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Fra Angelico, 'Saint Romulus: Frame Panel', about 1423-4

About the work

We can piece together who this saint is: his mitre (hat) and crosier (crook) identify him as a bishop, and a faint inscription in white paint to his right reads ‘OL VS’. The inscription on the left probably read ‘ROM’, identifying him when both sides were put together as Romulus.

This seems likely. Romulus was the patron saint of Fiesole, a town near Florence, and this panel probably came from an altarpiece made for the church of San Domenico in Fiesole. It probably decorated one of the altarpiece’s pilasters (the tall piers on either side of the construction). Another panel of exactly the same design, showing the bishop-saint Alexander, was probably its pair, appearing on the opposite pier.

The National Gallery also holds two images from the base of the pilasters and panels from the predella (the lowest part of the altarpiece).

Key facts

Full title
Saint Romulus: Frame Panel
Artist
Fra Angelico
Artist dates
active 1417; died 1455
Part of the series
Fiesole San Domenico Altarpiece
Date made
about 1423-4
Medium and support
egg tempera on wood
Dimensions
16 × 15.6 cm
Inscription summary
Inscribed
Acquisition credit
Bequeathed by Lady Lindsay, 1912
Inventory number
NG2908
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

About this record

If you know more about this work or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

About the series: Fiesole San Domenico Altarpiece

Fra Angelico, 'Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven', about 1423-4

These panels come from the predella (lowest part) of the altarpiece made for the high altar of San Domenico, Fiesole. Fra Angelico was a Dominican friar (a member of the religious order founded by Saint Dominic) as well as a painter. The church was attached to his own convent – so although he made two other altarpieces for it, he was not paid for his work.

Predellas usually showed narrative scenes of the lives of the saints who were depicted in the main part of the altarpiece. This one is unusual: it shows Christ in glory in heaven, surrounded in the central scene by angels. This is framed by two panels showing rows of saints and Old Testament figures. These in turn are enclosed on either side by Dominican ‘Blessed’ figures who were holy and revered but not saints.

The mass of saints includes Dominicans and reflects their interest in the saints of their order and the place of the Dominicans in the broader church.

Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven
Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven
Fra Angelico
Christ, hovering on wispy clouds, is surrounded by angels who sing, dance and play musical instruments. He is shown triumphant over death: his red and white flag was associated with his resurrection; the wound in his right hand, caused when he was crucified, is a reminder of his physical sufferin...
Room 57
The Virgin Mary with the Apostles and Other Saints
The Virgin Mary with the Apostles and Other Saints
Fra Angelico
This panel comes from the predella (the lowest part) of an altarpiece made for the church of San Domenico, Fiesole, near Florence. Its saints face right toward the central panel, which shows Christ in glory after his resurrection from the dead.The Virgin kneels at the head of the top row of saint...
Room 57
The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs
The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs
Fra Angelico
This panel comes from the predella (the lowest part) of an altarpiece made for the church of San Domenico, Fiesole, near Florence. Its figures look towards the central panel, which shows Christ resurrected from the dead.Lined up in neat rows are – from top to bottom – 21 biblical figures regarded...
Room 57
The Dominican Blessed
The Dominican Blessed
Fra Angelico
The Dominican Blessed, both friars and nuns, dressed in the distinctive black and white habits of the Dominican Order, are neatly lined up in rows. The Blessed were holy figures belonging to the Order (founded by Saint Dominic in 1215) who were venerated locally after death. Some, like Vincent Fe...
Room 57
The Dominican Blessed
The Dominican Blessed
Fra Angelico
This panel shows the Dominican Blessed, both tertiaries (those who lived in general society rather than a convent, but were allied to the Dominican Order) and friars. They're dressed in their distinctive black and white habits, neatly lined up in rows.The Blessed were holy figures belonging to th...
Room 57
Saint Romulus: Frame Panel
Saint Romulus: Frame Panel
Fra Angelico
We can piece together who this saint is: his mitre (hat) and crosier (crook) identify him as a bishop, and a faint inscription in white paint to his right reads ‘OL VS’. The inscription on the left probably read ‘ROM’, identifying him when both sides were put together as Romulus.This seems likely...
Not on display

More works by Fra Angelico

Blessing Redeemer
Blessing Redeemer
Fra Angelico
This painting on panel, which has been attributed to the workshop of Fra Angelico, was evidently the pinnacle of an altarpiece.It has been suggested that it was above the central panel of Fra Angelico’s polyptych painted for the church of San Domenico in Fiesole, Italy. The predella is in the Nat...
Not on display
The Vision of the Dominican Habit
The Vision of the Dominican Habit
Workshop of Fra Angelico
This little scene was once hidden on the inside of a cupboard door – damage on the left hand border shows that there was once a door hinge there. Its reverse – the front of the door – is decorated with abstract patterns.The story tells how the Blessed Reginald, once the dean to the Bishop of Orle...
Not on display