Why are many details of Giotto’s life uncertain?

Many details of Giotto’s life remain uncertain primarily because there is very little contemporary documentation regarding his biography and artistic career. Because so few of his works are definitively documented, establishing a reliable chronology or confirming the attribution of many paintings—such as the frescoes in the St. Francis Basilica in Assisi—remains highly speculative.12

Much of what is known about Giotto must be deduced from surviving works and stories that emerged largely from the late 14th century onward. Even fundamental facts, such as his birth date, are subject to debate; historical sources offer conflicting years of 1266/67 or 1276. While 14th-century accounts, such as the Villani chronicle, suggest the earlier date, later biographies—most notably by Giorgio Vasari—introduced the 1276 date. Vasari’s influential writings, while foundational to art history, are known to be anecdotal and occasionally filled with information of questionable accuracy when factual records were scarce. Consequently, the lack of primary evidence forces scholars to rely on these later, sometimes contradictory, traditions.213