Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 2.djvu/154

146 extolled by all artists. Finally, desiring one day to move certain stones, and not having the needful assistance at hand, Mino fatigued himself too violently, insomuch that an inflammatory disease ensued which caused his death. This took place in the year 1486, when the artist was honourably interred by his relations and friends in the Canonicate of Fiesole.

The portrait of Mino is among those in our book of drawings, but I do not know by whose hand; it was given to me, with certain designs in black-lead, by himself, and which are tolerably good.

the arts of design have ever been more zealously practised in Tuscany than in any other part of Italy, or perhaps of all Europe, yet we are not to conclude from this that men of a rare and excellent genius in the same calling may not have existed in other regions. Nay, that such have been found at all times, has been shown in many of the lives heretofore treated, and will be shown in many more to be treated hereafter. It is true that where men have not the custom of studying, and are but little disposed to acquirement, so rapid a progress is not made, nor so high a degree of excellence attained as in places where artists are perpetually studying and labouring in emulation of each other. But no sooner do two or three commence than it