Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/392

384 what he desired, and could at once accomplish whatever he had determined to perform.

From the times of the ancient Greek and Roman Sculptors., no modern master has been found to equal the beautiful and difficult works performed by them in pedestals, capitals, friezes, cornices, festoons, trophies, masks, candelabra, birds, grottesche, and other decorations of similar character, with the exception of Simone Mosca of Settignano, who in our own times has produced works of that kind in such perfection that he, by his genius and art, has made manifest the truth that the studies and cares of the modern masters who had preceded him, had not supplied them with means to imitate the best of the works produced by the ancients, neither had they adopted the best manner in their sculptures, seeing that all their works betray a certain dryness, and that the turn of their foliage in particular has in almost all instances a something laboured, angular, and hard.

Simone Mosca, on the contrary, gives evidence of great power and boldness in this part of his labours, and these are made apparent in the rich and full abundance which he imparted to all, intertwining his foliage in a manner wholly new, carving the leaves with a pleasing variety of form, and with finely executed indentations; he added to all likewise the most delicately beautiful blossoms, seeds, and tendrils that can be conceived, to say nothing of the birds which he so gracefully carved in the richest variety among the festoons and foliage of his ornaments.

We may indeed safely affirm that Simone (be it said without offence to any other artist) has alone attained to the power of depriving the marble of that hardness which is too often perceived in the works of the sculptors, and by his mode of handling the chisel has brought his productions to such a point of perfection that they do verily seem to be living and breathing forms: nor is less commendation due to the cornices and other works of similar kind, performed by this artist, since