beauty, the labours of Sebastiano, nevertheless, found honourable acknowledgment and were commended by all. One of these pictures[1] was sent by the Cardinal de’ Medici to his episcopal residence at Narbonne in France,[2] the other was placed in the Chancery, where it remained until it had received the frame prepared for it by Giovanni Barile.[3] when it was taken to San Pietro in Montorio. Having performed good service by this work in the estimation of the Cardinal, Sebastiano was much favoured and very liberally rewarded during the pontificate of the same.[4]
No long time afterwards, and when, Raphael having died, the first place in painting was universally accorded to Sebastiano, in consequence of the favour which the latter received from Michelagnolo, Giulio Romano, Giovan Francesco of Florence, Perino del Yaga, Polidoro Maturino, Baldassare oi Siena, and the rest were compelled to give way;[5] wherefore Agostino Chigi, who had caused his chapel and tomb in Santa Maria del Popolo to be constructed under the direction of Raphael, agreed with Sebastiano that the latter should execute the whole of the painting, and he having erected his enclosure accordingly, the chapel remained thus concealed without ever being seen by any one, until the year 1554, at which time Luigi the son of Agostino, resolved that although his father had not been permitted to see that work finished, yet he would, himself behold the completion thereof. He, therefore, commissioned Francesco Salviati to paint the Altar-piece and the chapel, when the last-mentioned artist brought the work in a short time to that perfection which would never have been given to it by the tardiness and irresolution of Sebastiano, who, so far as can be ascertained, had done but little thereto, although he had received from the liberality of Agostino and his heirs a much larger sum than would have been due to him even had he completed the whole. But this was what Sebastiano did not do, whether because he had become weary of the labours of art, or
- ↑ That of Sebastiano namely.
- ↑ The manner in which this picture finally became incorporated with our own c‘ National Galley” is too well known to need repetition here.
- ↑ A celebrated Sienese carver in wood, mentioned in the Life of Raphael.
- ↑ The Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici was afterwards Pope Clement VII.
- ↑ Lanzi remarks that he knows not what to think of a fact that, if true,
