that in doing this the boy was well served both by his
head and by his hand, and reflecting, like a man of judgment, that
with him Niccolo could at best learn nothing else but to work by the
square, Raffaello first spoke of this with the carpenter Ciappino, who
was the very familiar friend of Nanni Unghero; and with his advice and
assistance, he placed Niccolo for three years with the said Nanni, in
whose workshop, where both joiner's work and carving were done, there
were constantly to be found the sculptor Jacopo Sansovino, the painter
Andrea del Sarto, and others, who afterwards became such able masters.
Now Nanni, who had in those days a passing good reputation for
excellence, was executing many works both in joinery and in carving
for the villa of Zanobi Bartolini at Rovezzano, without the Porta alla
Croce, for the palace of the Bartolini, which Giovanni, the brother of
that Zanobi, was having built at that time on the Piazza di S.
Trinita, and for the house and garden of the same man in Gualfonda;
and Tribolo, who was made to work by Nanni without discretion, always
having to handle saws, planes, and other common tools, and not being
capable, by reason of the feebleness of his body, of such exertions,
began to feel dissatisfied and to say to Riccio, when he asked for the
cause of his discontent, that he did not think that he could remain
with Nanni in that craft, and that therefore Raffaello should see to
placing him with Andrea del Sarto or Jacopo Sansovino, whom he had
come to know in Unghero's workshop, for the reason that with one or
the other of them he hoped to do better and to be sounder in health.
Moved by these reasons, then, and again with the advice and assistance
of Ciappino, Riccio placed Tribolo with Jacopo Sansovino, who took him
willingly, because he had known him in the workshop of Nanni Unghero,
and had seen that he worked well in design and even better in relief.

Jacopo Sansovino, when Tribolo, now restored to health, went to work
under him, was executing in the Office of Works of S. Maria del Fiore,
in competition with Benedetto da Rovezzano, Andrea da Fiesole, and
Baccio Bandinelli, the marble statue of S. James the Apostle which is
still to be seen at the present day at that place together with the
others. And thus Tribolo, with these opportunities of learning, by
working in clay and drawing with great diligence, contrived to make
such proficience in that art, for which he felt a natural incl