Simone Martini

Years of life:	1285 – 1344
Artist's Teachers:	Duccio di Buoninsegna (?)
Art Movement:	Gothic Art
Painting School:	Sienese School

Genre:	Religious
Country:	Italy
Century:	XIV

He was one of the leading painters from Siena and a follower of Duccio. Although he experimented with new ideas and forms, such as perspective, he remained more of a master of decorative illustration, including illuminated manuscripts.

His pictorial style has the qualities of illuminated manuscripts (despite the difference in scale): glowing color; lively drawing; a precise, closely worked line, keen attention to detail, flowing draperies, and gilding. Simone’s all-consuming emphasis was on decoration for a sumptuous overall effect.

It is interesting to compare Simone Martini’s works with that of his exact contemporary, Giotto. Despite all the charm of his work, it lacks many of Giotto’s achievements: the figures are flat, the poses are artificial, the gestures are pretentious; the faces are stylized and without genuine emotion. The story-telling lacks deep meaning, everything is arranged decoratively, and the idea of space, volume, and movement is absent. Simone’s work was a final chapter of the past; the future belonged to Giotto.

Simone’s major works are Maestà, 1315 (Siena: Palazzo Pubblico); Death of St. Martin, c. 1326 (Assisi: Lower Church); The Angel and the Annunciation, 1333 (Florence: Galleria degli Uffizi); Apotheosis of Virgil, 1340–44 (Milan: Biblioteca Ambrosiana); Christ Discovered in the Temple, 1342 (Liverpool: Walker Art Gallery).

References:

Robert Cumming. Art: complete encyclopedia. – 512 p. – Moscow: Astrel, 2005.

Artworks:

Saint Catherine of Alexandria Polyptych, National Museum of San Matteo, Pisa, Italy

1319

Saint Catherine of Alexandria Polyptych, National Museum of San Matteo, Pisa, Italy • 1319
Madonna and Child

between 1305 and 1310

Madonna and Child • between 1305 and 1310
Madonna with Child

1320

Madonna with Child • 1320
Madonna Of Mercy (Madonna Della Misericordia)

1308

Madonna Of Mercy (Madonna Della Misericordia) • 1308
The Virgin of the Annunciation

1333

The Virgin of the Annunciation • 1333
St John the Evangelist

between 1330 and 1339

St John the Evangelist • between 1330 and 1339
Gentile Portino da Montefiore

1300

Gentile Portino da Montefiore • 1300
The Dream of Saint Martin

1312-1317

The Dream of Saint Martin • 1312-1317
Death of St. Martin , detail

1312-1317

Death of St. Martin , detail • 1312-1317
Christ Discovered in the Temple

1342

Christ Discovered in the Temple • 1342
Michele Arcangelo (Polittico di Cambridge), detail, Fitzwilliam Museum di Cambridge

1318-1319

Michele Arcangelo (Polittico di Cambridge), detail, Fitzwilliam Museum di Cambridge • 1318-1319
Madonna and Child

1326

Madonna and Child • 1326
St. Augustine (Polittico di Cambridge), detail, Fitzwilliam Museum di Cambridge

1318-1319

St. Augustine (Polittico di Cambridge), detail, Fitzwilliam Museum di Cambridge • 1318-1319
San Pietro

1326

San Pietro • 1326
Petrarch's Virgil (title page)

1336

Petrarch's Virgil (title page) • 1336
Crucifix de San Casciano in Val di Pesa

between 1321 and 1325

Crucifix de San Casciano in Val di Pesa • between 1321 and 1325
Burial of St Martin

between 1312 and 1317

Burial of St Martin • between 1312 and 1317
Saint Ansanus, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

1326

Saint Ansanus, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY • 1326
Blessed Agostino Novello Altarpiece, Sieneser Schule, aus Sant'Augustin, Siena

1328

Blessed Agostino Novello Altarpiece, Sieneser Schule, aus Sant'Augustin, Siena • 1328
Maria Magdalena, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts

1320

Maria Magdalena, The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts • 1320
Madonna and Child, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

