273 



SANMICHELT, MICHELE. 



SANSON, NICOLAS. 



274 



to each other, and picturesquely combined ; and the whole is consistent 

 in character, which is more than can be affirmed of Maderno's facade, 

 where there is a want of agreement between the order itself and the 

 other parts, and also a deficiency in variety of outline. 



The Palazzo Farnese, begun by him for his patron Paul III. when 

 cardinal, and afterwards greatly extended, is the most celebrated of 

 Sangallo's works. He must however share the repute of it with 

 Michel Angelo, who, if he did not, as some have supposed, add the 

 third tier of windows, designed the magnificent and majestic corni- 

 cione, which alone distinguishes this edifice from every other of the 

 kind in Rome, and, aided by the loftiness and extent of the edifice 

 itself, gives it a colossal air. This noble structure deserves notice, if 

 only because it has been said that the Reform Club-House, Pall-Mall, 

 is an imitation of it, which is true only as regards style and manner ; 

 for in regard to design there are quite as many points of dissimilarity 

 as of resemblance between them, and many of them are to the ad- 

 vantage of Mr. Barry's building. Sangallo begun the Porta S. Spirito 

 at Rome, but left it unfinished, in which state it has ever since re- 

 mained. He died at Terni, in October 1546, advanced in years, but 

 at what precise age is not known. His body was carried to Rome and 

 buried with great pomp. 



SANMICHE'LI, MICHE'LE, a master equally celebrated for his 

 works in civil and military architecture, was born in 1484 at Verona, 

 where both his father Giovanni and his uncle Bartolomeo pursued the 

 same profession. By them he was instructed in the elements of the 

 art, but he caught its spirit from studying the amphitheatre and other 

 remains of antiquity in his native city ; and their iufluence, especially 

 that of the former, is visible in many of his designs, wherein he greatly 

 affected massive rusticated work. About the year 1500 he set out for 

 Rome, and remained either there or in other parts of the ecclesiastical 

 states till the time of Clement VII., and was intimate with all the 

 more celebrated artists of the time Bramante, Michel Angelo, the 

 Sangalli, Sansovino, and others. While he was in that part of Italy 

 he erected the cathedral of Montefiascone (the cupola of which was 

 destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 17th century, and has since 

 been rebuilt in a tasteless manner), and the church of San Domenico 

 at Orvieto. Returning to the Venetian territory, he was employed by 

 the republic (1525) to construct the new fortifications of Veroua, when 

 he first introduced the use of triangular and pentangular bastions, and 

 thereby entirely changed the system of military architecture, that 

 method being thenceforth adopted by other engineers. Here it will 

 be sufficient merely to allude to his works of that class, as they belong 

 to construction rather than design, though some of them are remark- 

 able even in the latter respect ; for instance, the stately rusticated 

 fagade of the fortress or Castello di San Andrea on the Lido at Venice, 

 and the three fortified gates at Verona, Porta Nuova, Porta del Palio, 

 and Porta Zenone. 



He was next employed by the republic in fortifying many places in 

 Istria and Dalmatia, Cyprus and Candia, some of which works he 

 confided to the execution of his nephew Gian-Girolamo. In consequence 

 of their reputation, both uncle and nephew were invited by Francis I. 

 and the emperor Charles V. to enter their service, which flattering 

 offers they nevertheless rejected. Whether these numerous engage- 

 ments, and his divided application to two such very opposite studies, 

 did uot prevent Sanmicheli from attaining to that excellence in the 

 latter which he might else have reached, may fairly be questioned ; 

 for, with many merits, his designs often exhibit glaring faults, which, 

 if he had confined himself entirely to the study and practice of civil 

 architecture, he would perhaps not have fallen into. In fact, the best 

 of his palazzi and other works of that class are far from being models, 

 except as to their fagades and exteriors, being most inconvenient in 

 their plans, besides abounding with monstrous deformities, such as 

 rooms quite out of square, and sometimes with no two sides parallel ; 

 and in one instance (Palazzo Bevilacqua) he has placed the principal 

 staircase in an open court, without any protection whatever from the 

 weather. His exterior architecture exhibits less of mannerism, and 

 more both of invention aud nobleness of taste than that of Palladio, 

 but also not a little that is decidedly faulty and offensive. Almost all 

 bis buildings are marked by a disagreeable inequality of design, there 

 being a singular mixture of parts highly enriched and others nakedly 

 plain in the same composition. His balustrades to windows and 

 pedestals to columns are too high, and iu more than one instance he 

 has raised his columns on a second pedestal over the first one. His 

 style shows itself to most advantage in his lofty rusticated basements, 

 which generally possess an air of dignity. Among the palazzi erected 

 by him ai-e the Palazzo Grimani and the Palazzo Cornaro & San Paolo 

 at Venice, and the palazzi Cauossa, Bevilacqua, Verza, Pelligrini, and 

 Pompei at Verona. In Verona he also built the church of the Madonna 

 di Campagna, and the much-admired Cappella Pellegrini. While San- 

 micheli was enjoying a tranquil and honourable old age, esteemed by 

 all no less for his personal qualities than for his talents, he received 

 the intelligence of the death of his nephew and pupil Gian-Girolamo, 

 who died in the island of Cyprus at the age of forty- four; and it had 

 such an effect upon him that he survived the fatal news only a few 

 days, dying in 1559, in his seventy-fifth year. 



SANNAZA'RO, JA'COPO, was born at Naples July 28, 1458, of a 

 noble family originally from Spam. He studied at Naples, and after- 

 wards, being disappointed in love, left his country and travelled to 



BIOG. DIV. VOL. v. 



