V A G 



'lown of Arabia, in the province of Hedsjas ; 56 miles N. 

 of Medina. N. lat. 25° 30'. E. long. 38'^ 20'. 



VADIMONIS Lacus, in yinaent Geography, a lake of 

 Italy, in Etruria, in the Ticinity of Ameria. 



VADIMONIUM, in the Cwil Laiv, a promife, or 

 bond, given ior appearance before the judge upon a day 

 appointed. See Vadari. 



VADIN, in Geography, a town of European Turkey, 

 in BefTarabia, on the Danube; 32 miles W. of NicopoU. 



VADIUM. See Gage and PoNE/icr Vadium. 



VADNIA, in Ancient Geography, a town of Hither 

 Spain, belonging to the Cantabri. Ptolemy. 



VADO, or Vadi, in Geography, a fea-port town of 

 the Genoefe, fituated in a bay of the Mediterranean, with 

 a good harbour J 3 miles S. of Savona. N. lat. 44° 14'. 

 E. long. 8" 30'.. 



Vado, //, a town of Naples, in Abruzzo Citra, near 

 the Adriatic ; 16 miles E.S.E. of Lanfiano. 



Vado Saetia, a town of Naples, in Capitanata ; 6 miles 

 S.E. of Troia. 



VADOCONDES, a town of Spain, in old Caftile ; 

 i6 miles W.S.W. of Ofma. 



VADORANIUM, a town of Hindooftan, in the Car- 

 natic ; 12 miles S. of Negapatam. 



VADUTZ, a town and cattle of Germany, in the 

 principality of Lichtenftein ; 26 miles S. of Lindau. N. 

 lat. 47° 5'. E. long. 9° 31'. 



ViEIROE, a fmall ifland in the Baltic, near the north 

 coart of Laland. N. lat. 55° 57'. E. long. 10* 46'. 



VAELUE, a river of the ifland of Ceylon, which runs 

 into the lea, near Mago. 



VA-EMBU, in the Materia Medico, a name given by 

 fome authors to the c.corus Afiatlcus, or Afiatic fweet 

 flag. 



VAENA, in Geography, a town of Spain, in the pro- 

 vince of Cordova ; 18 miles E.S.E. of Cordova. 



VjEROE, a fmall ifland in the North fea, about 20 

 leajjues from the coaft of Norway. N. lat. 67*. 



ViESAPA, in Ancient Geography, a town of Afia, in 

 the Lefler Armenia, towards the mountains, and at a 

 diftance from the Euphrates. 



VAG Bester, in Geography, a town of Hungary, on 

 the river Waag ; 6 miles N.E. of Boleflco. 



VAGA, PiERiNO DEL, in Biography, whofe real name was 

 Pietro Buonacorfi, was one of thole ingenious painters em- 

 ployed by Raphael to affift him in adorning the Vatican. 

 He was born at a village near Florence in 1500, of indigent 

 parents. His father was killed in battle, and his mother 

 died of the plague before he was two months old. He is 

 faid to have been reared by goat's milk, and as a deftitute 

 orphan, was taken under the protedtion of an indifferent 

 artift named Andrea de Ceri, whofe houfe was frequented 

 by feveral young artifts of Florence. 



As Pierino had difcovered a decided inclination for paint- 

 ing, he was placed, when eleven years old, under the tuition 

 of Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, and with his affiftance loon became 

 a very able defigner, and more particularly, as Vafari ob- 

 ferves, by lludying with many other Florentine youths as 

 well as ftrangers the Cartoon of M. Angelo, known by the 

 name of the Cartoon of Pifa. 



His talents acquired for him the attention and approba- 

 tion of a Florentine painter of inferior quality, but who had 

 neverthelefs much employment, and was in want of a Ikil- 

 ful defigner to affift him in conduding his undertakings. 

