered

before
it

a lecture on one of Petrarch's sonnets,

preserved.

which

is still

Early in

1520 Angelo was released from

service

his

ignominious

of

four

years

among

the

marble mountains, the design of providing a new

fagade for San Lorenzo having been abandoned,

and the marbles quarried

for that purpose were used to make a pavement in the Florentine Cathedral.

The

sculptor returned to his studio at Flor-

ence, to resume his work

on the JuUan monument

While thus

and the

statue

of the Risen Christ.

engaged, he was apprised of the death of Raphael,

his

noble

rival,

by a

letter

from Sebastiano, the

persistent calumniator of the

younger master, who

nevertheless

is

forced to say

"That poor Raphael

72

MICHAEL ANGELO.
is

of Urbino

dead, which I believe will cause you

great sorrow.

May God pardon him

and saw

"
!

Pallavicini visited Angelo's studio

at

Florence

about

this time,

several figures in process

of being carved,
four statues

among which were

(probably) the

now

in the grotto of the Boboli Gar-

dens, works

destined for the JuHan

this

monument.
is

Another piece of sculpture of

the Italian National

period

now

in

Museum,

and shows a vigorous

old man, persufferings at

and

cruel youth crushing

down an
his

haps in

commemoration of

own

Serravezza.

Another statue in the same

Museum

represents the dying Adonis, in Serravezza marble,

and was probably one of the symbols of captured

provinces

on

the

Julian

monument, afterwards
Still

metamorphosed

into the present form.

anoth-

er noble but unfinished

work (of

later date)
is

here
full

preserved

is

the ideal bust of Brutus, which

of dignity and power, with soft flesh and graceful

drapery.

When
paint
*

Cardinal de' Medici ordered Raphael to

Transfiguration,'

The

he also commissioned
'

Sebastiano del

Piombo

to illustrate

The Resurrecthought

tion of Lazarus.'.

Angelo furnished parts of the

design

for the

latter,

and

it

was

that

SEBASTIANO DEL PIOMBO.

Raphael would certainly be outdone
great
rival's

73

when

his

drawing was illuminated by Sebas-

tiano's rich

Venetian coloring.

But

this result did

not follow,
to

and

Sebastiano's picture was sent

away

the

Cathedral of Narbonne, while

Raphael's

remained in Rome.

Sebastiano continually poi-

soned Angelo's mind against Raphael, caUing him

a Jew and a robber, and ridiculing his works
other
;

while

Roman

correspondents in similar ways slanUrbino.

Sebastiano

dered the

painter of

was

aided by Angelo's designs in several other pictures,

among which were

and two
was
'

the

Holy Family with

Saints,

Pietas.

Another joint work of

of Christ
'

this

kind

The

Flagellation

in the

Roman

Church of San Pietro

in Montorio.
least,

One
to the

noble thing, at

Angelo did in respect

artist

memory
left

of the deceased

of Urbino.

Raphael had

the great frescos of the Hall of

Constantine unachieved, and his pupils were about

to finish

them from

his designs

but Leo X. invited

\ngelo to paint the

del

hall himself,

and Sebastiano

Piombo urged him

in several letters to accept

the commission.
tine

Nevertheless the great Florenthese

solicitations, preferring

resisted

all

to

allow Raphael's pupils to finish Raphael's designs.

74

MICHAEL ANGELO.
asb,

He

d the Pope
j

for permission to visit

Rome,
to

but was refused

and Sebastiano urged him

go

in spite thereof, mysteriously hinting that he

was

needed there

to look after the Castle of Canossa,

whose ownership he might secure.

obtain
cities
;

"You would
castles

all

that

you could wish, not

that the

but

for I

know

Pope holds you

it is

in

much
you

account, and

when he speaks of you

as if

were a brother, and almost with tears in his eyes

for

he has told

me

that

you were brought up

together; and he shows that he knows and loves

you

but you cause fear to every one, even to

Popes."

There

is

doubtless

much

truth in these

statements,

and

in the inference that the savage

irascibility

temper and haughty

it

of the

artist

made

seem best

to

Leo

to

keep him away from the

splendid and ceremonious court of

Rome.

In 15 19 Leo determined upon the erection of

a

new chapel on

the

north side of the Medici

for the reception of

Church of San Lorenzo,

uments to

mon-

his well-beloved

brother and nephew,

Giuliano and Lorenzo.

Late in 1520 Cardinal de'

for this

Medici invited Angelo to make a design

structure,

which design was

was ordered
to

accepted,

and

the

sculptor

begin the construction.

THE RISEN CHRIST.

In the following April, Angelo
last visit

75

made

his tenth

and

to

Carrara, where he

drew the ground

the marble

plans for his

new work, and ordered

from the famous old quarry of Polvaccio, whence

the

Romans

obtained their supplies as

far

back

as

the days of Trajan.

Three hundred cart-loads of

marble were purchased, some of which was to be

blocked into figures at the quarries.

Returning to Florence, the master resumed

his

work on the Risen

he had begun in

Christ, the

same subject which

and
In

Rome
to

several years before, flaw in the marble.

in

abandoned on finding a
August he sent
assistant,
it

Rome,

the

care of his

Pietro

Urbano, who was delegated to

into

finish

it,

but

fell

an

evil hfe in

the papal city,

and

seriously

disfigured

the

statue.

Sebastiano
sculptor,

secured the services

of

competent

named
and
it

Frizzi,

who
up

finished the statue admirably,

in the
it

was

set

Church of Santa
remains.

Ivlaria

sopra Minerva, where

still

As an em-

bodiment of triumphant
oeauty and grace,
it

Hfe,
full

abounding in manly
of interest
;

is

but the

painful feelings excited

of

by the nudity of the statue

One
its

so sacred have forced the ecclesiastics to

mar

symmetry by the introduction of bronze

drapery.

76

MICHAEL ANGELO.
In December, 15 21, Leo X. died, doubtless but

little

lamented by Angelo, and was succeeded by

Adrian of Utrecht, the former tutor of Charles V.,

who was a

true

bishop, in

that

he preferred to

devote his energies to the purifying of the Church,

rather than to the nurture of art
Hterature.

and a semi-pagan
of
less

During

his

brief pontificate

than two years, Angelo

Julian

devoted himself to the

monument, and

to the construction of the

built

Medici funereal chapel, which was

from
the

of stone

adjacent village
little

of

Fiesole.

Adrian

cared as

for the

Rovere

as for the Medici, to

and had an equal indifference

pations.

Angelo 's occu-

In

15 2 1

Angelo was godfather to the

son of Niccolb Soderini, the nephew of the former

President of the Florentine Repubhc.

During the

next year the

Senate

of

Genoa

desired

him

to

make
of
it.

a statue of

Andrea Doria, but nothing came

:

He
and
for

wrote to Angelini
I

"I have much work

if I

to do,

am

old and unwilling, so that

rest for four."

work

a day I must

CLEMENT

VII.

77

CHAPTER
Florentine

V.

Labors.

Clement VII.

Building Fortifications.
Republic.

Laurentian Library. The Siege of Florence. Fall of tha

In November, 1523, Cardinal Giulio de' Medici was elected Pope, to succeed the deceased and unlamented Adrian VI., and assumed the name

He

of Clement, to foreshadow his concihatory policy. always treated Angelo with distinguished court-

esy and generosity, appreciating his high talents as

well as understanding his faulty temper,

and enjoyand
literati,

ing his works, and those of other

as a Medici should.

artists

He

was so desirous of secur-

ing Angelo's undivided service and obedience, that

he endeavored to have him take holy orders

this

but

proposal was refused, upon which the

Pope

offered
this

him a

salary of fifty ducats a

month, and

he accepted.

The works on

the Medici Chapel

went on apace

after the accession of

Clement VII.
of

The master had much

difficulty with his clerk

works, Stefano, yet he dared not turn

him away

78

MICHAEL ANGELO,
among
Stefano

because both of them had been enrolled

the Piagnoni, or followers of Savonarola.

was, however, a practical architect of great skiU,

and

his master

would not plan the Library

until

he

had consulted with him. Angelo was a great admirer of the three famous
Florentine architects

who had preceded him. Of

They
worthy of being the

Ghiberti's gates to the Baptistery, he said, "

are so beautiful, that they are

gates of Paradise."
statue of St.

Standing before Donatello's

out, "

Mark, he cried

Mark, why don't

you speak
said,

to
St.

me?" and on
Mark looked
^\Titten."

another occasion he
thus,

" If

we may

safely

believe

what he has

When

he was ad-

vised to vary the

lantern

on the Medici Chaple

from that which Brunelleschi had built on the old

sacristy of

San Lorenzo, he remarked, "

It

may be

varied,

but not improved."

less pleasantly,

Of

other artists he

spoke no

saying of Gentile da Fa-

briano that his of his style

;

name corresponded
beyond

with the grace

and of

Cesari's medals, that

this
it

"Art has

reached

its last

hour, for

cannot go."
to

In 1525 the master went to

with the

Rome

discuss

Pope

his plans for the

chapel and the new

the

Laurentian Library, and was

menaced by

Duke

A COLOSSUS.
of Urbino, for having

79

made no

returns for the i6,-

ooo crowns which he had received on account of

the

JuHan monument.

On

his return to Florence,

the

dome

of the chapel was completed, but further

work was delayed by troubles about the supply of

marble.

So much annoyance did

undertaking,
letter,
filled

this cause,

tJ'.nt

he abandoned the
wrote him a long

though

Salviati

with kindly good

sense, begging him, in the Pope's

name, to resume
laughing ene-

the work,

and

to disappoint his

now
to

mies.

The Pope's agent proposed

him

to build

a colossal statue in Florence,

the Medici Palace, and with
Stufa Palace.

sixty feet high, facing

its

back towards the

sculptor rephed
it

The independent

with grim humor,

suggesting that

should

be

erected on the

site

of the barber's shop near the

Medici Palace, and, being hollow, the barber could

hire the lower part for his shop, while the

empty

head would make

belfry for

either a dove-cote or a capital

bells

San Lorenzo, with the sounds of the

issuing

from the mouth of the colossus.

This

Titanic fun disposed of the Pope's scheme forever.

New
tience

plans
;

for the

Library were
at

submitted and

amended

and the Pope showed

once

his

impa-

and

his consideration in the following letter

8o
"

MICHAEL ANGELO.
that Pontiffs

Thou knowest

do not

live long,

and

we cannot too

strongly express our wish to see, or

at least to hear, that the

Chapel with the sepulchres

fin;

of our relatives, and also the Library, should be

ished.

Both of these we recommend

time

to thee

in

the

mean

we

will, as

thou hast already

said,
it

exercise a

good

patience, praying

God
will

to put
;

into thy heart to

make

haste

on both together

and

not to doubt that labors and rewards

ing to thee as long as
blessing of

be want-

we

live.

Now

remain in the

God and

of ourself."

The work on
the
that

the Laurentian Library, adjacent to

Church of San Lorenzo, went on so rapidly

it

was roofed

in in

1525, and was furnished

desired that
ceiling,
it

the next year.

The Pope

should

have a richly-carved wooden

desks and chairs should be
fir-wood.

and

that the

made of walnut and

In April, Angelo sent the design for the

its

doonvay and

motto, which the Pope liked so

well that he said

no man

in

vented so good
seats to

an" inscription.

Rome could have inHe ordered the

be of carved walnut, and " alia cosimesca,

that they resemble the w^orks of the magnifi-

that

is,

cent Cosimo."

The carved

ceiling,

designed by
;

Angelo, was executed by Tasso and Carrota

and

FLORENCE'S REVOLT.
the elaborate flooring, which
still

exists,

was made
feet

by Tribolo.
wide,

The

hall is

135 feet long and 35

and

reflects
its

but

little

honor on

its

builder,

on

account of
Italy

ill-conceived ornamentation.

was

at that

time not

Italy,

but a geographi-

cal collocation

of petty states, filled with dissen-

sions

and

treacheries,

and scourged by

intestine

wars and devastating pestilences.

The

perfidy and

immorality of the princes were reflected in the unspeakable vices and corruptions of the people, and
the sentiments of honor

and freedom seemed extinct.

arisen,

The

Italian spirit

had not yet

and the defirst

based peninsulars sold their

to

fair

land cheaply,

the

French and then

to the

Germans.

The
the

culminating disaster was the sack of

Imperial army, in May, 1527
entines
;

Rome by

and when the

Florlilies

heard thereof, they raised the red

Medici.

of the Republic, and expelled the

The

monks of
narola,

St.

Mark

revived the memories of Savo-

by

their

impassioned preaching, and erected

over the portal of the Municipal Palace a marble

tablet

(which

still

remains) bearing the inscription

VHS,

Rex Regum

et

Dominus

Dominantium.
city,

Famine and
nevertheless,

pestilence

swept through the

in the

and Buonarroto died

arms of

82
his

MICHAEL ANGELO.
lamenting brother Angelo,
all

who never
The

left

him

during

his terrible sickness. for the

;

master's

com-

missions

Medici Pope were thrown into

abeyance

but the Republican

Government

or-

dered him to carve a group of Samson slaying a

Phihstine, as a patriotic symbol.

