iving in an angry mood, in no way
certain as to what he wished to do, afflicted in mind, feeble in body,
and weakened by everlasting medicines, when finally he fell ill with the
illness of death, which carried him in a short time to the last
extremity, without having given him time to make a complete disposal of
his possessions. To a disciple called Annibale, the son of Nanni di
Baccio Bigio, he left sixty crowns a year on the Monte delle Farine,
fourteen pictures, and all his designs and other art possessions. The
rest of his property he left to Suor Gabriella, his sister, a nun,
although I understand that she did not receive, as the saying goes, even
the "cord of the sack." However, there must have come into her hands a
picture painted on cloth of silver, with embroidery around it, which he
had executed for the King of Portugal or of Poland, whichever it was,
and left to her to the end that she might keep it in memory of him. All
his other possessions, such as the offices that he had bought after
unspeakable fatigues, all were lost.

Francesco died on S. Martin's Day, the 11th of November, in the year
1563, and was buried in S. Gieronimo, a church near the house where he
lived. The death of Francesco was a very great loss to art, seeing that,
although he was fifty-four years of age and weak in health, he was
continually studying and working, cost what it might; and at the very
last he had set himself to work in mosaic. It is evident that he was
capricious, and would have liked to do many things; and if he had found
a Prince who could have recognized his humour and could have given him
works after his fancy, he would have achieved marvellous things, for, as
we have said, he was rich, fertile, and most exuberant in every kind of
invention, and a master in every field of painting. He gave great beauty
and grace to every kind of head, and he understood the nude as well as
any other painter of his time. He had a very graceful and delicate
manner in painting draperies, arranging them in such a way that the nude
could always be perceived in the parts where that was required, and
clothing his figures in new fashions of dress; and he showed fancy and
variety in headdresses, foot-wear, and every other kind of ornament. He
handled colours in oils, in distemper, and in fresco in such a manner,
that it may be affirmed that he was one of the most able, resolute,
bold, and diligent craftsmen of our age, and to this we, who associated