The mural is still in its original state, with the parchment laid on top of the wall. You look at the parchment for a few moments, trying to draw a clear, precise picture of what you are seeing. When you are holding the parchment in your hand, you immediately notice something about the man's left leg and arm, which makes you wonder. That was a bit more than usual for a mere glance.
You quickly walk to the back of the chapel where your supervisor is sitting on the bench, reading one of his notebooks. You give him a few seconds to finish the sentence, and then you ask him, "Maestro, do you know anything about a man who was added in this fresco? I mean, he is not an angel, as the other people depicted in the company of Saint John are angels..."
"Yes, yes, I know," he replies. "It is said that before each delivery that Leonardo da Vinci made to Florence, he stopped by the Brancacci Chapel to pay his respects to Saint John the Baptist. When I was young, I knew the man from that mural. In fact, I have his funeral card in my notebook."
"Could you read it to me?" you ask.
"Where is your notebook?" he asks you.
"It is here in my bag." You reach out to grab your bag and pull it closer to your right side. You open it and find your notebook. You rummage around a bit, looking for your pen. Your hand finally grabs a white pen and, once you find it, you open your notebook.
"Leonardo da Vinci." You look at the page, reading a few lines. "I knew this man. He was a painter and a sculptor. He came from a rich family. When he was a child, I was his teacher. We got to know each other well. He was my student for more than ten years. He was a perfectionist. He was the best student I ever had.
"One day, he moved to Florence, but he didn't want to stay in any of the Guilds here. He decided to go his own way and become a painter. Because of his talent, he became famous. I saw a lot of his work on the streets and in the Botteghe Oscure. I did not always like his paintings, but I was never disappointed in his sculptures.
"When I was about twenty-three years old, he became my assistant. My work brought him great satisfaction. I enjoyed working together with him. I used to tell people that my assistant and I could paint a whole chapel. I was proud to say that; I still am. I was proud of my assistant.
"At that time, Florence was growing in popularity due to its position as the major city in Italy. Giuliano de Medici, the second son of Lorenzo de Medici, controlled the city at that time. He was one of the wealthiest men in Florence. Giuliano de Medici decided to have a chapel built in this church, which was originally an old church. It was made into a chapel after a miraculous vision of Saint John the Baptist.
"Giuliano wanted to have a chapel built for the people who wanted to pay their respects to Saint John the Baptist. All of these rich people wanted to build these chapels and have them painted. The curator of the church had the authority to say who could and couldn't paint the chapel. I had a say in the decision-making, as the curator asked my opinion from time to time.
"Giuliano was very friendly to the artists and sculptors of the city. He gave them gifts, and he wanted the best for them. My assistant was in his good graces. He was married to his daughter, and his relationship with his father-in-law was good. That is why he was not pressured to work for the Guilds that were formed for the people who were building the chapels. He was allowed to paint any picture that he wanted.
"When he was appointed as assistant to Saint Peter's Chapel, he also had authority from the curator of the chapel to say who could or couldn't paint or sculpt. He was the one who had to approve or disapprove in the case of any commission or painting that was proposed. This allowed him to select what he wanted to paint and when he wanted to paint it.
"When he got the job, he had left a lot of work undone in Florence. The community there was growing in numbers, and a lot of people wanted to have a Saint John the Baptist chapel built in their neighborhood. People who lived in Florence wanted to have a chapel built in their community. There was a lot of demand for paint and marble in these places.
"Leonardo stated that he was not going to take on any more commissions in Florence until he was finished with the one in Saint John the Baptist Chapel. He wanted to make sure that he would finish the job in Saint John the Baptist Chapel.
"For quite a while, I heard nothing from him. I was mostly worried that he was ill. Then, suddenly, I heard that he had applied for a commission. He had several commissions proposed to him. Afterwards, he accepted one of the commissions and had to postpone one of the others.
