The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew

Walking by the Sea of Galilee, Christ called the fishermen Peter and Andrew to follow him, promising to make them fishers of men; they left their nets at once (Matthew 4:18-20). Duccio shows Christ on the rocky shore raising his hand, the brothers pausing in their boat with the net still trailing fish through the green water. From the back of the Siena Maesta and now in Washington, the small panel gives the sea real depth and the fishermen real hesitation - Andrew gripping the net, Peter half-turned - caught between their work and the call to leave it.