An apostolado (from Spanish; ), or apostles series, is a series of individual portrait paintings of the apostles of Jesus Christ, sometimes including other figures, such as Jesus, Luke, Mary, and/or Paul. The first potential example of an apostolado stems from a pair of portraits of the apostles James the Elder and Philip by Albrecht Dürer in 1516, which he may have intended as a full series of twelve. In Spain, apostolados are a prevalent genre of art of the apostles, being popularized by Greco-Spanish painter El Greco and leading to other renowned artists of the genre such as Francisco de Zurbarán, Peter Paul Rubens, and Anthony van Dyck. Images of saints, and therefore the apostles, became popular in Catholic Europe during the Renaissance as a result of the Counter-Reformation, which in turn derived from a heavy emphasis of the Catholic doctrine of intercession of saints and opposition to Protestant iconoclasm.
Apostolados Although the concept of the apostles in the context of Christianity generally refers to the first twelve apostles of Jesus Christ as enumerated in the Gospels (Judas Iscariot being replaced by Matthias due to his treachery), some apostolados contain portraits of other important figures in Christianity, such as Jesus, Paul, Mary, and/or Luke.
+ Series title Artist Notes Andrew the First-Called Bartholomew the Apostle James the Elder James the Younger John the Beloved Jude the Apostle Matthew the Evangelist Matthias the Apostle Peter the Rock Philip the Apostle Simon the Zealot Thomas the Twin Jesus the Nazarene Paul the Apostle Luke the Evangelist Dürer's Apostle seriesAlbrecht Dürer El Greco El Greco and his workshop El Greco and his workshop Peter Paul Rubens Böhler seriesAnthony van Dyck Jusepe de Ribera Francisco de Zurbarán Rembrandt's apostles and evangelistsRembrandt
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