Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 3.djvu/94

86 who adorned it with a magnificent court in the Corinthian and Doric orders, and with the rich ornaments of columns, capitals, cornices, &c., as well as the doors and windows, which are all finished to the utmost perfection. And if it should appear to any one that the inside of this palace does not correspond with the exterior, be it known to him that the fault of this is not to be attributed to Cronaca, since he was compelled to accommodate his work to the external shell, which had been commenced by others, and was forced to permit himself to be guided in a great measure by what had previously been arranged by those who had preceded him, nor is it a small matter that he has been able to give it so great a degree of beauty as we now see it to possess. The .same answer may be rendered to all who shall remark, that the ascent of the stairs is not sufiiciently gentle and does not rise by just degrees, but is much too steep and sudden; and a similar reply must in like manner be given to him who may observe, that the chambers and other apartments do not accord as we have said, with the splendour and magnificence of the exterior: this palace can nevertheless by no means be considered as other than a truly handsome fabric, since it is equal to any private building erected in Italy during our times: wherefore Cronaca has obtained and will ever merit infinite commendation for that work.

The same master constructed the Sacristy of Santo Spirito in the city of Florence; this is in the form of an octangular temple, the proportions are very fine, and it is very elegantly designed: among other particulars to be remembered in this edifice are certain capitals executed by the fortunate and skilful hand of Andrea dal Monte San Sovino, and which are finished with extraordinary delicacy and perfection. The ante-room of that Sacristy is also admired and considered a very fine work, although the distribution of the parts above the columns cannot as I propose to remark hereafter, be called a very judicious one. Our architect also built the church of San Francesco dell Osservanza which is situate on the declivity