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Book FirstPart XLIV
Part XLIV
During the time when Florence was besieged, Federigo Ginori, for whom I
made that medal of Atlas, died of consumption, and the medal came into the
hands of Messer Luigi Alamanni, who, after a little while, took it to present
in person to Francis, king of France, accompanied by some of his own finest
compositions. The King was exceedingly delighted with the gift; whereupon
Messer Luigi told his Majesty so much about my personal qualities, as well as
my art, and spoke so favourably, that the King expressed a wish to know me.
Meanwhile I pushed my model for the button forward with all the diligence
I could, constructing it exactly of the size which the jewel itself was meant
to have. In the trade of the goldsmiths it roused considerable jealousy among
those who thought that they were capable of matching it. A certain Micheletto
had just come to Rome; ^1 he was very clever at engraving cornelians, and was,
moreover, a most intelligent jeweller, an old man and of great celebrity. He
had been employed upon the Pope`s tiaras; and while I was working at my model,
he wondered much that I had not applied to him, being as he was a man of
intelligence and of large credit with the Pope. At last, when he saw that I
was not coming to him, he came to me, and asked me what I was about. "What the
Pope has ordered me," I answered. Then he said: "The Pope has commissioned me
to superintend everything which is being made for his Holiness." I only
replied that I would ask the Pope, and then should know what answer I ought to
give him. He told me that I should repent, and departing in anger, had an
interview with all the masters of the art; they deliberated on the matter, and
charged Michele with the conduct of the whole affair. As was to be expected
from a person of his talents, he ordered more than thirty drawings to be made,
all differing in their details, for the piece the Pope had commissioned.
[Footnote 1: Vasari calls this eminent engraver of gems Michelino.]
Having already access to his Holiness` ear, he took into his counsel
another jeweller, named Pompeo, a Milanese, who was in favour with the Pope,
and related to Messer Traiano, the first chamberlain of the court; ^2 these
two together, then, began to insinuate that they had seen my model, and did
not think me up to a work of such extraordinary import. The Pope replied that
he would also have to see it, and that if he then found me unfit for the
purpose, he should look around for one who was fit. Both of them put in that
they had several excellent designs ready; to which the Pope made answer, that
he was very pleased to hear it, but that he did not care to look at them till
I had completed my model; afterwards, he would take them all into
consideration at the same time.
[Footnote 2: Messer Traiano Alicorno.]
After a few days I finished my model, and took it to the Pope one
morning, when Messer Traiano made me wait till he had sent for Micheletto and
Pompeo, bidding them make haste and bring their drawings. On their arrival we
were introduced, and Micheletto and Pompeo immediately unrolled their papers,
which the Pope inspected. The draughtsmen who had been employed were not in
the jeweller`s trade, and therefore, knew nothing about giving their right
place to precious stones; and the jewellers, on their side, had not shown them
how; for I ought to say that a jeweller, when he has to work with figures,
must of necessity understand design, else he cannot produce anything worth
looking at: and so it turned out that all of them had stuck that famous
diamond in the middle of the breast of God the Father. The Pope, who was an
excellent connoisseur, observing this mistake, approved of none of them; and
when he had looked at about ten, he flung the rest down, and said to me, who
was standing at a distance: "Now show me your model, Benvenuto, so that I may
see if you have made the same mistake as those fellows." I came forward, and
opened a little round box; whereupon one would have thought that a light from
heaven had struck the Pope`s eyes. He cried aloud: "If you had been in my own
body, you could not have done it better, as this proves. Those men there have
found the right way to bring shame upon themselves!" A crowd of great lords
pressing round, the Pope pointed out the difference between my model and the
drawings. When he had sufficiently commended it, the others standing terrified
and stupid before him, he turned to me and said: "I am only afraid of one
thing, and that is of the utmost consequence. Friend Benvenuto, wax is easy to
work in; the real difficulty is to execute this in gold." To those words I
answered without moment`s hesitation: "Most blessed Father, if I do not work
it ten times better than the model, let it be agreed beforehand that you pay
me nothing." When they heard this, the noblemen made a great stir, crying out
that I was promising too much. Among them was an eminent philosopher, who
spoke out in my favour: "From the fine physiognomy and bodily symmetry which I
observed in this young man, I predict that he will accomplish what he says,
and think that he will even go beyond it." The Pope put in: "And this is my
opinion also." Then he called his chamberlain, Messer Traiano, and bade him
bring five hundred golden ducats of the Camera.
While we were waiting for the money, the Pope turned once more to gaze at
leisure on the dexterous device I had employed for combining the diamond with
the figure of God the Father. I had put the diamond exactly in the center of
the piece; and above it God the Father was shown seated, leaning nobly in a
sideways attitude, ^3 which made a perfect composition, and did not interfere
with the stone`s effect. Lifting his right hand, he was in the act of giving
the benediction. Below the diamond I had place three children, who, with their
arms upraised, were supporting the jewel. One of them, in the middle, was in
full relief, the other two in half-relief. All around I set a crowd of
cherubs, in divers attitudes, adapted to the other gems. A mantle undulated to
the wind around the figure of the Father, from the folds of which cherubs
peeped out; and there were other ornaments besides which made a very beautiful
effect. The work was executed in white stucco on a black stone. When the money
came, the Pope gave it to me with his own hand, and begged me in the most
winning terms to let him have it finished in his own days, adding that this
should be to my advantage.
[Footnote 3: In un certo bel modo svolto. That means: turned aside, not
fronting the spectator.]
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