(born circa 1420, Sansepolcro?, Republic of Florence—died Oct. 12, 1492, Sansepolcro) Italian painter. Son of a prosperous tanner and wool merchant, he became known for his serene, disciplined exploration of perspective. His fresco cycle for San Francesco at Arezzo, The Legend of the True Cross (1450s), exemplifies his simplicity and clarity of structure, controlled use of perspective, and aura of serenity. His famous diptych portrait of his patrons, Count Federico da Montefeltro and his wife (circa 1470), is known for its unidealized depiction of their features and the use of landscape in the background. Though he had little influence on his contemporaries, Piero's important scientific and poetic contributions to Renaissance painting are now well recognized. Also a writer, he produced theoretical treatises on geometry and perspective.

Learn more about Piero della Francesca with a free trial on Britannica.com.

See francisca for the frankish throwing-axe.

Francesca is an Italian female given name, derived from the Latin male name Franciscus meaning 'free'. It is widely used in most romance languages, including Italian, French and Catalan, and etymologists are unsure as to the place of its origin. It is derived from the same source as the female name Frances, and the male names Francesc, Francesco and Francis.

People named Francesca

Some famous people with the first name of Francesca include:

• Francesca Annis, British actor
• Francesca da Rimini, the medieval figure
• Francesca Dani, the Italian cosplay model
• Francesca Gagnon, singer and performer for Cirque du Soleil
• Francesca Greenop-Roberts, Australian opera singer
• Francesca Barham, the granddaughter of the late Australian publishing, media and gaming tycoon Kerry Packer
• Francesca Lia Block, the author of the Weetzie Bat series
• Francesca Martinez, British comedian
• Francesca Martinez, Italian model
• Francesca Paolucci, Italian writer of novels and comics (married with Enrico Teodorani, creator of Djustine and mother of Andrea Teodorani).
• Francesca Piccinini, an Italian volleyball player
• Francesca Simon, the author of the Horrid Henry series
• Francesca (Franziska) Wittmann , Austrian actress
• Francesca Baker, British Hotel Heir
• Francesca Smythies, Italian American Student
• Francesca Leech, Vicar.
• Piero della Francesca, Italian painter

Translations

• Basque: Frantziska
• Breton: Franseza
• Czech: Františka
• French: Françoise
• German: Franziska
• Hungarian: Franciska
• Italian: Francesca
• Japanese: Furanchesuka
• Polish: Franciszka
• Portuguese: Francisca
• Slovenian: Frančiška
• Spanish: Francisca
• Mexican: Paca

See also

• Prefixindex/Francesca