Chap. III. THE DELLA QUERCIA. 59 Giacomo della Quercia, whose bequests were attended with such melancholy results to his less talented brother, is one of a class which fills a considerable place in Si ennese annals, but of which it is only necessary, in a history of painting, to say that its sculpture, in spite of apparent ability, invariably disclosed a fanciful and false conven tionalism. Giacomo’s life fills half a century. He was born in 1371, and died in 1438, after a bright career marked by great industry. His practice fell afterwards principally into the hands of Sano di Matteo and Antonio Federighi, the rivals of Bernardo Rossellino in the employ of the Piccolomini, to whom Sienna and Pienza owed so much of their architectural improvements. In Agostino’s plastic creations, low classicism is strongly intermingled with a disagreable swagger; and the mannerism of Gia como della Quercia in action and drapery descends to him unimproved and unimproveable. Partner in these defects, but more versatile in his pur suits: Lorenzo di Pietro kept a goldsmith’s shop, and practised with varying success as an architect, sculptor, and painter. He was of the same age as Domenico di Bartolo, and a cotemporary of Sano di Pietro; and he was nicknamed Vecchietta, perhaps because of the tottering frames and aged faces repeated with consistent pertinacity in every specimen of his skill in every branch. sent some one to complete the work on hand (Doe. Son. II. 184). Pria- mo (ib. ib.) declared his readiness to go to Bologna (Feb. 11. 1439, old st.) with Cino, but ultimately sent Cino alone thither (Doe. Sen. II. 185), whose quarrels had in the meanwhile been submitted to an umpire (ib. II. 189). It seems ob vious that the Siennese authorities desired to keep Priamo until he had settled the fines due by his dead brother; for we find him in April 1440 (o. s.) presenting a pe tition for the revision of the sen tence in accordance with which these fines were to be paid (ib. II. 191). The Volterra picture and the Pellegrinaio frescos were both completed in 1442 (ib. II. 278—9, and 283), and in Aug. of the same year Antonio Petri de Briosso was accepted by the superintendents of S. Petronio to finish the work which Priamo was clearly unable to un dertake (ib. II. 209—10). Priamo’s income-paper of 1453 is published (ib. II. 283). Of Cino di Bartolo the records only notice that he was the son of Bartolo, a goldsmith of Sienna (Doc. Sen. I. 284), that he was first employed by Giacomo della Quer cia in 1428 at S. Petronio of Bo logna (ib. II. 150), and that his death took place in 1475 (ib. 1.284).
