Four Evangelists with Saints Peter and Paul seated at a table

The Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; in Christian tradition they are attributed with writing the Gospels which bear their respective names in the New Testament of the Bible. Here they are seated around a table with two other saints, Peter and Paul. Several of the figures have their attributes, or identifying symbols, near them. For example, the bull on the left is associated with Luke and the eagle just right of centre represents John the Evangelist. This drawing is by an Italian artist, probably from around 1600. William Roscoe sold the drawing as by Ludovico Carracci (1555 - 1619). The British Museum curator Nicholas Turner suggested attributions to a follower of Battista Franco Veneziano (about 1510 - 1516) or Girolamo da Carpi (1501 - 1556).