not be
more natural. The nose, with its beautiful nostrils, rosy and
tender, appeared to be alive. The mouth, with its opening, and with
its ends united by the red of the lips to the flesh-tints of the
face, seemed, in truth, to be not colours but flesh. In the pit of
the throat, if one gazed upon it intently, could be seen the beating
of the pulse. And, indeed, it may be said that it was painted in
such a manner as to make every valiant craftsman, be he who he may,
tremble and lose heart. He made use, also, of this device: Monna
Lisa being very beautiful, he always employed, while he was painting
her portrait, persons to play or sing, and jesters, who might make
her remain merry, in order to take away that melancholy which
painters are often wont to give to the portraits that they paint.
And in this work of Leonardo's there was a smile so pleasing, that
it was a thing more divine than human to behold; and it was held to
be something marvellous, since the reality was not more alive.

By reason, then, of the excellence of the works of this most divine
craftsman, his fame had so increased that all persons who took
delight in art--nay, the whole city of Florence--desired that he
should leave them some memorial, and it was being proposed
everywhere that he should be commissioned to execute some great and
notable work, whereby the commonwealth might be honoured and adorned
by the great genius, grace and judgment that were seen in the works
of Leonardo. And it was decided between the Gonfalonier and the
chief citizens, the Great Council Chamber having been newly
built--the architecture of which had been contrived with the
judgment and counsel of Giuliano da San Gallo, Simone Pollaiuolo,
called Il Cronaca, Michelagnolo Buonarroti, and Baccio d' Agnolo, as
will be related with more detail in the proper places--and having
been finished in great haste, it was ordained by public decree that
Leonardo should be given some beautiful work to paint; and so the
said hall was allotted to him by Piero Soderini, then Gonfalonier of
Justice. Whereupon Leonardo, determining to execute this work, began
a cartoon in the Sala del Papa, an apartment in S. Maria Novella,
representing the story of Niccolo Piccinino, Captain of Duke
Filippo of Milan; wherein he designed a group of horsemen who were
fighting for a standard, a work that was held to be very excellent
and of great mastery, by reason of the marvellous ideas that he had
in composing th