Saint John the Apostle on Patmos (1475/1478) by Maestro gesuato o Cristoforo e Agostino de MottisVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
When Saint John and Mary left Jerusalem after Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection, they did everything they could to spread Christianity in Asia Minor (today western Anatolia), establishing themselves in Ephesus.
As a result of his preaching, in 95 CE, Saint John was exiled for two years by Emperor Domitian to Patmos, a Dodecanese island.
It was in this place that the Apostle had the visions that led him to write the Apocalypse (the Book of Revelation), which is the last of the 27 books of the New Testament.
The cave of Saint Anna, where the visions occurred is considered to be one of the most important sites for Christianity. That is why Patmos is referred to as the Jerusalem of the Mediterranean.
In the 1475 painting, which is the work of Cristoforo and Agostino de Mottis, entitled Saint John on the island of Patmos, the saint is portrayed sitting with a book on his knees with the intention of writing the Apocalypse.
In the lower left corner, some closed books can be seen; these probably allude to the Gospel and all three Epistles written by the Apostle.
The original work, which is currently kept inside the Duomo Museum, was discovered in 1968 behind the altar that is situated in front of window V07 and substituted in situ with a copy by Giuseppe Bertuzzi.
The panel, which is original in a large part, has been broadly reworked in grisaille, while the face of Saint John has undoubtedly been replaced.
The colors of the Saint's holy attire - bright blue and warm magenta - are highly luminous and make a great impact.
Saint John on Patmos (1544/1545) by Maestro vetraio ignotoVeneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
The same subject—Saint John on Patmos—is the protagonist of another panel on exhibition at the cathedral museum, and is the work of a previous, unknown master glassmaker.
