to the marble, sweeping away that ancient
manner which had been used up to that time by the sculptors, who made
their figures rigid and without the least grace in the world; whereas
Jacopo made them as soft as flesh, giving finish to his marble with
patience and delicacy. Besides this, he made there some stories from the
Old Testament--namely, the Creation of our first parents, and the eating
of the forbidden fruit, wherein, in the figure of the woman, there is
seen an expression of countenance so beautiful, with a grace and an
attitude so deferential towards Adam as she offers him the apple, that
it appears impossible for him to refuse it; to say nothing of the
remainder of the work, which is all full of most beautiful ideas, and
adorned with most beautiful children and other ornaments in the shape of
lions and she-wolves, emblems of the city, all executed by Jacopo with
love, mastery, and judgment in the space of twelve years. By his hand,
likewise, are three very beautiful scenes in half-relief from the life
of S. John the Baptist, wrought in bronze, which are round the baptismal
font of S. Giovanni, below the Duomo; and also some figures in the
round, likewise in bronze, one braccio in height, which are between each
of the said scenes, and are truly beautiful and worthy of praise.
Wherefore, by reason of these works, which showed his excellence, and of
the goodness and uprightness of his life, Jacopo was deservedly made
chevalier by the Signoria of Siena, and, shortly afterwards, Warden of
Works of the Duomo; which office he filled so well that neither before
nor since were these Works better directed, for, although he did not
live more than three years after undertaking this charge, he made many
useful and honourable improvements in that Duomo. And although Jacopo
was only a sculptor, nevertheless he drew passing well, as is
demonstrated by some drawings made by him, to be found in our book,
which appear to be rather by the hand of an illuminator than of a
sculptor. And his portrait, similar to the one that is seen above, I had
from Maestro Domenico Beccafumi, painter of Siena, who has related to me
many things about the excellence, goodness, and gentleness of Jacopo,
who finally died, exhausted by fatigues and by continuous labour, at the
age of sixty-four, and was lamented and honourably buried in Siena, the
place of his birth, by his friends and relatives--nay, by the the whole
city. And truly it was no small goo