St. John at the Latin Gate, Filippino Lippi

Filippino Lippi, St. John at the Latin Gate

1487-1503
Fresco
Strozzi Chapel, Santa Maria Novella, Florence

In the Golden Legend the Emperor Domitian orders St. John the Evangelist to be taken to Rome's Latin Gate and "cast into a vat or a ton full of hot oil in the presence of the senators." The fresco pictures only two men with Domitian who could be "senators"; the rest are his soldiers and servants. The locale is registered by the classical architecture, the portion of the city walls in the background, the "SPQR" banner on the left, and the military standard on the right.

In portraits and in narrative images from the gospels this saint is pictured as a beardless youth, so it is remarkable that Lippi's John has white hair and beard. His senescence is even emphasized by his bent posture and lack of muscle tone.

When the oil failed to harm the apostle, the emperor ordered him exiled to the island of Patmos.

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Photographed at the site by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.