Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 1.djvu/247

Rh works in the churches of that district, and left many specimens of his manner, in various parts of the whole territory,, which is full of rich and important monasteries. In Florence, moreover, at a later period, this master painted the arch above the door of San Romeo, and executed a picture in distemper for the church of Orto San Michele; the subject of this work is the disputation of Christ with the doctors in the temple. About the time when this last picture was completed, many houses were demolished for the purpose of enlarging the piazza de’ Signori, and as the church of San Romolo was also taken down, this building was reconstructed from the designs of Agnolo. Paintings by this artist are to be seen in many churches of Florence, as well as in the surrounding districts, from all of which he derived large gains, although he painted more because he desired to do as his forefathers had done, than from any love of the art, he having given up his mind to commerce, from which he gained still larger profits. And this became obvious to all, when two sons of Agnolo, resolved no longer to live the life of artists, devoted themselves wholly to merchandise, establishing a house of business for that purpose at Venice, in company with their father, who, from that time forward, exercised his art occasionally for his pleasure only, or to pass the time. In this manner, then, what with his traffic and what with his paintings, Agnolo amassed very great riches, but died in the sixty-third year of his life, being attacked by a malignant fever, which put an end to his career in a very few days.

The disciples of Agnolo Gaddi were Maestro, and Stefano da Verona, who was a most admirable painter in fresco, as may be seen in various parts of his native city, as also in Mantua, where many of his works are still to be found. Among other peculiarities this master had that of giving an exquisite expression to the countenances of his children, women, and old men, as the observer may remark in any one of his works: his heads were all imitated and