Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist
Author: Unknown
Date: 17th century, beginning
Material: Oil on chestnut
Dimensions (cm): H 140 x W 51,2
Provenance: Guimarães, Brotherhood of Nossa Senhora do Carmo da Penha
Inventory No.: MAS P 58
This panel depicts one of the martyrdoms that, according to the legend, Saint John suffered. The saint appears with a naked trunk, with his hands in position of prayer and the eyes raised to the sky. He is inside a cauldron, which is placed on a grill put over a fire. On the right side, there are three other male figures: on the upper corner, an old man; a bit lower, a man is carrying a bundle of wooden stakes and, on the lower corner, another one is lighting the fire.
This panel and another one (MAS P 59) of local origin depicting episodes of the Life of Saint John the Evangelist are part of the permanent exhibition of the museum. According to Vítor Serrão, these Mannerist works, of a very conventional execution, follow Nordic Mannerist prints inspired by Martin de Vos (1532 – 1603).