St Francis and St Mathew by Giovanni di Paolo 1435

St. Francis and St. Matthew by Giovanni di Paolo, 1435

Giovanni di Paolo’s Saints Matthew and Francis (c. 1435) is a tempera and gold panel painting depicting two saints with moody, expressive faces. This panel, the right-hand side of a major altarpiece, demonstrates the artist’s inspiration from sculpture, particularly the work of his compatriot Jacopo della Quercia. The figures are rendered with graceful, sculptural drapery, while the contrasting gold background adds a luminous, tactile quality that enhances the overall emotional impact of the scene.

Foreshortened halos indicate the tilt of the heads, a subtle experimentation with perspective that gives the figures a sense of movement and presence. Giovanni’s focus on emotional expressiveness and the tactile qualities of the surfaces marks this work as a key example of his style in the mid-15th century. A predella panel from the same altarpiece, showing the Presentation in the Temple, is now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The painting exemplifies the combination of sculptural influence, rich materiality, and emotional depth that characterizes much of Giovanni di Paolo’s work, highlighting his contribution to the Italian Renaissance and to the visual tradition of depicting St. Francis with human feeling and devotional intensity.

Medium: Tempera and gold on wood. Date: c. 1435