Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 1.djvu/351

Rh the exercise of his art; the other Phidias working with his chisel, to represent. The superintendants beforementioned, therefore, who, in addition to the merits of Luca, had a further motive in the persuasions of Messer Vieri dei Medici, a great and popular citizen of that day, by whom Luca was much beloved, commissioned him in the year 1405 to prepare the which the wardens were then causing to be constructed on a very grand scale, to be placed over the door of the sacristy in the above-named cathedral. In the prosecution of this work, Luca executed certain stories for the basement, which represent the choristers, who are singing, in different attitudes: to the execution of these he gave such earnest attention and succeeded so well, that although the figures are sixteen braccia from the ground, the spectator can nevertheless distinguish the inflation of throat in the singers, and the action of the leader, as he beats the measure with his hands, with all the varied modes of playing on different instruments, the choral songs, the dances, and other pleasures connected with music, which are there delineated by the artist. On the grand cornice of this work, Luca erected two figures of gilded metal: these represent two angels entirely nude, and finished with great skill, as indeed is the whole performance, which was held to be one of rare beauty, although Donatello, who afterwards constructed the ornaments of the organ placed opposite to this, displayed much greater judgment and more facility than had been exhibited by Luca in his work, as will be mentioned in its proper place; for Donato completed his work almost entirely from the rough sketches, without delicacy of finish, so that it has a much better effect in the distance than that of Luca, which, although well designed and carefully done, becomes lost to the observer in the distance, from the fineness