Valencian school, first half of the 16th century

Valencian school, first half of the 16th century.
"Saint Jude Thaddeus and Saint Simon.
Altarpiece or altar frontal.
Painting on panel.
Carved, gilded and polychrome wood.
It has slight craquelure.
Measurements: 96 x 63 cm.
Valencian altarpiece with the representation of the apostles Judas Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot, two apostles who often appeared together in the devotional iconography because both were killed by the Persian priests for preaching the Gospel. Simon was cut from head to crotch with a saw, which serves as a symbol, as can be seen in this excellent painting. This is a Renaissance altarpiece, which inherits from the late medieval period the solution of the gilded background, although in this case it has been decorated with carvings, scrolls and borders that emulate damascene brocades. The two figures, with their large almond-shaped eyes, exchange glances in a silent dialogue. The expressiveness of their features and the naturalness of their gestures denote a certain Italian influence filtered through the aura of proximity of Los Hernandos (the painters Fernando Llanos and Fernando Yáñez), who introduced the novelties of the Italian Quattrocento and Cinquecento into the Valencian and Murcian schools. Specifically, it is the trail of the Florentine painters of the Quattrocento, along the lines of Masaccio and Piero della Francesca, which had the greatest influence on the Valencian school, and which is evident in the rough, angular faces we are dealing with here, with a sombre expression, resolved with excellent drawing and contrasting ranges of satin finishes.
During the Renaissance, series of apostles depicted in pairs or individually against a neutral background and bearing their iconographic attributes became popular in Spanish painting. They were derived from late medieval altarpieces, but in the 16th century the expressions and gestures developed the naturalism characteristic of the period.