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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1305

Kiss of Judas

Giotto di Bondone · c. 1305

A fresco by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel showing Judas betraying Christ with a kiss as armed men close in.

Giotto painted this dramatic betrayal scene as part of his fresco cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel.

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Giotto's fresco The Kiss of Judas. Jesus, with a gold halo and yellow robe, is embraced by Judas in the center as a crowd of armed men with torches and staves closes in. A disciple on the left grabs a soldier, and a robed figure on the right gestures toward the scene against a dark blue night sky.
Giotto di Bondone, Kiss of Judas, c. 1305. Scrovegni Chapel, Padua.

About this source

What it is

The Kiss of Judas is a fresco painted by Giotto around 1305 as part of the Life of Christ cycle in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. It shows Judas embracing Christ while a crowd of armed men with torches surrounds them, and a disciple, identified as Saint Peter, attacking a soldier at the left.

Why it matters

The scene is admired for how Giotto used gaze, gesture and the tight crowd of figures to build tension and tell a dramatic story, rather than relying on symbols alone. It is part of the wider cycle that marked a shift toward more naturalistic storytelling in painting.

Look closer

  • How do the expressions of Christ and Judas differ as they face each other?
  • Why might Giotto have crowded the painting with torches and staves?
  • What is Saint Peter doing on the left, and why might Giotto have included that detail?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Giotto on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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