Madonna and Child, ca. 1326, Tempera on wood, gold ground, Overall 23 1/8 x 15 1/2 in. (58. 7 x 39. 4 cm) ; painted surface 22 1/2 x 15 1/8 in. (57. 2 x 38. 4 cm), Paintings, Simone Martini (Italian, Siena, active by 1315?died 1344 Avignon), Simone Martini was one of the leading painters of his time, whose highly refined technique and descriptive powers were unequalled in Europe and earned the praise and friendship of the Italian poet Petrarch (1304?1374)