Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects/Francesco di Giorgio and Lorenzo Vecchietti

by Giorgio Vasari

 

THE SIENESE SCULPTOR AND ARCHITECT, FRANCESCO DI GIORGIO; AND THE SCULPTOR AND PAINTER, LORENZO VECCHIETTI, ALSO OF SIENA.

[born, 1439—died, 1506.] [born, 1402—died, 1480.]

The Sienese artist, Francesco di Giorgio,^[1] who was an excellent sculptor and architect, produced the two angels in bronze which are on the high altar in the cathedral of that city. These figures are in truth very finely cast, and were afterwards finished by himself with all possible care. And this he could do very conveniently, being a man of fair possessions as well as of remarkable ability, wherefore he did not work for the sake of gain, but for his own pleasure, and when he felt inclined, to the end that he might leave honourable memorials of his existence behind him. Francesco di Giorgio also gave his attention to painting, and produced some pictures,^[2] but they do not equal his sculptures: in architecture, on the contrary, he possessed great judgment, and proved himself to be well versed in that branch of art. Ample testimony to the truth of this remark is afforded by the palace which he built in Urbino for the duke Federigo Feltro, the apartments of which are arranged with remarkable judgment, and are exceedingly commodious: the staircases are peculiarly constructed, but are more convenient and agreeable than any that had existed previously to his time.^[3] The halls are large and magnificent; the arrangement of the rooms is singularly judicious; they are richly decorated, and the whole palace is in short as handsome and well-constructed as any one that has ever been erected down to our own day. Francesco di Giorgio was a distinguished engineer,^nota more particularly in the construction of military engines. Of his ability in this respect, he has given evidence in a frieze painted^nota by his hand in the above-named palace of Urbino, and which consists wholly of instruments required for the purposes of war. There are likewise books filled with drawings of such instruments, the best of which are in the possession of Duke Cosimo, who preserves them among his most valued rarities. This artist was so zealous an inquirer into all matters appertaining to ancient military engines and warlike implements, and pursued his investigations into the various modes of construction adopted for the ancient amphitheatres and similar edifices^nota so earnestly, that these studies caused him to give less attention to sculpture, but the inquiries here alluded to obtained for him then, and have continued to secure to him, no less honour than could have been derived by his sculptures. All these things rendered Francesco di Giorgio so entirely acceptable to the duke Federigo, whose portrait he executed on a medal as well as in painting, that when he finally returned to Siena, his native city, he found himself to be no less highly honoured than richly rewarded.

For Pope Pius II. Francesco di Giorgio prepared all the designs and models required for the palace and episcopal church of Pienza,^nota the native place of that Pope, previously called Corsignano, but raised by him to the dignity of a city, and called Pienza, from his name. These buildings were as magnificent and splendid as in that place they could be; and ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} the same may be said of the plans and fortifications of the city, as well as of the palace and loggia built for the same pontiff.^[8] Francesco passed his life in respect and honour, and was invested with the highest offices of the Signoria, but when he had attained the age of forty-seven, he died. His works date about the year 1480.^[9] This artist left behind him his companion and most intimate friend, Jacopo Cozzarello, who devoted himself to sculpture and architecture, and executed certain figures in wood at Siena, where there is also a work in architecture, Santa Maria Maddalena, namely, situate without the gate of Tufi, commenced by him, but which remained incomplete at his death.^[10] We are also indebted to him for the portrait of Francesco, which was executed by his hand. To Francesco di Giorgio much gratitude is due, he having effected more to facilitate the progress of architecture, and performed more essential services for that branch of art than any other master had done from the time of Filippo Brunellesco to his own.

