Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects/Pierino da Vinci
THE SCULPTOR, PIERINO DA VINCI.
[born 152..—died 154..]
It is for the most part usual to celebrate those only who have ably produced some great work, but if the works which a man has performed are such as to show that what he might have effected, had not some unusual circumstance occurred to impede or interrupt him, would have been much more excellent as well as numerous, he will certainly be esteemed, by all who desire to prove themselves just in their appreciation of the talents of others, for the one part as well as for the other, and will not be refused the amount of credit due to him for what he might have done, any more than that to which he may lay claim for what he has accomplished. Thus the sculptor Vinci should not be made to suffer in fame, by the fact that the years of his life were but few, nor should he be deprived of the meed of praise which will be due to him from those who shall come after us; it must ever be taken into consideration that he was but in the first bloom of life and early period of his studies when he produced the works which we now admire, but would evidently have brought forth an abundant harvest had not envious Fate destroyed by tempest both plant and fruit.
I remember having once before related that Ser Piero, the father of the most famous painter Leonardo da Vinci, was an inhabitant of the Castello di Vinci in the lower Valdarno; to this Ser Piero, then, there was born, after Leonardo, a younger son whom he called Bartolommeo, and who, remaining at Vinci, and having arrived at the age of manhood, took one of the best-born maidens of the Castello to wife. Now Bartolommeo was exceedingly desirous of a male child, and frequently described to his wife the greatness of that genius with which his brother Leonardo had been endowed; wherefore she prayed God that he would make her worthy to be the mother of a second Leonardo, and that by her means a successor might be presented to the family, he being now dead.
Some time afterwards, and when, according to his desire, there was born to Bartolommeo a graceful little son, he was minded to give the child the name of Leonardo, but being advised by his kindred to choose that of his own father instead, he consented to give the boy the name of Piero. Having attained the age of three years, the infant presented a most beautiful aspect; he had a lovely countenance with rich curling hair, and displayed the most exquisite grace in all his movements; he gave proof likewise of extraordinary intelligence and vivacity of mind. At this time there came two intimate friends of Bartolommeo to Yinci, and were lodged in his house, Maestro Giuliano del Carmine[1] namely, an excellent astrologer, and a priest, who was a chiromant or fortune-teller. These men therefore, having examined the forehead and the hand of Bartolommeo’s little son, predicted to the father, the astrologer and the chiromant together, that the genius of the child would prove to be very great; they added that he would make extraordinary progress in the mercurial arts and that in a very short time,but they declared that his life would be a very brief one. And too true was the prophecy of these men,[2] since both in one respect and the other—but one would have sufficed—whether as regarded his art or his life, it was amply fulfilled.
Continuing to increase in stature, Piero had his father for his master in letters; but of himself, and without any master, he began to draw, and to form little figures in clay, which proved that the natural inclination and celestial influences perceived by the astrologer and the chiromant, were already awakening to life, and beginning to give evidence of their existence. Seeing this, Bartolommeo concluded that his prayer had been granted by God, and, believing that his brother had been restored to him in the person of his son, he began to think of removing the child from Yinci and taking him to Florence. This decided on, Bartolommeo took measures for effecting it without delay, and placed Piero, who had now reached the age of twelve, with Baccio Bandinello, persuaded that Baccio, as having formerly been the friend of Leonardo, would take due care of the boy, and would teach him his art with all diligence; the father believing himself to have ascertained that his child was more strongly disposed to sculpture than to painting.
But afterwards, coming very frequently to Florence, Bartolommeo perceived that Bandinello did not comport himself as he had expected, being altogether regardless of his duties to the boy, and taking no pains to teach him diligently, as he ought to have done, although he could not fail to perceive the strength of his inclination to learn and his power to do so. For this reason Bartolommeo took his son from Bandinello and gave him to Tribolo, in whom he thought he found evidence of a better disposition to aid those who were desirous of learning, with a more decided attachment to the studies of art, as well as a greater affection for the memory of Leonardo, than had been evinced by Bandinello. Tribolo was then working at the villa of his Excellency at Castello, and was occupied with certain of the fountains. Piero therefore began once more to draw as he had been wont to do, for having here the competition of the other young people whom Tribolo kept about him, he set himself with much ardour of mind to his studies, devoting himself thereto day and night, being impelled by his nature and an eager desire for knowledge and honour, while he was still further incited by the example of his fellow disciples, whom he constantly saw labouring around him.
