A Saint, Possibly James the Greater

Spinello Aretino painted this figure tentatively identified as Saint James the Greater, the apostle and patron of pilgrimage, likely as part of an altarpiece ensemble in the 1380s. Spinello was one of the most important late Trecento painters, active across Tuscany with major fresco cycles in Arezzo, Florence, and Pisa, and his panel paintings show the same energetic draftsmanship that distinguishes his wall paintings. Individual saint panels of this type typically flanked a central Madonna or Crucifixion in the multi-panel altarpiece formats standard for Gothic church furnishing.

Painted in egg tempera on panel with gold ground, the standing saint is rendered with Spinello's characteristic vigorous line and solid volumetric modeling. The firmly drawn drapery folds and strongly characterized facial features reflect the artist's robust, expressive approach to the conventional Gothic saint format.