Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/60

52 cupping-glasses to the shoulders of a woman, and the flight of Our Lady into Egypt, with Joseph leading the Ass by the bridle, and angels bending down the branches of a date-tree, thereby enabling the Divine Child to gather the fruits thereof.

The same engraver executed other works after the designs of Giulio Romano, the Wolf namely suckling Romulus and Remus on the shores of the Tiber, with four stories of Pluto, Jupiter, and Neptune, who are dividing the heavens, the earth, and the sea among them by lot. Giovan Battista likewise engraved the picture of the Goat Alfea, which is held by Melissa, and gives nourishment to the Infant Jupiter, as he did also a very large plate representing men in prison, and who are subjected to various kinds of torments. The plate which represents Scipio and Hannibal addressing their armies on the shore of the river, was in like manner engraved after a design by Giulio, as was also the birth of San Giovanni Battista, which was engraved by Sebastiano del Reggio, with many others engraved and published in Italy. In Flanders also and in France many plates have been engraved from the designs of Giulio, but of these, however beautiful they may be, it does not need that we should now make mention, nor would it be easy to enumerate all his designs, seeing that he produced them, so to speak, in loads; let it suffice to say that he had such extraordinary facility in all works of art, but more particularly in design, that there is no memorial of any artist who has performed more numerous works than himself.

Giulio Romano was a man of very extensive cultivation, he spoke well on all subjects, but more particularly was he acquainted with all that related to medals, for which, and in the acquirement of knowledge respecting them, he expended large sums of money as well as much time. He was almost always occupied with some great and important work; but would nevertheless not refuse to set his hand to the most trifling matter, when the object was to do service to his lord or give pleasure to his friends; and the speaker had scarcely opened his mouth to express the wish formed or the thought conceived, before Giulio had comprehended his purpose, nay,