Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects/Domenico Beccafumi

by Giorgio Vasari

 

THE SIENESE, DOMENICO BECCAFUMI, PAINTER AND MASTER OF CASTINGS IN METAL.

[born 1479—died 1549.]

The same quality that we have already described as the pure gift of nature in Giotto and some others among the painters of whom we have been hitherto discoursing, was again perceived to manifest itself in the case of the Sienese painter, Domenico Beccafumi, seeing that while engaged in keeping a few sheep for Pacio his father^[1] who was a labourer of the Sienese citizen Lorenzo Beccafumi, he was frequently observed to employ himself, child as he was, in drawing sometimes on the stones, sometimes on other substances. Now it so chanced that Lorenzo Beccafumi one day remarked the child thus occupied; he had a pointed stick that is to say, wherewith he was drawing in the sand of a little stream, on the banks of which he was guarding his dock; Lorenzo thereupon requested the father to make over the boy to his care, intending that he should act as his servant, at the same time that he also received instruction. The child, who was then called Mecherino, was given up to Lorenzo by his father Pacio accordingly, and was conducted to Siena, where Lorenzo caused him for some time to spend whatever leisure remained to him from the duties of his service, in the workshop of a painter, not an artist of very great account, who was his neighbour. But what this painter did not know himself, he took care that Mecherino should acquire from certain drawings by eminent artists which he had in his possession, and of which he was in the habit of availing himself for his various necessities, as is the frequent habit of certain honest painters, who are not guilty of any very intimate acquaintance with design; Mecherino, pursuing his studies in this manner, soon gave evidence of the distinction which at a later period he was to acquire as a painter.

At that time Pietro Perugino, who was then a famous painter, arrived in Siena, where he executed two pictures as we have before related. His manner pleased Domenico exceedingly, wherefore, having set himself to study the same and to copy those two pictures, no long time had elapsed before he was found to have acquired the manner of Pietro to a very remarkable degree. Meanwhile, the chapel of Michelagnolo, and the works of Raphael in Rome, had been given to the world, and Domenico, whose sole desire was to learn, and who perceived that he was losing his time in Siena, took leave of Lorenzo Beccafumi, from whom he obtained his surname, and departed for Rome.

There he fixed himself with a painter who gave him his board and lodging, when Domenico executed numerous pictures in company with him, and at the same time employed himself in studying the works of Michelagnolo, Raphael, and other eminent masters, with the statues, buildings, and other admirable labours of antiquity. By these means Domenico soon became bold in design, amply stored with power of invention, and a very pleasing colourist, but during his abode in Rome, which did not extend beyond the space of two years, he performed no work entitled to remembrance, with the exception of an escutcheon of the arms of Pope Julius II., which he painted in various colours on the front of a house in Borgo.

Now at this time Giovan Antonio da Vercelli,^[2] then a young and able painter, had been invited to Siena by one of the Spannocchi family, who was a merchant, and being much encouraged by the gentlemen of that city (which was ever the friend and protectress of all distinguished men) he found considerable employment, more especially in the execution of portraits from the life. Domenico Beccafumi hearing this, and having an earnest wish to revisit his native city, soon returned thither accordingly, and perceiving that Giovan Antonio possessed great powers of design, in which he well knew the excellence of an artist to consist, he did not content himself with what he had acquired in Rome, but set himself studiously to follow in the footsteps of Giovan Antonio, devoting his time more especially to the study of anatomy, and to drawing the nude figure.

By all this Domenico profited to such an extent, that in a short time he began to be much esteemed in that most noble city. Nor was he less beloved for his rectitude and the purity of his life, than approved for his excellence in art; for whereas, Giovan Antonio, coarse, licentious, and eccentric as he was, had acquired the reputation of being one who wasted his time with infinite levity and with idle young men, and was even willing to accept that character; Domenico on the contrary, was most orderly and well conducted, lived as it beseemed a Christian man to do, and passed the greater part of his time alone. It will nevertheless sometimes happen that such as are called good fellows and merry companions, are more sought after than are the virtuous and upright, and so it happened in this case, as regarded the youth of Siena, who were for the most part great admirers of Giovan Antonio, extolling him as a very original person. And he was without doubt very fanciful, taking pains to please the common herd, and always having his house full of parrots, apes, dwarfed asses, little horses from Elba, a raven that could speak, Barbary horses for running races, and other things of similar kind, wherewith he had made himself a name among the vulgar, who could talk of nothing else but of his follies.^[3]

Giovan Antonio had painted the front of a house in fresco for Messer Agostino Bardi, while Domenico at the same time, and in competition with Giovan Antonio, adorned in like manner the front of a house belonging to the Borghese family, which is situate close to the column of Postierla and near the cathedral, a work to which he gave the most careful study. In a decoration which forms a kind of frieze immediately beneath the roof, our artist executed certain small figures in chiaro-scuro, which have been much extolled, and in the spaces between the three ranges of windows made in the stone called Travertine, which adorn that palace, he painted numerous figures of heathen deities and others, some coloured to imitate bronze, some in chiaro-scuro, and some painted in various colours. These also were more than tolerably well done, although the work of Giovan Antonio received more general commendation than that of Domenico. Both of these façades were painted in the year 1512.

