Jacobello's father, Francesco, was a painter himself: in 1376 he is documented in a contract as the chief officer of the confraternity, or organization dedicated to recognizing Christian works of charity, Scuola dei Pittori.

[4] While Jacobello's earliest surviving and confirmed work is dated in 1407, he is thought to be the painter of a Crucifixion piece in the Matthiesen Collection and the Virgin and Child of Piazzo Giovaneli, both painted in the late 14th century.

[8] These details reveal that the author of the painting must have been familiar with the Late Gothic movement of the mainland and had Venetian training as well, due to the depiction of Longinus who lances Christ and the centurion who orders Christ's legs to be broken, two figures that also appear in Altichiero's Crucifixion in the Oratorio di San Giorgio, and also the city wall that closes the scene, a technique used by Paolo Veneziano.

[9] Similarly, art historian Carlo Volpe noted that a series of small Passion panels painted in the 1390s––Agony in the Garden (Vatican Picture Gallery), Lamentation (Vatican Picture Gallery), Way to Calvary (British Royal Collection), and Arrest of Christ (private collection)––share a Paduan influence and stylistic similarity with that of the Matthiesen Crucifixion.

[13] The latter, as De Marchi emphasizes, still derives from Altichiero and Jacopo Avanzi but moves beyond the sterner style of the Matthiesen Crucifixion by employing a looser Gothic flexibility.

[11] This triptych, according to Benati, reveals Jacobello's interest in the latest artistic trends: its technique and style are up to date, and the pinched nose of the Virgin points toward the influence of Lombard's Michelino da Besozzo.

[11] The following year he is believed to have painted a tavola for Pesaro, first seen by Lanzi and later hypothetically identified by art critic Keith Christiansen as belonging to the Polyptych of the Blessed Michelina.

[19] This conscious decision, as Benati further argues, marks a shift in Jacobello's style that loyally turns back to his early influences of the local Trecento tradition of Lorenzo Veneziano.

[18] The eight scenes of the altarpiece depict St. Lucy visiting St. Agatha's tomb, distributing her possessions to the poor, refusing to sacrifice to idols, resisting the pull of oxen to a brothel, burning at the stake, getting stabbed in the throat, receiving Holy Communion before death, and finally, being placed in her grave.

[21] Benati concludes, "It was Jacobello who had to face the challenge of renewing local figurative culture from within, by degrees, and who ultimately succeeded in connecting the thread that tied it to its fourteenth-century principles.

[citation needed] Yet, art historians have noted that the overall mood of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus is unexpectedly tender and loving when compared to the Byzantine works that this piece is otherwise evoking.

[citation needed] Just as the depiction of clothing and fabric is advanced, the portrayal of foliage and plants as scenery is flat and two dimensional considering this painting's Byzantine influences.

[citation needed] Art historians presume that the small Crucifixion panel in Ohio was a single part of a larger whole work or altarpiece.

The Crucifixion shows Jacobello's level of proficiency with regards to human anatomy, and his attempts to pose figures in more natural or realistic positions than they had been in the past.

The depiction of baby Jesus in this work is uncharacteristically realistic and accurately proportioned to how a small infant would look and be posed against its mother.

Elements of this piece that affirm these art historians’ assertions are the depiction of cloth, hair and skin, compared to Jacobello's earlier works.

The rocky surface on the leftmost side of the image is rendered skillfully, and a measurable improvement can be seen in the depiction of vegetation in this painting compared to Madonna and Child.

[18] The scroll behind her head reads, "I will carry out the admonition of the angels and the holy word: gentle with the pious, harsh with the evil, and haughty with the proud.

[1] Giambono's St Michael and Michele di Matteo's altarpiece of the Virgin with Saints both pay homage to this triptych, testaments to its influence.

The stylistic shift that Jacobello underwent can be attributed, in the opinion of many art historians, to Gentile de Fabriano, who was commissioned by the Venetian Republic to paint the Great Council Chamber of the Palace of the Doges, who were religious leaders in Venice.

It was the knowledge that Jacobello gained and the mastery of technical skill that he achieved through this piece that allowed his later confident retardataire return to his roots when his works leaned back more towards a Byzantine-inspired style.

Source:[25] One of Jacobello's largest discovered works, this painting measures almost 300 centimeters in both width and height, and depicts the Virgin Mary's acceptance into heaven, which is metaphorically represented as her son, Jesus, crowning her in front of a grand audience.

These figures are all a part of the canon of the Christian Bible and the Catholic Church as people who have passed on, and are proverbially "cheering the Virgin Mary on" into heaven.

Though the mood in this piece is portrayed as reverent and ceremonial, celebratory aspects are also present, ranging from an angelic choir, to musical instruments, and foliage alluding to the Garden of Eden.

For many years after his death, Jacobello del Fiore was not given the due that field experts find appropriate today as one of the leading Venetian artists of his era.

[26] Keith Christiansen writes in his book on Gentile da Fabriano, “Jacobello del Fiore suffers from a greater critical misunderstanding than any other early Venetian artist.

R. Longhi judged him a lesser personality than Niccolò di Pietro or Zanino because his works seemed deeply linked to Venetian painting rather than that of the mainland.

[22] Benati concludes, "It was Jacobello who had to face the challenge of renewing local figurative culture from within, by degrees, and who ultimately succeeded in connecting the thread that tied it to its fourteenth-century principles.

Jacobello del Fiore's paintings are integral primary sources for art historians and casual researchers alike to understand this artist.