was esteemed a truly beautiful one by all wbo beheld it, and acquired a great increase of reputation for Sebastiano, confirming the opinions of those by whom he was favoured;[1] then the Florentine merchant, Pier Francesco Borgherini, having obtained possession of a chapel in San Pietro-inMontorio, on the right of the entrance into that church, commissioned Sebastiano to paint the same; induced thereto by the favour shown to Sebastiano by Michelagnolo, and thinking moreover that the latter would himself execute the drawing of the whole work, which, as the matter happened, was in fact the truth.
Having commenced the paintings, accordingly, Sebastiano set hand to the work with such perfect goodwill, and completed it withSso much care and study, that it is indeed a most beautiful picture; and as, from the small design prepared by Michelagnolo, Sebastiano made several others of larger size for his own convenience, one among them, very beautifully executed by his hand, is now to be found in our book, Sebastiano was convinced that he had discovered the true method of painting in oil on the wall, he therefore covered the plaster of the chapel in San Pietro-in-Montorio with a preparation for the intonaco, which appeared to him to be properly suited for that purpose, and on this he executed the part whereon is the representation of Christ scourged at the Column, entirely in oil.[2] Nor will I conceal, that many believe Michelagnolo to have made, not the small design for this work only, but even the outline of that figure of Christ scourged at the Column, seeing that there is a great difference in the degree of excellence to be perceived in the figure here in question, and that of all the others. But had Sebastiano never executed any work excepting this one he would have
- ↑ Waagen maintains that in the Holy Family by Sebastiano, now in the collection of the Baring family, the spirit of Michael Angelo is equally manifest, and the same, according to this authority, may be affirmed of the Holy Family in Lord Radnor’s Collection, as well as in the large picture of the Visitation in the Louvre, which last bears the inscription, Sebastianus Venetus faciebat, Romae, mdxxxi.
- ↑ The Flagellation has much darkened; experience has indeed proved that oil painting on the wall does not retain its beauty, whatever may be the precautions used to secure it. —Botteri.
but it has unhappily suffered greatly. The work, which was obtained from the Orleans Gallery, has been engraved by Be Launay.
