King of France, who had previously received a picture by the hand of the same artist.[1]
When Giulio Cardinal de’ Medici was created supreme Pontiff, and took the name of Clement VII. he caused Sebastiano to understand, by means of the Bishop of Vasona, that the time was come when his Holiness could be of service to him, a circumstance of which he (Sebastiano) should not fail to have proof when the occasion might present itself. Sebastiano meanwhile, being excellent at the taking of portraits as we have said, painted many from the life while he was entertaining the hope thus awakened, and among others was that of Pope Clement himself, who did not then wear his beard; of this portrait Sebastiano made a replica, the original being for the Bishop of Vasona: the repetition, which was of larger size, a half-length figure seated, is now in the possession of Sebastiano’s family.[2] He likewise portrayed the Florentine Anton Francesco degli Albizzi, who was then in Rome for certain of his affairs; a work of such merit that it does not seem to be painted but living: wherefore Anton Francesco, esteeming it as he might have done some precious jewel, despatched it to his home in Florence. The head and hands of this portrait are indeed a sort of miracle, to say nothing of the admirable manner in which the artist has depicted the velvets, linings, satins, and other portions of the picture. Sebastiano did certainly surpass all others in the painting of portraits; in that branch of art no one has ever equalled the delicacy and excellence of his work, and all Florence was amazed at this portrait of Anton Francesco.
About the same time our artist painted the likeness of Messer Pietro Aretino, and this also he executed in such a manner, that, not to mention the resemblance, which is nevertheless most exact, the picture is wonderful, if it were only for the difference which the painter has made so clearly
- ↑ There is now in the Louvre no other work by Sebastiano than the Visitation and the portrait of the sculptor Baccio Bandinelli.
- ↑ In the Museo Borbonico at Naples there is a portrait called that of Pope Alexander VI., but since that Pontiff died long before the period of Sebastiano’s artistic activity, it has been conjectured, and with reasons of some weight, the grounds for which cannot be given here, that this is the portrait now in question, and should be called Clement VII.
