We know that he lived and worked in Florence, where he was born between 1320 and 1330, and died shortly before 1400. He was a painter, sculptor, and craftsman, as were his brothers Andrea, Nardo, and Matteo. Together, the brothers ran the most important artists workshop in Florence during the second half of the fourteenth century. The most famous of the brothers was Andrea: it was he who produced the studio’s best work between 1343 and 1368, and created its style. But when Andrea died in 1368, Jacopo ably took up the reins, along with the other remaining brothers.

     In keeping with their times, the brothers worked mostly on religious subjects, including representations of the Virgin Mary, the Crucifixion, the disciples, the saints, and the Last Judgement. They had commissions from churches, including cathedrals, and also from local official buildings and merchants.

     One way of thinking about the brothers is as survivors. In the mid-fourteenth century, when Jacopo was still a young adult, Europe was struck by the catastrophe that was the Black Death, an appalling plague that may have killed as much as half the population. The brothers would have known many who died. They were part of a Europe which was picking up the pieces, and where life seemed very transient and fragile. It is a testament to the human spirit and, perhaps, to a little divine intervention, that in the midst of such dark and insecure times, they were able to produce such beautiful works of art.

     Details about the lives of Jacopo and his brothers are, inevitably, quite sketchy, but we still have examples of their artwork, including the Littleton saints. Can we gain any clues about the outlook of people in these times from these six paintings of saints?

     What comes across most strongly is the reverence for the tradition of Christian hermits and monks. This can be seen from the inclusion of Antony, the great exponent of the solitary path; and of saints who would have been influenced by Anthony, such as the monks Bruno Boniface and Peter Damian. Perhaps a link can also be made with John, whose gospel was the most reflective and mystical of the four.

     Might these paintings have been designed for a monastery, perhaps as part of a larger altarpiece? Some experts have suggested that they may have come from an altarpiece in the monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Florence. Whatever the original purpose, their inspiration shines out for all to see today, on the walls of the  National Gallery.