the magnificent noblemen of Venice
throughout the whole course of his life.

[Illustration: ANTONELLO DA MESSINA: PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN

(_Berlin: Kaiser Friedrich Museum, 18. Panel_)]

Among the painters who were then in repute in Venice, a certain Maestro
Domenico was held very excellent. This man, on the arrival of Antonello
in Venice, received him with such great lovingness and courtesy, that he
could not have shown more to a very dear and cherished friend. For this
reason Antonello, who would not be beaten in courtesy by Maestro
Domenico, after a few months taught him the secret and method of
colouring in oil. Nothing could have been dearer to Domenico than this
extraordinary courtesy and friendliness; and well might he hold it dear,
since it caused him, as he had foreseen, to be greatly honoured ever
afterwards in his native city. Grossly deceived, in truth, are those who
think that, while they grudge to others even those things that cost them
nothing, they should be served by all for the sake of their sweet smile,
as the saying goes. The courtesies of Maestro Domenico Viniziano wrested
from the hands of Antonello that which he had won for himself with so
much fatigue and labour, and which he would probably have refused to
hand over to any other even for a large sum of money. But since, with
regard to Maestro Domenico, we will mention in due time all that he
wrought in Florence, and who were the men with whom he generously shared
the secret that he had received as a courteous gift from another, let us
pass to Antonello.

After the panel for S. Cassiano, he made many pictures and portraits for
various Venetian noblemen. Messer Bernardo Vecchietti, the Florentine,
has a painting by his hand of S. Francis and S. Dominic, both in the one
picture, and very beautiful. Then, after receiving a commission from the
Signoria to paint certain scenes in their Palace (which they had refused
to give to Francesco di Monsignore of Verona, although he had been
greatly favoured by the Duke of Mantua), he fell sick of a pleurisy and
died at the age of forty-nine, without having set a hand to the work. He
was greatly honoured in his obsequies by the craftsmen, by reason of the
gift bestowed by him on art in the form of the new manner of colouring,
as the following epitaph testifies:

D. O. M.

ANTONIUS PICTOR, PRAECIPUUM MESSANAE SUAE ET SICILIAE TOTIUS
ORNAMENTUM, HAC HUMO CONTEGITUR. NON SOL