Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects/Pietro Perugino

by Giorgio Vasari

 

PIETRO PERUGINO, PAINTER

[born 1446—died 1524,]

The benefits derived by some men of distinction from the poverty of tbeir youth, and how potent an assistant poverty sometimes proves in the cultivation of the faculties and for the attainment of excellence, may be clearly perceived in the history of Pietro Perugino.^[1] This artist, seeking to escape from the extreme of penury in Perugia, departed to Florence, hoping, by means of his abilities, to attain to some distinction. He there remained many months without even a bed to lie on, and miserably took his sleep upon a chest; but, turning night into day, and labouring without intermission, he devoted himself most fervently to the study of his profession. Continual labour thus became the habit of his life: he knew no other pleasure than that of toiling incessantly in his vocation, and, therefore, painted perpetually.

Having the prospect and terrors of poverty constantly before his eyes, Pietro undertook works for gain, on which he would probably not have cast his eyes if he had possessed wherewith to support himself; but it is very possible that riches would have closed the path to eminence offered by his talents, as effectually as it was opened to him by poverty and by the impulse received from his need, for he was thereby impelled to struggle, that he might escape from so wretched and debased a condition,^[2] and, at least, secure the means of life, if he might not hope to attain to the highest eminence. With this in view he did not permit himself to regard cold, hunger, fatigue, or privation of any kind, nor was he ashamed to perform any work that might help to promote his object, which was to obtain the power of some • t day living in ease and quietness. It was liis wont to say, and almost in the manner of a proverb, that after bad weather the good must come; and that when it is fair weather, a man must build his house, that he may thus be under shelter when he most needs it.

But to the end that the progress of this artist may be the better understood, I begin with his beginning, and relate that, according to common report, there was born in the city of Perugia, to a poor man called Christofano,^[3] of Gastello della Pieve, a son, whom, at his baptism, they named Pietro. This child, brought up in penury and want, was given by his father to be the shop-drudge of a painter in Perugia, who was not particularly distinguished in his calling, but held the art in "great veneration and highly honoured the men who excelled therein;^[4] nor did he ever cease to set before Pietro the great advantages and honours that were to be obtained from painting, by all who acquired the power of labouring in it effectually; recounting to him all the rewards bestowed on the various masters, ancient and modern, thereby encouraging Pietro to the study of his art: insomuch that he kindled in the mind of the latter the desire to become one ot those masters, as he resolved, if fortune were propitious to him, that he would do. The boy would thus often inquire of such persons as he knew to have seen the world, in what city the best artists were formed? This question he addressed more particularly to his instructor, from whom he constantly received the same reply, namely, that Florence was the place, above all others, wherein men attain to perfection in all the arts, but more especially in painting. And to this, he said, they were impelled by three causes: first, by the censure freely expressed by so many persons and in such various modes, for the air of that city gives a natural quickness and freedom to the perceptions of men, so that they cannot content themselves with mediocrity in the works presented to them, which they always judge with reference to the honour of the good and beautiful in art, rather than with respect to, or consideration for, the man who has produced them: next, that, to obtain the means of life in Florence, a man must be industrious, which is as much as to say that he must keep his skill and judgment in perpetual activity, must be ever ready and rapid in his proceedings; must know, in short, how to gain money, seeing that Florence, not having a rich and abundant domain around her, cannot supply the means of life to those who abide within her walls, at light cost, as can be done in countries where produce abounds largely. The third cause, which is, perhaps, not less effectual than the other two, is the desire for glory and honour, which is powerfully generated by the air of that place, in the men of every profession, and whereby all who possess talent are impelled to struggle, that they may not remain in the same grade with those whom they perceive to be only men like themselves (much less will any consent to remain behind another), even though they may acknowledge such to be indeed Masters; but all labour by every means to be foremost, insomuch that some desire their own exaltation so eagerly as to become thankless for benefits, censorious of their competitors, and, in many ways, evil-minded, unless that effect be prevented by natural excellence and sense of justice. It is, however, true that when a man has acquired sufficient for his purposes in Florence, if he wish to effect more than merely to live from day to day, as do the beasts that perish, and desire to become rich, he must depart from her boundaries and seek another market for the excellence of his works and for the reputation conferred by that city; as the learned derive profit from the renown obtained by their studies. For the city of Florence treats her artists as Time treats his works, which, having perfected, he destroys, and, by little and little, gradually consumes.

Influenced by these counsels, therefore, and moved by the persuasions of various persons, Pietro repaired to Florence with the determination to attain excellence, and in this lie succeeded well, for, at that time, works in his manner^[5] were held in the highest esteem. He studied under the discipline of Andrea Verrocchio,^[6] and the first figures painted by him were executed for the Nuns of San Martino, at a convent without the gate of Prato, but which has now been ruined by the wars. At the Carthusian Monastery, also, he painted a San Girolamo in fresco, which was then highly esteemed by the Florentines, and is often cited by them with commendation, because the saint was represented as old, meagre, and wan, with the eyes fixed on the cross; nay, he was depicted as worn and consumed by fasting to such a degree that he was little more than a skeleton, as may be still seen from a copy of that picture which is now in the possession of the before-mentioned Bartolommeo Gondi. In a few years Pietro attained to such a height of reputation, that his works were dispersed, not only through Florence and all over Italy, but in France, Spain, and other countries, whither they had been despatched. His paintings being thus held in high estimation, and bearing a very great price, the merchants began to make purchases of them and to send them into different lands, to their great gain and advantage.

