Saint Simon and Saint Thaddeus (Jude)

Ugolino di Nerio painted this double-saint panel depicting Simon and Thaddeus around 1324, likely as part of the dismembered Santa Croce altarpiece, one of the most important Sienese polyptychs of the early Trecento. The pairing of these two apostles follows their shared feast day in the Western liturgical calendar. Now in the National Gallery, London, the panel is a key fragment of Ugolino's ambitious altarpiece program for the Franciscan church of Santa Croce in Florence.

Executed in egg tempera on panel with gold ground, the two saints are presented as standing half-length figures distinguished by their identifying attributes. Ugolino's refined Ducciesque style is evident in the delicate facial modeling, sinuous drapery lines, and elaborate punch-work ornamentation of the gold background.