Cenni di Pepo, nicknamed Cimabue, was born in Florence c.1240. Due to uncertainty regarding the circumstances of his youth, it is not possible to reconstruct a cronological history of his work. Dante, in Purgatory, describes Cimabue as a talented artist, while Vasari claimed that Cimabue was responsible for the rebirth of art after the Medieval period.

In Florence, one can visit two Cimabue masterpieces: il Crocefisso di Santa Croce, seriously damaged during the 1966 flood, currently located at the Museo dell'Opera Santa Croce, as well as the Maesta', commissioned for the Church of Santa Trinita, currently located at the Uffizi.