The Vocation of Saint Dominic

Bernardo Daddi's The Vocation of Saint Dominic (1338) depicts a formative moment in the life of the great preacher who founded the Dominican Order, reflecting the importance of mendicant saints in Trecento Florentine devotion. Daddi was frequently commissioned by both Franciscan and Dominican patrons, adapting his accessible narrative style to serve the specific hagiographic needs of each order. This panel may have formed part of a predella or a cycle illustrating the life of Saint Dominic.

Executed in egg tempera on panel with gold ground, the narrative scene is composed with Daddi's characteristic clarity and economy. The figures are arranged within an architectural setting that provides spatial context while maintaining the luminous gold background of Gothic convention.