Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/352

344 gentleman, by whom his native city of Florence was afterwards laid under great obligation, and this Jacopo invented six triumphal chariots, being double the number of those exhibited by the company of the Diamond.

The first of these cars was drawn by a pair of oxen, decorated with garlands, and was intended to represent the age of Saturn and Janus, called the Golden Age: it wa3 occupied by two figures, one of Saturn, holding his Scythe; the other of Janus, with his two heads, and bearing the key of the Temple of Peace in his hand; beneath his feet lies Anger, fettered and bound; while around the figure of Saturn were innumerable circumstances appropriate and pertaining to that god, all beautifully executed in divers colours by the hand of Pontormo. This chariot was accompanied by six couples of Shepherds, all nude except where partially covered with skins of the marten and sable; they wore sandals of various patterns after the antique manner, and had their shepherd’s scrips in their hands, with garlands of many kinds of leaves on their heads. The horses on which these shepherds were mounted had no saddles, but were covered with the skins of lions, tigers, and lynxes, the claws of wThich, gilt with gold, hung down at the sides with a very graceful effect. The stirrup-leathers and other parts of the housings were ornamented with gold cord, and the stirrups were formed of the heads of sheep, dogs, and other animals of similar character; the reins and bridles were of silver ribbon, twined with leaves of different kinds. Each shepherd was attended by four servants in the garb of herdsmen, they being simply dressed in the skins of animals; they bore torches in the form of dry boughs and branches of the pine, which made a most goodly show.

The second chariot was drawn by two pairs of oxen covered with very rich draperies of cloth, and bearing garlands on their heads, with large beads depending from their gilded horns: it was occupied by Numa Pompilius, second king of the Romans, who was surrounded by the books of religion, and by all things appertaining to the sacerdotal order, and to the offering of sacrifices, he being the founder and institutor of religious rites and sacrifices among the Romans. This chariot was accompanied by six Priests, riding on beautiful mules, their heads were covered with hoods of fine linen, em-