When Giotto di Bondone, the son of a blacksmith, apprenticed at the age of ten to the then already famous painter Cimabue, one could guess his talent. His teacher became aware of him when he observed him drawing the sheep he was tending. He was quite amazed at how faithfully Giotto had traced them. His skills as a young artist are also described in a nice anecdote (but possibly a legend). Giotto painted a deceptively real fly on the nose of a face in a portrait painted by Cimabue. When Cimabue returned to the workshop, he tried several times to wipe away this fly. Giotto had an incomparable sense of detail, which he projected precisely onto the canvas. Thus, his fame as a painter spread very quickly.
As was common in his time, Giotto's entire oeuvre revolved around religious themes, which were equally reflected in his numerous frescoes. Soon he was receiving commissions not exclusively from Florence. So it is not surprising that Pope Benedict XII brought him to Rome. Giotto convinced the Pope in advance with a freehand drawing of a circle, which was painted almost perfectly and without tools such as compasses. He spent ten years in Rome and maintained a respectable painter's workshop there. King Robert of Anjou also took notice of his achievements and ordered him to the court in Naples, where he was given the title of "First Court Painter". Upon his return, he was chosen to design the Campanile of Florence. Giotto himself then even became head of the Florentine cathedral building lodge and city architect in 1334. This was primarily a recognition of his great merits as a painter rather than as an architect.
However, the most important aspect of his work is that his characters are very natural and vivid. Giotto revolutionized painting. He was one of the first artists to succeed in depicting the illusion of reality in terms of feeling and perspective space on a flat surface. Through numerous commissions in Assisi, Rimini, Padua and later from all over Italy, the very popular painter not only gained high reputation, but also earned himself a certain material fortune. At the height of his creativity, he owned several estates in and around Florence and in Rome. His major work is a cycle of frescoes located in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, depicting the Passion story and the lives of Jesus and Mary in over 100 scenes. Giotto and his discoverer and teacher Cimabue are considered the founders of the Italian Renaissance, as they overcame the static and stereotypical conventions of their time.
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.jpg "Saint Francis of Assisi preaching to the birds. Detail of the predella of Saint Francis of Assisi receiving the stigmata. Painting by Giotto di Bondone by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Preaching to the Birds, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Flight into Egypt by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Expulsion of the Devils from Arezzo, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Lamentation over the Dead Christ, c. 1305, fresco detail of 56296 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Noli me tangere, detail of Christ and Mary Magdalene, c. 1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Betrayal of Christ, detail of the kiss, c.1305 (detail of 65199) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Dream of Innocent III, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Gives his Coat to a Stranger, 1296-97 by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-38529).jpg "The Vision of the Thrones, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-115551).jpg "The Marriage Feast at Cana, c.1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Flight into Egypt, c. 1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Meeting at the Golden Gate, detail of Joachim and St. Anne embracing, c. 1305, fresco detail of 65216 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Sermon to the Birds by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Dream of Joachim, c. 1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-84263).jpg "Jesus Chasing the Merchants from the Temple, detail of Christ and two merchants, c. 1303-05, detail of 444251 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Crucifixion, detail of Mary Magdalene and the Virgin between St. John and a female saint, c.1303-05 by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-93222).jpg "The Meeting of Joachim and Anne at the Golden Gate, c. 1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Death of St. Francis, from the Bardi Chapel by Giotto di Bondone")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-84092).jpg "The Last Judgement, detail of Hell, 1303-05 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Trial by Fire, St. Francis offers to walk through fire, to convert the Sultan of Egypt in 1219, 1296-97 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Betrayal of Christ, detail of the kiss, c.1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Expulsion of Joachim from the Temple, c. 1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-36934).jpg "Allegory of Justice, c. 1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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 in 1210 1297-99 - (MeisterDrucke-98352).jpg "St. Francis Receives Approval of his Regula Prima from Pope Innocent III in 1210, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
 in 1210 1297-99 - (MeisterDrucke-98352).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-652350).jpg "The Arrest of Christ (Kiss of Judas) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Saint Francis Preaching to the Birds. Around 1295-1300 (Predella) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Massacre of the Innocents by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Massacre of the Innocents, c.1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Annunciation (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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_(see_also_65194)_-_(MeisterDrucke-577124).jpg "Christ Washing the Disciples Feet, c.1305 (post restoration) by Giotto di Bondone")
_(see_also_65194)_-_(MeisterDrucke-577124).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-573226).jpg "View of the frescoes on the left wall (post-restoration) by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-226685).jpg "The Crucifixion, c.1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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 1305 - (MeisterDrucke-123666).jpg "Allegory of Justice (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-654641).jpg "Isaac Rejects Esau, (detail) Isaac and Esau, c.1288 by Giotto di Bondone")
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_(see_also_192699)_-_(MeisterDrucke-300364).jpg "The Raising of Lazarus (pre-restoration) by Giotto di Bondone")
