| Florentine painter, the outstanding
painter in Florence in the period after the death of Giotto (who was possibly his
teacher). Daddi ran a busy workshop specializing in small devotional panels and portable
altarpieces. His signed and dated works include a polyptych of The Crucifixion with
Eight Saints (Courtauld Institute, London, 1348) and the works attributed to him
include frescos of the Martyrdoms of SS. Lawrence and Stephen in Sta Croce. His style
is a sweetened version of Giotto's, tempering the latter's gravity with Sienese grace
and lightness. He favoured smiling Madonnas, teasing children, and an abundance of
flowers and trailing draperies. His lyrical manner was extremely popular and his
influence endured into the second half of the century. |