The first complete catalogue that reconstructs the work and examines the artistic personality of Andrea Solario, whose identity has long remained unexplored.
Andrea Solario was the only painter in a true family dynasty of Lombard sculptors and architects.
This volume includes the first annotated catalogue of his works. Due to uncertainties regarding his identity the originality of his art has long remained unexplored. This research examines his creativity by analyzing the genesis of the individual paintings in relation to their prototypes and related preparatory studies.
The author also investigates the relationships between the artist and his clients, especially the cardinal Georges d’Amboise, prime minister to the King of France Louis XII: working for the cardinal, Solario became the first Italian painter to bring the Renaissance style to France. The volume also offers a new, complete reinterpretation of the existing documentation on the artist and his work.