Paolo Veneziano

The Coronation of the Virgin, tempera on poplar panel by Paolo Veneziano, 1324; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 108.3 cm × 79 cm.

Paolo Veneziano (born c. 1300?, Venice [Italy]—died September 1362, Venice) was a principal Venetian painter of the Byzantine style in 14th-century Venice. Paolo and his son Giovanni signed The Coronation of the Virgin in 1358; it is the last known work by him. Another The Coronation of the Virgin, which is dated 1324, is also attributed to Paolo. Other known works of Paolo’s are dated 1333, 1347, and 1353.

Paolo’s style exhibits the conventional gold-threaded draperies, flat space, and static compositions of the Byzantine style, but in some of his works an Italian-inspired fluidity is evident.