Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/484

472 opposite to the chapel of the Dini family; for this, which is situate to the left of the entrance and encloses the marble tombs of his forefathers, Giovanni commissioned Bronzino to paint the Altar-piece, requiring him to represent Our Saviour Christ descending to the Gates of Hell to recall the spirits of the Holy Bathers thence. Having set hand to the work accordingly, Agnolo conducted it to completion with the utmost diligence, exhibiting therein many nude figures of men and women, old and young, with children, all displaying various attitudes and singular beauty. There are many Portraits from the life in this work, among them those of Jacopo Pontormo and Giovambatista Gello, a Florentine academician of considerable reputation, with the Painter Bacchiacca, of whom we have before made mention. Among the female figures also are the Portraits of two noble and truly beautiful Florentine maidens. Madonna Costanza da Sommaia, who became the wife of Giovambatista Doni, and Camilla Tedaldi of Corno, who has now passed to a better life. Not long afterwards, our artist executed another large and beautiful picture, representing the Resurrection of Christ; this was placed in the chapel of Jacopo and Filippo Guadagni, which is near the choir of the church of the Servites, the Nunziata namely; and at the same time Bronzino executed the picture which replaced, in the chapel of the Palace, the one that had been sent to Granvella; a most beautiful thing it is, and well worthy of the position which it occupies. For the Signor Alamanno, Salviati Bronzino then painted a Venus with a Satyr beside her; the first named figure is so truly exquisite, that it is indeed the Goddess of Beauty in very presence.

Having been invited to Pisa by the Duke, our artist there took certain Portraits for his Excellency, and for Luca Martini his friend, nay, rather the friend and well-beloved of all distinguished men; he painted a beautiful Madonna likewise, with the portrait of Luca himself bearing a basket of fruit: this alludes to the fact that Martini had been the Duke’s administrator in the drainage of the marshes and other waters, which had made Pisa insalubrious, but by the removal whereof the district had been rendered healthsome and fruitful. Nor did Bronzino depart from Pisa before he had