Disegno versus Disegno stampato: printmaking theory in Vasari’s Vite (1550-1568) in the context of the theory of disegno and the Libro de’ Disegni

The aim of this article is to illustrate the quintessence of Vasari’s theory of printmaking, an issue that so far has not been clearly analyzed in the research literature. The questions are what kind of theory and theoretical principles Vasari created about prints, and what kind of definition Vasari basically gives to the printed image. The paper analyzes the first and the second edition of the Vite and views also Vasari’s theory of disegno, this means his remarks about his Libro de’ disegni and his main text about disegno.The examination demonstrates that Vasari was the first art historian to give a definition to the printed image and he does it not only in the second edition with the well known Life of Marcantonio Raimondi but already in the first edition of the Vite. The most important point about Vasari’s printmaking theory is that he doesn’t make a general valuation of printmaking, but he is aware of the complexity of this art and discusses its different aspects.