St. John on the Island of Patmos
1550/60
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 29.7 × 21.1 cm (11 3/4 × 8 5/16 in.); Sheet: 31.5 × 23 cm (12 7/16 × 9 1/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
4392
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Also known as The Revelation of Saint John the Evangelist, this engraving shows the writer at work within a resplendent church interior rather than on a remote island. The book in his lap reads “In the beginning was the word,” the first verse of his gospel. The evangelist appears with his eyes shut, hand pressed to his brow as he searches for the next line. Inspiration cannot be far away, for John’s attribute, the eagle, is perched on his shoulders, giving him a borrowed pair of wings, with the ...
About the Artist
Jean Duvet · 1485–1570
Jean Duvet (1485–after 1562), a pioneering French goldsmith and engraver from the provincial heartlands of Dijon and Langres, emerged as the first significant printmaker in France. Born to a Dijon goldsmith, he trained in the family trade and rose swiftly, becoming master of the Dijon Goldsmiths' Guild by 1509. Duvet's early career blended goldsmithing with engraving; no specific teachers are docu...