Saint James the Major

Bernardo Daddi depicted Saint James the Greater around 1340, likely as part of a polyptych from which individual panels have been separated over the centuries. James the Greater, patron of pilgrims and the focus of the great pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, was among the most frequently represented saints in Gothic art. Daddi's workshop produced numerous such saint panels to meet the constant demand from Florentine churches and confraternities.

Egg tempera on gold-ground panel with the saint shown with his traditional pilgrim's attributes. Daddi renders the figure with his characteristic gentle modeling and warm color palette, set against a tooled gold background with decorative punch-work.