For the Nuns of Santa Chiara,^[7] Pietro painted a picture of the Dead Christ, the colouring of which was so beautiful as well as new, that it awakened in the artists of the time an expectation of the excellence which Pietro was destined to attain. In this work there are some most admirable heads of old men, and the Maries also, having ceased to weep, are contemplating the departed Saviour with an expression of reverence and love which is singularly fine: there is, besides, a Landscape, which was then considered to be exceedingly beautiful; the true method of treating landscapes, which was afterwards discovered, not having then been adopted. It is related that Francesco del Pugliese offered to give the Nuns three times as much as they had paid Pietro for that picture, and to cause another exactly like it to be executed for them by the same hand; but they would not consent, because Pietro had told them that he did not think he could equal the one they possessed.^[8]

In the convent of the Frati-Gesuati, also,^[9] beyond the Pint! Gate, there were various works by this master, and, as that monastery and church are both destroyed.^[10] I will not refuse the labour of describing them, but will take this occasion, before proceeding further with the life before me, to say a few words concerning them. The architecture of the church was due to Antonio di Giorgio, of Settignano; it was forty braccia long and twenty broad. At the upper end, four steps or stairs conducted to a platform of six braccia, on which stood the high altar, magnificently decorated with ornaments of cut stone; and over this altar, also in a richly adorned frame-work, was a picture by the hand of Domenico Ghirlandajo, as we have before related. In the midst of the church was a screen, or wall of separation, in the centre of which was a door worked in open work from the middle upwards. On each side of this door stood an altar, and over each altar was a picture by the hand of Pietro Perugino, as will be related hereafter. Over the door, also, was a most beautiful Crucifix by Benedetto da Maiano, on OTie side of which was a Madonna, and on the other a figure of San Giovanni, both in relief. Before the platform of the high altar, and against the screen abovementioned, was a choir of the Doric order, admirably carved in walnut-wood, and over the principal door of the church was another choir, or gallery, supported on a strong wood-work, the under part of which as seen from below represented a canopy, overlaid with a rich decoration in beautifully arranged compartments; a balustrade was added, by way of defence to that part which was opposite to the high altar. This choir was exceedingly commodious for the friars of that convent during the performance of their nocturnal ‘services, or when engaged in their private devotions: it was, besides, very useful to them on all festivals and holidays. Over the principal door of the church, which was amply decorated with beautiful ornam^ents in stone, and with a portico reposing on fine columns, which extended even to the door of the convent, was the figure of the Bishop San Giusto, in a lunette, with an Angel on each side, by the hand of the master in minature, Gherardo; a very fine work, and placed there because the church was dedicated to San Giusto: Within the building there was a relic preserved by those friars, an arm of the saint namely. At the entrance to the convent was a small cloister, cloister, the extent of which was exactly equal to that of the church, forty braccia long that is, and twenty broad. The arches and vaulting of this cloister were supported by columns of stone, and the whole formed a spacious and very commodious loggia, or gallery, entirely around the building. In the centre of the court of the cloister, which was neatly paved all over with cut stones, was an extremely beautiful fountain, with a loggia above it, also built on stone columns, which made a rich and handsome ornament to the place. In this cloister Was the chapter-house of the monks, with the lateral door of the church and the stairs which ascended to the upper stories, where were dormitories and other apartments for the use of the brotherhood. On the further side of the cloister, and exactly opposite to the principal door oi the convent, was a spacious avenue, the length of which was equal to that of the chapter-house and the chancery: this avenue led to a cloister which was larger and more beautiful than the first. All this line, the forty braccia of the loggia belonging to the first cloister, that is, with the length of the avenue and that of the loggia of the second cloister, formed a very long and most beautiful succession of arcades, the view of which was more delightful than words could easily describe. And the effect was all the finer from the circumstance that, beyond the last cloister, and in the same direc- . tion, there extended one of the walks of the convent garden, which was two hundred braccia in length; all which, as seen by those who came from the principal door of the convent, formed a view that was admirably beautiful. In the second cloister was a refectory, sixty braccia long and eighteen wide; with all the requisite chambers, or, as the monks call them, offices, which, in such a convent, are demanded. Over this was a dormitory in the form of the letter T, one part of which, the direct line, or principal part namely, which was sixty braccia long, was double, having cells on each side that is to say, and at the upper end, in a space of fifteen braccia, was an oratory, above the altar of which was a picture by the hand of Pietro Perugino. Over the door of this oratory, also, was another work by this master, the latter being in fresco, as will be related hereafter. On the same floor, but over the chapter-house, was a large room which those fathers used for the purposes of their glasspainting, and where they had their furnaces and other things needful to such an occupation. Pietro was therein very useful to them, for as while he lived he prepared them their cartoons for these works; so all that they performed in his time were excellent. The garden of this convent, moreover, was so well kept and so beautiful, the vines were so finely trained around the cloister, and all was so well managed, that nothing better could be seen either in Florence or around it. In like manner the place wherein the monks distilled odoriferous waters and prepared medicinal extracts, as was their custom, was supplied with all the conveniences that could possibly be imagined. This convent, in fine, was one of the most beautiful, most commodious, and best managed houses of religion in the whole state of Florence; wherefore it is that I have resolved to make this mention of the same: and this I have done the rather because the greater part of the paintings therein were by the hand of Pietro Perugino.

But returning, at length, to this Pietro, I proceed to say, that of the works performed by him in the above-described convent, nothing has been preserved but the pictures executed on panel, seeing that all those in fresco were destroyed in the siege of Florence, when the building was wholly demolished. The panel pictures, however, were carried to the gate of San Pier Gattolini, where those monks were provided with a refuge in the church and convent of San Giovannino.^[11] Of the two pictures by Pietro, which, as we have said, were on the above-mentioned screen, the one represented Christ in the Garden with the Apostles, who are sleeping; in this work Pietro shows how effectual a refuge is sleep from the cares and pains of life, he having depicted the disciples of Christ in attitudes of the most perfect ease and repose.^[12] The other painting is a Pieta, the Saviour lying dead that is, in the lap of Our Lady, around whom are four figures not inferior to others executed in the manner of that master. Among the various characteristics of this work, it is to be remarked that the figure of the Dead Christ here described is benumbed and stiffened, as if it had been so long on the cross that the time and cold had brought it to that appearance. St. John and the Magdalen, i^[13]

In another picture, executed with infinite care, is the Saviour on the Cross, at the foot of which is the Magdalen, with St. Jerome, St. John the Baptist, and the Beato, Giovanni Colombini, the founder of that order to which the monks belonged.^[14] These three pictures have suffered considerably, in the shadows and on all the dark parts there are numerous cracks,^[15] and this has happened from the circumstance, that when the first colour was laid on the ground, it had not perfectly dried before the second (for there are three coats of colour given one over the other) was applied, wherefore, in the gradual drying by time, they have become drawn throughout their thickness, with a force that has sufficed to produce these cracks; a fact that Pietro could not know or anticipate, since it was but in his time that the practice of painting well in oil first commenced.