For the church of San Benedetto, which is situate outside the gate of Tufi, and belongs to a monastery of the monks of Monte Oliveto, Domenico painted a picture, the subject of which is Santa Caterina receiving the Stigmata. The saint is represented within a building, and has St. Benedict standing on her right hand -with St. Jerome, in his robes as a Cardinal, on the left; and this picture, having much harmony of colouring, with very great relief, has ever been and still is much extolled.^[4] On the predella of this picture, the artist painted small historical representations in tempera, and these have indescribable animation and boldness; they are, moreover, executed with so much facility of design, that they could not possibly have more grace than we find displayed in them, and they yet appear to have been produced without the slightest effort in the world. In one of these stories is seen the Angel placing a part of the Host, consecrated by the priest, in the month of the above-named St. Catherine; •in another is Jesus Christ in the act of espousing the same Saint; near this is St. Catherine receiving the religious habit from San Domenico, with other stories from the life of the same Santa Caterina.^[5]

In the church of San Martino, Domenico Beccafumi painted a large picture, the subject of which is the Birth of Christ, with the Virgin Mother, St. Joseph, and the Shepherds, who are all in the act of adoring the Divine Child. Over the cabin or hut, wherein is the manger, there hovers a choir of Angels, which are most beautiful.^[6] In this work, which is much commended by artists, Domenico began to make it obvious to all who understood the subject, that his works were executed on much more solid principles than could be found in those of Giovan-Antonio. He afterwards painted the Visitation of Our Lady to Sant’ Elizabetta, and this fresco, which Domenico painted in the Great Hospital, is in a very pleasing manner, and entirely true to the life.^[7] There is also a picture by this artist in the church of Santo Spirito; it represents Our Lady with the Divine Child in her arms; the latter espousing the above-named Santa Caterina da Siena; at the two sides are San Bernardino, San Francesco, San Girolamo, and the virgin martyr Santa Caterina; in the foreground are San Pietro and San Paolo; they are standing on a marble staircase, and the colour of their vestments is reflected from the lustrous surface of the polished marble, in a manner which is truly artistic.^[8] This work, executed with singular judgment, and showing admirable power of design, acquired much honour for the artist, as did likewise certain small figures on the Predella. These represent the following subjects: the Baptism of Our Saviour by St. John; a King, who causes the wife and children of St. Sigismond to be cast into a well; San Domenico burning the Books of the Heretics; Christ presenting to Santa Caterina of Siena two Crowns, the one of roses, the other of thorns; and San Bernardino of Siena preaching on the public Piazza of that city, to a vast multitude of people assembled there.

The fame which Domenico acquired by this work caused him to receive the commission for a picture to be placed in the church of the Carmine, the subject chosen being St. Michael conquering Lucifer; in this work the artist, as an ingenious and fanciful person, resolved to make manifest, by a certain originality of treatment, the extent of his inventive power, and the tine thoughts of which he was capable. By way of showing Lucifer and his followers, therefore, expelled, as they were from Heaven for their pride, he depicted a shower of nude figures, which is exceedingly beautiful, although it is true that the excessive pains which Domenico has taken with it have resulted in rendering the work somewhat confused. This picture being left unfinished at the death of the master, was then taken to the Great Hospital, and placed on the ascent of a staircase,^[9] near the high altar, where it still remains, and is regarded with admiration by all beholders, on account of certain foreshortenings of the nude figures, which are exceedingly fine. In the church of the Carmine meanwhile, where the above-named picture was to have been placed, there has been appended another, in the upper part of which is the figure of the Almighty Father, beheld amidst the clouds, and surrounded by numerous angels, very gracefully depicted. In the middle of the picture is the Archangel Michael, wearing his armour, and pointing to Lucifer, whom he has driven to the centre of the earth; burning buildings, a fiery gulf, and a sea of flame, also make part of the picture, with angels in various attitudes, and the souls of the condemned, which are represented bjr nude figures, floating and struggling amidst the torments of that sea of fire. All this is delineated with infinite beauty of manner, and in that admirable work, which has ever been accounted a very extraordinary performance, the darkness appears to be illumined by the fire of the gulf.^[10]

The Sienese painter, Baldassare Peruzzi, was never weary of extolling this picture, and one day, as I was looking at the same in company with him, on a certain occasion when I was passing through Siena, I stood myself amazed therewith, as I did also at five small stories, which are depicted on the Predella, and which are executed in tempera after a most judicious and beautiful manner. Domenico likewise undertook to paint a picture in the city of Siena, for the nuns of Ognissanti: in the upper part of this work is Our Saviour Christ seen amidst the clouds; he is crowning the glorified Virgin; and beneath them are San Gregorio, Sant’ Antonio, Santa Maria Maddalena, and the virgin martyr St. Catherina. On the Predella are certain small figures in tempera, which are very beautiful.^[11]

In the house of the Signor Marcello Agostini,^[12] Domenico painted some very beautiful pictures on the ceiling of an apartment, which has three Lunettes on each side, and two at each end, with a frieze entirely around it. Two paintings occupy the centre of the ceiling.^[13] In the first is the imitation of a silken arras, which appears to depend from the framework; and herein, as if woven in that tapestry, is the figure of Scipio Africanus, who restores the young wife uninjured to her husband. In the second is the renowned painter Zeuxis copying the several nude figures, from which he composed his picture for the Temple of Juno. In one of the Lunettes are small figures of not more than about half a braccia high, but exceedingly beautiful; they represent the two Roman Brothers, who, having been enemies, consent to become friends for the sake of the public welfare, and the good of their country.

