Acknowledgments
If capital-T Truth exists in today’s world, then it exists in statements such as this one (written in 1965 by a great scholar of Andrea del Sarto): “It ought to be a sufficient punishment to find oneself married to an art historian; it is almost intolerable that he should want to write a book.” When I think about my wife, about how much she’s supported me over the years that I’ve devoted to this book, I know that notes of acknowledgment and dedications are small repayment. I thank her all the same. Thank you, Maryca. Thank you for your love, for your encouragement, and above all for your patience. I would also like to thank my parents, Joe and Patty Cody, who have always supported me, as well as my daughters, Isabella and Amelia. I hope someday they will understand what an inspiration they are.
I first started thinking about Andrea del Sarto when I was a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park. There, it was my good fortune to work under the guidance of Meredith J. Gill. The first thing I ever wrote about Andrea was a paper for one of Meredith’s seminars. Since then, she has accompanied my work through all of its many stages, giving generously of her time and advice. It is difficult to convey how much I appreciate her support or to say what a privilege it is (present tense, still) to learn from her. The thoughts expressed in the following pages have been marked in so many ways by the imagination she always brought to the classroom, by the sensitivity she exemplifies in her own scholarship, and by the kindness she shows in all circumstances. These are gifts that can never be acknowledged fully—or maybe it’s more accurate to say that they can never be acknowledged enough. In any event, thank you, Meredith. I hope that I am able to live up to your example as a teacher, scholar, and friend.
It is with a similar sense of profound appreciation that I recall some of my other teachers. Jane C. Long and Brent Adkins shaped my thinking in important ways. I like to say that Jane, my art history professor at Roanoke College, taught me to look, while Brent, my undergraduate philosophy professor, taught me to read. Arthur K. Wheelock and Philip Soergel, two extraordinarily perceptive readers, paid me a great courtesy by agreeing to participate in my dissertation defense. Arthur in particular helped make my graduate experience a time of immense happiness. In this, he was not alone.
Steven Mansbach and Anthony Colantuono, who both have been invested in this project since its early stages, have offered thoughtful feedback on my work. They have offered me much of their time as well. I would often ambush Tony in the halls to talk about something I read, about teaching, or about that odd creature, the academic job market. I would frequently wrest Steven away from his own work with comments about the New York Yankees, questions about modern art, and thoughts about Nietzsche’s philosophy. All of these conversations rank among the great joys of my academic life.
Much the same can be said about the gifts of friendship that have sustained me over the years. Debbie Down deserves a special mention in this respect—where would I have been without her? Henry “Quint” Gregory is the very image of generosity. I warmly took advantage on more than one occasion of his willingness to discuss any idea, and his fingerprints are on several of these pages (only the good ones). In much the same manner, I frequently turned to Lara Yeager-Crasselt and Andrew Eschelbacher for feedback and encouragement. They deserve several drinks just for putting up with me. At various points, I also benefited from the insights of Renée Ater, Sarah Catigin, Lindsay DuPertuis, June Hargrove, Maryl Gensheimer, Nicole Riesenberger, Joshua Shannon, Caroline Shields, and Yui Suzuki. Each of these remarkable individuals sharpened my thinking about Andrea del Sarto, and I am grateful.
I am grateful, too, for my colleagues and friends who have allowed me to discuss my ideas at the crucial later stages of the writing process. These discussions may have been little more than quick emails. They may have been more elaborate conversations during the Q&A at conferences. They may have involved drinks in New Orleans, coffee in Fort Wayne, or taken place over breakfast in Rome. But they were all immensely valuable to me. My thanks to Paul Barolsky, Stephen J. Campbell, Esperanca Camara, Tracy Cosgriff, Emily A. Fenichel, Daria Foner, Erin Giffin, Johannes Grave, Britta Hochkirchen, Tiffany Lynn Hunt, Eric R. Hupe, Stuart Lingo, Alessandro Nova, Lorenzo Pericolo, Sheryl Reiss, Jonathan Unglaub, William E. Wallace, Kim Butler Wingfield, and Christine (Chrissy) Zappella. A special note of thanks to Esperanca Camara, Tracy Cosgriff, and Sheryl Reiss—all of whom read a draft of my book manuscript in its entirety—and to Chrissy Zappella, who has never shied away from sharing her thoughts about Andrea del Sarto, even when those thoughts stem from her own thrilling research projects. The list of names above brings to mind another realization that might count as capital-T Truth: such good friends and colleagues are all too rare in life. Thank you all.
I want to acknowledge what a great privilege it is to work at Purdue University Fort Wayne, alongside so many truly wonderful people. These people are too numerous for me to list here, but I should mention several at least: Laurel Campbell, Rebecca Coffman, Christina Egbert, Damian Fleming, Chris Ganz, Dana Goodman, Seth Green, John Hrehov, Connie Kracher, Suzanne LaVere, John Motz, John O’Connell, Bob Schroeder, Heidi Sandquist, Sara Weber, and Karla Yauchler. Many of these same colleagues have helped me secure research funding, for which I am eternally thankful.
On that note, it is a pleasure to recognize the organizations that offered financial support toward this project: the Graduate School and the Department of Art History and Archaeology at the University of Maryland, College Park; the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the Council of European Studies; the Department of Art and Design, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Office of Sponsored Programs, and the Institute of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Endeavors at Purdue University Fort Wayne; the New Frontiers in Arts and Humanities program at Indiana University; and the Bibliotheca Hertziana. Without the people who work in these organizations, I would not have had the opportunities to write, to present aspects of my research, or to publish my work.
My thanks to everyone at Brill who helped make the book what it is. Among those not already mentioned are Arjan van Dijk, Walter S. Melion, Ivo Romein, and the anonymous readers of my manuscript. And finally, my thanks to Alana Dunn of Regent Square Editing. Alana is a careful copyeditor and an absolute joy to work with; my book is certainly better for her efforts.