Cambridge altar retable. Scene: three saints with angels, from left: S. Geminianus, S. Michael, S. Augustinus

Simone Martini, the most celebrated Sienese painter of the Trecento, executed this altarpiece panel around 1319, depicting Saints Geminianus, Michael, and Augustine with attending angels. Now in the Fitzwilliam Museum, it formed part of a larger altarpiece commission, likely for a church in the region around Siena or San Gimignano, where Saint Geminianus was especially venerated. Simone's early work already displays the courtly elegance that would make him the favorite painter of the Angevin court in Naples.

Tempera and gold leaf on panel, with figures arranged in an elegant, rhythmic composition. Simone's hallmark sinuous line, refined color harmonies of ultramarine and vermilion, and intricate gold tooling are already evident in this early masterwork.