The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew
1308–1311 · Tempera on panel · National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
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This print
About this work
- Artist
- Duccio di Buoninsegna (c. 1255–1319)
- Year
- 1308–1311
- Medium
- Tempera on panel
- Original size
- 42.7 × 45.5 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
- Movement
- Renaissance
Christ, in a red tunic and blue mantle, stands on a rocky shore and beckons to the brothers Peter and Andrew, who are fishing from a small boat on the Sea of Galilee; their net, full of fish, is visible through the green water, and the whole scene is set against a flat gold ground. The episode is from the Gospel of Matthew, in which Jesus tells the fishermen that he will make them fishers of men. Duccio di Buoninsegna painted the panel in tempera and gold in Siena in 1308–1311 as part of the rear predella of his Maestà, the great double-sided altarpiece commissioned by the city for the high altar of Siena Cathedral, where it was installed in June 1311 after a procession through the city. The altarpiece was removed from the high altar in 1506, and when it was later dismantled its small panels were dispersed; this one was in private hands in Tuscany by the nineteenth century. It came to the National Gallery of Art in Washington with the Samuel H. Kress Collection in 1939.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Christ on a rocky shore calling two fishermen in a small boat against a burnished gold ground, red, blue and green, for a study or reading corner at 16×24 in natural wood. A deep blue, cream or warm white wall; it pairs with The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Renaissance painting
- Era
- 14th century (1308–1311)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; natural wood lightens it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
