Lives of the Artists

by Giorgio Vasari

  Giorgione also did a portrait from life of Catherine, queen of Cyprus, which I once saw in the possession of that distinguished gentleman, Giovanni Cornaro. And in my book of drawings I have a head painted in oils, which is the portrait of a German of the Fugger family, who at that time was one of the leading German merchants in Venice. Along with this admirable work I have some of his pen-and-ink sketches and drawings.

  While Giorgione was occupied in winning honour for himself and his homeland, in the course of the busy social life that he led, entertaining his many friends with his music, he fell in love with a certain lady, and they carried on a very pleasurable affair. However, in the year 1511 she became infected with the plague and when, without knowing this, Giorgione sought her company as usual he, too, became dangerously infected; and soon afterwards, at the age of thirty-four, he passed to the other life. His death brought great sorrow to the many whose friendship and affection his abilities had won, and, indeed, it was a grievous loss for the whole world. However, the pain of this loss was made tolerable because of the accomplished pupils he left behind him: Sebastiano the Venetian, who subsequently became friar of the Piombo at Rome,1 and Titian of Cadore, whose work far surpassed let alone equalled what was done by Giorgione.

  LIFE OF ANTONIO CORREGGIO

  Painter, c. 1489–1534

  I DO not want to leave that region of Italy where nature, to avoid being accused of unfairness, brought into the world marvellously talented men of the kind with which for many, many years it had adorned the region of Tuscany. Among them was Antonio Correggio, an outstanding and superbly accomplished painter who acquired the modern style so perfectly that within a few years, through his natural gifts and practice in art, he became a craftsman of tremendous distinction. He was a very mild man and all his life, for the sake of his family, he was a slave to his work, which brought him great distress. He was motivated by his inherent goodness of soul, but in supporting the inevitable sorrows of his fellow men he did more than was reasonable.

  Moreover, Correggio was very melancholy in the practice of his art, at which he toiled unceasingly. He was a zealous student of artistic problems, as is clearly shown by the host of figures which he painted in fresco in the cathedral in Parma. These skilfully finished figures, foreshortened from below to give an effect of extraordinary grandeur, are to be seen in the great cupola of the church. Correggio was also the first artist in Lombardy to work in the modern style; and if this accomplished painter had left Lombardy for Rome he would certainly have worked miracles and given a run for their money to the many contemporaries of his with big reputations. What is more, seeing what he produced without ever having set eyes on any antiques or any good modern work, it inevitably follows that if he had done so his style would have gained immeasurably and he would eventually have reached absolute perfection. Certainly, as it is no one ever handled colours better than Correggio or produced paintings of greater delicacy and relief, such was the softness of the figures he painted and the grace with which he imbued his finished works.

  In Parma Correggio also executed two large oil-paintings, one of which contained various figures including a Dead Christ, which was very highly praised. And in San Giovanni Evangelistica in the same city he painted the cupola in fresco, showing Our Lady ascending into heaven amidst a multitude of angels and saints.1 It seems impossible not so much that he should have been able to put this work into execution but that he should even have been able to conceive it in his imagination, so beautiful were the flowing draperies and the expressions of his figures. I have some drawings of these in my book, done by Correggio in red chalk, with some very fine borders of putti and other borders with various fanciful scenes of sacrifices in the ancient manner, which he added as ornamentation. However, if Antonio had not given his finished works the perfection they have, his drawings (despite their excellent style, their delicacy, and their craftsmanship) would not in themselves have won him the reputation he enjoys. Painting is so difficult and has so many different branches that very often an artist cannot be equally proficient in all of them. There are many artists whose drawings have been inspired, but whose use of colours has been faulty; others have used colours magnificently, but have not drawn half as well. It depends on the choice the artist made when young and on whether he gives his time to the study of colouring or of drawing. Whatever an artist’s inclination, however, his object is to create perfect works in all of which good colouring is matched by good design. And Correggio must certainly be praised for the perfection he attained in the works he painted in oil or fresco. For example, in the church of the Calced Franciscans in Parma he painted an Annunciation in fresco so well that when it became necessary to pull it down, because of some changes that had to be made in the building, the friars had the surrounding wall fortified with timber bound with iron and kept the picture intact by cutting round it little by little. Then they built it into a more secure place in the same convent.

