Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist

The Master of Aiguatèbia's Martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist, painted around 1450 and now in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, depicts the legendary episode in which the Emperor Domitian attempted to execute the Apostle John by plunging him into boiling oil near the Porta Latina in Rome — only for John to emerge miraculously unharmed. This miracle of divine protection was one of the key episodes in the Evangelist's hagiography and was frequently depicted in Spanish retable cycles devoted to John, the only Apostle believed to have died a natural death rather than as a martyr.

Tempera on panel with punched gold background. The composition centers on the large cauldron of boiling oil with John standing in it unharmed, surrounded by officials and soldiers. Figures are arranged in a shallow, frieze-like space typical of Gothic retable painting.