''Saint Mark'' is a painting of 1448 in tempera on canvas by
Andrea Mantegna
Andrea Mantegna (, ; ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Ancient Rome, Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini.
Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with Perspective (graphical), pe ...
in the
Städel Museum
The Städel, officially the ''Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie'', is an art museum in Frankfurt, with one of the most important collections in Germany. The museum is located at the Museumsufer on the Sachsenhausen (Frankfurt ...
, Frankfurt. A depiction of
Mark the Evangelist
Mark the Evangelist (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark (Koine Greek, Koinē Greek language, Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, Romanization of Greek, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' ...
, it is the earliest known work by the artist.
Mantegna was aged 17 in 1448, the year in which he regained his independence after six years in the studio of
Francesco Squarcione
Francesco Squarcione (''c.'' 1395 – after 1468) was an Italian artist from Padua. His pupils included Andrea Mantegna (with whom he had many legal battles), Cosimo Tura and Carlo Crivelli. There are only two works signed by him: the ''Ma ...
. He filed a lawsuit against his former master for not paying him for works he had produced under his own name. He also began several commissions, such as the altarpiece for the church of
Santa Sofia in
Padua
Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
, now destroyed.
The work is signed and dated 1448 on a small cartouche in the foreground, inscribed
INCLITA MAGNANIMI VEN... / EVANGELISTA PAX TIBI M RC / ANDREAE MANTEGNAE PICTORIS LABOR. The use of a cartouche in this way originated in Flemish art and was also used by other Italian artists such as
Filippo Lippi
Filippo Lippi ( – 8 October 1469), also known as Lippo Lippi, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Quattrocento (fifteenth century) and a Carmelite priest. He was an early Renaissance master of a painting workshop, who taught many paint ...
.
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mark (Mantegna)
1448 paintings
Paintings by Andrea Mantegna
Mantegna
Paintings in the Städel
Books in art