Passavant, Johann David: Raphael of Urbino and his father Giovanni Santi (London , New York: MacMillan and Co., 1872)

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were ImLrci of tire §reat I^eouLi'6o? Hut, in tire rrel^irdouriroocl of
f'eruAiL, tirers was also Lir artist rviro iraci iresir praised Io/ R.apiraei's
fatirer,^ airci rviro cleiiAlrted ever/ oirs io/ tire celestial ireaut/ of iris
creations. Ilris rvas I'ietro Vannucci, of Litta 6siia ?isve, near f'eru^ia.
He lraci tire §006 fortune to be cbosen as tbs Auicie of tiris cbiib, rvbo
rvas 6sstineci to catcir tire inspiration of iris master, transform it, anci
raise it to a lrei^lrt tirat tire master Irimssif ba6 never breamt of If
rve possessed a journal of kbetro ?eru§ino^s, similar to tbat of brancia,
in rvbicir botir bis fg.mil/ affairs anci tbs coming anci leaving of bis pupils
are cbronicieci, rve sbouici bnorv rvitb certaint/ tbe /ear in rvbicir R.apbaei
went to bis master. lViost probabi/ it was in 1495.
beru^ino was tben at tire bei§bt of iris §ior/, acc^uireci principail/ b/
tire worbs executsci at tins time; for bis studies at iliorence baci a66e6
fresb qualities to bis profound feeling an6 warm an6 vigorous colouring?

' ^.t tiris trine rvben it rvas necsssar/ to cirooss born amongst ail tboss illustrious
painters a master for Lapbasl, somervlrsrs about tire /ear 1495, Nantegna and Lio-
vanni Bellini were alread/ olcl, tbs one being 64 /ears ol<l, anci tbs otbsr 69 ; prancia
rvas about 45, ancl Leonardo ba Vinci 4Z.—
In tbe following passage oftbe Lbronicls in rb/ms-
" Ous glovin' par d'etate s par d'amori
Bionardo cla Vinci s'l l?srusino
bier clslla Bievs, cbs son' clivin pittori."
It follows from tbis passage tbat Pietro was alreacl/ settled at Perugia before 1495.
ffnnibals Vlarlotti and otbers cbooss tbat /ear as tbs date of bis establisbment in tbat
town, because be was commissioned iVlarcb 8, 1495, to paint an altar-piece for tbs
cburcb of tbe Benedictines tbers—an " Ascension," and tbat in tbe preceding /ears be
bad been occupied, in 149Z, at tbs cburcb of Lan Domenico de pissols, and in 1494 at
tbs cburcb of tbs ^ugustinss at Lrsmona. But could be not bave sent tbese pictures
from Perugia, as be sometimes did bis otbsr pictures?
3 Amongst tbe principal worbs of psrugino ma/ be noticed tbs beautiful " IVladonna"
in a round frame, rvitb saints and angels, bougbt at tbs sals of Ling William of lbs
blstbsrlands for tbs Louvre (*) ; tbs altar piece now in tbs cburcb of Lan Liovanni la
Laba at plorsnce, representing a Lrucibxion, rvitb tbs iVlagdalsn bnseling, Lt. fsrome,
Lt. prancis, Lt. fokn tbs Baptist, and Qiovanni Lolombini; a picture no less precious,
dated 1495, and c^uits in tbs original manner of tbs master; tbe " Dead Lbrist," wept
b/ bis disciples and tbs bol/ women ; tbis bas rscsntl/ passed from tbs plorsnce
f^cadsm/ to tbs pitti palace ; tbs magnibcent altar-piece (of tbe same date) of tbe
" Ascension," formsrl/ at Lan Bistro IVlaggiors at Bsrugia, at present in tbe museum

* bio. 442 of tbs Latalogue of tbe Italian Lcbools in tbs. Louvre. It bad passed
in 1825, into tbs LapsriLrs sals, l^t tbe sals of tbs Ling of Holland in August, 1850,
it rvas bougbt for tbe sum of 25,500 florins (^2140).—