Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/390

382 in it, however much he may have strained and done violence to his genius. But as our artist died a short time before the work had reached its completion, some assert that his death was caused by grief, seeing that he did himself become eventually very much dissatisfied with his performance on that occasion; but the truth is, that being old and having previously exhausted himself with heavy labour in the taking of portraits, making models of clay, and working in fresco, he fell into hydropsy, and this disease it was by which his life was ultimately destroyed, an event that happened when he had attained his sixty-fifth year.

After the death of Jacopo da Puntormo, numerous designs, cartoons, and models, were found in his house, with a picture by his hand of Our Lady, completed according to appearance many years before, and which was admirably well done, as well as in a very good manner: this work was sold by the heirs of Jacopo to Piero Salviati. Puntormo was buried in the first cloister of the church which belongs to the Servite monks, and beneath that picture of the Yisitation which he had himself painted there many years previously. He was honourably attended to his grave by all the painters, sculptors, and architects then in Florence.

Jacopo da Puntormo was a man of frugal habits and regular life: in his clothing and mode of existence he was rather sparing and poor than liberal or nice, and almost