Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/209

Rh tuinty, nor any other of the means employed by him, availed to procure him one of the larger stories. And in this respect it has been said that Emulio acted with foresight, since it was at that time his hope that all the other artists were to be surpassed by Giuseppe Salviati, and he was disposed to give him the whole work, nay, even to destroy all that had been done by others, if there should appear to him to be good cause for so doing. But when each of the artists had brought his work towards completion, the Pope desired to see them, and all being given to view he perceived, that Taddeo had acquitted himself better than the rest, when all the Cardinals and the best artists being of the same opinion. His Holiness commanded the Signor Agabrio to cause one of the large pictures to be given by Emulio to that master, for which cause he was entrusted with that end of the Hall in which is the door of the Pauline Chapel. Our artist commenced his work accordingly, but did not finish what he had begun, becausej the death of the Pope supervening, that Hall had to be cleared for the Conclave, as we have said, although many of the stories were still unfinished. With respect to that commenced by Taddeo, the design of it, executed by his own hand, and sent to us by himself, is now in our book of drawings.

About the same time, and among other small works, Taddeo painted a very beautiful figure of our Saviour Christ, in a picture which was to be sent to Caprarola, for the Cardinal Farnese, but which is now in the possession of Federigo, who declares that he means to retain it while he lives. This picture receives its light from weeping Angels, holding torches. But since we are to speak of the works executed by Taddeo at Caprarola when discoursing of Vignola, by whom the fabric was erected, we will not now say more on that subject.

Federigo had meanwhile been invited to Venice, where he agreed with the Patriarch Grimani to finish the chapel of San Francesco della Vigna, which had remained imperfect, as we have said, at the death of the Venetian Battista Franco. But before commencing his work at the chapel, he