cy, who cherishes it as a
jewel, together with a Christ praying in the Garden and many other
designs, sketches, and cartoons by the hand of Michelagnolo, and
likewise the statue of Victory with a captive beneath, five braccia in
height, and four captives in the rough which serve to teach us how to
carve figures from the marble by a method secure from any chance of
spoiling the stone; which method is as follows. You take a figure in
wax or some other solid material, and lay it horizontally in a vessel
of water, which water being by its nature flat and level at the
surface, as you raise the said figure little by little from the level,
so it comes about that the more salient parts are revealed, while the
lower parts--those, namely, on the under side of the figure--remain
hidden, until in the end it all comes into view. In the same manner
must figures be carved out of marble with the chisel, first laying
bare the more salient parts, and then little by little the lower
parts; and this method may be seen to have been followed by
Michelagnolo in the above-mentioned captives, which his Excellency
wishes to be used as exemplars for his Academicians.

Michelagnolo loved his fellow-craftsmen, and held intercourse with
them, as with Jacopo Sansovino, Rosso, Pontormo, Daniello da Volterra,
and Giorgio Vasari of Arezzo, to which last he showed innumerable
kindnesses; and he was the reason that Giorgio gave his attention to
architecture, intending to make use of him some day, and he readily
conferred and discussed matters of art with him. Those who say that he
was not willing to teach are wrong, because he was always willing with
his intimates and with anyone who asked him for counsel; and I have
been present on many such occasions, but of these, out of
consideration, I say nothing, not wishing to reveal the deficiencies
of others. It may be urged that he had bad fortune with those who
lived with him in his house, which was because he hit upon natures
little able to imitate him. Thus, Pietro Urbano of Pistoia, his pupil,
was a man of parts, but would never exert himself. Antonio Mini was
willing, but had no aptitude of brain; and when the wax is hard it
does not readily take an impression. Ascanio dalla Ripa Transone took
great pains, but of this no fruits were ever seen either in designs or
in finished works, and he toiled several years over a picture for
which Michelagnolo had given him a cartoon. In the end, all the good
expectati