MASTER of 1336 - b. ~1301 Pistoia, d. 1350 Pistoia

Italian painter. The artist takes his name from a fresco in Santa Maria delle Grazie, Pistoia, which was painted to give thanks for a miracle attributed to the Virgin Mary in the year 1336. Formerly he was named as the Master of Popiglio after a work formerly in the church of Popiglio and today in the Museo Civico in Pistoia.

Giotto’s influence was transmitted to Pistoia through the work of Maso di Banco and Puccio di Simone, both of whom worked in Pistoia for a while. Thanks to these artistic cross-currents the Master of 1336’s paintings are characterised by a remarkable expressiveness and figurative language. The earliest known work by the artist is the polyptych in the Museo della Collegiata in Empoli, followed by the Popiglio panel, and then the Madonna in the Acton Collection in Florence. The Master of 1336 also painted a fresco of the Madonna and Child in the Church of San Domenico in Pistoia.