Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 3.djvu/279

Rh exhibiting a San Cristoforo bearing the Infant Christ on his shoulders. On the tabernacle of wood belonging to this church, and wherein the vessels of silver are kept, Pordenone painted a figure of San Martino on horseback, with a crowd of poor offering their vows within a building which is seen in perspective.

This work, which was highly and deservedly extolled, increased the riches as well as the fame of the master, and caused Messer Jacopo Soranzo, who had become his intimate and zealous friend, to make efforts for procuring him a commission to paint the decorations of the Hall of the Pregai in competition with Titian, an appointment which he received accordingly. Here Pordenone executed various pictures, with figures which foreshorten as they are viewed from below, and are exceedingly beautiful. He also painted a frieze around the hall, the latter being composed of marine monsters, depicted in oil. All these works were so acceptable to the Senate, and rendered him so great a favourite, that they conferred a very considerable pension on the master, which he received during the remainder of his life.

The desire of Pordenone to contend with Titian causing him always to wJfeh for opportunities of painting in places wherein the latter had laboured, he depicted a San Giovanni Elemosinario in the act of giving alms to the poor, for the church of San Giovanni-in-Pialto; and on one of the altars of the same church he placed a picture representing San Rocco, San Sebastiano, and other saints; a very fine production, but yet not equal to the work of Titian, although many persons but more from malignity of feeling than a desire to uphold the truth—have unduly exalted that of Giovan Antonio.

Many pictures in fresco, representing events from the Old