, that are still seen in that apse:

TEMPORE DOMINI JOANNIS ROSSI, OPERARII ISTIUS ECCLESIAE, VICINUS
PICTOR INCEPIT ET PERFECIT HANC IMAGINEM BEATAE MARIAE; SED
MAJESTATIS, ET EVANGELISTAE, PER ALIOS INCEPTAE, IPSE COMPLEVIT ET
PERFECIT, A.D. 1321, DE MENSE SEPTEMBRIS. BENEDICTUM SIT NOMEN
DOMINI DEI NOSTRI JESU CHRISTI. AMEN.

In the Chapel of the Baroncelli, in the same Church of S. Croce, there
is a portrait of Gaddo by the hand of his son Taddeo, in a Marriage of
Our Lady, and beside him is Andrea Tafi. And in our aforesaid book there
is a drawing by the hand of Gaddo, made in miniature, like that of
Cimabue, wherein it is seen how strong he was in draughtsmanship.

Now, seeing that in an old book, from which I have drawn these few facts
that have been related about Gaddo Gaddi, there is also an account of
the building of S. Maria Novella, the Church of the Preaching Friars in
Florence, a building truly magnificent and highly honoured, I will not
pass by in silence by whom and at what time it was built. I say, then,
that the Blessed Dominic being in Bologna, and there being conceded to
him the property of Ripoli without Florence, he sent thither twelve
friars under the care of the Blessed Giovanni da Salerno; and not many
years afterwards these friars came to Florence to occupy the church and
precincts of S. Pancrazio, and they were settled there, when Dominic
himself came to Florence, whereupon they left that place and went to
settle in the Church of S. Paolo, according to his pleasure. Later,
there being conceded to the said Blessed Giovanni the precincts of S.
Maria Novella, with all its wealth, by the Legate of the Pope and by the
Bishop of the city, they were put in possession and began to occupy the
said precincts on the last day of October, 1221. And because the said
church was passing small and faced westward, with its entrance on the
Piazza Vecchia, the friars, being now grown to a good number and having
great repute in the city, began to think of increasing the said church
and convent. Wherefore, having got together a very great sum of money,
and having many in the city who were promising every assistance, they
began the building of the new church on St. Luke's Day, in 1278; the
first stone of the foundations being most solemnly laid by Cardinal
Latino degli Orsini, Legate of Pope Nicholas III to the Florentines. The
architects of the said church were Fra Giovanni, a Florent