New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.

Saint John the Evangelist

Artist Unknown

CultureItalian

Date1300s

MediumPolychromed wood

DimensionsOverall: 52 1/2 in. (133.4 cm)

Credit LineGift of James LePere

Object number71.2103

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 201

DescriptionPolychromed wood sculpture of Saint John. He has a large squarish head, which appears to be heavy for his frail frame. He is enclosed in layers of carved drapery; the hair is carved to show tight curls around his forehead. He holds his head down, looking over his right shoulder. He wears a sad expression: his right hand cups his face, the index and middle finger held out while the ring finger and pinky are curled against his cheek. His left hand appears to hold a box-like shape, perhaps a box meant to hold a relic or a book.

Label TextSaint John the Evangelist, 1300s Italian Polychromed wood With his downcast eyes and head slumped on his hand, this figure of Saint John is overcome with sorrow. Such a poignant sculpture was almost certainly part of a larger group depicting the Crucifixion. Like the cloak pulled tightly across his body, John himself seems wrapped in grief—a tragic, fragile figure who confronts his loss alone. Gift of James LePere 71.2103 Exhibition History"Masterworks in Wood: The Christian Tradition," Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, November 12 - January 4, 1976. Published References_Masterworks In Wood: The Christian Tradition_, exh. cat., The Portland Art Museum, Portland, Or., 1975, no. 51. *This is cited wrongly in the exhibition catalog (no. 51), but is illustrated b/w.