s soon as he had
begun to mend. And Vasari finished the Hall without him, assisted by
Raffaello dal Colle, the Bolognese Giovan Battista Bagnacavallo, the
Spaniards Roviale and Bizzerra, and many others of his friends and
pupils.

After returning from Rome to Florence and setting out from that city
to go to Rimini, to paint a chapel in fresco and an altar-piece in the
Church of the Monks of Monte Oliveto for Abbot Gian Matteo Faettani,
Giorgio passed through S. Giustino, in order to take Cristofano with
him: but Abbot Bufolini, for whom he was painting a hall, would not
let him go for the time being, although he promised Giorgio that he
should send Cristofano to him soon all the way to Romagna. But,
notwithstanding such a promise, the Abbot delayed so long to send
him, that Cristofano, when he did go, found that Vasari had not only
finished all the work for the other Abbot, but had also executed an
altar-piece for the high-altar of S. Francesco at Rimini, for Messer
Niccolo Marcheselli, and another altar-piece in the Church of Classi,
belonging to the Monks of Camaldoli, at Ravenna, for Don Romualdo da
Verona, the Abbot of that abbey.

In the year 1550, not long before this, Giorgio had just executed the
story of the Marriage of Esther in the Black Friars' Abbey of S.
Fiore, that is, in the refectory, at Arezzo, and also, at Florence,
for the Chapel of the Martelli in the Church of S. Lorenzo, the
altar-piece of S. Gismondo, when, Julius III having been elected Pope,
he was summoned to Rome to enter the service of his Holiness.
Thereupon he thought for certain that by means of Cardinal Farnese,
who went at that time to stay in Florence, he would be able to
reinstate Cristofano in his country and restore him to the favour of
Duke Cosimo. But this proved to be impossible, so that poor Cristofano
had to stay as he was until 1554, at which time, Vasari having been
invited into the service of Duke Cosimo, there came to him an
opportunity of delivering Cristofano. Bishop da' Ricasoli, who knew
that he would be doing a thing pleasing to his Excellency, had set to
work to have the three facades of his palace, which stands on the
abutment of the Ponte alla Carraja, painted in chiaroscuro, when
Messer Sforza Almeni, Cup-bearer as well as first and favourite
Chamberlain to the Duke, resolved that he also would have his house in
the Via de' Servi painted in chiaroscuro, in emulation of the Bishop.
But, not having found in Floren