"Non sarà mai di lamentarsi stanco Se forse un dì non le si dà di bianco."
[63] This is not the large picture of the Calumny of Apelles painted in distemper for the Orsini family, and engraved, and which is now to be seen in the Palazzo Lante, and is one of the most finished productions of Federigo.
[64] The same inflated style has of late become prevalent in some parts of Italy, with no little injury to our language and to good taste. In the Arte di vedere we find for example le pieghe longitudinali, la trombeggiata resurrezzione del Bello, &c. Some one has also attempted to illustrate the qualities of the art of painting by those of music, which has given occasion to a clever Maestro di Capella to write a humorous letter, an extract of which is given in the Difesa del Ratti, pag. 15, &c., and is the most entertaining and least ill tempered thing to be met with in that work.
[65] A scholar of Daniel di Volterra, from whom he inherited these designs, with many others by the same great master. He painted but little, and generally from the designs of others, and which he did not execute in a happy manner; and Baglione says, his pictures were deficient in taste.
[66] There remained, in the time of Pascoli, some pitture saporite, as he terms them, by this artist, at Spoleto, where Piero established himself, and in the neighbouring towns; and which often pass for the works of Pietro Perugino, from a similarity of names. It appears however that Cesarei was desirous of preventing this error, as he inscribed his name Perinus Perusinus, or Perinus Cesareus Perusinus, as in the picture of the Rosary at Scheggino, painted in 1595. Vasari, in the life of Agnol Gaddi, names among his scholars Stefano da Verona, and says, that "all his works were imitated and drawn by that Pietro di Perugia, the painter in miniature, who ornamented the books at the cathedral of Siena, in the Library of Pope Pius, and who worked well in fresco." These words have puzzled more than one person. Pascoli (P. P. p. 134.) and Mariotti (L. P. p. 59.) consider them as written of Piero Cesarei; as if a man born in the golden age should so far extol an old trecentista; or as if the canons of Siena could approve such a style after possessing Razzi and Vanni. Padre della Valle interprets it to mean Pietro Vannucci, and not finding the books of the Choir adorned in such a style as he wished, reproves Vasari for having confounded so great a master with a common fresco painter and a Miniatore. It is most likely that this Miniatore and Frescante of Vasari was a third Pietro, hitherto unknown in Perugia, and whom we shall notice in the Venetian School.
[67] See Il Sig. Cav. Reposati Appendice del tomo ii. della Zecca di Gubbio; and the Sig. Conte Ranghiasci in the Elenco de' Professori Eugubini, inserted in vol. iv. of Vasari (ediz. Senese), at the end of the volume.
[68] I am indebted for it, to the noble Sig. Cav. Ercolani, who obligingly transmitted it to me, after procuring it from the Sig. Cav. Piani and the Sig. Paolo Antonio Ciccolini, of Macerata.
[69] In a former edition, on the authority of a MS. I called him Serj, and was doubtful whether Siciolante was not his surname. Sig. Brandolese has informed me of an epitaph, in the hands of Mons. Galletti, in which he is called Siciolante, whence Serio was most probably his surname.
[70] Another probable cause of this appellation, is to be found in the name of Raffaello Ciarla, who was one of the most celebrated painters of this ware, and was appointed by the duke to convey a large assortment of it to the court of Spain. Hence the vulgar, when they heard the name of Raffaello, might attribute them to Sanzio.