Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/456

444 beautiful to a marvel. Among these counsellors was Giulio Romano, a painter of illustrious name, from whom Clovio first learned to use tints and colours prepared with gum and in tempera.

Among the first works painted by Giorgio Giulio was a Madonna, which he copied, as being a spirited and beautiful thing, from a book of the Life of our Lady, and which was one of the first of Albert Dürer’s wood-engravings. Acquitting himself well in this, Giulio was introduced, by means of the Signor Alberto Carpi, who was then serving in Hungary, to the notice of Lodovico, King of that country, and of Maria his Queen, the sister of Charles V. To that Monarch he took a Judgment of Paris in chiaro-scuro, which gave infinite satisfaction; and to the Queen he presented the Roman Lucrezia killing herself, with other things, which were all considered to be very beautiful. But Ludovico dying, and the affairs of Hungary falling into confusion, Giorgio Giulio was compelled to return to Italy, where he had scarcely arrived before Cardinal Campeggio (the elder) took him into his service. He was thus accommodated to his liking, and painted a Madonna for that prelate, with some other small works. He also disposed himself to study Art with more zeal than ever, and set himself with all his power to copy the works of Michelagnolo.

These his good intentions were nevertheless interrupted by the unhappy sack of Rome in 1527, when the poor man, taken prisoner by the Spaniards, and finding himself in evil case, had recourse, in the extremity of his wretchedness, to the help of God, making a vow, that if ever he got safe out of that miserable ruin, and escaped from those modern Pharisees, he would immediately make himself a monk. Being delivered by the favour of Heaven accordingly, and having reached Mantua, he attached himself to the Order of the Scopetine Canons Regular, and took the habit in the Monastery of San Ruffino. He then received a promise to the effect, that, besides the quiet repose and leisure to serve God there afforded him, he should also be allowed time to work occasionally, as it were for recreation, at his miniatures.

In taking the religious habit, Giorgio Giulio retained his second name, and at the end of a year made his profession, remaining quietly among those Monks, with an occasional