Lanzi, Luigi

Lanzi, Luigi (b Monte dell'Olmo, nr. Macerata, 13 June 1732; d Florence, 31 Mar. 1810). Italian art historian, archaeologist, and philologist. He was appointed curator of the antiquarian collections of the Uffizi, Florence, in 1775, and he ranks second only to Winckelmann as a pioneer in the systematic study of ancient art. However, he is best known for his history of Italian painting from the 13th century until his own time, Storia pittorica della Italia…(1792, 2nd edn. 1795–6, 3rd edn. 1809). Lanzi classified his material by regional schools and based his work on a thorough knowledge of previous writings on the subject and of the paintings themselves (he visited churches and collections throughout central and northern Italy in the course of his work). His methodical arrangement and his synthesis of solid research with sensitive analysis of style make his work a landmark in art-historical writing, and Rudolf Wittkower has described it as ‘still unequalled for knowledge of the material and breadth of approach’. There have been numerous editions since Lanzi's death, including an English translation in 1828. His other writings included a scholarly but controversial work on the Etruscan language (1789) and a book on ancient vases (1806) in which he correctly perceived that vases traditionally called Etruscan were in fact Greek in origin.