The Meeting of Saint Dominic and Saint Francis of Assisi
This diminutive painting depicts an encounter between the founders of the two most significant monastic orders in early Renaissance Italy. Saint Dominic recognizes the humble Saint Francis, dressed in the brown habit of the Franciscan order, from a dream in which the Virgin presents each of them to Christ. Their joined hands form the focal point of the composition, framed by carefully constructed architecture and the volumetric bodies of the friars. Fra Angelico, himself a Dominican friar, initially trained as an illuminator, adorning manuscripts with tiny paintings before he began working on a larger scale as the head of a major workshop in Florence. In this panel, which was part of a sequence of five narrative scenes along the bottom edge of an altarpiece, the church interior and the circular arrangement of the friars demonstrate Fra Angelico’s significant ability to employ a convincing perspective system.
- Artist
- Fra Angelico (circa 1400-1455)
- Title
- The Meeting of Saint Dominic and Saint Francis of Assisi
- Date
- ca. 1427-1429
- Object Type
- Paintings
- Medium
- Tempera and gold leaf on wood panel
- Dimensions
- 10 1/4 x 10 1/2 in. (26 x 26.7 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation
- Accession Number
- 61.44.7