II. Ant••nio de Corregio.
Born in a little Village of Lombardy; A Painter of great diligence and indefatigableness, who having not seen the beau∣ties of Rome or Florence, yet made the Roman Majesty appear in his pictures and that force that used to be seen in those that came out of those flourishing Schools, neglecting nothing that would add a grace and lustre to his Workes: In the Capuchins Church at Parma was the Annunciation Painted upon the Wall in Fresco, so rich a Piece that when the said Church was to be re-edified, they took care with incredible pains and cost to remove the whole Wall entire, lest they should lose or de∣face so rich an Ornament; There is a Nativity of his most in∣comparable fine, where the Body of our Saviour appears all resplendent with light, with which the Shepherds seem to have their Eyes dazl'd, covering their faces with their hands in a decent manner, as not being able to endure the brightness of those Rays. A Chorus of Angels appear hovering about them in the air, and seeming to celebrate this glorious Birth with a harmony that one would think nothing less then the hand of an Angel could represent it so artificially. Julio Romano used to say of some of his Pieces, that he could not have thought art could have gone so far. Besides the delicateness of his Co∣louring, he gave such a roundness to the Members, and such a delicacy and art in the hairs, that the most accomplished pens were at a loss to describe the elegance of his Pencil and the ravishing tenderness of his Nudities; such is his Venus drawn in a pleasant Landskip, accompanied with Cupids, who are whetting a couple of Arrows on a stone, one headed with Gold, the other with lead, hard by is a fountain, pleasantly Spouting forth Water, which washes the feet of the Goddess, and causes her to seem so really to shiver, that one connot be∣hold it, and be altogether unconcerned; This rare person having one day overheated himself in a Journey and drinking cold water by the way fell sick of a fever and died, in the year 1512 being but 40 years of age. Upon which one made the following Verses, which for their elegance ought not to be forgotten.
Hujus cum regeret mortales Spiritus artus Pictoris, Charites supplicuere Jovi: Non aliâ pingi dextra, Pater alme, rogamus Hunc praeter, nulli pingere nos liceat: Annuit his vot is summi Regnator Olympi Et Juvenem subito, sydera ad alta tulit, Ʋt posset melius Charitum simulachra referre Praesens, et nudas cerneret inde Deas.