Artwork
Saint John on Patmos
Saint John on Patmos is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Hans Baldung Grien. It dates from 1511 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Saint John on Patmos shows the apostle John seated on the island of Patmos, engaged in writing while an eagle rests nearby.
Saint John on Patmos shows the apostle John seated on the island of Patmos, engaged in writing while an eagle rests nearby. The composition also includes a Madonna and Child and a figure of Mary standing on a crescent moon. These elements identify John as the Evangelist traditionally associated with the eagle, reference the Virgin's role in the Incarnation through the Madonna and Child, and allude to her immaculate purity via the crescent. Together they convey John's receipt of divine revelation and his authority as the author of the Apocalypse.
Technique & Style
Hans Baldung Grien's Saint John on Patmos, created in 1511, is executed in oil paint on a panel support. The work measures 87.3 cm in height and 75.6 cm in width. The composition depicts Saint John the Evangelist writing on the island of Patmos, accompanied by an eagle and a vision of the Madonna and Child on the crescent moon.
The medium of oil paint allows for the detailed rendering of these complex iconographic elements, characteristic of the artist's style during this period. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
Saint John on Patmos was painted in 1511 by Hans Baldung Grien in oil paint on panel. It is presently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on display. The specific accession or inventory number is not disclosed in the publicly available documentation, and no prior exhibition loan events are recorded in the available sources.
Overview
Saint John on Patmos is an oil painting that presents a visionary scene within a serene landscape. The composition features two distinct yet connected realms: a celestial apparition of a woman holding an infant, appearing on the left, and a contemplative male figure engaged in writing on the right. An eagle accompanies the seated man, while the background suggests both heavenly clouds and an earthly vista.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Hans Baldung (1484 or 1485 – September 1545), called Hans Baldung Grien, (being an early nickname, because of his predilection for the colour green), was a painter, printer, engraver, draftsman, and stained glass…
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