Page:The painters of Florence from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century (1915).djvu/155

 VIII

ANDREA DEL CASTAGNO

1390-1457

connected with Paolo Uccello, both by the character of his art and the time of his life, was Andrea del Castagno, or Andreino, as he is called by Giovanni Santi in his "Chronicle," and by Albertini in his "Memorials." Vasari pronounced him to be great and excellent both in drawing and painting, but accused him of having murdered his comrade, Domenico Veneziano, who was working with him in S. Maria Nuova, in order to obtain possession of certain secrets of oil painting. Since the two artists never worked together in this church, and Domenico survived his supposed murderer four years, the charge may be dismissed as groundless, and Vasari's only excuse for the statement is, that, in 1443, a painter named Domenico di Matteo was murdered by some unknown person in Florence.

Andrea was born, about 1390, at Castagno, a village of Val Mugello, and began life, like Giotto, by keeping sheep, until his taste for drawing attracted the notice of Bernardetto de' Medici, who brought him to Florence and placed him under a good teacher. The name of his master is unknown, but his vigorous drawing and realistic style bear a marked affinity to the art of 125