Fabriano, Gentile da, properly Niccol� di Giovanni di Massio c.1370-1427
Italian painter

Born in Fabriano in the Marches, along with Lorenzo Ghiberti he was the major exponent in Italy of the International Gothic Style. He first achieved fame with his decorations for the Doge's Palace in Venice (all now lost) and then went on to work throughout Italy's main centres before reaching Rome, where he executed frescoes in the church of S Giovanni in Laterano (also lost). His greatest surviving work is the Adoration of the Magi, now in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, showing all the facets of his opulent style: complex lighting effects, rich use of colour and gilding, and careful attention to detail. The overall impression is intensely decorative. Gentile's style is often considered old-fashioned for the period, but in comparison with that of his contemporary Masaccio, Gentile's work was thought advanced in his own day.