Johannes de Evangelist 1646

This etching by Simon (II) Guillain, completed in 1646, depicts Saint John the Evangelist, one of the four evangelists in the New Testament. Seated on a cloud with an eagle, his symbol, at his feet, John is depicted in a halo, as befits a saint. The scene is framed within a circular composition, a popular format in the 17th century for engravings and drawings. The detailed rendering of the figure and the clouds adds a sense of realism to the religious subject matter.