In this heroic depiction of the four Evangelists, the figures are portrayed life-size. Shown against the backdrop of a dark, lowering sky, the group is illuminated by a gleam of light bursting through the clouds. On the left looms the figure of Matthew, with his attribute, the angel, behind him. In the centre, half hidden by Matthew, is Luke, who bends over a panel holding a stylus in his right hand. His attribute, the ox, thrusts its head forward to lean its chin on his back. Behind Luke stands the figure of John, swathed in a simple white drapery. His principal attribute, the eagle, hovers over his right shoulder, its wings spread and a pen tube hanging from its beak. To the right sits Mark, grasping a page of the book that leans against a lectern on the table in front of him; his right hand, holding a pen, seems to rest on the head of his attribute—the lion that glowers below.