Artwork
Saint Julian the Hospitaler (with Saint Nicholas of Bari)
Saint Julian the Hospitaler (with Saint Nicholas of Bari) is a tempera painting by the Sienese School artist Martino di Bartolomeo. It dates from 1412 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The use of gold leaf underscores the sacred status of the figures and the spiritual reward promised to those who emulate their charitable works.
The painting depicts two early Christian saints venerated for acts of charity and protection. Julian the Hospitaller, the principal figure, is shown alongside Saint Nicholas of Bari, both rendered in tempera and gold leaf on wood in the manner of the Sienese school. Julian is traditionally associated with hospitality to travelers and the sick, while Saint Nicholas is linked to generosity toward the poor and protection of seafarers.
Their pairing in a single panel reflects a shared iconographic emphasis on mercy and care for those in need, themes central to early fifteenth-century devotional imagery. The use of gold leaf underscores the sacred status of the figures and the spiritual reward promised to those who emulate their charitable works.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in tempera on wood, with gold leaf applied as part of the decorative program, consistent with early fifteenth-century Sienese panel practice. Its narrow vertical format, measuring 149.2 by 43.2 centimeters, supports a figural composition aligned with the Sienese school. The combination of egg tempera binders, a wooden support, and gilded passages produces the luminous surface and refined linear handling characteristic of Martino di Bartolomeo's devotional panels of this period.
History & Provenance
The panel of Saint Julian the Hospitaler with Saint Nicholas of Bari, attributed to Martino di Bartolomeo, was executed around 1412 in tempera on wood with gold leaf, characteristic of the Sienese school. It measures 149.2 × 43.2 cm and entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the collection of Theodore M. Davis, with Bernard Berenson involved in its study and attribution. No earlier ownership records are documented, and the painting's creation is understood to have been intended for private devotional use within a Sienese context.
The available documentation does not record a separate accession number or any specific exhibition history for the panel.
Overview
Martino di Bartolomeo's painting, "Saint Julian the Hospitaler (with Saint Nicholas of Bari)," dates to 1412. Executed on a wooden panel, this religious work is a notable example of the Sienese School. It is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it represents early 15th-century Italian devotional art.
Artist & collection
![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)
Saint James the Greater (with the Virgin of the Annunciation)
