Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 1.djvu/390

376 placed themselves in his hands without reserve, referring the whole matter entirely to his care, and declaring that they gave him full permission to proceed with the work as he should think best, and to do whatever might most effectually secure that this third door should be the richest, most highly adorned, most beautiful and most perfect, that he could possibly contrive, or that could be imagined. The entire disposition of the work was left to Ghiberti, so far as the execution was concerned; but it was the Consuls, who had charge of the whole, by whom the determination to choose subjects from the Old Testament was made. These were, indeed, selected and described by Leonardo Aretino, as appears from a letter of his to the Deputati themselves. This has been published by Patch in the first illustration of these doors, now very rare; as also by Richa, and in Rumohr, vol. ii, p. 354. It is nevertheless of sufficient importance to warrant its reproduction here. On the outside we have the following:—“Respectable men, Nicholas of Uzzano and Companions, Deputati,” etc. Within, the letter commences in like manner, “Respectable men, etc. I consider that for the ten stories of the new door, which you have determined to choose from the Old Testament, two things must be secured, and above all the first, which is, that they be such as are capable of illustration; the other requisite is, that they be significant. Now, by capable of illustration, I mean, possessing qualities that may satisfy the eye by the variety of design they demand for their due representation; and by significant, I mean, that the events themselves have such importance as to render them worthy of being remembered. Presupposing these two qualities, I have selected, according to my judgment, ten histories, which I send you described fully. But it is needful that he who hath to design them should be well instructed in each history, to the end that he may represent both the persons and their actions, in suitable order and character. He must further have a certain elegance of fancy, that he may be able to adorn them as beseemeth. In addition to the ten histories, I have selected eight Prophets, as you will see. Nor do I make any doubt but that this work, if done as I have intimated to you, will be an admirable thing. But fain would I be beside him who will have to design it, that I might make him perceive the full significance of every point in each story. Recommending myself to you, your .” Nor would they have him spare either time or labour, to the end that as he had previously surpassed all the sculptors that had lived before him, so he might now eclipse and surpass all his own earlier works. Lorenzo commenced the undertaking, calling all his knowledge and ability of every kind to aid. He divided his work