The works of Pietro being much extolled by the Florentines, as we have said; a Prior of the same convent of the Ingesuati, who took great pleasure in the art, commissioned him to paint a Nativity on the walls of the first cloister, with the Adoration of the Magi, the figures extremely small, and this work he conducted to perfection with much grace and elegance. Among the heads, which are infinitely varied, are portraits from the life not a few, and one of these is the likeness of Andrea Verrocchio, Pietro’s master. In the same court, and over the arches resting on the columns, our artist executed a frieze wherein were heads of the size of life, and among them was that of the Prior himself, so life-like, and painted in so good a manner, that the best judges among artists have declared it to be the most perfect work ever performed by this master. In the second cloister, over the door leading into the refectory, he was likewise commissioned to paint an historical picture, the subject of which was Pope Boniface, confirming to the Beato Giovanni Colombino, the habit of his Order. Here Pietro painted the portraits oi eight of the monks, with a most beautiful perspective, receding in a manner which was greatly extolled, and deservedly so, for to these matters Pietro gave particular attention. Beneath this picture he commenced a second, representing the Birth of Christ, wdth angels and shepherds, the colouring of which was exceedingly fresh and lively. Over the door of the above described oratory also, he painted three halflength figures of Our Lady, St. Jerome, and the Beato Giovanni, in so fine a manner, that this was esteemed among the best of the mural paintings executed by Pietro.^[16]

The Prior of this cloister, as I have been told, was very successful in the preparation of ultra-marine blues, and having them, from this circumstance, in good store, he , therefore desired that Pietro should use them frequently in all the above-mentioned works; he was nevertheless so mean and mistrustful that he dared not confide the colour to Pietro, but would always be present when the latter was using the azure blue. The master therefore, who was by nature upright and honest, nor in any way covetous of another man’s goods, took the distrust of the Prior very ill, and determined to make him ashamed of it. He accordingly placed a bowl of water beside him whenever he had prepared draperies or other parts of the picture to be painted in blue and white, calling every now and then on the Prior (who turned grudgingly to his little bag of the colour), to put ultra-marine into the vase or bottle wherein it was tempered with water: then setting to work, at every second pencil-full he washed his brush into the bowl beside him, wherein there remained by this means, more colour than the painter had bestowed on his work. The Prior finding his bag becoming empty, while the work made but little show, cried out once and again, time after time,—“Oh, what a quantity of ultra-marine is swallowed up by this plaster.” “You see for yourself how it is,” replied Pietro, and the Prior went away. When he was gone, the master gathered the ultra-marine from the bottom of the bowl, and when he thought the proper time for doing so was come, he returned it to the Prior,—saying to him. “This belongs to you, father, learn to trust honest men, for such never deceive those who confide in them, although they well know how to circumvent distrustful persons like yourself, when they desire to do so.”

By the works here executed and many others, Pietro acquired so great a reputation, that he was almost compelled to go to Siena, Avhere he painted a very large picture in the church of San Francesco, which was considered to be extremely beautiful,^[17] as was another by his hand in that of Sant’ Agostino; the latter representing Christ Crucified, with certain Saints,^[18] A short time after this, Pietro painted a picture of St. Jerome “in penitence,” for the church of San Gallo in Florence, but this work is now in San Jacopo-traFossi, at the corner of the Alberti, where those monks now have their abode.^[19] Pietro likewise received a commission to paint a figure representing the Dead Saviour, with the Madonna, and San Giovanni, above the steps leading to the side door of San Pietro Maggiore, and this he executed in such a manner, that, exposed as it is to wind and weather, it has nevertheless maintained such freshness, as to have the appearance of being but just finished by the hand of the master,^[20] Pietro Perugino certainly proved himself well acquainted with the management of colours,'in fresco as well as in oil, insomuch, that the most able artists are largely indebted to him for the knowledge to be obtained by means of his works, more especially as regards the lights.

In the church of Santa Croce, in the same city, this master painted a Madonna mourning over the body of Christ, which she sustains on her bosom; in this picture there are two figures, the sight of which awakens astonishment, not so much indeed for their excellence, as for their freshness; that a painting in fresco should have remained so newlooking and lively for so long a time is surprising.^[21] From Bernardino de’ Rossi, Pietro reeeived a commission to paint a San Sebastiano to be sent into France, and the price agreed on was to be one hundred gold crowns, but the picture was sold by Bernardino to the King of France for four hundred gold ducats. At Yallombrosa, this artist painted a figure for the High Altar,^[22] with another for the Certosa or Carthusian Monastery at Pavia, for the same monks.^[23]

For the High Altar of the episcopal church in Naples, Pietro was commissioned by Cardinal CarafFa, to paint an Assumption of Our Lady, with the Apostles in adoration around the tomb;^[24] and for the Abbot, Simone de’ Graziani of Borgo San Sepolcro, he painted a large picture which was executed in Florence; being afterwards transported to the church of San Gilio at Borgo, on the backs of porters, at very heavy cost.^[25] To Bologna Pietro sent a picture for the church of San Giovanni-in-Monte; in this there are two figures standing upright, with the Virgin appearing in the heavens above them,.^[26]

