Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael
(1566 Utrecht 1638)

The Evangelist John
c. 1610-1615

oil on canvas

27"×20" (70 cm×51 cm)

PROVENANCE:
Possibly one of the “three evangelists” listed in the inventory of the estate of Peter Wtewael, 1661; New York, Manhattan Galleries, 1977 (as 17 th - century Italian); New York, Leonard J. Slatkes, to 2004.

LITERATURE: Anne W. Lowenthal, Joachim Wtewael and Dutch Mannerism, Doornspijk, 1986, pp. 49, 64, 128-29, no. A-56, plate 80, possibly p. 195. NOTE: This depiction of the youthful St. John, together with canvases showing St. Luke and St. Mark (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum), formed a set of the evangelists that included a St. Matthew now known only through a copy. (1)

The three extant paintings may be the ones listed in the inventory of Joachim’s son Peter Wtewael’s estate as “de 3 evangelisten,” with the St. Matthewmissing, perhaps because it was damaged, lost, or separated from the others. In any case, the set that concerns us is datable about 1610-1615, in Wtewael’s early maturity. Only the St. Mark is signed.

We see St. John at work on his gospel, quill pen in hand, eyes raised to heaven, the source of his inspiration. He sits in a cluttered study, surrounded by books, writing implements, and other accoutrements. Wtewael meticulously depicted the details of the ink pot, quill, knife, pounce pot, book, and hourglass in the immediate foreground. At the right, in shallow depth, a brush, scissors, comb, and document are fixed to the wall with a red band, and a shelf above holds books, a candle, and a candlestick. The plausibility of this setting is disturbed by the saint’s attribute, the eagle that presses close to him at the left. In contrast to the still life elements, the bird is animated by a lively pose and a welter of loose brushstrokes, with browns and whites lifted by dashes of red. All these forms virtually fill the picture surface, limiting movement into depth and creating a claustrophobic effect. The dynamism and intensity of the composition convey the spiritual effort of setting down the gospel.

The set of evangelists to which this St. John belongs was perhaps the first in the North to show the saints in four separate paintings, following the precedent of graphic artists such as Lucas van Leyden (Hollstein 10.124-125, ill.), and closer to Wtewael’s time, Jacques de Gheyn after Hendrick Goltzius (Hollstein 7. 177.349.352, ill.). Earlier, such artists as Pieter Aertsen (Aachen, Museum Suermondt) and Joachim Bueckelaer (Dresden, Gemäldegalerie) had shown them together in one composition. The inspiration for showing the evangelists at work in their studies may have come from Albrecht Dürer, who depicted St. Jerome similarly in an engraving of 1514 ((Bartsch 60).

The crisp, rippled edges of the collar and the pages of the book, the expert foreshortening of the saint’s contorted hands, and the daring choice of deep mauve and crimson in his garments all reflect Wtewael’s sensibility. Working in a mannerist mode, he combined the study of appearances with subjective invention, a common approach at the time. Wtewael manipulates this approach to great effect, juxtaposing realistically depicted objects and the smoothed, simplified surfaces of the saint’s figure and cloak. The resulting combination of realism and quasi-abstraction adumbrates the unsettling visual effects achieved with digitized photography.

-Anne W. Lowenthal

(1) For Ss. Mark and St. Luke, see Lowenthal, pp. 127-128, A-54 and A-55, plates 78-79. Copies of the set of evangelists under discussion are in the Centraal Museum, Utrecht. See Lowenthal, p. 166, C-15 (St. John), C-16 (St. Luke), C-18 (St. Mark), and C-19 (St. M00atthew). The copies, all on panel, are illustrated in plates 148-151.

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