There was an academy of St
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Luke founded by the Paris artists in 1391 ; one at Rome, founded in 1593, but based on the "Compagnia di San Luca" of Florence, founded in 1345; a similar one was established at Siena in 1355.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “There was an academy of St” mean?
Luke founded by the Paris artists in 1391 ; one at Rome, founded in 1593, but based on the "Compagnia di San Luca" of Florence, founded in 1345; a similar one was established at Siena in 1355.
Is “There was an academy of St” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.