Saint Luke Gm-00081901

Simone Martini (Italian (Sienese), about 1284–1344) Saint Luke, one of the four evangelists and the patron saint of painters, is shown in the act of writing his Gospel. His attribute, a winged ox in the lower left-hand corner, holds a black inkpot for his pen. A decorative punchmarked halo, made by lightly tapping metal punches onto a gold background with a hammer, surrounds the saint's head.

The Saint Luke panel was probably one section of a five-part, portable polyptych. The panels were attached to one another by leather straps and could be folded up and carried. The back and sides of the Saint Luke panel were painted to resemble porphyry. When the polyptych was folded up, it resembled a stack of purple stone tablets.

Simone Martini was famous for his graceful, refined compositions. A gentle sweep of line defines the saint's body from his neck down to his elongated left hand.