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On the Greek island of Patmos, Saint John the Evangelist had a vision of the Woman of the Apocalypse, which he recorded in the New Testament Book of Revelation. Here he sits with an oversized book in his lap, his quill pen poised, and looks towards the tiny illuminated female figure hovering in the clouds above him. She is accompanied by a dragon – the devil – ready, according to Saint John, to devour her baby as soon as it is born. She is given wings, faintly visible behind her, to escape. This woman is often understood to be the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ. The vision is associated with the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, the belief that Mary was herself conceived without sin. This painting is paired with The Immaculate Conception, which shows the Virgin standing on a moon and surrounded by stars, like in the vision we see here.
Title
Saint John the Evangelist on the Island of Patmos
Date
about 1618
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 135.5 x W 102.2 cm
Accession number
NG6264
Acquisition method
Bought with a special grant and contributions from The Pilgrim Trust and The Art Fund, 1956
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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