Baldovinetti, Alesso

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Alesso Baldovinetti (älās´sō bäldōvēnĕt´tē), c.1425–1499, Italian painter and decorative artist of the early Florentine Renaissance. He was probably trained in the workshops of Domenico Veneziano and Andrea del Castagno, whose influence is evident in his early works. These paintings include an altarpiece for the Medici villa at Cafaggiolo and an Annunciation (both: Uffizi). In 1461 he completed the Nativity in the Annunziata. This scene and his decoration of the Portuguese chapel in San Miniato (1466–74) have deteriorated because of Baldovinetti's unfortunate experiments with the technique of fresco. He painted several Madonnas (Louvre and Uffizi) in a serene style. Baldovinetti was considered the foremost designer in mosaics of his day. He also worked in other media such as stained glass, inlaid wood, shields, and coats of arms.

See study by R. W. Kennedy (1938).

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