Even before more celebrated artists such as Fra Filippo Lippi, Masaccio, and Donatello delved into the psychological responses of their figures, Ugolino di Prete lario understood what it meant to paint souls. Although few modern scholars have recognized his gifts, surely, on July 8, 1357, when the Opera del Duomo hired him as the lead painter for a fresco program in the new Cappella del Corporale, they knew and admired his gifts for storytelling and character analysis. The initial contract addresses him by his full name with the title “magister,” which indicates a high level of training, experience, and the competency to orchestrate a complex fresco program.