The model which

preserved in the

he made

for this

work

is

now

South Kensington Museum.

In 1529 the radical party came into power, and

Carducci was elected Gonfaloniere.

But in the

meantime the Pope and the Emperor had formed

an
alliance for the restoration of the Medici,

and

prepared to attack the city with an army undei

the Prince of Orange.

The war-council appointed

and

Angelo as governor and procurator-general of the

fortifications

and defences

of

Florence,

member

of the militia-council.
still

Thus the

sculptor

was pushed by destiny into

another profession,

and was summoned from

supervising
military

his studio to act as a

engineer.

Pie

accepted the

duty imposed, and moreover loaned his

freely to

own who

funds

the menaced RepubHc.

He

secured the
forti-

services of a great
fied the hill of

number of

peasants,

San Miniato under

his directions,

erecting long lines of bastions around that impor-

THE FORTIFICATIONS.
tant height,

83

and demohshing

all

the buildings in the

Hne of the
afterwards

walls.

The works

thus constructed were

highly esteemed by military engineers,

himself-

and were measured and praised by Vauban

Capponi and other leaders opposed the San-Miniato

fortifications,

and they were twice

dism.antled,

but were as often rebuilt by the master.

Angelo
its

was sent to Ferrara by the Government, to study

fortifications,

and was favorably received by the

Duke, who
defences
Florence,

showed and explained

city.

to

him the
to

of the

Being

hastily recalled

he was then sent on an embassy to

After spending

Venice, with three other citizens.

a fortnight in the sea-city, he returned to Florence,

and resumed

his

work on the

forts.

But he soon

saw that Malatesta Baghoni, the captain-general of

the RepubHc, was playing the part of a traitor,

and

furthermore a mysterious warning came that he

himself was about to be assassinated.

Despairing

of the success of his country, he denounced the

conspirators to the Signory,
testa

and showed

thai Tvlala-

had placed

his

artillery outside

of the walls

and unguarded.

But

this

appeal was not effectual,

for Florence,

and the master, hopeless

aced as to
his

and mento

own

life,

asked to be allowed

84
retire

MICHAEL ANGELO.
to France,

where King Francis

to settle, at his court.

I.

had

ear-

nestly invited

him

This percity,

mission was denied, and so he fled from the

with great
difficulty,

and passed

to Venice,

on

his
of-

way
fered

to France.

The Government
salary,

of Venice

him a munificent
;

to establish himfor

self in that city

and he made a design

a new

Rialto Bridge, for the

.

Doge

Gritti.

Angelo's

flight

caused a great sensation in Floredict placing

ence,

and the Signory issued an

him

and

several other fugitives

under the ban of the

Republic, as rebels, yet giving them a week in

which to return and submit to the Government.

He

was, however, comfortably housed

on the Giu-

decca, at Venice, receiving distinguished courtesies

from the

citizens,

and abundantly supphed with

money, since he had carried with him 3,000 golden ducats, sewed into
his clothing.

While fleeing

toward the North, he was courteously received by

the

Duke

of Ferrara,

who showed him through

and
said,

his

great collections of pictures,

"You

are

my
give

prisoner,

and before you leave me you must

you may

me

a promise to do something for me, either

prefer."
It

in painting or in sculpture, as

was probably during

this

period of exile that An-

gelo wrote his passionate sonnets to Dante.

THE

SIEGE.

85
to

In October, Delia Palla,

who was

have accom-

panied Angelo to France, wrote to him that the

enemy was already encamped about Florence, but

the citizens were filled with ardent hopes of ^^"ctory,

and he himself should remain

city.

to

help defend the

At the same time the Government sent a

safe-conduct to Angelo, and begged him to return.

Filled with anguish at the danger
his native land, the

impending over

master hastened from Venice to

first

Lucca, and embraced the

enter Florence.

opportunity to rein

Here he was placed

command
His

of the fortifications, which were already crumbling

under the

bolts of the

German

artillery.

first

care was to repair the bell-tower of San Miniato,

the beautiful old Gothic church which he called his
bride,

whereon two Florentine cannon had been

fire

mounted, whose galling

siegers that they

so

annoyed the be-

had directed a heavy cannonade

it

upon the tower, and injured

seriously.

The

damaged masonry was protected by

which were employed also
fences,

bales of wool,

at other parts of the de-

where the

hostile shot

had broken the

walls.

There were 8,000 regular infantry and 5,000 volunteers

in

the

city;

and the

villas,

palaces,

and

churches for

a mile outside of the walls had been

S6

MICHAEL ANGELO.
and orchards had been

levelled, while the groves

cut
ists

down and made

into fascines.
;

The

Imperial-

occupied Signa and La Lastra

St.

furiously assailed

the bastiiDn of
territory,

George

and overran the Tuscan

where Ferruccio, the Republican general,

successes,

after

several

was defeated and

slain.

Famine and

pestilence appeared in the city, but

the people resolved to die in the streets rather than

surrender.

At

last

Malatesta, the

commander

of

the defences, was convicted of treachery, and

when

an

officer

was sent to depose him, he stabbed him,

at the

and turned the guns

city.

Roman
to

Gate upon the

with

Nought remained but

make peace

the besiegers, and Florence surrendered to the Imperial forces,

under the pledge of amnesty and the

preservation of her liberties.

Throughout the period of resistance Angelo was

one of the foremost on the walls and
cils,

in the couna

and conducted himself with the valor of

veteran and the calm faith of a Piagnone.

His

hours of repose were devoted to the practice of his

profession,

and he

retired

from the roaring batteries

in paint'

to his quiet studio,

where he was engaged

'

ing a picture

of

Leda and the Swan

for the
for

Duke of

Fer-ara.

He

was

also called

upon

A PARDONED REBEL.
other engineering duties,
Pisa,
to.

87

and went

to

Leghorn and

advise about fortifications there,

and

tc

provide dikes against the inundations of the Arno.

His powerful citadel on San Miniato withstood the

utmost fury of the hostile cannonade
;

and

its

de-

fenders were inspired by the superb view from that

lofty site over the city

and the Vale of the Arno.

When

the Imperiahsts occupied Florence, and

its

the Medici resumed

government, the terms of

capitulation were disregarded,

and the Republican

Earnest

leaders were

sought out for execution.

for

quest was

made

Angelo

but he remained
St.

hidden, in the belfry of the Church of

until the fury of the

Nicholas,

storm was over, and the Pope

that

had pubLoly announced

doned.

he should be par-

He

was accused (not only of extraordi-

nary energy in the defence, but also) of having pro-

posed to

level the

Medici Palace, and to have

its

site entitled

" the Place of Mules " (the Medici of

that-day were illegitimate).

Immediately upon issuing from

tne master set to

his hiding-place,

work

quietly

upon the Medici

monuments
his pension.

at

San Lorenzo, and the Pope renewed

At the same time he conciliated the

all-powerful Papal Commissioner, Baccio Valori, hy

88

MICHAEL ANGELO.
for

making

him a

statue of Apollo drawing an arrow

from his quiver.

finished,

This beautiful work, not quite

in
Still

now remains
at

the
the

Italian

National

Museum

Florence.

master did not

return to the Medici cause,

and incurred the hatred

of Alexander of that family, the

new Duke of

Florence, by refusing to take part in the erection

of a

new

fortress to

dominate the

city.

The agent
at the
*

of the

Duke

of Ferrara was displeased

artist,

Leda,'

and had angry words with the

it

who

afterwards gave

to

his

pupil

Mini and
this
ulti-

another Florentine.
picture

In

1532 Mini carried

to Paris,

and a copy thereof

where

it

mately passed into the hands of the King.

the reign of Louis XIII.,
it

During

was destroyed by the

superintendent of the royal palaces, on account of

its

supposed grossness of suggestion.

it is still

Eastlake.

however, says that

preserved, in England.
Goliath, which the

The group of Samson and

so completely

Republic had ordered of Angelo, was never finished,

had the sculptor been engrossed with

military duties.
this

The block

of marble destined for

to Baccio

work was given by the Medici

bitterest

Ban
pre-

dinelU, Angelo's

enemy and most

it

sumptuous

rival,

who executed from

the group of

THE FAMILY.
Hercules overcoming the robber Cacus, which
disfigures the Piazza della Signoria.

89
still

In the

mean time Angelo had secured

The weak
old

the return

of his father to Florence.

man had
Repub-

been appointed
lic,

to hold Castelfranco for the

but had fled to Pisa, on the Imperialists' adfell,

vance, and, after the city

his

corresponded with
thither.

grandson Leonardo about returning

Sigismondo was then Castellan of La Verrucca, on

the Pisan Mountains,

and prevailed upon him

to

wait until the roads were safe.

'

90

MICHAEL ANGELO.

CHAPTER
The Medici
Capitol.

VI.

Chapel.

Paul

III. The Last Judgment.

The

The Famese Palace. The Statue of

Moses.

The

master continued to work night and day on

the statues for the Medici Chapel, until at last his

health began to give way,

and he

suffered greatly

from sleeplessness,
general emaciation.

loss

of appetite, vertigo,

and

These physical troubles were

augmented by the mental agony consequent on

seeing the miseries of his
city.

One day

Strozzi

wrote on Angelo's statue of Night the poetic lines

"

The

Night, which thou dost see in such sweet guise

To sleep, was by an angel [Angelo] hewn From this rock, and though she sleeps she
Arouse
her,
if

lives.

thou believ'st

it

not,

and she

will

speak to

thee."

The
ivords, "

sculptor answered (for the statue) in these

bewaihng the servitude of Florence

Dear
to

me

is

sleep,

and more

to

be of stone

While

injury

and shame endure,

is

To

see not, to feel not,

;

fortunate for

me

So wake me not

alas

speak low."

CLEMENT'S DEVICE.
Once more
cute

91

the Royere princes began to nersefor his

Angelo

abandonment of the Julian

Se-

monument, and Clement VII. consulted with

bastiano
del

Piombo about
fresh

placating

them 'and

allaying the

alarms

of the

sculptor.

The
Rome,

Pope

offered to allow Angelo to

come

to

but Sebastiano advised him to keep quiet and work

earnestly for the

Papal designs, because Clement

-still

now

loved him deeply, " and would be

if

more

pleased

he knew that you were happy, and that

at

your mind was

peace, and that you

that he has for you."

had the
In Nohis

same love

for

him

vember the Pope made an extraordinary use of

spiritual

weapons,

for

Angelo 's

relief in the

Rovere

matter,

by

issuing a brief forbidding the sculptor

to undertake

any work, except

for

Clement
At
of
this

himself,

under pain of excommunication.

time he

had

numerous

commissions,

all

which,
if

and

more, could easily have been executed

ter naci

the mas-

been able to mould and

as

command

such a

corps of assistants
the

Raphael had formed.

all

But

men whom

he had trained were

inadequate,

and could not be trusted out of

his sight, so that

he himself was forced to do nearly every thing with

his

own

hands.

It is

perhaps true that no

men

of

92

MICHAEL ANGELO.
and of genius
live ^vith
fit

distinguished ability,
his

to second

own, could endure to

traits.

a person of

such unamiable
In the

summer of

1533, Angelo petitioned the

Pope

to

have the 1,000 ducats which he had adto the Florentine

vanced

Republic repaid

to him.

Clement ordered the Duke of Florence

to

to refund
in

the artist the

money which he had loaned

order to keep both the

Duke and

the

Pope out of

Florence

and thus the audacity of the sculptor

prelate.

was matched by the magnanimity of the

Clement's
regard for Angelo was
;

mingled with
to tell

a sort of fear withal

and he was accustomed

him, at their interviews, to be seated, and to put

his hat on,

knowing

that

he would do so anyhow.
diffi-

In spite of the threatened anathema, fresh

culties arose

about the Julian monument.

in April,

Angelo

went

to

Rome

1532, and made a new

contract with the heirs of Jlihus, binding himself

to discharge his

debt by designing a

new

sepulchre,

to be decorated with the six statues

which he had

begun, and which he promised to complete in a

Httle

over three years.

" These alone will be of a

world's value, as they will be incomparable," wrote

the exultant

Envoy of Urbino

to his sovereign.

DEATH OF
On
he took with him the

HIS FATHER.

93

his return to the labors of the

Medici Chapel,
"for

monk

Montorsolo,

smoothing

and

polishing

and undercutting, by

which means the Friar learned many things from

that divine

man, observing him

attentively while he

worked."
to

In September, 1533, the master went

al

San Miniato

Tedesco, and met Pope Clement

his

VII.,

who was then on

way

to

France to solem-

nize

tlTe

nuptials of his niece, Catherine de' Medici,

with the King's son.

The Papal

train

was about to

embark

for Marseilles, in the galleys of the

Duke

of Albany, and Sebastiano gave his horse to Angelo,

being unable to carry

it

on shipboard.
villa in

Early in 1534, Angelo's father died at the

Settignano, having reached his ninetieth year.

His

remains were honored by the grieving son with a

costly funeral at Florence
;

and

his

memory was
last act

consecrated in a tender elegiac poem, the

of a long season of self-sacrifice and

filial

love.

