the pencil, after a small design which served them as a guide, and enlarging each part to the proportions required, as they proceeded. And as the work here in question is seen to have been thus treated, so many others in various places have been executed in like manner, and when the colour in certain cases has scaled off, the red outlines are still discerned remaining on the wall. But to return to Lippo. This artist drew tolerably well, as may be seen in our book, where there is a hermit reading with the legs crossed, by his hand. He survived Simon twelve years, executing many paintings for all parts of Italy, more particularly two pictures for the church of Santa Croce in Florence.* There is a considerable resemblance in the manner of these two brothers, but they may be distinguished by the circumstance that Simon inscribed his name at the foot of his works in this manner, "Simonis Memmi Senensis opus" ;t and Lippo, omitting his baptismal name, and caring little for the rudeness of his Latinity, as follows: "Opus Memmi de Senis me fecit."‡ On the façade of the chapter-house of Santa Maria Novella, besides the portraits of Petrarch and Laura, of which we have before spoken, Simon Memmi depicted those of Cimabue, of Lapo the architect, and of Arnolfo his son, and finally that of himself. The pope who appears in this story, is the portrait of Benedict XI§ of Treviso, a brother of the order of Preaching Friars, whose likeness had long before been brought to Simon by Giotto his master, when the latter returned from the court of that pontiff, who held his state in Avignon. In the same picture is the portrait of Cardinal Niccola da Prato, which Simon has placed beside that of the Pope, Cardinal Niccola being in Florence at the time, in the capacity of papal legate, as we are informed by Giovanni Villani in his history. On the tomb of Simon was placed the *These two pictures are lost. + Rumohr denies that this inscription is found on the works of Simon See Ital. Forsch., vol. ii, p. 95. This inscription is now affirmed to indicate a work of Memmo, the father of Simon and Lippo Memmi, and not of Lippo, whose Latinity has been anxiously defended by some of the Italian commentators on our author. § The papal court was transferred to Avignon by Clement V, successor to Benedict XI. It was under Benedict XII, who reigned from 1334 to 1342, that Giotto and Simon were at Avignon. following epitaph: Simoni Memmio pictorum omnium omnis ætatis celeberrimo, vixit ann. 60, mens. 2, d. 3. It will be seen by the specimens preserved in our book that Simon was not particularly excellent in design, but nature had well endowed him with inventive power, and he delighted in drawing from the life; in this respect he was considered so much the best master of his time, that Signor Pandolfo Malatesti despatched him to Avignon for the purpose of painting Messer Francesco Petrarca, at the request of whom Simon Memmi, so greatly to his own honour, then executed the portrait of Madonna Laura.* TADDEO GADDI, PAINTER, OF FLORENCE. [BORN ABOUT 1300-WAS LIVING IN 1366.] To reward talent largely, and to honour those who possess it, wherever they may be found, is, without doubt, an excellent, useful, and praiseworthy action; for there are many minds, which might remain dormant, if left without stimulus, but which, being excited by this allurement, put forth all their efforts, not only for the acquirement of their art, but to attain the utmost excellence therein; whereby they advance themselves to a useful and creditable station, doing honour to their country at the same time, and securing glory to their name, as well as riches and nobility to their *Notes to later editions of Vasari enumerate the the following works of Simon Memmi, in addition to those named by the biographer :-In the church of San Lorenzo, at Naples, is a picture of St. Louis of Avignon, crowning Robert his brother. It is in the eighth chapel of the south aisle. At Orvieto, in the church of the Dominicans, is one divided into five parts; the Madonna is in the midst, with San Pietro and San Dominico on one side, and St. Paul and St. Mary Magdalen on the other. In England, there is a painting of the Virgin with St. Joseph, who reproves the Child Jesus for having left them, when he went to dispute with the doctors in the temple. This (see Waagen's Art and Artists in England) is in the Liverpool Institution. There is also a picture, undoubtedly from the hand of Simon, at Antwerp. This is a tryptich, representing the Annunciation, the Crucifixion, and the Deposition. descendants, who, from such beginnings, often rise to the highest and noblest condition, as happened to those of Taddeo Gaddi, in consequence of his works. This Taddeo, son of Gaddo Gaddi, the Florentine, was the godson of Giotto; and, after the death of his father Gaddo, was the disciple of that master, with whom he continued twenty-four years. This we are told by Cennino di Drea Cennini, a painter of Colle di Valdelsa,* who further relates, that on the death of Giotto, Taddeo Gaddi was considered the first in the art, for judgment, genius, and other artistic qualities, being superior in most of these to all his fellow-disciples. The first works of Taddeo were executed with a facility, which was received from nature, rather than acquired by art. They were performed in the church of Santa Croce, in Florence, and in the chapel of the sacristy, where, in company with others, (also disciples of the deceased Giotto), he painted stories from the Life of Santa Maria Maddalena; the figures of these works are very fine, and the vestments, after the fashion of those times, are also beautiful and curious. In the chapel of the Baroncelli and Bandini, for which Giotto had painted a picture in distemper, Taddeo executed certain frescoes, representing