 With the confent of his guardian Ceri, Pierino accom- 

 panied this man, whofe name was Vaga, to the neighbour- 

 hood of Rome, whence, when the work was completed which 



VAG 



he had undertaken, he was conveyed by hie employer to Rome 

 in 1515, and there introduced to feveral painters, to whofe 

 care and affiftance II Vaga recommended him during his ab- 

 fence ; and thence he was called Pierino del Vaga. In 

 Rome he endured great miferies, and obtained bread with 

 difficulty ; but ever intent upon improvement, he ftudied 

 hard the piftures of Angelo in the Siftini, and defigned 

 from the pieces of antique fculpture which by chance came 

 to his hand, and after a fliort time, his ardent exertions 

 were repaid by a degree of fuccefs, which led to his adop- 

 tion into the fchool of Raphael. 



JuUo Romano and Francefco Penni firft did juftice to his 

 talents by recommending him to their mafter, who, upon the 

 firft fight of his produftions, placed him under Giovanni da 

 Udine, who had the management of the ornamental parts of 

 the works then going on in the Vatican. But Pierino 

 was foon found equal not only to affift Giovanni in the gro- 

 tefque ornaments and in the ftuccoes, but alfo Pohdoro da 

 Caravaggio in the antique fubjeftt in chiaro-fcuro, and 

 fometimes alfo in executing the fcripture fubjefts from the 

 fketches of Raphael, as among others may be feen, accord- 

 ing to Vafari, in the Hebrews croffing the river Jordan, 

 the fuiTounding Jericho, the combat of Joftiua with the 

 Amorites, Abraham preparing to facrifice Ifaac, Jacob 

 wrefthng with the angel, Jofeph and his brethren, &c. &c. 

 The praife which he gained by thefe labours infpired him 

 only with a more earneft defire to improve, and the mildnefs 

 and attention of his manner procured for him the efteem 

 and even love of his mafter Raphael. 



After the death of Raphael, he was employed, with 

 J. Romano and G. F. Penni, to continue and complete the 

 adornment of the Vatican, great part of the execution of 

 which is the work of Del Vaga. 



For a ftiort time he went to Florence, when the pope 

 Leo X. was there, but quickly returned to Rome and pur- 

 fued his labours, adding to them many original ones, the 

 inventions of his own mind. Among them was the hall of 

 the houfe of Mafchione Baldaffini, which he adorned with 

 fubjefts from the Roman hiftory, with arms, trophies, &c. 

 Perhaps the moft perfeft of thefe minor works was the 

 birth of Eve, which he painted in the church of S. Mar- 

 cello, and in which he exhibited liis decided predileftion 

 for the ftyle of the Florentine fchool, and the fuccefs with 

 which he had ftudied the works of M. Angelo. 



Pierino was in full pofieffion of pubhc repute when he 

 was compelled to fly for fafety from Rome, by the facking 

 of that city in 1527. He took refuge in Genoa, where he 

 was gracioufly received by prince Doria, who at that time 

 projeded the embelhfliment of his fuperb palace near the 

 gate of St. Thomas. He had here a full opportunity of 

 difplaying his imagination, as well as his executive powers ; 

 and here he indulged in thofe inventions which breathe the 

 fpirit of Raphael himfelf, and rival the exertions of his 

 fellow pupil J. Romano, in the palazzo del T at Mantua : 

 both do honour to the fchool they had ftudied in, and the 

 patron who employed them. He is faid not to have been 

 fufficiently fcrupulous in the choice of his coadjutors, and 

 the grandeur of his defigns is confequently weakened by 

 their imperfeft execution. He died at Rome in 1547, 



aged 47. ^ ; 



Vaga, Tagadempt or Swttmma, in Ancient Geography, a 

 town of Africa, in Mauritania Cxfarienfis, E. of Cirta. 

 Ptolemy. This town, named Baga by Plutarch, was 

 fituated S.E. of Victoria. It was one of the epifcopal 



fees of Numidia. ft,-/ 



Vaga, in Geography, a river of Ruffia, which rifes 

 near Poprovfkoe, in the government of Vologda, and runs 



