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Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects

First important book on art history, by Giorgio Vasari.

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Giorgio Vasari's "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects" is a series of artist biographies by the 16th-century Italian painter and architect, considered the first important book on art history.[1] According to a 2007 course synopsis by Professor Hope of the Warburg Institute and a 1992 article by Max Marmor, the Vite has been called "by far the most influential single text for the history of Renaissance art".[2]

Making and release

Vasari's Vite has been criticized for its geographical bias since its initial publication by Torrentino.[3] At a gathering in Cardinal Farnese's residence, the writer Paolo Giovio mentioned his wish to write about contemporary artists, and the Cardinal then asked Vasari to supply Giovio with pertinent details.[4] Lorenzo Torrentino of Florence first issued Vasari's book in 1550.[5] Cosimo I de' Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, was the dedicatee of the initial edition.[5]

The text shows a marked partiality for Florentines, crediting them with nearly every innovation in Renaissance art.[6] After traveling to Venice between the two editions, Vasari included more Venetian artists in the second edition, finally adding Titian.[6] Eliza Foster's English version, issued by Henry George Bohn, came out in 1850-51.[7]

What the cited sources add

In 1899, John Addington Symonds used the Vite as one of his basic sources for describing artists in his seven books on the Renaissance in Italy.[8] In 1899, John Addington Symonds stated that Vasari frequently wrote carelessly, mixing up dates and locations and failing to check his claims.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Max Marmor, Kunstliteratur, translated by Ernst Gombrich, in Art Documentation Vol 11 # 1, 1992; "University of Leeds website", Webprod1.leeds.ac.uk; Murray, P. and L. Murray. (1963) The art of the renaissance. London: Thames & Hudson (World of Art), p. 8. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Professor Hope, The Warburg Institute, course synopsis, 2007; Max Marmor, Kunstliteratur, translated by Ernst Gombrich, in Art Documentation Vol 11 # 1, 1992 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. "Takuma Ito, Studies of Western Art No. 12, July 2007", Sangensha.co.jp. facts only, no text reused. sangensha.co.jp
  4. Wikipedia, "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Salmi, "The Complete Work of Raphael", Reynal and Co., William Morrow and Company, 1969, p. 607 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Christopher Witcombe, Art History and Technology", Witcombe.sbc.edu (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Takuma Ito, Studies of Western Art No. 12, July 2007", Sangensha.co.jp (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Patricia Rubin, "Eliza Foster (dates unknown)", Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century 2019 (28). doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/ntn.864 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Full text of John Symonds' "Renaissance in Italy"", 2004-03-13; "Bernard Barryte, The life of Leonardo da Vinci, University of Rochester Library Bulletin (1984)", Lib.rochester.edu (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "John Addington Symonds, Renaissance in Italy, 1899, Vol. 3, Part 2", Fullbooks.com. facts only, no text reused. fullbooks.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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