isan, who painted in
the chapel of Rutilio di Ser Baccio Maggiolini, in the church of S.
Francesco at Pisa, Our Lady, a St Peter, St John the Baptist, St
Francis and St Ranieri, with three scenes of small figures in the
predella of the altar. This painting, executed in 1315, was
considered meritorious for a work done in tempera. In our book of
designs I have the theological virtues done by D. Lorenzo's hand in
chiaroscuro, with good design and a beautiful and graceful style, so
that they are perhaps better than the designs of any other master of
the time. Antonio Vite of Pistoia was a meritorious painter in
Lorenzo's time, and is said to have painted, among many other things
described in the life of Stamina, in the palace of the Geppo of
Prato, the life of Francesco di Marco, who was the founder of that
pious place.

Taddeo Bartoli, Painter of Siena.

Those artists who put themselves to a great deal of pains in painting
in order to win fame, deserve a better fate than the placing of their
works in obscure and unhonoured places where they may be blamed by
persons whose knowledge of the subject is not considerable. Their
productions ought to be so prominently placed with plenty of light
and air that they may be properly seen and examined by every one.
This is the case of the public work of Taddeo Bartoli, painter of
Siena for the chapel of the palace of the Signoria at Siena. Taddeo
was the son of Bartoli son of the master Fredi, who was a mediocre
painter in his day, and painted scenes from the Old Testament on a
wall of the Pieve of S. Gimignano, on the left hand side on entering.
In the middle of this work, which if the truth must be told was not
very good, the following inscription may still be read: _Ann: Dom
1356 Bartolus magistri Fredi de Senis me pinxit_. Bartoli must have
been young at the time, for there is a picture of his of the year
1388, in S. Agostino of the same district, on the left hand side on
entering the principal door. The subject is the Circumcision of our
Lord with certain saints, and it is in a far better style both as
regards design and colouring, some of the heads being really fine
although the feet of the figures are in the ancient style. In fact
many other works of Bartoli may be seen about that district. But to
return to Taddeo, as the best master of the time, he received a
commission, as I have said, to paint the chapel of the palace of the
Signoria for his native place, and he