The painters of Florence from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century . When she was borne to her grave inOgnissanti, all Florence flocked to look once moreon the lovely face that was even fairer in death thanin life, and endless were the elegies and sonnets com-posed in her honour. The two portraits of Simonettaby Sandro Botticelli in the Medici collection, whichVasari mentions, have disappeared, and the bust inthe Pitti, which Mr. Berenson ascribes to Amico diSandro, does scanty justice to her beauty. Piero diCosimo, who was a boy of fourteen when Simonettadied, must have painted her portrai
The painters of Florence from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century . When she was borne to her grave inOgnissanti, all Florence flocked to look once moreon the lovely face that was even fairer in death thanin life, and endless were the elegies and sonnets com-posed in her honour. The two portraits of Simonettaby Sandro Botticelli in the Medici collection, whichVasari mentions, have disappeared, and the bust inthe Pitti, which Mr. Berenson ascribes to Amico diSandro, does scanty justice to her beauty. Piero diCosimo, who was a boy of fourteen when Simonettadied, must have painted her portrait from some medalor drawing, but he has succeeded in rendering thespiritual charm and vivacity of her countenance. Astriped scarf is thrown over her shoulders, her goldenhair is braided with pearls and rubies, and a jewelin the shape of a serpent with dark-green scales istwisted round her white neck, while the panel bearsthe inscription Simonetta Januensis Vespuccia. Several other portraits by Pieros hand, all markedwith the same note of distinction, have been pre-. LA BELLA SIMONETTA (CHANTILLY)—PIERO DI COSIMO. [To/acepage 2S3 IS2I] PORTRAITS 283 served, and give us a high idea of his skill in thedelineation of character. There is the dark-eyedwarrior in gleaming armour of the National Gallery,with the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio and Piazzadella Signoria behind him, and the Florentine matronwith her pet rabbit in her lap, in the Jarves Collec-tion in the United States. There are the portraits ofhis own intimate friends, Giuliano di San Gallo andhis father, which Vasari describes, and which SignorFrizzoni discovered at the Hague, the one holdinga pair of compasses, the other a sheet of paper inhis hands. And there is Caterina Sforza, the heroicMadonna who held the citadel of Forli against CaesarBorgia and the combined French and papal armies,and who came to end her days in the home of herMedici husband. v As a young man, Piero di Cosimo frequentlydevoted his talents to the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectpainter, bookyear1901
