oseph; in the church, the altar-pieces of
the high-altar, and a Visitation of Our Lady in fresco, which is as
beautiful as any work in fresco that Ridolfo ever painted. But lovely
beyond all others, in the venerable aspect of the countenance, is the
figure of S. Romualdo, which is on that high-altar. They also executed
other pictures there, but it must suffice to have spoken of these.
Ridolfo painted grotesques on the vaulting of the Green Chamber in the
Palace of Duke Cosimo, and some landscapes on the walls, which much
pleased the Duke.

Finally, having grown old, Ridolfo lived a very happy life, having his
daughters married, and seeing his sons well started in the affairs of
commerce in France and at Ferrara. And, although afterwards he found
himself so oppressed by the gout that he stayed always in the house or
had to be carried in a chair, nevertheless he bore that infirmity with
great patience, and also some misfortunes suffered by his sons. Old as
he was, he felt a great love for the world of art, and insisted on being
told of, and at times on seeing, those works that he heard much praised,
such as buildings, pictures, and other suchlike things that were being
executed every day; and one day that the Lord Duke was out of Florence,
having had himself carried in his chair into the Palace, he dined there
and stayed the whole day, gazing at that Palace, which was so changed
and transformed from what it was before, that he did not recognize it;
and in the evening, when going away, he said: "I die happy, because I
shall be able to carry to our craftsmen in the next world the news that
I have seen the dead restored to life, the ugly rendered beautiful, and
the old made young." Ridolfo lived seventy-five years, and died in the
year 1560; and he was buried with his forefathers in S. Maria Novella.

His disciple Michele, who, as I have said, is called by no other name
than Michele di Ridolfo, has painted in fresco, since Ridolfo left the
world of art, three great arches over certain gates of the city of
Florence; at S. Gallo, Our Lady, S. John the Baptist, and S. Cosimo,
which are executed with very beautiful mastery; at the Porta al Prato,
other similar figures; and, at the Porta alla Croce, Our Lady, S. John
the Baptist, and S. Ambrogio; with altar-pieces and pictures without
number, painted with good mastery. And I, on account of his goodness and
capacity, have employed him several times, together with others, in the
w