In a few months therefore, Piero made progress by which all who beheld it were amazed, and having begun to acquire a certain facility in the use of the chisels, he set himself to try whether his hand and tools would respond obediently to the thoughts which he had conceived in his mind, and to the figures which his fancy presented to him. Remarking the zeal thus displayed, and having at that time just made a large basin in stone for Cristofano Rinieri, Tribolo gave to Piero a small piece of marble, that he might make the figure of a boy thereof; which figure the master intended to be that which was to throw water into the above-named basin. Piero received the marble with great rejoicing, and having first made a little model of clay, he afterwards completed his work in a manner so graceful, that Tribolo and all those who saw the same, felt persuaded that he would eventually prove to be one of those masters who become distinguished in their art. Tribolo next gave Piero the task of executing a Ducal Cap in stone, which was to he placed over the balls used as the arms of the Medici, and the commission for which had been received by Tribolo from Messer Pier Francesco Riccio, Majordomo of the Duke: the youth completed this work also, with the addition of two little children, whose limbs are intertwined, and who, holding the ducal cap between them, place the same upon the coat of arms.
This escutcheon was erected over the door of a house which the Majordomo then occupied; it stands opposite to the church of San Giuliano, near that of the priests of Sant’ Antonio,[3] and when tha artists of Florence beheld this wrork they pronounced a judgment respecting Piero, precisely similar to that previously formed by Tribolo. After this Piero sculptured a figure of a boy for one of the fountains of Castello; he is holding a fish which he presses closely in his arms, and from the mouth of which there flows water: and Tribolo having then given him a larger piece of marble, Piero made two boys therefrom; with their arms thrown around each other they hold fishes compressed in their hands, from whose mouths the water is gushing. These boys were so graceful in form, so beautiful of countenance, and so admirably executed at all points—the legs, the arms, the hair, every part, in short, wras so well done, that the ability of Piero to bring the most difficult work to perfection, was thereby rendered manifest to all.
Taking courage from his success, he then bought a piece of grey stone about two braccia and a half long, and having taken this to his dwelling which was at the corner of the Briga, Pietro began to work at it in the evening when he returned from his labours with Tribolo, as well as on festivals and sometimes during the night, until he gradually brought his work to completion. This was a figure of Bacchus with a Satyr at his feet; in one hand the God held a tazza, and in the other a bunch of grapes; a coronal formed from the vine encircling his brow: all which Piero had executed after a model made by himself in clay. In this, as well as in others of his earliest works, Piero gave evidence of the most admirable ease and facility, which permits nothing to appear that can offend the eye or in any manner disappoint the expectation of the beholder. When this Bacchus was completed, it was purchased by Bongianni Capponi, and his nephew, Ludovico Capponi, now has it in one of the courts of his house.
While Piero was executing these works, it was as yet known to but very few, that he was the nephew of Leonardo da Yinci, but his performances having rendered him known, and even distinguished, there was question made of his birth and kindred; whereupon he was ever after called II Yinci, and no longer Piero, not only for his near connection with his uncle Leonardo, but also for that felicity of his genius wherein he so closely resembled that great man.
II Yinci then, while he was thus pursuing his studies, had heard much discourse from many persons concerning the works of art to be seen in Rome; all highly extolling the same, as is the custom of every one. By these means Piero was inflamed with an ardent wish to see these works, and he had besides the hope that he should himself profit greatly, not by examining the works of the ancients only, but those of Michelagnolo likewise, and he further hoped to make the acquaintance of the last-named master, who was then living and resided at the time in Rome. He repaired to that city accordingly, in company with several of his friends; but having seen all that he had desired to behold there, he returned once more to Florence; perceiving with great judgment that the works he saw in Rome were too profound for him at that time, and must be studied and imitated, not thus in the commencement of his career, but after he had acquired a more intimate acquaintance with Art.
