Academy of the Most Noble Art of Painting

Three decorative woodcut fleurons arranged symmetrically at the top of the page, within a rectangular border that frames the text block.

SENATE OF THE ELDERS, let it be known to the whole world; and by this posthumous work (for indeed, as I approach my eightieth year, it is fitting for nothing else but to pack my bags original: "sarcinas colligere"; a Latin idiom meaning to prepare for death or departure from this life.) I may explain to all men of letters, and to any cultivators of the Noble Arts, the testimony of my mind, or rather my final respect, toward the MOST SERENE REPUBLIC. For as I had resolved in my mind during the first flower of my youth, and deliberated to grasp the Art of Painting through science and knowledge, after I had weighed the Antiquities of ROME themselves with circumspect and more thoughtful care, I acted with great purpose so that I might bring greater growth to my principal studies in the City of VENICE, noble above all in its nature, site, the design of its buildings, and its beauty. For I believed myself to be in the Theater of the World, to which I then committed myself, not unmindful of that saying:

He who watches from the first row of the theater is more delighted than he who watches from the last. original: "Magis delectatur, qui in prima cavea spectat, quàm qui in ultima." Sandrart uses this theatrical metaphor to emphasize the importance of experiencing the Venetian art scene directly and from a "front-row" perspective.

I came here to see and enjoy this reality with my own eyes, I who seized upon the excellent spectacles of the Painters, the greatest part of whom, by God’s grace, was the progeny of the VENETIANS. These I wished to be the guides of my study, and through them I progressed; a fact I am neither ashamed nor regretful to confess. Therefore, with Fortune supporting me and having achieved great things, what thanks shall I offer to those to whom I owe my very self? As often, I say, as their famous works, perfected with the highest art, come to mind (and they come very often), so often does it return to my memory what excellence and what nobility dwelt in the distinguished masters of that Art: Giovanni Bellini the Diligent, Giorgione the Bold, Titian the Incomparable, Jacopo Robusti (otherwise known as Tintoretto) the Spirited, Paolo Caliari the Great Commonly known to history as Veronese., Jacopo Bassano the Distinguished, and others; from whom I sought examples and from whom I took instruction.

Having these splendid reasons—both just and great—to show a mindful spirit toward those who have deserved so well, and although I may never return a grace equal to theirs, I have at last destined to complete what I had long intended: to set forth the first origins of that Most Noble Art. This Art was unearthed by the genius of the Assyrians and Egyptians; the ancient Greeks and Romans followed closely in their footsteps; until the Venetian expanders, and the rest of the Italians, as well as the French, English, Belgians, and Germans, wonderfully increased the inventions of their predecessors. Wherefore, running from the starting gates as if toward the finish line, I present the lives, works, and praises of these same men