Domenichino, 'Saint John the Evangelist', late 1620s
About the work
Overview
Saint John, the author of the fourth gospel, is depicted at a moment of revelation. His pen is arrested and he has turned from the books to raise his eyes toward the true source of his inspiration.
The eagle, the bird thought to fly closest to heaven, was the saint's attribute. The heroic, frontal pose was based on the painter's study of ancient sculpture.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Saint John the Evangelist
- Artist
- Domenichino
- Artist dates
- 1581 - 1641
- Date made
- Late 1620s
- Medium and support
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 259 × 199.4 cm
- Acquisition credit
- On loan from a private collection
- Inventory number
- L601
- Location
- Room 32
- Image copyright
- On loan from a private collection, © Private collection 2010
- Collection
- Main Collection
About this record
If you know more about this work or have spotted an error, pleasecontact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
Images
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Three men, one with a crown, stand in a landscape. They hold between them a large piece of paper, while two are pointing to a classical city in the background. The gods Apollo and Neptune have disguised themselves as mortals to advise King Laomedon on the building of Troy.This is one of ten fresc...
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Apollo in a red cloak shoots his arrows at two one-eyed men, one of whom lies prostrate on the ground as the other flees. These are the Cyclops, a mythical race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead. This scene is one of ten frescoes which originally adorned the walls o...
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