The author examines the complex world of the workshops in 15th century Florence to identify the activities of and relations between painters and woodworkers. Citing archival documentation the author concludes that the two trades were not truly distinct, the painter often acting in a supervisory capacity as regards wood supports and their installation. It is this total conception of the work of art that probably leads to the documented dual registration of many painters as experts in carpentry and other skills as well as painting. The study concludes with an examination of the main typologies of sacred and secular artifacts and furniture, such as painted cassoni .