Pietro di Subisso, who did not know much,
to make many designs of buildings and plans of houses, doors, windows,
and other things appertaining to that profession. On the Canto degli
Albergotti, below the school and university of the Commune, there is a
window of considerable beauty constructed after his design; and there
are two of them in the house of Ser Bernardino Serragli in the
Pelliceria. On the corner of the Palazzo de' Priori there is a large
escutcheon of Pope Clement VII in grey sandstone, by the hand of the
same master; and under his direction, and partly by his hand, was
executed for Bernardino di Cristofano da Giuovi a chapel of grey
sandstone in the Corinthian Order, which was erected in the Abbey of
S. Fiore, a passing handsome monastery of Black Friars in Arezzo. For
this chapel the patron wished to have the altar-piece painted by
Andrea del Sarto, and then by Rosso, but in this he never succeeded,
seeing that, being hindered now by one thing and now by another, they
were not able to serve him. Finally Bernardino turned to Giorgio
Vasari, but with him also he had difficulties, and there was much
trouble in finding a way of arranging the matter, for the reason that,
the chapel being dedicated to S. James and S. Christopher, he wished
to have in the picture Our Lady with the Child in her arms, and also
the giant S. Christopher with another little Christ on his shoulder;
which composition, besides that it appeared monstrous, could not be
accommodated, nor was it possible to paint a giant of six braccia in
an altar-piece of four braccia. Giorgio, then, being desirous to serve
Bernardino, made him a design in this manner: he placed Our Lady upon
some clouds, with a sun behind her back, and on the ground he painted
S. Christopher kneeling on one side of the picture, with one leg in
the water, and with the other in the act of moving in order to rise,
while Our Lady is placing upon his shoulders the Infant Christ with
the globe of the world in His hands. In the rest of the altar-piece,
also, were to be S. James and the other Saints, accommodated in such a
manner that they would not have been in the way; and this design,
pleasing Bernardino, would have been put into execution, but
Bernardino in the meantime died, and the chapel was left in that
condition to his heirs, who have not done anything more.

Now, while Simone was labouring at that chapel, there passed through
Arezzo Antonio da San Gallo, who was return