Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 3.djvu/95

Rh of San Miniato, outside tlie gates of Florence, as he likewise did the whole of the convent belonging to the Servite monks, which has been highly commended. Now about this time the great hall of the Council in the palace of the Signoria at Florence was on the point of being constructed, by the advice of Fra Girolamo Savonarola, who was then a very celebrated preacher; opinions on the subject were therefore demanded from Leonardo da Vinci, Michelagnolo Buonarroti, who was at that time still a young man, Giuliano da San Gallo, Baccio D’Agnolo, and Simone del Pollaiuolo, called II Cronaca, who was a devoted friend and follower of Savonarola. After much discussion, therefore, and many disputes, these masters at length became of one accord, and decided that the hall should be constructed after the manner which it retained down to our own time, when it was almost entirely rebuilt, as I have already mentioned and as will be related more at large in another place. Of all this work the entire execution was confided to Cronaca, not only because he was considered an able artist, but also as being the friend of the above-named Fra Girolamo, and he conducted it to completion with great promptitude and assiduity, giving evidence of his remarkable ability, more particularly in the construction of the roof. The building is one of great extent in every direction, and the wood work supporting the rafters extending to a length of thirty-eight braccia from wall to wall, was formed of several beams well bound and dovetailed together, seeing that it was not possible to find any single beam of sufficient size for the purpose. Cronaca therefore constructed his tie-beams, of several pieces carefully scarfed and joined together; and whereas there is usually but a single king-post to each pair of principals, those of this hall have three, one king and two queen-posts namely, the braces and spurs also were of proportionate dimensions, and the spurs of the queen-posts crossing those of the king-post, abutted against the centre of the latter.

I have desired to describe the method in which these