" It was one of those unions in which the man gives
everything, and the woman receives and allows every sacrifice. Her
family were kept at his expense, her daughter loved as his own, and if
she were haughty or exacting, he suffered with a Socratic patience,
thinking life with her a privilege.
It is to be supposed that a member of the societies of the Cauldron and
the Trowel would appreciate good living. He was so devoted to the
pleasures of the table that he went to market himself early every
morning and came home laden with delicacies. [Footnote: Biadi,
_Notixie inedite_, &c., chap. xix. p. 62.] A curious confirmation
of this is to be found in his house, the dining-room of which is
beautifully frescoed, the arched roof in Raphaelesque scrolls and
grotesques; while the lunettes of one wall have two large pictures, one
of a woman roasting birds over a fire, the other of a servant preparing
the table for dinner. This love of good living, however, in the end
shortened his life, according to Biadi.
After his marketing was over he turned his attention to art, going to
his fresco painting followed by his scholars, or superintending their
work in the "bottega.
Pages:
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155