Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects/Francia Bigio

by Giorgio Vasari

 

THE FLORENTINE PAINTER, FRANCIA BIGIO.

[born 1482—died 1524.]

The labours which we perform in this life, in the hope of lifting ourselves from the earth and shielding ourselves from poverty, administering not to our own necessities only but to those of our kindred, are rendered sweet to us rather than painful, and the toils thus endured become an example and a wholesome nutriment to others. Then the righteousness of Heaven perceiving this, and regarding the uprightness of life with the aspirations towards excellence, the love of study and industrious efibrt herein displayed, is compelled to be more than commonly favourable and helpful to the genius of such an one, as in truth it was to that of the Florentine painter, Francia Bigio.^[1]

For a good and just cause this master devoted himself to the art of painting, labouring therein, not so much because he was desirous of fame, as that he might thus be enabled to render assistance to his indigent relations, for Francia Bigio was born of poor artizans in a very low condition. Anxious to deliver himself from the disadvantages of his station, he was furthermore compelled to effort by his competition with Andrea del Sarto, who was at first his companion, and with whom he for a long time shared his dwelling and passed his life; these artists then painting in company, a mode of proceeding which served as an impulse to both, and caused them to make great progress in the art of painting.

In his early youth, Francia Bigio made his abode for some months with Mariotto Albertinelli, from whom he acquired the first principles of his art; he was more particularly disposed to the study of perspective, and devoting himself continually to this from the pleasure that he found in it, he obtained the reputation in Florence, even during his youth, of being very competent therein. The first works of Francia Bigio were executed in San Brancazio, a church opposite to his own dwelling; these paintings, which are in fresco, represent San Bernardo, and on a pilaster in the chapel of the Racellai family, he depicted a Santa Caterina da Siena, also in fresco;^[2] to both of these productions he gave infinite pains, and they presented a good example of the admirable qualities which he possessed in his art. But much more largely did a picture which he executed for a small chapel in San Pietro Maggiore contribute to his fame; it represents the Virgin with the Divine Child in her arms, it has also a figure of San Giovanni depicted in like manner as a child, and who is caressing the Infant Christ.^[3] Francia Bigio also gave proof of his excellence in San Giobbe, a church behind the monastery of the Servites in Florence, where he painted a fresco representing the Visitation of the Madonna, in a tabernacle which is placed in an angle of that church: in this figure of the Virgin, the benignity of Our Lady is rendered clearly apparent, and in that of the older woman there is the manifestation of the utmost reverence. In the picture of San G-iobbe (St. Job) the saint is depicted in his condition of poverty and leprosy as well as in his state of riches and health, and the performance thereof presented so clear a proof of the painter’s ability that it secured him great credit and reputation.^[4] The men who were then chief and rulers of that church and brotherhood, therefore commissioned him to paint the picture of the High Altar, in which Francia acquitted himself still better; the countenance of San Giovanni Battista in this work is the portrait of Francia himself, the picture also represents Our Lady and San Giobbe in his state of poverty.^[5]

The chapel of San Niccolo, in the church of the Santo Spirito in Florence, was at that time in course of construction, and herein had been placed the statue of the above-named saint, carved in wood after the model of JacojDO Sansovino, when Francia painted angels in two pictures in oil, which were placed one on each side of the statue and were much commended;^[6] in two medallions also he painted a story of the Annunciation, adorning the predella with delineations from the life of St. Niccolo; the figures of very small size, but the work executed with so much care that it well merits the highest praise.^[7] In San Pietro Maggiore, near the door and at the right hand on entering the church, is an Annunciation by this master, wherein the angel is seen hovering in the air, while the Madonna receives his salutation kneeling in a most graceful attitude: the building likewise, which he has here represented in perspective, has been greatly extolled as being very ingeniously made out.^[8] And of a truth, although the manner of Francia Bigio may be considered somewhat feeble, from the fact that he performed his works laboriously and with too much solicitude; he 'was nevertheless remarkably exact in observing the proportions demanded by art in all his figures, and was most careful in every respect.

In the cloister of the Servites which precedes the church, is a picture which Francia Bigio was commissioned to execute in competition with Andrea del Sarto; this represents the Marriage of Our Lady, and here the master has well expressed the great faith of San Giuseppe, whose countenance betokens the gladness which he experiences no less clearly than the awe by which he is inspired. In this scene Francia Bigio has introduced a figure who is giving the customary accolade to the bridegroom, as it is still usual to do in our own days on the o^ccasion of a wedding; and in another figure, which is nude, he has well expressed the anger and disappointment felt by one of the suitors of the Virgin, who is breaking in pieces the rod which had failed to produce the desired blossom.^[9] Of this and many other pictures by the same master we have the drawing in our book. Beautiful women with graceful head-dresses form the company of Our Lady, these being subjects which Francia Bigio ever delighted to depict, but there is not a single part of the whole work which he did not elaborate with the utmost care and forethought. There is a woman, for example, with an infant in her arms, who is about to return to her home, and who is inflicting a slight correction on another child, which has seated itself and will not go forward, as she would have him do; this last is w'eeping, and with one hand to its face, in a very graceful attitude, is half concealing its countenance. In a word, it may be truly affirmed that in every circumstance, small or great, which belongs to this story, the master has given proof of the utmost care and love, impelled by the desire which he felt to show other artists and good judges of Art, the veneration in which he held its demands, the study which he devoted to the difficulties thereof, and the zeal with which he laboured, by the imitation of the good, to promote his own improvement.

