no, the prior, who had charge of the fabric, had the aforesaid 23
pictures with their ornaments set in the choir by the hand of Paolo
Sasono." He died in the 68th year of his age, and was buried in S. Maria
in Organo. He is called "prior" in a chronicle of the monastery under
date 1511, and in the list of dead. In his portrait in the sacristy, by
Caroto, he is represented with the tonsure and with the hood and cowl of
the form which was proper to monks who were constituted "in sacris."

Fra Raffaello da Brescia, whose name was Roberto Marone, was born in
1477. His father's name was Pietro Marone, and his mother was a
Venetian, named Cecilia Tiepolo. When twenty-two years old he took the
monastic habit as a lay brother in the convent of S. Nicolo di Rodengo,
near Brescia, and a little later (in 1502) was sent to Monte Oliveto
Maggiore. Fra Giovanni being then established there as "conventual
brother," took young Marone and taught him, seeing that he had both
liking and talent for the work, so that he soon became a clever workman.
Between 1504 and 1507 he worked with him at the choir of Monte Oliveto,
from 1506 to 1510 he was with him at Naples, when the famous sacristy
panels were being executed, and in 1511 and 1512 he was at S. Nicolo di
Rodengo, where he worked at the choir of that church. The lectern from
Rodengo is now in the Galleria Tosi at Brescia; the inlays are in the
lower portion, and show architectural compositions in perspective and
the usual objects, such as a censer, an open book, &c. It is signed
F.R.B. In 1513 Raffaello commenced the magnificent choir of S. Michaele
in Bosco, Bologna, and here he also made the design for the campanile,
which was built by Maestro Pedrino di Como, showing that like so many of
the intarsiatori he was no mere worker in wood. While this work was in
progress he executed a lectern for Monte Oliveto, ordered by the abbot
Barnaba Cevenini, who was a Bolognese. It is signed and dated 1520, and
shows on each side a choir book open, with notes of music and words. In
one of the lower panels a black cat symbolises fidelity.

S. Michele in Bosco was among the largest of the Olivetan convents. The
Benedictines entered into possession in 1364, but these buildings were
destroyed by the Bolognese in 1430, "so that they might not give shelter
and a base for hostilities to the soldiers of Martin V." The
re-construction began in 1437. The choir was raised on several steps,
and called "Il Par