Memmi, Lippo (c.1291-1356)
San Paolo (Saint Paul)
c.1330
Tempera on wood, gold ground, 95.9 x 48.3 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus, Paul became known as the apostle to the Gentiles. He is shown holding the sword of his martyrdom and the biblical epistles he wrote, beginning with the one to the Christian community in Rome. An artist of great refinement, Lippo Memmi was the brother-in-law and occasional collaborator of Simone Martini. This panel belonged to an elaborate altarpiece painted for the church of San Francesco in San Gimignano, a hill town south of Florence. (MET)