Lo Scheggia

Giovanni di Ser Giovanni Guidi, known as Lo Scheggia, was the younger brother of Masaccio. ‘Born in 1406 in San Giovanni Valdarno, Giovanni was the son of a notary, whose name he took, and of Monna Jacopa. He was also the younger brother of Masaccio (1401-1428), a much more famous painter one of the great […]

Lippo Vanni The illuminator

Lippo Vanni (Lippo di Vanni) was an Italian painter and illuminator. He is documented as a painter and illuminator in Siena between 1344 and 1375, and in 1360 and 1373 he took part in the General Council of Siena. The earliest work attributed to him is the illumination of the choirbooks for the Collegiata at […]

Jacopo del Sellaio of the Florentine School

Jacopo da Sellaio (c. 1441 – 1493), sometimes known as Jacopo di Arcangel, was an eclectic Italian painter from the early Renaissance, who painted in the style of the Florentine School. He was a pupil of Fra’ Filippo Lippi, with his contemporary Sandro Botticelli, who became a lasting influence on him. It is noted that […]

Giotto, Virgin and Child enthroned (Ognissanti Madonna)

A conversation with Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris in front of Giotto, Virgin and Child enthroned, surrounded by angels and saints (Ognissanti Madonna), c. 1300–05 (Uffizi, Florence)    

Giotto di Bondone the Father of the Italian Renaissance

Much of Giotto’s biography and artistic development must be deduced from the evidence of surviving works (a large portion of which cannot be attributed to him with certainty) and stories that originate for the most part from the late 14th century on. Vasari, the historian of Florence, tells the touching story of how the renowned […]

Bernardo Daddi disciple of Giotto

Bernardo Daddi (active ca. 1280-1348) was one of the most important Florentine painters of the first half of the fourteenth century. It is now generally thought that he was taught by Giotto himself, and he remained closely acquainted with his workshop and following. Florentine painter, the outstanding painter in Florence in the period after the […]

Who Was Giotto and Why Was He So Important?

A fly that a Tuscan boy named Giotto may have painted, once, set the Italian Renaissance abuzz. It was so true to life, according to the art historical legend that trails Giotto to this day, that Cimabue, the master painter he was apprenticed to, believed it was an actual pest. “Returning to his work, he […]

Andrea Mantegna, Dead Christ

Andrea Mantegna, Lamentation over the Dead Christ, c. 1483, tempera on canvas, 68 x 81 cm (Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan) A conversation between Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Read more about Andrea Mantegna: Andrea Mantegna, One of the Great Renovators of Western Art

Italian Painting of the Later Middle Ages

Until the late eleventh century, southern Italy occupied the western border of the vast Byzantine empire. Even after this area fell under Norman rule in about 1071, Italy maintained a strong link with Byzantium through trade, and this link was expressed in the art of the period. Large illustrated Bibles (“giant Bibles”) and Exultet Rolls—liturgical […]

Cimabue: Grandfather of the Italian Renaissance

Often considered one of the early pioneers of the Italian Renaissance, Cimabue’s life, work, and influence continues to be misrepresented or, perhaps, misunderstood. Historically Cimabue has been overshadowed by his pupil Giotto, a narrative which was promoted by Renaissance literary stalwarts ranging from Vasari to Dante. However, Cimabue’s work is finally being viewed in a […]