Lives of the Artists

by Giorgio Vasari

  After the great crush of people had left, arrangements were made to put the body in a tomb of the church near the altar of the Cavalcanti family, beside the door leading to the cloister of the chapter-house. Meanwhile, word of what was happening spread through the city, and so many young men ran to see the corpse that it was scarcely possible to close the tomb; and if it had been day instead of night-time it would have had to be left open for many hours to satisfy the people. The following morning, when the painters and sculptors were preparing for the ceremony, many of those talented people who have always abounded in Florence attached various verses in Latin and Florentine over the tomb, and this continued for some time; and the compositions which were later published formed only a small proportion of the many that were written.

  But to come to the obsequies: these were not solemnized the day after St John’s Day, as had been planned, but were postponed until 14 July. The three deputies (the fourth, Benvenuto Cellini, being somewhat indisposed had played no part at all in the matter) chose as their commissary the sculptor Zanobi Lastricati, and decided that they would arrange an imaginative display, worthy of their art, rather than anything that was ostentatious and costly. They all emphasized that it was a question of how a man like Michelangelo should be honoured by men of his own profession whose wealth consisted not in vast possessions but in artistic skill; the answer was to avoid any regal pomp or superfluous vanities, to display ingenious inventions and works full of vigour and charm created by the knowledge and dexterity of our craftsmen, and thus to honour art by art.

  So although we had already received from his Excellency all the money we had asked for, and were assured of being given any more that might be needed, none the less we were convinced that we were expected to provide something whose originality and beauty sprang from skill and imagination rather than a lavish display demanding considerable outlays and elaborate equipment. All the same, in the event, the magnificence of the occasion equalled the works that were created by the academicians, and the splendour of the ceremony matched the admirably ingenious and fanciful inventions.

  The final arrangements were as follows. In the central nave of San Lorenzo and between the two lateral doors (one leading to the street, the other to the cloister) was erected a rectangular catafalque, fifty-six feet high, twenty-two feet long, and eighteen broad, with a figure of Fame at the top. On the base of the catafalque, four feet from the floor, on the side facing the principal door of the church, were two beautiful recumbent figures of river-gods, namely, the Arno and the Tiber. The Arno was holding a cornucopia of flowers and fruit, to signify the artistic achievements of Florence which have been so great and so many that they have filled the world, and notably the city of Rome, with extraordinary beauty. This thought in turn was aptly represented by the attitude of the figure of Tiber, shown with one arm extended and the hand full of flowers and fruit from the cornucopia opposite; the enjoyment by this figure of the fruits of the Arno also signified that Michelangelo had spent a great many years of his life in Rome, where he created those marvellous works that have astonished the world. The Arno had a lion as its sign, and the Tiber a wolf, with the infants Romulus and Remus; both the river-gods were colossal figures of exceptional grandeur and beauty, and both looked like marble. The Tiber was executed by Giovanni di Benedetto of Castello, a pupil of Bandinelli’s, and the Arno by Battista di Benedetto, a pupil of Ammanati’s, both excellent young artists of considerable promise.1

  Having been furnished in this way and adorned with lights, the church became crowded by people beyond number, for everyone, putting every other care aside, had run to see this noble spectacle. When the procession entered the church, first came the duke’s representative, accompanied by the captain and halbardiers of the duke’s guard, and followed by the consuls and the academicians, and, in brief, by all the painters, sculptors, and architects of Florence. After all these had taken their places between the catafalque and the high altar, where for a good space of time they had been awaited by a vast gathering of nobles and gentlemen, seated according to their personal rank, a solemn Mass for the Dead was begun, with music and every kind of ceremony. After Mass finished, Varchi mounted the pulpit to perform an office which he had not undertaken since the death of Duke Cosimo’s daughter, the most illustrious duchess of Ferrara. Then with the elegance of manner, the expressions, and the tone of voice which were peculiarly characteristic of his style of oratory, Varchi praised the divine Michelangelo, describing his merits, his life, and his works. One can truthfully say that Michelangelo was most fortunate not to have died before our Academy was established, considering the magnificent pomp and ceremony with which it honoured his death. And it must be counted fortunate that he passed on to everlasting life and happiness before Varchi, for he could not have been eulogized by a more eloquent or learned man. Benedetto Varchi’s funeral oration was published fairly soon afterwards, as was another very fine oration, praising Michelangelo and the art of painting, which was composed by the most noble and learned Leonardo Salviati, who was then a young man of about twenty-two, a brilliantly accomplished and versatile writer, in both Latin and Tuscan, as is recognized today and as the whole world will discover in the future.

