g, and gazing with such deep contemplation at the
Madonna, with the Child in her arms, being borne by many angels and
children, all coloured with great delicacy, that there is clearly
perceived in him a certain celestial quality, I know not what, which
seems, to him who studies it with attention, to shine out over that
work, into which Baccio put much diligence and love; not to mention
an arch executed in fresco, which is above it. He also made some
pictures for Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici; and for Agnolo Doni he
painted a picture of Our Lady, which stands on the altar of a chapel
in his house--a work of extraordinary beauty.

At this time the painter Raffaello da Urbino came to Florence to
study his art, and taught the best principles of perspective to Fra
Bartolommeo; and desiring to acquire the friar's manner of
colouring, and being pleased with his handling of colours and his
method of harmonizing them, Raffaello was always in his company.
Fra Bartolommeo painted about the same time, in S. Marco at
Florence, a panel with an infinite number of figures, which is now
in the possession of the King of France, having been presented to
him after being exposed to view for many months in S. Marco.
Afterwards, he painted another in that convent, containing an
endless number of figures, in place of the one that was sent into
France; in which picture are some children who are flying in the air
and holding open a canopy, executed with such good drawing and art,
and with such strong relief, that they appear to stand out from the
panel, while the colouring of the flesh reveals that beauty and
excellence which every able craftsman seeks to give to his pictures;
and this work is still considered at the present day to be most
excellent. In it are many figures surrounding a Madonna, all most
admirable, and executed with grace, feeling, boldness, spirit, and
vivacity; and coloured, moreover, in so striking a manner, that they
seem to be in relief, since he wished to show that he was able not
only to draw, but also to give his figures force and make them stand
out by means of the darkness of the shadows, as may be seen in some
children who are round a canopy, upholding it, who, as they fly
through the air, almost project from the panel. Besides this, there
is an Infant Christ who is marrying S. Catherine the Nun, than which
it would not be possible to paint anything more lifelike with the
dark colouring that he used. There is a circle