Saint John On Patmos, Apocalyptic Vision, Follower Of Maarten De Vos, Ca. 1620

Saint John on Patmos, Apocalyptic Vision, Follower of Maarten de Vos, ca. 1620Oil on copper, 30 × 22.5 cm (without frame)Flemish School, Flanders, first third of the 17th century
Saint John the Evangelist is depicted seated on the island of Patmos, beside his eagle, writing the Book of Revelation. In the upper part appears the Woman crowned with twelve stars, “clothed with the sun and with the moon under her feet,” threatened by the red seven-headed dragon, as described in chapter XII of the Apocalypse.The composition is based on the celebrated engraving by Johann Sadeler I, executed around 1580 after a lost design by Maarten de Vos. This print, widely circulated in Antwerp and northern Europe, became a key model for later Flemish interpretations of the Vision of Patmos. A version of this composition, attributed to Jasper van der Laenen, is also recorded in the photographic archive of the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, confirming the diffusion of this iconography in early seventeenth-century Flemish painting.
In this variant, the painter reinterprets the model with freedom, changing the position of Saint John and adding details such as the sandals, the belt with gilded elements, and the inkwell. The angels surrounding the Woman, painted with silvery transparencies and almost spectral bodies, represent an unusual and highly personal invention within Flemish art of the period. The dragon, with its sinuous and decorative form, introduces a mannerist and visionary accent to the sacred vision.This small copper painting demonstrates the full technical mastery of Flemish painters, who exploited the reflective brilliance of the metal support. The copper-based greens, with shimmering emerald and turquoise reflections, alternate with deep reds and golden highlights running through the draperies and architectural details, creating an inner luminosity of remarkable intensity.Condition: the robe of Saint John and some marginal areas show very delicate retouching, due to the naturally lower adhesion of pigments on copper. Overall, the painting has preserved a remarkable chromatic strength and remains in good condition.