a circle, so perfect and exact that it was a marvel to behold. This done, he turned, smiling to the courtier, saying, “Here is your drawing”. “Am I to have nothing more than this?” inquired the latter, conceiving himself to be jested with. “That is enough and to spare,” returned Giotto : “Send it with the rest, and you will see if it will be recognized.” The messenger, unable to obtain any thing more, went away very ill-satisfied, and fearing that he had been fooled. Nevertheless, having despatched the other drawings to the pope, with the names of those who had done them, he sent that of Giotto also, relating the mode in which he had made his circle, without moving his arm and without compasses ; from which the pope, and such of the courtiers as were well versed in the subject, perceived how far Giotto surpassed all the other painters of his time. This incident becoming known, gave rise to the proverb, still used in relation to people of dull wits—“Tu sei piu tondo che l’O di Giotto”—the significance of which consists in the double meaning of the word “ tondo”, which is used in the Tuscan for slowness of intellect and heaviness of comprehension, as well as for an exact circle. The proverb has besides an interest from the circumstance which gave it birth.
Giotto was then invited by the above named pope to Rome, where his talents were at once appreciated by that pontiff, and himself treated very honourably. He was instantly appointed to paint a large picture in the sacristy of St. Peter’s, with five others in the church itself—these last being passages from the life of Christ ; all which he executed with so much care, that no better work in distemper ever proceeded from his hands:[1] so that he well deserved the reward of 600 gold ducats, which the pope, considering himself well served, commanded to be paid him, beside conferring on him so many favours, that there was talk of them throughout all Italy.
At this time there lived in Rome—to omit nothing relative
- ↑ Rumohr tells us that certain fragments of a painting in the sacristy of St. Peter’s at Rome, the subjects of which were Christ, the Madonna, figures of the Apostles, and the decapitation of St. Paul, are attributed to Giotto ; but the assertion does not seem to be supported by any authentic testimony : still, they are certainly in the manner of Giotto, and though displaying more beauty than is common to his works, may be from his hands.—Ed. Flor. 1846.
