The Martyrdom of St. James the Greater

Lorenzo Monaco, born Piero di Giovanni, was a Camaldolese monk and one of the most important Florentine painters of the late Gothic period. This Martyrdom of St. James the Greater, now in the Louvre, likely formed part of a predella — the lower register of an altarpiece depicting scenes from a saint's life. Lorenzo's art represents the flowering of International Gothic elegance in Florence just before Masaccio's revolutionary naturalism transformed the course of Italian painting.

Painted in tempera on panel with gold ground, the scene demonstrates Lorenzo Monaco's lyrical, curvilinear style with its flowing draperies and jewel-like color harmonies. The elongated figural proportions and sinuous contours reflect the International Gothic aesthetic that the artist championed in early Quattrocento Florence.