Marco Basaiti.
The Calling of the Sons of Zebedee

1510
Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice

The three synoptic gospels all include this event (Mt 4:21-22, Mk 1:19-20, Lk 5:10). Having just called on Peter and Andrew to follow him and be "fishers of men," Jesus similarly calls James and John, who instantly leave their father to become disciples. Zebedee, the father, is on the right in the red tunic. Young John, the only one without a beard, is in front of him. That means the son in blue is James the Greater.

Peter stands on Jesus' right in the characteristic square beard; Andrew, whose long beard and messy hair are also conventional characteristics, is on Jesus' left in the green mantle.

The fisherman glimpsed between James and John wears a turban. In 16th-century Venice, where Basaiti worked, the turban was a common feature in images of eastern Jews and Arabs of any period.

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Read more about images of St. James the Greater, St. John the Evangelist, St. Peter, and St. Andrew

Photographed at the site by Claire Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.