Imaginary Landscape with St. John on Patmos

This blue landscape provides the backdrop for a Bible story from the Book of Revelation: the vision of John, in which he sees Mary and her child appear in heaven. But here it is the imaginary landscape that dominates with its turbulent sea, fairy-tale mountains and bustling harbour. And an endless sense of depth.

This painting is one of the earliest large-format landscapes. The Flemish painter Hans Bol painted this imaginary landscape using watercolour on linen. Paintings like this are particularly fragile, and few have withstood the ravages of time.