Standing Apostle (Probably Saint John the Evangelist) (c. 1430): Art, History and Details

Standing Apostle (Probably Saint John the Evangelist) (c. 1430) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Master of the Saint-Omer Apostles (Southern Netherlandish, active Bruges?).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This figure, likely from a cycle of the 12 apostles, probably has its original coloring. The transparent cream-colored alabaster includes typical veining that supports the play of light and shadow in the rich folds. The gilded hems intensify the richness of the drapery. The less detailed treatment of the backs of the sculpture is also typical since they may not have been visible when displayed. The figure was prepared in a workshop to be adapted to the conditions at their destination. It was probably created by an artist based in Bruges (Belgium), who was in close contact with the workshop of the so-called Rimini Altarpiece there.

Object facts

• Title: Standing Apostle (Probably Saint John the Evangelist)
• Date: c. 1430
• Creator attribution: Master of the Saint-Omer Apostles (Southern Netherlandish, active Bruges?)
• Culture: Southern Netherlands or Northern France
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: Alabaster
• Dimensions: Overall: 23.7 x 10.2 x 5.9 cm (9 5/16 x 4 x 2 5/16 in.)
• Collection: MED - Gothic
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 2022.41.1

A detail from the museum

Alabaster is very soft; after 20 minutes of treatment with water, the surface will dissolve.

Collection credit

Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Van Drival, Eugène. Catalogue de l'exposition d'objets d'art religieux: ouverte à Lille en 1874. Bishops Stortford, Herts: Chadwyck-Healey, 1874.
• Kunsthalle Köln, Schnütgen-Museum, Belgium, and Musées royaux d'art et d'histoire (Belgium). Rhein Und Maas: Kunst Und Kultur, 800-1400. 1972.
• Steyaert, John William, and Monique Tahon-Vanroose. Late Gothic Sculpture: The Burgundian Netherlands. Ghent: Ludion Press, 1994.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.