Now it happened that the Servite monks, on the occasion of a certain festival for which they were preparing, desired that the paintings of Andrea del Sarto and those of Francia Bigio should be uncovered for their feast; and as Francia had completed his work from the basement upwards on the night before the festival, these fathers, presuming and rash as they were, took it upon them to remove the coverings; not considering, in their ignorance of art, that Francia would most probably desire to retouch or improve the painting. In the morning therefore, when the pictures of Andrea and those of Francia were alike displayed, the news was soon carried to Francia, who was informed that his work as well as that of Andrea had been uncovered: this intelligence caused him such excessive vexation, nay, it grieved him so much, that he felt as one who was about to die; but immediately after, conceiving a violent rage against the monks for their presumption, and for the want of consideration which they had shown him, he hurried to the place at his utmost speed, and having mounted the scaffolding which had not yet been removed, although the painting was uncovered, he took uj3 one of the masons’ hammers which was lying there, beat the heads of two female figures in pieces, ruined that of the Madonna, and then falling on the nude figure, which was breaking the rod, he tore it almost entirely from the wall.

The monks hastened to the cloister at the uproar that ensued, and aided by certain of the laymen standing round, they succeeded, in restraining the hands of the painter, that he might not entirely destroy the whole work; but although they afterwards offered him double payment to restore his picture, yet the dislike he had conceived against them was such that he would never consent to do so. The reverence felt by other painters for the author of so admirable a work, as well as for the work itself, has in like manner withheld them from attempting its restoration, thus none have been found willing to finish it, for which reason it still remains in the condition we have described, as a memorial of the circumstance just related.^[10] So admirably is this fresco painted, meanwhile, such extraordinary care, so much love, and such beautiful freshness does it display, that Francia Bigio may be truly affirmed to have worked in fresco better than any man of his time; no one of them understanding so well as himself that application of fixed tempera colours by which he secured harmony and softness to his paintings; wherefore he has well merited to be extolled and held in the highest estimation for this as well as for others of his works.

At Rovezzano, a place situate without the Florentine gate of the Santa Croce, Francia Bigio depicted a Tabernacle with Christ on the Cross and certain Saints; and in the church of San Giovannino, which is near the gate of San Piero Gattolino,^[11] he painted a Last Supper in fresco.^[12]

No long time after the completion of these works, the painter Andrea del Sarto departed from his native city and repaired to France; and he, having commenced the decoration of a cloister with stories from the life of San Giovanni Battista in chiaro-scuro, for the company of the Barefooted Brethren in Florence, these men, desiring to have the work completed, commissioned Francia Bigio, to the end that he, being an imitator of the manner of Andrea, might continue, in similar sort, what the latter had begun. Whereupon Francia Bigio, having first finished the decorations entirely around one side of the cloister, then completed two stories, wherein he displayed the utmost diligence. These are, first San Giovanni Battista requiring permission from his father Zacharias to depart into the desert; and next the meeting of St. John and Our Saviour Christ on the way, with Joseph and Mary, who stand beside observing them embrace each other.^[13] But Francia Bigio did not continue the work further, seeing that the return of Andrea del Sarto caused the latter to resume his own labours in that cloister, where he conducted the decoratioDS to their completion.

Magnificent preparations were then to be made for the marriage of the Duke Lorenzo, and among these ivere two scenes painted in perspective for the dramatic representations to be given on that occasion, which Francia Bigio prepared in company with Ridolfo Ghirlandajo: all these things were arranged with much ability, they displayed a masterly judgment, with admirable grace of manner, and our artist obtained much reputation and great favour with the above-named Prince thereby. The works executed by Francia Bigio in his service caused our artist to be associated with Andrea di Cosimo, in the commission for gilding the Hall of the Palace at the Poggio a Cajano. He afterwards commenced a painting on one of the sides of that Hall, the subject chosen being Cicero drawn in triumph by the Roman people, which he executed in compe'tition with Andrea del Sarto and Jacopo da Pontormo; these paintings had been commended by the liberality of Pope Leo, in memory of Lorenzo his father, who had caused the building to be erected, and had furthermore proposed to have it decorated with representations from ancient history and with other ornaments, according to his pleasure.

