n a thick panel of walnut-wood, which was to be sent to the King of
France, a Madonna in mosaic, with some Angels about her, which was much
extolled. And, living at Montaione, a township in Valdelsa, where he had
furnaces, glass, and wood at his command, he executed there many works
in glass and mosaic, and in particular some vases, which were presented
to the Magnificent Lorenzo de' Medici, the elder, and three heads, that
of S. Peter, that of S. Laurence, and that of Giuliano de' Medici, on a
dish of copper, which are now in the guardaroba of the Duke.

[Illustration: CHRIST BEARING THE CROSS

(_After the painting by =Ridolfo Ghirlandajo=. London: National Gallery,
1143_)

_Mansell_]

Meanwhile Ridolfo, drawing from the cartoon of Michelagnolo, was held to
be one of the best draughtsmen thus employed, and was therefore much
beloved by everyone, and particularly by Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino, who
at that time, also being a young man of great reputation, was living in
Florence, as has been related, in order to learn art. After Ridolfo had
studied from that cartoon, and had become well-practised in painting
under Fra Bartolommeo di San Marco, he already knew so much, according
to the judgment of the best masters, that Raffaello, when about to go to
Rome at the summons of Pope Julius II, left him to finish the blue
drapery and other little things that were wanting in the picture of a
Madonna that he had painted for some gentlemen of Siena; which picture
Ridolfo, after he had finished it with much diligence, sent to Siena.
And Raffaello had not been long in Rome before he sought in many ways to
attract Ridolfo to that city, but he, having never been out of sight of
the Cupola, as the saying goes, and not being able to reconcile himself
to living out of Florence, never accepted any proposal made to him that
would interfere with his living in that city.

For the Convent of the Nuns of Ripoli Ridolfo painted two altar-pieces
in oils: in one the Coronation of Our Lady, and in the other a Madonna
surrounded by certain Saints. For the Church of S. Gallo he painted in
an altar-piece Christ bearing the Cross, with a good number of soldiers,
and the Madonna and the other Maries, who are weeping in company with
John, while Veronica is offering the Sudarium to Christ; all showing
force and animation. That work, in which are many very beautiful heads,
taken from life and executed with lovingness, acquired a great name for
Ridolfo