Saint James Major

The burial place of Saint James (believed to be Santiago de Compostela in Spain) became a popular pilgrimage route, and so James is often identifiable by his pilgrim’s staff. This painting and the nearby work depicting John the Baptist are part of a dismantled polyptych – a painting consisting of four or more panels. Two related panels, identical in size and technique but featuring a Bishop and Catherine of Alexandria, belong to the New Orleans Museum of Art. Their format and the inclusion of a Bishop indicate that these panels were originally intended for a cathedral setting as an altarpiece.