Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 1.djvu/231

Rh superior to Francesco Traini. This master painted a picture on a gold ground, for a nobleman of the house of Cosci-a, who lies entombed in Pisa, in the chapel of San Domenico, in the church of Santa Catarina. The subject of this work is San Domenico himself, two braccia and a half in height, and is surrounded by six historical scenes, representing so many events of his life; the whole work is full of animation, and the colouring is beautiful. In the same church, and in the chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, Francesco Traini painted a picture in distemper, the fanciful invention and peculiar composition of which has been much admired. St. Thomas is here represented sitting, the portrait being taken from life; I say from the life, because the monks of the convent caused a figure of the saint to be brought from the abbey of Fossanuova, where St. Thomas had died in the year 1323. The saint, then, is seated among the clouds, with certain books in his hand, from which proceed rays of light, whereby the congregated people of Christ are illuminated. These are represented in the lower part of the picture by kneeling figures of doctors and clergy of all ranks, in vast numbers, bishops, cardinals, and popes. Among the latter is the portrait of pope Urban VI. Under the feet of St. Thomas are Sabellius, Arius, Averroes, and other heretics and philosophers, with their books all torn to pieces. On one side of the Saint stands Plato, pointing to the Timaeus; and on the other is Aristotle, who calls the attention of St. Thomas to his Ethics. Above all is Jesus Christ, also in the air, surrounded by the four Evangelists. The Saviour is in the act of blessing St. Thomas, and appears to be sending down upon him the Holy Spirit, filling him with his grace. When this work was finished, it obtained high reputation and repeated eulogies for the painter Francesco Traini, he having therein greatly surpassed his master, Andrea, in colouring, har-