Lorenzo di Bicci

Lorenzo di Bicci ( 1350 – 1427) was an Italian painter of the Florentine School considered to be one of the most important painters in Florence during the second half of the 14th century. He is believed to have learned his trade from his father, about whom little is known. Lorenzo’s style, as well as that of his contemporaries Jacopo di Cione and Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, was influenced by the artist Andrea di Cione.

Early life and training Lorenzo di Bicci was born in Florence around 1350. He is thought to have been taught the art of painting by his father, who most likely went by the nickname Jacopo, although his full name is currently unknown. By 1370, Lorenzo had become a member of the Guild of Saint Luke, the painters’ guild of Florence. The guild was named in honor of Luke the Evangelist, the patron saint of artists, whom John of Damascus had recognized as having painted the Virgin Mary's portrait. The Guild of Saint Luke brought together artists from a range of disciplines in Renaissance Florence. Lorenzo's earliest work suggests the influence of a master whose identity is unknown but who was believed to be a member of the Guild of Saint Luke.

Early career Lorenzo's first public work was a panel depicting St. Martin Enthroned, painted for the Arte dei Vinattieri, the wine-merchants’ guild of Florence. This was a major project already underway at the time. Together with Spinello Aretino and Agnolo Gaddi, Lorenzo produced preliminary drawings for the statues of the four Apostles which would be executed in marble for the façade of the church. Once the series of statues was completed, he was then commissioned, again with Aretino and Gaddi, to paint and gild them. In his biography of the artist, Giorgio Vasari notes that Lorenzo learned much of his craft from Spinello, probably during this time. The panel represents the Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, St. John the Evangelist and St. Francis of Assisi at the foot of the cross. It is believed to have constituted the top half of a larger panel. The second crucifixion depicts Christ on the cross surrounded by angels collecting his spilt blood. The letters INRI labeling "Jesus of Nazareth The King of the Jews" are displayed on the red headpiece above the cross. The Christ and angels depicted in the later crucifixion are compositionally very similar to the first. The painting is thought to have occupied the left side of a multi-paneled altarpiece. The remaining panels are either lost or unidentified. The figures illustrated are the saints Francis of Assisi, who founded the Franciscan order in the early thirteenth century, and Anthony the Great, a Christian monk known as the Father of All Monks. The stigmata of St Francis are pin-pointed with tiny gold rays.

Information concerning the next decade of Lorenzo's life and work is scanty. A very similar work known to have been completed by Lorenzo between 1405 and 1410 titled Madonna and Child with Angels is conserved in the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, lending further support to the current attribution of the Madonna of Humility. In style, Lorenzo's is part of an established tradition. The best known is the Madonna dell'Umilita, painted by Guariento di Arpo, which Lorenzo's painting closely resembles.

Some years later Lorenzo painted a Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist, Catherine of Alexandria, Anthony Abbot, and St. Nicholas at the Virgin's feet. The work is executed in tempera and gold on a wood panel and its size is that of a typical anconetta, or small altarpiece. During the time of Lorenzo, this image would likely have been framed in a Gothic-style tabernacle as it would have served for private, rather than public, enjoyment. The central figure is nearly identical to the Madonna of Humility with Two Angels, further suggesting that the earlier Madonna was indeed the work of Lorenzo. The Madonna in the center panel sits on a Gothic throne, adorned with a red and gold cloth. A Christ Child sits on her lap and grips her finger. Surrounding them are a group of six Saints, including both John the Evangelist and John the Baptist. Lorenzo's artistic style is seen in the clean and simple compositional structure, the use of bright color, and the expressionless character of the figures' faces.

Influences Lorenzo's style was influenced by Andrea di Cione di Arcangelo, who was an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect in Florence. Lorenzo served as one of his pupils and worked alongside Jacopo di Cione, Andrea's younger brother and an Italian Gothic period painter active in Florence.

Death and legacy

It is now clear that many of the works that Vasari attributed to Lorenzo di Bicci were in fact produced by his son, Bicci di Lorenzo. Similarly, Joseph Archer Crowe and Giovanni Battista Cavalcasele, two highly respected Italian art critics, attributed several frescoes to Lorenzo, including those in the Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence, and those in San Francesco, Arezzo, that are now thought to be painted by Bicci di Lorenzo. Some confusion between the works of father and son is understandable, considering that Lorenzo personally trained his son in his workshop, one of the largest and most active studios in Florence at that time. Bicci di Lorenzo went on to become an influential painter and sculptor, much like his father, while Lorenzo's grandson, Neri di Bicci, inherited the workshop following the death of Lorenzo di Bicci and Bicci di Lorenzo.

Lorenzo is believed to have died in 1427, although the exact date of death is unknown. Lorenzo's workshop continued to flourish for over a century. Even now, art historians believe that many of his most significant works have yet to be identified.

Surviving art works Madonna of Humility with Two Angels (c. 1375-1380), Private Collection St. Martin Enthroned (c. 1380), Depositi Galleria Arte, Florence St. Julian and St. Zanobius (c. 1380-1400), Academia Gallery, Venice St. Mark (c. 1398), Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence The Crucifixion (c. 1399), Museo della Collegiata di Sant'Andrea, Empoli Triptych (c. 1399), Museo della Collegiata di Sant'Andrea, Empoli Madonna and Child (c. 1400), Walters Art Museum, Baltimore Crucifixion (c. 1400), Allentown Art Museum, Pennsylvania St. Francis and St. Anthony Abbot (c. 1400), Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol Madonna and Child with Angels (c. 1405-1410), Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco St. Nicholas (c. 1410), Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence