Glossary
Eagle
The eagle is an attribute of St John the Evangelist and one of the four beasts from the Book of Revelation.
It is also an attribute of Jupiter (or Zeus). According to Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' Jupiter disguised himself as an eagle in order to carry off the youth, Ganymede, with whom he had fallen in love.
Saint John the Evangelist on the Island of Patmos from Two Paintings for the Shod Carmelites, Seville
Diego Velázquez
about 1618
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN