departed from Naples and made his way back to Rome, where he stayed for
some time, attending to the studies of his art, and also to some work.

Afterwards, having returned to Tuscany, he built the marble chapel
containing the baptismal font in the Church of S. Jacopo at Pistoia, and
with much diligence executed the basin of that font, with all its
ornamentation. And on the main wall of the chapel he made two lifesize
figures in half-relief--namely, S. John baptizing Christ, a work
executed very well and with a beautiful manner. At the same time he made
some other little works, of which there is no need to make mention. I
must say, indeed, that although these things were wrought by Andrea
rather with the skill of his hand than with art, yet there may be
perceived in them a boldness and an excellence of taste worthy of great
praise. And, in truth, if such craftsmen had a thorough knowledge of
design united to their practised skill and judgment, they would vanquish
in excellence those who, drawing perfectly, only hack the marble when
they set themselves to work it, and toil at it painfully with a sorry
result, through not having practice and not knowing how to handle the
tools with the skill that is necessary.

After these works, Andrea executed a marble panel that was placed
exactly between the two flights of steps that ascend to the upper choir
in the Church of the Vescovado at Fiesole; in which panel he made three
figures in the round and some scenes in low-relief. And for S. Girolamo,
at Fiesole, he made the little marble panel that is built into the
middle of the church. Having come into repute by reason of the fame of
these works, Andrea was commissioned by the Wardens of Works of S. Maria
del Fiore, at the time when Cardinal Giulio de' Medici was governing
Florence, to make a statue of an Apostle four braccia in height; at that
time, I mean, when four other similar statues were allotted at one and
the same moment to four other masters--one to Benedetto da Maiano,
another to Jacopo Sansovino, a third to Baccio Bandinelli, and the
fourth to Michelagnolo Buonarroti; which statues were eventually to be
twelve in number, and were to be placed in that part of that magnificent
temple where there are the Apostles painted by the hand of Lorenzo di
Bicci. Andrea, then, executed his rather with fine skill and judgment
than with design; and he acquired thereby, if not as much praise as the
others, at least the name of a good an