Saints John the Baptist and an Evangelist (Matthew?)

John the Baptist in a red mantle over camel hair, and an evangelist writing in a book. Two saints painted by Bicci di Lorenzo for an altarpiece of 1433. Full commentary ↓

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Saints John the Baptist and an Evangelist (Matthew?) is a tempera and gold painting by Bicci di Lorenzo (1433–35) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 123.5 × 73.7 cm.

Saints John the Baptist and an Evangelist (Matthew?) — Bicci di Lorenzo

In the pictureTwo men stand side by side on a gold ground. On the left is John the Baptist, wearing a red mantle over a camel-hair garment and holding a scroll; on the right is an elderly evangelist in a blue mantle, setting his pen to a book. Both halos are tooled with patterns, and the floor is a patterned cloth.

BackgroundJohn the Baptist is the patron saint of Florence, so he is never missing from the city's altarpieces. The saint on the right is shown writing a book, so he appears to be an evangelist, and it has been suggested he may be Matthew. Bicci di Lorenzo ran a large workshop in Florence and produced church altarpieces in quantity in the early 15th century; this panel was one wing of a triptych.

Puzzle tipThe red mantle and the blue mantle clearly divide left from right. Assemble the two faces, John's scroll, and the evangelist's book first, then connect the mantles by the direction of their folds. Fill the gold background starting with the pieces that have halo patterns. 100 pieces is a good fit.

Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗

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