  But what shall I say, or what can I say that will be adequate, of the ability, goodness, and foresight shown by the Very Reverend Vincenzo Borghini? Let it be enough to record that it was with Borghini as their leader, guide, and counsellor that the accomplished artists of the Academy of Design solemnized Michelangelo’s obsequies. For although each artist was capable of achieving far more in his own branch of art than was required for the obsequies, on this occasion, as always when an enterprise is to be carried through worthily, it was necessary to put a single man with complete authority in charge of all the arrangements. As it was not possible in a single day for the whole city to see the decorations in Santa Croce (as the duke wished) everything was left standing for several weeks, to the satisfaction of the people of Florence and of visiting strangers from places around.

  Now I shall not include here the very many epitaphs and verses in Latin and Tuscan composed by various able men in honour of Michelangelo, for they would need a volume to themselves and in any case have been quoted and published elsewhere. But I shall not omit to mention, as I end this Life, that after Michelangelo had been honoured in all the ways described above, the duke then ordered that he should be entombed in Santa Croce, where he had himself expressed the wish to be buried along with hall the marbles and variegated stones that were needed for the sepulchre, which was designed by Giorgio Vasari and carried out by Battistais ancestors. To Michelangelo’s nephew Lionardo, his Excellency gave Lorenzi, an able sculptor, who also did the bust of Michelangelo. Three statues, representing Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, are to adorn the tomb; and these have been allocated to Battista, to Giovanni dell’Opera, and to Valerio Cioli, Florentine sculptors. Work on the statues and the tomb is proceeding now and they will soon be finished and put in place. The cost of the tomb (not counting the marbles received from the duke) is being met by Lionardo Buonarroti; but in order not to fail in any way in honouring the memory of the great Michelangelo, his Excellency proposes to place his bust with a memorial tablet in the cathedral, where are to be found the busts and names of other distinguished Florentines.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE WORKS OF TITIAN OF CADORE

  Painter, c. 1487/90–1576

  TITIAN was born in Cadore, a small town on the River Piave, about five miles distant from the pass of the Alps, in the year 1480; his family, the Vecelli, was one of the noblest in the district. He grew into a boy of fine spirit and lively intelligence, and at the age of ten he was sent to stay with his uncle, a respected Venetian citizen, who saw that he was anxious to become a painter and so placed him with Giovanni Bellini, an accomplished and very famous painter. Under his discipline Titian studied hard, and he soon showed that nature had endowed him with all the qualities of intelligence and judgement that are necessary for the art of pa
inting. Now at that time Giovanni Bellini and the other painters of that part of Italy, not being in the position to study ancient works of art, often, or rather always, used to copy what they were doing from life, in an arid, crude, and laboured manner; so for the time being Titian himself followed their style of work.

  Subsequently, however (this was about the year 1507), Giorgione of Castelfranco, being dissatisfied with the methods then in use, began to give his pictures more softness and greater relief. Despite his development of a fine style, however, Giorgione still used to work by setting himself in front of living and natural objects and reproducing them with colours applied in patches of harsh or soft tints according to life; he did not use any initial drawings, since he firmly believed that to paint directly with colours, without reference to drawing, was the truest and best method of working and the true art of design. Giorgione failed to see that, if he wants to balance his compositions and to arrange his various inventions well, the painter must first do various sketches on paper to see how everything goes together. The idea which the artist has in his mind must be translated into what the eyes can see, and only then, with the assistance of his eyes, can the artist form a sound judgement concerning the inventions he has conceived. In addition, if the artist wants to comprehend the nude he must study it extremely carefully, and he can only do this by making use of drawings; the painter becomes a slave if he has to keep a nude or draped model in front of him all the time he is working. On the other hand, by constantly drawing on paper he gradually learns how to design and paint with ease when he comes to execute the final work; and when he acquires experience in this way he develops perfect judgement and style, and he is not weighed down by the labour and effort characteristic of the work of the artists we mentioned earlier. Moreover, the use of drawings furnishes the artist’s mind with beautiful conceptions and helps him to depict everything in the natural world from memory; he has no need to keep his subject in front of him all the time or to conceal under the charm of his colouring his lack of knowledge of how to draw, as for many years (having never seen Rome or any completely perfect works of art) did the Venetian painters, Giorgione, Palma, Pordenone, and the rest.

