tender memory of Gentile da Fabriano, who had been his
master and like a loving father to him. Now, when the said two sons had
grown to a certain age, Jacopo himself with all diligence taught them
the rudiments of drawing; but no long time passed before both one and
the other surpassed his father by a great measure, whereat he rejoiced
greatly, ever encouraging them and showing them that he desired them to
do as the Tuscans did, who gloried among themselves in making efforts
to outstrip each other, according as one after another took up the art:
even so should Giovanni vanquish himself, and Gentile should vanquish
them both, and so on in succession.

The first works that brought fame to Jacopo were the portraits of
Giorgio Cornaro and of Caterina, Queen of Cyprus; a panel which he sent
to Verona, containing the Passion of Christ, with many figures, among
which he portrayed himself from the life; and a picture of the Story of
the Cross, which is said to be in the Scuola of S. Giovanni Evangelista.
All these works and many others were painted by Jacopo with the aid of
his sons; and the last-named picture was painted on canvas, as it has
been almost always the custom to do in that city, where they rarely
paint, as is done elsewhere, on panels of the wood of that tree that is
called by many oppio[18] and by some gattice.[19] This wood, which grows
mostly beside rivers or other waters, is very soft, and admirable for
painting on, for it holds very firmly when joined together with
carpenters' glue. But in Venice they make no panels, and, if they do
make a few, they use no other wood than that of the fir, of which that
city has a great abundance by reason of the River Adige, which brings a
very great quantity of it from Germany, not to mention that no small
amount comes from Sclavonia. It is much the custom in Venice, then, to
paint on canvas, either because it does not split and does not grow
worm-eaten, or because it enables pictures to be made of any size that
is desired, or because, as was said elsewhere, they can be sent easily
and conveniently wherever they are wanted, with very little expense and
labour. Be the reason what it may, Jacopo and Gentile, as was said
above, made their first works on canvas.

[Illustration: JACOPO BELLINI: THE MADONNA AND CHILD

(_Florence: Uffizi, 1562. Panel_)]

To the last-named Story of the Cross Gentile afterwards added by himself
seven other pictures, or rather, eight, in which he pa