Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/379

Rh to pursue Buonarrotis method by every means in his power; then it was that Jacopo perceived the injury he had done himself by suffering the works of the Poggio-a -Cajano to slip through his hands, although he still attributed the blame in great part to a long and troublesome illness which he had suffered, and finally to the death of Pope Clement, which had put an end to the whole undertaking.

After completing the works above described, Jacopo executed a picture wherein there was the portrait of Amerigo Antinori, a youth who was then much beloved in Florence; and this likeness being much extolled by every one, the Duke Alessandro caused it to be intimated to Jacopo that he desired to be portrayed by his hand in a large picture. For the greater convenience therefore, Jacopo depicted him, for that time, on a panel not larger than a sheet of paper of the ordinary size, but this he did with so much care and study, that the work of the miniature painters do not merit to be even put in comparison with it. To say nothing of the resemblance, which is excellent, there is in this head all that could be desired for the most perfect of pictures, and from this small painting, which is now in the cabinet of Duke Cosimo, Jacopo afterwards depicted the Duke Alessandro in a large work, representing him with a pencil in his hand, and in the act of designing a female head; this larger picture was subsequently presented by Duke Alessandro to the Signora Taddea Malespina, sister to the Marchesa di Massa.

The Duke, who desired to reward very liberally the ability which Puntormo had displayed in this picture, sent a message to him by his attendant, Niccolò da Montaguto, to the effect that he might ask whatever he pleased and should have his wish granted. But such was, I know not whether to say the timidity or the too great respect and modesty of this man, that he asked nothing better than just as much money as would enable him to redeem a cloak which he had hastily pledged. Hearing this, the Duke could not but laugh at the singular character of the artist, and commanded that he should receive fifty gold crowns, offering him at the same time a pension, but Niccolò had much trouble to make him accept it.

Puntormo had meanwhile completed that Venus, the cartooon for which had been preoared by Michelagnolo for