Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/128

120 of embellishing certain portions of the castle, to the end that his Holiness might thus be the more worthily received therein. Tiberio therefore caused loggie, halls, ante-rooms, and apartments of various kinds to be rebuilt or restored as the case might require. To this intent he had commissioned Raffaello da Montelupo to prepare several chambers, which were decorated accordingly after his designs and under his direction: Antonio da San Gallo had then constructed a loggia or gallery, which the same Raphael da Montelupo afterwards adorned with stucco-work, and the last-named artist likewise executed the Angel in marble, a figure six braccia high, which was placed on the summit of the principal and highest tower of the fortress. This loggia, which is that looking towards the meadows, Tiberio also caused to be painted by Girolamo Sermoneta, and that being finished, the remainder of the apartments were given, at first to Luzio Romano and finally to Perino, who was commissioned to adorn the halls and principal chambers, which he did, partly with his own hand, and partly by means of others, whom he employed to execute the cartoons which he had prepared.

The principal hall of this series of buildings is an exceedingly beautiful one, being adorned with stucco-work intermingled with historical paintings, the subjects of which are taken from Roman history. These were painted for the most part by the disciples of Perino, but some were executed by Marco da Siena, the disciple of Domenico Beccafumi. In several of these apartments there are besides friezes, which are singularly beautiful.

Perino was always well content to avail himself of the services of clever young artists whenever he could find any such, but he never refused to accept the meanest and most mechanical works, wherewith to occupy these young men, and would frequently paint such things as the pennons for the trumpeters, the standards for the castle, or the banners used by the religious brotherhoods. He would also prepare canopies, copes, screens, and curtains for doors, or any