In about 1335 ca. Taddeo Gaddi (1300 c.a.-1366)
in the ancient refectory of the convent of Santa
Croce, created the Last Supper there. The fresco
occupies a vast wall, depicting the Last Supper
in the moment of the institution of the Eucharist
and in the upper part there is the Tree of Life.
The colors, dark and strong, are often interrupted
by the degradation of the fresco which has requested
restoration work. Around the poor table are seated
Jesus and the Apostles, while Jude, who gives
his back, seems to be stretching out a hand to
the Redeemer that teaches, admonishes and consoles
the Apostles, whose faces appear dark, sad, and
preoccupied.
Taddeo
was the godson of Giotto, lived with him twenty-four
years, and became the most eminent of his numerous
scholars. Vasari says that he "surpassed his master
in colour", and, in some of his works, "even in
expression".
The best of his extant frescoes are
those in the Giugni Chapel, formerly belonging
to the Baroncelli family, in the church of Santa
Croce, but his most extensive works, in the churches
of San Spirito and the Serviti, have all disappeared.
Perhaps he is best known for the fact that he
was a distinguished architect, and designed the
present Ponte Vecchio in Florence, and also lower
down the river a still finer bridge (Ponte SantaTrinita),
which was destroyed in the sixteenth century.
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