Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 2.djvu/92

84 smaller pictures; in these he surpassed himself, imparting to them a grace and beauty, than which nothing finer could be imagined: examples of this may be seen in the predellas of all the pictures painted by him. He was indeed an artist of such power, that in his own time he was surpassed by none, and even in our days there are very few superior to him: therefore it is that he has not only been always eulogized by Michael Angelo, but in many things has been imitated by that master. For the church of San Domenico-vecchio, in Perugia, Fra Filippo painted a picture, which has since been placed on the high altar; it represents the Virgin, with San Piero, San Paolo, San Ludovico, and Sant’ Antonio the abbot. The Cavaliere, Messer Alessandro degli Alessandri, also a friend of Fra Filippo, caused him to paint a picture for the church of his country palace at Vincigliata, on the heights of Fiesole, the subject a San Lorenzo and other saints. In this work he depicted the portraits of Alessandro degli Alessandri and his two sons. Fra Filippo was very partial to men of cheerful character, and lived for his own part in a very joyous fashion.

This master instructed Fra Diamante in the art of painting, and the latter executed many works in the church of the Carmine at Prato. He attained to great perfection in the imitation of his master’s manner, and thereby obtained much credit for himself. Among those who studied with Fra Filippo, were Sandro Botticello, Pisello, and Jacopo del Sellajo, a Florentine, who painted two pictures for the church of San Friano, and one in distemper for that of the Carmine, with