Artwork

Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel]

Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel], by Martino di Bartolomeo, tempera, 1418
Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel], by Martino di Bartolomeo, tempera, 1418

Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel] is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Martino di Bartolomeo. It dates from 1418 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Two saints, Peter and James Major, stand on this panel from around 1415 to 1420. Martino di Bartolomeo paints them in the traditional manner of the period, with gold accents and plain backgrounds.

Subject & Meaning

As a religious painting, the piece served a didactic and devotional function, presenting the saints as intercessors and models of faith.

The left panel of this 1418 tempera-on-panel altarpiece by Martino di Bartolomeo depicts Saint Peter, a central figure in Christian iconography symbolizing the foundation of the Church and apostolic authority. The work also includes Saint James Major, reflecting a devotional focus on these saints in the original liturgical context. As a religious painting, the piece served a didactic and devotional function, presenting the saints as intercessors and models of faith. The composition embodies the conventions of Sienese religious art of the early fifteenth century.

Technique & Style

Executed in 1418 by Martino di Bartolomeo, this work is a tempera painting on a panel support. As a piece of religious art it depicts Saint Peter and originally functioned as the left panel of a larger ensemble. Tempera on wood was the standard medium for Italian panel paintings of the early fifteenth century, allowing the precise linear definition characteristic of the Sienese school to which the artist belonged.

The piece is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having been gifted to the institution in 1950.

History & Provenance

Created in 1418 by Martino di Bartolomeo, the tempera-on-panel work Saint Peter, with Saint James Major (left panel) was recorded in a London private collection by 1924 and subsequently owned by Samuel L. Fuller of New York before being gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1950, where it remains. The available sources do not list a specific exhibition history or an accession number for the work.

Context

Martino di Bartolomeo's left-hand panel depicting Saint Peter was created as tempera on wood and entered the National Gallery of Art in 1950 after passing through the collection of Samuel L. Fuller and an earlier London private collection. The panel is catalogued in the National Gallery's Italian painting catalogue, situating it within the artist's documented output and reflecting broader scholarly interest in early Renaissance panel painting.

Legacy

The painting's inclusion in the National Gallery of Art's collection has made it a reference point for studies of early fifteenth-century Sienese art, and its documented provenance from a London private collection to Samuel L. Fuller and then the museum provides a chain of ownership that scholars cite when tracing Martino di Bartolomeo's output. Its entry in Fern Rusk Shapley's 1979 catalogue of the Gallery's Italian paintings provided a standard reference that has informed subsequent exhibitions and publications on the artist.

Overview

This painting, titled "Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel]," was created by the artist Martino di Bartolomeo around 1418. Executed in tempera on panel, it features the figures of two prominent Christian saints, Peter and James Major. The work exemplifies religious painting prevalent in the early 15th century, serving as a devotional image or part of a larger altarpiece.

Saint James Major
Saint James Major, Simone Martini

Artist & collection

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.

Frequently asked questions

Who painted Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel]?

Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel] was painted by Martino di Bartolomeo in c. 1415/1420.

Where can I see Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel]?

Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel] is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel]?

Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel] is associated with Early Renaissance.