France, where he began writing his ' Arcadia,' a pastoral fable in Italian, 

 in which he describes in poetical colours the scenes and occupations 

 of pastoral life. It is a mixed composition of prose and verse, and 

 has been much admired for the elegance of the style and the purity 

 of the language. Indeed Sannazaro is considered as one of the best 

 Italian classics. The ' Arcadia ' has gone through numerous editions. 

 Saunazaro also wrote a Latin poem, ' Do Partu Virginia,' which was 

 highly applauded, and which obtained for the author the sanction of 

 two pope*, Leo X. and Clement VII., expressed in two briefs. He 

 also wrote Piscatory Eclogues in Latin verse. On his return to Naples, 

 where he was highly esteemed by King Ferdinand I. and his sons 

 Alfonso and Frederic, he fixed his residence on the delightful shore of 

 Mergellina, at the foot of Mount Posilipo, where Frederic, the last 

 king of Naples of the Aragonese dynasty, had given him a country- 

 house, and where he saw before him the daily occupations of the 

 fishermen under a sky and in a climate which render their labours 

 less irksome, and impart to them a sort of poetical appearance. When 

 the Aragonese dynasty was driven away from Naples by the treachery 

 of their relative Ferdinand the Catholic of Spain, Sannazaro accom- 

 panied his patron King Frederic in his exile, and remained with him 

 in Franco till Frederic's death, after which he returned to Naples, 

 where he died in 1530. He was buried in a church on the slope of 

 Posilipo, which he had built and dedicated to the Virgin, and where 

 his monument is still seen. 



SANSON, NICOLAS, designated the creator of geography in France, 

 was born at Abbeville, December 20, 1600. His father, of the same 

 name, being passknately fond of geography, wished all his sons to 

 cultivate that science, but Nicolas responded best to his desire. He 

 was educated at the Jesuits' college at Amiens, on leaving which he 

 returned to his family, and for a time devoted himself wholly to the 

 study of geography. At an early age (barely sixteen, according to the 

 'Biog. Univ.'), he laid down a map of ancient Gaul, superior to those 

 of Ortelius and Gerard Mercator ; but he did not immediately publish 

 it, lest, according to some authorities, it should be attributed to 

 his father; or perhaps, from not thinking it sufficiently correct for 

 publication. 



Sanson married early, and applied himself to commerce, to meet 

 the claims of his family ; but so much of his time was devoted to his 

 favourite studies, that his affairs became embarrassed, and, having 

 suffered great losses, he ceded his remaining effects to his creditors, 

 and in 1627 went to Paris, taking with him his map of Gaul. The 

 talent displayed in this production, which was published in the year 

 just mentioned, obtained for him the patronage of Richelieu, by whom 

 he was introduced to Louis XIII., who took lessons in geography from 

 him, and employed him as an engineer in Picardie. He soon went to 

 his destination, examining the works of the towns in that province, 

 and returned to Abbeville, where he superintended the repair of the 

 fortifications. In 1638, Louis XIII. being in Picardie to direct the 

 operations of the army, lodged, while at Abbeville, in Sanson's house, 

 and displayed great regard for the geographer, who frequently accom- 

 panied him on his excursions, and had the honour of being several 

 times called to the council. His duties as engineer did not diminish 

 his zeal for geography, and he published many maps ; but having 

 disagreed with the person who managed their sale, Sanson established 

 himself at Paris, about 1640, to superintend their publication in person. 

 Soon after this he received the brevet of geographer to the king, and 

 a pension of 2000 livres. He was also made a councillor of state, but 

 did not assume the rank and titles of that office, lest bis children 

 should be induced to abandon the study of his favourite science. His 

 incessant labours brought on an illness, of which, after lingering nearly 

 two years, he died at Paris', July 7 (or, according to the account in ' La 

 France Litte"raire,' July 16), 1667. 



The maps of Sanson are very numerous, amounting, it is said, to 

 about three hundred ; of which a great number were devoted to an 

 accurate delineation of France. Though the services he rendered to 

 geography were very important, he has been blamed for working too 

 hastily, and not taking sufficient advantage of astronomical obervations 

 for the improvement of his maps. He published many works to 

 accompany his maps, and others on geographical subjects. In a disser- 

 tation entitled ' Britannia, ou Recherches sur VAntiquite" d'Abbeville,' 

 8vo, 1636, he attempts to prove that Abbeville is the Britannia men- 

 tioned by Strabo (iv., p. 190, Casaub.), and that she furnished the first 

 colony established in Great Britain, and gave her name to the country. 

 On turning to Sanson's dissertation (p. 4), it appears that he misunder- 

 stood the original, which simply says that neither the people of Massalia 

 (Marseille), nor those of Narbo and Corbilo, with whom Scipio conversed, 

 could give him any information about Britannia. But " this learned 

 and curious dissertation,'' as it is styled in the ' Biographic Universelle,' 

 compels us to form a very low estimate of Sanson's critical sagacity, 

 though these (Narbo and Corbilo) were the chief cities in this part of 

 Gaul. His ' Tables methodiques ' of the divisions of the dominions of 

 Christian princes, engraved on about a hundred folio plates, were firat 

 published in 1644, and passed through several editions. Sanson's 

 map of ancient Gaul was attacked by a Jesuit, Father P. Labbe, who 

 nevertheless copied largely from it without acknowledgment. This 

 led to a reply, in which the mistakes and plagiarisms of Labbe were 

 exposed ; but only a portion of the reply was published, the remamder 

 being destroyed by Sauson in consequence of the mediation of the 



