The Distribution of Wealth

Bright robes, bulky bodies, and stage-like composition give this scene a theatrical energy. In the seventeenth century, disputes arose over whether icon painters should follow models from Byzantine images—often by tracing existing icons—or adopt designs from Western European prints. Matteo da Chio, the unknown painter of these vivid panels, enthusiastically embraced Western European examples and carefully adapted engravings by Dutch printmaker Johannes Sadeler (1550-1600) after works by Maerten de Vos (1532-1603).

The Apostles stand before a stage set composed of monuments from ancient Rome. On the right side of the panel is Trajan’s Column with its characteristic spiral frieze. At the center of the panel in the background, people kneel to receive Holy Communion beneath the porch of the Pantheon. At the front of the scene, the artist has painted a passage from the Acts of the Apostles which recounts, “No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had…For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the Apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” (Acts 4:32-35)