THE GREAT FLOOD of misfortunes, by which poor Italy had been afflicted and overwhelmed,
had not only reduced to ruins all buildings of note throughout the land, but what was of far
more importance, had caused an utter lack of the very artists themselves. At this time, when the
supply seemed entirely exhausted, in the year 1240, by the will of God, there was born in the
city of Florence, Giovanni, surnamed Cimabue, of the noble family of that name, who was to shed the
first light on the art of painting. He, as he grew, being judged by his father and others to
possess a fine acute intellect, was sent to Santa Maria Novella to be instructed in letters by a
relative of his who taught grammar to the novices of that convent.
But instead of attending to his lessons, Cimabue spent all the day in painting on his books
and papers,men, horses, houses, and such things. To this natural inclination fortune was
favorable, for certain painters of Greece, who had been summoned by the rulers of Florence to
restore the almost forgotten art of painting in the city, began at this time to work in the
chapel of the Gondi in Santa Maria Novella; and Cimabue would often escape from school and stand
all day watching them, until his father and the painters themselves judging that he was apt for
painting, he was placed under their instruction. Nature, however, aided by constant practice,
enabled him greatly to surpass both in design and coloring the masters who had taught him.
For they, never caring to advance in their art, did everything not in the good manner of ancient
Greece, but after the rude manner of those times.
He painted in churches both in Florence and Pisa, and made the name of
Cimabue famous everywhere, on which account he was summoned to Assisi,
a city of Umbria, to paint in company with some Greek masters the lower
church of S. Francis. For in those times the order of the Minor Friars
of S. Francis having been confirmed by Pope Innocent III, both the
devotion and the numbers of the friars grew so great not only in Italy,
but in all parts of the world, that there was scarcely a city of any account
which did not build for them churches and convents at great expense. Two years
before the death of St. Francis, while that saint was absent preaching,
Fra Elia was prior in Assisi, and built a church for Our Lady; but when
St. Francis was dead, and all Christendom was coming to visit the body of a
saint who in life and death was known by all to have been the friend of
God, and every man at the holy spot was making gifts according to his power, it
was ordained that the church begun by Fra Elia should be made much larger
and more magnificent. But there being a scarcity of good architects, and
the work needing an excellent one, for it was necessary to build on a very steep
hill at the roots of which runs a torrent called Tescio, after much
consideration they brought to Assisi, as the best architect that could
then be found, one Master Jacopo Tedesco. He having considered the site,
and heard the will of the Fathers, who held a chapter-general for the
purpose in Assisi, designed a very fine church and convent, making in the
model three storeys, one below ground, and two churches, one of which on
the first slope should serve as the vestibule, having a very large
colonnade round it, and the other for the sanctuary. And he arranged that
you should go up from the first to the second by a most convenient order
of stairs, which wound round the larger chapel, dividing into two, to
enter the second church. To this he gave the form of a T, making
it five times as long as it was wide.
In the larger chapel of the lower church was placed the altar, and below it, when it was
finished, was laid with solemn ceremonies the body of St. Francis. And because the tomb which
encloses the body of the glorious saint is in the first, that is the lowest church, which no one
ever enters, the doors of it are walled up, and around the altar are gratings of iron, with rich
ornaments of marble and mosaic. This work was brought to a conclusion in the space of four years,
and no more, by the skill of Master Jacopo and the careful labors of Fra Elia. After his death
there were made round the lower church twelve fine towers, and in each of them a staircase from
the ground to the top, and in time there were added many chapels and many rich ornaments. As for
Master Jacopo, by this work he acquired such fame through all Italy that he was called to Florence,
and received there with the greatest honor possible,although according to the habit the Florentines
have (and used to have still more) of shortening names, they called him not Jacopo but Lapo all
the days of his life.
So in the lower church Cimabue painted in company with the Greeks, and
greatly surpassed the Greek painters. Therefore, his courage rising, he
began to paint by himself in fresco in the upper church, and painted many
things, especially the ascent of the Virgin into heaven, and the Holy
Spirit descending upon the apostles. This work, being truly very great and rich
and well executed, must in my judgment have astonished the world in those
days, painting having been so long in such darkness, and to myself, who saw it
in the year 1563, it appeared most beautiful, and I marvelled how Cimabue
could have had such light in the midst of such heavy gloom. Being called to
Florence, however, Cimabue did not continue his labors, but they were finished
many years after by Giotto, as we will tell in its place.
After his return to Florence he made for the church of S. Maria Novella a
picture of our Lady, which work was of larger size than those that had
been made before that time, and the angels that stand round, although they
are in the Greek manner, yet show something of the modern style. Therefore
this work caused such marvel to the people of that time, never having seen a
better, that it was borne in solemn procession with trumpets and great
rejoicing from the house of Cimabue to the church, and he himself received
great honours and rewards. It is said, and you may read it in certain
records of old pictures, that while Cimabue was painting this picture, King
Charles of Anjou passed through Florence, and among other entertainments
provided for him by the people of the city, they took him to see Cimabue's
picture; and as no one had seen it before it was shown to the king, there
was a great concourse of all the men and women of Florence to see it, with
the greatest rejoicing and running together in the world. From the
gladness of the whole neighborhood that part was called Borgo Allegri,
the Joyful Quarter, and though it is now within the walls of the city, it
has always preserved the same name.
