Vasari and the Sacred Image

Sally J. Cornelison

ISBN 10: 1009699024 / ISBN 13: 9781009699020

Published by Cambridge University Press, GB, 2026

About this Item

Vasari and the Sacred Image explores the iconography, patronage, function, meaning, and afterlife of Giorgio Vasari's paintings for, and architectural modification of, one of the most important churches in his hometown of Arezzo. Based upon a rich and previously underexplored body of primary, secondary, and visual source material, this book examines works Vasari either thoughtfully designed for the Pieve, or resourcefully retrofitted from previous commissions, thereby promoting himself and his family, his patrons and associates, his artistic predecessors, and public and private devotions to local saints and their relics. Cornelison delves deeply into the history and iconography of key altarpieces, relating them to the broader issues of religious tradition and personal and artistic commemoration. She demonstrates that Vasari strove to create a cohesive sacred environment at the Pieve that was every bit as much steeped in Aretine sacred and visual tradition as it was in a climate of ecclesiastical reform.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781009699020

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Vasari and the Sacred Image
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, GB
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1009699024
• ISBN 13: 9781009699020
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 904 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Vasari and the Sacred Image explores the iconography, patronage, function, meaning, and afterlife of Giorgio Vasari's paintings for, and architectural modification of, one of the most important churches in his hometown of Arezzo. Based upon a rich and previously underexplored body of primary, secondary, and visual source material, this book examines works Vasari either thoughtfully designed for the Pieve, or resourcefully retrofitted from previous commissions, thereby promoting himself and his family, his patrons and associates, his artistic predecessors, and public and private devotions to local saints and their relics. Cornelison delves deeply into the history and iconography of key altarpieces, relating them to the broader issues of religious tradition and personal and artistic commemoration. She demonstrates that Vasari strove to create a cohesive sacred environment at the Pieve that was every bit as much steeped in Aretine sacred and visual tradition as it was in a climate of ecclesiastical reform.

About the Author

Sally J. Cornelison is Professor and Director of the Florence Graduate Program in Italian Renaissance Art at Syracuse University. A specialist in the history of Italian late medieval and Renaissance religious art, she has published extensively, and her work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, American Philosophical Society, Renaissance Society of America, and Getty Research Institute.