said, does even this prevent him from being a bold and clever artist, of a most sprightly mind, a vivid fancy, and pleasing cheerful manner.[1] When therefore the Venetian Senate had commanded that Jacopo Tintoretto, and Paolo Veronese, then a youth of whom high expectations were entertained, should each paint a picture for the Hall of the Council, while Orazio, the son of Titian, was also commissioned to execute another, Tintoretto depicted a story of Prederick Barbarossa crowned by the Pope; he represented the ceremony as taking place within a magnificent building, while around the Pontiff is a large number of cardinals and nobles of Venice, all portraits from the life; beneath these figures are seen the musical band of the Pope. In all this he acquitted himself in such a manner, that his work may bear comparison with those of the other masters, not excepting that of the above named Orazio, the son of Titian.
The subject of the picture painted by the last-mentioned artist was a Battle fought at Rome, and near the Castello Sant’ Angelo, on the banks of the Tiber, by the Germans of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa on the one part, and the Romans on the other; and in this, among other things, is to be observed the foreshortened figure of a horse, which is leaping over a soldier in full armour. It is a group that may be truly called most beautiful; but some affirm that Orazio was assisted in the work by Titian his father.
Near the picture of Orazio is that by Paolo Veronese, of whom we have made mention in the Life of Michele San Michele, and who in his work represented the same Federigo Barbarossa appearing at Court to kiss the hand of the Pope Ottaviano, as in contempt of Pope Alexander[2] III. In addition to this picture, which is a very beautiful one, the same Paolo painted four large figures over
- ↑ He was a disciple of Titian, but was dismissed by that master because he would in no wise give obedience to his commands; a highly probable reason, the character of the disciple considered; yet there are not wanting those who affirm that the great artist was jealous of his pupil. Tintoretto wrote the following words on a wall of his workshops (the refined “studio” had not then been invented), “The design of Michael Angelo and the colouring of Titian.”
- ↑ Our readers will not fail to recall the feuds with which these “men of peace” disturbed the repose of the world at this period.
