Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 3.djvu/91

Rh Monte Cavallo: but this succeeded so ill, from the fact that it had not been judiciously suited to the edifice, that the effect could not well be worse, and the building reminds the spectator of a small head half buried beneath a huge cap. It is not sufficient that an artist, when he has completed his work, shall remark, as many do, in excuse for its defects, “it has the exact proportions of the antique and has been copied from good masters,” seeing that a sound judgment and correct eye avail more in all cases than does the mere admeasurement with the compass. But the cornice executed by Cronaca was adapted, as we have said, with infinite art to that palace; he carried it entirely around the one half of the building, adding the denticulated and oviform ornaments, which are exceedingly beautiful, and completing the whole on two of the sides; he gave so well-considered a counterpoise moreover, to the stones of which it was constructed, balancing and securing all with so much ability, that it is not possible to see masonry more judiciously executed, or to find any building carried to perfection with more care. In like manner all the other stones of this palace have been so carefully finished, and are conjoined with such admirable skill, that they have not so much the appearance of having been added one to another as that of being all in one piece. And furthermore, that every thing might be in harmony, the architect caused exceedingly beautiful ornaments of ironwork to be constructed for all parts of the palace, all which, together with the frames or lanterns for holding torches, which are placed at the angles of the edifice, were executed with the utmost ability and diligence by Niccold Grosso Caparra, a smith of Florence.

With ’respect to these admirable lanterns, in each one of them are to be seen cornices, columns, capitals, &c., all constructed in iron with the most surprising and masterly skill, nor has any modern artificer executed works in iron so large and so difficult, with knowledge and ability equal to those herein displayed by Caparra.

Now this Niccolo Grosso was a somewhat fanciful person-