by the hand of Francesco, little more than two span in
height, and belonging to his nephew Benedetto Baroni, in which is a
Madonna painted in oils, from the breast upwards, and almost life-size,
and, lower down, in the corner of the picture, the Child, seen from the
shoulders upwards, with one arm uplifted and in the act of caressing His
Mother. It is related, I say, that, when the Emperor was master of
Verona, Don Alfonso of Castille and Alarcon, a very famous Captain,
happened to be in that city on behalf of His Majesty and the Catholic
King; and that these lords, being in the house of the Veronese Count
Lodovico da Sesso, said that they had a great desire to see that
picture. Whereupon it was sent for; and one evening they were standing
contemplating it in a good light, and admiring its masterly workmanship,
when Signora Caterina, the wife of the Count, entered into the room
where those noblemen were, together with one of her sons, who had on his
wrist one of those green birds--called in Verona "terrazzani,"[7]
because they make their nests on the ground--which learn to perch on the
wrist, like hawks. It happened, then, that, while she stood with the
others contemplating the picture, the bird, seeing the extended arm and
wrist of the painted Child, flew to perch upon it; but, not having been
able to find a hold on the surface of the painting, and having
therefore fallen to the ground, it twice returned to settle on the
wrist of that painted Child, precisely as if it had been one of those
living children who were always holding it on their wrists. At which
those noblemen, being amazed, offered to pay a great price to Benedetto
for the picture, if only he would give it to them; but it was not
possible by any means to wrest it from him. Not long afterwards the same
persons planned to have it stolen from him on the day of the festival of
S. Biagio in S. Nazzaro; but the owner was informed of this, and their
design did not succeed.

For S. Paolo, in Verona, Francesco painted a panel-picture in gouache,
which is very beautiful, and another, also most beautiful, for the
Chapel of the Bandi in S. Bernardino. In Mantua he executed for Verona a
picture with two most lovely nudes, a Madonna in the sky, with the Child
in her arms, and some Angels, all marvellous figures, which is in the
chapel where S. Biagio is buried, in the Black Friars Church of S.
Nazzaro.

Francesco was a man of saintly life, and the enemy of every vice,