CASTAGNO, Andrea del, Italian painter: b. Castagno, Tuscany, about the end of the 14th or beginning of the 15th century; d. Florence, 9 Aug. 1457. Being early deprived of his parents, who were extremely poor, he was employed by his uncle to tend cattle in the fields, and in that situation, by his surprising and untutored essays in the art, at tracted the notice of Bernardetto de Medici, who placed him under the tuition of one of the best masters Florence then afforded. He was greatly influenced by the works of Donatello. At first he painted only in distemper and fresco. His drawing is bold but his color is crude. On the return of Cosimo de Medici he was com missioned to paint portraits of his opponents. These he portrayed hanging by their feet on the walls of the Palazzo de' Medici, which won him the nickname of uAndreino degli Impiccati.D He is the author of a series of and (Sibylles) at Legnaia; where are also life-size figures of Dante, Petrarch, Boc caccio, Niccolo Ceccianote, founder of the Chartreuse at Florence; Farinata degli Uberti, liberator of his country; Pippo Spano, the conquerer of the Turks, and the fine eques trian statue of Niccolo da Tolentino. In the
monastery Degli Angeli are several religious works, including a crucifixion. Another is at the Santa Maria Novello. Vasarie's story concerning the murder of Domenico Vene ziano in order to procure his art of coloring in oils has been discredited, since it has been proved that Domenico survived him by several years and finished his paintings at the Santa Maria before Andrea was called there. Con sult the monograph by Waldschmidt (Berlin 1900) ; Crowe and Cavalcaselle, (History of Painting in Italy' (Vol. II) ; Muntz, E., toire de l'art pendant la Renaissance' (Vol. I, 1889).