certainly appreciated by Antonio Pucci, who
gave him 300 crowns for it, declaring that he was barely paying him for
the colours. It was finished in the year 1475.

[Illustration: ANTONIO POLLAIUOLO: DAVID VICTOR

(_Berlin: Kaiser Friedrich Museum, 73A. Panel_)]

Gaining courage from this, therefore, he painted at S. Miniato fra le
Torri, without the Gate, a S. Cristopher ten braccia in height, a very
beautiful work executed in a modern manner, the figure being better
proportioned than any other of that size that had been made up to that
time. He then made a Crucifix with S. Antonino, on canvas, which was
placed in the chapel of that Saint in S. Marco. In the Palace of the
Signoria of Florence, at the Porta della Catena, he made a S. John the
Baptist; and in the house of the Medici he painted for the elder Lorenzo
three figures of Hercules in three pictures, each five braccia in
height. The first of these, which is slaying Antaeus, is a very
beautiful figure, in which the strength of Hercules as he crushes the
other is seen most vividly, for the muscles and nerves of that figure
are all strained in the struggle to destroy Antaeus. The head of
Hercules shows the gnashing of the teeth so well in harmony with the
other parts, that even the toes of his feet are raised in the effort.
Nor did he take less pains with Antaeus, who, crushed in the arms of
Hercules, is seen sinking and losing all his strength, and giving up his
breath through his open mouth. The second Hercules, who is slaying the
Lion, has the left knee pressed against its chest, and, setting his
teeth and extending his arms, and grasping the Lion's jaws with both his
hands, he is opening them and rending them asunder by main force,
although the beast is tearing his arms grievously with its claws in
self-defence. The third picture, wherein Hercules is slaying the Hydra,
is something truly marvellous, particularly the serpent, which he made
so lively and so natural in colouring that nothing could be made more
life-like. In that beast are seen venom, fire, ferocity, rage, and such
vivacity, that he deserves to be celebrated and to be closely imitated
in this by all good craftsmen.

For the Company of S. Angelo in Arezzo he executed an oil-painting on
cloth, with a Crucifix on one side, and on the other S. Michael in
combat with the Dragon, as beautiful as any work that there is to be
seen by his hand; for the figure of S. Michael, who is bravely
confronting the