Gitto'S Glass

The insertion of decorative glass elements in articles & jewellery was a widely diffused practise in Italy between the 14th & 15th centuries. Not so frequent, yet significant are the examples of glass pieces inserted in frescoes or paintings. Important specimens of this kind are to be found in the frescoes painted in the Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padua & in St Francis' Basilica Inferiore in Assisi, & in Giotto's Cross in Santa Maria Novella in Florence. During recent restoration works it was possible to examine some decorative glass pieces used by Giotto in Florence & Padua & by the Maestro di San Francesco whom the painting of the nave in the Basilica Inferiore in Assisi is attributed to.