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Andrea Del Castagno

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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ANDREA DEL CASTAGNO (1390-1457), Italian painter of the Florentine school, was born in 1390, probably at Castagno, in the district of Mugello, and died in August 1457. He imitated Masaccio and the naturalists of his time in boldness of attitude, but was deficient in grace and colouring. His name was for about four centuries burdened with the heinous charge of murder; it was said that he treacherously assassinated his colleague, Domenico Veneziano, in order to monopolize the then recent secret of oil painting as practised in Flanders by the Van Eycks. This charge has, however, been proved to be an untruth; Domenico died four years after Andrea. The latter is commonly called "Andrea (or Andreino) degl' Impiccati" (of the Hanged Men); this was in consequence of his being commissioned in 1 435 to paint, in the Palazzo del Podesta in Florence, the fallen leaders of the Peruzzi and Albizzi - not (as currently said) the men of the Pazzi conspiracy, an event which did not occur until 1478, long after this painter's death. One of his principal works now extant (most of them have perished) is the equestrian figure of Nicola di Tolentino, in the cathedral of Florence.