1326

Madonna and Child, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY • 1326
Cenni di Francesco, San Gimignano,San Lorenzo al ponte

1310

Cenni di Francesco, San Gimignano,San Lorenzo al ponte • 1310
St. Luke, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California

1330

St. Luke, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California • 1330
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa)

1320

Polittico di Santa Caterina (Pisa) • 1320
Saint Louis of Toulouse crowns Robert of Anjou

1317

Saint Louis of Toulouse crowns Robert of Anjou • 1317
Saint Louis of Toulouse crowns Robert of Anjou

1317

Saint Louis of Toulouse crowns Robert of Anjou • 1317
St. Louis of Toulouse crowns his brother Robert of Anjou King of Naples. Detail: miracles of the saint

1317

St. Louis of Toulouse crowns his brother Robert of Anjou King of Naples. Detail: miracles of the saint • 1317
Boston Polyptych

1321-1325

Boston Polyptych • 1321-1325
Boston Polyptych

1321-1325

Boston Polyptych • 1321-1325
Boston Polyptych

1321-1325

Boston Polyptych • 1321-1325
Boston Polyptych

1321-1325

Boston Polyptych • 1321-1325
Boston Polyptych

1321-1325

Boston Polyptych • 1321-1325
The Angel of The Annunciation Triptych

1330

The Angel of The Annunciation Triptych • 1330
Annunciation Triptych

1330

Annunciation Triptych • 1330
Boston Polyptych

1321-1325

Boston Polyptych • 1321-1325
Orsini Polyptych: The Annunciation

1333-1335

Orsini Polyptych: The Annunciation • 1333-1335
Orsini Polyptych: Carrying the Cross

1333-1335

Orsini Polyptych: Carrying the Cross • 1333-1335
Orsini Polyptych: Crucifixion

1333-1335

Orsini Polyptych: Crucifixion • 1333-1335
Orsini Polyptych: Descent from the cross

1333-1335

Orsini Polyptych: Descent from the cross • 1333-1335
The victorious commander Guidoriccio da Fogliano, fresco in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena

1328-1330 (?)

The victorious commander Guidoriccio da Fogliano, fresco in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena • 1328-1330 (?)
The victorious commander Guidoriccio da Fogliano, fresco in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, detail

1328-1330 (?)

The victorious commander Guidoriccio da Fogliano, fresco in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, detail • 1328-1330 (?)
English: The victorious commander Guidoriccio da Fogliano, fresco in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, detail: fortress

1328-1330 (?)

English: The victorious commander Guidoriccio da Fogliano, fresco in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, detail: fortress • 1328-1330 (?)
The victorious commander Guidoriccio da Fogliano, fresco in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, detail: army camp

1328-1330 (?)

The victorious commander Guidoriccio da Fogliano, fresco in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, detail: army camp • 1328-1330 (?)
Maestà

1315 - 1321

Maestà • 1315 - 1321
Maestà, detail

1315 - 1321

Maestà, detail • 1315 - 1321
Frescos in the Lower Basilica in Assisi

1322-1326

Madonna and Child between St Stephen and St Ladislaus

Frescos in the Lower Basilica in Assisi • 1322-1326
Frescos in the Lower Basilica in Assisi

1322-1326

St Elisabeth, St Margaret and Henry of Hungary

Frescos in the Lower Basilica in Assisi • 1322-1326
Frescos in the Lower Basilica in Assisi

1322–1326

The cycle of frescoes Scenes from the life of St. Martin of Tours in the St. Martin's Chapel in the lower church of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi; Scene: saints, detail: St. Clare

Frescos in the Lower Basilica in Assisi • 1322–1326
Frescos in the Lower Basilica in Assisi

1322-1326

Fresco cycle with scenes from the life of St. Martin of Tours, chapel in the lower church of San Francesco in Assisi, scene: saints, from left: St. Louis V. Toulouse, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Clare and St. Louis IX, King v. France

Frescos in the Lower Basilica in Assisi • 1322-1326
Crucifix, Christ with Mary and John

1321-1325

Crucifix, Christ with Mary and John • 1321-1325