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Orcagna

1315 – 1368

Italian painter

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About Orcagna

Lived 1315 – 1368 (aged 52–53). Orcagna was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect and poet.

Andrea di Cione di Arcangelo (c. 1308 – 25 August 1368), better known as Orcagna, was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect active in Florence. He worked as a consultant at the Florence Cathedral and supervised the construction of the façade at the Orvieto Cathedral. His monumental marble tabernacle (1352–1359), commissioned by the confraternity of Orsanmichele to protect the Maestà by Bernardo Daddi at Orsanmichele, was immediately praised. The tabernacle, executed according to his design with the assistance of a team of selected sculptors and masons, included 117 figural sculptures or reliefs as part of a domed structure.

His Strozzi Altarpiece (1354–1357) is noted as defining a new role for Christ as a source of Catholic doctrine and papal authority, as central figure enthroned actively handing out the (Dominican, or generally the Mendicant theology to Thomas Aquinas, and the keys of the church to St. Peter.

Works Orcagna's works include: Fresco of Saint Anne calling the citizens of Florence to arms against the tyrant Walter VI, Count of Brienne, Duke of Athens, formerly in the Stinche Prison (c. 1343), a huge circular painting with a truthful depiction of the Palazzo Vecchio, where it is displayed today. Altarpiece of the Redeemer (1354–1357) in the Strozzi di Mantova Chapel at Santa Maria Novella, Florence The tabernacle in Orsanmichele (1352–1359) The mosaic decoration and the design for the rose window of the cathedral of Orvieto is attributed to Orcagna, who had become Master of the Works in 1359.

His fresco of the Crucifixion with a multitude of angels surrounding the cross, portrayed on a dark background and a few fragments of the Last Supper (1365).

Pupils Among Orcagna's pupils and legacy were: Nello di Vanni, a Pisan painter of the 14th century, who also worked for the Campo Santo. Nello di Vanni is conjectured to be identical with Bernardo Nello or Giovanni Falcone. Tommaso del Mazza, called Tomasso di Marco by Giorgio Vasari. Jacopo di Cione, brother of Andrea and mainly sculptor and architect.

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Important facts

Born
1315, Florence
Birth century
Died
1368, Florence
Nationality
Also known as
Andrea di Cione Orcagna, Andrea di Cione Orgagna, Orgagna, Andrea Di Cione Arcagnuolo, Arcagnuoulo, Andrea Orcagna
moreAndrea di Cione, Andrea Orgagna, Andrea di Cione Arcagnolo

People in Orcagna's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Orcagna's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Orcagna?

Italian painter

When was Orcagna born?

Orcagna was born in 1315 in Florence.

When did Orcagna die?

Orcagna died in 1368 in Florence.

What was Orcagna's occupation?

Orcagna was a painter, sculptor, architect and poet.

What nationality was Orcagna?

Orcagna was Italian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Orcagna

· Wikidata: Q366499

· DBpedia: Orcagna

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Orcagna. https://biography.guide/orcagna/

MLA: "Orcagna." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/orcagna/.

Chicago: "Orcagna." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/orcagna/.

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