Reading
Five lines in front of a work
Select an apostolic image in the library or a local collection. Write the artist as the collection credits them, the title, one visible object, one action and a source. If the museum says “workshop of” or “after”, retain those words. They describe how the work relates to the named artist.
Return to the picture
Put the label aside and look again. Can you find each detail you wrote? Would a different saint fit the same evidence? Amend one line if a supposed attribute turns out to be a fold, shadow or broken edge. The final version should let a visitor reconstruct your reasoning in front of the original.
Checkpoint takeaway
Leave the reader with a name, a visible reason and a way to check it.
Visual study
The seated Matthew and his winged human companion occupy the miniature inside its decorated border.
Master of the Housebook · Cleveland Museum of ArtThe bearded man holds the shaft of a spear along the right edge. The museum considers both Thomas and Matthias.
Jusepe de Ribera · National Gallery, London, NG6577