Anecdotes of Painters, Engravers, Sculptors and Architects and Curiosities of Art (Vol. 3 of 3) by S. Spooner (pdf to ebook reader .TXT) 📕

the building, and by remaining constantly present with them, and saying,

'do this here' and 'do that there,' he taught them so much in one day

that they were able to continue the work during many weeks. The masons,

seeing themselves thus disgraced as well as deprived of their

employment, and knowing that they would find no work equally profitable,

sent messengers to Filippo, declaring that they would willingly return,

and recommending themselves to his consideration. Filippo kept them for

several days in suspense, and seemed not inclined to admit them again;

they were afterwards reinstated, but with lower wages than they had

received at first: thus where they had thought to make gain they

suffered loss, and by seeking to revenge themselves on Filippo, they

brought injury and shame on their own heads.

"The tongues of the envious were now silenced, and when the building was

seen to proceed so happily, the genius of Filippo obtained its due

consideration; and, by all who judged dispassionately, he was already

held to have shown a boldness which has, perhaps, never before been

displayed in their works, by any architect, ancient or modern. This

opinion was confirmed by the fact that Filippo now brought out his

model, in which all might see the extraordinary amount of thought

bestowed on every detail of the building. The varied invention displayed

in the staircases, in the provision of lights, both within and without,

so that none might strike or injure themselves in the darkness, were all

made manifest, with the careful consideration evinced by the different

supports of iron which were placed to assist the footsteps wherever the

ascent was steep. In addition to all this, Filippo had even thought of

the irons for fixing scaffolds within the cupola, if ever they should be

required for the execution of mosaics or pictures; he had selected the

least dangerous positions for the places of the conduits, to be

afterwards constructed for carrying off the rain water, had shown where

these were to be covered and where uncovered; and had moreover contrived

different outlets and apertures, whereby the force of the winds should

be diminished, to the end that neither vapors nor the vibrations of the

earth, should have power to do injury to the building: all which proved

the extent to which he had profited by his studies, during the many

years of his residence in Rome. When in addition to these things, the

superintendents considered how much he had accomplished in the shaping,

fixing, uniting, and securing the stones of this immense pile, they were

almost awe-struck on perceiving that the mind of one man had been

capable of all that Filippo had now proved himself able to perform. His

powers and facilities continually increased, and that to such an extent,

that there was no operation, however difficult and complex, which he did

not render easy and simple; of this he gave proof in one instance among

others, by the employment of wheels and counterpoises to raise heavy

weights, so that one ox could draw more than six pairs could have moved

by the ordinary methods. The building had now reached such a height,

that when a man had once arrived at the summit, it was a very great

labor to descend to the ground, and the workmen lost much time in going

to their meals, and to drink; arrangements were therefore made by

Filippo, for opening wine-shops and eating-houses in the cupola; where

the required food being sold, none were compelled to leave their labor

until the evening, which was a relief and convenience to the men, as

well as a very important advantage to the work. Perceiving the building

to proceed rapidly, and finding all his undertakings happily successful,

the zeal and confidence of Filippo increased, and he labored

perpetually; he went himself to the ovens where the bricks were made,

examined the clay, proved the quality of the working, and when they were

baked he would select and set them apart, with his own hands. In like

manner, while the stones were under the hands of the stone-cutters, he

would look narrowly to see that they were hard and free from clefts; he

supplied the stone-cutters with models in wood or wax, or hastily cut on

the spot from turnips, to direct them in the shaping and junction of the

different masses; he did the same for the men who prepared the iron

work; Filippo likewise invented hook hinges, with the mode of fixing

them to the door-posts, and greatly facilitated the practice of

architecture, which was certainly brought by his labors to a perfection

that it would else perhaps never have attained among the Tuscans.

"In the year 1423, when the utmost rejoicing and festivity was

prevailing in Florence, Filippo was chosen one of the _Signori_ for the

district of San Giovanni, for the months of May and June; Lapo Niccolini

being chosen Gonfalonier for the district of Santa Croce: and if Filippo

be found registered in the Priorista as 'di Ser Brunellesce Lippi,' this

need not occasion surprise, since they called him so after his

grandfather, Lippo, instead of 'di Lapi,' as they ought to have done.

And this practice is seen to prevail in the Priorista, with respect to

many others, as is well known to all who have examined it, or who are

acquainted with the custom of those times. Filippo performed his

functions carefully in that office; and in others connected with the

magistracy of the city, to which he was subsequently appointed, he

constantly acquitted himself with the most judicious consideration.

