Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/18

10 he set instantly to work. The court was soon rendered by his labours a very beautiful and commodious one, for whereas the passage had previously been by narrow and tortuous ways, San Gallo extended the latter and gave all a better form. But this part of the palace is not now as Antonio left it, Pope Julius III. having taken from it the granite columns wherewith it was adorned, to decorate his villa with the same; the place is therefore entirely changed.

The principal façade of the Old Mint of Rome, which is situate in Banchi, was very beautifully restored by Antonio, who turned the angle of that building in a circular form, which is considered a very difficult thing to accomplish, and is much admired; on this building the architect placed the arms of the Pontiff. The death of Pope Leo had prevented the completion of the papal Loggie, and the carelessness of Pope Adrian had caused them to remain in their unfinished state; in his pontificate they were indeed not even touched, but Antonio was now commanded to proceed with them, and at the desire of Pope Clement, they were at length brought to a conclusion.

His Holiness then determined to fortify Parma and Piacenza, when, after many plans and models had been made by divers artists, Antonio was sent to those places, and with him Giuliano Leno, the inspector of the fortifications; San Gallo had his disciple Labacco to assist him in this work, and Pier Francesco da Viterbo, a very skilful engineer, was also there, as was the Veronese architect Michele da San Michele; when all together they brought the designs for those fortifications to perfection. Antonio then left the others remaining there and returned to Rome. Here he received a commission from the Pope to build certain apartments in the Papal palace, where there was but little convenience in respect to the chambers; he commenced those over the Ferraria accordingly, where the public concistory is now held, and these he arranged in such a manner that the Pope was highly satisfied with his work, and caused him to erect rooms for the chamberlains of his Holiness above those before-mentioned.