admiration, and was liigWy extolled; the poor enamoured young woman was indeed most perfectly successful in all things, with the exception of her unhappy love.
The fame of this noble and elevated genius becoming noised abroad, soon extended through all Italy, and reaching the ears of Pope Clement VII., that Pontiff, immediately after having performed the coronation of the emperor at Bologna, made inquiry after the sculptress, but it was found that the unfortunate woman had died in that very week,[1] and had been buried in the hospital called Della Morte, as she had requested to be in her last will.[2] Pope Clement, who had greatly desired to see Properzia, was sorry to hear of her death, but much more deeply grieved were her fellow citizens, who while she lived had held her to be one of the greatest miracles of nature that has been produced in our times.[3]
We have certain drawings by the hand of Properzia in our book; they are copies from the works of Raffaello da Urbino, made with the pen and extremely well done. Her portrait was procured for and sent to me by certain painters who were among the most intimate of her friends.
But there have not wanted women who have equalled Properzia in design, although she drew very well, and have performed works in painting quite as meritorious as those executed by her in sculpture. Among these is first to be considered the Sister Plautilla, a Nun, and now prioress in the convent of Santa Caterina of Siena, which is situate on the Piazza di San Marco in Florence,[4] who, beginning to draw,
- ↑ Her death must therefore have taken place about the 24th of February in the year 1530, since it was on that day that the Emperor Charles V. was crowned by Clement VII., in the Basilica of San Petronio.
- ↑ The Hospital Della Morte (of Death) has been suppressed, and its revenues are now united to those of the more happily named institution called the Spedale della Vita (Hospital of Life). —Masselli.
- ↑ In the first edition of Vasari we have the following words as the conclusion of this life:—And to do some honour to her memory the epitaph
here given was composed;—
“Si quantum naturae, artique Propertia, tantum
Fortunae debeat muneribusque virum
Quae nunc mersa jacet tenebris ingloria laude
Aequasset celebres marmoris artifices.
Attamen ingenio vivido quod posset et arte
Foeminea ostendunt marmora sculpta manu.” - ↑ See the Almanacco Storico e Statistico di Bologna of Gaetano Giordani.
