d the right
arm of the ancient Laocoon, which had been broken off and never found,
and Baccio made one of the full size in wax, which so resembled the
ancient work in the muscles, in force, and in manner, and harmonized
with it so well, that it showed how Baccio understood his art; and
this model served him as a pattern for making the whole arm of his own
Laocoon. This work seemed to his Holiness to be so good, that he
changed his mind and resolved to send other ancient statues to the
King, and this one to Florence; and to Cardinal Silvio Passerino of
Cortona, his Legate in Florence, who was then governing the city, he
sent orders that he should place the Laocoon at the head of the second
court in the Palace of the Medici. This was in the year 1525.

This work brought great fame to Baccio, who, after finishing the
Laocoon, set himself to draw a scene on a sheet of royal folio laid
open, in order to carry out a design of the Pope, who wished to have
the Martyrdom of S. Cosimo and S. Damiano painted on one wall of the
principal chapel of S. Lorenzo in Florence, and on the other that of
S. Laurence, when he was put to death by Decius on the gridiron.
Baccio then drew with great subtlety the story of S. Laurence, in
which he counterfeited with much judgment and art figures both clothed
and nude, different attitudes and gestures in the bodies and limbs,
and various movements in those who are standing about S. Laurence,
engaged in their dreadful office, and in particular the cruel Decius,
who with threatening brow is urging on the fiery death of the innocent
Martyr, who, raising one arm to Heaven, recommends his spirit to God.
With this scene Baccio so satisfied the Pope, that he took steps to
have it engraved on copper by Marc'Antonio Bolognese, which was done
by Marc'Antonio with great diligence; and his Holiness created Baccio,
in order to do honour to his talents, a Chevalier of S. Pietro.

After these things Baccio returned to Florence, where he found that
Giovan Francesco Rustici, his first master, was painting a scene of
the Conversion of S. Paul; for which reason he undertook to make in a
cartoon, in competition with his master, a nude figure of a young S.
John in the desert, who is holding a lamb with the left arm and
raising the right to Heaven. Then, having caused a panel to be
prepared, he set himself to colour it, and when it was finished he
exposed it to view in the workshop of his father Michelagnolo,
opposit