St. Romuald 1440

Fra Angelico painted this image of St. Romuald in Florence sometime in the first half of the 15th century. The figure represents a Benedictine monk with his book and staff. He stands on a small patch of blue ground. The gold background reminds us that this is not an earthly scene, but a vision of the eternal. In paintings like this one, religious orders sought to burnish their reputations. St. Romuald was the founder of the Camaldolese order. The image thus testifies to the prestige that such orders enjoyed in Florentine society. Fra Angelico himself was a friar. His paintings often served devotional purposes within the church. But, like this one, they also circulated among wealthy private patrons, who used religious imagery to enhance their own social standing. Historians consult monastic archives, parish records, and inventories of private property to better understand the place of art in the religious and social life of Renaissance Italy.