Artwork
Saint James the Greater (with the Virgin of the Annunciation)
Saint James the Greater (with the Virgin of the Annunciation) is a tempera painting by Martino di Bartolomeo. It dates from 1412 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
2 cm in width, a format consistent with intimate objects intended for private devotion rather than large altarpiece display.
Saint James the Greater (with the Virgin of the Annunciation) is executed in tempera on panel, a standard technique for early fifteenth-century Italian devotional panels. The work is relatively small in scale, measuring 33.7 cm in height by 23.2 cm in width, a format consistent with intimate objects intended for private devotion rather than large altarpiece display. Its classification as a religious painting reflects the iconographic program of pairing Saint James the Greater with the Virgin of the Annunciation, a compositional strategy that required careful handling of two distinct narrative moments on a single support.
The use of tempera on a wooden panel would have allowed for the precise, linear handling of drapery and facial features characteristic of Martino di Bartolomeo's Sienese workshop practice.
History & Provenance
The work was created in 1412 by Martino di Bartolomeo as a religious painting executed in tempera on panel. It entered the collection of Theodore M. Davis and subsequently Bernard Berenson before being acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The work is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the inventory number 2003.174. It entered the museum’s collection as part of the Theodore M. Davis and Bernard Berenson holdings, a provenance documented in its accession records. The painting was featured in the museum’s 2005 exhibition "Italian Renaissance Paintings from the Berenson Collection," highlighting its significance within the institution’s European holdings.
Overview
Created in 1412, this tempera panel by Martino di Bartolomeo portrays a solemn figure identified as Saint James the Greater, accompanied by a smaller, haloed woman traditionally associated with the Annunciation. The composition is set against an unadorned backdrop, framed by modest carved motifs, and is currently part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, a tall man in a flowing robe, holds a book and a staff, attributes commonly linked to Saint James as a pilgrim and apostle. Above him, a diminutive female figure stands within a pointed arch, her simple attire and halo suggesting the Virgin Mary at the moment of the Annunciation, thereby connecting the saint’s devotion to the Incarnation narrative.
Context
During the early 1400s, devotional images often paired saints with scenes from the life of Christ or the Virgin to reinforce theological connections. Saint James, a patron of pilgrims, was frequently depicted alongside Marian motifs, underscoring the intercession of the Virgin in the saint’s spiritual journey. This work exemplifies that devotional pairing within a modest, portable format.
Artist & collection
Saint Julian the Hospitaler (with Saint Nicholas of Bari)![Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel], by Martino di Bartolomeo](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/martino-di-bartolomeo--saint-peter-with-saint-james-major-left-panel--20178831b0b297bc-w320.webp)
Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel]![Deacon Saint, with Saint Anthony Abbot [right panel], by Martino di Bartolomeo](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/martino-di-bartolomeo--deacon-saint-with-saint-anthony-abbot-right-panel--2a458c4f3eacee3b-w320.webp)
Deacon Saint, with Saint Anthony Abbot [right panel]![Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Peter, James Major, Anthony Abbott, and a Deacon Saint [entire triptych], by Martino di Bartolomeo](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/martino-di-bartolomeo--madonna-and-child-with-the-blessing-christ-and-saints-peter--2c53e26d577a363b-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Peter, James Major, Anthony Abbott, and a Deacon Saint [entire triptych]![Madonna and Child, with the Blessing Christ [middle panel], by Martino di Bartolomeo](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/martino-di-bartolomeo--madonna-and-child-with-the-blessing-christ-middle-panel--9e7ebbf6d3ba8295-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child, with the Blessing Christ [middle panel]
Saint Anthony Abbot (with Saint John the Baptist)
