The Twelve Apostles: Saints Bartholomew, Andrew, Matthew, James the Greater, Thaddeus, Philip, James the Lesser, Simon, Peter, Paul, Thomas, and John 1481 - 1522

This painting is one of twelve individual panels that together make up *The Twelve Apostles* by the Milanese artist Ambrogio Bergognone. The panels are small, measuring only 12 1/4 x 6 inches, and depict each of the apostles as individualized portraits in a characteristically sober and realistic style. This panel of St. Bartholomew shows the apostle wearing a simple black robe, his face in profile, and holding a book. Bergognone’s work is characterized by its clarity and restrained elegance, and is representative of the artistic practices of the late 15th and early 16th centuries in Milan. The artwork is currently held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.