ned to make four statues of the principal doctors of the
church--St Jerome, St Ambrose, St Augustine, and St Gregory. When
these were finished they brought him favour and renown with the
craftsmen and throughout the city, and he was commissioned to make
two other figures in marble of the same size. These were St Stephen
and St Laurence, which are on the front of S. Maria del Fiore at the
outside angle. By Andrea's hand also is the marble Madonna, three and
a half braccia high with the child at her neck, which is over the
altar of the little church and company of the Misericordia on the
piazza of S. Giovanni at Florence. This was much praised in those
times, especially as on either side of the Madonna he put an angel
two and a half braccia high. A setting of very finely carved wood has
been made for this in our own day by Maestro Antonio called "Il
Carota," with a predella beneath, full of most beautiful figures
coloured in oil by Ridolfo, son of Domenico Grillandai. In like
manner the half-length Madonna in marble which is over the
side-door of the Misericordia, on the facade of the Cialdonai, is by
Andrea's hand, and was highly praised, because in it he had imitated
the good antique manner, contrary to his habit, which was always
different from it, as shown by some designs of his which are in our
book, and in which he represents all the scenes from the Apocalypse.
Now Andrea had studied architecture in his youth, and an opportunity
occurred for his employment in this art by the commune of Florence,
for as Arnolfo was dead and Giotto absent, he was entrusted with the
preparation of plans for the castle of Scarperia, which is in Mugello
at the foot of the Alps. Some say, though I will not vouch for the
truth of it, that Andrea stayed a year at Venice, and there executed
some small marble figures which are on the facade of S. Marco, and
that in the time of M. Piero Gradenigo, doge of that republic, he
designed the Arsenal. But as I know nothing of this beyond the bare
mention of it which occurs in some writers, I must leave the matter
to the judgment of my readers. From Venice he returned to Florence,
where the city, fearing the coming of the emperor, with Andrea's
co-operation, hastily added eight braccia to part of the wall between
S. Gallo and the Prato Gate, and in other places he made bastions,
palisades and works in earth and wood. Now some three years before,
he had shown his skill in casting bronze in a much admire