S. Lorenzo he wrought a panel with another Annunciation; with one for
the Della Stufa Chapel, which he did not finish. For a chapel in S.
Apostolo, in the same city, he painted a panel with some figures round a
Madonna. In Arezzo, by order of Messer Carlo Marsuppini, he painted the
panel of the Chapel of S. Bernardo for the Monks of Monte Oliveto,
depicting therein the Coronation of Our Lady, surrounded by many saints;
which picture has remained so fresh, that it appears to have been made
by the hand of Fra Filippo at the present day. It was then that he was
told by the aforesaid Messer Carlo to give attention to the painting of
the hands, seeing that his works were much criticized in this respect;
wherefore from that day onwards, in painting hands, Fra Filippo covered
the greater part of them with draperies or with some other contrivance,
in order to avoid the aforesaid criticism. In this work he portrayed the
said Messer Carlo from the life.

[Illustration: THE VIRGIN ADORING

(_After the panel by =Fra Filippo Lippi=. Florence: Accademia, 79_)

_Anderson_]

For the Nuns of Annalena in Florence he painted a Manger on a panel; and
some of his pictures are still to be seen in Padua. He sent two little
scenes with small figures, painted by his hand, to Cardinal Barbo in
Rome; these were very excellently wrought, and executed with great
diligence. Truly marvellous was the grace with which he painted, and
very perfect the harmony that he gave to his works, for which he has
been ever esteemed by craftsmen and honoured by our modern masters
with consummate praise; nay, so long as the voracity of time allows his
many excellent labours to live, he will be held in veneration by every
age. In Prato, near Florence, where he had some relatives, he stayed for
many months, executing many works throughout that whole district in
company with Fra Diamante, a friar of the Carmine, who had been his
comrade in the noviciate. After this, having been commissioned by the
Nuns of S. Margherita to paint the panel of their high-altar, he was
working at this when there came before his eyes a daughter of Francesco
Buti, a citizen of Florence, who was living there as a ward or as a
novice. Having set eyes on Lucrezia (for this was the name of the girl),
who was very beautiful and graceful, Fra Filippo contrived to persuade
the nuns to allow him to make a portrait of her for a figure of Our Lady
in the work that he was doing for them. With this