Tribolo had about that time completed a model for the shaft or column of the fountain of the labyrinth, in which there are certain Satyrs in basso-rilievo, with four masks in mezzorilievo, and four little boys seated on vine-tendrils; these last being in full relief, and Piero ' having then returned, Tribolo gave him the charge of this column, which he executed and completed, making certain graceful additions to the design, which were entirely original and peculiar to himself; nor have these failed to receive commendation from all who have seen them.
The marble vase, or rather basin, of this fountain, had been prepared by Tribolo, who now proposed to place children in full relief on the edge thereof, these he wished to have lying in various attitudes and sporting with their arms and legs in the water: they were to be cast in bronze, but he would first have Piero model the figures of the same in clay, when he caused them to be cast by the sculptor Zanobi Lastricati, who was an able and experienced master of casting works in bronze. These children were placed around the fountain no long time since,[4] and are indeed most beautiful to behold.
Now Tribolo was in daily intercourse with Luca Martini, who was then superintendent of the buildings for the new market, and who greatly desired to promote the welfare of II Vinci, whose excellence in art, and the propriety of his deportment, he found equally agreeable and commendable. He therefore gave the young artist a piece of marble, twothirds of a braccio high and a braccio and a quarter long; and from this Vinci produced a figure of Our Saviour Christ fastened to the column and scourged. In this work the rules of basso-rilievo and of design are observed with great care and all who considered that Piero had not yet attained his sixteenth year, were amazed at this production, seeing that in the five years of his study, this youth had made acquisitions in art, which others attain only after length of life and the varied experience of many labours.
About this time Tribolo had accepted the office of superintending the drainage for the city of Florence, and in the fulfilment of his duties had commanded that the sewer of the Piazza Vecchia of Santa Maria Novella should be raised, to the intent that, being rendered more capacious, it might the more effectually receive all the waters which flowed into it from various parts. For this work Tribolo desired II Vinci to make the model of a great mask, three braccia in extent, and this mask, opening the mouth, was thus to engulph all the rain-water.
The model being prepared, the execution of the work was committed by the officials of the Torre to Piero, and he, to complete the undertaking the more readily, called the sculptor Lorenzo Marignolli to his aid, in company with whom he finished the mask, executing the same in a block of pietra forte, and this, to the no small convenience of the city, is now an ornament to the whole Piazza.[5]
It now appeared to Vinci that he had made sufficient acquirement in art, to render his revisiting Rome and studying the principal works to be found there advantageous to him, while the conversation of the most excellent artists there resident must also contribute largely to his progress: an occasion presenting itself for him to repair thither, he therefore seized it readily. And the matter was on this wise: Francesco Bandini, who was the intimate friend of Michelagnolo Buonarroti, having arrived in Florence from Rome, II Vinci was made known to him by means of Luca Martini; being much pleased with the young artist, Francesco caused him to make the model in wax of a sepulchral monument, which he proposed to construct in marble for his chapel in the church of Santa Croce, and shortly afterwards, on his return to Rome, he took Vinci with him, the latter having made known to Luca Martini his wish to proceed to that city. Here, studying diligently, Piero remained a year, during which time he did not fail to produce works which merit a record. The first of these was in basso-rilievo, and represents Christ on the Cross, at the moment when he resigns his spirit to his Father, which Vinci copied from a design by Michelagnolo. For the Cardinal Ridolfi he added the breast to an antique head in bronze, and executed a Venus in basso-rilievo; the latter, which was in marble, received much praise. For Francesco Bandini, Piero restored a horse from the antique, many pieces being found wanting thereto, and Vinci rendering the figure entirely complete.
Piero, desiring to do what he could by way of proving his gratitude to Luca Martini, who wrote to him frequently and never ceased to recommend our artist to the good offices of Bandini,—Piero, I say, bethought himself of making a copy in wax from the Moses of Michelagnolo, giving to his work one-third of the size of the original. Now this statue of Buonarroti’s, which makes part of the sepulchral monument of Pope Julius II. in San Pietro-in-Vincula, is a work of so much beauty, that no finer one can be seen, and it was this which II Vinci now made in wax, and sent as a present to Luca Martini. While Piero was thus working in Rome, and was occupied with the labours of which we have spoken, Luca Martini was appointed by the Duke of Florence to be Proveditore of Pisa, and in his new office he did not forget his friend, but wrote to him, on the contrary, telling him that he was preparing an abode for his reception, and had a piece of marble of three braccia ready for him to commence working on, so that he might return at his pleasure, seeing that he should want for nothing while he would remain with him.
