power to approach the ability of him who has taught us the true mode of labouring in our calling; whence it is that disciples attain to such a point as afterwards to compete with their masters, and even to surpass them; since there is but little difficulty in adding to what has been already discovered by others.[1] That this is true is made manifest by Francesco di Pesello,[2] who so closely imitated the manner of Fra Filippo, that he would, without doubt, have surpassed that master by very much, had not death so prematurely taken him from us. It is also well known, that Pesello[3] imitated the manner of Andrea dal Castagno, and as he found great pleasure in delineating animals, he constantly kept several of various sorts living in his house, depicting them with so much truth and animation, that there was no master at that time who, in this branch of art, was at all equal to him. This artist continued under the discipline of Andrea to the age of thirty years,[4] learning, from his precepts, to become an excellent master; wherefore, having given a good proof of his ability,[5] he was appointed by the Signoria of Florence to paint a picture in tempera, the subject of which was the Magi bringing offerings to Christ, and the work was placed in the centre of the staircase of their palace. Pesello acquired great reputation by this picture, principally because he has executed many portraits in it, among others that of
- ↑ “This passage evidently requires to be taken with many grains of allowance,” remarks one of the Italian commentators, “since facile est inventis adders is more correctly applied to mechanical inventions than to the fine arts.” A second would fain remind Vasari, that^is master, Michael Angelo, had pronounced a different opinion, when he declared that “he who is content to follow others is but little likely to pa.ss before them.” And a German annotator would have our author remember, that “nothing great in art can be accomplished without genius.” These reproofs may suffice him. We do not, therefore, record our dissent from the opinions announced in this passage.
- ↑ Here Vasari is speaking of Pesello the younger, whom Baldinucci confounds with his father.
- ↑ The elder Pesello, that is, whose baptismal name was Giuliano.
- ↑ That Pesello might imitate the manner of Andrea in his latter years is probable. But it is not possible that the former could have studied with the latter “to his 30th year,” Andrea dal Castagno having been born in the first year of the fifteenth century, while Pesello was already a painter in the year 1390.—Masselli.
- ↑ In his first edition Vasari says that this “proof” was a picture for the chapel of Santa Lucia in the Via de’ Bardi.
