Master of Cruïlles

This anonymous Spanish painter from the late 1400s made crisp, slightly stiff religious scenes with bold outlines and flat colors. The diptych Saint James with a Donor shows the saint in armor pointing to heaven while the kneeling donor clutches a tiny model of a church. Flip to the reverse panel, Decapitation of Saint James, where a sword flashes and a crowd watches with calm, almost doll-like faces.

A quick tap takes you to the apostle’s cloak’s deep crimson, notice how the folds flatten like cut paper against the gold-leaf background.