Artwork
Saint John the Evangelist Raises Satheus to Life
Saint John the Evangelist Raises Satheus to Life is a tempera painting by the Italo Byzantine artist Francescuccio Ghissi. It dates from 1370 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a religious narrative centered on Saint John the Evangelist performing a miracle by raising a man named Satheus to life.
The work depicts a religious narrative centered on Saint John the Evangelist performing a miracle by raising a man named Satheus to life. As a piece of religious art created in 1370, the composition visually documents this specific hagiographic event, featuring the saint alongside the resurrected man and a woman, who likely serves as a witness or participant in the scene. The imagery functions as a direct representation of divine intervention and the saint's miraculous powers, consistent with the genre's purpose of illustrating sacred stories.
The presence of these specific figures anchors the painting's meaning in the verification of John's apostolic authority and the triumph over death, serving as a devotional object that communicates the spiritual significance of the resurrection story to the viewer.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in tempera on panel, a standard medium for Italian devotional painting of the Trecento. Its modest scale, 34.9 by 39.4 centimeters, suits the intimacy of a small private panel. The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Beyond these material and dimensional facts, the available documentation does not detail the specific handling of pigment, ground preparation, gilding, or the present state of preservation, nor does it describe the formal and stylistic qualities of the composition.
History & Provenance
Saint John the Evangelist Raises Satheus to Life was created by Francescuccio Ghissi in 1370, executed in tempera on panel. The painting is now held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located. The sources do not provide further details regarding the original commission, prior ownership, or intermediate provenance of the work prior to its accession by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Overview
This painting, titled Saint John the Evangelist Raises Satheus to Life, was created by Francescuccio Ghissi in 1370. Executed in tempera, this religious work depicts a miraculous event attributed to John the Evangelist. It is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering insight into late medieval Italian painting traditions and narrative religious art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Francescuccio Ghissi, also called Francesco di Cecco Ghissi, was an Italian painter. His exact date of birth and death are not known.
