Master of the Straus Madonna The Master of the Straus Madonna, whose true identity remains elusive despite scholarly efforts, stands as a pivotal figure in Late Gothic Florentine painting—a conduit between Giottesque solemnity and the burgeoning humanist spirit of the early fifteenth century. Primarily recognized for his luminous depictions of Mary holding the infant Jesus, he achieved renown thanks to a donation by the Straus family to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where one of his most celebrated panels currently resides. Little is known about his life beyond fragmentary documentary e…