Attracted by this promise and by the love which he bore to Luca, Piero determined to leave Rome and to make Pisa his dwelling place for some time, thinking he might there find opportunities for the exercise of his vocation, and the desired occasion for making trial of his ability. Having reached Pisa therefore, he found the piece of marble already in his chamber, where it had been placed by command of Luca, when he resolved to make a full-length figure thereof. But having discovered that the marble had a crack, by which it lost a braccio of its height, he resolved to make a recumbent figure instead of an erect one, as he had at first proposed, and accordingly produced a young River-god, pouring water from a vase which he holds, and which is raised by three children, who assist him to pour the stream into its bed. Beneath the feet of the River-god there is then seen a copious flow of water, wherein fishes are gliding along, while aquatic birds of various kinds are hovering over it.
Having finished this work, Piero gave it to Luca, who made a present of the same to the Duchess, by whom it was very highly prized, and the rather as her brother Don Garzia di Toledo, having then arrived in Pisa with his galleys, she was thus enabled to offer him a gift which he received with much pleasure, and which he afterwards used for the fountain of his garden on the Chiaja in Naples.
Now at that time Luca Martini was writing certain notes on the Commedia of Dante, and having shown to Piero the cruelty which Dante describes as having been perpetrated by the Pisans and the Archbishop Ruggieri, upon the Count XJgolino della Gherardesca, by causing him to die of hunger with four of his children, in the tower, therefore called the Tower of Famine, he thereby offered occasion to Vinci for a new work, and inspired him with the thought of another design. While still occupied with the above-named river therefore, he began to model a story in wax, which was afterwards to be cast in bronze; the height being somewhat more than a braccio, and the width three quarters of a braccio. In this he represented two of the Count’s sons as dead, one in the act of expiring, and the fourth, exhausted by hunger and almost at extremity, but not yet arrived at the last breath. The father, blind with grief and in the most dolorous and pitiable attitude, goes stumbling over the miserable remains of his hapless children, which lie extended on the earth. In this work II Vinci was no less happy in setting forth the powers of design, than Dante had been in displaying the excellence of poetry, seeing that he who beholds these events as represented in the wax of the sculptor, is moved to compassion no less forcibly than are those who listen to the words and accents imprinted on the living page of the poet.
To mark the site where the event delineated in the rilievo occurred, Piero has caused the river Arno to occupy the whole of the foreground, the before-mentioned tower in Pisa being but a very short distance from the Arno. On the tower itself there is an undraped figure, dry, attenuated, and of terror-stricken aspect, which represents Famine, and is much in the manner wherein she is described by Ovid. Having finished his work in wax, Piero cast the story in bronze, when the work was extolled by all the court as well as by every one who beheld it, all being greatly pleased therewith.*[6]
Duke Cosimo was at that time deeply intent on the advantage and embellishment of the city of Pisa; he had already caused the Piazza del Mercato to be restored, and had a large number of shops erected around it, as also a column in the centre, the latter not less than ten braccia high, and on the summit thereof, according to the plan of Luca, was to be placed a statue of Riches. Martini having spoken to the Duke therefore, and presenting Piero to his Excellency, obtained a very willing assent from the Duke, who entrusted the young artist with that work, having always been ready to assist men of ability, and to bring forward all wlio have given promise of distinction. Il Vinci then executed the statue in travertine, making it three braccia and a half high, and the work was highly applauded, more particularly for the figure of a little child, which, being placed at the foot of the statue, assists to support the cornucopia, and, notwithstanding the rugged and intractable character of the material, has all the softness and flexibility of life.[7]
