Saint Luke
(5000-1571)

, one of the four evangelists and the of painters, is shown in the act of writing his . His , a winged ox in the lower left-hand corner, holds a black inkpot for his pen. A decorative punchmarked , made by lightly tapping metal onto a gold with a hammer, surrounds the saint's head. The Saint Luke panel was probably one section of a five-part, portable . The panels were attached to one another by leather straps and could be folded up and carried. The back and sides of the Saint Luke panel were painted to resemble . When the polyptych was folded up, it resembled a stack of purple stone tablets. Simone Martini was famous for his graceful, refined . A gentle sweep of line defines the saint's body from his neck down to his elongated left hand.

Tempera and gold leaf on panel (1330s)

by Simone Martini (Italian (Sienese), about 1284-1344)