By all these works the fame of the master became so widely diffused throughout Italy and in foreign lands, that he was invited to Rome, by Pope Sixtus IV., to his great glory; here he was appointed to work in the Sistine chapel, together with the other eminent artists who had also been invited by that Pontiff; and in company with Don Bartolommeo della Gatta, Abbot of San Clemente in Arezzo, he painted the story of Christ delivering the keys to Peter. The Nativity of the Saviour, his Baptism,^[27] with the Birth of Moses, and liis discovery by the daughter of Pharaoh, who takes him from the little ark of bulrushes, were also painted by this master. On the side whereon is the altar likewise, Pietro executed a mural painting of the Assumption of the Virgin, and in this he placed the portrait of Pope Sixtus, in a kneeling position. But these last mentioned works were destroyed during the pontificate of Pope Paul III., when the divine Michelagnolo painted his picture of the Last Judgment in that chapel. In the palace of the Pope, Pietro painted a ceiling in one of the apartments of the Torre Borgia; here he depicted certain stories from the life of Christ, with ornaments of foliage in chiaro-scuro, a work reputed at the time, to be one of extraordinary excellence. In the church of San Marco, also in Rome, he painted an historical piece, beside the chapel of the Sacrament, representing two martyrs: this is accounted among the good works executed by Pietro while in Rome.^[28] For Sciarra Colonna he painted a Loggia with several chambers, in the Palace of Sant’ Apostolo;^[29] and all these works placed him in possession of a very large sum of money; Pietro, therefore, determined to remain no longer in Rome, and departed thence with the good favour of all the court. He then returned to his native city of Perugia, and there executed various frescoes and pictures in different parts of the city, more particularly in the palace of the Signori, where he painted a picture in oil, for the chapel of that building, representing the Virgin, with other saints.^[30]

In the church of San Francesco-del-Monte, Pietro painted two chapels in fresco, the Adoration of the Magi in one, and in the other the Martyrdom of certain Monks of the Franciscan order, who, having proceeded to the Sultan of Babylon, were there put to death.^[31] In San Francesco del Convento,^[32] this master painted two pictures in oil, in one of which he depicted the resurrection of Jesus Christ,^[33] and in the other San Giovanni Batista, with other saints. For the church of the Servites also, Pietro likewise painted two pictures,^[34] one representing the Transfiguration of Our Lord, and the other, which is beside the sacristy, the Adoration of the Magi.^[35] But as these works are not of equal excellence with some others by this master, it is considered certain that they are among the first which he executed. In San Lorenzo, which is the cathedral of that city (Perugia), there is a Madonna by the hand of Pietro, in the chapel of the Crocifisso, with the Maries, San Giovanni, San Lorenzo, San Jacopo, and other saints.^[36] For the altar of the sacrament, where the ring with which the Virgin Mary was espoused is preserved, this master painted an altar-piece representing the Marriage of Our Lady.^[37]

At a later period, Pietro painted the Hall of Audience in the Exchange of Perugia entirely in fresco. The compartments of the ceiling, that is to say, which he decorated with the seven planets, each drawn in a kind of chariot by different animals, according to the old manner; on the wall opposite to the door of entrance he depicted the Birth and Resurrection of Christ;^[38] and on panel he represented San Giovanni, in the midst of other saints. On the side wall of the building Pietro then painted figures in his own manner, those on one side represent Fabius Maximus, Socrates, Numa Pompilius, Fulvius Camillus, Pythagoras,^[39] Trajan, L. Sicinius, the Spartan Leonidas, Horatius Codes, Fabius Sempronius^[40] the Athenian Pericles, and Cincinnatus: on the opposite wall are figures of the prophets; Isaiah, Moses, and Daniel namely; with David, Jeremiah, and Solomon; the master likewise added those of the Sybils; the Erythrtean, the Lybian, the Tiburtine, the Delphic, and the others.^[41] Beneath each of these figures is a sentence in the manner of a motto, taken from the writings or sayings of the personage represented above, and appropriate in some sort to the place wherein the artist has painted it. In one of the ornaments of this work Pietro placed his own portrait, which has a very animated appearance, and beneath it he wrote his name in the following manner:^[42]—

Petrus Perusinus egregius pictor,
Perdita si fuerat pingendo Me retulit artem;
Si nunquam inventa esset hactenus, ipse dedit.
Anno D. md.

This work, an exceedingly fine one, and which has been more highly extolled than any other executed by Pietro in Perugia,^[43] is still held in great estimation by the people of that city, as the memorial of so renowned an artist of their native place.^[44] In the church of Sant’ Agostino, also in Perugia, he painted the Baptism of the Saviour by St. John, in the principal chapel; this is a very large picture, entirely isolated, and surrounded by a very rich “ornament” or frame work, and on the back, or that side opposite to the choir, the master further depicted the Birth of Christ, with heads of saints in the upper part of the painting; in the predella are several historical scenes, represented by small figures very carefully executed. In the chapel of San Niccolo, in the same church, he painted a picture for Messer Benedetto Calera.^[45]

Having afterwards returned to Florence, Pietro painted a picture for the monks of the Cestello, representing San Bernardo; as he also did another, with our Saviour on the Cross, the Virgin, San Benedetto, San Bernardo, and San Giovanni, for the Chapter House. At Fiesole, in the church of San Domenico, lie painted a picture of the Madonna, in the second chapel on the right hand; there are besides three figures in this work, one of which, a San Sebastiano namely, is worthy of the highest praise.^[46] Pietro had worked so much, and received such perpetual demands for his works, that he frequently used one and the same object or figure several times in different pictures, his theory and mode of treatment in art had, indeed, become so mannered, that he gave all his figures the same expression. Now Michelagnolo was, by this time, coming forward to his place, and Pietro earnestly desired to see his works, because of the great jiraise bestowed on them by the artists, but as he perceived that the greatness of the name which he had himself acquired in all places, began to be obscured by others, he sought much to lower and mortify all who were then labouring to distinguish themselves, by the caustic severity of his remarks. This caused him to receive various offences from different artists, and Michelagnolo told him publicly, that he was but a dolt and blockhead in art.^[47] But Pietro could not endure so grievous an affront, and the two artists presented themselves before the Council of Eight, whence Pietro withdrew, however, with very little honour. Meanwhile the Servite Monks of Florence, desired to have the picture for their high altar painted by some master of great renown, and had given the commission for it to Filippo Lippi on account of the departure of Leonardo da Vinci to France, but the former, when he had completed the half of one, out of the two pictures, of which the Altar-piece was to be composed, departed to another life; whereupon the monks, moved hj the faith they had placed in Pietro, confided the whole ’work to his care. In this painting, wherein Filippino had begun to represent the Deposition of Christ from the Cross, that master had finished the upper part, where Nicodemus is lowering the body; Pietro therefore continued the work by painting the lower part, the swooning of Our Lady namely, with certain other figures. And as this work was to consist of two pictures, the one to be turned towards the choir of the monks, and the other towards the body of the church, the monks proposed to have the deposition towards the choir, with an Assumption of the Virgin towards the church, but Pietro executed the latter in so ordinary a manner, that they determined to have the Deposition in front, and the Assumption towards the choir; both have now been removed to other altars in the same church, and the Tabernacle of the Sacrament has been erected in their place.^[48] Of this work, therefore, six small pictures only have remained at the high altar, certain saints namely, which were painted in niches by Pietro.^[49] I find it related, that when the painting was first uncovered, all the new artists censured it greatly, principally because Pietro had again adopted the same figures that had been previously painted in other of his works, for which his friends reproached him not a little, declaring that he had taken no pains, but whether induced by avarice, or by the desire to spare his time, had departed from his usual good manner; to all which Pietro replied, “I have painted in this work the figures that you formerly commanded, and which then pleased you greatly; if they now displease you, and you no longer extol them, what can I do?”^[50] This did not prevent many from assailing him sharply with satirical verses, and olfending him publicly in various ways; wherefore, having now become old, he left Florence altogether, and returned to Perugia.^[51]

