The second chapter of the study dedicated to Etruria pittrice is devoted to an analysis of the work, considered not only from the point of view of its material characteristics and publishing history, but also from a more strictly historiographical perspective.
The genesis of Etruria pittrice is reconstructed by tracing the various stages which, from its first appearance in the form of instalments in 1788, led to the publication of a second volume in 1795, and by examining the two key factors that were fundamental to the success of Marco Lastri's work: his choice of the 'chiaroscuro' engraving technique to reproduce the masterpieces of Tuscan painting, and the use of a subscription sales
system. Etruria pittrice came into being thanks to the efforts of numerous contributors (publishers, draughtsmen, engravers), including several prominent figures in the flourishing world of publishing and artistic illustration in late 18th-century Florence: the partners Niccolò Pagni and Giuseppe Bardi, Carlo Lasinio, and Santi Pacini. An examination of the text has made it possible to identify the sources used by the author and to highlight the significant influence of Vasari's Lives on his reconstruction of the history of Tuscan painting. This connection with Vasari is evident both in Lastri's consistent reliance on the tradition of artists' biographies and in his adoption of an evolutionary conception of the history of the arts. The development of Tuscan painting is presented as a progression that, beginning with its rebirth, passes through stages of growth, maturity and old age, before entering a new period of decline, after which the emergence of a new age of perfection is hoped for, one that would restore the 'glories' of the early decades of the 16th century, when – in Lastri's view – painting reached its peak thanks to Michelangelo, Fra Bartolomeo and above all Andrea del Sarto. Lastri's history of painting provoked the reaction of Guglielmo della Valle, who harshly criticized his claims regarding Florence's primacy in the rebirth of painting, whereas it met with the approval of Luigi Lanzi, who declared himself fortunate to be living in the age that had witnessed the birth of Etruria pittrice.