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In 1454 Piero agreed to paint a polyptych for the Augustinians of Borgo San Sepolcro; the painting was to be finished within eight years and was intended for their monastery. As usual, the work was not completed until much later. The polyptych later dismembered and the panels were scattered. It was only in the twentieth century that scholars succeeded in reconstructing this work. Among the parts of the polyptych that have unfortunately not survived there is also the central panel which represented the Virgin Enthroned.
St John the Evangelist was one of the four side panels depicting four saints (St Augustine and St Michael at the left side and St John the Evangelist and St Nicholas of Tolentino at the right).
Against a background which is a realistically constructed space with a marble balustrade stands the figure of St John. It is dynamic yet elegant. His lined face, surrounded by white hair, his bony hand weighted down by the heavy book, even the ornate borders of the garment that unexpectedly shows through under the wide cloak, are elements that stand out and appear to force their way through Piero's earlier sense of measure.
The bright colours on this panel are the result of a recent restoration.
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