In the church of San Severn, in that city, he then executed various works in fresco, for the Carthusian monks, to whom it belongs: there E-affaello da Urbino, while still young, and when he was the disciple of Pietro, had painted certain figures, as will be related in the proper place,^[52] Pietro likewise worked at Montone, at the Fratta, and at many other places in the neighbourhood of Perugia,^[53] but more particularly in Assisi, in the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli namely, where he painted in fresco the wall behind the chapel of the Madonna, which stands opposite to the choir of the monks, depicting the Saviour on the Cross, with several figures. In the church of San Pietro, an Abbey in Perugia, which belongs to the Black Friars, he painted a very large picture for the high altar; the subject of this work is the Ascension of Jesus, with the Apostles beneath, looking up to heaven.^[54]On the predella of the picture are three stories, executed with much care, the Adora tion of the Magi that is to say, the baptism of the Saviour, and his Resurrection; the whole of this work is replete with evidences of thought and care, insomuch that it is one of the best paintings in oil executed by Pietro in Perugia; he also commenced a work in fresco, of no small importance, at Gastello della Pieve, but did not finish it.^[55]

It was the custom of Pietro, who was a man that did not confide in any one, when going or returning from the abovenamed Gastello to Perugia, to carry all the money which he possessed at the time about his person; this being known, certain men waylaid him at a place on the road, and robbed him of all that he had, but, at his earnest entreaty, they spared his life for the love of God. By means of the measures adopted, and the assistance of his friends, of whom lie had a good number, notwithstanding what has been said, he recovered a great part of the money that had been taken from him; he was nevertheless very near dying of grief for this misfortune. Pietro possessed but very little religion, and could never be made to believe in the immortality of the soul, nay, most obstinately did he reject all good counsel, with words suited to the stubbornness of his marble-hard brain. He placed all his hopes in the goods of fortune, and would have undertaken any thing for money; he gained great riches indeed, and bought, as well as built, several large houses in Florence; at Perugia also, and at Gastello della Pieve, he bought a considerable amount of property.^[56] Pietro took a very beautiful girl to wife, and she bore him children:^[57] he is said to have had so much pleasure in seeing her wear becoming head-dresses, both abroad and at home, that he was occasionally known to arrange this part of her toilet with his own hands. Finally, having attained to the age of seventy-eight, Pietro finished the course of his life in the Gastello della Pieve, where he was honourably buried in the year 1524.^[58] Pietro formed many masters in his own manner, among these was one who proved to be indeed most excellent, one who devoted himself wholly to the honourable studies of his art, and very greatly surpassed his master; this was no other than the wondrous Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino, who together with his father, Giovanni de’ Santi, worked many years with Pietro Perugino.

The painter Benedetto Pinturicchio, of Perugia, was also a disciple of Pietro, whose manner he always retained, as we have related in his life. Rocco Zoppo,^[59] a Florentine painter, was likewise the disciple of this master. Filippo Salviati has a very beautiful Madonna, in a round picture, by his hand, but it is true that this was entirely finished by Pietro himself. Rocco painted numerous pictures of the Madonna, and took many portraits, of which there is no need to speak further; but I will not omit to r<^late that this artist executed the portrait of Girolamo Riario, in the Sistine chapel in Rome, with that of F. Pietro, cardinal of San Sisto. Another disciple of Pietro was Montevarchi,^[60] who painted many pictures in San Giovanni, in Valdarno, more particularly for the church of the Madonna, where he exe- 326 LIVES OF THE ARTISTS. cuted a story representing the Miracle of the Milk. This master left many works, in his native place, of Montevarchi. Gerino da Pistoja, of whom we have made mention in the life of Pinturicchio, also received instruction from Pietro Perugino, with whom he remained for a long time. The Florentine Baccio Ubertino was, in like manner, among Pietro’s disciples, and was an artist of infinite diligence and care in his colouring, as well as design, for which cause Pietro made much use of his services. We have a drawing in our book by the hand of Baccio Ubertino, Christ scourged at the Column namely, it is done with the pen, and is a very charming design.

This Baccio had a brother, who was also a disciple of Pietro Perugino: his name was Francesco, but by way of surname he was called Bacchiacca.^[61] He was a very careful painter of small figures, as may be seen from many works which he executed in Florence, more especially in the Palace of Gio Maria Benintendi,^[62] and in that of Pier Francesco Borgherini. Bacchiacca took great pleasure in painting grottesche; he was, therefore, commissioned by the Signor Duke Cosimo to decorate a study for himself with figures of animals and rare plants, copied from the life, and which are considered exceedingly beautiful. He also prepared the cartoons for certain tapestries and carpets, which were afterwards woven in silk by the Flemish master, Giovanni Posto, for certain apartments in the palace of his Excellency.

