Pisa by Duke Cosimo, who is seen amidst the buildings of that city; the works for the restoration of which are hastened forward by his presence. The Duke is represented as surrounded by the virtues attributable to him: a figure of Minerva may be more particularly specified, as representing his wisdom, and also as expressing the Arts, restored by his means to the city of Pisa. The figure of the city, on the contrary, is surrounded by numerous evils and certain natural defects of the site, which assail and afllict her in the manner of enemies: but all these have since been overcome or banished by the above-named virtues of the Duke. The figures around the Duke, as well as those surrounding Pisa, were drawn in the most beautiful attitudes by Vinci in his story, but the latter remained unfinished, to the great regret of all who beheld the perfection of such parts as were completed.[1]
The reputation of Vinci being much increased by these labours, and becoming bruited abroad, the heirs of Messer Baldassare Turini, of Pescia, requested him to prepare for them the model of a sepulchre in marble, which they proposed to construct to the memory of Messer Baldassare; and this being done, the work pleased them greatly: whereupon it was agreed that the said tomb should be executed, and Piero therefore sent to Carrara for the marbles required, and which he charged Francesco del Tadda, a most able master in stone-work,[2] to have excavated for him. The latter sent him the marble accordingly, when H Vinci commenced a statue, and drew from the block a figure, sketched in such a manner that whoever had not known to the contrary, must have believed it to have been done by Michelagnolo.
The name of Vinci had now become great, and his genius was known and admired by all, being considered to evince a much more perfect maturity than could have been hoped for at so early an age; and much higher he would have risen without doubt, much greater would he have become,
- ↑ Bottari declares the fate of this work unknown, and is followed by later writers; but recent information assures us that it is now in the Gallery of the Vatican. The Ape Italiana, which gives an engraving of this relief, attributes it to Michael Angelo, and calls the restored city “Florence,” but that the Ape is in error, might be readily shown, were this the place to enter on the discussion of the subject.
- ↑ See ante, p. 182, note ||.