These subjects had been selected and given to Andrea del Sarto, Jacopo da Pontormo, and Francia Bigio, by the very learned historian, Messer Paolo Giovio, Bishop of Nocera, who was then near the person of the Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici. Herein were the artists above-named to have given evidence of their ability, and left memorials of their perfection in art, and each received thirty ducats per month, from the magnificent Ottaviano de’ Medici, for his labour. Thereupon Francia for his part, to say nothing of the various beauties of the story depicted, executed certain buildings in perspective, which were singularly fine and in admirable proportion. But this undertaking remained unfinished at that time, on account of the death of Pope Leo, although it was afterwards recommenced in the year 1532 and by commission of the Duke Alessandro de’ Medici, by Jacopo da Pontormo, in whose hands it was delayed so long, that the duke died before its completion, and the work remained undone.^[14]

But to return to Francia: so zealously and with so much delight did this master study his art, that there was no day through the summer months, wherein he did not copy some nude figure from the life in his work-rooms, and to this end he kept persons constantly in his pay. At Santa Maria Nuova, Francia Bigio made an anatomical preparation of the whole human form, at the request of the eminent Florentine physician, Maestro Andrea Pasquali, and this caused the artist himself to make a great improvement in the practice of his art, which he ever continued to pursue with constantly increasing love. In the convent of Santa Maria Novella, Francia Bigio painted a figure of San Tommaso in the Lunette above the door of the library; the saint is engaged in disputation with heretics, whom he confounds by the power of his doctrine; an admirable work, executed with great care and in a very fine manner. Among other particulars of this painting may be mentioned two Children, in the ornamented frame-work by which it is surrounded; they support an escutcheon, and are indeed exquisite figures, full of the most attractive grace, and exhibiting an extraordinary beauty of manner on the part of the master.^[15]

Francia Bigio likewise painted a picture, the figures of which are very small, for Giovanni Maria Benintendi. This he executed in competition with Jacopo da Pontormo, who painted another of similar size for the same person; the last-named work represents the Adoration of the Magi: two others were in like manner depicted for the same Giovanni by Francesco d’ Albertino.^[16] The vcork here mentioned as that of Francia, represents David looking at Bathsheba in the Bath, and in this the artist has depicted certain female figures in a manner which is too licked^[17] and dainty. There is also a perspective view of a building, wherein the painter has placed the figure of David; the king is giving letters to the messengers who are to bear them to the camp, to the end that Uriah the Hittite may be exposed to death in the front of the battle: beneath a Loggia in this picture there is a royal banquet also, which is exceedingly beautiful. This work contributed greatly to the fame and honour of Francia Bigio, of whom it may be said, that though possessing much ability for the delineation of large figures, he was certainly still more remarkable for his execution of those of smaller size.^[18]

Francia Bigio also depicted many admirable portraits from life; among these may be more particularly mentioned one which he executed for his intimate friend Matteo SofiPeroni, and another, which was painted for a countryman, who was the steward of Pier Francesco de’ Medici, at the palace of San Girolamo in Fiesole. This last seems to be absolutely alive, and there were besides many others of great merit. This artist was not ashamed of doing any thing that appertained to his art, but would work at all manner of paintings and refused no work that was proposed to him, whence it sometimes happened that the hand of the master was given to objects of very inferior character; thus for the cloth-weaver, Arcangelo, whose dwelling is by the Porta Rossa, Francia Bigio painted a Noli me Tangere of extraordinary beauty on a tower which served this man as a terrace. He also executed other works of similar kind, seeing that his disposition was exceedingly obliging and he was ever ready to do a kindness, but of these we need make no further mention.

This master was a great lover of peace, and for that reason would never marry, but was frequently repeating the trite proverb which declares that

He who takes a wife,
May be sure of cares and strife.”

He would never leave Florence, and having seen some of the works of Rafiaello da Urbino, which caused him to feel that he was not equal to so great a man, nor yet to some others also of distinguished name, so he would never attempt a competition with artists of such excellence and renown. And of a truth, the most perfect wisdom and prudence to which a man can attain is that of knowing himself, and not presuming to think more of himself than his true value permits. Francia Bigio was not endowed by nature with great powers of invention, and the advantages wliich he possessed were acquired by long study and careful practice; yet having laboured much, he also acquired much. This master died in the year 1524, at which time he had attained his fortysecond year.^[19]

One of Francia’s disciples was his brother Agnolo, who died early; his v/orks are, therefore, but few. A frieze, which is in the cloister of San Brancazio, was executed by Agnolo, with some few other things. For the perfumer Ciano, who was an eccentric man, but much respected in his way, this Agnolo painted a figure to serve as a sign for his shop; a Gypsy woman namely, who is very gracefully depicted in the act of telling the fortune of a lady: the invention was that of Ciano himself, and was not without significance.^[20]

