and constantly abode by the Flemish manner; nay, even Albert Dürer, though he did come into Italy, as we have before said, yet always held to the same manner, exhibiting extraordinary animation and power in his heads, as is well known to all Europe.
But leaving these, with Luca d’Olanda,[1] and others, in the year 1532, I became acquainted, in Rome, with a certain Michelo Cockuysen,[2] who gave considerable attention to the Italian manner, and painted many frescos in that city, more particularly two Chapels in Santa Maria de' Anima. He subsequently returned to his country, where he proved himself an able artist. I hear that among other works, he copied, for the King of Spain, a picture by Giovanni Eyck, which is in Ghent. The subject of this painting, which was sent into Spain, is the triumph of the Agnus Dei. A short time after, Martin Hernskerck,[3] was studying at Rome, an excellent master of figures and landscape he is, and in Flanders he has produced numerous pictures, with designs for engravings, these last have been executed by Jeronimo Cocca (as we have said elsewhere), and whom I also knew while I was at Rome, in the service of the Cardinal Ippolito de’ Medici. All these artists have been excellent inventors of Stories, and careful observers of the Italian manner.
In the year 1545, I became known to, and contracted much friendship with Giovanni Calcar, a Flemish painter of great merit, who so successfully practised the Italian manner, that his works were not always perceived to be those of a Fleming; but he died at Naples, while still young, and when the fairest hopes had been conceived respecting his future progress. The anatomical drawings for the work of Vesalio were made by Calcar. But before these, Divile da Lovarico[4] had been in high repute as a good master, in that manner, with Quintin,[5] who came from the same country, and who faithfully adhered to the truth of Nature in all his figures, as did a son of his called Giovanni. Gios di Cleves[6] was a
