Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/549

Rh judge as to whether I have succeeded or not. Servants of different degrees, pages, esquires, soldiers of the guard, the credenza, the beaufet musicians, a dwarf, and whatever may be supposed requisite to a royal banquet, are all to be clearly distinguished. Among the rest is the Seneschal, superintending the service; he is accompanied by numerous pages, servants in livery, esquires, and other attendants. At the two ends of the table, which is of an oval form, are nobles, and other great personages, standing, as is the custom, to look upon the feast. The King Ahasuerus, haughty of aspect, yet with a truly regal dignity, and face expressing his love for the Queen, presents to her a cup of wine with his right hand, while he supports himself by leaning on the left arm. In fine, if I were to believe what I then heard from the people, and what I still hear from all who see this work, I might be tempted to imagine that I had effected something; but I know too well how the matter stands, and what I would have accomplished had the hand been only capable of performing what the spirit had conceived. This, however, I may freely admit, namely, that I gave my best care and attention to the execution of the picture. On a corbel of the ceiling, above this painting, is a figure of Our Saviour Christ, presenting to Queen Esther a Crown of flowers. The figure is in fresco, and was placed there to signify the spiritual import of the story, denoting that, repulsed by the old Synagogue, Christ espoused the New Church of his faithful Christians.

About this time, I painted the Portrait of Messer Luigi Guicciardini, brother of Messer Francesco, who wrote the History. Messer Luigi was that year Commissary of Arezzo, and, being my intimate friend, he had made me buy a considerable property in land, called Frassineto, situate in the Valdichiana. This has been the very salvation of my