Lippo Memmi

Lippo Memmi, born in 1291 in Siena, was a distinguished Italian painter known for his significant contributions to the International Gothic style. As the foremost follower of his brother-in-law, Simone Martini, Memmi played a crucial role in the evolution of Gothic art during the early fourteenth century.

In collaboration with Martini, Memmi created the renowned masterpiece, the Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus, in 1333. This work, now housed in the Uffizi Gallery, showcases his exceptional talent, particularly in the depiction of the two saints. His artistic journey also led him to Orvieto Cathedral, where he completed the Virgin of Mercy, also known as Madonna dei Raccomandati.

Memmi's career took him to the Papal court in Avignon, where he worked alongside Martini until the mid-14th century. After returning to Siena, he continued to produce remarkable works until his passing in 1356.

Among his most celebrated pieces is La Madonna della Febbre, which gained prominence as the first image of the Blessed Virgin Mary to receive a Canonical coronation by a Pope on May twenty-seventh, sixteen thirty-one. This miraculous image is enshrined in the Sacristy chapel of the Blessed Sacrament within Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.