Painter, 1486 to 1530
Andrea del Sarto
When Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael had all left Florence, Andrea del Sarto was the best painter in it. His contemporaries called him the painter without errors, and then spent four centuries holding it against him.
- Born
- 1486, Florence, Italy
- Died
- 1530, Florence, Italy
- Movement
- High Renaissance
- In Florence
- 3 works in 3 museums
Where to see Andrea del Sarto in Florence
Each work with the museum it hangs in. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
Uffizi Gallery1 work
Madonna of the Harpies
1517
The Virgin stands on a pedestal carved with strange winged creatures, between Saint Francis and Saint John. The balance of the group is as near perfect as painting gets.
Chiostro dello Scalzo1 work
The Life of Saint John the Baptist
1509 to 1526
Scenes in monochrome round a small cloister near San Marco, most of them by his hand, painted on and off for seventeen years. It is free and almost always empty.
Museum of the Cenacolo of San Salvi1 work
The Last Supper
about 1520 to 1525
A whole wall of a monastery refectory on the eastern edge of the city. The men sent to pull the building down during the siege of 1529 are said to have spared it for the painting's sake.
The life of Andrea del Sarto
Andrea was the son of a tailor, which is what his name means. He trained in Florence and, apart from a year at the court of France, never left. Pontormo and Vasari were both his pupils.
He died in the plague that followed the siege of Florence in 1530.
What to know
- Known in his lifetime as the painter without errors
- Taught Pontormo and Vasari
- His frescoes in the Chiostro dello Scalzo are painted in shades of brown alone
- Born
- 16 July 1486, Florence, Italy
- Died
- 29 September 1530, Florence, Italy
Andrea del Sarto: common questions
- Where can you see Andrea del Sarto in Florence?
- At the Uffizi Gallery: Madonna of the Harpies. At the Chiostro dello Scalzo: The Life of Saint John the Baptist. At the Museum of the Cenacolo of San Salvi: The Last Supper. Museums move and lend their works, so check before a special journey.
- What is Andrea del Sarto's most famous work in Florence?
- Madonna of the Harpies, of 1517, at the Uffizi Gallery. The Virgin stands on a pedestal carved with strange winged creatures, between Saint Francis and Saint John. The balance of the group is as near perfect as painting gets.
- When and where was Andrea del Sarto born?
- On 16 July 1486, at Florence, Italy. Andrea del Sarto died on 29 September 1530, at Florence, Italy, aged about 44.
- What is Andrea del Sarto known for?
- Known in his lifetime as the painter without errors. Taught Pontormo and Vasari. His frescoes in the Chiostro dello Scalzo are painted in shades of brown alone. Andrea del Sarto was an Italian painter, of the High Renaissance.
Tickets and tours: Andrea del Sarto in Florence
Things to do near the Uffizi
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 5Cross the Ponte Vecchio at sunset200 m awayWalk, 20 to 45 minutes, free
- 4Walk the halls of the Palazzo Vecchio200 m awayMonument, 1.5 to 2.5 hours, square free, ticket for the palace
- 9See Donatello's David at the Bargello350 m awayMuseum, 1.3 to 2 hours, ticket
- 7See Raphael and Titian at the Pitti Palace500 m awayMuseum, 2 to 3 hours, ticket
Where to eat near the Uffizi
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Trattoria Antico Fattore4.5Trattoria, Uffizi100 m away
- Rivoire3.8Café and chocolate maker, Piazza della Signoria200 m away
- Perché no!4.6Gelateria, Orsanmichele350 m away
- Antico Ristorante Paoli4.7Restaurant, Orsanmichele350 m away
Hotels near the Uffizi
The five-star hotels closest to it, of those this site lists in Florence. Distances are in a straight line.
- Portrait Firenze4.8Five-star hotel, Ponte Vecchio250 m away
- Hotel Bernini Palace4.7Five-star hotel, Piazza della Signoria250 m away
- Hotel Lungarno4.7Five-star hotel, Oltrarno300 m away
- Porta Rossa4.8Five-star hotel, Via Porta Rossa350 m away
Other artists
Painter, 1483 to 1520
Raphael
Raphael spent four years in Florence learning from Leonardo and Michelangelo. The Uffizi has the Madonna of the Goldfinch from those years, and the Pitti Palace has the Madonna of the Chair and La Velata.
High Renaissance. 4 works in 2 museums
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Painter, 1488 to 1576
Titian
The Medici inherited the pictures of the dukes of Urbino, and with them some of the best of Titian: the Venus of Urbino in the Uffizi, and a wall of portraits in the Pitti Palace.
Venetian Renaissance. 4 works in 2 museums
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Painter, 1494 to 1557
Pontormo
The strangest painter of the Florentine Renaissance. His Deposition, in a chapel a few steps from the Ponte Vecchio, is all pink, pale blue and anguish, with no cross and no ground.
Mannerism. 3 works in 2 museums
See the artist