# Apostle St John [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [KEYSER, Thomas de]() - Date: 1601-1650 - Technique: Oil on canvas, 114 x 80 cm ## Commentary This painting and its companion piece, Virgin Mary, were probably intended to be shown at either side of a representation of the crucified Christ, a hypothesis supported by St John's gaze. Since the Virgin and the Apostle have been portrayed as sculptures in a niche, in an architectural setting, the absent Christ would probably have been a statue. Unfortunately, the effect the sculpture would have had in the niche is offset by the extravagant frame. Apart from creating the illusion of figures in a niche - St John's toes extend over the pedestal, and the emphatic shadows draw the figure out of the background - the depiction is remarkable in another way, too. St John is usually shown clean-shaven - here he has a moustache and goatee beard. Perhaps this is a portrait of a sitter in the role of the Apostle. It is noticeable that his face has more individual characteristics than the Virgin's. ## Related artworks - [A Lady]() - [A Musician and His Daughter]() - [Constantijn Huygens and his Clerk]() - [Equestrian Portrait of Pieter Schout]() - [Portrait of a Gentleman]() - [Portrait of a Gentleman]() - [Portrait of a Man]() - [Portrait of a Man with a Shell]() - [Portrait of a Silversmith]() - [Portrait of a Woman with a Balance]() - [Portrait of a Young Boy]() - [The Militia Company of Captain Allaert Cloeck]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()