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IT is a wonderful thing that all those who studied in the school
of the Medici garden, and were favourites of the magnificent Lorenzo,
became excellent masters. lt could not have happened if this true
Mecanas of men of talent had not been a man of great judgment,
able to recognise genius as well as to reward it. Giovan Francesco
Rustici, having distinguished himself there, was placed by Lorenzo
with Andrea del Verrocchio, with whom was the rarely gifted youth,
Lionardo da Vinci. And Lionardo's manner greatly pleasing Rustici,
when Andrea went away to work in Venice he joined himself to him,
serving him with loving submission. Being of a noble family, he
had enough to live upon, and gave himself to art for his pleasure
and from desire of honour. To have to work indeed, as many have
to do, to supply the need of the day, is not good for men who
should be working for glory and honour, for good work does not
come without long consideration. Rustici used to say in his more
mature years that you should first think over your subject, then
make sketches, afterwards drawings, and then put them away for
weeks and months and not look at them, after that choosing the
best, set to work upon them,-which no one can do who works for
gain.
When the Medici family returned to Florence, Rustici made himself
known to Cardinal Giovanni as one who had been favoured by his
father Lorenzo, and was received by him with many caresses. But
the ways of the court did not please him, being contrary to his
nature, which was quiet and sincere, and not full of envy and
ambition.
When he had gained some reputation, the consuls of the Guild of
the Merchants entrusted to him the making of three bronze figures
for the door of S. Giovanni, the subject being S. John preaching,
with a Levite and Pharisee beside him. The work was greatly to
his taste, being for a place so celebrated and important. He would
have nobody near him when he worked but Lionardo da Vinci, who,
while he was making the mould, and in fact until the statues were
cast, did not leave him, so that many said (but they did not really
know), that Lionardo worked at them himself, or at least aided
him with his counsel. While he was working upon them Rustici,
not liking the annoyance of having to ask the consuls or their
servants for money, sold a farm which he had outside Florence.
But after all the expense and trouble, he was badly remunerated
by the consuls and the citizens. For one of the Ridolfi, out of
private spite, or perhaps because Rustici had not shown him enough
honour, nor let him see the figures before they were finished,
was always against him. And when his work was to be valued, Rustici
having called Michael Angelo Buonarroti to act for him, at the
persuasion of Ridolfi, Baccio d'Agnolo was named for the other
side. At this Rustici was much grieved, saying before them all
that it was strange that a wood carver should have to value the
labours of a statuary, and almost told the magistrates they were
a herd of oxen, to which Ridolfi answered that Rustici was a proud,
arrogant man. But what was worse, the work, which was well worth
two thousand crowns, was only estimated at five hundred, and this
was never entirely paid, but only four hundred, through the intercession
of Cardinal Giulio de' Medici. Rustici therefore, almost in despair,
resolved never to work for the public again, nor to undertake
anything where the matter would depend upon more than one man.
So he withdrew into private, and lived a solitary life, only working
for pastime and not to be idle. He used to go and stroll about
outside the city, taking off his long robe and carrying it over
his shoulder; and once, finding it hot, he hid it in a wood among
some bushes, and going on to the palace of the Salviati, stayed
there two days before he remembe~ed it. Then sending one of his
men to seek for it, when he saw he had found it, he exclaimed,
"The world is too good; it will not last long." He was
a man of great kindness and very good to the poor, and would never
let any one go away without assistance, but keeping his money
in a basket, whether he had little or much, he gave to those who
asked. A poor man, therefore, who often went to him for alms,
seeing him always go to the basket, said, not thinking to be heard,
"Oh, if I only had what is in that basket, my difficulties
would soon be over." Rustici heard him, and looking at him
fixedly said, "Come here, I will content you," and he
emptied the basket into a corner of his cloak. Niccolo Buoni,
a great friend of his, managed all his ms.tters for him, and gave
him so much money every week. There never was a man who delighted
more in animals. He had a porcupine which was so tame that it
went about under the table like a dog, and used to rub itself
against people's legs and make them draw back very quickly. He
had an eagle, and a crow who could say many things as clearly
as a human being. He also gave himself to necromancy, and by the
things he did caused great terror to his pupils and acquaintances.
He had walled up a place like a fishpond, and in this he kept
a great many snakes and worms, which could not get out, and he
used to take great pleasure in standing watching their mad gambols.
There used to assemble in his rooms a number of good fellows called
the Company of the Saucepan, which was limited to twelve members,
and each one of the twelve might bring four and no more to their
suppers. And each one was bound to bring something to the supper
made with skill and invention, and when he came he presented it
to the master of the feast, who handed it on to any one he liked.
