English · Idiom Historical

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Preserved but no longer current.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.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

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.

👁 Views 0 today 0 past 7 days 0 this month 0 all time