Saint Julian

This Saint Julian by the Master of San Torpè, painted around 1320, is the work of an anonymous Pisan painter named after works in the church of San Torpè in Pisa. The Master of San Torpè represents the Gothic painting tradition of Pisa, a major maritime republic that maintained its own artistic identity distinct from neighboring Florence and Siena. Now in the Courtauld Gallery, London, the panel reflects the rich but understudied Pisan school, which synthesized Byzantine, Sienese, and local traditions.

Egg tempera and gold on panel in the Pisan Gothic manner. The figure of Saint Julian displays the refined linear style and delicate facial modeling characteristic of the Master of San Torpè, with elements drawn from both Sienese elegance and the older Byzantine-influenced Pisan tradition.