Baccio had undertaken to execute in painting an
altar-piece of considerable size for the Church of Cestello, and for
this he had made a very beautiful cartoon containing a Dead Christ
surrounded by the Maries, with Nicodemus and other figures; but, for a
reason that we shall give below, he did not paint the altar-piece. He
also made at this time, in order to paint a picture, a cartoon in
which was Christ taken down from the Cross and held in the arms of
Nicodemus, with His Mother, who was standing, weeping for Him, and an
Angel who was holding in his hands the Nails and the Crown of Thorns.
Setting himself straightway to colour it, he finished it quickly and
placed it on exhibition in the workshop of his friend Giovanni di
Goro, the goldsmith, in the Mercato Nuovo, in order to hear the
opinions of men and particularly what Michelagnolo said of it.
Michelagnolo was taken by the goldsmith Piloto to see it, and, after
he had examined every part, he said that he marvelled that so good a
draughtsman as Baccio should allow a picture so crude and wanting in
grace to leave his hands, that he had seen the most feeble painters
executing their works in a better manner, and that this was no art for
Baccio. Piloto reported Michelagnolo's judgment to Baccio, who, for
all the hatred that he felt against him, recognized that he spoke the
truth. Certainly Baccio's drawings were very beautiful, but in colours
he executed them badly and without grace, and he therefore resolved to
paint no more with his own hand; but he took into his service one who
handled colours passing well, a young man called Agnolo, the brother
of the excellent painter Franciabigio, who had died a few years
before. To this Agnolo he desired to entrust the execution of the
altar-piece for Cestello, but it remained unfinished, the reason of
which was the change of government in Florence, which took place in
the year 1527, when the Medici left Florence after the sack of Rome.
For Baccio did not think himself safe, having a private feud with a
neighbour at his villa of Pinzirimonte, who was of the popular party;
and after he had buried at that villa some cameos and little antique
figures of bronze, which belonged to the Medici, he went off to live
in Lucca. There he remained until the time when the Emperor Charles V
came to receive his crown at Bologna; whereupon he presented himself
before the Pope and then went with him to Rome, where he was given
rooms in the Belveder