[Born at Padua, in Italy, 1430. Died at Mantua, in Italy, 1506. Aged
76.]
This painter is celebrated among the early artists of Italy, and belongs
to the Paduan school of art. His _chef-d’œuvre_, the _Madonna della
Vittoria_, in the Louvre, is grandly treated, and remarkable for its
admirable finish. His cartoons of the triumphs of Cæsar are at Hampton
Court; the composition is grand and spirited, and knowledge of the
antique is blended with a feeling for nature. To Mantegna is attributed
the art of engraving with the burin, and also the invention of the art
of foreshortening figures, especially on ceilings. Distinguished for his
good and amiable qualities.
[He was buried in the Church of S. Agnese, in Mantua. His tomb is in
one of the chapels, and bears his statue, in bronze. This bust is by
Rainaldo Rinaldi.]