Most of the years 1533 and 1534 were devoted

the Medici Chapel, carving the

to

Day and
ducal

Twilight,
statues.

while Montorsolo finished the two

In September of the

latter year,

Angelo went
at the

to

Rome,

just in time to
after

be present

death of

Clement VII.,
the works

which he abode

in

Rome, and

on the chapel and the

library ceased.

94

MICHAEL ANGELO.
The Medici Chapel was
finished in 1534,

and

is

a broad and massive piece of architecture, /eplete with

harmonious simpHcity and dignity.

It

is

quadrangular, with arched recesses in each side,

one of which

is

prolonged into

a chancel, and
altar

decorated with a white marble

labra,

and candeadorned

designed by Angelo.

The

walls are
;

with two series of

Corinthian pilasters

and on

each side of the niches are doors, eight in number,

most of which are merely ornamental.

In 1533

Angelo approved of the designs of Giovanni da

Udine,

who decorated
have

the interior of the

dome
in

with richly-colored arabesques and ornaments

stucco.
All these

since

been removed or

whitewashed, leaving
color.
It

the

chapel

most

poor in
the

contains

the

monuments of

two

Medici Dukes, and an unfinished Madonna, by

Angelo, with other contemporary statues.
side
is

On

one

the

mausoleum of Giuliano

de' Medici,

Duke
cent,

of Nemours, son of Lorenzo the Magnifi-

and brother of Pope Leo

X.,

surmounted by

Angelo's statue of Giuliano, in a sitting posture,

clad in armor, and holding loosely in one hand the

baton of a general, and in the other the golden

coins

of

an*

ItaUan conspirator.

The upturned

THE MEDICI CHAPEL.

countenance
is

95

handsome but

unintelligent,

and

is

of the same type as those of the statues of David

and Adonis, though

heroism.

bereft equally of
statue,

mind and of

Below

this

and over the tomb,

:

are the seated statues of

Day and Night

the ^r-

mer, a gigantic figure, instinct with

resistless

power

and prophetic hope

strained

the

latter,

a female form, congriev-

and uneasy, with an expression of

ous and hopeless suffering.

Opposite Giuliano's
renzo de' Medici, the

monument

is

that

of Lo-

Duke

of Urbino, the grand-

son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and the father of

Catherine de' Medici and of Alexander, the
of Florence.
siero

Duke
Penof

The

Italians call this statue //

is

(the thought), so profoundly

the

air

deep contemplation and mental agony shown by

the attitude.
fantastic
It is clad in

splendid armor, with a

intel-

helmet overshadowing the grave and

lectual features, the chin resting

on one hand, and

says

the

feet

crossed in front.

Heath Wilson

"throughout the whole range of the creations of

art,

of whatever time,

it

would be vain
this does,

to

look

for

a face which expresses, as

such deep
this

and hopeless mental

suffering."

Below

grand
,*

achievement of art are two

sitting statues,

both nude

96

MICHAEL ANGELO.

the one a male figure representing the TwiUght,

the other a female figure representing the

fiill

Dawn,
yet

of the expression of perfect

womanhood,

bearing a face utterly sorrowful and hopeless.

statue of

The

Dawn

has been called the most beautiful

of Angelo's works, and the one which most surely

surpasses the masterpieces of the ancients.

Some

dispute has arisen as to which of these tombs and

statues
is

that of Lorenzo,

and which

that of Giu-

liano, since

even the

artist

himself confessed that

he had not adhered to nature in portraying their

faces.

Many

writers have

advanced many theories as to

allegorical
all

the meaning of

the

statues

in

the

Medici Chapel, and

seem desirous of finding

therein.

some recondite symboHsm

the

One

sees in
for Flor-

Dawn

the opening of a

gloomy day
;

ence, under the despotic Medici the evening of sorrow falling

city;
erty
;

in the Twilight,

upon the devoted

eclipse

in

the

Night,

the

doleful

of

lib-

and

in the

Day, the prophecy of the heroic

future.

freedom of the

But would the man who"

his

had been nurtured from

boyhood

by the

Medici, and had enjoyed from them the richest

patronage of his maturer years, would he, however

MODERN
much
them
in their graves ?

BARBARIANS.

97

a Florentine, be so ignoble as thus to insult

Or,
if

he would, could he.

with a Medici on the Papal throne, supervising and

paying for the work, and another on the throne o^

Florence ?
Neither of the four allegorical statues
ished, but the ducal statues are
parts, thanks
solo.
is

finall

complete in

to the labors of the

monk Montorwas

In the tomb of Lorenzo, his son Alexander

was

also interred, in in 1875,

1536

and

this sepulchre

opened
est

under circumstances of the greatof

the

barbarity.

The remains

two Medici

princes were found, carefully laid out,

embalmed

and robed

but the rabble

the bodies to

of people

who were

present pulled

fragments, carrying

off pieces of the garments,

and even small bones

as

mementos,

after

which the desecrated remains

were flung back in a confused heap.

Late in 1534 the
Farnese,
retain
letters

new Pope, Paul IIL (Alexander

since he

one of Borgia's Cardinals) proposed to

at

Angelo

Kome,

was a lover of
sculptor's

and

art,

and admired the great

works.

The Pope and

and the Julian

ten of his cardinals visited

^

the studio, to see the designs for

The

Last Judg-

ment

'

statues

and the Cardinal of

98

MICHAEL ANGELO.
that the
statue

Mantua exclaimed
enough
to

of Moses was
Julius.

do

all

honor to the memory of

In September, 1535, Angelo was appointed Chief

Architect, Sculptor

and Painter of the Apostolic

of the

Palace, with

all

the honors and privileges

Papal Court, and a salary of 1,200 golden crowns a year.

Half of

this

sum was

to

be derived from

a ferry over the River Po, which was granted to

him
less

for

life,

but afterwards became almost valuerival

it

by the establishment of a
of Urbino, whose interest

ferry.

The

Duke

was

to

keep the

favor of the Pope, ceased to urge Angelo to carry

out even his

last
trifle

and most easy

contract.

It

was

dangerous to

with the interests of a potentate

who had

just laid all

its

England under

interdict,
.

and

excommunicated
this

king (Henry VIII.)

During

year died the generous and handsome Car-

dinal Ippohto de' Medici,

friend

who had been a

The
latter

firm

of

Titian

and Angelo.

once

admired

his magnificent
it

Turkish horse, and soon

afterwards

was sent to the studio as a present,

attended by ten mules laden with provender.

The execution

of the immense fresco

of 'The

Last Judgment,' covering one end of the Sistine

Chapel, had been devolved upon Angelo by Pope

THE LAST JUDGMENT

Clement VII.,
in

99
it

1534, but probably

was not
the

begun

until early in

1535.

The master had

wall lined with carefully-selected bricks,

it

and made
from
pre-

lean forward at the top, to prevent dust

resting

on the
it

picture.

Sebastiano del
in oil; but

Piombo

pared

for painting

Angelo ordered

the cement scraped

off,

observing that oil-painting

was

fit

only for

fresco

was the method

women and rich amateurs, but for men and artists. The
Fall

opposite wall of the Chapel was to have been cov-

ered with a fresco representing the

of the

Rebel Angels,

for

which Angelo made designs.

already been portrayed
Signorelli,

The Last Judgment had

others, with gravity

by Giotto, Orcagna, Fra Angelico,

and

and dignity

in the

main

actions,

and ludicrous
terrors of hell.

inanities in the representation of the

The marvellous mystery

alluded to

in Revelation xx. 11-15,

was the theme of those

masters,

and now challenged and defeated even

Vasari says that the master's great

Angelo 's pencil.

admiration for Luca SignorelU's picture of the same

scene, at Orvieto, " led

him

to courteously

make

use of
&c.,

some

parts of

it,

such as angels, demons,

Signorelli's

and even

to imitate

manner,

as

anybody may see."

While engaged on

this work.

lOO

MICHAEL ANGELO.
life,

he used to paint a nude figure, larger than

in

two days

and he could have executed the

he needed such long
six years

entire
per.-

work

in a year, but that

ods of repose that over

were consumed
until
late
in

upon
1541.

it,

and

it

was not completed

Towards the end of 1537 the fame of the new

fresco going

on

in the Sistine

Chapel had spread

inti-

widely over Italy, and Pietro Aretino, Titian's

mate

friend,

wrote a long and sycophantic

letter to

the master, asking for a picture from his hand,

and

promising to pay for

it

by " heralding

his genius."

Angelo's answer shows at once his

scorn of the

venal parasite, and his fear of arousing his merciless satire.

When
from
seriously.

the painting was nearly done, Angelo

fell

his scaffold, while at work,

and injured

his leg

He

was carried home, but with

his

usual eccentricity refused to allow any one to give

him

assistance, until the surgeon Rontini, his friend,

forced a

way

in,

and remained

until the artist

had

recovered.

During one of
Chapel,
the

his frequent visits to the Sistine

Pope was

attended

by Biagio

da

Cesena, his master of ceremonies,

whom

he asked

THE ARTIST'S REVENGE.

for his

lOl

opinion on the

new

fresco.

Biagio bluntly
to

answered that so many naked figures seemed

him very immodest, and

and
stables than
for a

rather

fit

for

bath-rooms
artist

chapel.

The angry

took his revenge by painting a portrait of Biagio in

the fresco, ^vith asses* ears, acting as Minos, the

master of ceremonies in

hell.

The

injured official

begged the Pope

to

have justice done, but Paul

replied, " If the painter

tory, I

had placed thee

effort to
hell, it

in purga;

should have used every

help thee
is

but since he has put thee in

useless to

have recourse to me, because ex infernis nulla est

redemption

Nevertheless, Biagio was

right,

and

the impropriety of using the great

theme of the

Dies Irce as an opportunity

his rare

for a painter to

show

dexterity in depicting the

naked human

form was recognized by subsequent Popes;

and

Paul IV., after resolving to destroy the fresco, com-

promised by having the nude

Daniele da Volterra,

figures

draped by

who

thereafter bore the nick-

name
figures

of "the breeches-maker."

There are 314

and heads represented

calls

in this vast fresco

which Lanzi

" a profusion of nudity," and

Hawthorne saw as " a sprawl of nakedness."

The composition

of the fresco

is

marvellously

I02
clear,

MICHAEL ANGELO.
by reason of
its
;

skilful

arrangement of fom

well-balanced

groups
is

and the drawing of most

Twenty-two

of the figures

unsurpassably fine.

years had elapsed since Angelo painted the vault-

ing of the Chapel, and he was sixty-six years old

when

the Last

Judgment was

finished

but the

latter

shows a great increase of power and

facility,

rather

than a decadence, although he had done no frescopainting in the

self-confidence,

mean
and

time.

He now

had greater

his cartoons

were hardly more

than outlines.
order, broad

The
and

coloring was of the

monumental
and marked

carefully modelled,

by a
poetic

realistic

chiaroscuro very different from the

simplicity

of the

elder

artists.

Yet two
simi-

noticeable faults are seen, in

larity

the monotonous

of the figures, and their appearance of the

;

same age

while other indications show that he

drew them without models, and hence without the

variety of humanity.

In the upper arches of the wall are two garlandlike

groups of angels, bearing the Cross and the

Flagellation.

column of the
the

Below these

is

Christ,

Rhadamanthine Judge, nearly nude, with the

and the muscles of a
gladiator, half-

face of Apollo
rising to

pronounce the dread sentence, while

He

THE LAST JUDGMENT.

points to the

103

wound

in

His

side.

About

many renowned

saints,

the

Him
;

are

Madonna,

gazing

mildly at the blessed and redeemed souls

Adam
and a

and Eve, curiously regarding, the Judge

group of pleading Apostles, bearing their emblems.

7]iese are surrounded

by a

vast throng of saints

all

and

martyrs, safe in

Heaven,

of

whom

exempli-

fy the saying that

"Michael Angelo nowhere admits,

or Hell, any but the physically

either into

Heaven

powerful."

Below the Judge are four angels blow-

ing trumpets towards the four quarters of the universe,

and four others holding the books by which

the dead are to be judged.

Under

these the land

and sea

are giving

up

their dead.

On

the right
angels,
left

the blessed are caught upward, aided

by

but with expressionless faces

lost souls
pit,

and on the

the

are being precipitated into the horrible

with exulting

demons dragging them

to their

doom.
picture

In

tnis laat section the real

power of the

appears, in

the

utter terror

and undying

woe imprinted on

the faces of the

damned, min-

gled with intense agony and unavailing rage.

Wliatever

may have been

work of
art the

its

defects in

other

respects, ds a

Last Judgment was

art-

one of the grandest pioductions of the famous

I04
century.

MICHAEL ANGELO.
But the vivid blue of the sky, the lurid

flames of the Inferno, the varied glow of light and

dark

flesh-tints,

have long since faded into a uni-

form dinginess, obscured by the smoke of candles

and

censers,

overlaid

with

dust

and cobwebs,

daubed here and there by journeymen-restorers,

and battered by the ladders of church-decorators.
Iii

September, 1539, the patient

Duke

of Urbino the Last

wrote to Angelo, begging him that

when

Judgment should be
his

finished,

he would remember

duty to Pope Julius IL, and complete the long-

delayed monument.
gard
for

The master showed

for

his re-

Urbino by designing

him a

great salt-

cellar,

which was executed

in silver-gilt.