  After Titian had seen Giorgione’s style and method of working he abandoned the manner of Giovanni Bellini, though he had practised it for a long time, and adopted that of Giorgione. Before very long he was imitating his works so well that (as I shall describe later) his pictures were sometimes mistakenly believed to be by Giorgione. Then, having grown older in experience and judgement as well as years, Titian executed many works in fresco, which cannot be enumerated in order as they are dispersed in various places. It is enough to record that they were so good that many knowledgeable people gave it as their opinion that he would become a truly great painter, as indeed he did. At the time he first began to paint like Giorgione, when he was no more than eighteen, Titian did the portrait of a friend of his, a gentleman of the Barberigo family, which was held to be extremely fine, for the representation of the flesh-colouring was true and realistic and the hairs were so well distinguished one from the other that they might have been counted, as might the stitches in a doublet of silvered satin which also appeared in that work. In short the picture was thought to show great diligence and to be very successful. Titian signed it on a dark ground, but if he had not done so, it would have been taken for Giorgione’s work.

  Meanwhile, after Giorgione himself had executed the principal façade of the Fondaco de’ Tedeschi, through Bar-berigo Titian was commissioned to paint some scenes for the same building, above the Merceria. After this, he painted a large picture with life-size figures which is now in the hall of Andrea Loredano, who lives near San Marcuola. This picture shows Our Lady on the journey to Egypt in the middle of a great forest, and it contains several landscapes. These were beautifully executed because Titian had studied this kind of painting for many months, when he gave hospitality for that purpose to some German painters who specialized in depicting verdant scenes and landscapes. In the woods he painted a number of animals, drawn from life, which are truly convincing and realistic. Next, in the house of a crony of his called Giovanni Van Haanen, a Flemish merchant, Titian painted Giovanni’s own portrait and also an Ecce Homo, with a number of figures, which Titian himself and many others regard as an extremely beautiful work. He also did a painting of Our Lady with other life-size figures of men and children, all portrayed from various members of the household.

  Then, in the year 1507 (while the Emperor Maximilian was waging war against the Venetians), according to his own account Titian painted for the church of San Marziale a picture showing the Angel Raphael with Tobias and a dog; and in the background is a landscape with a little wood in which St John the Baptist is depicted kneeling in prayer to heaven, from which there comes a radiance which bathes him in light. It is thought that he executed this work before he started work on the façade of the Fondaco de’ Tedeschi. (In connexion with this façade, Titian uncovered part of what he did, and then many gentlemen, not realizing that he was working there instead of Giorgione, cheerfully congratulated Giorgione when they happened to meet him and said that he was doing better work on the façade towards the Merceria than he had done for the part which is over the Grand Canal. This so incensed Giorgione that until Titian had completely finished and his share in the work had become general knowledge he would hardly show himself out of doors. And from then on he would never allow Titian to associate with him or be his friend.)

