The Tribute Money
The artist
Masaccio, a young Italian painter who helped begin the Renaissance, even though he lived only a short life.
What you see
A wall painting that tells a Bible story where Jesus and his friends find a coin to pay a tax, all in one big scene.
The story
Masaccio painted this fresco on a chapel wall around 1425, and it amazed other artists who came to study it.
The style
He made the people look solid and real, with light and shadow that make them seem to stand in true daylight.
Look closer
The same man, Peter, appears three times in one picture, showing three moments of the story as your eyes move across.
Where to see it
It covers a wall of the Brancacci Chapel in Florence, Italy, painted right onto the fresh plaster long ago.
Fun fact
Great painters like Michelangelo came to this chapel as young students to copy Masaccio and learn from him.