Christ and Eight Apostles (Saints Philip to Bartholomew)

This is a section of the predella of an altarpiece which shows the Virgin and Christ Child surrounded by scenes of the lives of her parents Saints Anne and Joachim, her birth and miracles of the Virgin.

This panel shows Christ with eight of the apostles. From left to right - identified by inscriptions in red paint - they are Saint Philip, Saint Matthew, Saint James the Lesser, Saint Matthias, Saint James the Greater, Saint Peter, Saint John the Evangelist and Saint Bartholomew. Some hold objects that refer to specific events in their lives or that relate to torture they endured for their Christian faith. Saint Bartholomew grasps a large knife as he was tortured by having his skin flayed; Saint Peter holds keys, a traditional symbol to remind worshippers that Christ told him that he would give him the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Christ is shown between Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist. His face is unlined and his hair is parted in the middle so that he looks younger than the other saints. He is the only figure to face us directly, hand held high in a gesture of blessing. He holds a book with a Latin inscription that means 'I am the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life', a quotation from the Gospel of John.

The predella was cut into three some time before it entered the National Gallery's collection. The smaller sections show paintings:ng4250_7|[[glossary:st_andrew|Saints Andrew and Thaddeus]] and paintings:ng4250_8|[[glossary:st_simon|Saints Simon and Thomas]].

Predella panels often featured scenes of the lives of the saints but in this altarpiece those scenes occupy the side panels. A series of half-length images of the apostles with Christ, like this, was a suitable alternative.

Credit: Bequeathed by H.E. Luxmoore, 1927