e or out of it, and to
his son Clemente he behaved very strangely, keeping him in want of
everything. For this reason Clemente, who had made a large head of his
Excellency in clay, in order to execute it in marble for the statue of
the audience-chamber, sought leave of the Duke to depart and go to
Rome, on account of his father's strangeness; and the Duke said that
he would not fail him. Baccio, at the departure of Clemente, who had
asked leave of him, would not give him anything, although the young
man had been a great help to him in Florence, and, indeed, Baccio's
right hand in every matter; nevertheless, he thought nothing of
getting rid of him. The young man, having arrived in Rome at an
unfavourable season, died in the same year both from over-study and
from wild living, leaving in Florence an example of his handiwork in
an almost finished head of Duke Cosimo in marble, which is very
beautiful, and was afterwards placed by Baccio over the principal door
of his house in the Via de' Ginori. Clemente also left well advanced a
Dead Christ who is supported by Nicodemus, which Nicodemus is a
portrait from life of Baccio; and these statues, which are passing
good, Baccio set up in the Church of the Servites, as we shall relate
in the proper place. The death of Clemente was a very great loss to
Baccio and to art, and Bandinelli recognized this after he was dead.

Baccio uncovered the altar of S. Maria del Fiore, and the statue of
God the Father was criticized. The altar has remained as was described
above, nor has anything more been done to it since; but the work of
the choir has been continued.

Many years before, there had been quarried at Carrara a great block of
marble ten braccia and a half in height and five braccia in width, of
which having received notice, Baccio rode to Carrara and made a
contract for it with him to whom it belonged, giving him fifty crowns
as earnest-money. He then returned to Florence and so pestered the
Duke, that, by the favour of the Duchess, he obtained the commission
to make from it a giant, which was to be placed in the Piazza, at the
corner where the Lion was; on which spot was to be made a great
fountain to spout water, in the middle of which was to be a Neptune in
his chariot, drawn by sea-horses, and this figure was to be carved out
of the above-mentioned block of marble. For this figure Baccio made
more than one model, and showed them to his Excellency; but the matter
stood thus, wi