Giovanni Spagnuolo, called Lo Spagna, was another disciple of Pietro Perugino: this artist was a better colourist than any of the scholars left by Pietro at his death, and, after that event, would, without doubt, have established himself in Perugia, if the envy of the painters of that city, who were most unfriendly to foreign artists, had not persecuted him to such a degree that he was compelled to depart. He then retired to Spoleto, where his excellence and ability obtained for him a wife of good family, and he was, besides, made a citizen of Spoleto.^[63] Here Giovanni executed various works, as he did in all the other cities of Umbria: in Assisi more particularly, where he painted the altar-piece for the chapel of (Santa Caterina, in the lower church of San Francesco,! receiving the commission for this work from the Spanish Cardinal Egidio. Another picture by his hand is a San Damiano; and for the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli he painted certain half-length figures the size of life;^[64] these are in the small chapel, wherein San Francesco died: they represent some of the companions of St. Francis, with other saints, all depicted with great animation: in the centre of all is San Francesco himself, a work in rilievo.

But among all the disciples of Pietro here enumerated, Andrea Luigi of Assisi, called V Tngegno, deserves to be considered the best master: in his first youth this artist vied with RatFaello da Urbano, under the discipline of Pietro, who availed himself of L’ Ingegno’s^[65] assistance in all the more important works undertaken by him; as, for example, in the Andience-chamber of the Exchange in Perugia, where there are most beautiful pictures by his hand;^[66] in the works of Pietro executed for Assisi; and, finally, in the chapel of Pope Sixtus.^[67] In all these labours Andrea gave such decided proofs of his ability that he was expected to surpass his master by very much, and so, without doubt, he would have done, but that fortune, who is almost always pleased to oppose herself to high beginnings, would not suffer L’Ingegno to attain to the perfection he was approaching: a cold and affection of the head fell with such fatal effect upon his eyes that the hapless Andrea became totally blind, to the bitter and lasting sorrow of all who knew him. When this most deplorable accident was made known to Pope Sixtus, that pontiff, always the friend and protector of able men, commanded that provision should be made for him in Assisi; and, during the remainder of his life, by those who had the management of the revenues in that city. A certain sum was therefore paid to Andrea until he died, which happened when he had attained the eighty-sixth year of his age.

Other disciples of Pietro, and also natives of Perugia, were Eusebio di San Giorgio, who painted the Adoration of the Magi in SanP Agostino,^[68] Domenico di Paris,^[69] who executed various paintings in Perugia and the surrounding country, in company with his brother Orazio^[70] and Gian Niccola,^[71] who painted Christ in the Garden, in a picture for the church of San Francesco, with the altar-piece for the chapel of the Baglioni, in San Domenico, and certain stories in fresco from the life of San Giovanni Batista, in the chapel of the Exchange.

Benedetto Caporali,^[72] otherwise called Bitti, was, in like manner, a disciple of Pietro: there are many pictures by his hand in his native city of Perugia. He occupied himself, to a great extent, in architecture also, and not only executed numerous works, but also wrote a Commentary on Vitruvius, which every one may see, since it has been printed. Benedetto Caporali was followed in these studies by his son Giulio, also a painter of Perugia.

But none of all these disciples ever equalled Pietro himself in assiduity of application, or in the grace with which that master painted in his own manner; which pleased greatly at that time, insomuch that many artists came from France, Spain, Germany, and other countries, to the end that they might acquire it. A traffic was also made of his works, as we have said, by many who sent them into divers places before the manner of Michael Agnolo became known; but the latter, having made manifest the good and true path in these arts, has brought them to that perfection which we shall see when we come to the third part of this work, soon to follow: wherein we shall treat of the excellence and per fections thereof, and wherein it will be proved to artists, that whoever will study and labour continually and not capriciously, or in the mere pursuit of fantasies; shall leave works of value behind him, and shall acquire fame, riches, and friends.

