Sarto
2 of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Sarto. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
ANDREA DEL, one of the most distinguished painters of the 16th century; born near Florence, Italy, July 16, 1487. His proper name was Andrea Vanucchi, the appellation der Sarto (of the Tailor) being applied to him from the occupation of his father. He painted many frescoes in his native city, and Francis I. induced him to go to France in 1518. He soon returned to Italy, and having appropriated large sums ANDREA DEL SARTO which had been given him by by his royal patron to purchase purchase the pictures of great masters in Italy, he could not go back to France. Among his most important easel pictures are the "Sacrifice of Abraham" and the "Marriage of St. Catherine," in the gallery of Dresden; "The Madonna di San Francesco," an "Annunciation," and : an "Assumption of the Virgin," at Florence; a "Deposition" from the Cross; a portrait of himself and "Virgin and Child with St. Joseph." He is best known in galleries by his "Holy Families." He died of the plague in Florence, Jan. 22, 1531.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
Andrea del, an-dra'a del sar'to (1486-1531), an Italian painter. He was born in Florence, where he lived during the greater part of his life. His name was in reality Andrea Angeli, but as his father was a tailor, the name del Sarto, meaning "of the tailor" came to be applied to the son. He was taught by the best artists of his day, and devoted much time to the study of the great masters, Da Vinci and Michelangelo. He is famous for his frescoes, many of which are in Florence. Among them are the Madonna del Sacco in the Church of l'Annunziata, the Last Supper at San Salvi, and, in the court of the Servi, the Nativity of the Virgin, said to be the finest fresco ever painted. Among del Sarto's other paintings are Charity, a Madonna, two Annunciations, two Assumptions, and several Holy Families.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Both accounts get the essentials right, but the details have firmed up. Collier's dates his birth to 16 July 1487 and Aiton's to 1486; documents give 1486, and the death that Collier's puts at 22 January 1531 is now placed on 29 September 1530, the 1531 figure coming from the old Florentine calendar year beginning in March. The two entries also disagree on his family name — "Vanucchi" against "Angeli" — and modern scholars accept neither with confidence, since the contemporary records name only his father Agnolo, a tailor, hence del Sarto. Vasari's tale of the money embezzled from Francis I, repeated as fact by Collier's, is now treated with caution, as is the blame Vasari heaped on his wife Lucrezia; the Last Supper at San Salvi that Aiton's praises survived the Arno flood of 1966 and can still be seen in place.
Written for this edition, 2026.