mself, who, in the air
of His countenance and in His aspect, is showing the compassion that He
has for the multitude, and the ardour of the love wherewith He is
causing the bread to be dispensed. Great affection, likewise, is seen in
the very beautiful action of an Apostle, who is exerting himself greatly
in dispensing the bread from a basket. From this work all who belong to
art learn ever to paint their figures in a manner that they may appear
to be speaking, for otherwise they are not prized. Antonio demonstrated
the same thing on the outer frontal in a little scene of the Manna,
wrought with so great diligence, and finished with so fine grace, that
it can be truly called excellent. Afterwards, in S. Stefano al Ponte
Vecchio, on the predella of the high-altar, he made some stories of S.
Stephen, with so great lovingness that it is not possible to see either
more gracious or more beautiful figures, even if they were done in
miniature. In S. Antonio al Ponte alla Carraja, moreover, he painted the
arch over the door, which, with the whole church, was thrown to the
ground in our own day by Monsignor Ricasoli, Bishop of Pistoia, because
it took away the view from his houses; although, even if he had not done
this, we should to-day, in any case, be deprived of that work, the late
flood of 1557, as it has been said before, having carried away on that
side two arches and the abutment of the bridge on which was built the
said little Church of S. Antonio.

[Illustration: THE RETURN OF S. RANIERI

(_After the fresco by_ Antonio Viniziano. _Pisa: Campo Santo_)

_Alinari_]

Antonio, being summoned after these works to Pisa by the Warden of Works
of the Campo Santo, continued therein the painting of the stories of the
Blessed Ranieri, a holy man of that city, formerly begun by Simone
Sanese, following his arrangement. In the first part of the work painted
by Antonio there is seen, in company with the said Ranieri when he is
embarking in order to return to Pisa, a good number of figures wrought
with diligence, among which is the portrait of Count Gaddo, who died ten
years before, and that of Neri, his uncle, once Lord of Pisa. Among the
said figures, also, that of a maniac is very notable, for, with the
features of madness, with the person writhing in distorted gestures, the
eyes blazing, and the mouth gnashing and showing the teeth, it resembles
a real maniac so greatly that it is not possible to imagine either a
more lifelike