In the following picture is Torquatus giving an example of obedience to the laws by permitting one of his own eyes to be put out, in order to save an eye for his son, who had been condemned to lose both his eyes, and who is, by this means, enabled to save one. In the next is the Petition of ...... who, after being compelled to listen to the enumeration of his crimes and treasons against his country, and the Roman people, which is read to him, is then put to death. In the picture beside this are seen the Roman People deliberating on the Expedition of Scipio into Africa; and in another Lunette is an ancient Sacrifice exhibiting a vast number of very beautiful figures, with a perspective view of a Temple, which has considerable relief, for in this respect Domenico was a truly excellent master. In the last of these pictures is Cato in the act of destroying himself, just as he is on the point of being overtaken by certain horsemen; the horses ridden by these cavaliers are beautifully painted.

In the spaces between the Lunettes are small historical representations, which are admirably finished,^[14] and the excellence of the whole work having proved to those who then governed that Domenico was an excellent painter, he was appointed to decorate the ceiling of a hall in the palace of the Signoria, and to this work he gave all possible forethought, care, and labour; being impelled thereto by the wish to make his own abilities manifest, as well as by his desire to adorn that renowned building of his native place; a city by which he was himself so highly honoured. The ceiling of this hall,^[15] which has double the length of its width, has no Lunettes, but is constructed with groined arches, for which cause Domenico thought it best to paint the frame-work of the compartments, adding friezes, which he also gilded, without any addition of stucco work, or other ornaments; and this he executed so perfectly and with so graceful an effect, that the work does veritably appear to be in relief.

At each end of the above-named hall, Domenico then painted a large historical picture, and on both of the sides he executed two of like manner, between which is an octangle; thus there are six squares and two octangles, in each of which is a picture. At the edge of the ceiling and in the angles are circular compartments, which, being drawn half on the one side and half on the other, and being thus divided by the angles, present eight compartments, within which are seated colossal figures, one in each of the eight divisions, and all representing men who have been remarkable for their services in the defence of the republic, or for their obedience to her laws. The centre, or highest part of the ceiling, is divided into three compartments, so that in the middle and immediately over the octangles there is a circle formed, while there are squares over each of those on the walls beneath.

In one of the octangles is the figure of a Woman surrounded by Children; she holds a heart in her hand, and represents Patriotism, or the Love of Country. The second octangle has also the figure of a Woman, with an equal number of Children, and this represents Civic Union; while in the circle between the two octangles is a figure of Justice with the Sword and Scales in her hand: this last is foreshortened with so much boldness as to be matter of admiration to all, whether we consider the drawing or the colouring. The latter commences darkly in the lower part, but from the knees upward it becomes gradually lighter, and, continuing to brighten towards the back, shoulders, and arms, attains to a celestial splendour at the head, and the figure appears to become lost, and to vanish by slow gradations into the air. It is not possible, I do not say to find, but to imagine, any figure more beautiful than this, nor is there one completed with finer judgment or more profound art, among all the number thus painted by various artists, to appear foreshortened, that is to say, when viewed from below.^[16]

With respect to the stories themselves; in the first, which is that at the end of the hall and to the left of the entrance, is an historical representation, the subject of which is the Reconciliation of the Censors, Marcus Lepidus and Fulvius Flaccus, who being much at enmity with each other, had yet no sooner become associates and colleagues in the magistracy than, laying aside all thought of their private resentments in consideration of the public interest, they fulfilled the duties of their office in the strictest amity. They kneel together at the same altar, while around them stand numerous figures and behind all are magnificent temples and other buildings, of which we have perspective views of such extraordinary excellence, and which are managed with so much ability that they amply suffice to show the extensive and exact acquaintance which Domenico possessed with the laws of perspective.

On the following or side-wall is a picture exhibiting the history of the Dictator, Posthumius Tiburtius, who, having committed the charge of the army to his only son, and made him his substitute, with command to do nothing further than watch the camp, caused him to be put to death for disobedience, inasmuch as that he, having found a fair occasion for making an assault upon the enemy, had done so, and had obtained the victory. In this work Domenico has shown us Posthumius, an old man with shaven beard, who stands with the right hand laid upon an axe, while he points with the left towards the body of his son, whom he displays to the army lying dead on the earth, the figure of the dead being foreshortened with admirable ability. Beneath this picture, which is a very beautiful one, is a highly appropriate inscription.

