Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 3.djvu/81

Rh his Son. This window is immediately over the baptismal font of the Cathedral, and in the same building the Prior Guglielmo painted a window whereon is represented the Resurrection of Lazarus, on the fourth day of his burial. It is difficult to imagine how the master has been able to arrange so many figures, all in the most appropriate attitudes, within so small a space, nor do we fail to perceive the expression of terror and amazement in that crowd of people at this awakening of the dead; their perception of the fetor exhaled from the body of Lazarus is equally manifest, while the tears of emotion and the rejoicing of his sisters are also finely expressed. In this work are many instances of those excoriations and of that colour laid upon colour in the glass, which we have described above, and every part of the whole, even the smallest, does certainly exhibit the utmost animation, each in its separate kind and place.

But whoever shall desire to ascertain of what the skilful hand of the Prior has been capable in this branch of art, let him examine the window of St. Matthew, which is over the chapel dedicated to that Apostle, and let him observe the admirable composition of the story there depicted, for in this he may well believe himself to see Christ truly in life. The Saviour is represented as calling St. Matthew from the bench of the money-changers, and the latter extending his arms, as one who would receive the Redeemer to his inmost heart, abandons the riches and treasures he has amassed, ready to leave all and follow his master. At the foot of a flight of steps is seen one of the Apostles lying asleep, while another is in the act of awaking him, which he does with extreme vivacity of movement: equally excellent is the figure of San Piero, who is in conversation with San Giovanni, both of whom are so entirely beautiful that they truly appear to be divine. In this same window there are besides perspective views of temples, flights of stairs, &c.; the figures also are so admirably grouped, and the landscapes so well represented, that no one would ever suppose them to be merely painted glass, but might rather believe them to have been rained from heaven for the consolation of men. Guglielmo painted the window of Sant’ Antonio and that of San Niccolo in the