Editing Fra Angelico (section)

===The Vatican, 1445–1455===
[[File:Fra Angelico 012.jpg|thumb|180px|right|''The Crucified Christ'' (detail)]]

In 1445 [[Pope Eugene IV]] summoned him to Rome to paint the frescoes of the Chapel of the [[Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church|Holy Sacrament]] at [[St Peter's Basilica|St Peter's]], later demolished by [[Pope Paul III]]. Vasari suggests this might have been when Fra Angelico was offered the [[Archbishopric of Florence]] by [[Pope Nicholas V]], to turn it down, recommending instead another friar. The story seems possible, and even likely. However, the detail does not tally. In 1445 the pope was [[Pope Eugene IV|Eugene IV]]. [[Pope Nicholas V|Nicholas]] was not to be elected until 6 March 1447. The archbishop in question during 1446–1459 was the Dominican [[Antoninus of Florence]] (Antonio Pierozzi), canonised by [[Pope Adrian VI]] in 1523. In 1447 Fra Angelico was in [[Orvieto]] with his pupil, [[Benozzo Gozzoli]], executing works for the [[Duomo di Orvieto|Cathedral]]. Among his other pupils were [[Zanobi Strozzi]].<ref>{{cite web
  | title =Strozzi, Zanobi
  | publisher =[[The National Gallery, London]]
  | url =http://www.nationalgalleryimages.co.uk/search.aspx?q=STROZZI%2C+Zanobi&mode=artist&frm=1
  | access-date =2007-09-28
  | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071014115346/http://nationalgalleryimages.co.uk/search.aspx?q=STROZZI,+Zanobi&mode=artist&frm=1
  | archive-date =2007-10-14
  | url-status =dead
  }}</ref>

From 1447 to 1449 Fra Angelico was back at the Vatican, designing the frescoes for the [[Niccoline Chapel]] for Nicholas V. The scenes from the lives of the two martyred [[deacon]]s of the Early Christian Church, [[St. Stephen]] and [[St. Lawrence]] may have been executed wholly or in part by assistants. The small chapel, with its brightly frescoed walls and gold leaf decorations gives the impression of a jewel box.  From 1449 until 1452, Fra Angelico was back at his old convent of Fiesole, where he was the Prior.<ref name=Vasari/><ref name=WMR/>