Eternal city without having done anything. 1 The Cortigiano is rather contrary to the theory which assigns two panels of S. Paul and S. Peter to the monk’s stay at Rome, be cause it describes Raphael busy in the presence of two cardinals with one picture in which were a S. Peter and a S. Paul; 2 and again, the memoranda of the syndic of S. Marco declare that: “two r quadri* of four braccia by Fra Bartolommeo, a S. Peter, and a S. Paul were va lued at thirty ducats, but reduced in price to twenty-five in consequence of an imperfection in the S. Peter; and both were given away to S. Salvestro”. 3 It is clear that, unless we admit the existence of replicas of these saints, we must doubt Vasari. The Apostles of S. Salvestro, now at the Quirinal, are obviously those registered in the syndic’s memoranda, and done from the cartoons now in the Academy of Arts at Florence. 4 They are grand and stern; the S. Peter with mantle hanging over his right arm holding the keys, and the book pressed to his breast; the S. Paul looking out, and his hand on the hilt of a long sword. The colour of the first is reddish and rather opaque, the shadows of the head being taken up afresh, and the extremities being by another painter. The head of the second is corrected so as to leave 'the old contour visible; but the tone is transparent, and the execution exclusively that of Fra Bartolommeo. 5 Who ever may have been employed on the S. Peter, we do not fancy Raphael to have been that person; and we as sume that if Fra Bartolommeo went to Rome, he did so 1 Vas. IX. 73. 2 Bernardo Bibbiena in the Cor tigiano relates: “Di questo modo rispose ancor’ Rafaello pittore a dui Cardinali suoi domestici, i quali, per farlo dire, tassavano in presentia sua una tavola ch’egli havea fatta dove erano San Pietro e S. Paolo: dicendo che quelle due figure erano troppo rosse nel viso. Al- hora Rafaello subito disse, Signori non vi maravigliate, che io questo ho fatto a sommo studio, perche e da credere, che S. Pietro e S. Paolo siano, come qui gli vedete ancor in cielo cosi rossi per ver- gogna, che la chiesa sua sia gover- nata da tali huomini come sete voi”. “II Cortigiano” by Baldas- sar Castiglione, &c. 4°. London. 1727. Book II. p. 213. 3 Ap. Marchese ub. sup. II. 146. 4 These were originally at S. Marco. 5 Both panels 5 feet 10 inches in height. Each figure in a niche.
