Hieronymus Bosch, Saint John on Patmos
ca 1490-95Paintings sorted by   Historical period  |   Painter  |  Subject matter  |  Pigments used
Overview
Hieronymus Bosch ‘Saint John on Patmos’ shows Saint John in his exile on the island Patmos. The reverse side is round (tondo) and depicts the Passion scenes.
The painting was thoroughly investigated by The Bosch Research and Conservation Project. The results of this investigation were published in a magnificent book referenced below. An extensive interactive online feature at the website of the project complements the book and shows all the images from the book in high resolution.
The pigment analysis revealed a limited palette consisting of the cheaper pigments employed in the Renaissance period, such as lead white, red lake, azurite, and lead-tin yellow.
Medium:Â Oil
Support: Oak
Size: 63 cm × 43.3 cm
Art period: Renaissance
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie
Painting at the website of the BOSCH PROJECT
Back side of the panel
Back side: ‘Passion Scenes’
Story in the Bible
Revelation 1:9
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
A Vision of Christ
9Â I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Pigments
Pigment Analysis
This pigment analysis is based on the work of the scientists at The Bosch Research and Conservation Project (1). The scientists employed x-ray radiography (XRR), infrared photography (IRP) and infrared reflectography (IRR) to gain insights into the inner layers of the painting and to identify the pigments.
1 Saint John’s red robe: lead white underpainting and red lake.
2 Sky, blue hills and the angel: azurite and lead white in varying proportions.
3Â Yellow Moon:Â lead-tin yellow.
4Â Green foliage in the middle ground:Â green paint with highlights in lead-tin yellow and lead white.
References
(2) Luuk Hoogstede, Ron Spronk, Matthijs Ilsink, Robert G. Erdmann, Jos Koldeweij, Rik Klein Gotink, Hieronymus Bosch, Painter and Draughtsman: Technical Studies, Yale University Press, 2016, pp. 118 – 129.
Pigments Used in This Painting
Resources
See the collection of online and offline resources such as books, articles, videos, and websites on Hieronymus Bosch in the section ‘Resources on Painters‘
PowerPoint Presentations
Painter in Context: Hieronymus Bosch
A richly illustrated presentation on the painting technique and pigments employed by Hieronymus Bosch specially crafted for Art Education. (Number of Slides = 20)
- Each presentation starts with the basic resources on the painter such as his biography, main catalogs of his paintings, and a bibliography.
- Next, you find slides describing the painting technique of the artist and the pigments he usually employed in his work.
- The majority of the slides show examples of paintings containing the specific pigments.
Slides showing the basic resources on the life and works of the Northern Renaissance painter Hieronymus Bosch.Â
The painting technique and all pigments employed by Bosch are shown in the next slides.
The majority of the slides show important examples of paintings where Bosch employed specific pigments. The slides are organized according to the color of the pigments.
Publications and Websites
Publications
(1) Matthijs Ilsink, Jos Koldeweij, Hieronymus Bosch: Painter and Draughtsman – Catalogue raisonné, Yale University Press, New Haven and London; 2016. pp 161-179.
This book is also available online in pdf format in two parts: part I and part II.
(2) Luuk Hoogstede, Ron Spronk, Matthijs Ilsink, Robert G. Erdmann, Jos Koldeweij, Rik Klein Gotink, Hieronymus Bosch, Painter and Draughtsman: Technical Studies, Yale University Press, 2016, pp. 118 – 129.
Websites
Website of the Bosch Project
Website of the Bosch Research and Conservation Project
