Mantegna’s Saint George

This is the first time that a Russian museum shows a painting by Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506). Despite the fact that he is one of the greatest masters of the Italian Renaissance, none of the artist’s paintings are held in Russia. The panel was purchased by Emperor Franz Joseph from the Mandrin collection in Venice in 1856 and was immediately donated to the Accademia. Critics are divided on the origin of the work. Some argue that it dates back to the 1450s, and thus to the beginning of the artist’s stay in Mantua. Others date it to approximately 1468, after his period in Tuscany in 1466. Mantegna’s use of perspective and imaginary space inhabited by real characters, such as the Bridal chamber in Mantua, were revolutionary.