The Four Evangelists, literally proclaimers of the good news, are the authors of the four canonical Gospels that describe the life of Christ in the New Testament.

The symbolic images of the Four Evangelists are related to two sources in the Christian bible -  Revelations (4:5-11) and Ezekiel (1:1-14). The Book of Revelations describes in detail the ‘four living creatures’ surrounding the throne of God -  full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside ...:

The description of the four ‘living creatures’ around the throne of God, was appropriated for the Evangelists in the second century AD by one of the first great Christian theologians, St Irenaeus.  To back up his argument that there were only four true gospels, he described their authors as the ‘four living creatures’ around the throne of God, and ‘the four pillars’ on which the Church is built.  They were extraordinarily appropriate, given the content of each of the gospels.

The winged man, or angel, came of symbolise St, Matthew, whose gospel is based around the manhood of Christ, beginning with his genealogy from Abraham.

The regal winged lion symbolised St Mark, whose gospel concerns the role of Christ as King, or Christ in Majesty, beginning with the description of John the Baptist roaring like a lion in the desert.

The winged bull, a sacrificial animal, symbolised St Luke, who uses the theme of sacrifice and strength within his gospel, beginning with the temple duties of Zaccharias.

The eagle, a creature of the sky, symbolised St John, whose gospel is concerned with the divine nature of Christ.

Images of the four evangelists appear from the fourth century, carved in church and cathedral portals and illustrated in Christian manuscripts.  I was struck by a particular image of them while attending first year lectures at the Courtauld Institute – a page from the 9th Century illuminated manuscript of the Gospels in Latin – the Book of Kells.

As a figurative artist and art historian, I have often returned to traditional subject matter for inspiration. The opportunity to make these sculptures arose when I was invited to make an installation for St Stephen’s in Kensington.  The tall, dark chancel and the crisp black and white chequered floor with the blue rose window up above called for tall sculptures, almost like chess pieces.  The four sculptures are made to form a protective zone with their wings, like guardians.  They are supposed to be listening and still, but very much with a nod in the direction of the ‘four living creatures’. Like most other artists that have represented them, the multiple eyes and wings have been abandoned in favour of their less monstrous counterparts.