Artwork
Saint Thomas Aquinas Submitting His Office of Corpus Domini to Pope Urban IV
Saint Thomas Aquinas Submitting His Office of Corpus Domini to Pope Urban IV is an unspecified painting by the Sienese School artist Taddeo di Bartolo. It dates from 1403 and is held in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1403 by Taddeo di Bartolo, a painter associated with the Sienese School of the early Renaissance, this panel portrays a formal encounter between Saint Thomas Aquinas and Pope Urban IV. The work is part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s holdings and exemplifies the religious narrative tradition characteristic of Siena’s artistic output.
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures the moment when Aquinas offers his treatise on the Eucharist, the Office of Corpus Domini, to the pontiff. Aquinas is shown holding a manuscript, while the pope, seated on an elevated throne, receives it, underscoring the theological importance of the text and the deference of ecclesiastical authority.
Technique & Style
Taddeo employs the delicate linearity and rich coloration typical of Sienese painting, with figures outlined in fine brushwork and drapery rendered in sumptuous reds and golds. The background features a patterned celestial motif of stars set against a blue‑gold field, adding a decorative, otherworldly ambience to the scene.
History & Provenance
Documented by Giorgio Vasari as the uncle of fellow Sienese artist Domenico di Bartolo, Taddeo’s authorship is well recorded. The panel entered the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s collection through acquisition in the 20th century, where it remains displayed as a representative example of early 15th‑century religious art from Siena.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Taddeo di Bartolo (c. 1363 – 26 August 1422), also known as Taddeo Bartoli, was an Italian painter of the Sienese School during the early Renaissance. His biography appears in the Vite of Giorgio Vasari, who claims that…
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