Christ Enthroned with Saints 1320 - 1330

Bernardo Daddi created this small panel painting of “Christ Enthroned with Saints” in tempera and gold in Florence, Italy, sometime in the early fourteenth century. It's a devotional image, probably made for private use. Religious orders like the Franciscans and Dominicans played a key role in shaping society and art at this time, and it was typical for artists to create small works for personal devotion and contemplation. Daddi was influenced by Giotto, who brought a new naturalism to painting. Here, we see Christ in majesty surrounded by haloed saints and monks, but Daddi brings a softer, more human touch to these iconic figures. The gold background is conventional, yet Daddi's attention to the individual faces and drapery folds suggests a move toward greater realism. The inscription at the bottom, though now partially illegible, commemorates the donation to a monastery, perhaps even the one that Daddi belonged to. To fully understand the social and institutional context of this work, art historians study not just the painting itself, but also monastic records, theological treatises, and other historical documents. We can then get a clearer picture of the cultural and religious beliefs that shaped its creation.