Messer Antonio da Lucca and Ser Raffaello, both of which are very good.
In the year 1525, and when the plague was raging in Rome, Perino del Vaga came from that city to Florence, and he also began to resort to the son of lame Sandro, the Priest, Ser Raffaello. Thereupon a strict intimacy was established, after a time, between Perino and Giovan Antonio Lappoli, by whom the great ability of Perino was instantly perceived, and who, feeling his love of painting re-awakened by the influence of that artist, abandoned all other pleasures, and, once more devoting himself to Art, resolved that when the pestilence had ceased, he would accompany Perino to Rome. But this intention was not carried into effect, seeing that the plague afterwards reachEd. Flor.nce, and they were both compelled, if they would not leave their lives in that city, to depart on the instant, which they did so soon as Perino had finished the picture of King Pharaoh’s submersion in the Red Sea, which he painted in chiaro-scuro for Ser Raffaello, and during the execution of which, Giovan-Antonio was constantly present.
They departed from Florence wnen that work was completed, and Giovan-Antonio then returned to Arezzo, where he set himself to paint a picture on cloth by way of passing the time; the subject he chose was the Death of Orpheus, torn to pieces by the Bacchantes, and when the picture, which was in chiaro-scuro of the colour of bronze, after the manner which Giovan-Antonio had seen Perino adopt in the work abovementioned, was finished, he received considerable commendation for his work.[1] He afterwards undertook the completion of a painting which Domenico Pecori, who had formerly been his master, as we have said, had commenced for the nuns of Santa Margherita; and in this picture, which is now in the convent of those nuns,[2] Giovan Antonio painted an Annunciation. He also prepared cartoons for two portraits from the life, half lengths, which are very beautiful; they represent, the one Lorenzo d’ Antonio di Giorgio, who was at that time a singularly handsome youth; and the other, Piero Guazzesi, a joyous companion and man of jovial life.[3]
