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Medieval Sourcebook:
Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574):
Lives of the Artists: Salviati
Back to Index to Vasari's Lives
IN the year 1523 Silvio Passerini, Cardinal of Cortona, passed
through Arezzo, and Antonio Vasari, being a kinsman of his, went
to pay his respects to him, taking his eldest son Giorgio with
him. The cardinal, finding that the child, who was only nine years
oldl had been already introduced to the study of letters, and
that he knew a great part of Virgil by heart, and that he had
learnt drawing from a French painter, desired that Antonio Vasari
should take his child to Florence. There he placed him in the
house of Niccolo Vespucci, a knight of Rhodes, who dwelt near
the Ponte Vecchio, and sent him to study under Michael Angelo
Buonarroti. At this time Francesco was living in the lane by Messer
Bivi gliano's house with his father, a velvet weaver; and as every
creature loves its like, he made friends with Giorgio through
M. Marco da Lodi. He had shown Giorgio a portrait painted by this
Francesco, who had just been placed with the painter Giuliano
Bugiardini, which pleased him greatly. Vasari had not then given
up the study of letters, but by the cardinal's orders was working
for two hours every day with Ippolito and Alessandro de' Medici,
under their master Il Pierio. The friendship then contracted between
Vasari and Francesco has always lasted between them, though from
a certain haughty way of speaking which Francesco had, and from
their competing against each other, some have thought otherwise.
Vasari, having been some months with Michael Angelo, was placed
by him with Andrea del Sarto when he had to go to Rome; and then
Giorgio used secretly to convey his master's drawings to Francesco,
who had no greater desire than to study them day and night. Afterwards
also, when Giorgio was placed by the magnificent Ippolito with
Baccio Bandinelli, who was glad to have the boy, he would not
rest till he had got Francesco there too, to the great profit
of both, for learning and working together, they made more progress
in a month than they would have done otherwise in two years.
When the Medici were driven out in I527, during the fighting round
the palace of the Signoria, a bench was thrown down upon those
who were fighting round the gate, but, as fortune would have it,
it struck the arm of Buonarroti's David, and broke it into three
pieces. And when the pieces had lain on the ground for three days
without any one touching them, Francesco went to the Ponte Vecchio
and sought out Giorgio, and the two boys together went to the
piazza; and going among the soldiers on guard, without considering
the danger, they picked up the pieces and carried them to the
house of Francesco's father, where afterwards Duke Cosimo found
them and had them repaired with copper rivets.
The Medici being thus banished, and with them the Cardinal of
Cortona, Antonio Vasari took his son back to Arezzo, to the no
small grief both of himself and of Francesco, for they loved each
other like brothers. But they were not long separated, for the
next August Giorgio lost his father and others of his family by
the plague, and being urged by letters from Francesco, who had
himself nearly died of it, he returned to Florence, and they worked
together for two years with such incredible earnestness that they
made marvellous progress. Aftervrards Francesco went to be with
Andrea del Sarto, and was there during the siege, suffering such
hardships that he repented he had not gone with Giorgio, who was
staying that year at Pisa.
Not long afterwards Benvenuto dalla Volpaia, the clockmaker, being
in Rome, was asked by Cardinal Salviati to tell him of a young
painter to live with him and paint for him, and Benvenuto proposed
Francesco. The cardinal, being pleased with his description of
him, gave him money for his journey; and so Francesco went to
Rome, where his manners pleasing the cardinal, he ordered that
rooms should be given him and four crowns a month, and a place
at his gentlemen's table. Francesco, being in Rome, had no greater
desire than to see his friend Giorgio Vasari in that city, and
fortune was favourable to him, and still more to Vasari; for Cardinal
Ippolito, passing through Arezzo, found Giorgio, who had lost
his father and was getting on as best he could, and gave orders
that he should go to Rome. As soon as Giorgio arrived there he
went at once to Francesco, who told him joyfully in what high
favour he was with the cardinal his master, and that he was in
a place where he could satisfy every desire for study, adding,
" I am not only enjoying myself now, but I hope for better
things still, for besides having you here in Rome to talk with
over matters of art, I am hoping to get into the service of Cardinal
Ippolito de' Medici, from whose liberality and the favour of the
Pope I may expect more than I have at present, and I shall be
a made man, if a youth who is expected does not come." Giorgio
knew that the youth who was expected was himself, and that the
place was kept for him, but he would not say anything, thinking
it possible that the cardinal might have some one else in his
mind. At length they went to the palace, and Giorgio was received
kindly by the cardinal, and orders were given that rooms should
be prepared for him, and a place at the page's table. Francesco
thought it strange that Giorgio had not confided the matter to
him, but concluded he had done it for good reasons, and all that
winter they studied together, leaving nothing noteworthy in Rome
which they did not draw And because they could not draw when the
Pope was in the palace, as soon as he had ridden forth to his
villa of the Magliana, they went into the rooms and stayed there
from morning to night without eating anything but a little bread,
and sometimes chilled with cold. But in the July of the next year
Giorgio, from the hardships of the winter and the heat of the
summer, fell ill and was carried in a litter to Arezzo, to the
great grief of Francesco, who also was taken ill and nearly died.
