Trained as a goldsmith and then a woodcarver, this Florentine, whose surname was derived from his father's profession, finally received instruction from an eccentric painter who recognized his skills. Eventually, he came to be admired as an artist who never made mistakes, though his apparently unfortunate marriage was described by a famous biographer and was the theme of a 19th-century poem. Who was he (and what does his surname mean)?

rlaj	It could be Andrea del Sarto whose name means Taylor, if I'm not mistaken. Jul 06 05, 6:29 PM

lanfranco

Very nice, rlaj, though "tailor" is the accepted spelling for the profession in English. The poem was, of course, written by Robert Browning (1855). Just out of curiosity, can you give me a site? With, perhaps, an illustration or two? Jul 06 05, 6:40 PM

rlaj	Try this site lanfranco, I admit to being a poor speller but I have other attributes. http://www.answers.com/topic/andrea-del-sarto Jul 06 05, 6:54 PM

lanfranco

I'm sure that you do. Andrea's best work, and my favorite: http://www.jssgallery.org/Other_Artists/Andrea_del_Sarto/Madonna_of_the_Harpies.htm Jul 06 05, 7:01 PM

rlaj

Very beatiful painting. You seem to know some about European art lanfranco, so I have question for you. I have a watercolor that I would guess to be Dutch, it apperas to be very old based on the frame. My mother bought it from an estate in the 60's from a man who traveled Europe a lot during the early to mid part of the last century. It is of an old man who is working in his shop, he appears to be a cobbler and you can tell it was painted by a real artist. It is signed T. Offermans. I have not had mush luck finding out any information on him. Have you by chance heard of him? Jul 06 05, 7:17 PM

lanfranco

I think you're probably talking about Dutch artist Tony Lodewijk George Offermans, 1854-1911. He's not terribly prominent, but his work could have some value, depending on the condition. Here's a poor illustration of another work by him, and some information on one of his students: http://columbus.iit.edu/artgallery/00364231.html http://www.odonwagnergallery.com/dynamic/Artwork/PublicDisplay_Constant_David_Ludovic_1870_1951_Artz_Ducks_on_Riverbank_One_of_Pair_1109_40.asp Jul 06 05, 7:29 PM

rlaj	That's got to be my guy. Very similar. I hope it's worth a little but I don't know where I would sell it, except maybe ebay. I'll probably just hang on to it, really needs a new frame. I am going to see what else I can find out about him since I have his whole name. Thank you. Jul 06 05, 7:36 PM