The octangle which follows has the story of Spurius Cassius, whom the senate, suspecting of a desire to make himself king, has caused to be decapitated, while they also command that his dwelling shall be razed to the ground. In this work, the head, which is beside the executioner, and the body, which is foreshortened on the earth, are exceedingly beautiful. In the next picture is the Tribune Publius Mutius, causing all his colleagues, who had aspired with Spurius Cassius to become the tyrants of their country, to be given over to the flames; and in this painting the fires, by which the bodies of those condemned persons are seen to be consumed, are treated admirably and executed with singular art.

At the opposite end of the hall is a picture wherein is the Athenian Codrus, who, having learned that the oracle had declared victory to the army whose king should be slain in the battle, laid down his regiil vestments, entered unknown among the ranks of the enemy, and caused himself to be slain by their hands, thus giving victory to his people by means of the sacrifice of his own life. Domenico has depicted the Athenian seated amidst his nobles, who stand around him while he despoils himself of the royal robes; close at hand is a round temple of great beauty, and in the extreme distance of the picture, Codrus is again seen lying dead; beneath is his name in an epitaph.

Proceeding next to the remaining side or long wall, which stands opposite to that whereof we have described the paintings, with the octangle between them, we find in like manner two pictures, in the first of which is the Prince Zaleucus, who, in obedience to the laws, is about to deprive his son of an eye, and to suffer the loss of one in his own person; around him stand numerous personages, entreating him to refrain from that cruelty to both himself and his son. In the distance is the youth, who had been accused of offering violence to a Locrian maiden, and beneath is the name of Zaleucus on an inscription. In the octangle which is beside this picture there follows the story of Marcus Manilius in the act of being thrown from the Capitol. The figure of Manilius, which is a very youthful one, is seen precipitated from a sort of balcony; it is admirably foreshortened, and this figure, which is shown with the head downwards, is executed to such perfection that it appears to be indeed alive, as do also certain other figures which are standing below.

In the next picture is Spurius Mcelius who is put to death by the Tribune Servilius because the people suspected that he was about to attempt making himself the tyrant of his country. Servilius, a seated figure, is surrounded by many others, one of whom, who is near the centre, points to the body of Spurius lying dead on the earth, and painted with infinite art.

In the circles above, and which occupy the angles of the ceiling as before described, are representations of different men, all distinguished for the zeal with which they had defended the country. In the first is the renowned Fabius Maximus, seated in his armour; and on the opposite portion is Speusippus Duke of the Tegetes, who, being persuaded by a friend to rid himself of his rival and adversary, declares that he will not be induced by considerations of private interest to deprive his country of such a citizen. The circle on the opposite angle exhibits on one part the Praetor Celius, who, having ventured on giving battle to the enemy in opposition to the Aruspices, is punished by the senate, although he had come off conqueror and had obtained an important victory. Beside the Praetor is Thrasybulus, who, to liberate his country, and with the aid of certain among his friends, has valorously slain the thirty tyrants. Thrasybulus is an old man with shaven beard and hoary locks, he has his name inscribed beneath his feet, as have all the others.

Within one of the angles of the ceiling at the lower end of the Hall is further to be seen the Praetor Gcnutius Cippus, on whose head a bird had wonderfully alighted in such sort that its wings had the appearance of horns on the head; the oracle being consulted thereon, replied that Genutius would become king of the country, when the Praetor, although much advanced in years, determined to banish himself from his home rather than become instrumental to the subjugation of his native land, and departed into exile accordingly; this figure Domenico has therefore represented with a bird on his head. Beside Genutius is Charondas, who, having returned to his palace from his country house, has hastily repaired to the senate without having first divested himself of his armour, in contravention of a law which forbade the senators to enter into the senate armed, and who slays himself on becoming aware of the oversight which he has committed.

In the opposite angle, which is the last, is a circle exhibiting on one side Damon and Pythias, whose extraordinary friendship is known to all, and with whom is Dionysius, tyrant of Sicily. Beside these, and on the other side of the circle, is the seated figure of Brutus, who condemned his two sons to death because they had conspired to procure the return of the Tarquins to their country. This work, which was indeed a truly remarkable one, caused the Sienese to become fully aware of the art and ability of Domenico, who gave proof of a fine genius, extraordinary judgment, and singular knowledge of his vocation, in all that he did.

When the Emperor Charles Y. arrived for the first time in Italy, it was expected that he would pay a visit to Siena, seeing that he had expressed an intention to that effect to the ambassadors of the Republic. Among other preparations therefore, which were made for the reception of so great an Emperor, Domenico was commissioned to make a Horse, eight braccia high and in full relief; this he formed of pasteboard, or rather a kind of papier maché, hollow within, and maintained in its place by a frame-work of iron. On this horse was placed the statue of the Emperor, arrayed after the manner of the ancients, and with the sword in his hand. Beneath the horse were three colossal figures, as of men vanquished by his might; but these also assisted to support a part of the weight of the horse, which was represented in the act of rearing itself on its hind legs, and with its fore feet in the air; while they presented likewise the allegorical signification of three provinces, which had been conquered and subjugated by the power of that Emperor.

