But to return to Francia: so zealously and with so much delight did this master study his art, that there was no day through the summer months, wherein he did not copy some nude figure from the life in his work-rooms, and to this end he kept persons constantly in his pay. At Santa Maria Nuova, Francia Bigio made an anatomical preparation of the whole human form, at the request of the eminent Florentine physician, Maestro Andrea Pasquali, and this caused the artist himself to make a great improvement in the practice of his art, which he ever continued to pursue with constantly increasing love. In the convent of Santa Maria Novella, Francia Bigio painted a figure of San Tommaso in the Lunette above the door of the library; the saint is engaged in disputation with heretics, whom he confounds by the power of his doctrine; an admirable work, executed with great care and in a very fine manner. Among other particulars of this painting may be mentioned two Children, in the ornamented frame-work by which it is surrounded; they support an escutcheon, and are indeed exquisite figures, full of the most attractive grace, and exhibiting an extraordinary beauty of manner on the part of the master.[1]
Francia Bigio likewise painted a picture, the figures of which are very small, for Giovanni Maria Benintendi. This he executed in competition with Jacopo da Pontormo, who painted another of similar size for the same person; the last-named work represents the Adoration of the Magi: two others were in like manner depicted for the same Giovanni by Francesco d’ Albertino.[2] The vcork here mentioned as that of Francia, represents David looking at Bathsheba in the Bath, and in this the artist has depicted certain female figures in a manner which is too licked[3] and dainty. There is also a perspective view of a building,
- ↑ Neither the St. Thomas nor the Children are now to be seen.—Ed. Flor. 1832-8.
- ↑ Or rather, Francesco Ubertini, called II Bachiacca. —Ibid. One of the pictures here named is in Dresden.— Förster. Perhaps a San Sebastian, the principal figure being a corpse transfixed with arrows, but the subject of this work is disputed.
- ↑ Leccato, licked; a very significant, if rather inelegant term, used to describe the hard, uniform, and laboured smoothness sometimes mistaken for finish. The French have found no lietter word, and they too occasionally speak of a painting as leché, but the expression is much too contemptuous to be used otherwise than sparingly.
