and was then taken as shop-ooy by the painter Andrea de’ Ceri, who was pleased with the appearance and manners of the child, and who thought he perceived in him a certain something indicative of a lively genius, whence it might be hoped that with time some good result would proceed from the cultivation of his abilities.
Andrea was not a distinguished artist; on the contrary, he was an ordinary painter, one of those who stand openly in their shops, working at every kind of mechanical operation for the public; he was moreover accustomed to paint a certain number of wax lights every year (on the festival of San Giovanni namely), which were then, and indeed still are,[1] sent with the other tributes of the city; for this reason the painter was called Andrea de’ Ceri,[2] and from that name Perino was for some time called Perino de’ Ceri.
When Andrea had kept the child some years, teaching him the first principles of the art in the best manner that he was able, he was compelled to seek for him a better master than he could himself pretend to be. This happened when the boy had attained his eleventh year, and Andrea being on terms of strict intimacy with Pidolfo, the son of Domenico Ghirlandajo, who, as we shall relate hereafter, was held to be a very good and able painter,—Andrea I say, placed Perino with Pidolfo Ghirlandajo, to the end that by him the child might be properly instructed, and might labour under his direction, with all the zeal and love that he could command, to acquire the needful attainments in the art, towards which his genius appeared so strongly to dispose him. Pursuing his studies accordingly, among the many other young people whom Pidolfo had in his bottega to learn their calling, Perino displayed a degree of care and attention which caused him very soon to surpass all the rest. Among others was one called Toto del Nunziata, in whom Perino found a spur by which he was perpetually impelled to exertion, and who also attained in time to a place among the most distinguished artists. But Toto left Florence at a subsequent period, with certain Florentine merchants and repaired to England, where all his works were performed, seeing that he entered the service of the king of that country, for whom he executed
