DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32874#0364
302 LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI [BK. 11
would remain without calves at that point where they
touch: and they say that one of the feet of is
buried and the other appears to have hre under it." ^
i Two payments to Bandinelli are to be found, dated respect-
ively May 19th 1531 and October 27th 1532: the first for 700 gold
dorms <2 zfz zfzz^yU*^zzrg <2z 7/2<37*77z^ zA
<?7*Az7z^^zz^^/zh^y the second for L. 261, sol. 16, Az 3 Az
^*ZZZ^*7Z<7 1332 <2 Az 26 A^/^^^^rzY^Z^ZZ^. (Y)^/zY^7*<2^z'<77ZZ ^ J^ZZ7ZFZ-
ZZ77Z^7ZA' <A?^*/z' Gz*7z7 zfz' Vrzz/zhzz ^ JZ'ZZTZ^ZZZZZZ^ZZZ'Z zA^*/z O^^rzZZ zfz Vzzfz7^z7
Azz/ 1312 <2/ 1532, in the Archivio di Stato in Florence). VASARI
tells us that Bandinelli finished the work upon the base in 1534,
and in the unpublished Florentine AA?77Zz7z'rj of SETTIMANNI we read
that on May 1st in that same year the TAwzzAy was removed from
the apartments of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, and trans-
ported in three days to its place in the Piazza della Signoria (c/i
GAYE, zy5. zrzY., Vol. II). But FRANCESCO BALDOVINETTI in the
WzhTAYzz VzhTVTzA'zzz? gives us the following information: " In April
of the year 1534 there was set up beside the entrance to the Palazzo
which belonged to the AYg*7zz77'z of Florence, on the side towards the
Mint, a Giant of marble, called a AfkTvzzA.y, who was slaying another
Giant named (hvz/y, which was formed all of one piece of marble,
whence issued the said two Giants. And when the said piece of
marble was brought from Carrara to Florence by way of the Arno
there never came a more beautiful, nor a larger (piece). It weighed
$4 thousand (pounds). The work alone upon those said two Giants
cost 3,000 ducats: a certain Baccio Bandinelli, one of our Florentines,
executed it. It was universally judged that he spoiled so fine a
piece of marble, and that the said 2 Giants were 2 wretched figures
with many defects, rather even very ugly ones, and they were
much abused by almost every one who saw them/' Thus CELLINI'S
criticisms, though over violently expressed, were fully endorsed by
the general public. To this was perhaps added the fact that the
piece of marble had originally, on August 2nd 1528, been allotted by
the Signoria of Florence to Michelangelo Buonarroti for the fabrica-
tion of a group of two figures; and we learn further from VASARI
that he had actually executed a wonderful model—it is believed a
S'zzzzz^TZ zzzzzf ^zVz'Vz'zz^j,—but that on the return of the Medici
the courtier methods of Bandinelli had succeeded in getting it
transferred to him.
would remain without calves at that point where they
touch: and they say that one of the feet of is
buried and the other appears to have hre under it." ^
i Two payments to Bandinelli are to be found, dated respect-
ively May 19th 1531 and October 27th 1532: the first for 700 gold
dorms <2 zfz zfzz^yU*^zzrg <2z 7/2<37*77z^ zA
<?7*Az7z^^zz^^/zh^y the second for L. 261, sol. 16, Az 3 Az
^*ZZZ^*7Z<7 1332 <2 Az 26 A^/^^^^rzY^Z^ZZ^. (Y)^/zY^7*<2^z'<77ZZ ^ J^ZZ7ZFZ-
ZZ77Z^7ZA' <A?^*/z' Gz*7z7 zfz' Vrzz/zhzz ^ JZ'ZZTZ^ZZZZZZ^ZZZ'Z zA^*/z O^^rzZZ zfz Vzzfz7^z7
Azz/ 1312 <2/ 1532, in the Archivio di Stato in Florence). VASARI
tells us that Bandinelli finished the work upon the base in 1534,
and in the unpublished Florentine AA?77Zz7z'rj of SETTIMANNI we read
that on May 1st in that same year the TAwzzAy was removed from
the apartments of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, and trans-
ported in three days to its place in the Piazza della Signoria (c/i
GAYE, zy5. zrzY., Vol. II). But FRANCESCO BALDOVINETTI in the
WzhTAYzz VzhTVTzA'zzz? gives us the following information: " In April
of the year 1534 there was set up beside the entrance to the Palazzo
which belonged to the AYg*7zz77'z of Florence, on the side towards the
Mint, a Giant of marble, called a AfkTvzzA.y, who was slaying another
Giant named (hvz/y, which was formed all of one piece of marble,
whence issued the said two Giants. And when the said piece of
marble was brought from Carrara to Florence by way of the Arno
there never came a more beautiful, nor a larger (piece). It weighed
$4 thousand (pounds). The work alone upon those said two Giants
cost 3,000 ducats: a certain Baccio Bandinelli, one of our Florentines,
executed it. It was universally judged that he spoiled so fine a
piece of marble, and that the said 2 Giants were 2 wretched figures
with many defects, rather even very ugly ones, and they were
much abused by almost every one who saw them/' Thus CELLINI'S
criticisms, though over violently expressed, were fully endorsed by
the general public. To this was perhaps added the fact that the
piece of marble had originally, on August 2nd 1528, been allotted by
the Signoria of Florence to Michelangelo Buonarroti for the fabrica-
tion of a group of two figures; and we learn further from VASARI
that he had actually executed a wonderful model—it is believed a
S'zzzzz^TZ zzzzzf ^zVz'Vz'zz^j,—but that on the return of the Medici
the courtier methods of Bandinelli had succeeded in getting it
transferred to him.