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The Martyrdom of Saint Apollonia depicts an actual event that took place in the year 249. Apollonia, refusing to renounce Christianity, was martyred during the reign of Emperor Philip. Under a colonnaded portico, one executioner pulls the Virgin Martyr backward by her hair as another tears out her tongue with pincers. The Emperor and his armed guards look on at the right of the scene, and two more armed soldiers stand to the left. In the background is a rugged and mountainous landscape.

		Neri di Bicci Italian (c.1418-c.1492) The Martyrdom of Saint Apollonia, c. 1470

The artist, Neri di Bicci, has arranged the figures in a single line, the bright colors of their garments and weapons contrasting sharply with the plain white of the wall behind them. The vibrant colors of the scene suggest a gaiety at odds with the gruesome subject.

Neri di Bicci came from a family of Florentine artists. His grandfather, Lorenzo di Bicci, started the family painting workshop and passed the trade to his son, Bicci di Lorenzo. This painting dynasty enjoyed its most successful period under the direction of Neri di Bicci; a century of productivity came to an end after his death. Neri di Bicci was a shrewd businessman, and his paintings were sought by members of every level of society, from shopkeepers to nobility. His works were best known for their brilliant pigments, gold backgrounds, incorporation of elements of Renaissance architecture, and the somber facial expressions of his figures.

Anonymous Italian, Florentine School The Mourning Madonna, c. 1350-1400

This panel shows the Madonna as she witnesses the crucifixion of her son Jesus. It was prophesied that the suffering and death of Christ would also bring Seven Sorrows to His mother; when Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus in the temple, Simeon told Mary that "this child is destined to be a sign which men reject; and you too shall be pierced to the heart." (Luke 2: 34-35.) Here, Mary is shown half-length, her hands clasped, her gaze turned downward. Her anguished expression conveys unbearable pain; her Son is dying, but she is helpless to intervene.

This quatrefoil panel was apparently part of a larger Crucifixion, most likely placed at the end of one arm of the cross. The anonymous Florentine artist used color to striking effect. The deep blue of the Madonna's mantle offers a rich contrast to the red of her tunic; the red, in turn, lightens to a pale rose in the tunic's folds. The drapery provides the Madonna's body with volume and a sense of realistic three-dimensionality. The figure is set against an elaborate gold background, which serves to remind viewers that, although the Mary depicted here is a suffering, human mother, she is also the Queen of Heaven.

Niccolò da Foligno Italian (c. 1430-1502) The Crucifixion, c. 1468

Images of the Crucifixion follow a common pattern, presenting Christ on the cross in the center, the mourning figures of mother Mary to the left, and Saint John the Evangelist to the right. This composition, though typical in composition, amplifies the sense of tragedy by the use of exaggerated gestures and bodily deformation. Christ's gaunt, elongated arms, sunken eyes, and shallow chest all emphasize the unspeakable physical abuse that he has endured. The anguished Saint John clasps his hands together in despair, his elbows raised almost to the level of his shoulders. The Mourning Virgin offers an interesting contrast to the figure of Saint John. She appears to be too exhausted by her ordeal for emphatic gestures; her arms are extended before her, but her hands hang almost limp. Her oversized eyes are full of sorrow as she looks upward, powerless to help her dying Son. In the lower half of the background, a town is visible in the distance, nestled among the hills.

The nest of birds atop Christ's cross is a symbolic reminder of the magnitude of His sacrifice. Just as Christ's blood was spilled to save humanity, the adult pelican pierces its breast to nourish its young with its own blood. While many elements here suggest Christ's humanity and the physical facts of His sacrifice, others remind us of His divinity. He is attended by two heavenly angels, and the sky behind him is a lavish gold, the color of kings.

Niccolò da Foligno probably began painting as a pupil of his father-in-law, Pietro Mazzaforte. Eventually, he and Mazzaforte would share the commission for a polyptych, but only Niccolò's name would appear on it. Niccolò created polyptychs, as well as frescoes and altarpieces, for a number of churches in Italy. He continued working with his family, executing works later in his career with his son, Lattanzio di Niccolò. When Niccolò left The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew uncompleted at his death, it was Lattanzio who finished it.