Ask the Scholar

Saint James Major, holding a staff and a book, stands facing left beneath a Gothic arch that has spandrels filled with large leaves. The leaves are similar to the late 14th century corner finials of ivory mirror cases.The ivory is incomplete. The outer right edge is original, but the left edge is recut. There are no signs of hinging or attachment, suggesting that the plaque was a portion of the right wing of a triptych or a folding shrine. A hole in the saint's left elbow is the result of the attachment of a clasp on the exterior. The back of the panel is painted red with three registers of vine scrolls. Several cracks and a chip occur at the base of the right border strip.The large, flat folds of the drapery recall the painted works of Giovanni del Biondo (d. 1399) and other Florentine followers of Giotto.