Saint Bartholomew and Saint Anthony Abbot

Mariotto was famous for painting crisp details and the kind of subtle color shifts seen in the angels’ feathered wings and draped robes. These small panels once crowned the upper corners of a large altarpiece made for a church on the outskirts of Florence, Italy (Santo Stefano in Pane). During the late 19th century, the large multiple-panel altarpiece was broken into pieces that were sold separately. Saint Bartholomew, one of the apostles of Jesus, holds a butcher’s knife to symbolize that he was martyred by being flayed alive. Saint Anthony Abbott, born in Egypt, became a hermit in the desert and is considered the founder of monasticism. He lived nearly 100 years, and is usually depicted as old and bearded, holding a crutch.