---

1. For minute details respecting this artist, whose family name was Vannucci, see Mezzanotte, Della vita e delle opere di Pietro Vannucci da Castello della Preve, &c. Perugia, 1836; see also Pascoli, Vite de' Pittore Perugini; Mariotti, Lettere Pittoriche Perugine; and Orsini, Vita e Elogio dell'egregio Pittore Pietro Perugino e degli Scolari di esso, Perugia, 1804.
2. Pietro was not of low condition, though so poor. The Vannucci family had enjoyed the rights of citizenship in Perugia, at least from the year 1427.— See Mariotti, Lettere, ut supra; see also Rumohr, Italienische Forschungen, vol. ii.
3. Cristofano Vannucci. Pietro Perugino is thus sometimes called Pietro di Cristofano, by Italian writers, sometimes Pietro Vannucci. On his works is often found the inscription, Petrus de Castro Plebis, from the circumstance of his birth having taken place in Castello della Pieve (now Citta della Pieve), and not in Perugia, as Vasari has it.
4. Pietro is believed to have been sent to Perugia in his eleventh year, and to have acquired the first rudiments of his art under Benedetto Buonfigli, perhaps also under Niccold Alunno, of W'hom Vasari has spoken in the life of Pinturicchio.
5. Vasar ihere alludes to the earlier manner of the fifteenth century, as apposed to that of the later period, which commenced with Leonardo da Vinci.
6. This assertion has been much disputed. Mariotti and Pascoli will not admit that Verrocchio was the master of Pietro, affirming him to have abandoned painting before the latter went to Florence. Lanzi and Orsini are inclined to think Vasari right. For the detailed opinions of these authorities, with the reasons by which they are supported, the reader is referred to their works, as before cited.
7. This picture is now in the Pitti Palace, the colour is somewhat faded, from long exposure to the sun suffered by that work while in the church of Santa Chiara. —Ed. Flor., 1838.
8. Rumohr declares Vasari to be here describing a work of Pietro’s maturer years as that of his youth. — See Ital. Forsch., vol. ii. p. 345.
9. Suppressed by Pope Clement IX. in 16G8. These fathers were able painters on glass, and Pietro is said to have acquired much knowledge in the use of mineral colours, from observing their practice.
10. The church was called San Giusto alle Mura, it was demolished bv Philip of Orange, in the year 1529, when that prince marched against the Florentines, on behalf of Pope Clement VII.
11. This church then began to be called della Colza, a name which had its origin in the singular form of the head-dress worn by those monks, and which it still retains,—Masselli.
12. This work is now in the Florentine Academy of the Fine Arts. The sleep here described is not a heavy lethargic slumber, but is indeed a most refreshing one. — Schorn, German translation of Vasari.
13. This also is in the Florentine Academy, but having been taken to Paris, was there restored with so little mercy, that the softness and harmony of the work was carried off together with the dust and smoke. — Masselli.
14. Now on a lateral altar of the church of the Calza. — Ibid.
15. “The injury here deplored by Vasari, is but slight,” remarks the Italian commentator, “and may be easily passed over; not so those daily inflicted on the works of the best masters by audacious cleaners, who pretend to make that new which was executed three or four centuries since, a labour for which they are little likely to receive thanks; but were some of these gentry to be repaid according to their deserts, they might have fewer imitators than they now unfortunately find.”
16. Bottari remaks, and with reason, that “the loss of so many work3_ executed while Pietro Perugino was at the best period of his artistic life, can never be sufficiently deplored.”
17. This picture perished in the deplorable conflagration of this church, which happened about the middle of the seventeenth century. —Della Valle.
18. Still in Sant’ Agostino, and will be found engraved in Rossi’s work on the cathedral of Siena.
19. The fate of this work is not known. There is a St. Jerome in prayer by Pietro Perugino among the pictures of the Colonna Gallery in Rome, but we have no means of ascertaining whether this be the work here alluded to.
20. When the church of San Pietro Maggiore, which had shown symptoms of decay from the year 1784, was entirely demolished, this picture was placed by the Senator Albizzi, in a small chapel of his palace, where it still remains. — Ed. Flor., 1832-8.
21. This picture is no longer in Santa Croce.
22. Now in the Florentine Academy of the Fine Arts. It is an Assumption of the Virgin, and one of Pietro Perugino’s best works.
23. A part only of this work, which consisted of six compartments, is now in the Certosa of Pavia. The remaining portions were taken to Milan by the Melzi family in 1795.—See Rumohr, Ital. Forsch., vol. iii. p. 27.
24. Still in the cathedral, hut no longer on the high altar: it has been removed, to one of the smaller altars This picture is said to have awakened in Sabbatini called Andrea di Salerno, the desire to become a painter; and leaving Naples, he was proceeding to place himself under Pietro Perugino; but hearing the praises of Raphael he repaired to Rome instead, where he studied under the last named master; returning afterwards to Naples he there became the head of a most flourishing school.—Masselli.
25. Still in San Gilio, and in good preservation.
26. This work was taken to Paris, but was recovered, and is now in the Gallery of Bologna.
27. The Birth and Baptism of Christ are still in good preservation.
28. There is said to be but one painting by Perugino now in San Marco, that of the titular Saint namely, which is in one of the chapels.
29. Of these paintings no trace now remains.
30. The Patron Saints of Perugia namely, SS. Lorenzo, Ercolano, Constantins, and Ludovico, Bishop of Tolosa. This picture was taken to Paris, but on its restoration to that city was sent to the Gallery of the Vatican. It has been frequently engraved, among others by Landon, Annates du Musée Napoleon, tom. ii.
31. Mezzanotte, Vita di Pietro, &c., does not name these works, but describes a third chapel with a Birth of Christ (presepio) by Perugino.
32. Or of the Padri Conventuali.
33. This celebrated work was also taken to Paris, and was sold by its possessors on its restoration, to the Government, when it was placed in the Gallery of the Vatican. This picture suffered much from cleaning in 1788. Some writers affirm, that the portrait of Raphael may be found here, in the face of a sleeping soldier namely, with that of Pietro himself, which is said to be in the figure of a soldier, who is in the act of flight. An engraving of this work will be found in Guattoni, tav. ix. of the Pittura dell'appartamento Borgia.
34. The church of the Servites is in our days called Santa Maria Nuova. The Transfiguration is now above the smaller door, and has greatl)' suffered. —Orsini, Guida di Perugia.
35. The Adoration of the Magi was taken to Paris, but is now (if, observe certain writers, that so-called be indeed the same picture) restored to the church.— See Rumohr, Ital. Forsch.y vol. ii. p. 359.
36. No longer in the cathedral.
37. Much has been said of this painting, and various stories are related respecting its fate, one declaring it to have perished with the ship in which it was about to be transported to America. The certain but grievous truth being, says an Italian writer, that it is lost to Italy.
38. The Transfiguration, and not the Resurrection, as here asserted by Vasari, and repeated by all who have followed him. —Masselli.
39. Pittacus, not Pythagoras.
40. Publius Scipio, rather.
41. For details respecting the Sybils, and the oflice assigned to them by certain theologians, see Blondell, Den Sibylles Celebres; Clasen, De Oraculis Gentilium. See also St. Augustine, De Civil. Dei., m.ddd.xlvii.
42. The inscription was not written by Pietro, but by his fellow citizens; nor was his portrait introduced without an invitation to the master to place it where it is found.
43. It has been engraved by Cecchini. Over the figures are female forms representing such virtues as the personages beneath were supposed to be distinguished by; over Fabius Maximus, Socrates and Nuraa Pompilius, is Prudence, for example; over Camillus, Pittacus, and Trajan Justice, &c., &c. The figure of Daniel is said to be a likeness of Raphael in his youth. —See Mariotti, Lettere Perugine.
