Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/358

346 “level there,”—“chisel this,” — “polish that,” until the stone-cutter had made a figure before he was aware of it; but when he saw what was done, he stood lost in admiration of his work. “What dost thou think of it?” inquired Michelagnolo. “I think it very beautiful,” returned the other, “and am much obliged to you.” “And for what?” demanded the artist. “For having been the means of making known to me a talent which I did not think I possessed.”

But now, to bring the matter to a conclusion, I will only add, that Michelagnolo had an excellent constitution, a spare form, and strong nerves. He was not robust as a child, and as a man he had two serious attacks of illness, but he was subject to no disease, and could endure much fatigue. It is true that infirmities assailed him in his old age, but for these he was carefully treated by his friend and physician, Messer Realdo Colombo. He was of middle height, the shoulders broad, and the whole form well-proportioned. In his latter years he constantly wore stockings of dog-skin for months together, and when these were removed, the skin of the leg sometimes came with them. Over his stockings he had boots of Cordovan leather, as a protection against the swelling of those limbs, to which he then became liable. His face was round, the brow square and ample, with seven direct lines in it; the temples projected much beyond the ears, which were somewhat large, and stood a little off from the cheeks; the nose was rather flattened, having been broken with a blow of the fist by Torrigiano, as we have related in the Life of that artist; the eyes were rather small than large, of a dark colour, mingled with blue and yellowish points; the eye-brows had but few hairs; the lips were thin, the lower somewhat the larger, and slightly projecting; the chin well-formed, and in fair proportion to the rest of the face; the hair black, mingled with grey, as was the beard, which was divided in the middle, and neither very thick nor very long.

This master, as I said at the beginning, was certainly sent on the earth by God as an example for the men of our arts, to the end that they might profit by his walk in life, as well as learn from his works what a true and excellent artist ought to be. I, who have to thank God for an infinite amount of happiness, such as is rarely granted to those of