one altogether worthy of that great King’s magnanimity, as well as of the admirable genius wherewith Heaven had endowed Fra Giocondo. Wherefore the latter obtained, as he deserved, not only the inscription to his praise, which is still to be seen on those works themselves, but also the following most beautiful distich, composed to his honour by the distinguished poet Sannazzaro:—[1]
Jocundus geminum imposuit tibi, Sequana, pontem;
Hunc tu jure potis discere Pontificem.
Fra Giocondo executed many other works for that King in various parts of his kingdom, but I make mention of these alone, as being the principal, and do not propose to speak of others. Repairing afterwards to Rome, and being in that city at the time of Bramante’s death. Fra Giocondo was entrusted with the charge of continuing the church of San Pietro, a commission which he held in conjunction with Raffaello da Urbino and Giuliano da San Gallo, to the end that the fabric commenced by the above named Bramante might be carried forward. But certain parts of the building were giving evidence of weakness and decay, from having been hastily executed, as well as from other causes, of which mention has already been made in another place. By the advice of Fra Giocondo, Raffaello, and Giuliano, therefore, the foundations were in a great measure renewed, in which process, persons who were present thereat and are still living, declare that they pursued the methods hereafter described. They caused numerous cavities of large size to be dug beneath the foundations at due distance from each other, and in the manner of wells, but of a square form; these they filled with masonry, and between every two of these piers, for so the excavations thus filled may be called, they threw very strong arches, which, crossing the ground beneath, eventually supplied a new foundation, on which the whole fabric was thus placed without having suffered injury or disturbance, while the building was secured from all danger of further deterioration.
- ↑ Let him be forgiven, our good Giorgio, if he hath not known better than to call the above “most beautiful,” for are we not already warned that his “hand of a limner, was always more familiar with the pencil than the pen, his eyes more frequently bent on the palette than on the book!”
admiration of Scamozzi, who declared that he had seen no better work in Paris than this. — Ed. Flor., 1832-8.
