Lorenzo Monaco [key], c.1370–1425?, Italian painter, one of the leading artists in Florence at the beginning of the 15th cent. His real name was Piero di Giovanni. Born in Siena, he came to Florence (c.1391) and became a Camaldolite monk. His early works show a Sienese influence, evidenced in his sophisticated use of line and delicate rendering of texture. His only signed work is the Coronation of the Virgin (1414; Uffizi). His Adoration of the Magi (Uffizi) reflects the international Gothic style, with its elongated figures and rich pageantry. Other works include an altarpiece, Annunciation, and frescoes from the Life of the Virgin (Bartolini Chapel, Santa Trinita, Florence); a smaller Coronation of the Virgin (National Gall., London); a Madonna and Child (Metropolitan Mus.); and a Madonna and Child (National Gall. of Art, Washington, D.C.).
See B. Berenson, The Drawings of the Florentine Painters (Vol. II and III, 1938, repr. 1970).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: European Art to 1599: Biographies
