Descent of Mary's Girdle to the Apostle Thomas

Maso di Banco (active c. 1320–1350) was considered by Ghiberti to be the most talented follower of Giotto and one of the finest painters of the Florentine Trecento. This 'Descent of Mary's Girdle to the Apostle Thomas' from around 1335, now at the Gemaldegalerie Berlin, depicts the apocryphal legend in which the Virgin dropped her belt to the doubting Thomas as proof of her bodily Assumption. Maso's treatment of this unusual subject demonstrates the narrative clarity and monumental figure style he inherited from Giotto's workshop.

Painted in egg tempera and gold on wood panel, the work showcases Maso di Banco's mastery of Giottesque spatial construction and solid, sculptural figure modeling. The figures possess a gravity and volumetric presence that reflects the most advanced achievements of early 14th-century Florentine painting.