e chapels built under his direction, in
a rare and beautiful manner, at Orvieto.

But returning to Baccio: his death was a great grief to the people of
Lucca, who had known him as a good and upright man, courteous to all,
and very loving. Baccio's works date about the year of our Lord 1533.
His dearest friend, who learnt many things from him, was Zaccaria da
Volterra, who executed many works in terra-cotta at Bologna, some of
which are in the Church of S. Giuseppe.

LORENZO DI CREDI

[Illustration: LORENZO DI CREDI: VENUS

(_Florence: Uffizi_, 3452. _Panel_)]

LIFE OF LORENZO DI CREDI

PAINTER OF FLORENCE

The while that Maestro Credi, an excellent goldsmith in his day, was
working in Florence with very good credit and repute, Andrea
Sciarpelloni placed with him, to the end that he might learn that craft,
his son Lorenzo, a young man of beautiful intellect and excellent
character. And since the ability and willingness of the master to teach
were not greater than the zeal and readiness with which the disciple
absorbed whatever was shown to him, no long time passed before Lorenzo
became not only a good and diligent designer, but also so able and
finished a goldsmith, that no young man of that time was his equal; and
this brought such honour to Credi, that from that day onward Lorenzo was
always called by everyone, not Lorenzo Sciarpelloni, but Lorenzo di
Credi.

Growing in courage, then, Lorenzo attached himself to Andrea Verrocchio,
who at that time had taken it into his head to devote himself to
painting; and under him, having Pietro Perugino and Leonardo da Vinci as
his companions and friends, although they were rivals, he set himself
with all diligence to learn to paint. And since Lorenzo took an
extraordinary pleasure in the manner of Leonardo, he contrived to
imitate it so well that there was no one who came nearer to it than he
did in the high finish and thorough perfection of his works, as may be
seen from many drawings that are in our book, executed with the style,
with the pen, or in water-colours, among which are some drawings made
from models of clay covered with waxed linen cloths and with liquid
clay, imitated with such diligence, and finished with such patience, as
it is scarcely possible to conceive, much less to equal.

For these reasons, then, Lorenzo was so beloved by his master, that,
when Andrea went to Venice to cast in bronze the horse and the statue
of Bartolommeo da