"The two vaults of the cupola were now approaching their close, at the

circular window where the lantern was to begin, and there now remained

to Filippo, who had made various models in wood and clay, both of the

one and the other, in Rome and Florence, to decide finally as to which

of these he would put in execution, wherefore he resolved to complete

the gallery, and accordingly made different plans for it, which remained

in the hall of wardens after his death, but which by the neglect of

those officials have since been lost. But it was not until our own days

that even a fragment was executed on a part of one of the eight sides

(to the end that the building might be completed); but as it was not in

accordance with the plan of Filippo, it was removed by the advice of

Michael Angelo Buonarotti, and was not again attempted.

"Filippo also constructed a model for the lantern, with his own hand; it

had eight sides, the proportions were in harmony with those of the

cupola, and for the invention as well as variety and decoration, it was

certainly very beautiful. He did not omit the staircase for ascending to

the ball, which was an admirable thing; but as he had closed the

entrance with a morsel of wood fixed at the lower part, no one but

himself knew its position. Filippo was now highly renowned, but

notwithstanding this, and although he had already overcome the envy and

abated the arrogance of so many opponents, he could not yet escape the

vexation of finding that all the masters of Florence, when his model had

been seen, were setting themselves to make others in various manners;

nay, there was even a lady of the Gaddi family, who ventured to place

her knowledge in competition with that of Filippo. The latter,

meanwhile, could not refrain from laughing at the presumption of these

people, and when he was told by certain of his friends that he ought not

to show his model to any artist lest they should learn from it, he

replied that there was but one true model, and that the others were good

for nothing. Some of the other masters had used parts of Filippo's model

for their own, which, when the latter perceived, he remarked, 'The next

model made by this personage will be mine altogether.' The work of

Filippo was very highly praised, with the exception, that, not

perceiving the staircase by which the ball was to be attained, the model

was considered defective on that point. The superintendents determined,

nevertheless, to give him the commission for the work, but on condition

that he should show the staircase;[5] whereupon Filippo, removing the

morsel of wood which he had placed at the foot of the stair, showed it

constructed as it is now seen, within one of the piers, and presenting

the form of a hollow reed or blow-pipe, having a recess or groove on one

side, with bars of bronze, by means of which the summit was gradually

attained. Filippo was now at an age which rendered it impossible that he

should live to see the lantern completed; he therefore left directions,

by his will, that it should be built after the model here described, and

according to the rules which he had laid down in writing, affirming that

the fabric would otherwise be in danger of falling, since, being

constructed with the pointed arch, it required to be rendered secure by

means of the pressure of the weight to be thus added. But, though

Filippo could not complete the edifice before his death, he raised the

lantern to the height of several braccia, causing almost all the marbles

required for the completion of the building to be carefully prepared

and brought to the place. At the sight of these huge masses as they

arrived, the people stood amazed, marvelling that it should be possible

for Filippo to propose the laying of such a weight on the cupola. It

was, indeed, the opinion of many intelligent men that it could not

possibly support that weight. It appeared to them to be a piece of good

fortune that he had conducted it so far, and they considered the loading

it so heavy to be a tempting of Providence. Filippo constantly laughed

at these fears, and having prepared all the machines and instruments

required for the construction of the edifice, he ceased not to employ

all his time in taking thought for its future requirements, providing

and preparing all the minutiæ, even to guarding against the danger of

the marbles being chipped as they were drawn up: to which intent the

arches of the tabernacles were built within defences of woodwork; and

for all beside the master gave models and written directions, as we have

said.

"How beautiful this building is, it will itself bear testimony. With

respect to the height, from the level ground to the commencement of the

lantern, there are one hundred and fifty-four braccia;[6] the body of

the lanthorn is thirty-six braccia high; the copper ball four braccia;

the cross eight braccia; in all two hundred and two braccia. And it may

be confidently affirmed that the ancients never carried their buildings

to so vast a height, nor committed themselves to so great a risk as to

dare a competition with the heavens, which this structure verily appears

to do, seeing that it rears itself to such an elevation that the hills

around Florence do not appear to equal it. And of a truth it might seem

that the heavens were envious of its height, since their lightnings

perpetually strike it. While this work was in progress, Filippo

constructed many other fabrics."

BRUNELLESCHI'S ENTHUSIASM.

One morning, as Brunelleschi was amusing himself on the Piazza di Santa

Maria del Fiore, in company with Donatello and other artists, the

conversation happened to turn on ancient sculpture. Donatello related

that when he was returning from Rome, he had taken the road of Orvieto,

to see the remarkable façade of the Cathedral of that city--a highly

celebrated work, executed by various masters, and considered in those

days a very remarkable production. He added that as he was passing

through Cortona, he had seen in the capitular church of that city a most

beautiful antique marble vase, adorned with sculpture--a rare thing at

that time, as most of the beautiful works of antiquity have since been

brought to light. As Donatello proceeded to describe the manner in which

the artist had treated this work, the delicacy, beauty, and perfection

of the workmanship, Filippo