judgment. He kepi Del Sarto for years, allowing him spare hours for outside study, 1 especially at the cartoons of Michael Angelo and Leonardo, and delighted to hear that amongst all the striplings who copied there, his “garzone” was one of the ablest. 2 In the papal hall where these famed compositions stood, the earliest visitors were Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, Raphael, Granacci, Baccio Band.inelli, and the Spaniard Berruguete; in Andrea’s time, that is about 1507—1508, Francia Bigio, Jacopo Sansovino, Rosso, Maturino, Loren- zetto, and Tribolo. 3 It was there that the friendly inter course of Del Sarto and Francia Bigio commenced, there that they matured a plan for opening a joint shop of their own. We shall not pretend to give an exact date to this event, though we suppose that it occurred before the frescos illustrative of the life of the beato Filippo Benizzi were begun in the court of the SS. Annunziata de’ Servi. Francia Bigio and Del Sarto took a lodging together on the Piazza del Grano in the heart of Florence, and are said to have worked in common, their maiden under taking being perhaps the “Baptism of Christ” at the Scalzo, which Vasari classes amongst the first of Andrea’s efforts. We must confess grave doubts as to whether this episode could have been executed by Del Sarto alone. So different is the neglected drawing, or the unrefined character of the figures from that which is to be found at the Servi. We might, however, admit that such a production by two young masters just entering upon their career, would be accepted as an instalment of great pro mise and induce many to give them their patronage. As 1 At the Brancacci, Vas. III. p. 162. 2 Vas. VIII. 252. X. 296. The Aretine only alludes to one in stance where Andrea del Sarto had a share in Piero de Cosimo’s works, and that is when the car of death was made for one of the car nivals during the supremacy at Florence of the Soderini (VII. 115 to 117). 3 lb. XII. 179. '