In this work Domenico proved himself to be no less able in. sculpture than in painting; he had fixed the group above described on a platform of wood-work four braccia high, and within this had arranged a series of wheels, which, being worked by men concealed among them, caused the whole to move forward, the design of Domenico being that this horse, having been made to move as we have said, should accompany his Majesty on his entrance into the city, and having attended him even to the portal of the palace of the Signoria, should then halt and remain fixed in the centre of the Piazza. The horse having been thus brought to completion by Domenico, required nothing further than the gilding, but it remained in that unfinished state, for his Majesty did not after all repair at that time to Siena, but having been crowned at Bologna, had then departed from Italy; wherefore the work was left incomplete.

The art and ability of Domenico had nevertheless been rendered fully apparent by this group, the grandeur and excellence of which were much commended by every one. It was placed for that time in the office of works belonging to the cathedral; but when His Majesty, returning victorious from the expedition into Africa, had passed from Messina to Naples and Rome, and finally arrived at Siena, the abovedescribed work of Domenico was fixed on the Piazza of the Cathedral, to his great honour.

The renown of this artist being thus bruited abroad, Prince Doria, who accompanied the Imperial Court, when he had seen all the works by his hand which were then in the city of Siena, proposed to Domenico that he should repair to the Doria Palace in Genoa, there to labour where Perino del Vaga, Giovan-Antonio da Pordenone, and Girolamo da Trevisi had previously executed numerous works.^[17] But Domenico could not promise the Prince to repair to Genoa in his service at that time, having just then a portion of the marble floor of the Cathedral on hand, and this, which had been formerly commenced by the Sienese painter Duccio,^[18] in a new manner of work, Domenico Beccafumi was now compelled to finish; but he engaged to enter the service of Prince Doria at some future period.

The figures and historical representations wherewith the pavement above-mentioned was to be decorated, were already for the most part designed on the marble, the outlines being engraved with the chisel and then filled with a black mixture, when the whole was surrounded by ornaments of coloured marbles, with which the ground of the work was likewise adorned. But Domenico, with his admirable judgment, perceived that this mode of decoration might be sensibly ameliorated, to which end he took grey marbles, and with these, prepared by the chisel and added to the white, he produced the half shades, and found that by this method and by the use of the black and white marble as described, he could produce marble pictures in chiaro-scuro with the utmost perfection.^[19] The portion which Domenico had taken in hand by way of trial, proved the attempt to have been entirely successful, whether we consider the beauty of the invention, the excellence of the design, which was most correct, or the rich variety of the figures; insomuch that this master may be said to have formed the commencement of the grandest, most beautiful, and most magnificent pavement that had ever then been achieved, and in the course of his life he gradually conducted the greater part of it to completion.^[20]

Around the high altar in the same cathedral, Domenico also executed a decoration in the manner of a frieze; and to follow the order already commenced by Duccio, he delineated stories from Genesis; Adam and Eve that is to say, who, being driven from Paradise, are tilling the earth for their bread; with the Sacrifice of Abel and that1 of Melchizedech. Before the altar he placed a large picture representing Abraham on the point of sacrificing his son Isaac, and around this work is a bordering or decoration of half-length figures, bearing various animals which they appear about to present in sacrifice.^[21] Descending the steps, another large picture is found, of character similar to that above-named, but the subject of which is Moses on Mount Sinai receiving the laws from the hands of the Almighty; and beneath this is the law-giver, who, finding the people engaged in the adoration of the Golden Calf, is seized with anger, and casting down the tables on which the law was engraved, has broken them to pieces.

Beneath this story and opposite to the pulpit, there is a frieze with a vast number of figures, and this passes entirely across the church; the work is composed with so much grace and exhibits such beauty of design, that words could not do justice to its excellence. The subject of the picture is Moses in the Wilderness, who, striking the rock with his rod, and causing the water to gush forth, gives drink to his thirsty people. Here Domenico has shown the water, flowing as a river throughout the whole length of the frieze, and from this the people are drinking in attitudes which are varied to infinity, exhibiting a vivacity and animation so pleasing and so lifelike that no figures could possibly display more graceful, more beautiful, or more elegant movements than we find in this story. One has cast himself prone to the earth and drinks in that position, another kneels before the rock whence the water flows and drinks from the source, many are drawing the water in vases and vessels of various kinds, and some drink with the hand, while many others are leading their cattle to drink, to the great joy of the assembled people.

But among all the admirable peculiarities which distinguish this picture, none are more remarkable than the figure of a hoy, who, having taken up a little dog by the neck, is plunging its muzzle into the water, that it may drink; but the dog, having already drunk sufficiently, wdll not take any more, and shakes its head in a manner so natural that the animal seems to be alive. The whole of this work is in fact so beautiful, that no production of the kind could possibly exhibit finer qualities in art. The various shadows and reflections thrown by the different figures are rather to be called wonderful than merely beautiful; and although the whole of this performance is greatly admired for the originality of its character, yet these are considered to be the most remarkable features thereof.

