Page:Biographical catalogue of the principal Italian painters.djvu/220

UBEETINI— UDINE. 189 Scythian tradition, in* which several claimed to be the son and heir of a Scythian prince who had just died, and the test of the genuine heir was to be the best shot with an arrow through the heart of the deceased; when the youngest competitor declined on the plea that his father's heart was too dear to bim, even in death, to be made a mark for his bow. In San Lorenzo at Florence are two other works by Uber- tini. And Vasari remarks that many of his pictures were sent to France and to this country. He excelled also in paint- ing animals of all kinds, and was a dis- tinguished decorator. He died in the service of the Grand-Duke Cosmo L when engaged on some designs for the curtains of the state bed being pre- pared for the marriage of the Prince Francesco de' Medici with Joanna of Austria, which was completed by Va- sari. The embroidery was executed by Francesco's brother Antonio Uber- tini. Angelo Bronzino introduced the Portrait of Bacchiacca, with that of Jacopo da Pontormo and others in his picture of Limbo, in the Florentine Gallery. {Vasari, Baldinucci.) UCCELLO, Paolo, called also Paolo Di DoNO, b. at Florence, 1396-7, d, about 1479. Tuscan School. Nothing is known of his education ; he was the companion of Ghiberti and Donatello, and was the first Italian artist who re- duced the principles of perspective to rule: he was acquainted with geome- try, which he read with Giovanni Manetti. His love of perspective made him comparatively skilful in foreshort- ening. Vasari remarks, that Uccello would have proved one of the ablest painters of Italy, from Giotto down to his own time, had he paid as much attention to men and animals as he did to perspective. He was fond of introducing animals and birds into his pictures, and was called Uccello, from his predilection for birds. He painted in fresco and in distemper, but most of his works have perished ; his principal were some pictures, in green earth, in Santa Maria Novella, where he illus- trated the history of Adam and Eve, and of Noah and the Deluge. He ex- celled in landscape. Works. Santa Maria Novella, the Sacrifice of Noah ; cathedral, Eques- trian portrait of John Hawkwood, an English military adventurer who died in 1393: Santa Maria Maggiore, the Annunciation: Uffizj, >a Battle-piece, marked Paoli Uceli opus ; two other similar pieces in the collection of SS. Lombardi and Baldi ; these are three of the four battles mentioned by Vasari as at Gualfonda. Louvre, Bust-Por- traits of Giotto, Uccello, Donatello, iBru- nelleschi, and Giovanni Manetti, as representing painting, perspective and animal painting, ^sculpture, architec- ture, and mathematics. ( Vasari, Gaye.) UDINE, Giovanni da, b, October 27, 1487, d, at Home, 1564. Eoman School. His family name was Eicama- tori, from the occupation of embroi- dering. He was at first the scholar of Giorgione, and subsequently studied under Eaphael at Home, where he exe- cuted an important portion of the decorations of the Vatican Loggie. An excellent picture, attributed to Gio- vanni, in the Academy at Venice, proves that he was an able disciple of the Venetian School previous to his Eoman visit; it represents Christ among the Doctors, and is a calm and beautiful composition. Giovanni was, however, chiefly a decorative painter, and was in his tinie unrivalled in his representations of animals, birds, fruit, flowers, and objects of still life of all kinds. VaCsari especially mentions a book of birds, which delighted Eaphael, who employed him to make copies and studies from the beautiful grotesque ornaments in the apartments of the ancient baths of Titus at Eome, which