made the ball four braccia high, and fixing it on a disc of proportionate size, he chained and secured it in such a manner that the cross could afterwards be safely erected upon it, which operation being completed, the whole was put up amidst great festivities and with infinite rejoicing of the people. There was without doubt much skill and care required for the execution of this work, and the rather, as it was needful so to contrive that the ball could be entered, as is in fact the case, from below, and also to secure it by various fastenings, in such a. manner that storm and wind should not damage the construction.[1]
Andrea Verrocchio never gave himself rest; he was perpetually occupied either with painting or sculpture, and sometimes changed from one to the other, to the end that he might not weary himself by too long a continuance at one thing, as many do. And although he did not put the cartoons above described in execution, he nevertheless did paint some pictures; among others, one for the nuns of 8an Domenico, in Florence, a w’ork in which it appeared to him that he had acquitted himself very well; wherefore, no long time after, he painted another in San Salvi, for the monks of Yallombrosa.[2] The subject of this picture is the Baptism of Christ by St. John, and being assisted in it by Leonardo da Vinci, then a youth and Andrea’s disciple, the former painted therein the figure of an angel, which was much superior to the other parts of the picture.[3] Perceiving this, Andrea resolved never again to take pencil in hand, since Leonardo, though still so young, had acquitted himself in that art better than he had done. Cosimo de’ Medici, having at this time many antiquities, brought from Rome, in his possession, had caused an exceed ingly beautiful Marsyas, in white marble, fastened to a tree,
- ↑ The ball was thrown down by lightning, and one somewhat larger erected in its place; the latter still remains.
- ↑ This picture is no longer in the church. There is an engraving of it in the Etruria Fittrice, tav. 14, which, though not a good one, yet proves it to have been a work of merit, and its loss is the more to be regretted, as we have so few well-authenticated paintings of this master.
- ↑ This precious picture is now in the Florentine Academy of the Fine Arts, but is somewhat faded in colour, the figure of the Baptist more particularly. —Ed. Flor., 1832 -8.
