Note 18 — BOOK III. (continued 2)

Sig. Abbate Zannoni, a librarian in Faenza, assisted by Sig. Zauli, a distinguished professor of design in that Lyceum, has made some clever remarks upon that school. They observe that this date of Fabri must be erroneous, it not being possible for Jacopone to have commenced painting in 1513, and much less Tonduzzi, pupil to Giulio Romano, probably, in Mantua: I suspect that the order of the last two figures should be inverted, so as to read 1531.

They inform me that I was misled in supposing the picture of the Dominican Nuns to be from the hand of Jacopone, its great height preventing me from distinguishing the name. It belongs to his nephew and pupil, Gian Batista, and thus resembles his style, though coloured with stronger tints in the taste of Titian, whom he is known to have greatly consulted in after years. Other pictures of Jacopone might be cited, that still exist, but injured by time and by retouches of other destroyers. Yet, they continue, all are surpassed by a figure that was placed at the Celestini, and is now in the general collection. It represents St. John pointing out to the ecclesiastic who ordered the picture, the Virgin crowned, between Saints Celestino and Benedetto; a grand piece wonderfully preserved, formed upon the composition of Raffaello, and coloured after Titian. On the right side is written, "F. Jo. Bapt. Para Brasius hoc opus ob devotionem fieri jussit anno domini 1565:" (the most assured epoch of his life;) and on the left hand, "Et semper Jacobius Bertusius F. (for Faventinus) invicto tandem Momo faciebat." Who this Momo was, against whose desire (since we must read invito) he completed the picture, I know not; whether a painter, or perhaps a friar, whom Jacopone's dilatoriness had offended, and who wished to substitute another artist, in which good office he did not succeed.