NICOLO, called NICOLETO, an eminent Italian painter, was born at Venice in 1659, and became a disciple of his father Giovanni Francesco Cassana, a Genoese, who had been taught the art of painting by Bernardino Strozzi. He soon distinguished himself, not only by the beauty of his colouring, but by the gracefulness of his figures in historical compositions, as well as in portrait. The most eminent personages solicited him to enrich their cabinets with some of his performances; and were more particularly desirous to obtain their portraits, because in that branch he excelled beyond competition. The grand duke of Tuscany, who was an excellent judge of merit in all professions, and as liberal an encourager of it, invited Nicoletto to his court; and he there painted the portraits of that prince and the princess Violante his consort. These performances procured him uncommon applause, as well as a noble gratuity, and he was employed and caressed by the principal nobility of Florence. Beside several historical subjects painted by this master while he resided in that city, one was a very capital design: The subject of it was the Conspiracy of Catiline; it consisted of nine figures as large as life, down to the knees; and the two principal figures were represented as with one hand joined in the presence of their companions, and in their other hand holding a cup of blood. Some of the English nobility on their travels sat to him for their portraits; which being sent to London, and highly admired, Nicoletto was invited to England, with strong assurances of a generous reception; and on his arrival he experienced the kindness, the respect, and the liberality, so peculiar to the natives of that kingdom. He had the honour of being introduced to the presence of Queen Anne, and to paint her portrait; in which he succeeded so happily, that the queen distinguished him by many marks of favour and honour; but he had not the happiness to enjoy his good fortune for any length of time, dying in London, universally regretted, in the year 1713.

Giovanni Agostino, called L'Abate Cassana, was brother to the preceding, and born in 1664. He was educated along with him by their father Francesco Cassana, and he finished his studies at Venice, where his brother Nicolo resided for some time. Although he composed and designed historical subjects with expertness, and with a correctness of outline equal to his brother; yet, from prudence and fraternal affection, he declined to interfere with him, and chose therefore to design and paint all sorts of animals and fruits. In that style he arrived at a high degree of excellence, imitating nature with exactness, beauty, and truth: expressing the various plumage of his birds, and the hairs of the different animals, with such tenderness and delicacy as rendered them estimable to all judges and lovers of the art. His works were admitted into the collections of those of the first rank, and accounted ornaments of those repositories of what is curious or valuable. He also painted fruits of those kinds which were the most uncommon, or naturally of odd and singular colours; and such fishes as seemed worthy to excite admiration by their unusual forms, colour, or appearance. But besides those subjects, he sometimes painted the portraits of particular persons of distinction, which he designed, coloured and touched, with the same degree of merit that was visible in all his other performances. At last he determined to visit Genoa, where his family had lived in esteem; and took with him several pictures which he had already finished. His intention was to display his generosity, and to appear as a person of more wealth, and of greater consequence, than he really was; and to support that character, he bestowed his pictures on several of the principal nobility of that city. But, unhappily, he experienced no grateful return for all that prodigal munificence: he reduced himself by that vain liberality to the most necessitous circumstances; was deprived of the means to procure for himself even the common necessaries of life; and waited away the remainder of his days in the bitterness of poverty, misery, and neglect.