Six Apostles from Retable

Unknown

late 14th century · Limestone · Medieval Art

This fragment was part of a retable, a frieze installed behind an altar. Depicting Christ and the twelve apostles, it presented the figures in a rhythmic pairing united by an ornately cusped and pinnacled arcade. Represented from left to right are an unidentified apostle and Saint Bartholomew, Saints Andrew and James the Lesser, and Saints John and Peter, who both turn to face the now-missing Christ. The relief is contemporary with the construction of the collegiate church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, begun in 1326. A portion of the retable’s right section is now in the Musée du Louvre.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 14th century

Medium

Limestone

Culture

French

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1916