nters by the
principal door, there is a row of chapels formerly built by the
noble Della Ramma family, in one of which are seated figures of the
four Evangelists, painted on the vaulting by the hand of Stefano;
and behind their shoulders, for a background, he made certain
espaliers of roses, with a cane trellis-work in a pattern of
mandorle, above which are various trees and other greenery full of
birds, particularly of peacocks; and there are also some very
beautiful angels. In this same church, on a column on the right hand
as one enters, he painted a life-size figure of S. Mary Magdalene.
And in the same city, on the frontal of a door in the street called
Rompilanza, he painted in fresco a Madonna with the Child in her
arms, and some angels kneeling before her; and the background he
made of trees covered with fruit.

These, then, are the works that are found to have been executed by
Stefano, although it may well be believed, since his life was not a
short one, that he made many others. But even as I have not been
able to discover any more of them, so I have failed to find his
surname, his father's name, his portrait, or any other particulars.
Some declare that before he came to Florence he was a disciple of
Maestro Liberale, a painter of Verona; but this matters nothing. It
is enough that he learnt all that there was of the good in him from
Agnolo Gaddi in Florence.

[Illustration: PRESENTATION TO THE MADONNA OF THREE KNIGHTS OF THE
CAVALLI FAMILY

(_After the fresco by =Aldigieri da Zevio [Altichiero]=. Verona: S.
Anastasia_)

_Alinari_]

Of the same city of Verona was Aldigieri da Zevio, who was very much
the friend of the Signori della Scala, and who, besides many other
works, painted the Great Hall of their Palace (which is now the
habitation of the Podesta), depicting therein the War of Jerusalem,
according as it is described by Josephus. In this work Aldigieri
showed great spirit and judgment, distributing one scene over the
walls of that hall on every side, with a single ornament encircling
it right round; on the upper part of which ornament, as it were to
set it off, he placed a row of medallions, in which it is believed
that there are the portraits from life of many distinguished men of
those times, particularly of many of those Signori della Scala; but,
since the truth about this is not known, I will say no more of it. I
must say, indeed, that Aldigieri showed in this work that he had
intelligence,