Italian painter and printmaker Andrea Mantegna died on this day in 1506 in Mantua, where he had served the Gonzaga dukes as court artist for almost half a century. Mantegna, one of the leading artists of the later Quattrocento, is known for his deep interest in classical antiquity and daring experiments with foreshortening and perspective.

Reference: Gabriele Finaldi. “Mantegna, Andrea.” Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. .

Further reading: The Genius of Andrea Mantegna by Keith Christiansen (2010)

Dead Christ, tempera on canvas, c. 1500, Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera. Photo credit: Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY

Ceiling oculus; Duke Gonzaga at Court, 1465–74, fresco, Camera Picta, Palazzo Ducale, Mantua. Photo credit: Scala/Art Resource, NY

St. Luke Altarpiece, 1453, Milan, Pinacoteca di Brera. 

Virgin and Child with Saints, tempera on panel, 1456–9, Verona, S Zeno; photo credit: Scala/Art Resource, NY

Battle of the Sea Gods, 1470s, engraving and drypoint. Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth

Tags: 15th century, 16th century, Andrea Mantegna, art, art history, christian art, classical antiquity, classicism, gonzaga, history, italan art, Italian Renaissance, Italy, mantegna, mantua, Renaissance