Gentile da Fabriano

Gentile da Fabriano was a traveler who followed the money. Around 1420 he landed in Florence chasing richer patrons than his Umbrian hometown could offer. He liked gold leaf more than gold coins—his paintings shimmer with it—and he treated every fold of fabric like a party trick, adding silver thread so it catches the light like a sequined jacket.

One habit set him apart: he painted animals as if they were VIP guests. In “Madonna and Child,” a parrot on the left side of the frame stares straight at you, its feathers done in tiny, feather-like brushstrokes that look real enough to tickle your nose.

What to watch for: look for windows into other worlds. Gentile’s backgrounds are gold or patterned like silk, but he always slipped in a tiny landscape or a peacock feather that feels like a postcard from somewhere else. Those flashes tell you he was more interested in dazzling the eye than telling a single story.