Giotto

==Burial and legacy==
According to Vasari,<ref name=Vasari/> Giotto was buried in the Cathedral of Florence, on the left of the entrance and with the spot marked by a white marble plaque. According to other sources, he was buried in the Church of [[Santa Reparata (Florence)|Santa Reparata]]. The apparently-contradictory reports are explained by the fact that the remains of Santa Reparata are directly beneath the Cathedral and the church continued in use while the construction of the cathedral proceeded in the early 14th century.

During an excavation in the 1970s, bones were discovered beneath the paving of Santa Reparata at a spot close to the location given by Vasari but unmarked on either level. Forensic examination of the bones by anthropologist [[Francesco Mallegni]] and a team of experts in 2000 brought to light some evidence that seemed to confirm that they were those of a painter (particularly the range of chemicals, including [[arsenic#pIgments|arsenic]] and [[Lead paint|lead]], both commonly found in paint, which the bones had absorbed).<ref name=IOL>[http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/theory-about-old-master-gets-the-brush-off-1.41760 IOL], September 22, 2000.</ref> The bones were those of a very short man, little over four feet tall, who may have suffered from a form of [[Achondroplasia|congenital dwarfism]]. That supports a tradition at the Church of Santa Croce that a dwarf who appears in one of the frescoes is a self-portrait of Giotto. On the other hand, a man wearing a white hat who appears in the ''Last Judgement'' at Padua is also said to be a portrait of Giotto. The appearance of this man conflicts with the image in Santa Croce, in regards to stature.<ref name=IOL/>

Forensic reconstruction of the skeleton at Santa Reperata showed a short man with a very large head, a large hooked nose and one eye more prominent than the other. The bones of the neck indicated that the man spent a lot of time with his head tilted backwards. The front teeth were worn in a way consistent with frequently holding a brush between the teeth. The man was about 70 at the time of death.<ref name=IOL/> While the Italian researchers were convinced that the body belonged to Giotto and it was reburied with honour near the grave of [[Filippo Brunelleschi]], others have been highly sceptical.<ref>{{Cite web | title = Critics slam Giotto burial as a grave mistake | agency = Sapa-AP  | publisher = Independent Online | work = Business Report | date = 8 January 2001 | url = https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/technology/critics-slam-giotto-burial-as-a-grave-mistake-57918 }}</ref> Franklin Toker, a professor of art history at the University of Pittsburgh, who was present at the original excavation in 1970, says that they are probably "the bones of some fat butcher".<ref>{{Cite news | title = Skeleton riddle threatens Giotto's reburial | last = Johnston | first = Bruce | work = Telegraph.co.uk | date = 6 January 2001 | access-date = 23 March 2018 | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/1313505/Skeleton-riddle-threatens-Giottos-reburial.html }}</ref>