Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 3.djvu/354

346 city, was the painter Andrea di Cosimo de’ Feltrini, a young artist of great diligence, who received Morto into his house, entertaining him with the most cordial affection. The branch of art pursued by Morto pleased him greatly, and resolving that he also would turn his own attention to it likewise, he became a very able artist therein. In the course of time, indeed, Andrea was considered by the Florentines to be even more distinguished by his merit in that particular, than Morto himself, and was highly esteemed in his native city, as will be related hereafter.

By the intervention of Andrea di Cosimo, a commission was giv^ to Morto by Pier Soderini, who was then Gonfaloniere, for painting an apartment in the palace, with decorations of arabesques, which were held to be exceedingly beautiful, but they have now been destroyed for the purpose of re-arranging the rooms of the Duke Cosimo, and the spaces occupied by them have been repainted. For Maestro Valerio, a monk of the Servites, Morto executed certain decorations which were considered very beautiful; and for Agnolo Doni he painted a chamber in like manner with arabesques of the most varied and fanciful character. But as this artist still took pleasure in figures also, he executed pictures of the Madonna in the form of medallions, wishing to try if he could herein obtain a reputation equal to that which he possessed in his own vocation.

Becoming weary of his abode in Florence, Morto removed to Venice, where Giorgione da Castel Franco was at that time painting the Fondaco or cloth magazines of the Germans, when Morto set himself to assist in that work, of which he executed the ornaments. Thus he remained in that city several months, being enchained by the enjoyments and pleasures of sense which are always to be found therein.

He next repaired to Friuli, intending to exercise his profession there; but he had not been long in that place when the Venetian nobles beginning to engage soldiers, he also accepted