Saint Judas Thaddaeus or Saint Matthew

Zurbarán's work depicting Saint Judas Thaddaeus (also known as Saint Jude) or possibly Saint Matthew completes another figure from his apostle series. The uncertainty of identification is itself significant — both saints share similar iconographic attributes, and the problem of distinguishing the less-documented apostles was a challenge for painters and theologians alike. Zurbarán's series treats even uncertain identifications with the same monumental confidence as the more celebrated apostles.

The figure stands in the characteristic format of the series — isolated against a dark ground, with a defining attribute held in the hand. The drapery is modeled with Zurbarán's sculptural precision, and the face has the individualized, slightly weathered character he gives to all his apostolic figures.