Faldoni, parts 2516 - 2519

 2516. So, invariably it would happen that when the master finished a portrait the apprentices would automatically give it a name, as if it was an ancestor, or descendant of the master. A little child for example might be called Cimabuino, since the masters name was Ciamabue, and the ending “ino” in Italian means little. 

 2517. On the other hand Faldoni would hear the masters works praised to the high heavens if there happened to be a group of visiting church prelates paying a visit to the convent. They would stand in front of a half completed mural and make obscure but intelligent sounding remarks intended to please the master, and at the same time show off their sophisticated knowledge of art.

 2518. One of them might say, while rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger, “The yellow tints may be a touch acid but the celestial blue tones restore the harmony.” Then another important prelate might add, “These light green tints of the foliage are convincing especially when you consider the difficulty of rendering botanical detail in the fresco palate.”

2519. “Yes,” another might add, “the fresco palate is so limited, restricted as it is to just the basic earth tones, red, for example is hardly more that a light brown tint, and as for the greens, as you were saying, they always present a problem.”