44. The Hall of the Exchange, observes an Italian writer, is to the fame of Pietro Perugino, as are the Stanze of the Vatican to that of Raphael.
45. For minute details respecting these works, which are still in the church, see Orsini, as before cited.
46. These pictures are in good preservation, with the exception of the centre, which has been somewhat injured by injudicious cleaning. The Monastery is now a Convent of Nuns; and the place being under Clausura, the pictures cannot easily be seen, but a description of them will be found in Rumohr, who obtained admission by an order from the archbishop.—See Ital. Forsch., vol. ii. p. 845. They are engraved in the R. Galleria di Firenza, serie i, vol. ii. tav. lxxxv., and there is a replica of the St. Sebastian, at Rome, (in the Sciarra Palace).
47. “This bitter remark, uttered in the heat of resentment,” observes an Italian Avriter, jealous for the honour of our artist, ‘‘ must not be permitted to prejudice our Perugino, nor should it be turned to his injury, as Della Valle, with his wonted acerbity, has dared to do. He Avho does not appreciate the works of Pietro is incapable of doing justice to those of the Urbinese,” (so do they of Urbino fondly call their Raphael), “and for me I prefer to that of Della Valle, the judgment of a distinguished Briton, who, after having contemplated the two pictures of these masters, that Avere in San Giovanni-in-Monte (Bologna), remarked as follows:—‘ In the picture of Pietro, I see Raphael as he is to be, in the picture of Raphael, I see Pietro as he has been.’ ”
48. The picture partly painted by Filippino, is in the Acatlemy of Fine Arts, as we have said in the life of that master. The Assumption of Pietro is still in the church, and will be found in the Rabatta chapel.
49. These saints are no longer in the place there indicated. They fell into the hands of merchants during the vicissitudes of troubled times, and cannot now be traced.
50. One of the most persevering apologists for this master declares that, if Pietro did not repeat the figures previously used in the cities where they had first been made known, but in other cities only, the reply thus given was a most sufficient one.” This question we leave to the reader’s decision.
51. But for the offences thus received, Pietro would seem to have disposed his affairs for passing the remainder of his days in Florence, where he had also purchased a burial place for himself and his descendants, in the church of the Annunziata.— Masselli.
52. The church of St. Severo was rebuilt from the foundations about the middle of the last century. The wall of the chapel on which are the works of Pietro and Raphael, was however preserved, and is still in the monastery, but in a very confined position.—See Orsini, as cited above.
53. For various details respecting the works of Pietro, in these and other places, see Mezzanotte, Della Vila e deUe opere di Pietro Vanned da Castello della Pieve, Commentario Istorico.— Perugia, 1836.
54. This picture was taken to France, where it is supposed to remain. Some writers affirm it to have been presented by the French Government to the cathedral of Lyons.
55. In the church of Fontignano, near Castello della Pieve, according to Mezzanotte, who asserts that the work was not in fresco but distemper, a Birth of Christ namely, with figures of the Saints Rocco and Sebastiano. But other writers cite various works as performed by Pietro at Castello (now Citta) della Pieve. One of the most important is an Adoration of the Magi in fresco, now much injured by the humidity of the place. The Madonna in this picture is said to be by Raphael, as is also a little dog who is barking at some horses.
56. Mezzanotte and other writers defend Pietro against the charges of irreligion and avarice brought against him by Vasari, and there is ground to hope that the biographer has spoken with too little consideration, even from what he has himself related of the Prior and his ultra-marine. —See ante, p. 315. See also Orsini, Vite, &c., 1804; and Pascoli, ut supra, 1732.
57. Of these he had three, Giovan Battista, Francesco and Michael Angelo, the last most probably so named, observes an Italian annotator, before the disagreement of Pietro with Buonarroti.
58. Pietro died at Fontignano, and not at Castello della Pieve. Neither was he honourably buried. Having expired without receiving the sacraments of the church, he was buried in unconsecrated ground, under an oak which stood by the way-side, but is said to have been afterwards disinterred and buried near the church, perhaps in the cemetery. This circumstance has been cited in proof of Pietro’s irreligion, who, as it is said, for not having chosen to receive the sacraments, was refused Christian burial;” but there was a plague raging at the time in Perugia and the neighbourhood, insomuch that the priests could no longer bestow the due rites on the dying or dead. Pietro may have fallen a victim to this malady, and the reports of his dying “unhouseled unannealed ” may have had their origin in this circumstance. Mariotti, Lettere, p. 1, discovered an instrument wherein the monks of St. Augustin agree with the sons of Pietro, to transport the body of their father to Perugia, and there give it honourable interment by way of liquidating a debt, which they acknowledge themselves to have contracted, for works executed by him in their church. It is true, that the calamities of the times prevented this contract from being fulfilled, but that such an agreement was entered into suffices to show that there was no ground of objection to the interment of Pietro’s remains in consecrated ground.
59. “Not to be confounded,” remarks the Italian editor, “with the painter Marco Zoppo of Bologna,” mentioned in the life of Mantegna.
60. Lanzi observes that this painter is not sufficiently known beyond his native place of Montevarchi, from which he takes his name.
61. f this artist, who was the friend of Andrea del Sarto, and died at Florence in 1557, Vasari speaks more circumstantially in the life of Bastiano da San Gallo, called Aristotele.
62. The pictures painted for the Casa Benintendi were taken to Dresden about the middle of the last centur}’’, and became a part of the gallery there. —Ed. Flor., 1832-8.
63. Mariotti, Lettere, p. 195, has shown that Lo Spagna became a citizen of Spoleto before the death of Pietro, and had married a lady of that city eight years previous to the death of his master.
64. The beautiful altar-piece by Lo Spagna, here alluded to, is in the chapel of St. Stephen in this church, it represents the Madonna enthroned, with three Saints on each side. The painting is in good preservation, and may be considered the master-piece of the artist.— See Mezzanotte, ut supra.
65. Still in very fair condition.
66. The errors of Vasari, in respect to this artist, have been repeated by all succeeding writers, Mezzanotte among the number. Nor was it until llumohr had published his admirable “Researches,” (Italienische Forschnngen,) that they were corrected. For many interesting details respecting L’ Ingegno, which cannot here find place, the reader is referred to that work, and also to the same author in the Kunstblatt, for 1821, No. 73. — See also Passavant, and Dr. Waagen, with the reply given to that writer by Forster in the Kunstblatt, for 1837, p. 94.
67. Orsini admits that L’ Ingegno may have assisted Pietro in the Sistine chapel, but denies that he did so in Assisi, where, as he declares, this artist never worked.
68. Still in its place. — See Mezzanotte; see also Orsini, Vita Elogio, &c., who criticises it severely; and Pascoli, Vite de' Pittori Ferugini.
69. For details respecting this master, Domenico di Paris Alfani, of a noble family of Perugia, see Orsini, ut supra.
70. Orazio was the son, not the brother of Domenico, and was the founder of the Academy of Design of Perugia.
71. Giannicola di Paolo Manni, one of the best of Pietro’s scholars. —See Mezzanotte, as cited above. The picture of the Baglioni chapel here described is now in the Gallery of the Academy of Perugia. His frescoes in the Exchange are still in existence.
72. His name was not Benedetto, but Giambattista. For his works, see Mariotti, Lettere, &c.