The
tol

architectural splendors of the

Roman

Capi-

were now about to be revived by a society of

patriotic citizens,

and Angelo was chosen

to design

the work.

He
for

formed the plan of the Piazza del

it

Campidoglio, as

now

stands, although

it

was not

completed

many

years.

The

equestrian statue

of Marcus Aurelius was brought hither, to serve as

a central figure, and the fagades of the Palaces of
the

Museum and

of the Conservatori were rebuilt

of Angelo,

in the

new manner

with

Corinthian

pilasters

superimposed on massive

piers,

and

sue-

THE PAULINE CHAPEL.

cessive
stories

05

of semi-templar architecture.

He

also planned the stairways to the Convent of the

AracoeH, on the highest part of the

hill,

where the
j

temDle of Jupiter CapitoHnus formerly stood

and

the stairways to the Palace of the Senator were

executed under

his care, as

an architectural back-

ground to the statue of AureHus.

In 1542 the famous architect Sangallo finished
the Pauline Chapel, in the Vatican
III., after
;

and Pope Paul

whom
far

it

was named, desired Angelo to

But the
artist felt that

adorn

it

with frescos.

he

was already
tended to
be about

gone

in years,

and

that if he ever in-

finish the Julian

it,

monument he must now

The Pope once more

wherefore he earnestly opposed this

new

diversion of his time.

appealed to the

Duke

of Urbino, and that courte-

ous prince wrote to the master, telhng him that he

would be

satisfied if

he should place on the monu-

ment the

tliree statues

which he had

finished,

and

supervise the execution of the other three by " any

-good and praiseworthy master."

Angelo commenced
Chapel
late in 1542, the

his

work

in

the

Pauline

year in which the Council

it

of Trent began,

and continued

throughout 1543
building a

without remission.

The Pope was now

I06

MICHAEL ANGELO.

magnificent palace for his family (Famese), with

Sangallo as the architect
;

and requested Angelo's

its

opinion as to the design for

cornice.

He

sub-

mitted a harsh report, upbraiding the inconsistencies

of

Sangallo's

plan,

and

quoting

Vitruvius
stair-

against him.

He

was called upon to build a

way

at the

Belvedere Palace, and also to restore

the ancient Bridge of Santa Maria, both of which

tasks

were successfully accomplished.

In June, 1544, the master was attacked by a

serious illness,

and

his friends

had him removed

to

the Strozzi Palace, where he was carefully tended

by

his dear

companion, Luigi del Riccio, and

fre-

quently visited by the eminent

men

of

Rome.

He
of

caused Luigi to send a message to the King of

France, begging him to
restore the liberties

Florence, and promising therefor to erect a bronze

equestrian
the Piazza
statue

of His Majesty, free of cost, in

Signoria.

della

Leonardo Buonarroti
to attend his sick uncle,

came down from Florence

Dut the old

man would

not receive him, saying that

estate.

he had come only to secure his

His home
were have

had been an unpleasant one, and

sordid and rapacious,

his relatives

wherefore he would

none of them

in his hours of extremity.

THE SEPULCHRE.
After

07

many

troubles, attested

now by

his pas-

sionate letters, the master succeeded in finishing

the Julian
forty

monument,

in

the year 1545,

and

aftei

years of bitter annoyance " the tragedy

of

the sepulchre "

came

to

an end.

The monument
ir.

now

stands in the lonely

Church of San Pietro

titular

Vincoli, of
dinal,

which Julius had been the

is

Car-

and

adorned by seven

statues, besides
details.

several terminal figures

and other

On

the

upper part

is

a recumbent figure of Juhus, wretch-

edly executed by

Maso

del

Bosco

and a pleasing

group of the Madonna and Child, blocked out by

Angelo, and finished by Montelupo.
are

At the sides

the

inferior statues

of the

Prophet and the

far for-

Sibyl,

which Angelo designed and carried

ward, and Montelupo completed.

are the statues of Moses, Rachel,
all

On the lower stage

and Leah, nearly

parts of

which were finished by the great master

is

himself.

Rachel

kneehng, with her eyes and

prayer,

hands uplifted as
Contemplative

if in
;

and represents the

Life

and Leah, with her mirror

Lite.
fol-

and ^vreatn of
In these

flowers, personifies the Active

figures, larger

than hfe-size, Angelo

far
ofi".

lowed the inspiration of Dante, but very

The

statue of Moses, the friend of

God, redeems

io8
all
its

MICHAEL ANGELO.
monument, n
great lavvgivei

the defects of other parts of the

I

are

power and grandeur.

The
is

is

shown

in a sitting posture, but

starting forward

under the influence of strong and sudden emotion,

clutching his long beard with one hand, and gazing

with a look of mingled indignation and contempt.

Near the top of

representation
tion of a

his

forehead two horns project, a

arising

from an erroneous

transla-

Hebrew word,

so that the Vulgate Bible

renders Exodus xxxiv. 29, "

face

was horned," instead

He knew not that his of " He wist not that

The drapery
is

the skin of his face shone."

fin-

ished with great

skill,

and shows the strong and

graceful outlines of the

that after the

body beneath.
finished,

Vasari says

Moses was
it

crowds of Jews
it

came

to see

every Saturday,

adoring

as

divine work.

When

the

Pope determined

to fortify the

Leo-

nine City, the part of

Rome

in

which the Vatican

artillerists

stands, he appointed a

commission of

and engineers
others
as

to

plan the work, with Angelo and

consulting architects.

The master had

be made

sharp words with Sangallo, even in the Papal presence,

and forced important changes

to

in

the defences.

TITIAN'S VISIT.
In

109
for

1545

Titian

dwelt

in

Rome

several
;

months, painting portraits of the Famese princes

and Angelo

visited

him

in a friendly

manner, and

commended
ing also, "

his coloring,

but not his drawing, say-

He

has an exquisite perception, and a

delightful spirit

and manner."
fell

Early in 1546 the master

so

ill

that

it

was

widely reported that he was dead, and Leonardo

Buonarroti hastened to
him.
gifts

Rome

once more to see

But he quickly recovered, and sent large

of

money

to his family in Florence.

He

was

soon able to attend the meetings of the

tions commission,
gallo,

fortifica-

where he steadily opposed Sanplans

and
this

offered

of

his

own
I.

devising.

About

time, also.

King Francis

of France

sent Primaticcio to secure for

him a specimen of
artist
~

Angelo 's work

even
in
at his

and the

gratified

promised,

great age, to prepare for

him a work
painting.
if it

marble,

another

in

bronze,

and a

" Should death interrupt this desire, then,

be

poszible to sculpture or paint in the other world, I

shall

not

fail

to

do

so,

where no one becomes old."

During

this

year he lost his income from the ferry

on the River Po, and declined the chancellorship

of Rimini, which the Pope offered him as a com-

tlO
pensation.

MICHAEL ANGELO.
The roof
by
of the Pauline Chapel was

partly destroyed

fire,

about

this time,

and the

inchoate frescos were

menaced with

destruction.
classic

The master next added a magnificent

cornice to the

Famese

Palace, a part of his original

design having been executed in

wood and put up

it, it

on the facade, and when the Pope approved

was duplicated in stone.

The upper

story of this

most sumptuous palace was constructed by the

master;

and the plan of

its

admirable arcaded
that of the Theatre

court was adapted by

him from

of Marcellus (whence, and from the Coliseum, the

stone for the palace was taken).

He

also

made

the plans for a bridge over the Tiber, to connect the

Famese Palace with

the Villa Famesina.

There are several

fine palaces in Florence, Pisa,

cities,

Bologna, and other North-Italian

which

it

is

claimed were built from Angelo's designs.

ous fountains,
cloisters,

Numer-

and

statues, in those cities

;

are referred to the

same

origin

and the claims

are

probably justifiable in some cases.

VITTORIA COLONNA,

III

CHAPTER
VTttoria Colonna.

VII.

Angelo's

Poetry.

Leonardo

Buonarroti.

Pupils and Friends.

Mode of

Work.

Into these
great AngelO; a

late years

of the lonely

life

of the

new element

of joy and elevation

entered, in

the

noble friendship of Vittoria Co-

lonna.
tle

She was

bom

in

1490

at the

Colonna

cas-

of Marino, and was the daughter of Fabrizio

Colonna and Agnes of Montefeltro.

When

five

years old she was betrothed to Ferrante, the son of

the Marquis of Pescara,

whoQi she married

in her

nineteenth year

and

lived thereafter in great hap-

piness, he being a

handsome and courteous

in letters

noble,

famous in war as well as

and

art.

Their

palace in the island of Ischia was the resort of the

great scholars

and captains of

Italy for years, until

the fatal ambition of Ferrante led

his country for the vain

him

to betray

bauble of the crown of

Naples

and amid

his

schemes and campaigns, he

at the battle of Pavia, in
for the
loss

died, of

wounds received
Vittoria

1525.

was inconsolable

of

112
her
brilliant

MICHAEL ANGELO.
and
gifted husband,

and desired

to

enter a nunnery; but the

retired for rest to the

Pope forbade, and she

convent of San
Sil-

Roman

vestro in
family,

Capite,

a dependency of the Colonna

annexed

to their palace-garden.

There she

remained for years, " to weep, to pray, to study, to

write,

and

to stretch out her

hands with benefits

for her kind," until her

mind became once more

to the society of her rank.

serene,

and she returned

all

Nearer than

others was the venerable painter of

the Sistine Chapel, into

whose stormy and unhappy

career she brought an unwonted peace and brightness.

He

first

met her

at

some time between 1532

for

and 1536, and enjoyed her deep attachment

fifteen years.

Angelo designed two or three pictures

toria,

for Vit-

of one of

which she wrote

"I

had the

greatest faith in

God,

that

He

would give you a

;

supernatural grace to paint this Christ

it,

then

saw

so wonderful that

it

surpassed in every

way my

expectations.
cles, I

Being emboldened by your mira-

desired that which I

that
is,

now

see marvellously

fulfilled,

that

it

should stand in every part

in the highest perfection,

and

that

one could not

desire

more nor reach forward

to desire so

much

VITTORIA'S PORTRAIT.

113

And

I tell

you that

it

gave

me

joy that the angel

;

on the

right

hand

is

so beautiful

for the

Archangel

Michael
right

will

place you, Michael Angelo,

at

on the

hand of the Lord

I

the

Judgment-Day.

And meanwhile

know not how

to serve

you othyou

erwise than to pray to this sweet Christ,

Whom

have so well and perfectly painted, and to entreat

you

to

command me
all."

as altogether yours in all

also

and
of

through
Vittoria,

Angelo

drew the

portrait

which Marcello Venusti painted, showing

stately figure
veil,

tall

and

in black velvet, with a

face,

white widow's
filled

and a noble but weary

with deep repose.

1

In

54 1

the

cause of the reformation of the

;

Church from within appeared hopeless

triumvirate

and the
Colonna,

of saintly

women,

Vittoria

Renee of

Ferrara,

and Margaret of Navarre, though

aided by the English Cardinal Pole and the Venetian Cardinal Contarini, lost heart

amid the general

demoralization of the clergy.

bo, accompanied by Vittoria

Pole retired to Viter-

and her

friends

and
at

Contarini died of

grief

and disappointment,
still

Bologna.

But Vittoria was

and ever a Colonna, and

for

and endured the new

titude.

reverses with dignity

IT4

MICHAEL ANGELO.

She gave to Angelo a vellum book, containing

103 of her sonnets, and afterwards sent to him the

40 new ones which she composed

of Viterbo.

at the

convent

He

probably returned the favor by

sending to her, with

whom

he was in continual cor-

respondence, the verses which he himself

posed.

com-

In 1542 she wrote from Viterbo, saying:

:

" Magnificent Master, Michael Angelo

have not

answered your

letter before, thinking that if

Avrite
it

you

and

continue to
courtesy,

according to

my

obligation
I leave

and your
St.

will

be necessary that

Catherine's Chapel, without finding myself with

the Sisters at the appointed hours, and that you

must abandon the Pauline Chapel, and not keep

yourself
all

the day long in sweet colloquy with

your paintings,
Christ,

...
soul,

so that I from the brides of

shall fall

and you from His Vicar,

pure

away."

Thus
all

this

yearning to sever

itself

from

earthly ties,

and

to prepare itself for

Heaven,

took measures to break off the congenial corre-

spondence which
affairs

still

sometimes recalled

it

to the

of time.
last

During the

years of Vittoria's
frequently

life,

she re-

mained

in

Rome, and

called

upon
the

\ngelo where he was at work, while

many were

CATHOLIC REFORM.
visits

115

which he made

at

her house.

They seldom
and

spoke of love, but rather of

of
art, in

religion, of poes}',

the absorbing pursuit of lofty and divine

thoughts.

Among

the

members of

the circle 01

which Vittoria was the chief ornament were Cardinals Sadoleto, Pole,

and Morone, with

whom

she

doubtless spoke

much

of the reforming doctrines

then advancing in the Church.

She was de'^ply

in-

fluenced by the earnest preaching and holy hfe of

Fra Bernardino of Siena (Fra Ochino), and

said,

"May

it

please
!

