| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Date | ca. 1496 (original), 1907 (cast) |
| Object type | plaster cast |
| Medium, technique | plaster cast |
| Dimensions | 126.5 × 205.5 × 36 cm |
| Inventory number | Rg.196 |
| Collection | Sculptures |
| On view | Star Fortress (Komárom), The Della Robbia Workshop in Florence, Gallery XIV |
The Ospedale di San Paolo, a thirteenth-century hospital building on the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella in Florence, was revamped in the mid-fifteenth century according to plans by Michelozzo (1396—1472). Between 1489 and 1496 Andrea della Robbia produced several glazed terracotta reliefs for the decoration of the loggia, including a relief depicting a meeting between Saint Francis and
Saint Dominic, destined for the lunette above the entrance to the church. The depiction brings to life an event that did supposedly take place: according to the tradition, the two saints, founders of their respective orders, met at the hospital around 1222. The intimacy with which the two men — one dressed in the white tunic of the Dominicans and the other in the brown tunic of the Franciscans — greet each other symbolises the amicable relationship between the two monastic orders.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
