Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/164

152 above-named, made all possible effort to procure the half of this work for Francesco, and this caused a long contention between Daniello and Salviati, but Michelagnolo Buonarroti having taken part with the former, the question was not brought to an issue for some time. In the meanwhile Giorgio Vasari arrived in Home with the Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici, son of the Duke Cosimo, and to him Francesco related his numerous misadventures, more particularly describing the trouble in which he then found himself; Avhen Giorgio, who greatly prized the abilities of this man, pointed out to him that he had up to that time very badly conducted the affair, and advised him to refer the matter to his (Vasari’s) guidance, Giorgio promising to contrive in such sort that Salviati should certainly have the half of the Hall of Kings, and this he did the more readily as Daniello could not have completed so great a work alone, he being a slow, irresolute person, nor yet altogether equal, perhaps, to Francesco, in versatility and force of genius.

Matters standing thus, and nothing further being done for the moment, Giorgio Avas himself invited not many days subsequently, by the Pope, to execute a portion of the works for that Hall, but he replied that he had already undertaken to paint one, three times as large, in the Palace of his Lord the Duke Cosimo, and remarked.besides, that he had been so badly treated by Pope Julius III., as no longer to know Avhat it might be reasonable to hope or advisable to do Avith respect to certain men; adding that he had painted a picture of Christ on the Sea of Tiberias, calling Peter and Andrew from their nets, for the same Pontiff, the price of which had never been paid, and praying that His Holiness would cause the painting (which had been taken by Pope Paul lY. from the Chapel of the Belvedere, Avhere it had been placed by Julius, and was now to be sent to Milan) to be either paid for or restored to him, Giorgio.

To this Pope Pius made answer, that Avhether these things were true or not, he knew nothing of the picture in question, and desired to see it; whereupon it was brought, and being examined by His Holiness in a very bad light, the latter decided that the painting should be returned. That affair being settled, the discourse respecting the Hall Avas then_ resumed, Avhen Giorgio plainly told the Pope that