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Primary sourcePainting13th century

Two Heads of Apostles Peter and Paul

Giotto · 13th century

A damaged painted fragment attributed to Giotto showing the heads of the apostles Peter and Paul.

This fragment, attributed to Giotto, shows his depiction of the apostles Peter and Paul.

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A gilded wooden frame surrounds a painted panel showing two haloed male heads against a dark blue background. The figure on the left has a reddish cloak and holds a book; the figure on the right wears a gold-embroidered garment. Paint is worn and flaking.
Attributed to Giotto, Due teste di Apostoli (Pietro e Paolo), 13th century.

About this source

What it is

This is a painted panel fragment, known as Due teste di Apostoli (Pietro e Paolo), attributed to Giotto. It shows the heads of two haloed male figures against a dark blue background, identified as the apostles Peter and Paul.

Why it matters

This fragment shows how much religious art from Giotto's time has survived only in damaged pieces, with flaking paint and worn surfaces. Even in this partial state, it offers a close look at how Giotto or his workshop painted facial features and rich clothing details, such as the gold-embroidered garment on one figure.

Look closer

  • What details help you tell the two figures apart, such as their clothing or objects they hold?
  • Why might only fragments of this painting have survived to today?
  • What does the damage to the panel tell you about the challenges of preserving old artworks?

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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