Saint John the Evangelist

Carlo Crivelli painted this Saint John the Evangelist in 1471 for an altarpiece in the Marche region of Italy, where the Venetian-born painter spent most of his career after leaving the lagoon city. Crivelli's decision to work in the provincial Marche, rather than compete with the Bellini workshop in Venice, gave him a loyal clientele and artistic freedom to develop his distinctive ornamental style. exiled from Venice, worked for Adriatic patrons in the Marche, developing a highly distinctive personal idiom.

Crivelli's signature sharp linearity and jewel-like color define the evangelist's features and vestments with an almost metallic precision, while the elaborate decorative elements—swags of fruit, ornate borders—create a richly encrusted surface.