The Altar of St. John

Rogier van der Weyden's Altar of Saint John, painted around 1455 and now in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, depicts scenes from the lives of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The triptych demonstrates Rogier's late style, with its characteristic combination of emotional power and compositional refinement. The lives of the two Johns were frequently paired in Northern European art, as they were the two most important saints named John in the Christian tradition.

Rogier's mature triptych features his characteristic precise draftsmanship with flowing drapery, expressive figure compositions, and the rich, saturated colors achieved through refined oil glazing technique.