Luca subsequently sent orders to Carrara for the excavation of a block of marble, five braccia high and three wide; and of this II Vinci, who had seen sketches by Michelagnolo, representing Samson slaying a Philistine with the jaw-bone of an Ass, determined to make two statues, five braccia high, after a design of his own. Wherefore, while the marble was on its way, he set himself to prepare numerous models in varied attitudes, from which he chose one, and the marble having arrived, he commenced the execution of the work; this he brought to a tolerable degree of forwardness, evolving his design from the marble, after the manner of Michelagnolo, by due degrees, without injury to any part, and avoiding the commission of all errors. Every separate portion of this work, which stands forth in full relief, was executed, as well internally as on the exterior, by Piero himself, although a very laborious undertaking, and gives proof of extreme facility, extraordinary softness of manner also being perceptible throughout the whole work. But as this was a very fatiguing occupation, Vinci employed himself at intervals with other studies, and in labours of less importance: at the same time, therefore, he produced a small basso-rilievo in marble, representing Our Lady, with the Saviour, San Giovanni, and Sant’ Elizabetta; this also was, and still is, considered a work of singular excellence; it belonged to the illustrious Duchess, and is now among the most valued rarities in the Duke’s study.[8]
Piero afterwards commenced a story in marble, executing the same, partly in mezzo-rilievo and partly in basso-rilievo. The height of this work was one braccio, the width a braccio and a half, and the subject is the Restoration of Pisa by Duke Cosimo, who is seen amidst the buildings of that city; the works for the restoration of which are hastened forward by his presence. The Duke is represented as surrounded by the virtues attributable to him: a figure of Minerva may be more particularly specified, as representing his wisdom, and also as expressing the Arts, restored by his means to the city of Pisa. The figure of the city, on the contrary, is surrounded by numerous evils and certain natural defects of the site, which assail and afllict her in the manner of enemies: but all these have since been overcome or banished by the above-named virtues of the Duke. The figures around the Duke, as well as those surrounding Pisa, were drawn in the most beautiful attitudes by Vinci in his story, but the latter remained unfinished, to the great regret of all who beheld the perfection of such parts as were completed.[9]
The reputation of Vinci being much increased by these labours, and becoming bruited abroad, the heirs of Messer Baldassare Turini, of Pescia, requested him to prepare for them the model of a sepulchre in marble, which they proposed to construct to the memory of Messer Baldassare; and this being done, the work pleased them greatly: whereupon it was agreed that the said tomb should be executed, and Piero therefore sent to Carrara for the marbles required, and which he charged Francesco del Tadda, a most able master in stone-work,[10] to have excavated for him. The latter sent him the marble accordingly, when H Vinci commenced a statue, and drew from the block a figure, sketched in such a manner that whoever had not known to the contrary, must have believed it to have been done by Michelagnolo.
The name of Vinci had now become great, and his genius was known and admired by all, being considered to evince a much more perfect maturity than could have been hoped for at so early an age; and much higher he would have risen without doubt, much greater would he have become, and would have equalled the most distinguished in his calling, as his works amply prove, without requiring any other testimony. But the term assigned to his existence by Heaven was now at hand, all his plans were interrupted, the rapidity of his progress was suddenly brought to a close, and the world was thus deprived of many excellent works of art, with which, had Vinci lived, it would, without doubt, have been adorned.
Now, it happened at this time, and when Vinci, intent on the sepulchral monument of another, did not know that his own was preparing for him; it chanced, I say, that the Duke was obliged to send Luca Martini on matters of importance to Genoa, and the latter, as well because of his love for the company of Vinci, as in the hope of giving him some pleasure and amusement by the sight of Genoa, took our artist with him to that city, where Piero, by means of Martini, and while the latter was employed with his negotiations, received a commission from Messer Adamo Centurioni, for the execution of a figure of San Giovanni Battista, and for this he promptly prepared the model.
