Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel]

Art Historical Context

Step into the luminous world of early Renaissance Siena with *Saint Peter, with Saint Major*, the left panel of a devotional work by Martino di Bartolomeo, dated around 1415–1420. This tempera on panel painting, measuring 92.71 × 44.77 cm on its original painted surface, captures the apostles in a poised, elegant composition typical of Sienese art. Saint Peter, identifiable by his papal keys, stands alongside Saint James Major, the pilgrim saint often shown with staff and hat, evoking spiritual authority and journey. Martino di Bartolomeo, a prominent Sienese painter active in the early Quattrocento, bridged late Gothic grace with emerging Renaissance naturalism. Tempera, a meticulous egg-yolk-based medium applied in thin glazes over gesso-primed wood, yields the jewel-like colors and fine details that defined Italian altarpieces before oil's rise. The panel's subtle warp—reaching 6.67 cm in depth—bears witness to over 600 years of aging, a testament to its handmade authenticity. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's CIS-R department as a gift from Samuel L. Fuller, this panel likely formed part of a diptych or polyptych for private or church devotion, inviting viewers to contemplate the saints' roles in Christian salvation. Its survival highlights the enduring cultural reverence for such sacred imagery in Tuscan life.