The Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist

Jean Duvet was the first recorded French engraver, who, nevertheless, adapted figures from the examples of Italian artists. Typical of the earliest engravers, Duvet was trained by his father as a metalworker but also created painted-glass windows. In this engraving of The Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist, the density of figures, bold contours and decorative detailing recall certain stylistic characteristics of both crafts. Here, the Evangelist is shown being forced into a vat of boiling oil from which he would emerge unscathed, only to be exiled to the island of Patmos, where he would write the Apocalypse or Revelation of Saint John.