Progymnasmatic Qualities of Early Modern Art History: Giorgio Vasari’s Uses of Ancient Ekphrasis

The present article focuses on Giorgio Vasari’s uses of ekphrasis in his Vite (1550/1568), informed by his rhetorical education and progymnasmatic understanding of ekphrasis as it was passed down at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Although some authors have pointed out that the father of early art history followed ekphrastic patterns to describe works of art, no studies examine the progymnasmatic influence on Giorgio Vasari’s rhetorical education and art historical writing. Based on the manuals and model ekphraseis that were commonplace at that time, this article surveys the ancient concept of ekphrasis that Latin teachers presumably conveyed to their students. I argue that this notion was most likely influenced not only by Aphthonius’ Progymnasmata but also by byzantine sources, indirect knowledge of Nicholas of Myra’s progymnasmatic explanations on ekphrasis of pictures and sculptures and by collections of model ekphraseis attributed to Libanius. An analysis of Vasarian descriptions provides evidence of progymnasmatic qualities in early modern art history and opens new perspectives for a critical comparison with former art historical texts.