St John and St Andrew, by Hans Holbein the Younger, 1518

Chiaroscuro drawings of st john the evangelist and st andrew. Pen and ink and brush, grey wash, white heightening, on grey-brown prepared paper, musée des beaux-arts, lille. St john, 18. 4 × 10. 3 cm st andrew, 18 × 9. 8 cm these sheets are from a group known as "the lille apostles". Eight chiaroscuro drawings have survived, six signed hh and three dated 1518. In that year, holbein was living and working in lucerne, switzerland. The purpose of the drawings is unknown, but drawings of individual apostles were popular in the lower rhine area in holbein's time, and these may have been intended as illustrations to be pasted into a book (müller, 186–88). For the other drawings see four apostles and st peter and st bartholomew. Date: 1518.