204. Simone Martini (c. 1284-1344), Italian,

Madonna of the Misericordia, 13th century.

Tempera on wood, 154 x 84 cm.

Pinacoteca, Siena. Late Medieval.

 

 

Simone Martini

(1284 Siena – 1344 Avignon)

 

A Sienese painter, he was a student of Duccio. Influenced by his master and by the sculptures of Giovanni Pisano, he was even more influenced by French Gothic art. First painting in Sienna, he worked as a court painter for the French Kingdom in Naples where he started to incorporate non-religious characters in his paintings. Then he worked in Assisi and Florence where he painted with his brother-in-law Lippo Memmi.

In 1340-41 Simone Martini went to Avignon in France, where he met Petrarch, illustrating a Virgil codex for him. His last works were created in Avignon where he died. Simone Martini gave a great sweetness to his religious compositions while, at the same time, he was the first who dared to employ his art for purposes not wholly religious.