RITZOS, Andreas
(b. ca. 1422, Candia, d. ca. 1492, Crete)

Biography

Greek icon painter, born in Heraklion on the island of Crete, the son of a goldsmith. He is considered the greatest Cretan painter of the second half of the 15th century. His works provided models for subsequent generations of icon painters. Basically he worked in the Byzantine style, but he was influenced by other styles, too, including the Italian style of painting of the 14th century. He is mentioned in documents until the year 1492. His son, Nikolaos (1446-1503) was also an icon painter.