knowledge vainly desired, when Pope Paul III. determined to cause the church of San Pietro to be completed, seeing that all then discovered how useful his assistance would have been to Antonio da San Gallo. It is true that the last named architect effected much, in accomplishing what we now possess; but he would, nevertheless, as is believed, have seen his way more clearly through certain of the difficulties incidental to that work, had he performed his labours in company with Baldassare.
Many of the artistic effects of Baldassare were inherited by the Bolognese Sebastiano Serlio, who wrote the third book of the “Architecture,” and the fourth of the “Antiquities of Rome,” with their admeasurements. In these works, the results of Baldassare’s studies, to which we have alluded above, were inserted in the margin, and other portions of the same were likewise of great use to the author. The writings of Baldassare on the before-mentioned subjects remained for the most part in the hands of the Ferrarese, Jacopo Melighino, who was afterwards appointed by Pope Paul III. the architect for all his buildings; and in those of that Francesco the Sienese, whom we have before mentioned, and who was his creature and disciple. By this artist is the escutcheon of the Cardinal di Trani, in Navona, which has been Very highly commended, and which is still to be seen in Rome, with certain other works, also by Francesco da Siena. It is from him that we have procured the portrait of Baldassare; and I have likewise received many notices from him of things with which I was not acquainted, when this book was first put forth to the world.
The Roman artist, Virgilio, was also a disciple of Baldassare. He painted a façade in the middle of the Borgo Nuovo, in his native city, representing Captives thereon, and executed many other very fine works. Antonio del Rozzo, a citizen of Siena and a most eminent engineer, also received the first principles of architecture from Baldassare, under whom the Sienese painter, Riccio, likewise studied his vocation, although he afterwards imitated, to a certain extent, the manner of Giovanni Antonio Sodoma of Vercelli.[1]
The Sienese architect, Giovanni Battista Peloro, was
- ↑ The life of this artist follows.