  Over the gates of the same city Correggio also painted a Madonna and Child; and it is astonishing to see the lovely colouring of this fresco which has won him the most enthusiastic praise, even from passing strangers who have seen nothing else of his. In Sant’Antonio in Parma he painted a panel picture showing the Madonna and St Mary Magdalen, with a boy near by in the guise of a little angel, who is holding a book in his hand and smiling so naturally that anyone looking at him has to smile as well, and even the most melancholy person cannot help responding cheerfully. This work, which also contains a St Jerome, is especially admired by other painters for its astonishing and beautiful colouring, and it is difficult to imagine anything better.

  Correggio also executed various pictures and paintings for many local rulers in Lombardy; among these were two that he did in Mantua for Duke Federigo II, to be sent to the emperor as a gift truly worthy of so great a ruler. When Giulio Romano saw these works he said that he had never seen any colouring that reached such perfection. One showed the nude figure of Leda and the other was a Venus, both so soft in colouring and with the shadows of the flesh so skilfully painted that they looked like flesh and blood rather than paint.1 One of the pictures contained a marvellous landscape, and indeed Correggio painted landscapes better than any other Lombard. Similarly, it would be impossible to improve on the way he painted the hair, represented with meticulous care and delicacy and beautifully coloured. There were also several Cupids, depicted with superb craftsmanship, who were shooting their arrows, some of gold and some of lead, at a stone. And the grace of the Venus was especially enhanced by the clear and limpid stream which flowed over some stones and bathed her feet, without, however, concealing from the onlooker all their white and delicate beauty. So Antonio certainly deserved gratitude and honour during his lifetime and every kind of written and spoken tribute after his death.

  In Modena he painted a panel picture of Our Lady, which is admired by all painters and regarded as the best painting in the city. In Bologna, in the house of the noble Ercolani family, there is a painting by Correggio showing Christ appearing in the Garden to Mary Magdalen; and this is a very beautiful work.

  In Reggio also there was a rare and beautiful picture by Correggio; and not so long ago this was seen when he was passing through that city by Luciano Pallavicino, who delights in fine paintings, and who regardless of cost sent it, as something very precious, to his house in Genoa. There is also a panel painting in Reggio of the Nativity, in which the splendour radiating from the figure of Christ throws light all around on the shepherds and on those who are contemplating him. Among the features of this painting is the figure of a woman who is trying to gaze intently at Christ but who because her mortal eyes cannot bear rays of supernatural light is shielding them with her hand; and it is a marvel to see how perfectly the idea is expressed. Above the manger there is a choir of angels singing, so beautifully painted that they seem to have come straight down from heaven rather than to have been created by the hand of an artist.

  The same city possesses the most rare and
beautiful of all Correggio’s works; it is a small picture, about a foot square, with several little figures, showing Christ in the Garden, and it is intended to create the effect of night. The angel is seen appearing to Christ and illuminating him with the splendour of his radiance, and the scene is so realistic that nothing could be better conceived or expressed. Lower down, on the plain at the foot of the mountain on which Christ is praying, are the three apostles asleep; and the shadow cast by the mountain lends these figures an indescribable force. Dawn is breaking over the landscape in the distant background, and from one side appear some soldiers accompanied by Judas. This scene in miniature is so well conceived that no other work of the same kind can compare with it either for patient craftsmanship or study. I could go on discussing the works of this master but I shall say nothing more, seeing that everything he did is regarded as truly inspired by the eminent artists of our own time. I have tried my hardest to obtain his portrait, but without any success since he never painted it himself and, as he always lived apart, he was never portrayed by any other artist. Indeed, he had no great opinion of himself nor, knowing the difficulties involved, was he persuaded that he could attain the perfection he wished for as a painter. He contented himself with very little, and he led a good Christian life.

  Burdened as he was by family cares, Antonio was always anxious to economize and eventually he became a great miser. It is said that one day subsequently he received a payment of sixty crowns all in small coin, and wanting to transfer the money from Parma to Correggio to meet some of his expenses he started the journey on foot, carrying the coins on his back. Then as he was suffering from the heat of the sun he drank some water to refresh himself, and this brought on a raging fever which forced him to take to his bed; and he never raised his head again.

