active 1359 -1374 · Marche Gothic, gold background and devotional narration

Radiant gold, bold colors, fine silhouettes and direct narration give Francescuccio Ghissi a unique place in the Gothic painting of the Marches.

Francescuccio Ghissi, also called Francesco di Cecco Ghissi, is an Italian painter active between 1359 and 1374 in the Marche region. His biography remains poorly documented, but his works allow us to place him in Fabriano's environment, in contact with Allegretto Nuzi. He takes from this master linear finesse, gold backgrounds, soft faces and precious colors, while developing a more immediate narrative way. Ghissi works mainly for churches and devotional sponsors. He paints altarpieces, triptychs, Crucifixions, Virgins in Majesty and cycles dedicated to saints. One of his best-known ensembles recounted the miracles of Saint John the Evangelist. Several panels, now scattered, show the apostle resurrecting Satheus, causing the collapse of a pagan temple or finding Actaeus and Eugene. Each episode is organized like a small theater stage. Architecture, group of witnesses and gesture of the saint make the action immediately understandable, while the golden background keeps the story in sacred time. The Triptych of the Virgin of Humility brings together Nativity, Crucifixion and Annunciation in an object intended for close contemplation. The Triptych of the Virgin of Humility brings together Nativity, Crucifixion and Annunciation in an object intended for close contemplation. The Triptych of the Virgin of Humility brings together Nativity, Crucifixion and Annunciation in an object intended for close contemplation. The variety of episodes does not break the unity created by gold, symmetry and chromatic chords. Ghissi is not a simple imitator: his taste for clean gestures, surprised expressions and concrete details give the legend a particular freshness. Active until the mid-1370s, it testifies to the vitality of the Marchigian workshops before the international flourishing of Fabriano's Gothic. The "Francescuccio Ghissi" selection notably compares Triptych of the Virgin of Humility and The Collapse of the Pagan Temple. His reading favors figures.

Ghissi recounts the miracle with the clarity of a small golden theater: a gesture from the saint, a few witnesses and the architecture are enough to make the invisible immediately readable.