NOTICE
As confusion frequently arises in the alphabetical arrangement of biographical dictionaries owing to the arbitrary mode in which it has been customary to deal with such names as are preceded by an article or a preposition, or by both, it has been thought desirable in this work to adopt the grammatical principle sanctioned by the Belgian Academy in regard to the names of Flemish and French (or Walloon) origin, which are included in the “Biographie Nationale.”
The arrangement therefore is according to the following plan:
I. Every artist having a surname is placed under that surname, cross-references being given from assumed names and sobriquets whenever needed.
Thus, Correggio is entered under Allegri, Antonio. Pinturicchio „ Biagio, Bernardino. Sebastiano del Piombo „ Luciano, Sebastiano. Tintoretto „ Robusti, Jacopo. Titian „ Vecelli, Tiziano.
(a) When the prefix to a name is an article it remains annexed, because it is an integral part of the name; but when it is a preposition, it is disunited, because it indicates the place of origin or birth of the artist, or a territorial or seigneurial name. Thus, the French Le and La, and the equivalent Dutch and Flemish De are retained; while the French de, the Italian da and di, the German von, and the Dutch and Flemish van are rejected.
Thus, Charles Le Brun is entered under Le Brun. Jan David De Heem „ De Heem. Jean Francois de Troy „ Troy. Heinrich Maria von Hess „ Hess. Isack van Ostade „ Ostade.
(b) When the prefix is an article joined to or preceded by a preposition, as in the French du, de la, and des, the Italian del, della, degli, dai, dagli, and dalle, the Spanish del and de la, and the Dutch van der, van de, van den, and ver (a contraction for van der), it cannot be disunited from the proper name, because the particles together represent the genitive case of the article.
Thus, Alphonse du Fresnoy is entered under Du Fresnoy. Laurent de La Hire „ De La Hire. Niccolò dell’ Abbate „ Dell’ Abbate. Girolamo dai Libri „ Dai Libri. Willem van de Velde „ Van de Velde.
