DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42861#0035
ANDREA MANTEGNA
7
I have told him to finish it with the utmost care, and
hope to bring it with me, when I come, as I hope,
before long, to visit Your Illustrious Highness.
If not, I will send it you, as it is my greatest
pleasure to be able to do anything for you. To
whom I commend myself, praying that you may
fare well.”
A week later, the impatient young Prince wrote
again to Mantegna on the subject:—
“ Carissime noster. We wrote before to beg you to
finish a picture of the Madonna with other figures,
at the prayer of that illustrious Madonna the Duchess
of Ferrara, but do not know if you have yet put
your hand to the work, so now we repeat that you
must finish it as quickly as possible, seeing that we
greatly desire this thing, in order to be able to satisfy
the wish of the said lady as soon as possible.” Goito,
Nov. 14, 1485.
Again on the 12th December he returned to the
charge :—
“We must remind you to lose no time in finishing
the picture which you have begun, and which we
wish to give the Duchess of Ferrara, and hope you
will use such diligence that we may be able to pre-
sent it to her this Christmas, and we will take care
that you are well rewarded, and that your labour is
not thrown away.”
Mantegna did not fail to obey his young lord’s
command, and on the 15th Francesco wrote as
follows:—
“ We are sure that in finishing this picture you
will use such diligence as will do you honour, and
that it will bring you no small glory. And as
Lodovico of Bologna is going to Venice, you had
7
I have told him to finish it with the utmost care, and
hope to bring it with me, when I come, as I hope,
before long, to visit Your Illustrious Highness.
If not, I will send it you, as it is my greatest
pleasure to be able to do anything for you. To
whom I commend myself, praying that you may
fare well.”
A week later, the impatient young Prince wrote
again to Mantegna on the subject:—
“ Carissime noster. We wrote before to beg you to
finish a picture of the Madonna with other figures,
at the prayer of that illustrious Madonna the Duchess
of Ferrara, but do not know if you have yet put
your hand to the work, so now we repeat that you
must finish it as quickly as possible, seeing that we
greatly desire this thing, in order to be able to satisfy
the wish of the said lady as soon as possible.” Goito,
Nov. 14, 1485.
Again on the 12th December he returned to the
charge :—
“We must remind you to lose no time in finishing
the picture which you have begun, and which we
wish to give the Duchess of Ferrara, and hope you
will use such diligence that we may be able to pre-
sent it to her this Christmas, and we will take care
that you are well rewarded, and that your labour is
not thrown away.”
Mantegna did not fail to obey his young lord’s
command, and on the 15th Francesco wrote as
follows:—
“ We are sure that in finishing this picture you
will use such diligence as will do you honour, and
that it will bring you no small glory. And as
Lodovico of Bologna is going to Venice, you had