Fotoreproductie van een fresco, voorstellende een portret van Cimabue before 1890

This photogravure captures a fresco portrait of Cimabue, though its creator is unknown. The floral pattern on his head covering might appear merely decorative, but let us consider its deeper resonance. Flowers, across cultures, signify not just beauty, but also cycles of life, death, and rebirth. Think of Botticelli's Primavera, where Flora scatters blossoms, symbolizing renewal, or Ophelia's drowning, adorned with flowers, a poignant emblem of lost innocence. Here, on Cimabue, a pioneer of the Italian Renaissance, do these floral motifs suggest a budding of artistic innovation, a rebirth of classical ideals in his work? Perhaps. These symbols aren't linear; they resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings, echoing through our collective memory, engaging viewers on a subconscious level, and reminding us of art’s cyclical dance through history.