Saint Paul
Medium
Tempera on wood, gold ground
Dimensions
Overall, with shaped top and engaged frame, 60 x 16 1/2 in. (152.4 x 41.9 cm); painted surface 52 3/8 x 16 1/2 in. (133 x 41.9 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941
Accession Number
41.190.531
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Saint Paul** by Niccolò di Buonaccorso exemplifies the elegant Gothic style of 14th-century Sien painting. This tall, narrow panel portrays the Apostle Saint Paul, a key figure in early Christianity known for his epistles and martyrdom. Crafted with a shaped top and engaged frame, it originally likely formed part of a larger altarpiece or polyptych, common in Tuscan churches to inspire devotion among worshippers. Niccolò di Buonacc, active in Siena around 1350–1388, drew from the refined legacy of artists like Duccio and Simone Martini. He employed tempera on wood—a meticulous egg-tempera t...