Italian painter, named after a Maestà in the monastery of Monteoliveto Maggiore, south of Siena. He was active in the provinces of Siena in the second and third decades of the century. The Master of Monte Oliveto has traditionally been thought of as a close follower of Duccio, and several scholars have suggested that he actually worked for some time in the shop of the great master. However, his work is far closer to that of one of Duccio's earliest and most well-known pupils, Segna di Buonaventura. He worked primarily on small objects for personal devotion, such as tabernacles and triptychs. The Master of Monte Oliveto's works are lively, tender, and innovative in their details. His pictures reveal an artist with a refined sensibility who, though not an innovative genius, was certainly a gifted member of the Sienese school. //