Montaghi of Florence, who surpassed every thing that had ever before been seen in ascending and dancing on the rope; but whoever knew a man, called Ruvidino, who died about ten years since, knows well that to him, the ascending to any lieight on a rope or cord, the springing from the walls of Florence to the earth, and walking on stilts much higher than those above-named, were things as easy as to other men is the walking on plain ground. Wherefore, it is by no means wonderful that the men of those times who, for the sake of gain, or from other motives, practised themselves in such exercises, should do what we have related, or even much more.
I will not here speak of the waxen tapers which were painted in many fanciful ways, but so clumsily, that they have given a name to inferior pictures, insomuch that people call badly executed paintings, “puppets of wax.” I will merely mention that, in the time of Cecca, these were for the most part laid aside. Chariots, resembling the triumphal cars now in use, were adopted at this time. The first of these was that of the Mint, which was brought to great perfection, as we may even now perceive, since the comptrollers and masters of the Mint permit it to appear every year on the festival of St. John.[1] On the upper part stands one who represents San Giovanni, with angels, and many other saints, around and beneath him, all represented by living persons. It was determined, no longtime since, that a chariot should be made for every place that should offer a wax-light, that the festival might be honoured magnificently, and these were constructed to the number of ten; but various events, which took place some short time afterwards, prevented that intention from being further proceeded with. That first chariot of the Mint, then, was made under the direction of Cecca, by Domenico, Marco, and Giuliano del Tasso,[2] who were then among the firs.t masters working in wood-carving that could be
- ↑ The Festival of St. John, after having undergone various changes, was solemnized for the last time in the year 1807. The Chariot of the Mint, with four others, then in existence, were destroyed during the French domination.
- ↑ To these members of the artistic family of Tasso, Vasari makes further allusion in the life of Benedetto Maiano. In the life of Niccolò Tribolo, another Tasso, also a worker in wood, is cited as the builder of the Loggia di Mercato Nuovo. —Ed. Flor.j 1832-8.
