The Conversion of Saul
The Joseph F. McCrindle Collection.
This anonymous Italian drawing of Paul the Apostle shows him as the Pharisee Saul, falling from his horse in the act of miraculous conversion from a persecutor of Christians to an Apostle. According to the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 9, 22, 26), Saul was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus to arrest Jesus' followers, when he saw a blinding light and heard a divine voice. In the drawing, Saul's companions have not yet recognized his transformation; rather, Saul's individual communication with God is stressed in the center of the composition. The drawing was gridded for transfer first in red chalk and then in brown ink, suggesting it served in preparation for a larger painting, or possibly a tapestry.