But Piero was now attacked by fever, and to increase his suffering, he was at the same time deprived of his friend, perhaps thereby to open a path by which fate might complete the destiny of Vinci. For it then became indispensable that Luca, for the furtherance of the affairs committed to his charge, should proceed to Florence, to confer with the Duke; wherefore, parting from his sick friend, to the great sorrow of both, he left him in the house of the Abate Nero, earnestly recommending Piero, who remained very reluctantly in Genoa, to his care. But Vinci, feeling himself to be getting worse every day, resolved to depart from that city, and having caused his disciple, Tiberio Cavalieri, to be sent for from Pisa, he had himself removed, with his aid, to Leghorn, which place he gained by sea, and was then conveyed in a litter to Pisa. It was evening when the sick man arrived in Pisa, but exhausted by the fatigues of the journey, the discomforts of the sea voyage, and the strength of the fever, he could obtain no repose through the night, and as the day was dawning, he passed to another life, not having yet completed his twenty-third year.
The death of Vinci caused much grief to all his friends, but most of all to Luca Martini,[11] who mourned him deeply. All those, moreover, who had hoped to see from his hands such works as are rarely beheld, were in due proportion afflicted by the loss of this artist, and Messer Benedetto Varchi, a warm admirer of his genius, and the friend of all who give evidence of distinguished powers, afterwards composed the following sonnet to his memory:—
O forza, o tregua al mio gran daolo interno,
Soffrirlo in pace mai, Signo superno,
Che fin qui nuova ognor pena mi desti?
Dunque de’ miei piu cari or quegli, or questi
Verde sen voli all alto Asilo eterno
Ed io canuto in questo basso inferno
A pianger sempre, e lamentarmi resti?
Sciolgami almen tua gran bontade quinci,
Or che reo fato nostro, o sua ventura,
Ch'era ben degno d’ultra vita, e gente,
Per far più ricco il cielo, e la scultura
Men bella, e me col buon Martin dolente,
N’ha privi, o pieta, del secondo Vinci.[12]
- ↑ Fra Giuliano Ristori, of Prato.—Ed. Flor., 1832-8.
- ↑ In Vasari’s da)r great credit was given to astrologers, chiromanciers, &c., &c., a fact of which the history of that age, as well as of the preceding century, supplies many examples. But these absurdities were almost wholly swept from the human mind by our immortal Galileo.—Bottari.
- ↑ All the houses in the neighbourhood of the Oratory of Sant’ Antonio have been rebuilt, and there is now no trace of this Coat of Arms to be seen.— Ed. Flor., 1832-8.
- ↑ Where they still remain. —Ed. Flor., 1832-8. Of Lastricati we have farther mention in the Life of Michael Angelo.
- ↑ The stone mask retained its place until the year 1748, when it was removed. — Ed. Flor.j 1832-8.
- ↑ This work, which has sometimes been erroneously attributed to Michael Angelo, is still to be seen in the Palace of the Count della Gherardesca, near the Porta-a -Pinti; many copies in plaster are to be found in other places. —Masselli.
- ↑ This figure still retains its place. —Ed. Flor.
- ↑ Now in the Florentine Gallery of the Uffizj, and in the smaller corridor of the Tuscan School.
- ↑ Bottari declares the fate of this work unknown, and is followed by later writers; but recent information assures us that it is now in the Gallery of the Vatican. The Ape Italiana, which gives an engraving of this relief, attributes it to Michael Angelo, and calls the restored city “Florence,” but that the Ape is in error, might be readily shown, were this the place to enter on the discussion of the subject.
- ↑ See ante, p. 182, note ||.
- ↑ Luca Martini was himself a poet, and used the credit he enjoyed with Duke Cosimo to the furtherance of letters, and for the protection of learned and distinguished men. Benedetto Varchi, for example, having been exiled as a partizan of the Strozzi family, was himself recalled, and restored to the favour of the Duke by the good offices of Martini.
- ↑ How shall I find, O Lord of all supreme,
Or peace or truce to this great grief, or power
To suffer it in peace, if from thy hand
I find not aid in this still growing pain!
For ever of my dearest, one or other
Departs in his green youth to yon high heaven.
While I, grey mourner, of this darkened earth,
Wearied, am left to weep. Oh, let thy pity,
Father, remove me hence. Since our dark fate
Or his great bliss well-merited, hath reft us
Martin, and this thy suppliant, of that light
Which now enriches Heaven, but leaves his Art,
Sad sculpture, reft of beauty, and our hearts
Widowed of their best wealth—the second Vinci.