He recovered, however, and was entrusted with some work in S.
Maria della Pace and considering that it was not only for a public
place, but also in a church where were pictures by the greatest
men, Raffaello and others, he put his whole powers into the work,
and succeeded very well. As Francesco was living with Cardinal
Salviati, and was known as his dependant, he began to be called
Cecchino Salviati, which name he bore till his death.
In the year 1536 great and sumptuous preparations were made for
the coming of Charles V, and all the artists good and bad were
employed under the direction of Antonio da San Gallo. Francesco
was charged with some pictures in chiaroscuro, which were placed
on the Arch of San Marco, and which were the best in the decorations.
At the same time there was painting there a Venetian, Battista
Franco, who had given much time to drawing, studying only the
drawings, pictures, and sculptures of Michael Angelo. If, however,
he had learnt earlier to paint, and had studied the management
of colours, he would have excelled. But remaining obstinately
of the opinion, which many hold, that drawing is enough for a
painter, he did himself great harm. When Salviati afterwards was
employed by the Company of the Misericordia, Battista sought to
be employed there also, thinking to show himself greater than
Francesco, and the best master in Rome. But although he carried
out the picture with great labour and pains, it was a long way
from being equal to Salviati's, being in a crude, melancholy manner,
and without the grace and pleasant colouring that Francesco's
had.
Afterwards entering the service of Duke Giudobaldo of Urbino,
Battista was employed in making designs for the pottery works
at Castel Durante, where they made great use of engravings from
the works of Raffaello and others. This porcelain, as far as the
quality of the clay goes, resembles much what used to be made
in old days in Arezzo, in the time of Porsena, King of Tuscany.
But the Romans had not this sort of painting on their vases, as
far as we can tell. For the vases which are found from those days
containing the ashes of the dead, and others besides, have figures
outlined on one colour only black or red or white, but never with
a vitreous lustre, nor with those pleasant pictures which we see
in our time. Nor can it be said that the colours were once there,
but that they have been destroyed by time or by being buried in
the earth; for we see that ours can resist time and everything,
and they might be buried for four thousand years under the ground
and the picturcs would not be spoilt. But although vases and painted
china are made all over Italy, the best and most beautiful are
those which are made at Castel Durante, a place in the State of
Urbino, and those of Faenza, which are for the most part very
white, with the design in the centre or round the border, very
pleasantly and gracefully drawn.
But to return to Francesco Salviati. He was calle~ upon now for
many other pictures, which he showed Giorgio when he went to Rome
for two months, after the death of Duke Alessandro. And he told
him that when he had finished some pictures upon which he was
employed he meant to return to Florence, that he might see his
native city and his friends, for his father and mother were still
living. He had always assisted them greatly, especially in settling
his sisters, one of whom was married, and the other a nun in the
convent of Monte Domini. He came therefore to Florence, and was
received with great joy by his relatives and friends; and coming
just at the time of the wedding of Duke Cosimo, one of the pictures
to be painted for the occasion was entrusted to him. He undertook
it gladly, but before it was finished went away to Venice, leaving
it to another to complete. He was afterwards urged to return,
as being certain to be employed by Duke Cosimo, who had no good
masters round him; so being persuaded, he came and obtained permission
to paint a hall of the ducal palace, desiring no payment, but
only leave to paint there. He put forth his utmost efforts in
this work, desiring to leave a worthy memorial of himself in his
native place. But he had many vexatious hindrances. He was of
a melancholy nature, and did not care to have people round him
when he was working; but at first, doing violence to his feelings,
he allowed his friends to see him work. When, however, he and
settle at Florence. He, however, moved y anger and the desire
of revenge, returned to Rome; but, afflicted in mind and of an
unhealthy constitution, which he had weakened by constantly doctoring
himself, he fell sick of a mortal disease, which brought him to
his end.
Source. These texts were at http://ubmail.ubalt.edu/~pfitz/ART/REN/VASARI.HTM,but
vanished from the net, and so they have been restored here.
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the most eminent painters, sculptors &
architects, by Giorgio Vasari: newly tr. by Gaston du C. de Vere. With five hundred
illustraiions, London, Macmillan and & The Medici society, 1912-15.
Other translations include:
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. The lives of the painters, sculptors and architects. London, J. M. Dent; New York, Dutton [1949-50]).
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the most eminent painters, sculptors,
and architects. Abridged from the translation by Gaston DuC. DeVere. Edited, with an
introd., by Robert N. Linscott. New York, Modern Library [1959].
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the artists. Selected and translated by
E.L. Seeley. Introd. by Alfred Werner. (New York, Noonday Press, [1965, c1957]).
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. Lives of the artists; a selection translated by
George Bull. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, Eng. : Penguin Books, 1987.
Vasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574. The lives of the artists; translated with an
introduction and notes by Julia Conaway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella. (Oxford ; New
York : Oxford University Press, 1991.).
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