God

to let

him persevere

in his

good work

" but after he

had become a

Protestant,

she sadly rejected his teachings, and wrote to Pope

Marcellus that Ochino was " out of the Ark which

saves and protects."

Like his
in the

spiritual

and

saintly lady,

Angelo shared

wide-spread hope that a reformation was

about to occur within the Church, and transferred

to

Ochino the same earnest support which he had

But when the Pope

formerly given to Savonarola.

drove out the purifying innovators with the sword

of the Inquisition, he remained in the Church, as
Vittoria also did, although
filled

some of

his sonnets are

with a
at

spirit

of pure religion such as was not

in his day.

common

Rome

Ii6

MICHAEL ANGELO.
for the

Angelo was indeed ready

upward movefelt

ment of the Church,

for

which he

the

deep

need, in view of the degradation of the clergy.

When
that
it

he heard that Sebastiano was about to paint

the figure of a

monk

in

a certain chapel, he said

"

would ruin the chapel.

:

The monks have

corrupted the whole world

fore, is sufficient to spoil

a single one, there-

a small chapel."

He

was
laity

quick to detect and resent hypocrisy in the

also,

an amusing instance of which he shows

in a

letter to his

nephew

" To-day I have had a letter

from the weaver's

to provide a wife

wife,

who

says that she \\ished

. . .

for thee.

She has written

me

a long Bible with a small sermon, advising

me

to live righteously

and

to give alms

and she says

that she has inspired thee to live like a Christian,

and

that she
I

was moved by

God

to give thee that

damsel.

should say that she would be better

occupied in spinning and weaving than in disposing of so

much

sanctimoniousness."

In the winter of 1544-5 Vittoria retired to the

Benedictine nunnery of
St.

Anna, the Colonna

palaces having been confiscated by the Pope,

there

and

remained in peace, composing poems

filled

m\ki sweet

and

saintly thoughts,

and devout prayers

VITTORIA'S DEATH.
in the

W]

Latin tongue.
illness,

Early in 1547 she was stricken

with a mortal

and was removed

to the palace

of her noble kinswoman, Giulia (Colonna) Cesarini,

where
friends.

she

soon

died,

surrounded

by

grieving

Angelo wTote four sonnets

his

to her

memory,

into

which he poured

whole

soul, with all the

earnestness

and

vitality,

ingenuity and quaintness,

which characterized the poems addressed to her

while yet living.

Condivi, Angelo's pupil, says

the Marchioness of Pescara, of

"

He

deeply loved
spirit

whose divine

he was enamoured, while she tenderly loved him

return
filled
;

in

and of

whom

he

still

holds

many

letters,

with honest and most sweet love, such as

should issue from such a heart, he himself having

written to her

many

sonnets replete with talent and

she

sweet longing.

Many times

moved from Viterbo

for recreation,

and other

places,

where she went

and

to

spend the summers, and came

to see

to

Rome,

for

no other reason than

Michael Angelo.
I

And
much

he bore such a love to her, that

remember

to have

heard him
as that

say, that

he grieved

at

nothing so

when he went

to see her pass

from

this life,

he had not kissed her brow or her

her hand.
After her

face, as

he kissed

death he frequently stood

Ii8

MICHAEL ANGELO,
if insensible.
j

trembling and as
Iieard

...

have often

him speak about love

and others who have

bear

listened to

him on

this subject will

me

out in

saying that the only love of which he spoke was

that kind

which

is

spoken of

in Plato's works.

For

my

part, I
I,

do not know what

lived with

Plato says, but one

thing

who have
can

him so long and so

have never heard any

intimately,

assert, that I

but the purest words issue from his mouth."

priest

one day asked him why he had never married,

I

and he answered, "

for

have a wife who

is

too

much

me

already;

one who unceasingly persecutes

;

me.

It is

my

art

and

my

works are

my

children."

Angelo wrote verses even from

his youth,

when

he was under the influence of the poets of the

Medici household
this

but his most

fruitful

period in

regard was that of his later years,

when he
His

enjoyed the friendship of Vittoria Colonna.

rare originality

and

loftiness of

mind, as reflected in

these sonnets,

and the

crystallizations of his religious

and

patriotic aspirations therein preserved,

can only

be alluded to here.

Giannotti praised the

Dan

tesque form of Angelo's poems, Berni called them

a mine of Platonic philosophy, and Varchi reviewed

them before the Florentine Academy.

Several of

ANGELO'S POETRY.
the madrigals were set to music

II9
Italian

by eminent

composers.

In 1623 the collected poems were

published by Angelo's namesake and grand-nephew

and

in

1863 a
with

fuller

edition was

published by

Guasti,

essays

by

Guiducci

and

Varchi.

Wordsworth, Coleridge, Symonds, Longfellow, and

Norton have translated many of them, with great

care and success.

Wordsworth
most

said that Angelo's

poems
met

are "the

difficult to

construe I ever

with, but just

what you would expect from such

his

a man, showing abundantly how conversant

soul was with great things."

Although Angelo's poetry

is

more

in the

manner

of Petrarch, his works of art suggest the profound

influence

of Dante.

His^copy of Dante
commentaries
;

w^as a

large folio, with Landino's

its

and on

broad

margins
of
the

he

made many pen-and-ink

text.

sketches

themes suggested by the

lost

This priceless book was afterwards

wreck.

by

ship-

Condivi says that his master knew the

Divina

Commedia by
all

heart,

and he

also

committed

to meiiiui_y nearly

of Petrarch's sonnets.

Angelo's power as a poet can best b illustrated

by two of
die
first

his sonnets, in

Wordsworth's

translations,
:

to Christ, the

second to Dante

: ; ;

MICHAEL ANGELO.
'

Eternal Lord

eased of a cumbrous load,

I

And

loosened from the world,

turn to

Thee
flee

Shun, like a shattered bark, the storm, and

To Thy

protection for a safe abode.

of thorns,

The crown The meek,

hands pierced upon the

tree,

benign, and lacerated face.

To To

a sincere repentance promise grace.

the sad soul give hope of pardon free.
justice

With

mark not Thou,

it

Light divine,

My fault,
Wash
More

nor hear

with

Thy

sacred ear
severe

Neither put forth that way

with

Thy hand
;

Thy blood my

sins

thereto incline

readily, the

more my years require

entire

Help and forgiveness speedy and

"

"

How
Are

shall

we speak
blame

of him, for our blind eye*

I

all

unequal to his dazzling rays

it is

Easier

to

liis

enemies

Than

for the tongue to tell his highest pra se.

of

For us did he explore the realms

woe

And
Her

at his

coming did high heaven expand

lofty gates, to

whom
thine

his native land

Refused to open hers.

Ungrateful
city, in

Yet

shalt thou
despite,

know,

own

That thou hast

foster'd best thy Dante's

fame
brightj

For virtue w^hen oppressed appears more

And

brighter therefore shall his glory be.

all

Suffering of

mankind most wrongfully.

Since in the world there lives no greater name.**

LEONARDO BUONARROTI.
During these
later years

121

the master kept

up

"onstant correspondence with Leonardo, his favorlie

nephew, who frequently sent him presents of

rich Trebbian wine, cheeses, fruits,

cies.
art,

and other

delicain

He

tells

but Httle concerning his works

but speaks frequently of the infirmities of age,

his maladies,

and of

and

directs the

disposal of
for

considerable
charities.

sums of money which he sent

not only gave

He

much
in

wise counsel to

his

nephew, but also aided him

more material

ways, yet he refused to allow him to throw away

money by coming
his

to

Rome.

Leonardo had been

agent in purchasing several estates near Flor-

ence, and he afterwards asked liim to buy for him

a house in the
Buonarroti.

city,

in the

home-quarter of the
properties

The suburban

thus

ac-

quired
in

the Capiteto
;

farm, in 1506;
;

La Loggia,

1512

Fitto, in

1519

and various other Tuscan

to benefit

estates

were

for the

most part allowed

his family, to

whom

their rentals passed.

His deep
inanifested,

interest in

Leonardo Buonarroti was

now by

the most endearing language,

and now by

fiery denunciations.

He

was greatly

interested in selecting a wife for the

young man,

by

whom

the family

name and

property might be

122
transmitted.
to thee
girls

MICHAEL ANGELO.
Thus he advised
wife,
:

" Leonardo, I wrote

told thee of three
to

about taking a

and

which have here been mentioned

me.

do not know any of them, and cannot say

evil

either

good or

of them, nor advise you about one

other.
. .

more than the

give you
.world.

Giovan Francesco might

is

good advice

he
to

old,

and knows the

Remember me
that the

him.
is

Above

all,

seek

the

counsel of God, for

it

a great step.

Re-

member

husband should be

at least ten

years older than the wife,

and
:

that she

should be
sent

healthy."

Again he wrote
last

" Leonardo, I
girls,
.

thee in

my

a note of marriageable
Florence.

which

had been sent me from

Thou
thou

needest a wife to associate with, and

canst rule, and

whom

who

will

not care about pomps, and

It

run about every day to parties and marriages.

is

easy for a

woman
is it

to

go wrong who does these

things.

Nor

to

be said by any one, that thou

wishest to ennoble thyself

well

by marriage

for

it

is

known

that

we

are as ancient

and noble

citi-

zens of Florence as those

of any other house.

that he

Recommend
At
last,

thyself to

God,

may

aid thee."
to his un-

in

1553, Leonardo acceded

cle's wishes,

and married Cassandra

Ridolfi,

upon

CASA BUONARROTI.

123

whom Angelo
also

settled
rings.

1,500 ducats, sending her

two precious

Henceforward
the

it

was the

old man's delight to write to

young couple,
and prag-

exulting in the birth of their children,

matically

dictating

the

names of

the

new-bom
to

Buonarroti.

The

fair

Cassandra also returned

gifts.

him messages of love and kindly

Angelo had a great

taste for genealogical studies,

and an overweening pride of

self to

family,

beheving him-

be descended from the Counts of Canossa.

He

narrated to Leonardo his researches as to the

history of the Buonarroti,

and

said,

"Some day
Florence."

when

have time

I shall

inform you of our origin,

to

and whence and when we came

Again he wrote
*
:

" Tell the priest not to address

I
:

Michael Angelo, Sculptor,' for

am known
if

only

as

Michael Angelo Buonarroti

to

a Florentine
for

citizen wishes
altar, let

have a picture painted

an

him

find a painter, for I never was painter

nor sculptor, as those who make merchandise of

it."

The house which Leonardo

uncle's order,
is

finally built, at

his

on the Via

Ghibellina, near Santa

Croce, and

now

belongs to the city of Florence,

a

being the seat

of,

museum

of designs and cast?

124

MICHAEL ANGELO.

by the great master, pictures and busts of the

Buonarroti family, ideaUzed pictures of scenes in Angelo's Hfe, and other priceless mementos. a large
It is

and

substantial house, with antique

and

inconvenient rooms.
Angelo's abode at

Rome

was near the Forum of

Trajan, in the valley between the Capitoline and

Quirinal Hills, and has since been destroyed.

It

consisted of a group of houses,

the

among which were

dwellings
for

residence-building,

the

studio,

the assistants, a stable,

and a tower.

The

estate

also included a small garden,

laurel-trees.

abounding

in shady

For many years Francesco d'Urbino

his

was the major-domo, and dwelt there with

family;

and there was

also

a maid-servant, the

daughter of a neighbor.

Among

the artists

who

felt

Angelo's influence and

direction, besides Vasari,

Condivi, Urbano, Mini,

della Porta,

and Sebastiano, was Guglielmo

who
Seal,

succeeded Sebastiano as Keeper of the Papal

by Angelo's
the

intercession.
at

He

was associated with

master

the Farnese Palace,

and

in other

works of architecture

and

sculpture.

Another emi-

nent coadjutor at the Farnese was Vignola, who

succeeded Angelo as Architect of

St.

Peter's

and

of

*ANGELO'S HELPERS.
the Capitol,
plans.

125

and

built the

Porta del Popolo from his

Ammanati

also derived

from personal con-

tact with the

master

much

of that boldness of conto

ception which enabled

statues of

him

erect the

colossal

Neptune and Hercules,

at Florence

and

Fadua, and the gigantic statue of Mount Apennine,

60

feet high, at

Pratohno.

Tribolo, the designer

of the

Boboh Gardens, was another of those who

were illuminated by Angelo's genius, having been

his assistant in the

Medicean Chapel. Marco da Pino of Siena held the position of a friend and
confidant,

and subsequently adorned the Kingdom

of Naples, with both paintings and architecture.

Berruguete,
Palace,

the

Spaniard,

who

built

the

Alcala

and executed other great works

in his

own

country, studied under the care of Angelo.

Alessi,

the constructor of the fortress of Perugia,

and the

of the superb palaces of Genoa, was connected with the same great master in his
early
life.

designer of

many

Calcagni, a

young Florentine
last

architect,

dwelt with Angelo during his

decade, and drew

many

clans under his direction.

Daniele da Volterra was one of Angelo's warmest

friends,

and received the most material

officially

assistance

from him, both

and

socially.

