wards thrown down, together with
that of Pope Martin IV., when the Perugians enlarged their Vescovado,
so that only a few remains may be seen to-day dispersed about the
church. At the same time the Perugians, thanks to the skill and
industry of a friar of the Silvestrini, had brought to their city
from the hill of Pacciano, two miles away, an abundance of water. The
ornamentation of the fountain in both bronze and marble was entrusted
to Giovanni, so that he thereupon set his hand to the work, making
three basins, one above the other, two in marble and one in bronze.
The first is placed at the top of a flight of steps of twelve faces,
the second rests on some pillars which rise from the centre of the
first, while the third, which is of bronze, is supported by three
figures; and in the middle are griffins, also of bronze, which throw
out water on every side. And as Giovanni considered that he had
executed an excellent piece of work, he put his name to it. The
arches and conduits of this fountain, which cost 160,000 gold ducats,
were found to be very much worn and broken about the year 1560, but
Vincenzio Danti, sculptor of Perugia, contrived a means, to his great
glory, of bringing water to the fountain in the original way, without
rebuilding the arches, which would have been very costly. When the
work was finished Giovanni felt anxious to return to see his old
father, who was sick, and he set out from Perugia intending to return
to Pisa; but on his way through Florence he was compelled to stay
there, to assist with others at the mills of the Arno, which were
being made at S. Gregorio, near the piazza dei Mozzi. But at length
receiving word that his father Niccola was dead, he departed for
Pisa, where he was received with great honour by all the city, on
account of his worth, since everyone rejoiced that although Niccola
was lost to them, yet they still possessed Giovanni, who inherited
his father's ability as well as his property. Nor were they deceived
in him when the time of testing arrived, for when it was necessary to
do some few things for the tiny but highly-ornate church of S. Maria
della Spina, the task was entrusted to Giovanni. He therefore put his
hand to the work and brought the ornamentation of that oratory to the
state of perfection which it possesses to-day, the more so as he
introduced the portrait of Niccola, taken from life, executed to the
best of his ability. When the Pisans had seen this they decided