A Closer Look: Episode 20 - Simone Martini’s Annunciation
Sienese art of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries was a byword for elegance, luxury and sophistication. The city's merchants and bankers expected nothing less, and artists from Duccio di Buoninsegna and Simone Martini perfected a style that appealed not only to locals, but even as far afield as the popes in Rome or Avignon.
In this episode, art historian and specialist guide Freya Middleton takes us into the creation of Simone Martini's Annunciation, an extraordinary masterpiece crafted together with his brother-in-law Lippo Memmi. She explains how they brought refined aesthetics together with technical mastery and theological care – and she sheds light on why this peerless work of the Sienese Gothic is now located in Florence's Uffizi Gallery.
You can see a close-up of the work on the Uffizi website: https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/annunciation-with-st-margaret-and-st-ansanus.
FREYA MIDDLETON
Freya Middleton is a specialist art guide who has been based in Florence, Italy for close to twenty years. She has postgraduate qualifications in Italian Renaissance Studies from Warwick University, an acknowledged leader in the field, and is known for her passionate communication of all things related to Italy.
Kathleen Olive
Kathleen is one of Australia’s best-known cultural tour leaders, with over fifteen years’ experience leading tours to Western Europe, North America, Australasia and Japan.