Not only did he work in Florence, but also Assisi, Rome, Padua, Milan and Naples. He quickly found fame and fortune; so wealthy in fact that he could afford to marry twice and support 8 children. His signature could be argued to be the first brand-name: as his workshop flourished, he seemed to have signed work his assistants completed.

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GIOTTO: FRAGMENTS FROM A LIFE

(Cont.):

In 1334, 3 years before he died, Giotto was appointed master of works for the cathedral and city of Florence. With the help of Andrea Pisano (1270-1349), he decorated the façade of the cathedral with statues and designed the campanile himself.

It is now generally accepted that in the last 2 years of life he worked in Milan and that he died at the age of 70 in 1337. 'Generally believed' is as good as it gets for so much was made up about his life by historians years after he died that today we know very little fact about him.

Works Include

The Ognissanti Madonna (c.1305-1310), now in the Uffizi; the frescos in the Capella degli Scrovegni Florence; the cycles of frescos depicting scenes from the life of Saint Francis, at Assisi; the chapels in Santa Croce, Florence; and campanile di Giotto, Florence.