PROVENANCE: Count Cesare Merenda, Forli, and thence by family descent; Julius Weitzner, London, 1959-61; BJU, 1961.

The provenance of this painting is especially noteworthy. The Merenda Family of Forli, Italy commissioned a series of paintings of the apostles in about 1740. The paintings stayed by descent in the family until 1959, when we acquired the St. James from art dealer Julius Weitzner.

Tradition says that James, the brother of John, took the Gospel to Spain. Batoni's portrayal of a sunburned pilgrim with a staff is in keeping with this tradition. It is the only one in the series of apostles painted with a sky background.