vergine maria tra i santi tommaso d'aquino e paolo

Bernardo Daddi's Virgin Mary with Saints Thomas Aquinas and Paul (vergine maria tra i santi tommaso d'aquino e paolo) belongs to his polyptych altarpiece production for Florentine Dominican institutions. Thomas Aquinas, the Dominican philosopher-theologian whose Summa Theologiae defined Catholic scholastic doctrine, was a natural saint for Dominican patrons, while Paul's combination of intellectual conversion and missionary zeal complemented Thomas's contemplative learning. Daddi's presentation of these learned saints within the gold-ground formal vocabulary of Trecento painting asserted the continuity between scriptural authority, patristic tradition, and medieval scholastic synthesis.

Tempera and gold leaf on panel with fine punch-work ornamentation. Daddi balances Giottesque volume in the figures with decorative surface patterning, using layered glazes to achieve luminous flesh tones against the radiant gold ground.