Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 3.djvu/416

408 which it is applied, causing them to become old before they would otherwise do so; he therefore used his varnish and certain oils carefully purified, in the shadows w^hile painting: this artist was the first Veronese painter who executed landscapes well; some of those to be seen in that city by his hand are very beautiful. Finally, having attained his seventysixth year Griovan Francesco died in the manner of a good Christian, leaving his nephews and Griovanni Caroti his brother in tolerably easy circumstances. The latter, after having acquired the first principles of art under his own guidance, had been for some time in Venice, and had returned to Verona immediately before Griovan Francesco departed to another life; he was thus on the spot and able to take account with the nephews of such property connected with art as had been left to them by his brother. Among these things was found the portrait of an old man wearing armour, and admirably executed whether as regards design or colouring, the best work indeed ever known to have proceeded from the hand of Griovan Francesco. There was also a small picture, the subject of which is the Deposition from the Cross; this was presented to the Signor Spitech, a man in great authority with the king of Poland, who had at that time come to those parts for the purpose of using certain baths which are situate in the territory of Verona. Giovan Francesco was buried in Santa Maria dell’ Organo and in the chapel of San Niccolo, which he had decorated with his paintings.

Giovanni Caroti, the brother of Giovan Francesco, was a follower of the last-named artist’s manner, but did not obtain so high a reputation in painting as his brother: he painted the altar-piece in the above-named cliapel of San Niccolb, representing Our Lady enthroned amid the clouds, and placing his own portrait, taken from the life, beneath, with that of Placida his wife. On the altar of the Schioppi family in the church of San Bartolommeo, he painted certain small figures of