Artwork
St Matthew the Evangelist (?), St Dujam, St Anastasius, St Louis of Toulouse and St Mark the Evangelist
St Matthew the Evangelist (?), St Dujam, St Anastasius, St Louis of Toulouse and St Mark the Evangelist is an unspecified painting by the Venetian Renaissance artist Dujam Vuskovic. It dates from 1450 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Overview
The work is part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection, representing a rare example of mid‑15th‑century devotional painting from the Dalmatian region.
Created around 1450, this panel by Dujam Vuskovic presents a quintet of saints arranged in a linear composition. Each figure stands beneath a richly carved golden arch, set against an uninterrupted gold background that emphasizes their sanctity. The work is part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection, representing a rare example of mid‑15th‑century devotional painting from the Dalmatian region.
Subject & Meaning
The figures are identified as St Matthew the Evangelist, St Dujam, St Anastasius, St Louis of Toulouse, and St Mark the Evangelist. Halos crown their heads, signaling holiness, while the objects they hold, a book, a staff, and other attributes, refer to their traditional roles as gospel writers and patrons, reinforcing their intercessory function for the viewer.
Technique & Style
Vuskovic employs tempera on panel, applying vivid pigments to delineate the saints’ garments and the intricate arabesques of the archway. The gold ground, applied in thin leaf, creates a luminous field that unifies the composition. Linear detailing and stylized drapery reflect the International Gothic sensibility still prevalent in the Adriatic at the time.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the State Hermitage Museum’s holdings during the 19th‑century expansion of the imperial collection, though its earlier ownership remains undocumented. Its attribution to Vuskovic, a relatively obscure Dalmatian artist, rests on stylistic comparison with other regional works dated to the mid‑1400s.
Context
In the mid‑15th century, Dalmatian workshops produced devotional images for churches and private chapels, often featuring local saints alongside universal figures such as the evangelists. This work reflects that practice, merging local patronage, evident in the inclusion of St Dujam, with broader Christian iconography, illustrating the cultural interplay of the Adriatic coast.
Artist & collection
Artist
Dujam Vuskovic painted saints in Sibenik in the 1400s. In his only known work here, St Matthew the Evangelist and five other saints stand shoulder to shoulder in bright robes and halos. The figures are flat and formal,…
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