Object Image

Christ and Eight Apostles (Saints Philip to Bartholomew)

This panel is part of the predella (lowest section) of a large altarpiece. The altarpiece's central panel shows the Virgin and Child, and panels on either side show narrative scenes of the lives of saints.

The original predella showed Christ in the centre, surrounded by the 12 apostles, his followers; here, we see eight of them. Christ is third from the right, shown head on, his hand held high in a gesture of blessing. He holds an open book, inscribed in Latin with words from John's Gospel: 'I am the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life.'

The apostles hold scrolls; some also carry symbols associated with their lives or the way in which they were tortured for their Christian bel...

c. 1400
Tempera on wood
14.0 x 124.5cm
NG4250.6
Image and text © The National Gallery, London, 2024

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