One evening when Rustici was giving a supper to his Company of
the Saucepan, he ordered that, instead of a table, a great kettle
or saucepan should be made out of a wine vat, and they all sat
inside it, and it was lighted from the handle which was over their
heads. And when they were all comfortably settled, there rose
up in the middle a tree with many branches bearing the supper,
that is, the food on plates. And then it descended again and brought
up a second course, and afterwards a third, and so on, while there
were servants going round with precious wines and musicians playing
below. This was greatly praised by the men of the Company. Rustici's
dish that time was a cauldron made of pastry, in which Ulysses
was dipping his father to make him young again. The two figures
were capons with their limbs arranged to make them look like men.
Andrea del Sarto, who was one of the Company, presented a tem
ple with eight sides, like S. Giovanni, but resting on columns.
The pavement was of gelatine, like differentcoloured mosaics;
the pillars, which looked like porphyry, were great sausages,
the base and capitals of Parmesan cheese, the cornices of sugar,
and the tribunes of marchpane. In the middle was placed the choir
desk of cold veal, with a book of macaroni paste, having the letters
and notes for singing made with peppercorns, and those who were
singing were thrushes with their beaks open and wearing little
surplices, and behind these for the bassi were two fat pigeons,
with six ortolans for the soprani. Spillo, another member, brought
the model of a smith, made of a great goose, or some such bird,
with all the tools for mending the saucepan if it were necessary.
Domenico Puligo brought a roast pig, made to represent a girl
with her distaff by her side watching a brood of chickens. The
other things represented were also very good, but we cannot tell
them one by one.
There was also the Company of the Trowel to which Giovan Francesco
belonged, and which began in this way. A supper was being given
by Feo d'Agnolo, a humpbacked piper and a very amusing fellow,
in his garden in the Campaccio, and while they were eating their
ricotta, Il Baja, one of the guests, noticed a little heap
of mortar, with a trowel lying by it, as a mason had left it the
day before. Taking a little of the mortar on the trowel, he popped
it into Feo's mouth, which happened to be opening for a great
mouthful of ricotta, upon which all the company cried aloud,
"A trowel! a trowe !" Out of this incident the Company
was formed, which was to contain twentyfour members, the sign
of which was a trowel (cazzuola), to which they
added those little black vessels with a large body and a tail
which are also called cazzuole. Their patron saint was
S. Andrew, and they celebrated his feast day with a solemn supper.
Before many years had passed it grew into such reputation that
Giuliano de' Medici and many other important people joined it.
Their feasts were innumerable. On one occasion, under the direction
of Bugiardino and Rustici, they all appeared in the dress of masons
and labourers, and set to work to build an edifice for the Company
with ricotta for mortar, cheese for sand. The bricks, carried
in baskets and barrows, were loaves of bread and cakes. But their
building being pronounced badly done, it was condemned to be pulled
down, upon which they threw themselves upon the materials and
devoured them all. At the end, when it was time to break up, there
came a cleverly managed shower of rain with much thunder, which
forced them to leave off work and return home.
Another time Ceres seeking Proserpine came to the members of the
Company and prayed them to accompany her to the lower regions.
Descending, they found Pluto, who refused to give her up, but
invited them to his wedding feast, where all the provisions were
in the form of horrid and disgusting animals, snakes, spiders,
frogs, and scorpions, and such creatures, which being opened contained
food of the most delicate kinds.
Another time the master of the feast, intending to reprove some
who had spent too much on the banquets of the Company, eating
themselves alive, as the expression is, arranged his banquet in
this way. At the place where they were used to meet, he caused
to be painted on the facade such figures as are usually seen represented
on the outside of an almshouse or hospital, the master receiving
the poor and strangers, and this picture was uncovered just as
the members arrived. They were received in a large room like the
wards of a hospital, with beds on each side, and in the middle
of the room near a great fire were some of the members dressed
like beggars, who taking no notice of the others coming in, carried
on a conversation about the Company and themselves, abusing them
for throwing away more than was right in feasts and suppers. And
when all the guests were come, S. Andrew, their patron, came in,
and delivering them from the poorhouse, led them to another room
magnificently prepared, where they sat down to supper and feasted
gaily, after which their saint commanded them to content themselves
with one feast a year, and so save themselves from the poorhouse.
And this command they obeyed, having one magnificent feast only,
with a dramatic representation.
But to return to the life of Rustici. After the Medici were driven
out in 1528, not finding life at Florence to his taste, he went
to France, and was received by King Francis with great favour,
and received a provision of five hundred crowns a year. But when
King Francis died and Henry began his reign, the expenses of the
court being curtailed, his pension was taken from him, and he,
being now old, was reduced to living on the rent of a palace which
Francis I. had given him. But fortune inflicted another blow upon
him, for King Henry presented this palace to Signor Piero Strozzi,
and Rustici found himself in extreme need. But Strozzi,
hearing of his ill fortune, came to his aid and sent him to an
abbey, or some such place, which belonged to his brother, where
he was taken care of to the end of his life.
