together with his
father Matteo, a disciple of Clemente,[31] and who was his first master.
Then, after having been some time with him, desiring to make greater
proficience than he was making under the discipline of that master and
in that place, where he was not able to learn by himself, although he
had a strong natural inclination, he turned his thoughts towards the
idea of settling in Florence. To this intention, not to mention that he
was left alone by the death of his mother, Fortune was favourable
enough, for a young sister that he had was married to Leonardo Ricoveri,
one of the first and richest citizens that there were at that time in
Arezzo; and so he went off to Florence.

There, among the works of many that he saw, the manner of Andrea del
Sarto and of Jacopo da Pontormo pleased him more than that of all the
others who had worked at painting in that city. Wherefore he resolved to
place himself under one of those two, and was hesitating as to which of
them he should choose as his master, when there were uncovered the Faith
and Charity painted by Pontormo over the portico of the Nunziata in
Florence, and he became fully determined to go to work under Pontormo,
thinking that his manner was so beautiful that it might be expected that
Jacopo, who was still a young man, was destined to surpass all the young
painters of his own age, as, indeed, was the firm belief of everyone at
that time. Lappoli, then, although he might have gone to work under
Andrea, for the said reasons attached himself to Pontormo, under whose
discipline he was for ever drawing, spurred to incredible exertions, out
of emulation, by two motives. One of these was the presence of Giovan
Maria dal Borgo a San Sepolcro, who was studying design and painting
under the same master, and who, always advising him for his own good,
brought it about that he changed his manner and adopted the good manner
of Pontormo. The other--and this spurred him more strongly--was the
sight of Agnolo, who was called Bronzino, being much brought forward by
Jacopo on account of his loving submissiveness and goodness and the
untiring diligence that he showed in imitating his master's works, not
to mention that he drew very well and acquitted himself in colouring in
such a manner, that he aroused hopes that he was destined to attain to
that excellence and perfection which have been seen in him, and still
are seen, in our own day.

Giovanni Antonio, then, being desirous to le