Andrea, scorning to make any pecuniary bargain, only stipulated that no
one else should paint in that courtyard, and forthwith began the
_Stories from the Life of S. Filippo Benizzi_, having only old
Alesso Baldovinetti's _Nativity_, and Cosimo Roselli's _Miracle
of S. Filippo_, as foils to his own. These two works were on the
walls on each side of the church door; there were therefore three
entire sides of the cloister to cover, excepting only the entrance into
the courtyard from the Piazza, and no doubt he felt like Ghirlandajo,
when "he wished he had the entire circuit of the city walls to paint."
On the 16th of June, 1511, he began to paint with such vigour that in a
few months the first three were uncovered.
1. _S. Philip at Viterbo with the Court, dressing a naked leper in
his own cloak_.
2. _S. Philip going from Bologna to Modena_. He rebukes some
gamblers, telling them the vengeance of God is near. A sudden
thunderstorm and lightning destroy them, thus fulfilling the
prediction. There is a great deal of fine action in this composition;
the horror and disbelief struggling in the faces of the men, and the
stormy landscape are all well rendered.
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