The Practitioners of the Visual Arts, after Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus

This composition shows artists engaged in each of the major arts and essential related studies, clockwise from the top: monumental “statuary” (with smaller scale “sculpture” at the center), painting, architecture, engraving (an unusual addition), drawing, and anatomy. Vasari had organized, and in 1563 Cosimo de’ Medici authorized, the Accademia del Disegno, the first official academy of art. Designed by Stradanus, Vasari’s close collaborator since 1550, this print is emblematic of their undertaking. The preparatory drawing for this print is at the British Museum.