, commonly called Francesco Dal Borgo A San Sepolcro, a painter of considerable
, commonly called Francesco Dal Borgo A San Sepolcro, a painter of considerable renown, was born at Borgo in Umbria, in 1372.
In his youth he studied the mathematics; but at fifteen
years of age determined on being a painter, when he was
patronised by Gindobaldo Fettro, duke of Urbino. He
did not, however, so completely devote his time to painting as to neglect his former studies, but wrote several
essays on geometry and perspective, which were long preserved in the duke’s^ library at Urbino. He afterwards
painted in Pesara, Ancona, and Ferrara; but few of his
works remain at either of these places. Having obtained
much reputation, he was sent for to Rome by pope Nicholas V. to paint two historical subjects in the chambers of
the Vatican, in concurrence with Bramante di Milano,
called Bramantino; but Julius II. destroyed these to make
room for Raphael’s Miracle of Bolsena, and St. Peter in
Prison. Notwithstanding this degradation of his labours,
before the superior powers of Raphael, he was very deserving of esteem, if the account which Vasari gives of him
be true, and we consider the imperfect state of the art at
the time in which he lived. He exhibited much
knowledge of anatomy, feeling of expression, and of distribution of light and shade. The principal work of Franceses
was a night scene, in which he represented an angel carrying a cross, and appearing in vision to the emperor Constantine sleeping in his tent with his chamberlain near
him, and some of his soldiers. The light which issued
from the cross and the angel illuminated the scene, and
was spread over it with the utmost discretion. Every
thing appeared to have been studied from nature, and was
executed with great propriety and truth. He also painted
a battle, which was highly commended for the spirit and
fire with which it was conducted; the strength of the expression, and the imitation of nature; particularly a groupe
of horsemen, which, Vasari says, “considering the period, cannot be too highly commended.
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