Giotto

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In Purgatorio XI, Oderisi da Gubbio illustrates the vanity of artistic glory with the comparison between Cimabue and Giotto: while the former was long celebrated, now Giotto has the cry, that is, the fame. Dante recalls him as a contemporary Florentine painter and friend, celebrating his role as the initiator of the great Tuscan painting tradition. The notes to the passage specify his biographical details (born in 1266, died in 1337) and recall the principal places of his activity, in particular the frescoes at Assisi and Padua, the city where he is said to have met Dante during his exile and where he reportedly left a portrait of his friend the poet. The comparison with Cimabue is placed in parallel to that between the two Guidi, Guinizelli and Cavalcanti, likewise cited in the same passage.