Saint John the Evangelist
Lippo di Benivieni·1301
Historical Context
This companion panel to Lippo di Benivieni's Saint Peter depicts Saint John the Evangelist, the beloved disciple traditionally shown as youthful and beardless. Painted around 1301, it likely formed part of a polyptych altarpiece in a Florentine church, where paired apostle panels flanked a central Madonna and Child. The work is now in the Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes, having been separated from its original ensemble.
Technical Analysis
Executed in egg tempera on panel with gold ground, the youthful saint holds a gospel book as his identifying attribute. Lippo's handling shows the influence of Cimabue in the solemn facial type, while the softer modeling hints at awareness of Giotto's emerging naturalistic revolution.
