Altarbild

Two panels from the Santa Maria Maggiore Altarpiece

These paintings once formed the front and back of a single panel, part of a double-sided altarpiece for the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Probably commissioned by Pope Martin V, it was painted by the Florentine artists Masaccio and Masolino. The side with Saints John the Baptist and Jerome was executed by Masaccio. Jerome, who wears a red cardinal's robe, is shown with his attribute, the lion he tamed by removing a thorn from his paw. Masolino painted the side with a pope (Saint Gregory?) and Saint Matthias, holding the bloody axe of his martyrdom. The inclusion of Matthias is especially apt: his relics were kept in the church.