Mariotto flourished from 1394 to 1424. He was the grandson of Andrea di Cione di Arcangelo and the son of, and apprentice to, Nardo di Cione. Nardo had worked in Siena in 1380 and Volterra in 1381 as a stonecutter. With the lack of personal information on Mariotto, there is essentially no information on Mariotto's direct family, or if he had one at all.
Mariotto was a member of the Physicians and Apothecaries Guild sometime between 1386 and 1408, and was also a member of the Company of Saint Luke in 1408. Many extant documents show that he was a popular and much sought after painter in both public and private affairs in Florence. Mariotto is thought to have been principally responsible for the artwork in the cathedral, although most of these paintings have since been tarnished. Mariotto was an avid altarpiece painter, and in 1398 he painted an altarpiece for the chapel of the Madonna della Neve in Florence, commissioned by the Board of Works. He began working on this piece in 1397 and was compensated with 15 florins in partial payment for the creation of the panel for the "opera" of Saint Reparata for the altar of the new chapel of the Virgin Mary. He also painted an altar piece for the Florence Cathedral around 1402-4. Mariotto's uncle, Jacopo di Cione, acted as a guarantor on behalf of Mariotto for the cathedral workshop on 2 May 1398. In 1400 he worked with Lorenzo Ghiberti in Pesaro. His triptych of the Virgin and Child with Saint Michael and Francis is in the there. Mariotto was commissioned to create frescos for two of the most important Catholic churches in Florence: the Santa Maria Maggiore and the Orsanmichele. Mariotto also executed frescoes for the officials of the Orsanmichele to be placed in their residence. At this stage of his career, he was also commissioned to create illuminated manuscripts for Santa Maria degli Angeli, Florence. This gave him access to the manuscript workshop that would later influence his style; examples of this include two fragments of St Lawrence and St Mary Magdalene. The last known commission given to Mariotto was a painting for the altar of the Captains of the Company of Sta. Oratory, on 2 March 1415/16. As Mariotto's career progressed, his paintings became more and more repetitive, showing a personal trademark of distinguishable traits. Although his works were often considered to have been slightly above artisan quality, his success in his time period has baffled later critics. His production introduced to Florence new Gothic techniques such as oblique perspective, nervous tension of the figures and deserted, rocky landscapes.
Stylistic elements
Through Mariotto's flourishing years, stylistic change is noticed in his works. From his early works, such as the large polyptych in the church of S. Donnino at Villamagna in 1394-1395, to his large polyptych in the Serristori house in Florence his stylistic elements noticeably shifted. Mariotto had originally preferred to arrange bold, powerful figures, who move their heavy burdens with grace. In the first decade of the 14th century, he advanced his style by lightening the weight of his figures and using more subtle and less dramatic line weight to give a more elegant and delicate persona to his figures. These new elements were heavily influenced by, and seen as parallel to, Lorenzo Monaco.
Surviving works
A relatively large number of securely attributed works by Mariotto survive. These include an altarpiece of the Virgin and Child with Saints for the church of S Donnino at Villamagna, Bagno a Ripoli ; a triptych of the Assumption of the Virgin with St Jerome and St John the Evangelist ; a polyptych of the Virgin and Child with Saints and a predella with scenes from the Life of the Virgin from the convent of S Gaggio, Florence; the Coronation of the Virgin ; the Trinity ; and an altarpiece of the Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints for S Leolino at Panzano in Chianti.
