Master Francesco

This 14th-century Italian painter made altarpieces for churches, full of quiet sorrow and gold-leaf halos. In Christ on the Cross mourned by the Virgin Mary and Saints Mary Magdalene and John (1392), you’ll see the body of Jesus framed by four mourners in deep blues and reds, their faces shadowed by grief. The gold backgrounds and stiff, solemn poses belong to the period before the Renaissance loosened things up.

Want to step closer? Tap the gold halo to peek at the way every fold in the robes is outlined in raised gesso.