Saint John the Evangelist (Capponi Chapel)

The artwork

Of the four Evangelists in the roundels of the Capponi Chapel, this is the only one that scholars attribute to Pontormo with certainty; the others have been attributed, wholly or in part, to the young Bronzino. It comes printed on handmade Amalfi paper, in a handmade frame.

• John the Evangelist in a tondo, with the figure seeming to step out of the frame.
• A tondo looks good above a chest of drawers, in an entrance hall, in a bedroom.
• A gift for anyone who loves Florence and its lesser-known masterpieces.

Pontormo decorated the Capponi Chapel, in the church of Santa Felicita in Florence, between 1525 and 1528: the great Deposition above the altar, the Annunciation on the wall and, up high, the four roundels with the Evangelists.

The roundels are painted in oil on panel and measure about seventy centimetres across. The figures seem to lean out beyond the edge, reaching towards those who look up at them from below. They were restored with the support of Friends of Florence, before the work on the whole chapel.

They had already left the church in 2010, for the Bronzino exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi. Now they are in Rome, at the Scuderie del Quirinale, mounted in a semicircle in a reconstruction of the chapel, beside the Deposition.

Above a chest of drawers or in an entrance hall, the round shape brings movement to the wall. It is the gift for anyone who loves Florence and the details that can barely be seen from below.

Unique quality material

Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
Framed size: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: dark brown with a gold fillet, handmade, with glass