The Lives of the Painters, Sculptors & Architects, Volume 1

Painting, sculpture and architecture meet in Giorgio Vasari's accounts of Italian artists and their work. This first volume includes Cimabue, Giotto, Andrea Pisano and other figures whose careers connect individual skill with the buildings and images of their cities. Before the lives begin, Vasari considers where art came from, drawing on biblical narratives and ancient writers. His preface treats design as the shared foundation of painting and sculpture, with nature providing both models and materials.

The account of Andrea Pisano brings that broad argument down to particular commissions in Florence. Marble figures for churches, praise from fellow craftsmen and plans for a castle show how reputation could lead to further responsibilities. Vasari also distinguishes some reported claims from things he can support, leaving uncertain details to the reader's judgment. For readers interested in Italian art, the volume offers biographies alongside an artist's ideas about improvement, recognition and the relationship between an artwork and its setting.