Giotto was born around 1276 in Vicchio. A Florentine painter and architect, Giotto is regarded as the founder of the Italian Renaissance in painting, and was celebrated in his lifetime by writers such as Dante and Boccaccio. Breaking with the stylized Byzantine manner, he gave his figures weight, emotion and a convincing three-dimensional space. His most famous work is the fresco cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, depicting the lives of the Virgin and Christ. He also worked at Assisi and Florence, where he was named master of works for the cathedral and designed the campanile that bears his name.
Before and after
- 1274Mongol invasions of Japan
- 7 March 1274Death of Thomas Aquinas
- 1275Construction of Reims Cathedral
- c. 1275Construction of the Hofburg Palace
- c. 1276Birth of Giotto
- from 1277 to 1287First Mongol invasion of Burma
- 1279Kublai Khan completes the conquest of China
- c. 1280sConstruction of Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd
- c. 1280sPolynesian navigators settle New Zealand
More in Art, literature & culture
- c. 500sRise of medieval music
- 11th centuryPublication of The Song of Roland
- 14th centuryPublication of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
- 1353Publication of The Decameron
- 1387Publication of The Canterbury Tales
- from 1478 to 1834Spanish Inquisition
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 13th century.