CENNINI

Cennini’s The Craftsman Handbook starts with instruction about drawing which he presents for the first time both as a preparatory tool and as a practice representing the artist’s conception. The book was written at a time when artists were struggling to be accepted on a level with major guilds such as doctors and merchants. Pisanello mentions his connection to Taddeo Gaddi (ca. 1290-1366), the father of his teacher Agnolo, who he said had been trained by the great 13th-century master Giotto. The handbook includes sections on “drawing on a little panel”, “drawing with a style and by what light”, how to use a quill pen, how to make and use different kinds of tinted paper and parchment, and a number of other contemporary techniques.