The

mastei

T26

MICHAEL ANGELO.
from which he painted
his

furnished the design

most famous work, 'The Deposition from the

in the

Cioss,'

Church of

SS. Trinita de' Monti.

artist,

Marcello Venusti was a young Mantuan

who came under Angelo's patronage

painted

at

Rome, and
designs,

many

pictures

from

his

grand

enhghtening them with a deUcate and exquisitelyfinished coloring.

Among

these joint works,

now

of inestimable value, were the small copy of the

Last Judgment, the portrait of Vittoria Colonna,
the Christ

on the Mount of

Olives,

and a noble and

innocent Holy Family.

tures

Venusti also painted pic-

from several of the designs which Angelo

for Cavaheri,

drew

notably an Annunciation, now

member
of one of the

in the Lateran sacristy.

Tommaso
old

de' Cavalieri, a

Roman

famiUes,

and a man of amiable mind

and charming manners, became one of Angelo's most

beloved and intimate friends, and was addressed by
him, as early as 1545, in impassioned and eulogistic
letters.

He

gave him several sketches and car-

toons, since he
his portrait.

was an amateur

artist,

and

also

drew

Cavaheri was present at the death-bed

of his aged friend,

many

years later.

Another dear

friend was Luigi del Riccio, the intendant of the

ANATOMICAL STUDIES.
Strozzi Palace,
advisers.

127

one of

his wisest

and most constant

When

the youth Cecchino Bracci, b^

loved by Riccio, died, Angelo designed a monu-

ment

for

him (now
.

in the

AracoeU Church), and

epitaphs,

wrote no fewer than

forty-three
select

from

which Riccio should

the tomb.

one to be carved on

Lomazzo

says that Cardinal Farnese once

met

Angelo, during his later years, in solitary contemplation

amid the ruins of the Coliseum, and he

prelate's

answered the

query by saying, "

go yet
once

to school, that I

may
"I

continue to learn."

He

drew a picture of an old man

with the motto,
studies
still

in a child's carriage,

learn."

The anatomical
were never

begun

in his youth, at Florence,

given up, and

when

other subjects were wanting he

dissected horses
greatly

and domestic animals.

gift

He

was

pleased by a
fine

from Colombo, of the

body of a

young Moor, which he dissected

at Condivi's house.

The anatomical
known

treatises of

Diirer

and

Da

Vinci were

to him,

and he

intended to write a similar work, but of broader

scope.

He

had often declared

that he

owed

his

power of representing the human form

to his fre-

quent contemplation of the wonderful fragment oi

128

MICHAEL ANGELO.

antique Greek sculpture, kno^vn as the Torso Belvedere.

Even

in

his

later years,

when he had
was accus-

abandoned sculpture and

painting, he

tomed

to visit the Vatican as often as possible, in

order to admire and enjoy the grand hnes of the

Torso.
Allston finds in this headless

and hmbless

trunk the germ of the gigantic prophets and Sibyls

of the Sistine Chapel.

(The statement advanced

he was led
hither,
all

by Hare, and
blind,
ties to
is

others, that

being

unfounded, since he retained

last.)

his facul-

the

Such was the delicacy of

the implements of his
to
art,

his taste in regard to

that
files,

he was accustomed

make

his

own

piercers,

and

chisels,

and

to

prepare, mix,

and manipulate

his

own

colors.

From childhood he had been

constitution,

troubled by a weak

and had been remarkably abstemious

saying, "

and continent,

However

rich I

may have

been, I have always lived as a poor man."

slept. but
little,

He

and

ate irregularly;

and was subject

to frequent

headaches and attacks of indigestion.

he was troubled by cramp in the
legs,

In
for

later years

whose

relief

he wore

tightly-fitting

drawers of

dog-skin.

He

frequently rose from his bed, during

the night, to carve or design, placing

on

his

head

MANNER OF WORK.
cap with a candle fixed
in
its

129
so that his

firont,

hands were

left

at liberty.

He

rarely

gave or
to

accepted invitations to dine out, and was averse

compromising his fireedom by receiving any attentions or gifts.

Vigenero described Angelo's

mode

of work thus

" I have seen Michael Angelo, although sixty years

of age, and not one of the most robust of men,
smite

down more

scales

from a very hard block of

marble in a quarter of an hour, than three young

marble-cutters could in three or four times that
space, which must

seem incredible

to those

who

have not seen

it

done.

He

flung himself

upon the
in-

marble with such impetuosity and fervor, as to

duce

me

to believe that he

would break the work

blow he brought
or four inches

into fragments.

With a

single

down

scales

of marble ^of

three

breadth, and with such precision to the line marked

on the marble,
little

that

if

he had broken away a very

more, he risked the ruin of his work."

I30

MICHAEL ANGELO,

CHAPTER
The
Basilica Df St. Peter's.

VIII.

Offers.

The Pauline Chapel. Florentine The Great Dome. The Last Sculpture. Death of
y
of
1546, and

Angelo.

Sangallo died in the autumn

Angelo was immediately appointed to

Architect of
St. Peter's,

his place as

although he objected, say-

ing, as often before, that architecture

was not

his

profession.

He

was

also

commissioned to build
City,

the bulwarks

and redoubts of the Leonine

from which he was in time relieved by Castriotto,

a veteran of Urbino.
years old
Peter's,
life

The master was seventy-one

the
control

when he accepted

of

St.

and the remaining eighteen years of

it.

his
all

were sacredly devoted to

He

refused

remuneration, and insisted that his services should

be devoted solely to the honor of

Peter,

God and

of

St.

whereby he was able

to defy the intrigues of

his rivals

and

adversaries,

and

to repress the pecu-

lations of his subordinates.

He

took up the work

to
restore

projected by others, and endeavored

THE GREAT

BASILICA.

131

Bramante's original plan of a Greek cross, repudiating Sangallo's deviations therefrom,

that "

and saying

Any one who

departs from Bramante's plan,

like Sangallo, departs

from the truth."

The

parti-

sans of the preceding architect maintained a deep

and

intriguing hostility against

Angelo

and he was

led to hasten the work on

St.

Peter's greatly, in

order that

it

might be so

far finished at his

death

that the plans could not

be altered by
:

his enemies.

In writing to Vasari, he said

lay

" I should love to

my
to

bones near those of

me

doj

but, did I

my father, as you urge leave Rome at present, I

St. Peter's,

should be the cause of great harm to

bring disgrace upon myself, and commit a grievous

sin."

Out of

the confusion wrought

by the diverse

plans of Raphael, Peruzzi, and Sangallo, traversing

the
call
first

design of Bramante, Angelo was forced to

order, not

by

selecting

one of the previous

plans obscured by ill-devised additions, but by a

new

creation of his own.

first

His
towards

studies

seem

to

have been directed

designing a more imposing

dome

than

those which his predecessors had planned, and the

indomitable old

suspend the

man boldly said that he would dome of the Pantheon in air, ovei

f32
the

MICHAEL ANGELO.
tomb of
St.

Peter.

We

cannot ascertain where

he acquired the great

essential

mathematical

knowledge
it

to

this

work, unless

perchance

was
;

during his exile

among

the marble mountains

for

he certainly had no such privileges in

his youth,
is

and the architecture of

tive in

his

maturer years

defec-

many

ways.

Late in 1547

Duke Cosmo

de' Medici offered to

make Angelo a Senator

him any other
would return
his
office

of Florence, and to give

if

which he might wish,

capital,

he

to the

Tuscan

and complete
certain

abandoned works, and undertake

But
this invitation

new

ones.

was declined, since too

were

many and
Rome.

great

enterprises

under way in

Volterra reported,

some

years later, that

" he absented himself from his beloved Florence

only on account of the quality of the
air,

experihis
;

ence having taught him that

nature on account of
while the softer
its

it

was inimical to

sharp and subtile nature

and more tempered climate of

Rome

kept him in good health up to his ninetieth

year, with all his faculties as perfect

as they ever had been."

and vigorous

The

venerable master, tortured with the pains of

still

disease,

kept at his work on the scaffolds in the

THE PAULINE CHAPEL.

him
"
is

133
it

Pauline Chapel, although he wTote to Vasari that

cost

much

fatigue, for

it

appears that frescoEarly in 1549

l-)een

painting

not an art for old men."

:

he wrote to Leonardo, saying

ill,

" I have

very

groaning
rest.

all

night with pain, unable to sleep,

tell

without
is

The doctors

me

that

my

disease
Tell
I

stone.

have need of help from God.

for if she

Francesca to pray for me,

she would
misery.

saw how

am
not

know

that

she

has

a companion in
is

Otherwise I

am

hke a man who

yet quite thirty years of age."

Later in the spring

he was greatly relieved by drinking a certain water

brought from a spring forty miles from Rome, and
wrote
:

" With regard to

is

my

disease, I

am

better
all,

and now there

for I I

hope, to the astonishment of

was thought to be dying, and so

I

I believed.

have had a good physician, but

beheve more in

the efficacy of prayer."

The
in

frescos in the Pauline

Chapel were finished

1549, seven years after their beginning, during

which period there were many long intermissions

of labor

and diversions

to other duties.
St.

The

sub-

jects are the

Conversion of
Peter.

Paul and the Cruciof Michael

nxion of

St.

The

last frescos

Angelo can only be spoken of with respect and

134
forbearance.

MICHAEL ANGELO.
Indeed, they have been so disfigured
it

by neglect and restoration that

is

impossible to

imagine what their original colors were.

The Pope summoned Angelo

alleged defects in
St. Peter's

to explain certain

of which the deputies

complained, especially as to the deficient Hght in

the King's
alcove,

and the master demanded

to

hear the complainers speak.

Cardinal Marcello

answering for them, Angelo rejoined and

satisfactory

made

explanation,

at

which

the

Cardinal
in-

showed
formed.

his surprise at

not having before been

''
:

But the

fearless architect replied

am
to

not, nor will I consent to be, obliged to

tell,

Your Eminence or any one

wish to do.

else,

what

ought or

Your

office

is

to bring

money, and

guard

it

from thieves, and the designing of the

is left

building

to

me."

Then he

said to the
I

Pope

" Holy Father,

fatigues

you see what

gain

if

these
soul, I

which

endure do not benefit

labor."

my
and

bse both time and

him, laid his
*'

The Pope, who loved

said

hands on

his shoulders,
:

You

benefit both soul

and body

do not doubt."

Late in the same year Pope Paul III. died, and

tvas

succeeded by Pope Julius

III.,

who was

as

srdent an admirer of the great sculptor as his pre-

VASARI AND CELLINI.

decessors had been.
All the master's

1 35

many enemies
around the

and the

partisans of Sangallo gathered

Pope, to poison his mind so that he might depose

the Architect of St. Peter's, but without success.

During

this

year Vasari was sojourning in

daily rides

Rome,

and enjoyed almost

with Angelo, for

and conversations
filial

whom

he had a

love.

After

his return to Florence, for

many

years he solaced

the declining years of his master by his sprightly

letters

and other

attentions.

In 155

Angelo wrote

to

Benvenuto Celhni,

whom

he praised as " the

greatest goldsmith

who

ever lived," and also as a

noble sculptor.

His

letters to

Florence express an

earnest desire to return home, but

show

that he

must

remain in

Rome and

hurry the works on

St. Peter's,

so that his successors could not alter the design.

He

was much annoyed during these years by the

meddling of the Bishop of ForH, the Papal chamberlain,

whom

he derisively called Tante-cose, or

Busybody.
Early in 1552 Julius IH. confirmed Angelo as
Architect of St. Peter's, giving

him extended and

absolute authority,

and forbidding any interference

SangaUist party
still

with his plans.

The

menaced

him, with their deep intrigues; but he was

now

IS6

MICHAEL ANGELO.
far less

proof against slander, and

in his earlier years.

sensitive than

In

1553

Ascanio

Condivi,

one

of

Angelo's
writ-

pupils, published a

biography of his master,

ten in great haste, to anticipate other works of like

character, but
full

of interest on

account of

its

author's intimate
ri's

knowledge of

his subject.

Vasa-

great biographical
in

work on

all

the Italian artists

had appeared
about Angelo,

1550, containing forty-five pages

.

who had been

his

former master.

The

sculptor acknowledged Vasari's

work by an

affectionate sonnet.

Condivi

thus

described the master's personal

appearance

at this

time

"

Of middle

height, with

broad shoulders and thin

legs,

having a large head,

size

a face small in proportion to the a square forehead,

full
flat

of his skull,

temples, high cheek-bones,

and a nose made

ly

by the

fist

of that beastlips

and proud man, Torrigiano.

His

are thin,

and the

lower, being the larger, appears to prois

trude shghtly >vhen his face

seen in

profile.

His

eyebrows are sparse

his eyes

small, gray, spotted

;

with yellow and blue lights, and ever varying

Hair,

his
his

once black,

is

streaked with gray, as

is

thin forked beard,

which

is

four or

five

fingers'

A TRUE ASSISTANT.
breadth in length."

137
in

This face

is

reproduced

eight authentic portraits, namely, Daniele of

terra's

Vol

bronze bust and a face in his fresco of the

Assumption, Leone's medal, a head in Venusti's

copy of 'The Last Judgment,' a

nusti,

portrait

by Ve-

a posthumous bust from a mask, Buonasoni's

engraving,

and another engraving

attributed

to

Angelo himself.

