He was well received in Paris, and employed immediately on a likeness
of the infant Dauphin Henri II., then only a few months old. For this
he obtained 300 scudi: and a monthly salary was allowed him. What a
mine of gold the French court must have seemed to him after working for
years at large frescoes for ten scudi each!
He did no less than fifty works of art while there, most of which have
been engraved by the best French artists.[Footnote: See _Catalogue of
Royal Pictures in France_, by M. Lepiscie.] The _Carita_ is
signed 1518, and is in Andrea's best style--perhaps with a leaning
towards Michelangelo. The _S. Jerome in Penitence_, which he
painted for the king's mother, and obtained a large price for, cannot
be traced. His life in Paris was a new revelation, and not without its
effect on his character, always alive to substantial pleasure.
The king and his courtiers frequented his atelier, and delighted to
watch him paint, vieing with each other in the richness of their gifts,
among which were splendid brocade dresses and beautiful ornaments and
jewels, in which he longed to adorn his wife.
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