Who painted Saint Matthias and Saint Jude with Articles from the Credo?

Saint Matthias and Saint Jude with Articles from the Credo was painted by Master d in 1455.

Where can I see Saint Matthias and Saint Jude with Articles from the Credo?

Saint Matthias and Saint Jude with Articles from the Credo is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Saint Matthias and Saint Jude with Articles from the Credo?

Saint Matthias and Saint Jude with Articles from the Credo is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Saint Matthias and Saint Jude with Articles from the Credo

Master d , 1455

Saint Matthias and Saint Jude with Articles from the Credo is a paint print by the Renaissance artist Master d. It dates from 1455 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1455 by the anonymous Master d, this metalcut print depicts the apostles Saint Matthias and Saint Jude. The work is hand‑colored with a limited palette of olive green, muted red lake, and yellow, giving the figures a vivid yet restrained presence. Both saints are shown standing side by side, each crowned with a halo and rendered in long, flowing robes.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents Matthias, traditionally identified by his red‑brown garment and a book, alongside Jude, distinguished by a green robe and a gesturing hand. Their inclusion together reflects a devotional focus on the Credo, the statements of faith central to medieval liturgy, and underscores their roles as intercessors for the faithful.

Technique & Style

Executed as a metalcut, the image relies on incised lines to define forms, then receives hand‑applied color in olive, dull red, and yellow. The background cityscape is rendered with flat, decorative shapes and simple architectural outlines, characteristic of mid‑15th‑century Northern European printmaking, where symbolic clarity often outweighed naturalistic depth.

Context

The work belongs to the early Renaissance period, a time when printmaking began to spread religious imagery beyond manuscript illumination. Its stylized figures and limited chromatic scheme illustrate the transitional aesthetic between medieval iconography and the emerging interest in individual expression that would later define the Renaissance.