Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/125

Rh wards, a letter from the Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici, in which that Signore encouraged him to return and distinguish himself in his own country, by some important work.

Having received these letters, and remembering that Messer Francesco Riccio, after having lived for many years in a state of idiocy, had at length died, while Bandinelli also had departed this life; the Frate, to whom these two persons had not been very kindly disposed, wrote replies to the effect that he would not fail to return for the service of his most Illustrious Excellency, so soon as he possibly could, but adding that he desired to be useful in matters that were not of a worldly character, and would be glad to employ himself in some sacred work, seeing that his whole heart was turned to the service of God and of his saints.

In the year 1561, therefore. Fra Giovann’ Agnolo at length returned to Florence, when, as the Duke and Cardinal were at Pisa, he repaired with Maestro Zaccheria to that city, there to present his duty to their most illustrious lordships. He was received by each of those Signori with the most affable kindness; and the Duke, having added that, on his own return to Florence the Frate should be at once employed on some work of importance, Giovann’ Agnolo went back to the last-named city.

Shortly afterwards, and by the intervention of Maestro Zaccheria, Giovann’ Agnolo obtained permission from his brethren of the Nunziata to erect in the chapter-house of that convent, where he had many years before produced the figures of Moses and of San Paolo in stucco, as we have related above, a very beautiful sepulchre, occupying the centre of the place, and destined for the tomb of himself and such other professors, persons belonging to the arts of design, painters, sculptors, and architects, as might be unprovided with a burial-place of their own; proposing to make an arrangement, as he subsequently did, for the settlement of his property on the monks, under the condition that on certain festival days, as well as on ordinary occasions, they should there perform mass for the good of the souls of