Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 1.djvu/268

254 church of Santa Croce, which belong to the families of Pulci and Berardi, were among the number, with many other pictures in different parts of the city. Bernardo also executed certain frescoes over the gate which opens on the road leading to Florence. This master ultimately died laden with years, and received honourable interment in Santa Felicita in the year 1380.

But to return to Jacopo di Casentino. In addition to what is here said, we may remark that in his day, that is, in the year 1350, the Company and Brotherhood of painters took its rise. And it happened on this wise: the masters of that period, as well those attached to the old Byzantine manner as those who adopted the new method of Cimabue, meeting together in considerable numbers, and reflecting that the arts of design had regained their existence in Tuscany, nay, rather, in Florence itself, resolved to establish a society, which they called by the name of St. Luke the Evangelist, and placed under the protection of that saint; and this they did partly that they might the more effectually render thanks and praise to God in his temple for that revival of their art, and in part, also, that they might occasionally assemble, the better to provide for the succour, whether spiritual or temporal, of such as should need their aid, a custom still in use among many of the Florentine guilds and fraternities, but which was formerly much more extensively prevalent than it now is.

The first oratory of this society was the principal chapel of the hospital of Santa Maria Novella, which had been made over to them by the Portinari family; and the first governors of the brotherhood, who had the title of captains, were six, besides two counsellors, and two treasurers; all which may be seen in the ancient book of the Company which was then commenced, and the first chapter of which begins thus:—“ These ordinances and regulations were determined on and established by good and discreet men exercising the art of painters in the city of Florence, and at the time of Lapo Gucci, painter, Vanni Cinuzzi, painter, Corsino Buonaiuti, painter, Pasquino Cenni, painter, Segna d’Antignano, painter, Bernardo Daddi, and Jacopo di Casentino, painters, were the counsellors, Consiglio Gherardi and Domenico Pucci, painters, the treasurers.”