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Which important commission did Andrea Mantegna receive at age 17?
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Andrea Mantegna
Arrival of Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga, fresco by Andrea Mantegna, completed 1474; in the Camera degli Sposi, Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, Italy.
At age 17, in 1448, Andrea Mantegna received the important commission to paint an altarpiece for the church of Santa Sofia in Padua.1
Although this work is now lost, it was considered a significant achievement for such a young artist, demonstrating his early precocity. Mantegna himself noted his age and accomplishment in the painting's inscription, which read: "Andrea Mantegna from Padua, aged 17, painted this with his own hand, 1448".1