LEONARDO IN THE SERVICE OF CHARLES D'AMBOISE

177

done but little to the great work with which he was intrusted. We desire," adds the Gonfaloniere, "that no farther demand for an extension of his leave of absence be made, for his work must satisfy the general body (of the citizens), and we cannot dispense him from his obligations without failing in our duties." 1

The 16th of December brings another letter from the Maréchal, in which Charles allows his enthusiasm for Leonardo tɔ break through the terms in which he thanks the Signory for their consent to extend the artist's leave: "The excellent works," he writes, "left in Italy, and more especially in Milan, by Master Leonardo da Vinci, your fellow-citizen, have led all those who have seen them to have a singular affection for their author, even when they are personally unacquainted with him. For ourselves, we confess that we were among those who loved him even before our eyes had rested upon him. And now, since we have known him and been much in his company, and have had personal experience of his various gifts, we truly see that his name, famous in painting, is relatively obscure so far as those other branches of knowledge in which he has reached so great a height are concerned. And it pleases us to confess that in the efforts made by him to respond to no matter what calls we make upon his powers-architectural designs and other things relating to our state-he satisfies us in such a way that not only are we contented with him, but have even conceived an admiration for him. And therefore, as it has pleased you to leave him here all these days to do our will, it would seem to us ungrateful not to give our thanks to you on the occasion of his return into his own country. Thus we thank you as warmly as we can, and, if it be fitting to give a man of such talent a recommendation to his fellow citizens, we recommend him to you as strongly as we can, and assure you that you can never do anything, in the way of augmenting his fortune or comfort, or those honours to which he has a right, without giving, to us as well as to him, the most lively pleasure, and putting us under the greatest obligation to your Magnificences."

For the third time the whilom favourite of Lodovico Sforza and of Cæsar Borgia had exercised the arts of a consummate courtier; 1 Gaye, Carteggio, vol. ii., p. 86-87.

VOL. II.

A A

he had won the favour of the Maréchal de Chaumont, as a preparation for the conquest of the King of France himself.

A sight of the Last Supper had been enough to fascinate Louis. This we know from the letter addressed by the Florentine envoy, Pandolfini, to his government under date January 7, 1507: "This morning, when I was in the presence of the most Christian King, his Majesty addressed me, saying, 'Your Signory must do me a service. Write to them that I wish to employ their painter, Master Leonardo, who is now in Milan, and that I want him to make several things for me. Act in such a way that their lordships will order him to enter my service at once, and not to leave Milan before my arrival. He is an excellent master, and I desire to have several things from his hand. So write at once to Florence, sending me the letter. (This is the letter; it will reach you by way of Milan.) I replied that if Leonardo were at Milan your lordships would order him to obey his Majesty-although, as his Majesty was master in Milan ('essendo in casa sua '), he could give such orders as well as your lordships-— and that if Leonardo had returned to Florence, your lordships would send him back to Milan as soon as his Majesty should demand it . . . . and the cause of all this is a little picture by Leonardo which has been lately brought here, and is considered an excellent piece. During our conversation I asked the King what kind of works he desired of Leonardo; he answered, 'Certain little Madonnas and other things, as the ideas may come to me. Perhaps I shall also cause him to paint my portrait.' Continuing the conversation, I talked to his Majesty of Leonardo's perfection and of his other qualities, and the King said he had already been informed of them, and asked me if I knew him. In order to safeguard your lordships, however matters might go, I answered that we were great friends. Very well, then,' added his Majesty; write to him at once, so that he may not leave Milan before letters arrive from your Signory.' I have therefore written a line to the said Leonardo, acquainting him with the good intentions of his Majesty, and exhorting him to show prudence ('essere savio '). Your lordships will, no doubt, promptly do all that you can to meet the desires of his Majesty."

Two days afterwards the King himself addressed the following

letter to the Signory: "Louis, by the grace of God King of France, Duke of Milan, Lord of Genoa, etc. Very dear and close friends: As we have need of Master Leonardo da Vinci, painter to your city of Florence, and intend to make him do something for us with his own hand, and as we shall soon, God helping us, be in Milan, we beg you, as affectionately as we can, to be good enough to allow the said Leonardo to work for us such a time as may enable him to carry out the work we intend him to do. And as soon as you receive these letters (we beg you to) write to him and direct that he shall not leave Milan until we arrive there. While he is awaiting us we shall let him

know what it is that we desire him to do, but meanwhile write to him in such fashion that he shall by no means leave the said city before our arrival; I have already urged your ambassador to write to you in the same sense. You will do us a great pleasure in acting as we desire. Dear and close friends, may our Lord have you in his keeping. Written from Blois, the 14th day of January, 1507. (Signed) LOUIS. ROBERTET." Addressed: "To our very dear and close friends, allies, and confederates, the Priors and perpetual Gonfaloniere of the Signory of Florence." 1

