Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/405

Rh re-paint the work, which is that now on, the Altar. At Brescia Titian painted the picture of the High Altar in the Church of San Nazzaro, which he did in five divisions: the centre has the Resurrection of Our Lord, with soldiers around the sepulchre; in the sides are San Nazzaro, San Sebastiano, the Angel Gabriel, and the Virgin receiving the Annunciation. In the Cathedral of Verona he painted the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven, with the Apostles standing beneath; this is held to be the best modern painting in that city. In the same year, 1541, this master painted the Portrait of Don Diego di Mendoza, then Ambassador from Charles V. to Venice; that beautiful portrait is a full-length, standing upright; and from that time Titian began the custom, since become frequent, of painting portraits at full-length. In the same manner he made the likeness of the Cardinal of Trent, then a youth, and for Francesco Marcolini he took the Portrait of Pietro Aretino; but this is not so fine a one as that which the same person caused to be taken, and sent himself as a present to the Duke Cosimo de’ Medici, to whom he also sent the Head of the Signor Giovanni de Medici, father of the Duke. This last was taken from a cast made from the face of Giovanni after his death, at Mantua, which cast was in possession of Pietro. The portraits are both in the Guardaroba of the Duke with other noble pictures.

In the same year Giorgio Vasari was in Venice, where he passed thirteen months, employed, as I have said, in the decoration of a ceiling for Messer Giovanni Cornaro, and certain works for the Company of the Calza, when Sansovino, who was directing the construction of Santo Spirito, caused him to make designs for three large pictures in oil, which were to be executed in the ceiling of Santo Spirito, and which Vasari was to paint; but Giorgio having departed, the three pictures were given to Titian, who executed the same most admirably, having taken especial pains with the foreshortening of the figures. In one of these