of the church was painted by other masters
with stories of David, wrought with a high finish. And in truth it is
not without reason that these pictures are held in much esteem by the
Bolognese, both because, for old things, they are passing good, and also
because the work, having been preserved fresh and vivacious, deserves
much praise. Some say that the said Galasso, when very old, painted also
in oil, but neither in Ferrara nor in any other place have I found any
works of his save in fresco. A disciple of Galasso was Cosme, who
painted a chapel in S. Domenico at Ferrara, and the folding doors that
close the organ of the Duomo, and many other works, which are better
than the pictures of Galasso, his master.

Niccolo was a good draughtsman, as it may be seen in our book, wherein
there are an Evangelist and three heads of horses by his hand, very well
drawn.

DELLO

LIFE OF DELLO

PAINTER OF FLORENCE

Although Dello the Florentine, while he lived, had only the name of
painter, which he has had ever since, he applied himself none the less
also to sculpture--nay, his first works were in sculpture, seeing that,
long before he began to paint, he made in terra-cotta a Coronation of
Our Lady in the arch that is over the door of the Church of S. Maria
Nuova, and, within the church, the twelve Apostles; and, in the Church
of the Servi, a Dead Christ in the lap of the Virgin, with many other
works throughout the whole city. But, being capricious, and also
perceiving that he was gaining little by working in terra-cotta and that
his poverty had need of some greater succour, he resolved, being a good
draughtsman, to give his attention to painting; and in this he succeeded
with ease, for the reason that he soon acquired a good mastery in
colouring, as many pictures demonstrate that he made in his own city,
and above all those with little figures, wherein he showed better grace
than in the large. And this ability served him in good stead, because
the citizens of those times used to have in their apartments great
wooden chests in the form of a sarcophagus, with the covers shaped in
various fashions, and there were none that did not have the said chests
painted; and besides the stories that were wrought on the front and on
the ends, they used to have the arms, or rather, insignia of their
houses painted on the corners, and sometimes elsewhere. And the stories
that were wrought on the front were for the most part fabl