nor did he depart from that work until he had obtained the true glory of being reputed to possess the finest and most noble genius of all who were then employed thereon.
Meanwhile the love of Maturino for Polidoro, and that of Polidoro for Maturino, had so greatly increased, that they resolved, in the manner of true brothers and faithful companions, to live and die together;[1] wherefore having united their projects, their purses, and their labours, they began with one accord to work together. But there were at that time many painters in Rome who held much higher rank in art than themselves, and who merited, as they possessed, the reputation of giving to their works a more life-like and animated colouring, with a more noble and chastened manner, than had been acquired by our two artists; they consequently determined to imitate the methods of the Sienese master Baldassare, who had decorated several fronts of palaces in chiaroscuro; and seeing that this mode of ornament was much prevailing, they resolved to give their attention thenceforward to that branch in particular.
Their first work in this manner was commenced by our artists on Montecavallo, opposite to San Silvestro, where they laboured in company with Pellegrino da Modena, and that work gave them courage to attempt an undertaking well calculated to assist their decision as to whether this were to be their peculiar branch of art or not. They accordingly proceeded to decorate in a similar manner the fagade of a building opposite to the lateral door of San Salvatore del Lauro; they also painted an historical representation near the side door of the Minerva, with another at San Rocco-a-Ripetta, the last mentioned being a frieze composed of sea monsters. During this first period of their career many other works, some of less merit than those just named, were executed by Polidoro and Maturino in various parts of Rome, but these we need not further enumerate, since they afterwards produced examples in the same manner of much higher merit.
- ↑ How beautiful was the character of these two artists,” exclaims an admiring compatriot; “Maturino, already a master in art, feels no jealousy of the youth who thus suddenly presumes to emulate himself, nor does Polidoro repay the instructions and assistance rendered to him by Maturino with ingratitude. Not, indeed, that the conduct of Polidoro in this matter should or ought to awaken surprise, nor would it do so, were not examples to the contrary so grievously frequent.”
