Andrea Orcagna (completed by Jacopo di Cione)
St. Matthew and Scenes from His Life

Circa 1367
Tempera on wood, 291 x 265 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

Matthew stands in the center panel with his pen and the first chapter of this gospel. The panels on the side depict the call of Matthew and his mission to Ethiopia. See below for photographs and commentary on the four panels.


Above left, Matthew makes the sign of the cross and the sorcerers' dragons are rendered harmless. The companion behind Matthew is "the eunuch of Queen Candace, whom Philip had baptized." (See this account in the Golden Legend. View this image in full resolution.)

Above right, the eunuch (far right) has called Matthew to bring the King's son back to life. (See this episode in the Golden Legend. View this image in full resolution.)

Above left, the call of Matthew (Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:13-14). Jesus finds Matthew sitting in a "custom house" and says simply, "follow me." In the image, the little fellow seated at the counting table may be Matthew before his call. His tunic is of the same blue as the full-size Matthew who answers the call. (View this image in full resolution.)

Above right, King Hirtacus orders the assassination of St. Matthew "after the solemnities of the mass." Behind the altar is the eunuch who has been at Matthew's side through all this. (See this account in the Golden Legend. View this image in full resolution.)

Read more about images of St. Matthew.

Source of top photograph: this page at Wikimedia Commons.
The other photographs were taken at the Uffizi by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.