Altarpiece of Saint Martin - St Simon, St Thomas, St James the Less, St Matthew, St Paul, St Jude

The panel depicting six apostles — Simon, Thomas, James the Less, Matthew, Paul, and Jude — from the Altarpiece of Saint Martin at the Goya Museum is among the most densely populated of the altarpiece's subsidiary scenes. Apostle galleries of this kind, presenting multiple saints in a single field, were standard components of large retablo programmes, and the Master of Riofrío's arrangement reflects the Spanish taste for comprehensive saint display. Each apostle carries his identifying attribute — book, sword, club, or cross — a visual catalogue of sanctity designed to reinforce the viewer's hagiographic knowledge.

Oil or tempera on panel. Six figures in a single retablo panel requires careful spatial management to avoid visual crowding. The Master of Riofrío uses a row or shallow arc arrangement, differentiating figures through attribute, costume colour, and slight variations in pose. Hispano-Flemish physiognomic conventions give the apostles a range of age and beard types.