Artwork

Saint Apostles (reverse: Our Lady of Sorrows). The right panel of the retable from Stary Żywiec

Saint Apostles (reverse: Our Lady of Sorrows). The right panel of the retable from Stary Żywiec is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 1400 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków. The work is a painted panel from the right side of a retable originally installed in the church of Stary Żywiec.

About this work

Overview

The work is a painted panel from the right side of a retable originally installed in the church of Stary Żywiec. It is divided horizontally into two registers, each containing three figures dressed in gold‑embroidered robes. A narrow red band runs along the lower edge of each register, set against a muted gray backdrop.

Subject & Meaning

The upper register presents a male figure holding a book and a sword, a female figure with a chalice, and another male holding a book and a staff, suggesting a theological grouping of saints or apostles. The lower register shows three male figures, each with a book and a cloth, reinforcing themes of learning and liturgical service.

Technique & Style

Executed in tempera with extensive application of gold leaf, the panel displays meticulous attention to the drapery’s folds and the delicate modeling of facial features. The gold background and the precise linear outlines reflect the late Gothic decorative idiom common in Central European ecclesiastical art.

History & Provenance

The panel formed part of a larger retable that once stood in the parish church of Stary Żywiec. Over time the retable was dismantled, and the right wing, bearing this painting, entered museum collections, where it is now displayed as a representative fragment of the original ensemble.

Context

The composition aligns with the devotional program of medieval Polish churches, where paired panels often juxtaposed saints with the Virgin in sorrowful contemplation. The inclusion of a chalice and liturgical objects underscores the sacramental focus of the parish’s worship during the period of the panel’s creation.