Lorenzo di Piero Vecchietti^[11] was also a Sienese, and in like manner was a distinguished sculptor; he had previously been a much-esteemed goldsmith, but finally attached himsel. to sculpture and casting in bronze. These arts he studied with so much zeal, that he became very eminent, and received a commission to execute a tabernacle of bronze for the high altar of the cathedral in his native city of Siena, with the decorations in marble, which are still to be seen there. By this work, an extremely fine one, he acquired a name and very great reputation, well merited by the correctness of its proportions and by the grace exhibited in every part of it: whoever examines this performance will perceive that it has been well-designed, and that the artist was a judicious, practised, and able man. The same master executed a fine statue in metal, representing tlie undraped figure of Christ holding the cross in his hand: it is of the size of life, and was destined for the chapel of the Sienese painters in the great hospital of the Scala; this work, which was cast with great good fortune, was finished by Lorenzo with equal love and diligence.^[12] In the pilgrims’ lodging of the same hospital Lorenzo painted an historical picture; and over the door of San Giovanni is an arch decorated with figures in fresco, also by this master^[13] The baptismal font not being completed, he executed certain small figures of bronze for that work, finishing in like manner a relief, also in bronze, which had formerly been commenced by Donatello. Jacopo della Fonte had likewise executed two stories in bronze for the same work, and the manner of these was imitated by Lorenzo as closely as was possible. It was from his hand that the baptismal font received its ultimate completion, by the addition to it of certain figures in bronze, formerly cast by Donato, but entirely finished by Lorenzo, and which are considered extremely beautiful.^[14]

For the Loggia used by the officials of the bank, Lorenzo executed figures of St. Peter and St. Paul, in marble; they are of the size of life, have much grace, and are finished with great ability. This master completed the works undertaken by him in such a manner, that he merits to be as honourably remembered after his death as he was highly commended while living. He was a man of melancholy temperament, solitary in his habits, and perpetually sunk in contemplation.^[15] This was perhaps the cause wherefore he lived no longer, seeing that when he had reached his thirtyeighth year, he passed to another life. His works were executed about the year 1482.^[16]

1. The reader who shall desire minute details respecting this artist, will find them in the life prefixed by Signor Carlo Promis, to the Trattato d'architettura civile e militare, written by Francesco Giorgio, during his abode in Urbino, and published by Promis in 1841.
2. Lanzi mentions a Presepio only, as seen by himself. Seevol. i. p. 288 note. But another picture has been discovered in Monte Oliveto Maggiore, at Chinsumi, a Coronation, now in the Academy of Siena, as is that cited by Lanzi.
3. Modern writers bring ample testimony to prove that Francesco di Giorgio did not build this palace, which was commenced by the Sclavonian architect, Lucius Lauranna, and completed by Baccio Pontelli, or Pintelli, See his Life, ante, p. 87.
4. The talents of Francesco, as an engineer, may be judged of by an examination of the Trattato, &.C., before referred to, and which is accompanied by a large number of designs of fortresses, military engines, 4Scc. The MSS. of this work were long preserved, one in the Magliabecchiana Library; another, in the Public Library of Siena; and a third, formerly in the possession of Scamozzi, may now be seen in the Library of St. Mark’s, Venice. See Rumohr, Ital. Forsch., vol. ii. p. 185.
5. This frieze is not painted, but in relief, it consists of seventy-two bassirilievi, which were removed in 1756 to the upper corridors of the palace, by Cardinal Stoppani. They will be found, with ample explanations, in Bianchini.
6. He assures us in his writings, that he had studied these buildings in Rome, at Capua, in Perugia, and many other parts of Italy.
7. Pius II., declares in his Commentaries, that a Florentine named Bernardo. was the architect of Pienza.
8. In Siena, that is to say; an addition without which the Papal Palace and Loggia would be inferred to belong to Pienza. See Rumohr, ut supra.
9. His death occurredabout the year 1506, when he had attained the ageox sixty-seven. His reputation as an architect was so great that the princes and nobles of his time emulated each other in demanding his counsels and assistance. — Ed. Flor. 1849.
10. Which took place in 1515.
11. For a more circumstantial account of Lorenzo, see Della Valla, Lettere Sanesi.
12. Still in the Hospital of the Scala. Della Valle declares this figure to be “as soft as if it had been moulded in wax:” it bears the following inscription:—

    Laurenthis Petri pictor alias Vecchietta de Senis, mcccclxyi., pro sua devotione fecit hoc opus.

13. In the Gallery of the Uffizj is a picture of the Madonna with numerous taints, which bears the name of this artist.
14. Lorenzo worked in terra-cotta also; a group of his in that material was formerly to be seen in the Abbey Church of St. Michael in Siena.
15. Della Valle remarks, that his works bear the impress of his character.
16. A fine statue in bronze, exhibiting the recumbent figure of the Sienese Legist, Marianus Socinus, may be seen in the Hall of modern bronzes, in the Gallery of the Uffizj, This was executed by Lorenzo, at the cost of the city, in 1467, and was intended for the tomb of Socinus.