ssured
me that it was by the hand of Costa, who was a passing good draughtsman,
as may be seen from a pen-drawing on parchment in our book, wherein is
the Judgment of Solomon, with a S. Jerome in chiaroscuro, which are both
very well wrought.

Disciples of Lorenzo were Ercole da Ferrara, his compatriot, whose Life
will be written below, and Lodovico Malino, likewise of Ferrara, by whom
there are many works in his native city and in other places; but the
best that he made was a panel which is in the Church of S. Francesco in
Bologna, in a chapel near the principal door, representing Jesus Christ
at the age of twelve disputing with the Doctors in the Temple. The elder
Dosso of Ferrara, of whose works mention will be made in the proper
place, also learnt his first principles from Costa. And this is as much
as I have been able to gather about the life and works of Lorenzo Costa
of Ferrara.

ERCOLE FERRARESE

LIFE OF ERCOLE FERRARESE

[_ERCOLE DA FERRARA_]

PAINTER

Although, long before Lorenzo Costa died, his disciple Ercole Ferrarese
was in very good repute and was invited to work in many places, he would
never abandon his master (a thing which is rarely wont to happen), and
was content to work with him for meagre gains and praise, rather than
labour by himself for greater profit and credit. For this gratitude, in
view of its rarity among the men of to-day, all the more praise is due
to Ercole, who, knowing himself to be indebted to Lorenzo, put aside all
thought of his own interest in favour of his master's wishes, and was
like a brother or a son to him up to the end of his life.

Ercole, then, who was a better draughtsman than Costa, painted, below
the panel executed by Lorenzo in the Chapel of S. Vincenzio in S.
Petronio, certain scenes in distemper with little figures, so well and
with so beautiful and good a manner, that it is scarcely possible to see
anything better, or to imagine the labour and diligence that Ercole put
into the work: and thus the predella is a much better painting than the
panel. Both were wrought at one and the same time during the life of
Costa. After his master's death, Ercole was employed by Domenico
Garganelli to finish that chapel in S. Petronio which Lorenzo, as has
been said above, had begun, completing only a small part. Ercole, to
whom the said Domenico was giving four ducats a month for this, with his
own expenses and those of a boy, and all the colours that were