Taddeo eventually gained an apprenticeship but was mistreated and starved. Here he appears twice: in the background, he grinds colors; at left, he holds an oil lamp so that his master, Calabrese, can study a drawing by Raphael. To keep Taddeo from helping himself to any bread, his employers kept it in a basket hanging from the ceiling, with a bell attached as an alarm.

Curators Lee Hendrix and Julian Brooks describe Taddeo's dedication in the face of hardship.