H. Johannes 1629

This engraving of Saint John was made by Lucas Kilian around 1616 in Augsburg, Germany. Kilian was part of a family of artists working in the printmaking trade, a business that boomed alongside the rise of the book and the appetite for imagery throughout Europe. Note how Saint John is idealized, his face smooth and his hair perfectly curled. The halo and the eagle, which you can glimpse behind him, indicate his sainthood. But it is the book and papers that draw our attention: these are visual cues emphasizing the power of the written word. As an Evangelist, John was believed to be divinely inspired, and yet, it was only through an institutional support structure – that of the printing press – that his ideas could spread. To learn more, consider the economy of Augsburg at the time, or the role of the Catholic Church in commissioning art. The meaning of this print lies in these historical contexts.