_(see_also_192699)_-_(MeisterDrucke-300364).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-67095).jpg "Saint Francis receiving the Stigmata (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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 Approving the Rule of St Franc - (MeisterDrucke-321462).jpg "Pope Innocent III Approving the Rule of St. Francis, from the Bardi Chapel, c.1320 by Giotto di Bondone")
 Approving the Rule of St Franc - (MeisterDrucke-321462).jpg)
.jpg "St. Francis Revives the Unatoned Woman to Facilitate Her Confession, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Annunciation (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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 1297-99 - (MeisterDrucke-113315).jpg "The Vision of Pope Gregory IX by Giotto di Bondone")
 1297-99 - (MeisterDrucke-113315).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-74234).jpg "The Miracle of the Spring, detail of a man drinking (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Death of St. Francis (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Preaching a Sermon to Pope Honorius III by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St Clare embraces the corpse of St Francis (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-181855).jpg "The Crucifixion by Giotto di Bondone")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-599668).jpg "The Virgin")
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.jpg "The Annunciation (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Appears to His Companions in a Chariot of Fire by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Baptism of Christ (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Entombment of Mary by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Ecstasy of St. Francis, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Madonna, from Madonna and Child Enthroned (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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 ( - (MeisterDrucke-224581).jpg "Christ Washing the Disciples")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-669296).jpg "The Last Judgement, c.1305 (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-669296).jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-573227).jpg "View of the frescoes on the left wall (post-restoration) by Giotto di Bondone")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-573227).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-22933).jpg "The Stefaneschi Triptych (verso) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Virgin")
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.jpg "Annunciation, from the St. Reparata Polyptych (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-74201).jpg "Detail of an angel from the Navicella, the Ship of the Church by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Death of St. Francis (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Saint Francis Appears to Fra Agostino and a Bishop (Detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Renounces All Worldly Goods (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Pope Gregory IX Canonising St. Francis in 1228 by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-170307).jpg "View of the Lower and Middle Registers of the North Wall, c.1305 (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St Francis Honoured by a Simple Man (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Death of St. Francis (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-105355).jpg "Joachim among the Shepherds, c.1305 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Miraculous Arrival of Lazarus and his Sisters in Marseilles, 1320 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Renouncing his Worldly Goods, from the Bardi Chapel, c.1320 by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-195147).jpg "The Virgin")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-110835).jpg "The Last Judgement (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Cures the Injured Man from Lerida, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Last Judgement (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Saint Francis Predicts the Death of a Knight in Celano, c.1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Apparition at the Chapter House at Arles, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Christ Blesses the Mystic Marriage of St. Francis with Poverty, 1330 by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Clare Embraces the Body of St. Francis at the Convent of San Damiano, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-669297).jpg "The Last Judgement, c.1305 (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Trial by Fire of St. Francis of Assisi Before the Sultan of Egypt by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Praying in the Church of San Damiano by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-269490).jpg "Joachim among the Shepherds (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-573177).jpg "The Prophet Isaiah (detail) (post restoration) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Nativity (post restoration) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. John the Baptist, from the St. Reparata Polyptych (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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_(see_also_66536_66537_-_(MeisterDrucke-669276).jpg "Angel from Madonna and Child Enthroned (detail) (altarpiece) by Giotto di Bondone")
_(see_also_66536_66537_-_(MeisterDrucke-669276).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-110064).jpg "Crucifix by Giotto di Bondone")
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 Approving the Rule from the predella panel from St Francis Receiving the Stigmata c1295-1300 (tempera on panel) - (MeisterDrucke-72769).jpg "Pope Innocent III Approving the Rule, from the predella panel from St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, c.1295-1300 by Giotto di Bondone")
 Approving the Rule from the predella panel from St Francis Receiving the Stigmata c1295-1300 (tempera on panel) - (MeisterDrucke-72769).jpg)
.jpg "The Death of St. Francis (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Mary Magdalene, from the St. Reparata Polyptych (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-94442).jpg "Noli Me Tangere, or the Apparition of Christ to Mary Magdalene (detail) by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "The Vision of Brother Agostino and the Bishop of Assisi by Giotto di Bondone")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-91085).jpg "St. Stephen by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Maestà by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Noli Me Tangere by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Jesus Chasing the Merchants from the Temple by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "St. Francis Honoured by a Simple Man by Giotto di Bondone")
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.jpg "Herod")
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.jpg "St. Francis Releases the Heretic, 1297-99 by Giotto di Bondone")
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