November 2, 2009.

Crack. Hairline crack delicate fissure on wall.Doesn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason – not really consistent with the perspective of the door frame, looks like a decorative afterthought.

Recedes into the shadow of the door frame.

Then there’s a line about an inch above the door, and an indent to the left of your right cheek, what blemishes were original and what came with time?

There may be an earring on the gargoyle to the right.

Cracks along your pants, over your fingers bisecting each one at the joint.

I think that crack I spoke of came later – is that a highlight described in white paint or dimensionality?

2 parallel lines towards the top of the painting. Are those old ideas discarded?

I wonder how else this looked on the way to it becoming what it is. It is easy to imagine a straight trajectory from sketch to finished painting but in all likelihood, things were moved around, rearranged over and over.

Vertical aggravations on the canvas, like the beginning of cracks, before the actual split.

Left to right, 7 greens, grays, greiges:

I don’t count the door – that’s made of wood. Cracks float along the top, flit above the bees.

There’s a ghost of a shape, rounder, where the book ended up.

And what appears now as a slight bluish shadow on the top of his right hand, what was that?

I’m curious about the long gold beads on your sash/on your pants… are those to fasten it shut? As decoration, like the ones on your hat?

Things that look real:

Coat book

Collar hat

Things that look fake:

Table chair

Walls

Columns/frieze

Door

Things that look suggested:

Face

Hands

Ring

I wonder if this has been cleaned, like the Velazquez.

Names mentioned on placard:

Benedetto Varchi – historian

Laura Battiferri – poet

Among those in Bronzino’s “close circle of literary friends”

1:45pm.