Polyptych with Saint James Major, Madonna and Child, and Saints

1490

Medium

Tempera and gold leaf on panel

Dimensions

280 × 214.9 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-135338

Bartolomeo Vivarini's late works are notable for their use of bright, dissonant colors and figures whose firm linear outlines lend them the appearance of sculptures or wood carvings. This polyptych was made for a parish church dedicated to Saint James the Greater and the Virgin *Assunta* (the Virgin ascending to heaven) in Vallata, a town north of Bergamo, Italy.  Saint James stands in the center, holding a pilgrim's staff with the symbolic scallop shell and a book. Starting at the lower left, Saint John the Baptist wears his customary tunic of animal skins and a pale gray-green mantle and stands in a rocky setting along the river Jordan, unlike the other figures who stand before a marble ledge. Next to him is Saint John the Evangelist. At the lower right, Saint Bartholomew holds a book and a knife, the symbol of his martyrdom, and alongside, an elderly Saint Peter holds the keys to the kingdom of heaven. In the central panel of the upper tier, the Virgin holds the Christ Child, who raises his right arm in blessing. At the top left, Saint Catherine of Alexandria holds a broken wheel with spikes, the symbol of her martyrdom, and Saint Ursula clasps two rods with banners. To the r…