ticketsMember | Make a donation

Saint John the Evangelist

ca. 1621–22
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The visionary evangelist is shown with his emblem, the eagle, and is interrupted while writing the opening line of his gospel: "In the beginning was the word . . ." As so often with Valentin, we seem to be in the presence of a real person who has taken on the role of the saint, colliding past with present and resulting in an image of compelling presence—a veritable "portrait" of the saint.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Saint John the Evangelist
  • Artist: Valentin de Boulogne (French, Coulommiers-en-Brie 1591–1632 Rome)
  • Date: ca. 1621–22
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 38 5/16 × 52 15/16 in. (97.3 × 134.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The William A. Whitaker Foundation Art Fund
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings