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The Conversion of Saint Paul

A work made of engraving on paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving on paper.

Date:

n.d.

Artist:

Unknown Artist
Italian, 15th century

About this artwork

The extraterrestrial quality of the apparition in the sky is this engraving’s most unusual aspect. This flying, saucerlike disk presumably bears the resurrected Christ’s appearance to Paul. Paul cowers with his hand up in the air to block out the blinding light, an expression of fright on his face. In this vision, Christ says to Paul, a notorious killer of Christians, “By persecuting my church you make it flourish, and only prick and hurt yourself.” Paul sees the light and may be depicted a second time at the back of the scene, preaching with his sword in hand.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Unknown artist

Title

The Conversion of Saint Paul

Place

Italy (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1401–1500

Medium

Engraving on paper

Dimensions

Plate: 12.4 × 8.2 cm (4 15/16 × 3 1/4 in.); Sheet: 12.5 × 8.4 cm (4 15/16 × 3 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.

Reference Number

1956.990

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/4223/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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