# Andrea Mantegna artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/andrea-mantegna/
Profile generated: 2026-05-26T12:52:04.686Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 1506-09-13
- Nationality: Italian
- Movements: Italian Renaissance, Early Renaissance
- Common media: oil on canvas, fresco, engraving, tempera on panel, drawing

## About Andrea Mantegna

Andrea Mantegna (c. 1431–1506) was a North Italian Renaissance painter and printmaker celebrated for his mastery of perspective, sculptural figures, and archaeological precision in depicting classical antiquity. Born near Padua, he trained in the workshop of Francesco Squarcione before establishing his own reputation with the Ovetari Chapel frescoes in Padua. In 1460 he became court painter to Ludovico Gonzaga in Mantua, where he spent the rest of his career producing monumental frescoes, altarpieces, and engravings that influenced artists across Europe. His illusionistic Camera degli Sposi in the Ducal Palace at Mantua and his Triumphs of Caesar are landmarks of Renaissance art. Through his marriage to Nicolosia Bellini, he became brother-in-law to Giovanni Bellini, linking two of the most important painting traditions of the period.

## Common works and media

Mantegna is best known for religious compositions (Madonna and Child, Agony in the Garden, Lamentation over the Dead Christ), mythological and triumphal subjects, and portrait-type studies of historical and courtly figures. Common media encountered in auction contexts include copperplate engravings, pen-and-ink drawings with wash, tempera on panel, and oil on canvas. The 237 records in the Appraisily catalog span engravings, workshop panels, copies after known compositions, and attributed drawings. Reproductive prints after his Triumphs of Caesar and other popular designs circulated widely in the 16th century and beyond.

## Market and appraisal context

Mantegna's autograph paintings are extremely rare at auction, and most lots associated with his name are engravings, drawings, workshop productions, or works attributed to his circle. Original copperplate engravings designed and possibly executed by Mantegna appear with some regularity and can carry significant premiums depending on impression quality, plate mark, and condition. Collectors and appraisers should exercise caution with attributions: many compositions were reproduced by workshop assistants and later printmakers. Provenance, scholarly catalogue references, and specialist connoisseurship are essential for reliable attribution. Sale results for Old Master prints in good early impressions provide the most comparable market data for typical Mantegna-related lots.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research grounded in Getty ULAN, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Museum of Modern Art, and Wikidata authority files with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots from the Invaluable database. Market observations reflect general patterns for Old Master paintings and prints and are not appraisals of specific works.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5681
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Mantegna
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500004218
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/27084155/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79040004
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/63568
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/52404