Pope
ceeded
II.)

Julius III. died

in 1555,

and was sucMarcellus

(after the brief reign

of Pope
the

by Cardinal

Caraffa,

who took

name

of
St.

Paul IV.

Paul confirmed the Architect of

Peter's in his position

and

authority, for

which he

now beheved he had

the

a divine legation.

During

same

year, Angelo's beloved assistant,

:

Amadore
has been

of Urbino, died, and he wrote

with

"

He

me

twenty-six years,
;

and

found him loyal

and

faithful

and now

that I have
to

made him
staff

rich,

and
of

that I expected

him

be the

and

rest

my

old age, he has vanished from me, and

no

hope
this,

is left

me, but to see him

in Paradise.

Of

God
that

has given

me

a sign in his happy death,

and

it

grieved him to leave

its

me

to

live

in

this

treacherous world, with

tlian to die."

many

sorrows, far

more
in

Giovan Simone Buonarroti died

138
1548, deeply
his last

MICHAEL ANGELO.
mourned by Angelo
;

and

in

1555

remaining brother, Sigismondo, also died,

life,

afcer

a long and arduous military

followed by

a few years of repose

on

his

farm at Settignano.

Angelo was
wrote

filled

with grief by these deaths, and

(but without
avail)

appealingly
:

to

Leo-

nardo
I

" It would be dear for

me
and

to see you, but

know

not

how your

love of your wife would per;

mit you to leave Florence

old,

"

again, " I

am
his

and

wish to see you before

of Florence

I die."

The Medici Duke

petitions to

now renewed

Angelo to return to the Tuscan

his

capital,

and even sent

chamberlain to

Rome

to

make

him munificent
"

offers;

but the master declined,

though moved by the warmest gratitude, saying

You must

see

by

my

hand\vriting that I touch

the

t\venty-fourth
in

hour,
in

and no thought
is

is

now

bom God

my mind

which death

not mixed.

grant that a few years of labor

may

yet be

mine !"

About the year 1557 the Duke of Flor-

ence visited Angelo in Rome, and had a long and

familiar

conversation with him.

His son,

also.

Prince Francesco, paid his respects to the master,

and showed

his reverence

by speaking

to

him with

uncovered head.

SUNSET SONGS.
At
ing
this

39

time the great master was earnestly mus-

upon the approach of death, and communing

spirit to

with his

prepare for the inevitable change.

religion

The deep experiences of

undergone during
his

which he had
life

long and blameless

were

now
rola
his

reviewed, and the noble counsels of Savona-

and of

Vittoria

Colonna rose paramount

in

memory, though perhaps not unaffected by the

philosophic doctrines of the Medicean Neo-Platonists.

The two sonnets

"that

sent to Vasari, at this

time,

you

may

see

where

keep

my

thoughts,"

were

vitalized
filled

by

Christian
spirit

humility

and

hope,

and
is

with the

of prayer.

The
them

following

from the translation of one of

:

in Bohn's Vasari

common
just.

'

Now

in frail bark,
this

and on the storm-tossed wave,

approach the
port,

Doth

my
act,

life

^hither

all

haste to render up account

Of every
Wherefore

the erring and the

see, that

now do

by the love

Which rendered Art mine

I did

idol

and

my
of

lord,

much

err.

Vain are the loves

man,

And

error lurks within his every thought.

Light hours of this

my

life,

where are ye now,

When

towards a twofold death

my

foot draws near

140

MICHAEL ANGELO.
The one well-known,
Not
the other threatening loud,

the erst worshipped Art can

now

give peace

To him whose soul turns to that Love Divine, Whose arms shall lift him from the Cross to Heaven."
In

1556 the Pope determined to destroy the

influence of Spain in Italy,

whereupon

his

States
light

were invaded by the Duke of Alva, whose

cavalry soon

appeared before the

Roman

gates.

The devout Duke

respectfully defeated the

army

which the Pope had blessed

and sent

against

him, and with great courtesy checked the anti-

Spanish intrigues.

The works on

St. Peter's

lagged

during these excitements, and the architect,

who

had already seen enough of the horrors of

left

sieges,
reli-

Rome

for forty days, intending to

;

make a

gious pilgrimage to Loreto

but he went no farther

than Spoleto, where he enjoyed a delicious season

of repose, which he thus described to Vasari
:

"

have

lately

had,

at

some

cost

of

money and

fatigue, a great pleasure in the

leto, in visiting

mountains of Spo-

those hermits, so that but a part of

me

has returned to

Rome
which

for in truth peaceful

existence dwells in those woods."

direct

This

is

the only
evei

compliment

Michael Angelo

paid to Nature.

TUSCAN COMPLIMENTS.
Cosmo
the
de' Medici was
still

141

urging Angelo to
to

return to Florence,

and he promised
Peter's

do so

after

works on

St.

were

httle

further

advanced, explaining the necessity of

yet a year longer.

his

remaining

He

was now suffering from the

afflictions,

gout, the stone,

his place

and other

but

still

kept

as the active

designer, supervisor,
vigilantly

and
the

soul of the basihca,

and

remedied

all

errors of his subordinates.

The Pope

courteously

intervened between his architect and the

Florence, and persuaded the latter to

Duke

of

curb his

ardent desire to
artist.

summon back

the great Tuscan

In

1559 Catherine de' Medici wrote to

Angelo, entreating him, by his love for her family,

to

make a design

for

a colossal bronze equestrian

portrait-statue

of her late husband,

Henry

II.

of

France, to be placed in her palace-court.

Daniele

da Volterra attended

to the casting in bronze,

and

the horse was finished

statue

before he died;

but the

of

the

rider

had not been

of
set

commenced.

Afterwards a statue

Louis XIII. was placed

upon the
at Paris,

horse,
it

and

up

in

the Place Royale,

where

was destroyed during the French

Revolution.

Angelo 's powers as a painter and a sculptor were

142

MICHAEL ANGELO.
in abeyance,

now

and

all

his soul

was thrown

intc

his architectural studies, in

preparing the greatest

triumph of
lime

modem
of
St.

constructive genius.

The

sub-

dome

Peter's took form in his mind,

and he had a wooden model thereof made, nearly

seventeen feet high, so that his successors might

have no excuse for deviating from

his plans.

The

design included three domes, rising from the same

base
concentrically,

the

inner one

duplicating

that of the
lantern,

Pantheon, the second supporting the

to

and the third or outer one (of wood)

give majesty to the exterior of the basilica.

architecture

The
of

was Corinthian, and a

coronal

statues of saints surrounded the base of the outer

curve.

In

spite

of

all

precautions,

however,

Angelo's successors seriously impaired the grandeur of

his

plans by omitting

the

inner dome,

constructing the two others of brick (bound with

iron chains at the great
circle

weak

points),

and omitting the

en-

of

statues.

While Angelo was

gaged on the building,

his orders

were to study for

magnificence and grandeur, rather than economy

and the expense of the works under

tration
if

his adminis-

was nearly 440,000 ducats.

He

was asked

the

new dome would

surpass that at Florence,

PONTORMO.
and said
:

143

" It will be more grand, but not more

beautiful."

The

great defect in the construction

is

of

St. Peter's,

by which the nave

prolonged so

far as to

hide the

dome from

those near the church,

was not due to Angelo, who projected a cross of

equal arms, which Fontana aftenvards changed to

a Latin cross.
interior,

The

parti-colored marbles of the

and

other deformities, were

added

by

Bernini and his successors.

Among
artist

the

dead of 1558 was Pontormo, an

Angelo had
said,

of

whom

many

years pre-

vious, " If this

raise

young man's Hfe

is

spared, he will

our Art to the skies."

He

had been a pupil

of Leonardo da Vinci and Andrea del Sarto, and

was afterwards favored with

several

designs

by

Angelo, from which he painted pictures.

Paul IV. died in 1559, and was succeeded by

Pius IV.,
tion,

who confirmed

the architect in his posiBigio, his inveterate

office.

and caused Nanni

and

insidious

enemy, to be dismissed from

that

The

Board of Works complained

Angelo was im-

perious and dogmatic, refusing to confer with them,

and making many unnecessary demoHtions without

advice, so that they were
little

better than parrots.

to re-

He

answered Cardinal da Carpi, preferring

144

MICHAEL ANGELO.

sign his position rather than to submit his plans to

mere

financial committee.

Among

the minor works of Angelo's

old

age

were several designs for the National Church of the

Florentines at
rentian Library,

Rome,
and

for the stairway of the

Lau-

for the

monument

of the Mar-

quis of Marignano, in Milan Cathedral.

He

also

furnished plans for several of the

Roman

gates,

which Pius IV. wished

nificence.

to rebuild with greater

magPia,

The best of these was the Porta

IX.,

which was subsequently restored by Pius

was badly shattered by the
1870.
Italian

and
in

bombardment
at this

Another structure designed

time was

the Sforza Chapel, in the Basilica of Santa Maria

Maggiore, which Delia Porta completed. In

1

56 1 Angelo finished one of his chief archi-

tectural works, the erection of the

Church of

St.

Mary of
amid the

the Angels,

and a Carthusian monastery,

ruins of the Baths of Diocletian.

The

chief feature of these ruins was a great vaulted hall,

with splendid monolithic columns of red Egyptian

granite
;

and

this the

venerable architect converted

into a church, a production then full of harmon>'

and beauty, but

in a later age disfigured

by Van-

vitelli's alterations.

The

convent-cloisters adjoining

THE LAST PIETA.

145

the church are embellished with a hundred light

and

graceful columns,
is

and surround a court whose

sparkling fountain

shaded by sombre cypresses.

There

is

a tradition that Angelo himself planted

these trees, whose huge trunks and majestic frond-

age form such a conspicuous ornament in the old

convent.

In 1561 the master remembered

his

debt to the

Piccolomini family for non-fulfilment of contract to

carve certain statues for their chapel at Siena, and

made

reparation therefor, the Archbishop of Siena

acting as arbitrator in the matter.

Angelo's

last

work

in sculpture

was a group of
two other

the Virgin and the

figures, all larger

dead
life,

Christ, with

than

none of which, except

the Christ, were ever finished.

this

He

intended that
altar

group should be placed on an

it is

over his

own tomb, but

ence.
for
It

now

in the Cathedral of Florhis leisure hours

was the occupation of

many
his

years, oftentimes at night,

when he

rose

from

couch of unrest to labor

j^
'

in soHtude

and

silence.

In 1563 Angelo was elected Vice-President of

the
Florentine

Academy

of Fine Arts, of which

Cosmo

de' Medici

was the founder and President

146

MICHAEL ANGELO,
the

Cosmo ordered

Florentine

ambassador

at

Rome

to look out that the venerable artist was

;

well cared for

and

his family

and

friends sent

him

frequent

gifts

of wine and

fruits.

Many

devoted

friends visited his house,

and many
love.

assistants also,

who bore

for

him a

filial

In the winter of 1563-4 the master's strength

failed

rapidly,

under the attacks of

felt

his

painful

malady.

In February he

that the

end was

approaching, and sent for his friend Daniele of

Volterra,

who brought
he cried, "it

with him Ascano Condivi,

Angelo's pupil and biographer.

friend,"
treat
is all

"Daniele,

my
en-

over with

me;

you not to leave me."

He

dictated a letter

to

Leonardo Buonarroti, which Diomede Leoni

enclosed in another written by himself, urging the

Florentine to hasten to

Rome.
him
him
closely,

Angelo's
his

physicians watched
friends
staid

and

Roman

with

continually;
citadel of

while the slow fever undermined the

life.

On
legs

the isth of February, he vainly endeavride,

ored to take his usual evening

but his head

his

and

were too weak, and he returned to

fireside.

chair

by the

He

refiised to take to hit

HIS DEATH.
bed
until the

147
his

20th

and gave

kst directions

with calmness and wisdom, ordering that his re-

mains should be buried in Florence.

Towards

sunset,

on the i8th of February,

Mi:

chael Angelo turned to his friends,

give

and

sai'd

"

my

soul to

God,

my

worldly possessions

my body to the earth, and to my nearest of kin, charhis lips,

ging them through Hfe to remember the sufferings

of Jesus Christ."

With these words upon

Angelo died, in peace and comfort,

his eighty-ninth year.

at the close of

Some

years before, he had proposed to divide

his estates
if

between Leonardo and Sigismondo,

or,

they died before him, every thing was to be

is,

bequeathed to San Martino, that

the income

was to be given, "

for

the

love

of God, to the

modest poor."

8,000 crowns were found in a

sealed chest, in his house,

and there were

also a

few unfinished sculptures, with cartoons, models,

and some unimportant household

people attirmed that he had burnt during the
last

furniture.

His

many drawings
so fully detertheir city, that

year of his Hfe.

the

The Pope and

mined
to

Romans were

keep Angelo 's body in

it,

they hastened to bury

in

the

Church of

the

48

MICHAEi. ANGELO.
But Leonardo Buonarroti
secretly
ar-

Holy Apostles.
removed
it,

and the body of the great master

rived in Florence after an absence of thirty years^

disguised as a bale of merchandise, consigned to

Vasari.

