Simone Martini - A Quintessential Sienese Painter

Simone Martini - The Annunciation and Two Saints - 1333 - Tempera on wood, 184 x 210 cm - Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence (click photo for larger image)Sienese painter Simone Martini (c. 1285-1344) was a major figure in early Italian painting, and his work exemplifies the Sienese school. Martini also greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic Style, a courtly style that synthesized a variety of characteristics from different regions. This came about because artists had to travel far and wide, to various courts of Europe, in order to find work, following the Black Death.

The altarpiece featured here was executed between 1329 and 1333 (before the outbreak of the plague) for the chapel of Sant'Ansano of the Cathedral in Siena. Simone Martini and his brother-in-law, Lippo Memmi (who completed the lateral figures of Saint Ansano and Saint Giulitta) both worked on the project. However, most of it was completed by Martini. The central pot with lilies symbolize Mary's purity, and the olive branch is a symbol of peace. The rich, lush gold background was typical for Gothic works.