Andrea di Giusto
He, along with other minor masters, are also known to have provided several different types of art, including triptychs and frescoes, for Romanesque pievi, or rural churches with baptistries.
Bicci's sizable workshop enjoyed an established relationship, believed to have begun in 1418, with Santa Maria Nuova, a Florentine hospital with an adjoining church that provided a great number of commissions to local artists.
In 1424, Bicci's workshop accomplished relief figures for the interior of the church at Santa Maria Nuova and further decorated and gilded an exterior sculpture attributed to Dello di Niccolò Delli.
Andrea himself is mentioned regarding payment during this period as an assistant to Bicci in 1424, suggesting his involvement in several of the crafts and works created for Santa Maria Nuova.
The central panel recalls Gentile Bellini's Adoration, though in a simplified manner, featuring the Madonna and child along with the three Magi.
This altarpiece is one of Andrea's most notable works because it was likely very expensive, including significant gold leaf, a Gothic frame, bold colors, and several figures and panels.
The main panel features a kneeling St. Thomas, while the Death of the Virgin is depicted in the center of the predella; both compositions betray significant influence from Fra Angelico.
While the threshold for a major altarpiece in terms of price hovered around 100 florini, this sizable sum suggests a multi-paneled and meaningfully detailed work.
While the "Prato Master" planned the compositions, Andrea completed the frescos using the miniaturist technique, meaning that the designs were conceived on a small scale and then magnified.
[14] He completed the final scenes of Paolo Uccello's frescoes in St. Stephen's Chapel of the Assumption (Cappella dell'Assunta) in the Prato Duomo.
The Opera's reluctance to provide public patronage for Andrea's work reflects the institution's preference for major over minor masters.
The final stage of Andrea's career is marked by stoic, flat figures lacking the vivacity he had earlier attempted to portray, typified by his triptych altarpiece for San Michele in Moriano (ca.
While he may have attempted to convey tranquillity through the relatively bland colour scheme and composition, the triptych falls short when compared to his earlier works.
[5] While the minor masters simply were never commissioned to paint the high altarpieces of Florentine churches, their craftsmanship was revered in the contado.
Patrons in the contado tended to prefer conservative works to bold ones, prizing craftsmanship and efficiency over artistic innovation.
In this way, Andrea's works can be considered partly a product of his location in the contado; perhaps if he had been deemed a major master, he would have been able to take greater, bolder risks with his craft.
[5] Scholars note his desire to capture Masaccio's gravitas, stoicism, and general sculptural forms, tending to focus on one of these components while incorporating the techniques of other major masters.
"[16] "The artistic career of Andrea di Giusto...reveals the incredible ease with which he mastered every old and new element, in order to compensate for his lack of imagination.
[18] Andrea's The Madonna and Child with two Angles sold at Christie's art auction in London on the 3 December 2008 for £55,250, vastly outperforming its price estimate of £12,000 - £18,000.
