Tuccio di Andria is a painter whose career developed mainly in Puglia and Liguria. Originally from Puglia, his first documented work is the “Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine with Saints”, signed and dated 1487. This painting was made for the chapel of San Bonaventura in the church of San Giacomo in Savona and is now preserved in the Museum of the Cathedral of Savona. The cymatium of the work has been lost, but the predella, which represents Christ and the apostles, is in the Art Museum of Toulon. In this predella, the patrons are portrayed with lively realism, suggesting that they belonged to the noble Raimondi family.
In 1488, Tuccio undertook a new project with the Hospital of Savona, for which he was to create a Maestà, a work now lost, intended for the high altar of the Franciscan church of San Giacomo.
After his stay in Liguria, Tuccio returned to Puglia, where he painted the triptych with Saint Anthony of Padua between Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Zosimo, commissioned for the church of Santa Maria Vetere in Andria. This triptych is currently part of the collection of the Pinacoteca Provinciale of Bari and represents an important testimony of his art.
Tuccio di Andria’s style is characterized by a marked Renaissance influence, with particular attention to the rendering of faces and details, which reflects his commitment to representing religious devotion with a rich and engaging artistic language. His ability to combine elements of realism with a strong spiritual component has helped to secure his place in the history of 15th-century Apulian art.
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