Saint Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral

Saint Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral is a painting of c. 1619–20 by Anthony van Dyck in the National Gallery, in London.

Saint Ambrose Barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral
Saint Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral
Artist	Anthony van Dyck
Year	c. 1619–20
Medium	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	149 cm (59 in) × 113 cm (44 in)
Location	National Gallery
Accession No.	NG50
Identifiers	RKDimages ID: 37078 Art UK artwork ID: the-emperor-theodosius-is-forbidden-by-saint-ambrose-to-enter-milan-cathedral-115572

It draws heavily on a 1618 treatment of the same subject by Peter Paul Rubens, on which van Dyck had worked as a studio assistant. In van Dyck's version, Theodosius is beardless, the architectural background is more defined, a spear and a halberd are added on the left-hand side and a dog in the bottom-left.

The painting depicts the Roman emperor Theodosius I and his entourage being barred from Milan Cathedral by its archbishop Saint Ambrose, as punishment for the Massacre of Thessalonica.

See also

• List of paintings by Anthony van Dyck

Sources

• National Gallery, St Ambrose barring Theodosius from Milan Cathedral

Bibliography

• Gian Pietro Bellori, Vite de' pittori, scultori e architecti moderni, Torino, Einaudi, 1976.
• Didier Bodart, Van Dyck, Prato, Giunti, 1997.
• Christopher Brown, Van Dyck 1599–1641, Milano, RCS Libri, 1999.ISBN 8817860603
• Justus Müller Hofstede, Van Dyck, Milano, Rizzoli/Skira, 2004.
• Stefano Zuffi, Il Barocco, Verona, Mondadori, 2004.