DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68745#0038
TINTORETTO
Ridolfi, in the slipshod fashion in which biographies of his
time were written, puts the birth of Jacopo, or Giacomo as he is
often called, in 1512, but the record of his death, preserved in the
church of San Marciliano in Venice, states that he died at
seventy-five years and eight months, and this establishes his birth
in September 1518. His father was Battista Robusti, the tintore
or dyer, a citizen of Venice and a member of one of the great
guilds of commerce. The dyers of Venice were an important
body of men, and it is probable that Robusti was a citizen of
substance, for we never hear that 4 the young dyer,’ 4 Il Tintoretto,’
had any great need of money or lacked the necessaries of life.
There is no record of any opposition being offered to his leaving
the dyeing vats, the gorgeous colours of which may indeed have
helped to foster his artistic impulse, and the carelessness about
money gains which he showed at the beginning of his life, as well
as after he had become famous, is a pretty conclusive proof that
his father was able and willing to provide sufficiently for him,
and that he had not to contend with anxiety as to ways and
means.
He was but a youth of seventeen when, after daubing with his
father’s dyes, he obtained leave to present himself at the most
deeply desired goal of every art student of Venice—the bottega
of Titian. Titian, who, thirty-five years the elder, and at the
zenith of his fame, admired, courted, celebrated, must have seemed
a god-like being to the boy, who had, no doubt, often pored
over his paintings in the churches and public buildings. We
can guess how eagerly and hopefully study was begun, and
how anxiously the great master’s notice would be coveted. The
notice came speedily enough. 4 Not many days’ after Tintoretto
had entered the studio, the glance of the master, passing through,
was arrested by several sketches lying on the ground. Turning
them over, he asked who had executed them. We do not know
what wild dreams sprang into the boy’s head as he 4 timidly replied
that his was the hand,’ we only know he could not have been
indifferent. Titian went impatiently up the stairs, threw off his
cloak, and sent a messenger, Girolamo Dante, a favourite pupil,
generally known as il Giro di Tiziano, to desire that Tintoretto
should leave the studio at once and for ever. Ridolfi puts this
12
Ridolfi, in the slipshod fashion in which biographies of his
time were written, puts the birth of Jacopo, or Giacomo as he is
often called, in 1512, but the record of his death, preserved in the
church of San Marciliano in Venice, states that he died at
seventy-five years and eight months, and this establishes his birth
in September 1518. His father was Battista Robusti, the tintore
or dyer, a citizen of Venice and a member of one of the great
guilds of commerce. The dyers of Venice were an important
body of men, and it is probable that Robusti was a citizen of
substance, for we never hear that 4 the young dyer,’ 4 Il Tintoretto,’
had any great need of money or lacked the necessaries of life.
There is no record of any opposition being offered to his leaving
the dyeing vats, the gorgeous colours of which may indeed have
helped to foster his artistic impulse, and the carelessness about
money gains which he showed at the beginning of his life, as well
as after he had become famous, is a pretty conclusive proof that
his father was able and willing to provide sufficiently for him,
and that he had not to contend with anxiety as to ways and
means.
He was but a youth of seventeen when, after daubing with his
father’s dyes, he obtained leave to present himself at the most
deeply desired goal of every art student of Venice—the bottega
of Titian. Titian, who, thirty-five years the elder, and at the
zenith of his fame, admired, courted, celebrated, must have seemed
a god-like being to the boy, who had, no doubt, often pored
over his paintings in the churches and public buildings. We
can guess how eagerly and hopefully study was begun, and
how anxiously the great master’s notice would be coveted. The
notice came speedily enough. 4 Not many days’ after Tintoretto
had entered the studio, the glance of the master, passing through,
was arrested by several sketches lying on the ground. Turning
them over, he asked who had executed them. We do not know
what wild dreams sprang into the boy’s head as he 4 timidly replied
that his was the hand,’ we only know he could not have been
indifferent. Titian went impatiently up the stairs, threw off his
cloak, and sent a messenger, Girolamo Dante, a favourite pupil,
generally known as il Giro di Tiziano, to desire that Tintoretto
should leave the studio at once and for ever. Ridolfi puts this
12