For this he was rewarded by his Holiness with a Mazza’, the same being an office which he sold during the pontificate of Pope Paul III., obtaining two hundred scudi as its price. For the same Pope Clement, Giovanni engraved the four Evangelists on four round crystals. They were highly commended, and caused the master to obtain the favour and friendship of many most reverend and distinguished personages: above all they secured for him the good-will of Salviati and of the Cardinal Ippolito de’ Medici, that sole refuge and unfailing protection of artists, whose portrait Giovanni took in steel for medals. He also executed a work in crystal for the Cardinal Ippolito, the subject of which was the wife of Darius presented to Alexander the Great.
When the Emperor Charles Y. repaired to Bologna to be crowned, Giovanni made a portrait of that monarch in steel; and having formed a medal of gold with the same, he took it at once to the Emperor, who presented him with a hundred golden doubloons, and inquired of the master if he would accompany him into Spain. But Giovanni excused himself, affirming that he could not abandon the service of Pope Clement and the Cardinal Ippolito, for whom he had commenced works which were still incomplete.
Having returned from Bologna to Pome, Giovanni then executed for the above-named Cardinal de’ Medici a Pape of the Sabines, which was most beautiful. For all these things the Cardinal considered himself to be much indebted to Giovanni, and therefore showed him many courtesies, presenting him moreover with numerous gifts; but what was more than all, when the Cardinal was departing for France, and was conducted to a certain distance by many nobles and gentlemen, he turned to Giovanni, who was there among the rest, and taking from his own neck a small collar or chain, to which was appended a cameo worth more than six hundred scudi, he gave it to Giovanni, telling him that he was to keep it until his return, and vuth the intention then to reward him as he considered his great ability to deserve.
of this medal; and Benvenuto Cellini, in his Autobiogi’aphy, commends this master highly, declaring that nothing could give him so much pleasure as to have an opportunity of executing some work in competition with “that able man.”