stories from the Life of the Virgin; these he did entirely alone, and they were considered extremely beautiful. He afterwards painted the story of Christ disputing with the Doctors in the Temple, over the door of the same sacristy; but this work was nearly ruined, when Cosmo de' Medici, the elder, built the noviciate, the chapel and the parlour in front of the sacristy, a stone cornice having then been placed over the door. the same church Taddeo Gaddi painted the chapel of the Bellacci in fresco, as also that of St. Andrew, which is near to one of the three chapels decorated by Giotto himself. In *Cennino, son of Andrea Cennini, of whose treatise on painting (the oldest extant) Vasari speaks further in the Life of Agnolo Gaddi. Three manuscripts of this work are known to the reading world. One is in the Laurentian Library in Florence; a second in the Riccardiana, in the same city; and a third, apparently only a modern copy of the Laurentian, in the Vatican. The work of Cennini was translated into English, some years since, by Mrs. Merrifield. + For a description of the frescoes here ascribed to Taddeo Gaddi see Rumohr, Ital. Forsch. vol. ii, p. 80. These frescoes still exist. See Rumohr, ut supra, p. 79. The subjects represented in the chapel of St. Andrew were, Christ calling Peter and Andrew from their Nets, with the Crucifixion of the latter Apostle: a work highly praised at the time, and which has been equally commended in our own days.* Over the side door, and near the burial-place of Carlo Marsupinit of Arezzo, Taddeo executed another fresco, representing a dead Christ, with the Maries; this was also greatly admired, as was a painting of St. Francis, likewise in fresco, placed above the crucifixion of Donato,‡ and representing the saint at the moment when, appearing in the air, he is performing the miracle of restoring to life a boy, who has been killed by falling from a high terrace. In this painting the artist has introduced the portraits of his master, Giotto, of the poet Dante, of Guido Cavalcanti, and, as some say, of himself. He executed many other figures, for different parts of the same church, all which are known to painters by their manner. For the confraternity of the church, Taddeo painted a most admirable Deposition from the Cross, in the oratory which stands at the corner of the Via del Crucifisso; and in the cloister of Santo Spirito he executed two stories in the arches, near the chapter-house. One of these represents Judas betraying Christ, the other is a Last Supper. Over the door of the refectory, in the same convent, this master painted a Crucifixion, with several Saints; and these figures, compared with those of others who laboured in the same place, make it obvious that Taddeo was a faithful imitator of the manner of Giotto, which he always held in the highest estimation. In the church of San Stefano del Ponte Vecchio, Taddeo painted the high altar and predella, with infinite care.¶ He also executed a very good work in the oratory of San Michele in Orto, the subject a Dead Christ, mourned over by the Maries, and devoutly placed in the sepulchre by Nicodemus.** In the church of the Ser * None of these works remain. The chapel of the Bellacci was encrusted with marbles, when the frescoes of Taddeo were destroyed. † The celebrated secretary of the republic. Probably that criticised by Brunellesco, now in the chapel of the Bardi, in Santa Croce. This picture has perished. This oratory has been demolished. The painting is in the Florentine vites, he decorated the chapel of San Niccolo, which belongs to the Palagi, with stories from the life of that saint. In one of these he has proved himself well acquainted with the fury of a stormy sea, and the force of tempests, by the judicious and effective manner in which he has depicted a barque tossed on the waves: the mariners are casting forth their merchandise to lighten the ship, while S. Nicholas, appearing in the air, delivers them from their peril. This work having given great satisfaction, and been highly praised,* caused the master to be invited to paint the chapel of the high altar in the same church; he there represented stories in fresco, from the Life of Our Lady; with a picture in distemper, also of the Virgin, surrounded by many Saints, and all painted with infinite animation. In the lower part of the same picture, he represented other stories, from the Life of the Virgin, in small figures, of which I need not make more particular mention, because the whole work was destroyed in the year 1467; when Ludovico, marquis of Mantua, built the tribune, which is still there, with the choir for the monks, both erected after the design of Leon Battista Alberti. The picture was then transferred to the chapter-house of the convent, in the refectory of which, and immediately over the seats, our artist painted a Last Supper,‡ with a Crucifixion, and various figures of saints above it.§ Having completed this work, the master was summoned to Pisa, where he painted the principal chapel of San Francesco, for Gherardo and Bonaccorso Gambacorti; the subject being, events from the life of the saint, with others from the lives of St. Andrew and St. Nicholas. These paintings were in fresco, and extremely well coloured. On the ceiling and façade of the same chapel, the confirmation of the Rule of St Francis, by Pope Honorius, is depicted; and here Taddeo himself is pourtrayed from the life, wearing a sort of hood wrapped round his head. At the foot of the painting are inscribed the following words : This painting also has been destroyed by time. The fate of this picture is not known. The Last Supper and Crucifixion have both been replaced by other paintings. § These works also have been replaced, first by Santi di Tito, and afterwards by Gio. Ferretti. |