Saint John the Evangelist 

Adam Elsheimer made this sketch of Saint John the Evangelist with pen and brown ink. It shows the saint holding a quill, accompanied by an eagle, his traditional attribute. Elsheimer was a German artist working in Italy in the early 17th century, a period defined by the Catholic Church’s renewed investment in religious art. Following the Protestant Reformation, the church sought to reassert its authority through grand artistic commissions. Elsheimer's work, with its intense spirituality, was well-suited to this climate. But Elsheimer wasn't simply a propagandist for the church. His art reveals a deeply personal engagement with religious themes, reflecting the intellectual ferment of his era. It is a vision shaped by both faith and a humanist sensibility. As historians, we turn to letters, diaries, and patronage records to understand the complex interplay of personal belief, institutional power, and artistic expression. We can appreciate this drawing not just as a work of devotion, but as a window into the world of religious and artistic change in seventeenth century Europe.