Maso di Banco (working ''c'' 1335–1350) was an Italian painter of the 14th century, who worked in

Florence, Italy Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence was a centre of medieval European t ...

. He and Taddeo Gaddi were the most prominent Florentine pupils of Giotto di Bondone, exploring the three-dimensional dramatic realism inaugurated by Giotto. Maso's name and work are known to us from

Lorenzo Ghiberti Lorenzo Ghiberti (, , ; 1378 – 1 December 1455), born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Florence, a key figure in the Early Renaissance, best known as the creator of two sets of bronze doors of the Florence Baptister ...

's autobiographical ''I Commentari,'' which identifies frescoes in the chapel of the Holy Confessors at

Santa Croce, Florence The ( Italian for 'Basilica of the Holy Cross') is a minor basilica and the principal Franciscan church of Florence, Italy. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about 800 metres southeast of the Duomo, on what was once marshland beyond ...

as his chief work.

Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work ''Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideol ...

confused Maso with Maso di Stephano, called "Giottino". The frescoes, not signed or dated but probably ''c'' 1340, represent scenes from the ''Life of St. Sylvester'' ( Pope Sylvester I), the ''Last Judgment,'' and ''The Entombment''. His

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

of a particular judgment is in the Bardi banking family chapel of Santa Croce. It features Gualtiero de' Bardi pleading on behalf of his soul before

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. Nanni di Banco, a sculptor of the early 15th century, is not related to Maso.

Selected works

Triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

Detroit Institute of Art The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is a museum institution located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It has list of largest art museums, one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it cove ...

* Portable altarpiece depicting ''Madonna and Christ Child with Saints and Scenes From The Life of Christ'' at

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

* Panel depicting ''The Coronation of the Virgin'' at the Budapest Museum of Fine Art

Notes

External links

Gallery of Art Online''Italian Paintings: Florentine School''
a collection catalog containing information about di Banco and his works (see pages: 20–22). 14th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Trecento painters Painters from Florence 1348 deaths Year of birth unknown {{Italy-painter-14thC-stub