The year 1507 was signalised by the French King's triumphal entry into Milan (May 24). Leonardo certainly had a share in the great preparations made to do honour to the occasion. Jean d'Auton tells us that between the cathedral and the castle, in a street in which were the city hospitals and asylums, an arch of greenery was erected

1 The original French is as follows: "Loys, par la grâce de Dieu Roy de France, Duc de Millan, Seigneur de Gennes, etc., Trèschers et grands amys. Pour ce que Nous avons nécessairement abesognes de Maistre Léonard a Vince, paintre de votre cité de Fleurance, et que entendons de luy faire fer quelque ouvrage de sa main; incontinent que nous serons à Millan, qui sera en brief, Dieu aidant, Nous vous prions tant et si affectueusement que faire pouvons que vous vueiellez estre contens que le dit maître Léonard besongne pour Nous pour ung temps qu'il aura achevé l'ouvrage que Nous entendons luy faire fer. Et incontinent toutes lettres que vous receves, lui escripvez que insynes à notre venue à Millan il ne bouge de dela; et en Nous attendant, lui ferons dire et deviser l'ouvrage que Nous entendons qu il fait : mais escripvez-lui de sorte qu' il ne se partes de la dite ville infines à notre venue, ainsi que j'ay dit à votre ambassadeur, pour le vous escripre, et vous Nous ferez très grand plaisir en ce faisant. Très chers et grands amys, notre Seigneur vous ait en sa garde. Escript de Blois le xiiiie jour de Janvier, 1507, LoYS. ROBERTET. [On the verso]. A nos très chers et grans amys, alliez et confédérés, les Prieurs et Gonfalonnier perpétuel de la Seigneurie de Fleurance."Delécluze, Saggio intor no Leonardo da Vinci, Siena, 1844, p. 127.

which took up the whole width of the street. It bore the arms of France and Brittany, and was surmounted by a pinnacle decorated with shields, above which appeared the figure of Christ, stripped and bearing the marks of his flagellation, while at either end was a kind of pulpit or throne, draped with cloth of gold, the one containing an image of S. Ambrose, patron and protector of Milan, the other a sceptred representation of the French king, The whole description is interesting for the light it throws on a pageant of four hundred years ago.1

We see from the correspondence given above that, as early as 1506, Leonardo had sent a small picture to Louis XII.-probably a Madonna-and that in 1507 he was at work on another picture for his royal patron. On the 20th of April of this latter year the Maréchal de Chaumont restored to him, by way of recompense, the vineyard he had received from Lodovico shortly before the fall of that prince.2

Unhappily, the pictures painted in 1506 and 1507 have disappeared, and we cannot even be sure that any hint of what they were has survived in the master's drawings, or in the more or less faithful, more or less imperfect copies, which have come down to us.

Among those pictures which, without being by the master's own

1 "Entre autres, entre le dôme et le château, dedans une rue nommée la rue du Mont de Piété, en laquelle sont les hôtels-dieu et les hôpitaux de la ville, avait un portail de verdure, tenant tout le travers de la rue, fait à piliers et arceaux de feuilles, et tout couvert de même, le dedans semé des armes de France et de Bretagne, et dessus avait un mont artificiel, de la hauteur d'un homme ou environ, lequel étoit tout autour environné à six rangs et semé d'écus au soleil, où pouvait avoir mille écus, ou plus; et dessus le dit portail, au plus haut, étoit l'image de Notre Seigneur, tout nu et flagellé, aux deux bouts, et dans un échafaud qui là étoit, avoit deux chaires, parées de drap d'or, dedans l'une desquelles étoit l'image de Saint Ambroise, patron et protecteur de Milan, tenant un fouet en la main, et, en l'autre chaire, étoit l'image du roi, ayant le sceptre au poing. Tout autour de celui mont d'or, avoit quatre petits enfants, portant chac un une faille ardente, en signe de feu de joie. Et au pied de celui mont, étoient écrit ces vers :

Exiguus qui collis erat, nunc aureus est mons,

Hoc tua, Rex, mirum dextera larga facit.

"Apres, étoit un grand curre triomphal à chevaux, dedans lequel étoient assises en chaire les quatre vertus cardinales, e'est à savoir: Justice et Prudence, au devant de celui curre, et Fortitude et Tempérance, au derrière; et au milieu, sur une haute chaire, étoit assis le dieu Mars, dieu des batailles, tenant en la main dextre un dard aigu, et en la senestre main tenoit une palme, en signe de victoire." (Chronique, ed. Jacob, vol. iv., p. 67-69.)

2 Uzielli, Ricerche, 1st edition, vol. i., p. 178-179