everyone tells me what an upright man he is, so that I am
really friendly with him. He is very old and yet he is the
best painter of all.

[Editor's note: The character of Bellini agrees with all we
know of him. Camerarius tells an amusing story of the two
artists, to the effect that Bellini once asked Dürer for one
of the brushes with which he painted hairs. Dürer produced
several quite ordinary brushes and offered them to Bellini.
Bellini replied that he did not mean those, but some brush
with the hairs divided which would enable him to draw a
number of fine parallel lines such as Dürer did. Dürer
assured him that he used no special kind, and proceeded to
draw a number of long wavy lines like tresses with such
absolute regularity and parallelism that Bellini declared
that nothing but seeing it done would have convinced him
that such a feat of skill was possible.]

And the thing which pleased me so well eleven years ago
pleases me no longer, and if I had not seen it myself, I
would not have believed anyone who told me. And you must
know too that there are many better painters here than
Master Jacob (Jacopo de Barbari), though Antonio Kolb would
take an oath that there was no better painter on earth than
Jacob. Others sneer at him and say if he were any good, he
would stay here. I have only today begun the sketch of my
picture, for my hands are so scabby that I could not work,
but I have cured them.

And now be lenient with me and do not get angry so quickly,