stout beams of timber to be
brought to the place, in order to make a tent-shaped roof; but this
did not please the citizens, and they would not have it put into
execution. And so the building remained for many years without a
roof, until, in the year 1561, the Wardens of Works besought Duke
Cosimo that his Excellency should so favour them as to cause that
tribune to be vaulted. Whereupon, in order to meet their wishes, the
Duke ordered Giorgio Vasari to go there and see whether he could
find some method of vaulting it; and he, having done this, made a
model raising the building to the height of eight braccia above the
cornice that Ventura had left, in order to make buttresses for it;
and he decreased the breadth of the passage that runs right round
between the walls, and reinforced the building with buttresses,
besides binding the corners and the parts below the passages that
Ventura had made, between the windows, with stout keys of iron,
double at the angles; which secured the whole in such a manner that
the vault could be raised with safety. Whereupon his Excellency was
pleased to visit the place, and, being satisfied with everything,
gave orders for the work to be executed; and so all the buttresses
have been built, and a beginning has already been made with the
raising of the cupola. Thus, then, the work of Ventura will become
richer, greater in size and adornment, and better in proportions;
but he truly deserves to have record made of him, since that
building is the most noteworthy modern work in the city of Pistoia.

FOOTNOTE:

[14] The word "calavano" has been substituted here for the
"cavavano" of the text, which gives no sense.

[15] These numbers are missing from the text.

FRA BARTOLOMMEO DI SAN MARCO

LIFE OF FRA BARTOLOMMEO DI SAN MARCO

[_BACCIO DELLA PORTA_]

PAINTER OF FLORENCE

Near the territory of Prato, which is ten miles distant from
Florence, in a village called Savignano, was born Bartolommeo,
known, according to the Tuscan custom, by the name of Baccio. He,
having shown in his childhood not merely inclination, but also
aptitude, for drawing, was placed, through the good services of
Benedetto da Maiano, with Cosimo Rosselli, and lodged in the house
of some relatives of his own, who lived at the Porta a S. Piero
Gattolini; where he stayed for many years, so that he was never
called or known by any other name than that of Baccio della Porta.

After taking his leave of Cos