e? To sum the matter up, I venture to
declare that in that kind of painting Giovanni surpassed all those who
have best imitated Nature in such works, for the reason that, besides
all the other things, even the flowers of the elder, of the fennel, and
of the other lesser plants are there in truly astonishing perfection.
There, likewise, may be seen a great abundance of animals in the
lunettes, which are encircled by those festoons, and certain little boys
that are holding in their hands the attributes of the Gods; and, among
other things, a lion and a sea-horse, being most beautifully
foreshortened, are held to be divine.

Having finished that truly extraordinary work, Giovanni executed a very
beautiful bathroom in the Castello di S. Angelo, and in the Papal
Palace, besides those mentioned above, many other small works, which for
the sake of brevity are passed over. Raffaello having then died, whose
loss much grieved Giovanni, and Pope Leo having also left this world,
there was no more place in Rome for the arts of design or for any other
art, and Giovanni occupied himself for many months on some works of
little importance at the villa of the above-named Cardinal de' Medici.
And for the arrival of Pope Adrian in Rome he did nothing but the small
banners of the Castle, which he had renewed twice in the time of Pope
Leo, together with the great standard that flies on the summit of the
highest tower. He also executed four square banners when the Blessed
Antonino, Archbishop of Florence, and S. Hubert, once Bishop of I know
not what city of Flanders, were canonized as Saints by the
above-mentioned Pope Adrian; of which banners, one, wherein is the
figure of that S. Antonino, was given to the Church of S. Marco in
Florence, where the body of the Saint lies, another, wherein is the
figure of S. Hubert, was placed in S. Maria de Anima, the church of the
Germans in Rome, and the other two were sent to Flanders.

Clement VII having then been elected Supreme Pontiff, with whom Giovanni
had a strait bond of service, he returned immediately from Udine,
whither he had gone to avoid the plague, to Rome; where having arrived,
he was commissioned to make a rich and beautiful decoration over the
steps of S. Pietro for the coronation of that Pope. And afterwards it
was ordained that he and Perino del Vaga should paint some pictures on
the vaulting of the old hall opposite to the lower apartments, which
lead from the Loggie, which he had