An apostolical college decorated the church of the hospital of Saint Jacques of the Pilgrims, built in 1319 by the royal family and the Parisian bourgeoisie to receive pilgrims on their way to Compostela.

Thanks to the church’s accounts, we are able to identify the artists of this group of twelve apostles, of which the five surviving statues are housed in the museum. Guillaume de Nourriche sculpted two of them between 1319 and 1324, while Robert de Lannoy did the rest of the college betweeen 1319 and 1327. He is also the creator of Saint Jacques, recognizable by his bread box stamped with a shell.

The flat folds of the apostles’ garments show a new profile typical of the beginning of the 14th century. The body is somewhat thin in comparison with the head, with narrow shoulders, a very flat bust revealed by the movement of the coat, which, tied back as an apron, falls to the side in shimmering cascades, animating the curves of the lower part of the body. Larges faces surrounded by soft tumbling curls give an impression of dreamy softness.