Andrea di Bartolo or Andrea di Bartolo Cini (1360/70 – 1428) was an Italian painter, stained glass designer and illuminator of the Sienese School mainly known for his religious subjects. He was active between 1389–1428 in the area in and around Siena.Federico Zeri, with the assistance of Elizabeth E. Gardner, ''Italian Paintings: Sienese and Central Italian Schools''
A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1980, p. 1-2Colum Hourihane, ''The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture, Volume 2'', Oxford University Press USA, 6 Dec 2012, p. 96-98

Biography

Andrea di Bartolo was the son and pupil of

Bartolo di Fredi Bartolo di Fredi (c. 1330 – 26 January 1410), also called Bartolo Battiloro, was an Italian painter, born in Siena, classified as a member of the Sienese School. Biography He had a large studio and was one of the most influential painters wor ...

, a very prominent painter in Siena. His youth was spent working in his father's workshop which received many prestigious orders. 2 Andrea di Bartolo

He collaborated with his father and Luca di Tommè on an altarpiece (now lost) for the altar of the shoemaker's guild in the

cathedral of Siena A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

in 1389. This is his first documented work.Joseph Archer Crowe, Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle, ''A history of painting in Italy, Umbria, Florence and Siena, from the second to the sixteenth century, Volume 3''
J. Murray, London, 1903, 2001 , p. 134-137 However, it is believed that his hand can be discerned in works of his father painted between 1380 and 1389, such as in the ''Massacre of the Innocents'' (

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...

). Andrea likely set up his own workshop around 1390. He was extremely successful in Siena and obtained numerous commissions even from as far as

Veneto it, Veneto (man) it, Veneta (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

. His patrons were drawn from the same monastic circles as his father such as the Franciscans of

Montalcino Montalcino is a hill town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is from Siena, from Florence and from Pisa. Monte Amiata is ...

and the Dominicans of Siena. From his studio he produced a large number of works, some of which have survived and are found in various museums around the world. Like

Simone Martini Simone Martini ( – 1344) was an Italian painter born in Siena. He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style. It is thought that Martini was a pupil ...

he travelled far to execute work for patrons, including

the Marches Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

and

Treviso Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and '' comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Ven ...

. It is possible Andrea was the father of the painter Giorgio di Andrea di Bartolo (active 1409 to 1428).Andrea di Bartolo, in: Benezit Dictionary of Artists He died at Siena in 1428. Brooklyn Museum - Madonna of Humility portable altarpiece - Andrea di Bartolo

Brooklyn Museum - Madonna of Humility portable altarpiece - Andrea di Bartolo

Work

Most of Bartolo's works are religious works of art. Throughout his career Andrea imitated his father's paintings. While he worked on projects jointly with his father, he developed an independent style. Other collaborations were with Luca di Tommè. Bartolo Coronation of the Virgin 1410s

Andrea di Bartolo's creativity is a continuation of the work of his father, who in turn drew on the tradition of Siena, begun by

Duccio Duccio di Buoninsegna ( , ; – ) was an Italian painter active in Siena, Tuscany, in the late 13th and early 14th century. He was hired throughout his life to complete many important works in government and religious buildings around Italy. Ducc ...

and

. Still Andrea's own style can also be recognised early on. Andrea had a more summary drawing style and a softer modeling technique than his father and paid less attention to naturalistic detail and expressionism. Andrea's style remained solidly rooted in the Sienese traditions. However, if required he could absorb foreign influences, in particular in his commissions from the Venetian region. For instance, his ''Coronation of the Virgin'' (Venice,

Ca' d'Oro The Ca' d'Oro or Palazzo Santa Sofia is a palace on the Grand Canal in Venice, northern Italy. One of the older palaces in the city, its name means "golden house" due to the gilt and polychrome external decorations which once adorned its walls. ...

) shows in its iconography and rich ornamental elements the influence of Venetian painting. His later work shows the influence of

Taddeo di Bartolo Taddeo di Bartolo (c. 1363 – 26 August 1422), also known as Taddeo Bartoli, was an Italian painter of the Sienese School during the early Renaissance. He is among the artists profiled in Vasari's biographies of artists or ''Vite''. Vas ...

Martino di Bartolomeo Martino di Bartolomeo or Martino di Bartolomeo di Biago was an Italian painter and manuscript illuminator active between 1389 and 1434. He was one of his generation's principal painters of the Sienese School. From specific aspects of his early ...

and

Spinello Aretino Spinello Aretino (c. 1350 – c. 1410) was an Italian painter from Arezzo, who was active in Tuscany at the end of the 14th and the first decennium of the 15th century.Andrea di Bartolo at the National Gallery of Art
Washington DC * {{Authority control 14th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 15th-century Italian painters Painters from Siena Italian Renaissance painters 1389 births 1428 deaths Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain