h an affront
with his brushes; and that he, awaking from his sleep, being unable to
cry out by reason of his fear, shook with a mighty trembling, insomuch
that his wife, awaking, came to his rescue. But he was none the less
thereby in peril--his heart being much strained--of dying on the spot by
reason of such an accident; and although he lived a little afterwards,
he was half mad, with staring eyes, and he slipped into the grave,
leaving great sorrow to his friends, and to the world two sons, of whom
one was Forzore, the goldsmith, who worked admirably at Florence in
niello, and the other was Parri, who, imitating his father, laboured
continually at painting, and surpassed him by a long way in design. This
sinister misfortune, for all that Spinello was old, was a great grief to
the Aretines, who were robbed of the so great talent and excellence that
were his. He died at the age of ninety-two, and was given burial at
Arezzo in S. Agostino, where there is still seen to-day a tombstone with
a coat of arms made according to his fancy, containing a hedgehog.
Spinello knew much better how to draw than how to execute a painting, as
it may be seen in our book of the drawings of diverse ancient painters,
in two Evangelists in chiaroscuro and a S. Louis, drawn by his hand and
very beautiful. And the portrait of the same man, which is seen above,
was copied by me from one that was in the Duomo Vecchio before it was
pulled down. His pictures date from 1380 up to 1400.

GHERARDO STARNINA

LIFE OF GHERARDO STARNINA

PAINTER

Verily he who journeys far from his own country, dwelling in those of
other men, gains very often a disposition and character of a fine
temper, for, in seeing abroad diverse honourable customs, even though he
might be perverse in nature, he learns to be tractable, amiable, and
patient, with much greater ease than he would have done by remaining in
his own country. And in truth, he who desires to refine men in the life
of the world need seek no other fire and no better touchstone than this,
seeing that those who are rough by nature are made gentle, and the
gentle become more gracious. Gherardo di Jacopo Starnina, painter of
Florence, being nobler in blood than in nature, and very harsh and rough
in his manners, brought more harm thereby on himself than on his
friends; and more harm still would this have brought on him if he had
not dwelt a long time in Spain, where he learnt gentleness and court