A Short History of the Middle Ages Fourth Edition

Plate 7.11: Giotto, Raising of Lazarus, Scrovegni Chapel (1304–1306). Giotto brought to painting the
sensibilities of a sculptor. Just as Nicola Pisano’s figures (see Plate 7.9) had depth, weight, and roundness,
so did Giotto’s painted ones. And just as Nicola used telling details to humanize scenes from the Bible,
Giotto’s painting suggests the weight of the tomb cover and the varying emotions of the people at the scene.

Just as Italian art was influenced by northern Gothic style, so in turn the new

Italian currents went north. In France, for example, illuminators for the royal court

made miniature spaces for figures in the round, creating illusions of depth. Have

another look at the Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux (Plate 7.4 on p. 264). In the picture of

Christ’s Betrayal on the left-hand side, the old S-shape figures are still favored, but