Another master who studied his art with Francia Bigio was Antonio di Donnino Mazzieri; he was exceedingly bold in design, and gave proof of great inventive power, more particularly in landscape; he was, besides, remarkable for the delineation of horses. This master painted the Cloister of Sant’ Agostino, at Monte Sansovino; a work in chiaro-scuro, representing events from the Old Testament: these stories, also, were highly commended. In the episcopal church of Arezzo, Antonio painted the chapel of San Matteo; here among other things he depicted that saint in the act of baptizing a king, and in this picture there is the portrait of a German so admirably done that the figure seems to be alive. For Francesco del Giocondo, Antonio painted stories of the Martyrs, in a chapel which is behind the choir in the church of the Servites in Florence; but he acquitted himself so badly on this occasion that he lost all his credit, and was thenceforward compelled to accept any kind of work that he could get.^[21]

Francia also taught his art to a youth called Visino,^[22] who, from what we see of him, seems likely to have become a very excellent master if he had not died young, as it was his fate to do. Francia Bigio had besides many other disciples, of whom I do not propose to make further mention. He was interred by the Brotherhood of San Giobbe in the church of San Brancazio, which is opposite to the house wherein he had dwelt. His death caused great regret to all good artists, seeing that he had been an able and ingenious master, and had ever shown himself to be a very diffident and upright man.

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1. Baldinucci calls this artist, Marcantonio Franciabigi, called Il Franciabigio,” but in a record of the Servite Monks we read that “his proper name was Francesco di Cristofano” (Francis, the son of Christopher); and this name is also found in the Libro Rosso of the Company of Painters, where that of Marcantonio does not appear. It would seem, therefore, that Francia was the contraction used in this case, instead of the more ordinary one of Cecco,” and that Bigio or Bigi was the family name.
2. These frescoes have long been destroyed.
3. This picture had disappeared from the church even before the demolition of that edifice.—Masselli.
4. This work is no longer in existence.—Masselli.
5. Now in the Florentine Gallery of the Uffizj, in the larger Hall of the Tuscan School.
6. Still in the place here indicated.
7. These works had disappeared fifty years before the time of Bottari.
8. The fate of this painting cannot now be ascertained with any certainty; it disappeared on the demolition of the church, which has been destroyed. —Ed. Flor. 1832-8.
9. The legend of the Roman Church to which this is an allusion, will bo in the recollection of our readers, but such as it may have escaped are reminded that among the numerous suitors of the Virgin, he whose dry and lifeless rod should flourish into a lily was, according to the legend, the husband appointed to her by the Divine will. It is needless to add that the rod of Joseph alone was found to have done so.
10. The work is still to be seen in the same state.—Masselli. Förster informs us that there is an unfinished picture by Francia Bigio, on the same subject, in the Gallery of Berlin.
11. This place is now called La Calza^ a name which it received from the form of the cowl worn by the Frati Ingesuati, who made their abode there for some years.— Masselli.
12. This is in the refectory of the old convent, which then belonged to the nuns called the Cavalieresse di Malta, the abbess of which was a Medici, for which reason the vessels on the table bear the arms of Medici, as well as the Cross of the Hierosalomitan Order.
13. Both are still in existence, although, like those of Andrea del Sarto, they have suffered considerable injury from time and ill treatment.
14. It was afterwards completed by Alessandro Allori, nephew and disciple of Angelo Bronzino. —Ed. Flor. 1832 -8.
15. Neither the St. Thomas nor the Children are now to be seen.—Ed. Flor. 1832-8.
16. Or rather, Francesco Ubertini, called II Bachiacca. —Ibid. One of the pictures here named is in Dresden.— Förster. Perhaps a San Sebastian, the principal figure being a corpse transfixed with arrows, but the subject of this work is disputed.
17. Leccato, licked; a very significant, if rather inelegant term, used to describe the hard, uniform, and laboured smoothness sometimes mistaken for finish. The French have found no lietter word, and they too occasionally speak of a painting as leché, but the expression is much too contemptuous to be used otherwise than sparingly.
18. This work, purchased by the Elector of Saxony (then King of Poland), in the last century, is at Dresden, bearing the inscription, “A. S., 1523.” It has been sometimes considered a work of Andrea del Sarto, but the A. S. here means Anno Saluiis. The figure called David by Vasari is believed to be Uriah.—German Edition of Vasari, 1845.
19. There is a fresco by this master in the Oratory of the Villa Dani, at Montici, near Florence; it represents the Madonna and Child, with St. Joseph and two Shepherds.— Ed. Flor., 1832-8.
20. All the works of Agnolo have perished. —Masselli.
21. The worts of this artist are also lost or destroyed. —Masselli.
22. See the life of Mariotto Albertinelli, vol. ii.