Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/569

Rh di Castello; the subject is the Coronation of Our Lady: in the upper part is a choir of Angels, and beneath are numerous figures larger than life. This picture was placed in the Church of San Francesco in that city. For the Church of Poggio a Cajano, a villa belonging to the Signor Duke, I painted Our Saviour Christ lying dead in the lap of his Mother; San Cosimo and San Damiano are in contemplation of the Virgin, and a weeping Angel, seen in the air above, is bearing the Mysteries of our Saviour’s Passion. In the Church of the Carmine at Florence there was placed, about the same time, a picture also by my hand, which I had painted for the Chapel of Matteo and Simon Botti, my intimate friends; in this there is Christ Crucified, with Our Lady, San Giovanni, and the Magdalene weeping. I afterwards painted two large pictures, for Jacopo Capponi; the subjects of these, which were to be sent into France, are, of the one. Spring; of the other. Autumn; the figures in both are large, and each exhibits a certain novelty in the composition. In another and still larger picture, I delineated a Dead Christ sustained by two Angels, above whom is seen the figure of the Almighty Father. For the Nuns of Santa Maria Novella in Arezzo, I painted an Annunciation of the Virgin, with two Saints beside her, which I sent to their convent about this time or shortly before; and for the Nuns of Luco di Mugello, who are of the Order of Camaldoli, I painted a picture which is now in their inner Choir; it represents Christ Crucified, with Our Lady, St. John the Baptist, and Mary Magdalen.

For Luca Torrigiani, who is my intimate and very good friend, I painted a large picture, which he, desiring to have a work from my hand among the many productions of our arts in his possession, now keeps in his house; the subject is Venus, a nude figure surrounded by the Graces, of whom one adorns her head, while the second holds a mirror, and the third pours water into a vase. This picture I laboured to execute to the very best of my ability, as well to content