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Tomaso [Tommaso] da Modena [Barisini, Tomaso]
(b Modena, 1325–6; d before 16 July 1379). Italian painter. He was the son of a Modenese painter, Barisino Barisini ( fl 1317; d 1343), who probably taught him the craft. Tomaso was absent from Modena in 1346 and has been assumed to have continued his training in Bologna after his father’s death, probably in the workshop of Vitale da Bologna: his art shows knowledge of the subject-matter and techniques of Bolognese illumination, as well as dependence on the style and work of Vitale. Two panel paintings probably belong to this period: a small triptych (410*388 mm; Modena, Gal. & Mus. Estense) and the centre of a reliquary triptych (Bologna, Pin. N.). The little triptych is signed with a prayer to the Virgin; its date, repainted and variously interpreted, may be 1345. The subject-matter of holy hermits and martyrs and the Descent into Limbo shares the solemn tone of the prayer. The dramatic composition, the facial types and rich brushwork are strongly influenced by Vitale. The reliquary panel has three registers, the central one with three images of the Virgin: showing her pregnant and reading, feeding the Christ Child, and knitting his seamless tunic. The four elegant Virgin Martyrs below are dressed in the latest and finest fashions; such figures are frequently found in Tomaso’s work. The damaged St Agnes of this panel is the only example to preserve the full richness of his conception of courtly dress.
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