Reading
Two candidates and a lot
In Acts 1 the community puts forward Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias. After prayer the lot falls to Matthias, who is counted with the eleven. This is the episode that distinguishes him from the original companions pictured with Christ at the Last Supper.
Read the gold-ground panel
The Met attributes its Saint Matthias to the workshop of Simone Martini. Follow the letters on the gold ground and look for the book against the robe. Rubens’s Matthias instead holds an axe. The axe belongs to martyrdom imagery. It is unnecessary in a picture of the election.
A small panel from a group
The painted surface is only about 26 centimetres high. The Met places it in a series of saints from an altarpiece. Imagine several panels side by side. A name at shoulder height lets a viewer tell one figure from the next even when more than one holds a book.
Key takeaway
An election and a martyr’s portrait tell different parts of the saint’s story.
Visual study
Which detail gives the personal name of the figure on this panel?
Choose one of the three areas of the artwork.
View the complete works and their labels
Painted letters beside the halo identify Matthias, who holds a green book against his chest.
Workshop of Simone Martini · c. 1317–1319 · CC0Matthias clasps the shaft of an axe. The broad metal head appears beside his face.
Peter Paul Rubens · c. 1611 · Public domainOther depictions of these apostles
Study gallery
Saint Matthias
Study notesAn axe often identifies Matthias in apostle portraits. He joined the Twelve after the Ascension, in the episode recounted in Acts.
Key attributes
Book · Sacred Halo
Saint Matthias
Study notesAn axe often identifies Matthias in apostle portraits. He joined the Twelve after the Ascension, in the episode recounted in Acts.
Key attributes
Axe
Saint Matthias
Study notesAn axe often identifies Matthias in apostle portraits. He joined the Twelve after the Ascension, in the episode recounted in Acts.
Apostle study cards
Apostle profile
Saint Matthias
Chosen by lot to take Judas Iscariot’s place among the apostles.
Memory hook: An axe in some portraits
Visual examples
Saint Matthias
Study notesChosen by lot to take Judas Iscariot’s place among the apostles.
Key attributes
Axe
Saint Matthias
Study notesChosen by lot to take Judas Iscariot’s place among the apostles.
Practice
Answer notebook
0 / 1 answeredMore practice
Who is this apostle?
Scan attributes first — then choose a name.
Quick check
Attribute checklist
Tap each attribute once you can picture it in art for this lesson.