Gaetano Milanesi

Gaetano Milanesi ( born September 9, 1813 in Siena, † March 11, 1895 in Siena ) was an Italian art historian. He is known for his annotated edition of the work of Giorgio Vasari and documents for history of art from Italian archives.

Milanesi studied law with the Laurea degree in 1834. Instead of a legal career, he turned to the history of art and began to catalog the writings on art history in the town library of Siena with Lorenzo Ilari. From 1842 he wrote for the magazine L' Antologia, and in 1845 he founded with his brother Carlo Milanesi ( 1816-1867 ), Father Vincenzo Marchese ( 1808-1891 ) and Carlo Pini ( 1806-1879 ), the Società delle Belle Arti di Amatori, which published a scholarly edition of artist biographies by Vasari 1846-1870 while pursued even the errors of Vasari. 1878 to 1885 there was a second corrected edition.

In 1848 he was inspector of the Accademia di Belle Arti fiorentina. In 1856 he became a member of the Accademia della Crusca and moved to Florence. In 1858 he became deputy director of the Tuscan State Archives in Florence ( Archivio di Stato ). In 1889 he became director of the State Archives, and went in 1892 to retire.

In addition to his Vasari edition he gave the letters Michelangelo out the manual painting of Cennino Cennini and documents to art history from archives in Siena, Orvieto and Florence. He was also co-editor of the Archivio storico italiano.

Writings

• Documenti per la storia dell'arte Senese, raccolti ed illustrati. 3 volumes, Siena: O. Porri, 1854-56 ( Documents on the history of art in Siena, mainly from the cathedral archives in Orvieto)
• Publisher with Carlo Milanesi, Vincenzo Marchese, Carol Pini: Giorgio Vasari: Le vite de ' più eccellenti pittori, Scultori e architetti, Florence: Società di Amatori delle Arti belle / F. Le Monnier, 1846-1857 2nd edition as: Le vite de'più eccelenti pittori, Scultori ed architettori seritte da Giorgio Vasari. 9 volumes, Florence: G. C. Sansoni, 1878-85