active around 1343 -1376 · Florence and Naples

Serious figures, devotional stories and the legacy of Nardo di Cione characterize the Florentine art of Niccolo di Tommaso in the mid-14th century.

Niccolo di Tommaso is a Florentine painter active between 1343 and 1376. His training took place in the environment marked by Maso di Banco and by the brothers di Cione, particularly Nardo, from whom he took up the monumental gravity, the firm contours and the density of draperies. He works in Florence but also in Naples, a sign of the circulation of Tuscan painters and models in Trecento Italy. The Man of Sorrows, around 1370, today at the Met Cloisters, is a large fresco transferred to canvas probably coming from a Florentine monastery. The Man of Sorrows, around 1370, today at the Met Cloisters, is a large fresco transferred to canvas probably coming from a Florentine monastery. The Man of Sorrows, around 1370, today at the Met Cloisters, is a large fresco transferred to canvas probably coming from a Florentine monastery. Christ appears simultaneously dead and alive, shows his wounds and places the faithful before the central paradox of the Passion. In Saint James, the attribute, the book and the stable attitude identify the apostle with a monumental economy. Virgins and Children favor the dialogue of looks and hands, while the Triptych organizes several sacred presences in an object intended for the altar or private prayer. From one work to another, Niccolo adapts the resources of the fresco, the tempera and the gold background to a direct, readable and intensely human devotion. From one work to another, Niccolo adapts the resources of the fresco, the tempera and the gold background to a direct, readable and intensely human devotion. The "Niccolo di Tommaso" selection notably compares The Man of Sorrows and Saint James. His reading favors the story.

Niccolo di Tommaso makes faith visible through the weight of bodies, the clarity of attributes and the serious silence that unites figures.