  The following year, 1508, Titian published in a woodcut his Triumph of the Faith with its countless figures: our first parents, the patriarchs, prophets, sibyls, the Holy Innocents, the martyrs and apostles, and Jesus Christ himself, borne in triumph by the four evangelists and the four Doctors of the Church, with the Holy Confessors behind. This is a picture of great force and fine style, in which Titian showed expert knowledge. I well remember Fra Sebastiano del Piombo talking about this and saying that if Titian had been in Rome at that time and had seen work by Michelangelo and Raphael along with the ancient statues, and had studied drawing, he would have done really stupendous things, in view of his wonderful facility in colouring. He deserved, Fra Sebastiano added, to be celebrated as the finest and greatest imitator of nature as far as colour was concerned, and with a foundation of the supreme method of design he would have rivalled both the painter from Urbino and Buonarroti.1

  Subsequently, Titian went to Vicenza where he painted in fresco, on the gallery where the courts of justice are held, a picture of the Judgement of Solomon, a very fine work. On his return to Venice he painted the façade of the Palazzo Grimani; then in Padua, for the church of Sant’Antonio, he did some more frescoes illustrating events from the life of St Anthony, and for the church of Santo Spirito he painted a little altarpiece showing St Mark seated in the middle of various saints, for whose faces he did some portraits from life executed in oils with marvellous diligence. Many people have thought that this panel was by Giorgione. At that time because of the death of Giovanni Bellini there was left unfinished a scene being painted for the hall of the Great Council, and showing Frederick Barbarossa kneeling before Pope Alexander III, who is placing his foot on his neck, at the door of the church of San Marco. Titian completed this picture, changing many details and putting in portraits of his friends and of others; and the Senate rewarded him by giving him an office in the Fondaco de’ Tedeschi called the Agency, which yields three hundred crowns a year and which the senators customarily give to the best painter in the city on condition that he accept the obligation to portray the city’s ruler, or doge, at his election, for the fee of only eight crowns to be paid by the doge concerned. As they are done, these portraits are put on public view in the palace of San Marco.

  During the year 1514 Duke Alfonso of Ferrara caused to be decorated a small chamber for which he commissioned the local painter Dosso to paint various compartments showing stories of Aeneas, Mars, and Venus, and in a grotto Vulcan with two smiths at the forge. The duke also wanted
to have there some pictures by Giovanni Bellini, who painted on another wall a vat of red wine with some Bacchanals around it, together with musicians and satyrs and other drunken figures, both male and female, and near them a nude and very beautiful Silenus riding on his ass in the middle of various figures with their hands full of grapes and other fruits. This work was coloured and finished so diligently that it is one of the finest pictures Giovanni Bellini ever painted, though there is a certain sharpness in the style of the draperies which suggests the German manner. (This is not surprising, for he imitated a picture by the Fleming Albrecht Dürer which about that time had been brought to Venice and lodged in the church of San Bartolomeo; it is a rare work of art, alive with beautiful figures painted in oils.) On the vat he painted, Giovanni Bellini wrote the words: Ioannes Bellinus Venetus p. 1514; and as, being an old man, he was not able to finish the work completely Titian was sent for to do so, as the most capable of all the other painters. Anxious to better himself and make his name, Titian applied himself very diligently and executed the two scenes needed to complete the room. In the first of these he depicted a river flowing with bright red wine with drunken singers and musicians, male and female, and a nude woman asleep, so beautiful that she seems alive, together with various other figures. On this painting, Titian signed his name. In the other scene, which is next to this and is the first to be seen on entering, he painted a host of pretty Cupids and putti in a variety of attitudes. This, as much as the first scene, delighted the duke. Among the loveliest of its details is the sight of one of the putti making water into a river and watching his reflection in the water, while the others are moving in front of a pedestal in the shape of an altar on which is a statue of Venus with a sea-conch in her right hand and near her the figures of Grace and Beauty, two lovely forms executed with wonderful diligence. On the door of a wardrobe Titian painted an image of Christ, from the waist upwards, to whom one of the common Jews is showing the coin of Caesar; and this marvellous and wonderful painting of Christ, along with the other pictures in that room, are said by our leading craftsmen to be the finest and best executed of all Titian’s works. Without doubt they are outstanding pictures, and Titian well deserved to be most generously recompensed and rewarded by the duke, of whom he did an excellent portrait showing him with one arm resting on a great piece of artillery. Titian also did the portrait of Signora Laura, who later became the duke’s wife; and he produced a breath-taking painting. To be sure, gifts can work wonders with those who labour for the love of art, and are spurred on by the generosity of princes.