Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/485

Rh received, by the intervention of Martini, a commission from Raffaello del Setaiuolo the Superintendent of the Cathedral, to paint the Altar-piece for one of the chapels of that church. In this picture he represented a nude figure, Christ bearing his Cross namely; around him are many Saints, and among them San Bartolommeo, flayed alive, is depicted to such perfection, that he does indeed appear to be a true study of anatomy, and really flayed, as was the case with that saint, so carefully has the painter studied the dissected form, and so successful is the imitation which he has made of the reality before him. This picture was placed in a chapel, whence another, by the hand of Benedetto da Pescia, a disciple of Giulio Romano, had been removed.

Bronzino subsequently portrayed the Dwarf Morgante for the Duke, depicting him in two manners, the front and back view namely, and displaying all the hideous deformity of those strangely contorted limbs, entirel} nude; nor do these Portraits fail to be fine and admirable in their way. For Ser Carlo Gherardi of Pistoja, who from his youth had been a friend of Bronzino, that artist executed various pictures at different times; the portrait of Ser Carlo namely, a beautiful figure of Judith placing the H^ad of Holofernes in a basket, and a figure of Prudence looking at herself in a glass; this last he painted on the cover by which the picture of the Judith is closed. He executed a Madonna for the same person, and this is one of the most beautiful ever painted by Bronzino. The Portrait of the Duke, when he had attained his fortieth year, was also taken by this master, with that of the Signora Duchess, and both are as faithful likenesses as they possibly can be.

Now Giovambattista Cavalcanti had caused a Chapel in the Church of Santa Spirito at Florence to be decorated with fine vari'Coloured marbles, which he had brought over the sea at great cost; and having here placed the bones of Tomraaso his fither, he caused the bust of the same to be sculptured by Giovann’ Agnolo Montorsoli, and gave Bronzino the Altar-piece, which the latter painted to admiration. The subject chosen was Our Saviour Christ appearing to Mary Magdalen in the form of the Gardener; while in the distance are the two other Maries; all these figures being executed with indescribable care.