ioni, Filippo Zanchi, Giuseppe Belli, Domenico di Albano, Niccolino
Cabrini, Pietro da Nembro, Francesco Boneri, and other painters, as well
as the making of models and other similar operations. Those who worked
at carving and tarsia under the direction of Giovanni Francesco were his
son Zinino and Pietro his brother, who lived in Lodi; Paolo da Pesaro,
and many others, including a whole family, Giovanni di Ponteranica and
his four sons. The part towards the sacristy was designed by Lorenzo
Lotto, the rest by Alessandro Belli. The sedilia on the Gospel side bear
a signature hung from a tree, "Opus Jo: Franc: D. Cap. Ferr. Bergomi."
The four panels outside the screen are Noah entering the ark, the
passage of the Red Sea, the triumph of Judith by the death of
Holofernes, and the victory of David over Goliath. Thus Tassi speaks of
them--"These, to speak the truth, for their admirable workmanship,
singular art, and beautiful colouring, do not appear to be pieces of
wood put together, but rather pictures formed by an excellent brush, the
pieces placed with such mastery, and the woods of different colours to
form the chiaroscuro so arranged with the darkening of others that they
make the half-tints appear as if really painted with oil by the same
Lotto who made the coloured designs, and as he was a celebrated and
finished painter and a powerful one, thus certainly these pieces of wood
put together could stand in face of paintings by the most celebrated
brushes, which, beyond the exactness of drawing, gave to their works
singular force and finish; for in them all the possible excellences of
drawing and of art are displayed, and whoever has had the opportunity of
well considering them has remained surprised and delighted, never
believing that human art could reach so high a pitch of perfection." His
last work is mentioned in 1533, two pictures of Samson, at 60 lire each.
In 1547 his son Zinino and his brother Giovanni Pietro went on with the
choir, and finished it nine years later. The total cost for labour alone
was 7000 lire Imperiali.

[Illustration: _To face page 80._

Plate 37.--_Panel from the Ducal Palace, Mantua._]

In Spain there must have been a good deal of intarsia done, seeing how
long the Moors held the southern part of the country, but very little
has come down to us. In the Mosque at Cordova was a finely inlaid mihrab
of the 10th century, which was unfortunately destroyed in the 16th
century and its material u