n to the service and favour of the
King, commissioned him to paint two pictures. In one of these Andrea
painted Abraham in the act of trying to sacrifice his son; and that with
such diligence, that it was judged that up to that time he had never
done anything better. Beautifully expressed in the figure of the
patriarch was seen that living and steadfast faith which made him ready
without a moment of dismay or hesitation to slay his own son. The same
Abraham, likewise, could be seen turning his head towards a very
beautiful little angel, who appeared to be bidding him stay his hand. I
will not describe the attitude, the dress, the foot-wear, and other
details in the painting of that old man, because it is not possible to
say enough of them; but this I must say, that the boy Isaac, tender and
most beautiful, was to be seen all naked, trembling with the fear of
death, and almost dead without having been struck. The same boy had only
the neck browned by the heat of the sun, and white as snow those parts
that his draperies had covered during the three days' journey. In like
manner, the ram among the thorns seemed to be alive, and Isaac's
draperies on the ground rather real and natural than painted. And in
addition there were some naked servants guarding an ass that was
browsing, and a landscape so well represented that the real scene of the
event could not have been more beautiful or in any way different. This
picture, having been bought by Filippo Strozzi after the death of Andrea
and the capture of Battista, was presented by him to Signor Alfonso
Davalos, Marchese del Vasto, who had it carried to the island of Ischia,
near Naples, and placed in one of his apartments in company with other
most noble paintings.

In the other picture Andrea painted a very beautiful Charity, with three
little boys; and this was afterwards bought from the wife of Andrea,
after his death, by the painter Domenico Conti, who sold it later to
Niccolo Antinori, who treasures it as a rare work, as indeed it is.

During this time there came to the Magnificent Ottaviano de' Medici,
seeing from that last picture how much Andrea had improved his manner, a
desire to have a picture by his hand. Whereupon Andrea, who was eager to
serve that lord, to whom he was much indebted, because he had always
shown favour to men of lofty intellect, and particularly to painters,
executed for him a picture of Our Lady seated on the ground with the
Child riding astride o