Artwork
John the Evangelist on Patmos
John the Evangelist on Patmos is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Hans Burgkmair I. It dates from 1518 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Burgkmair shows the saint in profile, absorbed in writing on a scroll, with the eagle, his traditional attribute, perched beside him.
The painting depicts Saint John the Evangelist seated on the island of Patmos, where, according to Christian tradition, he received the visions recorded in the Book of Revelation. Burgkmair shows the saint in profile, absorbed in writing on a scroll, with the eagle, his traditional attribute, perched beside him. The landscape unfolds to include a distant city and the sea, evoking the isolated setting of Patmos. The work emphasizes John as both apostle and visionary, uniting scriptural authority with eschatological revelation.
The eagle functions as a symbol of John’s elevated inspiration and divine revelation, while the act of writing underscores his role as author of the Fourth Gospel and the Book of Revelation. The composition aligns with Northern Renaissance religious iconography, where landscape and attribute work together to locate the sacred narrative within a recognizable yet idealized space.
Technique & Style
Hans Burgkmair the Elder executed John the Evangelist on Patmos in 1518 using oil paint applied to a fir panel support. The work measures 153.1 cm in height and 127.2 cm in width. As a religious painting, the piece depicts the biblical figure John the Evangelist, utilizing the oil medium to achieve its formal qualities within the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
History & Provenance
Hans Burgkmair the Elder painted the religious work John the Evangelist on Patmos in 1518. The painting was created on fir panel using oil paint and measures 153.1 cm by 127.2 cm. It entered the Bavarian State Painting Collections and has been housed in the Alte Pinakothek since its acquisition.
The painting John the Evangelist on Patmos by Hans Burgkmair the Elder is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections. It resides in the Alte Pinakothek museum in Munich. Created in 1518, the work is cataloged within the collection's holdings.
No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available records, nor is there documented exhibition history for this piece.
Legacy
Hans Burgkmair the Elder's 1518 panel painting John the Evangelist on Patmos has been displayed in the Bavarian State Painting Collections since its acquisition, and its religious subject continues to be cited in studies of early Northern Renaissance art. The work's composition, with the saint depicted on the island of Patmos, has informed later interpretations of apocalyptic imagery in German art of the early 16th century.
The painting entered the Alte Pinakothek's holdings shortly after its creation and remains part of the museum's permanent collection, where it is studied as an exemplar of devotional art from the Augsburg school. Its influence is noted in scholarly discussions of how narrative scenes from the Book of Revelation were visualized in the period.
The technical execution in oil on fir panel and the precise dimensions of 153.1 cm by 127.2 cm have been documented in museum records and conservation reports, contributing to its reputation as a well-preserved example of the era's craftsmanship.
Overview
John the Evangelist on Patmos is an oil painting created by Hans Burgkmair the Elder in 1518. It is a religious work currently held at the Alte Pinakothek.
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