The Apostles Saint Andrew and Saint James the Lesser, with a Prophet

Painted by Pietro Lorenzetti around 1328–1329, this ensemble once formed part of the upper tier of the Carmelite altarpiece in Siena. Saint Andrew stands at left in a green mantle and holds a book; at right Saint James the Lesser, as named by the museum, carries another book beneath a yellow cloak. Above the pointed arches, a prophet displays a scroll, linking the witnesses of the Old and New Testaments.

The gilded framing, luminous background and carefully modelled faces are characteristic of Sienese painting in the Trecento. Yale University Art Gallery preserves the three components under accession number 1959.15.1a–c. Their original altarpiece was later dismantled, with parts reaching different collections. The apostle on the right has not always been identified consistently: some scholars have called him Saint James the Greater.