Life and career
Origins and training
Martini probably came from Siena; his precise birth year and training remain uncertain. His signed Maestà of 1315 shows that he was already an established painter.
Places, turning points and artistic change
Commissions took him to Assisi and eventually the papal city of Avignon. Lippo Memmi, his workshop partner and brother-in-law, collaborated on the 1333 Annunciation. Courtly elegance coexists with closely observed expressions.
Beyond the studio
His pictures served civic government as well as devotion. Friendship with the poet Petrarch also connected painting with poetry, although the portrait he made of Petrarch’s beloved Laura is lost.
Works across a career
Selected examples, not a complete catalogue. Read date ranges and attributions before inferring a career sequence.
Reading the selected works together
The civic fresco, collaborative altarpiece and late family scene show changes of setting and purpose without losing his attention to gesture.
- 01
1315
1315
Maestà
- Material / technique
- Fresco
- Attribution / role
- See the museum attribution
- Collection / source
- National Gallery of Art — Simone Martini
A public commission for Siena’s seat of government.
- 02
1333
1333
Annunciation with St. Maxima and St. Ansanus
- Material / technique
- See museum catalogue
- Attribution / role
- Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi
- Collection / source
- Uffizi Galleries
Artist-wide context
Flowing outlines and decorated surfaces make his religious figures graceful and easy to recognise.
- 03
1342
1342
Christ Returning to His Parents from the Temple
- Material / technique
- Panel painting
- Attribution / role
- See the museum attribution
- Collection / source
- National Gallery of Art — Simone Martini
A late signed work that makes a sacred story feel like a tense family encounter.
Materials, marks and colour
Media and surface
Tempera and gilded panels offer a luminous, precious surface.
Marks and structure
Long, flowing contours guide the eye through robes and gestures.
Palette and light
Gold can flatten the setting while small tonal changes give faces a human presence.