Poisoned Painter : Masaccio's Death, Ancient History, Religious Stories, TRUE CRIME
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Poisoned Painter : Masaccio's Death, Ancient History, Religious Stories, TRUE CRIME
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About this listen
The sudden passing of Masaccio remains one of the art world’s earliest and most enduring "cold cases." In 1428, the visionary painter—who had effectively revolutionized the Renaissance with his mastery of perspective—left Florence for Rome, only to vanish from the historical record at the age of 26. His death was so abrupt that it left his contemporaries in shock; the great architect Brunelleschi famously lamented, "We have suffered a great loss." Because Masaccio was in his physical prime and possessed a talent that threatened the status of every other artist in Italy, rumors of foul play spread almost immediately. The primary theory suggests that he was poisoned by a jealous rival, a common suspicion in an era where professional competition was cutthroat and toxicology was primitive. While some historians point to the plague or generic "fever" as the culprit, the lack of a recorded burial site and the sheer convenience of his disappearance for his competitors have fueled centuries of speculation that Masaccio was silenced by a peer who couldn't hope to match his genius.