Pentecost Altarpiece

Church of St. Fleuret, Estaing, France

The statue on the left is St. James; on the right, St. Roch. Estaing is on one of the pilgrimage routes that lead to Compostela, and these saints' status as pilgrims is emphasized by the clothing, the staves, and the scallops behind their heads. To keep the emphasis on pilgrimage, St. Roch's statue minimizes his role as a plague saint by omitting the dog with the loaf and representing the bubo as just a small lesion.

The painting illustrates Acts 2:1-4, the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. That text does not mention Mary as being present, but traditionally images would place her at the center, directly below the dove that symbolizes the Holy Spirit. In this work the artist also makes the figure of Mary slightly larger and sets her slightly higher than the others. As was also traditional, SS. Peter and John stand at her right and left.

Considering the vines and curvy lines on the framing elements, which are characteristic of Rococo, I would guess this altarpiece to be from the 18th century.

Read more about images of the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles
Read more about images of St. Roch
Read more about images of St. James the Greater
Read more about medieval and Renaissance altarpieces.
Detail photos:

Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.