Of Ornaments of Pictures within and without the houses. The eleuenth Chapter

THat I may not leaue out any kinds of Ornaments, whereof I giue not some rule for instruction, as well in Pictures as other things, I say, that the workeman ought not onely to take care of the Ornaments of stone or marble, but also of the Paynters worke, to let out the walles withall: and it is requisite, that he should prescribe an order therein, as Surueyor of all the worke: for this cause, that some Paynters haue beene workemen good inough, touching the handling of their worke, but for the rest, of so little vnderstanding, that desiring to shew their skill in the placing of the colours, haue disgraced, and sometime spoyled a Story of a house, for want of consideration how to place the Pictures in the same. Therefore if they haue a Forefront or Facie of a house to paynt, it is certayne, there is no opennesse to be left, where ayre or lantshap is to be made, for those breake the building; and of a thing that is massy and close, they transforme it into an open weake forme, like a ruinous and vnperfit building. Also there should be no personages nor beasts coloured, vnlesse it were to trim and decke doores, wherein there are mens personages: but if the owner of the house, or the Paynter, desire colours, that the worke may not be broken nor spoyled, a man may couer a hackled wall ouer with cloth, and therein paynt what he will: and also, after the maner of tryumphs, a man may hang on the wall Garlands, and strings of Leaues, and Fruits, Flowers, &c. and also Shields, Trophees, and such things as are to be stirred: but if you will paynt the walles with firme matter, then you may fayne things of marble or other stones, cutting therein what you will: you may also beautifie some figures in Niches, with metall, and so the worke will remayne firme, & worthy commendation of all those that know good worke from bad. And the Author rehearseth diuers excellent workemen, whome (for breuitie sake) I will omit, that onely vsed to paynt nothing else but white and blacke in houses, and yet so excellently well, that it made men wonder to behold them. A man may also, with good reason, make and set forth certayne openings in walles of lodgings, round about the Courts, and make ayre, lantshaps, houses, figures, beasts, and such like things, as hee will in colours. Also, if a man hath Chambers, Halles, or other places, about the ground within, to paynt and set forth, then a Paynter, in maner of Architecture, may make openings to see through them, as the place is: for aboue the sight a man must make nothing but ayre or skyes, roofes, high hilles, and the vpper part of houses: and if you place figures also aboue the sight, a man must see vnder them, and not the ground whereon they stand. And if the Paynter will make a Hall or any other, or further roome perspectiuely, he may, ouer the going in, with order of Architecture, make it to shew further then in effect it is. And this, Balthazar (a man excellently well learned in Architecture) did, in beautifying the Hall of Augustin Guyse, a Marchant of Rome, where, in that fort he set out some Columnes, and other Architecture to that purpose: so that Peter Aretin, a man also skilfull in Paynting and in Poesie, sayd, that there had not beene a perfiter Paynter then he in that house, although there is worke also in it of Raphaels owne doing. And when the walles are paynted, and if you will haue the roofe also done, then follow the steps of Antiquitie, making things that are called Grootes, which, for that you may make them as you will, shew well therein, as Leaues, Flowers, Beasts, Birds, and other mixed matter. If a man maketh any clothes or apparell of figures, or which are made fast on them, therein a man may doe as he will. But if a Paynter will make any figures according to the life, in a roofe of a house, then he must be very skilfull, and much exercised in Perspectiue worke, and very iudicious to chuse such things as are fittest for the place, and rather heauenly flying things, then carthly things, with such Arte, that he must shorten the figures so (although they bee monstrous) that when men stand a conuenient distance off from them, they may resemble the life. Which thing is excellently well made in L•rette Mantua, and other places in Italy, by diuers workemen: yet skilfull workemen in our time haue shunned such shortening, for that (in truth) it is not so pleasing to the eyes of the common sort of people. Therefore Raphael Durbi•, whom I will alwayes name Diuine, for that he neuer had his fellow, (I say no more) in this thing, as men iudged of him when he was to paynt the roofe of Augustin Guyse his Gallery, shunned shortening as much as he could: for when he came to the highest part of the roofe, and there meant to make the banquet of the gods, heauenly things, and such as serued to the purpose for a roofe, taking away the harshnesse of shortenings, set forth a cloth of azure colour, made fast to the strings or Garlands, as if it had beene a thing to bee stird, and therein made the banquet so seemely and so workemanlike, that the Gallery was rather esteemed for a preparation to a tryumph, then a playne paynting made vpon a wall. Therefore the workeman, that ought not to be vnskilfull in Perspectiue worke, should not indure, as being Surueyor ouer all the workemen in the building, that any thing should bee made therein, without his counsell and aduice.