St. James the Less

St. James stands in the right foreground, absorbed in a book and draped in heavy, voluminous robes. Behind him, the scene of his martyrdom unfolds as a group of men strike him down with wooden clubs before a crowd of soldiers and onlookers. The setting features an idealized city landscape with a prominent dome and an obelisk, characteristic of the Roman architectural style favored by Northern Mannerists.

As a central figure in the Haarlem Mannerist movement, Hendrick Goltzius utilized this series of Apostles to demonstrate the transmission of sacred knowledge. The inscription's reference to James 'unlocking sacred mysteries' (mysteria sacra) aligns with the Renaissance intellectual pursuit of hidden divine truths within scripture.