Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/149

Rh his possession, more especially a portrait of Francesco himself, painted in oil with his own hand, and which is exceedingly natural.

The before-mentioned picture of Our Lady being completed, Avas placed in the- shop of the wood-carver Tasso, who was then Architect of the Palace. It was there seen by a large number of persons, who all extolled it highly, but that which most of all contributed to obtain for it the name of an extraordinary work was, that Tasso himself, who was in the habit of censuring almost every thing that was done, praised this production without measure; nay, what was still more to the purpose, he told Messer Pier-Francesco Riccio, the Majordomo, that it would be certainly advantageous for the Duke, if his Excellency were induced to give some work of importance to Salviati; whereupon this Messer Pier-Francesco, with Cristofano Pinieri, who had the ear of the Duke, performed their parts so zealously, that when Messer Alamanno spoke to his Excellency, informing him that Francesco desired permission to paint the smaller Hall of Audience, that namely which stands before the Ducal Palace,* requiring no other payment for his labours than the credit of having performed them, Duke Cosimo was content that this privilege should be conceded to him.

Francesco then commenced his work by the preparation of small designs wherein he represented the Triumph of Furius Camillus with many other stories from the life of the same, that done, he began to divide the chamber to be adorned into suitable compartments, but arranging them with no small difficulty, seeing that some of the spaces left by the windows and doors were high and others low, insomuch that it was no easy matter to contrive in such sort that the stories should be secured from suffering by that irregularity. In the wall wherein is the door of entrance, there were two large spaces divided by the door; and opposite to this, where there are three windows which look on to the Piazza, there are four compartments, but no one of them is more than about three braccia in extent. At that end of the Hall, moreover, which is to the right of him who enters by the door, are two win-