The Four Evangelists (Jordaens)

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The Four Evangelists is a 1625–1630 oil painting by Flemish artist Jacob Jordaens. It shows the four Gospel writers from the knees up: John in a white robe is in the foreground, and Matthew sits on the far right writing, while the other two cannot be identified because they lack identifying symbols. Matthew’s head was modeled on Abraham Grapheus. All four figures look intently at an open book on a table and appear thoughtful, weathered from hard work. A glimpse of sky is visible behind a red drapery in the background. The painting measures 133 by 118 cm and is now in the Louvre, Paris. It is connected to an earlier work in the estate of Pieter Lastman, who also made a copy. The work later passed to the French count Rigaud and was sold in 1784 to Louis XVI; it was shown at the Louvre’s opening in 1793.