St John is lost in thought as he ponders the mystery of the Incarnation. His right hand is held close to his mouth, while the left points to the opening lines of his Gospel. An angel in a crimson cloak is seen over the evangelist’s left shoulder, leaning towards the ear. On the left of the panel, a winged lion is perched on a table. Although today John is most commonly associated with an eagle and the lion with Mark, the two symbols have in various times been reversed. The earliest tetramorph of the evangelists was described by Iranaeus of Lyon, and identifies John with the lion. This icon follows this early tradition.
