Der Evangelist Johannes

Art Historical Context

Created in 1721 the Italian-born sculptor Giovanni Giuliani, *Der Evangelist Johannes* is a commanding life-size figure carved from linden wood. Standing 160 centimeters tall, the statue belongs to the rich tradition of Baroque religious sculpture that flourished in early eighteenth-century Vienna. Giuliani, who spent most of his career working for Austrian ecclesiastical and aristocratic patrons, brought a lively sense of movement and expressive detail to his figures, qualities that are especially well suited to the, fine-grained linden wood he favored. As a “Standbild,” or freestanding stat...