Containing facts, attributions, and anecdotes about his contemporaries, Vasari's collection of biographical accounts also presents an influential theory of the development of Renaissance art. Beginning with Cimabue and Giotto, who represent the infancy of art, Vasari considers the period of youthful vigour, shaped by Donatello, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, and Masaccio, before discussing the mature period of perfection, dominated by the titanic figures of Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo. This translation contains 36 of the most important lives as well as an introduction and explanatory notes.