Beneath the Cupola there is furthermore to be observed an hexagonal compartment, which is divided into seven hexagonal compartments, and six rhombs. Of these hexagons Domenico completed four previous to his death, delineating the History and Sacrifice of Elisha therein; and all this he did quite at his leisure, seeing that this work was as a kind of study and pastime to him, nor would he ever wholly give it up for any of his other undertakings.. While thus occupied, therefore, sometimes with this, sometimes in other places, Domenico painted a large picture in oil in the church of San Francesco, and on the right hand on entering into the church. The subject chosen is Our Saviour Christ descending in his glory to the Limbo, or the entrance into Hell, to recall thence the souls of the holy fathers; and here, among many other nude figures, is one of Eve, which is most beautiful: the figure of one of the Thieves also, who is standing behind Our Saviour with the Cross, is in like manner exceedingly well conducted; and the caverns of the Limbo, wfith the demons and fires of that place, are all highly original.^[22]

It was the opinion of Domenico that paintings in tempera maintain their beauty better than paintings in oil: to him, he would say, it appeared, that the works of Luca da Cortona, of the Pollaiuoli, and of other masters who have painted in oil betrayed more striking evidences of age, than did those of Fra Giovanni, Fra Filippo, Benozzo, and the other artists whose works in tempera were executed at an earlier period. He therefore determined to paint a picture, which he was commissioned to execute by the Brotherhood of San Bernardino for their chapel on the Piazza di San Francesco, in tempera, and admirably well he completed it in that manner accordingly.^[23] The Predella also is in tempera, and is very beautiful: the subjects depicted thereon are San Francesco receiving the Stigmata; Sant’Antonio of Padua, who, for the purpose of converting certain heretics, performs the miracle of the Ass, which makes its obeisance to the sacred Host; and San Bernardino of Siena, who is preaching to the people of his native city, on the Piazza of Siena. Domenico painted two stories in fresco on the walls of the same chapel: the subjects chosen being from the life of Our Lady; this he did in competition with Glovan-Antonio Bazzi, who had painted several pictures in the same place. One of these frescoes exhibits the Visitation of Our Lady to Sant’ Elizabetta, and in the other is the Assumption of the Virgin, who is surrounded by the Apostles. These pictures are both very highly extolled.^[24]

At length, and after having been ong expected in Genoa by Prince Doria, Domenico determined on repairing to that city, but with much reluctance, being a man who was accustomed to a life of quiet, and contented himself with possessing what his necessities demanded, without requiring more; Domenico was besides but little accustomed to travelling; he had built himself a small house in Siena, and at about a mile from the city, outside the Gate of Camollia, he had a vineyard, which he had cultivated for his amusement after his own fashion: to this place he resorted often, but beyond that it was now a long time since he had left Siena.

Arrived in Genoa, Domenico painted a picture near that by Pordenone, and acquitted himself very well, but not in such a manner as to entitle this work to be numbered among his best. The mode of proceeding in the court of Genoa did not please him; accustomed to a life of freedom, he could not feel content or at his ease in tie place; nay, rather it might be affirmed that he seemed in a manner stultified: wherefore, having completed the above-named work, he requested permission from the Prince to depart, and left Genoa accordingly to return to his home. In his way he passed by Pisa, for the purpose of seeing that city; and having there met with Battista della Cervelliara, was by him conducted to visit all the most remarkable objects in the city; more particularly the paintings of Sogliani, and the pictures which are in the apsis of the Cathedral, behind the high altar.

Meanwhile Sebastiano della Seta, Warden of the Cathedral of Pisa, having heard fromCervelliera of the rank held in art and the great abilities of Domenico Beccafumi, and being anxious to see an end put to the work which had been kept on hand so long by Giovan-Antonio Sogliani, commissioned Domenico to paint two of the pictures for the apsis of the cathedral, the works to be executed in Siena, and to be despatched thence to Pisa, which was accomplished accordingly. In one of these pictures is Moses, who, having found the people offering sacrifice to the golden calf, throws down the tables of the law and breaks them.

Here Domenico has painted certain nude figures, which are most beautiful. The second picture is likewise from the history of Moses, and exhibits him at the moment when the earth opens to swallow up a part of the people, and in this work also are nude figures lying dead, after having been killed by the ligtnings of Heaven, which are beautiful to a marvel. When these pictures were taken to Pisa they caused Domenico to receive a commission for the execution of four more, to be placed in front of the tribune, two on each side that is to say. These pictures represent the four Evangelists, and are exceedingly beautiful.^[25]

Thereupon Sebastiano della Seta, who perceived that he was served expeditiously and well by Domenico, caused that artist to paint a picture for one of the chapels of the cathedral, Sogliani having previously painted four for the same chapel. Domenico, therefore, remained for a time at Pisa, and in that picture he painted Our Lady seen in the air with the Divine Child in her arms; she is reposing on clouds which are supported by angels: beneath are several Saints, male and female, tolerably well executed, but still not displaying the excellence manifest in the pictures above-mentioned.^[26] But Domenico, excusing himself for this with many of his friends, and more particularly on a certain occasion with Giorgio Vasari, declared that, removed from the air of Siena, and deprived of his accustomed enjoyments and conveniences, he no longer appeared to himself to be capable of producing anything. He returned home, therefore, resolving that he would never again quit his native city for the purpose of working in any other place.