On Sunday
it

night the Tuscan artists conin a torch-

ducted

to the

Church of Santa Croce,

light procession, followed

by many thousands of
the

citizens;

and
all

in

the

church

remains were
still

viewed by
asleep.

the

friends,
later

appearing

as if

Some days

magnificent memorial

services were held in the

Church of San Lorenzo,

by the Duke and

micians,

his court, the artists

and Acadeafter

and

other eminent men,

and

the

requiem mass Benedetto Varchi delivered a funeral

oration.
tions

The church was

paintings

filled

with rare decora-

of

and

statuary,

surrounding

catafalque fifty-four feet high.

All the

shops in

Florence were closed, and immense crowds sur-

rounded San Lorenzo.

His remains now
rest in

Santa Croce, the PanItaly,

theon, the Westminster

Abbey of

near the

monuments of Dante,

Alfieri,

Macchiavelli, Galileo,

Cherubini, FiHcaia, and other illustrious men.

The

monument
Buonarroti

erected by the
is

Duke and Leonardo

statues

adorned

by

of

Painting,

CRITICISMS.
Sculpture,

149

and Architecture, and a bust of him

whom

Vasari called

"That most holy

old man,

who was

the light of our arts."

Lanzi uses these words

of materials very

"As Dante made choice

be reduced to verse,

difficult to

and from an

abstruse subject extracted the praise

of sublimity and grandeur, in like manner Michael

Angelo explored the untrodden path of design

and, in pursuing
at
it,

displayed powers of execution

once

scientific

and magnificent.

In

his

works

man assumes
tilian,

that form, which, according to

Quin

Zeuxis delighted to represent.

His foreshortdaring;
his

enings and his attitudes are

expression
full

most

of vivacity and energy."

:

Grimm

says

" All Italians feel that he occupier

the third place by the side of Dante and Raphael,

and forms with them a

triujnvirate

of the greatest
poet, a painter,

men produced by their

country, a
in
all

and one who was great

arts.

Who

would

place a general or a statesman by their side as

equal to them ?

It is art

alone which marks the

prime of nations."

ISO
Says Taine
:

MICHAEL ANGELO.
"There
are four

men

in the world
all

of art and of literature exalted above

to

others,

and

such a degree as to seem to belong to another

;

race

namely, Dante, Shakespeare, Beethoven, and

.

Michael Angelo.
the
Sistine
art,

[Before his master-work in

feel

Chapel] we cease to

the abuse

of

the aim at effect, the domination of

:

man-

nerism

we only

see the disciple of Dante, the

friend of Savonarola, the recluse feeding himself

on

the

menaces of the Old Testament, the

of justice

patriot, the

stoic, the lover

who

bears in his heart the

grief of his people,

Italian liberty,

and who ^attends the funeral of

one who, amidst degraded character

survives

and degenerate minds, alone

and

daily

becomes sadder,
the

his

soul filled with thoughts of to the

Supreme Judge, and Ustening beforehand

last

thunders of the
**

day."

quel che a par sculpe e colora, , , , Michel pih che mortal Angiol divino."

ARiosra

A LIST OF

THE CHIEF PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES OF MICHAEL ANGELO

NOW
EXISTING, WITH

THE DATES OF THEIR EXECUTION, AND THEIR PRESENT LOCATIONS.

*** Certain works of art in Europe are

now attributed toAngelOt

It seems inexpedient to

about which there

is

great uncertainty.

include these productions here, although in some cases they have

strong grounds for consideration.

***

A ngelo's designs are carefully preserved, in considerable numand other placet.

bers, at Florence, Milan, Vienna, Oxford,

SCULPTURES.
Florence.

National Museum
(unfinished)
;
;

(in

the Bargello),

The
1530;
;

Dying Adonis, 1501; Bacchus and the Satyr, 1497-98; the

Victory

group

the

Young

Apollo,

Bust of Brutus (unfinished)

cular Relief of the

the Faun's Head, 1489

(unfinished), 1503-04;

Cir-

Madonna

Leda

and the Swan (?).

St.

Academy of Fine Arts^

David,
;

50 1-04

Matthew

(unfinished), 1503.

Buonarroti Gallery^
plaster
'5'

The
model

Battle of the Centaurs (bas-relief), 1490-92

152

MICHAEL ANGELO.
from the Cross; Madonna and Child,
Cathedral,

of the Deposition

1492-94; Holy Family.

ished), 1545-60.

The

Pieta (unfin-

San Lorenzo (Medicean Chapel),

-de'

The
the

Tombs

of

Lorenzo and Giuliano

Medici, 1520-34; the

Virgin and Child.

Boboli Gardens,

Four statues of

I'lisoners (unfinished).

Rome.

St.

Peter in Vincoli^

Moses, begun

in 1513;

Rachel, Leah, and works from Angelo's designs.

Santa

Maria Sopra Minerva,

Jesus Christ, 1521.

St. Peter''s.

The

Pieta, 1498-99.

Fevoli Palace (Russian Legation),

the Cross (unfinished)
;

The Deposition from

(unfinished.)

the Saviour

Bologna.
1495;

San Domenico Church, A Kneeling Angel,

Sts. Peter, Paul,
(?).

St. Petronius, 1495.

Siena.
ory, Pius,

Cathedral, Statues of Hospital Academy

of the
Christ in the Garden.

Greg-

and Francis; Christ and Angels

Poor,

Genoa.
Pieta
(?)
;

Bas-relief Small

of

the

Parma.
Naples.

of Fine Arts,

bas-relief of

the Deposition

from the Cross.

III.

Royal Mtisenm, Bust of Paul Virgilian Academy, Sleeping Hercules The Louvre, Two Statues of the Prisoners. Paris. Notre Dame Church, Virgin and Child Bruges.
Mantua.
(?)

150003.
St. Petersburg.

London.

Academy, A Caryatide. Sotith-Kensington Museum, Cupid,

;

1497-98;
terra-

Bust of a Ladj

and thirteen models in wax and

cotta.

Royal Academy,

Bas-relief

of

the Virgin

and

Child, 1500-04.

LIST OF PAINTINGS.
PAINTINGS.
ITALY.

153

Florence.

Uffiizi Gallery,

Palace, TYit

Three Fates.
{?).

Buonarroti Gallery,

The Holy Family. ThQ

Pittt

Holy Family and Saints

Rome.

Vatican

Palace,

The

Frescos of the Sistine

and Pauline Chapels.

Naples.

Royal Musemn, Two

Cartoons; Sketch of

the Last Judgment.

Madrid. London.
1492-96
;

The Flagellation of Christ. National Gallery, The Taunton

Entombment
of Christ.

Madonna,

the

ARCHITECTURE.
ITALY.

Florence.
Chapel.

THie

Laurentian Library and the Medici

Rome.

The Dome
;

of St. Peter's
;

the Cornice of the

Farnese Palace

the Porta Pia

the Belvedere Stairway.

;

Genoa.
Pisa.

The Balbi Palace the Albaro Palace. The Lanfranchi Palace. And many other build
parts of buildings in Italy.

mgs and

INDEX.
Adi'anople, 70.
Cavalleri, 126.
Cellini,

Adrian VI., 76.

Aldovrandi, 20.
Alessi, 125.

Benvenuto,
Militant,

33, 135-

Cesare, 78.

Church
125.
16, 127.

Alva's Invasion, 140.

Clement VII.,

46. 14, 77, 79, 91.

The, 43,

Ammanati,

Anatomical Studies,

Apollo, 88. Apollo Belvedere, 37. Architect, Apostolic, 98. Architecture, 66, 69. Aretino, 100.
Assistants, 29, 137.

Colossus, Carrara, 36. Medici, 79. Condivi, 136, 146.

Consecrated Work, 136.

Constantinople, 41. Constitution, Angelo's, 128. Contarini, Cardinal, 113.

Cupid,

Cupid
Dante,

23. Sleepitt^, 21.

Bacchus,

23. Bajazet II., 41.

Bandinelli, 33, 88. Bentivoglio, 43, 47. Bernardino, Fra, 115.

David, The,

David

70, 84, 119, 149. 27. (in bronze), 30.

Dawn,
Death

The, 96.
95.

Berruguete, 125.
Bertoldo, 12, 13. Biagio's Punishment, loi. Birth of Angelo, 7.

Day, The,

of Vittoria, 117. Disease, 133, 141. Dome, The Great, 131, 14a.

Bologna, 20, 44.

Bramante, 35, 38, Breaking up, 146.

Brunelleschi, 78.

40, 49> 59. ^S^*

Donatello, 78. Diirer, Albert, 48.

Dyiftg Adonis,

72.

Dying

Gladiator, 37.

Brutus,

72.

Buonarroti, Buonarotto, 25,63,81. Family, 25, 60, 64

Early Influences, 9. Estrangement, 38.

Exile, 67-71.

Giovan Simone,
Leonardo,
138, 148.
15, 89, 106, 109, 121

Lodovico, 8, 13, 62, 89, 93. Sigismondo, 60, 89, 138.

False Antique, 21. Famese Hercules, 37. Famese Palace, 106, no. Father, Angelo's, 8, 13, 62.

Caprese Castle,

7.

Faun, The,

13.

Carrara, 36, 41, 67, 75. Cartoons, The, 31, 41. Casa Buonarroti, 123.

Ferrara, 83. Ficino, 14. Flight from Julius, 38.

Fortifications, 82, 108, 130.

Cassandra Ridolfi, 122.

55

S6
Francia, 47. Francis I., 84, 106, 109. Funeral, 148.

INDEX.
Natiu-e Complimented, 140.

Night, ao, 95. Night-Work, 128.

Papal Army, 43. Paternal Advice, 26. Paul III., 97, 134. Paul IL, 137. Pauline Chapel, 105, no, 133. Perugino, 59. Personal Appearance, 136.
Petrarch, 71, 119. Piccolomini, Cardinal, 26.
16.

Genealogy, 123. Gentile da Fabriano, 78.

Ghiberti, ^8.

Ghirlandajo, 10.

Grammar-School,

9.

Granacci, 9, 11, 50.

Grimm Quoted,
Hercules^
18.

149.

Hercules and Centaurs, Holy Family (Doni), 31.

Humiliation, 44.
Julius II., 34, 42, 64. Julius III., 134.

Pieta, 24, 145. Pisa, Cartoon of, 32. Pius III., 26. Pius IV., 143.

Poems, 118, 120, 139.

Pole, Cardinal, 113. Politian, 14, 15.

Kneeling A ngel,

21

Pontormo, 143.
Porta, Delia, 124.

Lanzi Quoted, 149. Laocobn, 37. Last Judgment, The, 98- T04 Laurentian Library, 80.

Porta Pia, 144.

Precocity, 11.
.

Prisoners, The, 66.

Leah, 107. Leda, 86, 88. Leo X., 14, 64, Madonna,

74.

Rachel, 107. Raphael, 48, 52, 59, Real Estate, 121. Revolt of Florence,

71, 149.
81.

bas-relief, 18.

Bruges, 30.
relief, 30.

Riario, Cardinal, 22, 23. Riccio, Luigi del, 106, 126.

Risen Christ,

75.

Manner

Taunton, 18. of Working, 129.

Roman Roman
Rome,
St.
138, 141,
St.

Capitol, 104.

Domiciles, 36, 65, 124.

Masaccio's Frescos, 16. Medici, Alexander de', 97. Catherine de', \a^.

First Visit to, 23. Roselli's Letter, 40.

Cosmo de', 12, 66. Duke Cosmo de', 132,

146.

John,

21.

St.

Mary

Lorenzo's Church, 66, 08. of the Angels, 144.

Francesco

de', 138,

St. St.

Matthew,

29.

Giuliano de', 94.

Ippolito de', 98.

St. Peter's

Church, 35, 42, 60, 130. Petronius, 21.

Lorenzo de', 12, Luisa de', 15.

13, 18, 95.

Piero de', 18, 19, 20, 64. Medici Chapel, 74, 76, 79, 87, 90, 94. Military Duties, 82. Modem Barbarity, 97.

Sangallo, 52, 105, 106, 130. Savonarola, 15, 19, 26, 81. Sebastiano del Piombo, 60, 71,

73.

Montelupo, 107. Montorsolo, 93, 97.

Self-Denial, 61. Sepulchre of Julius, 34, 65, 76, 79 91, 92, 104, 105, 107. Serravezza, 68.

Monument to Angels, 148. Moses, 67, 98, 107. Mother of Angelo, 8, 23.

Settignano, 8. Siege of Florence, 85-87. Siena Cathedral, 27, 145.

INDEX,
Signorelli, 99. Sistine Chapel, 38, 48-58. Soderini, 31, 42, 44, 76. Sonnets, 42, 120. Spoleto, 140.

157

Torso Belvedere, 128.

Traitor, Florentine, 83, 86. Tribolo, 125.

Statue of Julius

II., 11, 45.

Taine Quoted, 150, Testament, Last, 147. Titian's Visit, 109.

ToirigiaDo's Assault, 17.

Vasari, 33, 51, 99, 108, 135, 136, 14^ Venice, 20, 83. Venusti, 126. Vignola, 124. Vinci, Leonardo da, 32.
Vittoria Colonna, iii. Volterra, Danielc da, loi, 195.

UNIVERSITY
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