ing in presence of the marvels therein contained. Andrea del Sarto more particularly had received from nature so graceful and soft a manner in design, with a mode of colouring so life-like and easy, as well in fresco as in oil, that all were firmly persuaded of the success that must have attended him had he remained in Rome; nay, there are not wanting those who atfirm that he would in that case, without doubt, have surpassed all the artists of his time.[1]
It is the opinion of some persons that Andrea was prevented from settling himself in Rome by the discouragement which the sight of the works executed there, whether in sculpture or painting, and ancient as well as modern, occasioned him, a feeling that was further increased by the numerous disciples of Raifaello[2] and other young artists, whom he perceived to possess great power in design, and saw executing their works with a bold and firm hand which knew neither doubt nor difficulty. All this, timid as he was, deprived Andrea of courage to make trial of himself, it caused him to distrust his own powers, and he decided that for him it would be better to return to Florence, where, recalling with care and reflecting at his leisure on all that he had seen, he profited to such a degree that his works are, and ever have been, held in the highest estimation; nay, what is more, they have been more frequently copied and imitated since his death than while he lived; they are highly prized by those who possess them, and all who have been willing to sell them have received three times as much for
- ↑ Of the many qualities that must have been imparted to Andrea del Sarto before he could have ventured to compete with the divine Raphael, this is not the place to speak. Vasari is manifestly in error on the point he has here mooted, but the estimation in which the powers of Andrea were held by Michael Angelo likewise, may be inferred from a remark of that master to Raphael, which we find cited in Bocchi, Bellezze di Firenze. “There is a bit of a mannikin in Florence,” observes Michael Angelo, “who, if he had chanced to be employed in great undertakings as you have happened to be, would compel you to look well about you.” How far the desire of Michael Angelo to mortify Raphael may have affected the remark thus made, we leave our readers to judge.
- ↑ It would appear from these words that Raphael had died before the arrival of Andrea in Rome. Bottari disbelieves this assertion, but Lanzi upholds the credit and veracity of our author with perfect success. —See Storia Pittorica (English edition), vol. i., p. 155.
