At the time when Ridolfo Ghirlandajo was occupied with the many works which he executed in Florence, as will be related hereafter, he constantly, continuing the habit of his father, kept a number of young men painting in his bottega, the result of which was, that labouring thus in emulation of each other, not a few of them became very excellent masters, some distinguishing themselves in taking portraits from the life, some in fresco painting, some in tempera, and others in rapidly painting pictures on canvas. Employing these disciples, therefore, in the execution of works on panel or canvas, Ridolfo, to his no small profit, sent a large number of such pictures, in the course of a few years, to England, Germany, and Spain. Two of these disciples, Baccio Gotti and Toto del Nunziata, were afterwards invited, the one into France by King Francesco, the other into England by the king of that country; both of whom were induced to require their services from having previously seen works executed by them. Two others of his disciples remained many years with Ridolfo, and this because, although they also were invited into Spain and Hungary by many merchants and others, yet they never could be prevailed on, whether by gold or fair promises, to resign the delights of their native land, where they had indeed more labours proposed to them than they were able to accomplish.
One of these last-mentioned artists was the Florentine Antonio del Ceraiuolo, who, having been for many years with Lorenzo di Credi, had learned from him to draw so well from nature, that he made his portraits exactly similar to the life, and that with the utmost facility, although in other things the drawing of Antonio was not particularly good. I have seen heads from the life by his hand, for example, which though they had the nose awry, with one lip large and the other small, or other defects of a similar kind, have nevertheless a very faithful resemblance to the original, because he had the faculty of catching the exact expression and air of him whom he portrayed; while on the other hand, many excellent masters have executed pictures and portraits of the highest perfection as regarded art, but which yet have but little resemblance, or perhaps none at all, to the person for wdiom they are designed. Now it is a truth, that he who takes portraits, should labour, not so much with reference to
