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Answered:

I think I know almost all the painters in Rome starting with the valent’huomini. I know Gioseffe, Caracci, Zucchero [sic, for Zuccaro], Pomarancio, Gentileschi, Prospero, Giovanni Andrea, Giovanni Baglione, Gismondo and Giorgio Todesco, Tempesta, and others.

Asked if all the painters named above are his friends and are all (as they are commonly called) valent’huomini.

Answered:

Almost all the painters I have listed above are my friends, but not all of them are valent’huomini.

Asked to identify what he means by the word ‘valent’huomo’.

Answered:

By the term ‘valent’huomo’ I mean he who knows how to do well, that is, he who knows how to do his art well. So in painting a valent’huomo is one who knows how to paint well and imitate natural objects well.

Asked to identify which of them are his friends and which are his enemies.

Answered:

Of those I listed above neither Gioseffe, nor Giovanni Baglione, nor Gentileschi, nor Giorgio Todesco are my friends because they don’t speak to me. The others all speak and converse with me.

Asked to specify which of the above-named he considers and holds to be valent’huomini (as they are commonly called) and those which he does not consider as such.

Answered:

Of the painters I listed above as good painters, Gioseffe, Zucchero, Pomarancio and Annibale Carracci; as for the others I don’t consider them valent’huomini.

Asked if he knows if the above-named painters are judged respectively to be good or bad by other painters, just as he judges and reputes them to be.

Answered:

Valent’huomini are those who are well versed in painting and will judge as good and bad painters those that I judge myself to be good and bad. But those that are bad and ignorant painters will judge as good painters the ignorant just as they are.

Asked if he knows of any person or painter who praises, considers and holds to be a good and virtuous painter one of those painters named above that he esteems is not a good painter.

Answered:

I don’t know of any painter that praises and considers a good painter any of those painters that I don’t esteem to be good painters.

Then:

I have gone and forgotten to tell you that Antonio Tempesta – he too is a valent’huomo.

Asked in particular if any other painter has praised and praises the said painter Giovanni Baglione and who he might be.

Answered:

I don’t know of any painter who thinks that Giovanni Baglione is a good painter.

Asked if he has seen any of the works of the said Giovanni Baglione and which ones.

Answered:

I’ve seen almost all the works of Giovanni Baglione, that is, the big chapel at the Madonna dell’Orto, a painting in San Giovanni Laterano, and recently The Resurrection of Christ at the Gesù.

Asked how he judges the above-named painting The Resurrection, and if he knows if it was praised or reproached by other painters.

Answered:

I don’t like that painting there at the Gesù because it’s a bungle. I think it’s the worst he’s done and I haven’t heard any painter praise the said painting. Of all the painters I’ve spoken to no one liked it.

Then:

Except that it is praised by someone who’s always with him, who’s called his guardian angel, who was there praising it when it was unveiled. They call him ‘Mao’.

Asked to identify with whom or with which painters he saw that painting The Resurrection.

Answered:

Prospero and Giovanni Andrea. And I saw it on other occasions when I went to the Gesù, but I don’t remember if any other painters were with me.

Then:

What am I going to have to hear next about this matter?

Asked if he knows if the said Mao is a painter and if he has done any paintings and if he has seen any of them.

Answered:

Maybe he dabbles in art and still daubs, but I’ve never seen any work of this Mao.

Asked if he has met and knows Onorio Longhi and Ottavio Padovano.

Answered:

I know Onorio Longhi, who’s very much a friend of mine, and I also know Ottavio Padovano.

Then:

But I’ve never spoken to Ottavio Padovano.