Margarito of Arezzo

Little is known of Margarito's activity; he was probably working in Tuscany in the second half of the 13th century. He was one of the first artists from the Italian peninsula to sign his works (including the Gallery's panel), an action which signifies a new self-consciousness on the part of painters. Margarito's 'Virgin and Child Enthroned' is one of the earliest works in the Gallery.

Panels by Margarito have bold lines and bright colours. These elements are drawn from Byzantine and Romanesque prototypes. They emphasise clear, though static, images and narrative; nevertheless captions were deemed necessary, as in the Gallery's Panel.

More realistic ideas about the definition of space and the modelling of form were soon to be developed by Giotto and Cimabue. Most of Margarito's small number of works are either dossals or vertical altarpieces.