  Correggio was about forty when he died. His paintings date from about 1512, and through his use of colours, which he handled like a true master, he made a major contribution to the art of painting. His work clarified the nature of good painting for the artists of Lombardy where he was followed by many talented painters who have also produced excellent and memorable pictures. For example, Correggio taught his fellow artists, all of whom he put permanently in his debt, how to depict hair, which he himself, overcoming every difficulty, painted with great facility. At their instance Fabio Segni, a Florentine nobleman, wrote the following epigram:

  Hujus cum regeret mortales spiritus artus

  Pictoris, Charites supplicuere Iovi:

  Non alia pingi dextra, Pater alme, rogamus:

  Hunc praeter, nulli pingere nos liceat.

  Annuit his votis summi regnator Olympi,

  Et juvenem subito sydera ad alta tulit,

  Ut posset melius Charitum simulacra referre

  Praesens, et nudas cemeret inde Deas.1

  Another painter who lived at that time was a Milanese called Andrea del Gobbo, a charming colourist, many of whose works are to be found in various private houses in Milan. For the Carthusian Monastery at Pavia he did a large panel picture of the Assumption of Our Lady; he died before he could finish it, but it shows his competence as a painter and his love of the art.1

  LIFE OF RAPHAEL OF URBINO

  Painter and architect, 1483–1520

  WITH wonderful indulgence and generosity heaven sometimes showers upon a single person from its rich and inexhaustible treasures all the favours and precious gifts that are usually shared, over the years, among a great many people. This was clearly the case with Raphael Sanzio of Urbino, an artist as talented as he was gracious, who was endowed by nature with the goodness and modesty to be found in all those exceptional men whose gentle humanity is enhanced by an affable and pleasing manner, expressing itself in courteous behaviour at all times and towards all persons.

  Nature sent Raphael into the world after it had been vanquished by the art of Michelangelo and was ready, through Raphael, to be vanquished by character as well. Indeed, until Raphael most artists had in their temperament a touch of uncouthness and even madness that made them outlandish and eccentric; the dark shadows of vice were often more evident in their lives then the shining light of the virtues that can make men immortal. So nature had every reason to display in Raphael, in contrast, the finest qualities of mind accompanied by such grace, industry, looks, modesty, and excellence of character as would offset every defect, no matter how serious, and any vice, no matter how ugly. One can claim without fear of contradiction that artists as outstandingly gifted as Raphael are not simply men but, if it be allowed to say so, mortal gods, and that those who leave on earth an honoured name in the annals of fame may also hope to enjoy in heaven a just reward for their work and talent.

  Raphael was born in Urbino, a notable Italian city, on Good Friday in the year 1483, at three o’clock in the night. His father was Giovanni Santi, a mediocre painter but an intelligent man who knew how to set his children on the right path which, through bad fortune, he himself had not been shown when young. Giovanni also understood how important it was that children should be reared on the milk of their own mothers rather than of wet-nurses; and so he insisted that Raphael (the name he chose, very felicitously, for the baptism) should, being his first child (and as it happened his last), be suckled by his own mother and should be trained in childhood in the family ways at home rather than in the houses of peasants or common people with their less gentle, indeed, their rough manners and behaviour. And as Raphael grew up Giovanni began to instruct him in painting, because he saw that the boy was attracted by the art and was very intelligent. So before many years passed Raphael came to be of great help to his father in the numerous works that Giovanni executed in the state of Urbino.

  Eventually Raphael’s kind and devoted father, knowing that his son could make little progress under him, resigned himself to placing him with Pietro Perugino who, as he had heard, was the most outstanding painter of the time.1 He went, therefore, to Perugia, but he failed to find Perugino, and so to occupy his time usefully he started work on some paintings for San Francesco.

  After Pietro had returned from Rome, Giovanni, who was a man of good breeding and manners, struck up a friendship with him, and when the time seemed ripe he told him what he wanted as tactfully as he could. Pietro who was also very courteous and a great admirer of talent agreed to take Raphael; and so Giovanni returned in high spirits to Urbino and then took the boy back with him to Perugia, not without many tears from his mother who loved him dearly. When Pietro saw how well Raphael could draw and what fine manners and character he had he formed a high opinion of him, which in time proved to be completely justified.

  Is is very remarkable that, in studying Pietro’s style, Raphael imitated his work so exactly in every detail that it was impossible to tell the difference between the copies he made and his master’s originals. And it was also impossible to distinguish clearly between Raphael’s own original works and Pietro’s, as is evident from some figures that he painted in oils on a panel in San Francesco in Perugia for Maddalena degli Oddi; these represent the Assumption of Our Lady into heaven and her Coronation by Jesus Christ, and among them are the twelve apostles standing about the tomb of Our Lady and contemplating the celestial vision. At the foot of the panel, in a predella divided into three scenes, are some little figures enacting the Annunciation, with Our Lady and the angel, the Adoration of Christ by the Magi, and the Presentation in the Temple, where Simeon takes the Child in his arms. This work was executed with marvellous diligence, and anyone who is not an expert would swear that it was by Pietro and not, as it undoubtedly is, by Raphael.

  After Pietro had gone to Florence on business, Raphael left Perugia in company with some friends for Città di Castello, where he painted a panel for Sant’Agostino in the same style as the picture he had just finished. For San Domenico he did a similar work, showing the crucifixion, and if his name were not written on it everyone would think it was by Pietro. For the church of San Francesco in the same city he painted a small panel picture of the Marriage of Our Lady w
hich shows very forcefully the way his own style was improving as he surpassed the work of Pietro. This painting contains a temple in perspective drawn with great care and devotion and showing what amazingly difficult problems Raphael was ready to tackle.

  The pictures he did in the style of Perugino brought Raphael considerable fame, and in the meanwhile it happened that Pope Pius II commissioned Pintoricchio to decorate the library of the cathedral at Siena; so being a friend of Raphael’s and knowing his excellence as a draughtsman Pintoricchio took him to Siena, where he did some of the drawings and cartoons for the library.1 The reason he left what he was doing unfinished was that while in Siena he heard some painters enthusiastically praising the fine cartoon for the great hall that Leonardo had drawn in the Hall of the Pope at Florence and the nudes that Michelangelo Buonarroti had executed in rivarly with Leonardo, and with even better results. And so, because of his love of painting, Raphael became so anxious to see these works that he put aside what he was doing and, ignoring his own immediate interest, went off to Florence.

  On his arrival the city pleased him as much as did the works of Leonardo and Michelangelo (which indeed came as a revelation to him) and he made up his mind to stay in Florence for some time. He became friendly with a group of painters including Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, Aristotile Sangallo, and others, and he was held in great respect in Florence, especially by Taddeo Taddei, who liked to see him always in his house or at his table, being a great admirer of talented men. In order not to be outdone in kindness Raphael, who was courtesy itself, painted for Taddei two pictures executed in his original style derived from Pietro but also in the manner he was then starting to adopt and which, as I shall explain, was far superior. (These pictures are still in the house belonging to Taddeo Taddei’s heirs.) Raphael also became a close friend of Lorenzo Nasi, and as Lorenzo had just got married he painted for him a picture which showed Our Lady and between her legs the Christ-Child to whom a laughing St John is offering a bird, to the great joy and delight of them both. The children are shown in an attitude of youthful simplicity, which is lovely to see, and, moreover, the figures are so well coloured and finished so meticulously that they seem to be made of living flesh rather than paint. Our Lady as well seems truly full of grace and divinity; and lastly, the foreground, the landscape, and all the rest of this painting are extremely beautiful. It was held in great veneration by Lorenzo Nasi as long as he lived, as much in memory of Raphael, whose dear friend he had been, as for its majesty and excellence. But subsequently, on 17 November 1548, it came to grief when a landslide on the hill of San Giorgio destroyed Lorenzo’s house along with other nearby dwellings, including the ornate and beautiful houses belonging to the heirs of Marco del Nero. However, the pieces were found among the debris of the ruined house and they were put together again as best he could by Lorenzo’s son, Battista, who was very devoted to the art.