Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 3.djvu/388

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lives of the artists.

and in a whole-length figure, represented in the act of adoring the Infant Saviour, is the portrait of M. Marco Loredano.[1] For the Carmelite Monks, Lorenzo Lotto painted a picture of St. Nicholas appearing in the air in his episcopal robes, and attended by three Angels: at his feet are Santa Lucia and San Giovanni, above them are clouds, and beneath is a very beautiful landscape, with many small figures and animals; on one side is St. George in combat with the Dragon, at a short distance is seen the Damsel,[2] with a city, and part of the sea-coast.[3] For the chapel of Sant’ Antonino, Archbishop of Florence, in the church of San Giovanni-e Paolo, Lorenzo painted a picture of the above-named Saint, seated with two ministering priests near him, and a vast crowd of people beneath.[4]

While this artist was still young and followed partly the manner of the Bellini, partly that of Giorgione, he painted the picture of the High Altar for the church of San Domenico, at Bicanati. This work is divided into six compartments: in that of the centre is Our Lady, with the Divine Child in her arms, she is presenting the Habit of his Order, by the hands of an angel, to San Domenico, who is kneeling before her: here also are two Children, one of whom is sounding a lute, the other a rebeck: in the second picture are the Popes Sant’ Urban and San Gregorio: and in the third is St. Thomas Aquinas with another Saint, who was a Bishop of Eicanati. Above these three pictures are the other three; that of the centre, the one over the Madonna namely, representing our vSaviour Christ, dead and supported by an Angel, with the Virgin Mother, who kisses the arm of the Saviour; and Santa Maria Maddalena near her: over the picture of San Gregorio is again depicted the figure of Santa Maria Maddalena, with San Vincenzio; in the third, that above San Tommaso d’ Aquino namely, are San Sigismondo and Santa Caterina of Siena. The predella is adorned with three

  1. The fate of these works is not known.
  2. “Cleodolinda, the king’s daughter,” namely, saved by St, George from the Dragon. For the well-known legend of this saint the reader is referred to the Sacred and Legendary Art, vol. ii. p. 4.
  3. Still in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine, in Venice, but grievously injured by an ignorant restorer.— Ed. Flor., 1832-8.
  4. This work has also suffered considerably, but is still in the Church of San Giovanni-e-Paolo, in Venice.