GENTILE

gentile, in the english bible, the term generally applied to those who were not of the jewish race. it is an adaptation of the lat. _gentilis_, of or belonging to the same _gens_, the clan or family; as defined in paulus ex festo "gentilis dicitur et ex eodem genere ortus et is qui simili nomine; ut ait cincius, gentiles mihi sunt, qui meo nomine appellantur." in post-augustan latin _gentilis_ became wider in meaning, following the usage of _gens_, in the sense of race, nation, and meant "national," belonging to the same race. later still the word came to mean "foreign," i.e. other than roman, and was so used in the vulgate, with _gentes_, to translate the hebrew _goyyim_, nations, lxx. [greek: ethne], the non-israelitish peoples (see further jews). gentile da fabriano (c. 1370-c. 1450), italian painter, was born at fabriano about 1370. he is said to have been a pupil of allegretto di nuzio, and has been supposed to have received most of his early instruction from fra angelico, to whose manner his bears in some respects a close similarity. about 1411 he went to venice, where by order of the doge and senate he was engaged to adorn the great hall of the ducal palace with frescoes from the life of barbarossa. he executed this work so entirely to the satisfaction of his employers that they granted him a pension for life, and accorded him the privilege of wearing the habit of a venetian noble. about 1422 he went to florence, where in 1423 he painted an "adoration of the magi" for the church of santa trinita, which is preserved in the florence accademia; this painting is considered his best work now extant. to the same period belongs a "madonna and child," which is now in the berlin museum. he had by this time attained a wide reputation, and was engaged to paint pictures for various churches, more particularly siena, perugia, gubbio and fabriano. about 1426 he was called to rome by martin v. to adorn the church of st john lateran with frescoes from the life of john the baptist. he also executed a portrait of the pope attended by ten cardinals, and in the church of st francesco romano a painting of the "virgin and child attended by st benedict and st joseph," which was much esteemed by michelangelo, but is no longer in existence. gentile da fabriano died about 1450. michelangelo said of him that his works resembled his name, meaning noble or refined. they are full of a quiet and serene joyousness, and he has a naive and innocent delight in splendour and in gold ornaments, with which, however, his pictures are not overloaded.