Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 2.djvu/434

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important advantages, witliout doubt, resulted to architecture from the new methods of proceeding adopted by Filippo Brunelleschi, he having imitated, and, after the lapse of many ages, restored to light, the most important works of the learned and excellent masters of antiquity. But no less useful to our age was Bramante, for, preserving the traces of Filippo and following in his footsteps, being also full of determination, power, genius, and knowledge, not theoretic only but extensively and thoroughly practical, he rendered the road to the acquirement of true science in architecture most secure and easy to all who followed after him. A more exalted genius could not well have been imparted by nature to any artist, than that conferred on Bramante, nor could any master display a more profound acquaintance with the principles of his art, more rigid adherence to the proportions of his works, or a richer variety of invention in their decoration, than may be found in those executed by this architect. But not even all these qualities were more than was demanded at that time, seeing that Julius II., a prince full of the boldest designs and earnestly desirous of leaving due memorials of himself to succeeding ages, was then Pope. And very fortunate was it, both for him and for us, that Bramante did meet with such a prince (for very rarely does such good fortune happen to men of great genius), one at whose cost he was furnished with opportunities which rendered it possible for