Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/277

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The middle wall was to be furnished with four pillars, placed between the arches, and forming the support of the architrave, frieze, and cornice, which passed entirely around, above the arches that is to say, as well as above the columns intervening between them. Between these pillars there was to be left a space of three braccia, or thereabout, and in each of these spaces was to be formed a niche four braccia and a half high, within which it was proposed to erect statues; these niches being intended to serve by way of accompaniment to the large one of the centre, and the two on the sides before alluded to: in each niche were to be erected three statues.

Now, it was the purpose of Baccio and Giuliano not only thus to adorn the interior, but also to execute a much more extensive and very costly series of ornaments for the external front. By this the Hall, which is awry and out of square, was to be rendered perfectly true on the outer side; and entirely around the walls of the Palazzo Vecchio there was to be formed a ressault of six braccia, with a range of columns fourteen braccia high, whereon there were to be erected arches with other columns, forming a Loggia in the lower part (where the ringhiera, or platform, and the colossal figures are, that is to say), while in the upper part there was to be another division by pillars, between which were to be formed arches in the same manner, and these were to pass entirely around the windows of the Palazzo Vecchio, constituting a kind of façade, which should encircle the whole of the palace: there was moreover to be constructed another range of arches and pillars above those described, in the manner of a theatre, and finally, came the balustrade of the palace, which was to form a sort of cornice to the entire edifice.

But knowing well that this was a work of vast expense, Baccio and Giuliano consulted together, and agreed that their whole plan should not be made known at once to the Duke; with whom they spoke only of the decorations for the Chamber of Audience, to be made within the Hall, and of the exterior façade, to be constructed of hewn stone on the side towards the Piazza, the length required being twenty-four braccia, seeing that such was the width of the Hall. Designs and plans for thus much of the work proposed, were prepared by Giuliano accordingly; and Baccio, taking these