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the brothers of the hospital, is by Priamo, brother of the sculptor Giacomo della Quercia. 1 This artist had been left heir to Giacomo by a will, dated the 3 rd of October 1438, but the charges of the succession seemed likely to . exceed its profits. Giacomo had been unable to complete the funeral monument of the Vari in S. Petronio at Bologna; and the super intendents required Priamo, or any substitute he might name, to finish it. Giacomo had subjected himself to heavy fines by staying at Bologna beyond the time allowed him by the authorities of Sienna; and Priamo was called upon to pay them. Cino di Bartolo, assistant to Giacomo at Bologna, had applied to his own use the property of his master; and the dispute between Priamo and him had been submitted to umpires. In the midst of all this Priamo was reduced to beggary; and his in come-paper of 1453 is but a doleful petition for consider ation in favour of a miserable impoverished debtor. An altarpiece, ordered of him in 1442 by the fraternity of S. Michele at Volterra, remained publicly exposed in its original situation till 1827, but has since disappeared. It cost originally the small sum of 40 lire, or ten Sien nese florins; and was, no doubt, not more worthy of at tention than the fresco of the same year at the Pellegri- naio of Sienna, where Priamo rudely carried out a com position of the very poorest conception. 2 convent at Pratovecchio, and was purchased from the Lombardi col lection. 1 Della Valle (Lettere Sanese. II. 197) speaks of Luciano da Vel- letri as an assistant of Domenico in thePellegrinaio, but he is alone in that statement, and no extant productions are assigned to him. 2 Giacomo della Quercia died Oct. 20. 1438, having made (Oct. 3) a will, leaving his property, a mi nus quantity, to Priamo. Yet Priamo with little forethought married, before the year expired, Bartolommea di Antonio (Doc. Sen. 178—9). Cino di Bartolo, assistant to Giacomo della Quercia at Bo logna, had taken possession of his master’s property there, and was at once claimed by the Siennese authorities (ib. II. 181), whilst at the same time Priamo wrote (Dec. 1. 1438) to the superintendents of S. Petronio, demanding the rest of the sum due to his brother for the erection of the Vari monument. To the Signoria the superintend ents replied (Doc. Sen. II. 181), surrendering Cino, but asking that he or Priamo should be allowed to finish the Vari monument. To Pri amo they answered, apparently, offering to pay him, if he came or