For the nuns of St. Paul, whose convent is situate near the church of San Marco, in Siena, Domenico then painted a picture in oil; the subject of which is the Birth of Our Lady. Sant’ Anna is seen in a bed which is foreshortened, the nurses are moving around it, and within the shadow of an open door is a woman engaged in drying linen; this figure has no other light than that presented to her by the fire.^[27] On the Predella, which is admirably painted, are three pictures in tempera, the Virgin presented in the Temple namely, the Marriage of our Lady, and the Adoration of the Magi. In the Mercanzia, which is a court or tribune of the merchants, in the same city, the officials have a small picture, which is singularly beautiful, this is said to have been painted by Domenico in his early youth,^[28] it represents the half-length figure of St. Paul, in a seated position, and on each side are historical pictures, one presenting the Conversion of the Saint, and the other his Decapitation; the figures of both being very small.

Finally, Domenico received a commission to paint the great Tribune or Apsis of the cathedral of Siena, which is at the head of the fabric and behind the high altar. Here he first prepared all the ornaments in stucco-work with his own hand, executing foliage and various forms of great beauty and richness, with two figures, each representing the goddess of Victory, at the extremities of the semicircle; a truly admirable decoration. In the centre Domenico then painted the ascension of Our Lord in fresco, and from the cornice to the floor he occupied the space with three pictures divided by columns in relief and presenting views in perspective. The middlemost painting exhibits Our Lady, San Piero, and San Giovanni, they are seen beneath an arch which is depicted in perspective, and in the pictures at the sides are ten apostles, five on each side namely, standing in various attitudes; they are earnestly regarding the ascension of their Lord. Above each group of the Apostles is the figure of an angel foreshortened, and intended to signify those two of the Apostles by whom the ascension of our Lord into heaven was declared.

This is without doubt a very fine work, but would have been much more so had Domenico imparted a more agreeable expression to the faces; but as the case stands, these countenances have a certain something which is not very pleasing; indeed it might almost appear as if this artist had formed the habit in his old age of giving a terrified and constrained expression to his faces, insomuch that the effect is not agreeable:^[29] but were it not for this defect, I repeat, and had the figures beauty of countenance, this work would be as admirable a one as could be seen. On this point, of beauty in the faces, Giovan-Antonio Razzi was superior in the estimation of the Sienese to Domenico, seeing that, although the drawing of the latter was much more correct and had greater force, Giovan-Antonio imparted a much higher degree of beauty to his heads. Now it is certain that the manner of the heads is an affair of very great importance in these our arts, and many masters, in virtue of having imparted a graceful aspect and fine expression to their heads, have escaped the censure which they might otherwise have incurred for the rest of the performance.

This was the last work in painting ever undertaken by Domenico Beccafumi, who betook himself ultimately to the practice of working in relief, and more particularly to the founding of bronzes. He even proceeded so far as to execute six Angels in full relief, and little less than life size, for the six columns of the cathedral which are nearest to the high altar; this work he accomplished with indescribable pains and labour: these figures bear a kind of tazza or shallow vase in their hands, and within these vases are chandeliers holding lights; they are very beautiful, and in the last indeed Domenico acquitted himself so well that he obtained the highest commendation.^[30]

Gaining courage from success, our artist then commenced figures oi the twelve Apostles, which were to be placed on the succeeding columns, those below the above-described that is to say, whereon they were to replace certain old figures in marble in a very bad manner, which now occupy the columns; but this work Domenico did not continue, since he ceased to live no very long time after having commenced it. Being a man of much ingenuity, this master succeeded in almost all that he undertook, and engraved wood-cuts from which to take impressions in chiaro-scuro; specimens of these, comprising the figures of two apostles, have been published and are admirably beautiful;^[31] we have one of them in our book of designs, with other works by the hand of Domenico, all of which are drawn divinely. He engraved on copper with the burin in like manner, and executed certain stories with aqiia-fortis,^[32] exhibiting studies in alchemy, which are very fanciful, the subject being Jupiter and the other gods, seeking to fix Mercury. To this intent they lay the god Mercury himself fast-bound within a crucible, while Vulcan and Pluto heap fire around him; but when they imagine that he is about to become a solid body, behold he flies off and is dissipated in smoke.

Domenico executed many other works in addition to those above-cited, such as figures of the Virgin and other cabinet pictures; none of these were of an}'- great importance, but among them we may specify a Madonna, which is now in the possession of the Cavalier Donati, with a painting in tempera, representing Jupiter changed into a shower of gold and falling upon the lap of Danae. There is also a round picture in oil by the same master, representing the Virgin and exceedingly beautiful; this is now in the hands of Piero Castanei. For the brotherhood of Santa Lucia, moreover, Domenico painted a singularly beautiful Bier, with one of a similar kind for the brotherhood of Sant’ Antonio.^[33] Nor let any marvel that I should make mention of works of this character, since these are in fact beautiful to a miracle, as all who have seen them can bear witness.

