Saints John the Baptist and Matthew
possibly 1433
Medium
Tempera on wood, gold ground
Dimensions
48 5/8 x 29 in. (123.5 x 73.7 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.68
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art,Saints John the Baptist Matthew* by Bicci di Lorenzo (. 1433) exemplifies the refined elegance of early Florentine Renaissance painting. Crafted in tempera on wood with shimmering gold ground—a hallmark of 15th-century Italian panel art—this vertical composition likely served as part of a devotional altarpiece or private chapel decoration. Saint John the Baptist, Florence's patron saint, appears dynamically with his traditional attributes like the lamb and staff, while Saint Matthew, the evangelist, holds his book and sword, sym...
About the Artist
Bicci di Lorenzo · 1373–1452
Italian fresco painter, father of Neri di Bicci. Comment on works: religious