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Angelo Nardi da Razzo (19 February 1584 – 1664) was an Italian painter of the earlyBaroque period; active primarily in Spain.
He was born inVaglia to a noble Florentine family that had been dispossessed of their assets and banished by theMedicis. His artistic formation probably took place in a circle of painters that included major figures of theCounter-Reformation such asLudovico Cigoli,Domenico Passignano andGregorio Pagani.
From approximately 1600 to 1607, he lived inVenice. After that time, he established himself in Madrid. By 1615, he had been commissioned to paint a series of works celebrating a meeting of Spanish and French royalty inIrun. Those paintings were destroyed in a fire at theRoyal Alcázar of Madrid in 1734. Between 1619 and 1620, he executed a series of works for theConvento de las Bernardas [es] inAlcalá de Henares, occasioned by the recent death of its founder,Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas. These are considered to be the first works of his artistic maturity.
At the same time, records show that he was employed as the manager of workshop belonging toMarcos de Aguilera [es]. Following Aguilera's death in 1620, he took over the studio and, in 1623, married his thirteen-year-old daughter. This is believed to have been a "marriage of convenience" and he had it annulled in 1625. Marcos' son, Lorenzo, filed suit against Nardi, but it was dismissed. Shortly after, he received the largely honorary (unpaid) position of Painter to the King.
The death ofBartolomé González in 1627 left an opening forcourt painter, which Nardi finally obtained in 1631, despite some very serious competition. Among his competitors wasDiego Velázquez, who was awarded a similar post. Over the years, they developed a friendly working relationship. Nardi would act as a character witness in favor of Velázquez when he was being considered for theOrder of Santiago. With his economic situation secured, he devoted some time to doing works for religious communities. Later, he would win his fellow painters an exemption from thealcabala; a type of sales tax.
He died in Madrid and was interred at the Church of the Misericordia, which was destroyed during theSpanish Civil War. A street in Vaglia bears his name.
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