Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 3.djvu/367

Rh of figures, was placed in St. Piero. Nor could any one suppose that these paintings were the works of a mere youth and beginner, but would rather believe them to be that of a man in age and a master in art.

At the termination of the war, Francesco returned with his cousin to Parma, where he first completed certain pictures which he had left unfinished at his departure, and which are now in the possession of different citizens; he then painted a picture in oil, representing the Madonna with the Infant Christ in her arms, and having on one side San Jeronimo, with the Beato Bernardino da Feltro on the other. In the head of one of these Saints, Francesco depicted the portrait of the donor of the picture: this is a work of such extraordinary merit, that nothing but the living soul could make it better, and all these paintings were finished before our artist had attained the age of nineteen.

Francesco afterwards conceived a desire to visit Rome, impelled thereto by his wish to make progress and by all that he had heard respecting the works of the good masters there, more particularly those of Raffaello and Michelagnolo. He therefore made known this desire of his heart to his uncles, who, considering the request which he presented to them to be nothing less than praiseworthy, declared themselves content to grant their permission, but observed that he would do well to take with him some performance as a specimen of what he could do, and by way of obtaining for himself an introduction to the nobles of the city and the artists of his own vocation. This advice was not displeasing to Francesco, who painted three pictures accordingly, two small and one tolerably large, in the last of which he depicted Our Lady with the Divine Child in her arms: the latter is taking fruit from the lap of an Angel; there is also the figure of an old man with his arms covered with hair, which is painted with infinite judgment and knowledge of art, the colouring of this figure also is exceedingly pleasing.

But furthermore to investigate the subtleties of art, Francesco one day set himself to take his own portrait, looking at himself for that purpose in a convex mirror, such