At length, and when he had attained the age of sixty-five, this master died, having hastened his departure by labouring day and night at his castings of metal, which he would also finish and polish himself, working entirely alone, and refusing to accept any assistance whatever. The 18th of May, in the year 1549,^[34] was the day of Domenico Mecherino’s death, and lie was buried by his intimate friend the goldsmith Giuliano in the cathedral of his native city, wherein he had produced so many distinguished works. He was borne and followed to his tomb by all the artists of his native city, which was even then fully aware of the loss she had sustained in his death, but is more than ever convinced of it now, by the admiration which his productions have awakened.

Domenico was a man of very orderly habits, fearing God and diligently studious of his art, but somewhat excessively disposed to solitude. He has been celebrated extensively for his many good qualities by the citizens of Siena, his compatriots, who, to their great praise, have ever been strongly inclined to the study of letters, and by these he has been honourably extolled in verse, written in the Latin as well as in the vulgar tongue.

1. Della Valle tells us that the father of Domenico, a native of Ancajano, in the Sienese territory, had himself received the rights of citizenship in Siena, for his distinction as an artist.
2. Giovan-Antonio Razzi, whose life follows.
3. For which cause he received the name of Mattaccio, the arch-fool or buffoon, by which discreditable epithet he was known to many.
4. This work is now in the Academy or Institute of the Fine Arts at Siena.
5. For minute details respecting the Virgin Martyr, St. Catherine, see Baillet, Vie des Saints. See also Sacred and Legendary Art, and the Legendario Romano, where a good epitome of St. Catherine’s life will be found.
6. This picture is still in the Church of San Martino.
7. The only work by San Domenico which is now to be found in the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala.
8. Still in Siena, but now in the Saracini Palace, where there is also an Annunciation by the same master.
9. Now in the Sienese Academy, or Institute of the Fine Arts.
10. Still to be seen on one of the lateral Altars, and at no great distance from the High Altar. The Padre Della Valle considers the figures who are struggling amidst the flames to present too tranquil an aspect.
11. They are now in the Sacristy of the Church of Santo Spirito.
12. This is the House which now belongs to the Bindi Sergardi family,
13. The description given by Vasari of this apartment has several inaccuracies, which the reader may correct by reference to Bottari.—Roman Edition of Vasari.
14. Lanzi considers the peculiar excellence of Domenico to have consisted in his treatment of small figures. See the History, &c., as before cited.
15. This Hall is that called the Consistory of the Signoria
16. For certain remarks on what Vasari here affirms, see Lanzi, ut supra, vol. i. p. 297
17. See ante, the lives of these masters.
18. Rumohr, Italienische Forschungen, vol. ii. p. 5, maintains that Duccio took no part in this work.
19. The practice here attributed to Domenico Beccar'umi did not in fact prevail until many years later, when it was first adopted by Michelagnolo Vanni, as we learn from the inscription on his tomb, which is stili to be seen in the Church of San Giorgio at Siena.
20. The Cartoons made by Domenico for this work were long in the possession of the noble family of the Spannocchi, but were presented some years since to the Sienese Institute of the Fine Arts, by the members of that family. See Quatremere—Dictionaire d'Architecture.
21. The Sacrifice of Abraham and the Eve were engraved in wood in three plates, by the Mantuan Andrea Andreani in 1586. The Abel was engraved in like manner by Hugo da Carpi. They were afterwards engraved on copper by a Florentine called Gabuggiani.— Masselli.
22. Still in the Church of San Francesco. It has been engraved by Filippo Tommasini, Giuliano Traballesi, Agostino Costa, and Pietro Jode. —Guida della Città di Siena.
23. This work also is still in its place.
24. Still in existence, but by the Guida di Siena the Visitation is attributed to Giovan-Antonio Razzi.
25. The Four Evangelists are still in the Cathedral of Pisa.
26. These pictures also retain their place.
27. Now in the Sienese Institute of the Fine Arts.
28. In the Church called the Chiesa Plebana (Church of the People), which is the Baptistery of St. John, there is a picture said to have been transferred to that church from the Curia of the Mercanzia.
29. This picture, which was painted in the year 1544, was restored at the commencement of the present century, in 1813 namely. —Ed. Flor. 1832, 8.
30. These were cast in 1551, and are still in existence. The number of these figures is eight.
31. Bottari affirms himself to have seen six of these figures, and thinks it probable that Mecherino may have carved the whole twelve in wood.
32. The works are not etched, but engraved on wood. —Bottari. See also Zani, Enciclopedia Metodica; but his opinion, so far as it regards Domenico Beccafumi, is considered erroneous by the best authorities.
33. The four pictures which formed the Bier belonging to the Brotherhood of Sant’ Antonio the Abbot, are now appended above those stalls which are held by the company in the church named after that Saint.
34. The Padre Guglielmo della Valle gives numerous details in relation to this master, whose death did not take place until the end of 1551, or even later, seeing that the Angels of bronze mentioned above were executed by his hand in that year. See Lettere Sanesi, tom. ii.