Saint Paul (Main View (.5v) / book image source)

The apostle Paul stands reading an open book before a spacious setting of meandering hills dotted with architectural structures. Voluminous drapery cannot conceal his rather strong and muscular body. An elaborate architectural frame reminiscent of the frames of contemporary Italian altarpieces reinforces the saint's majestic presence.

This small painting in a book achieves a monumentality usually associated with larger independent paintings hung on a wall. From the art of the Italian Renaissance, particularly that of Michelangelo, the Master of the Getty Epistles learned to make powerful figures like Paul. From Flemish masters, the artist learned to set his figures within a deep panoramic landscape.