St. Paul Preaching at Athens
Print
1778 (printed), 1780 (published)
1778 (printed), 1780 (published)
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The so-called Raphael Cartoons, which this print reproduces, are seven full size designs for tapestries by the great Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). They illustrate passages from the Bible concerning the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. None of them is smaller than ten feet high by thirteen feet wide. They belong to Her Majesty the Queen and have been on loan to this museum since 1865. The earliest print relating to the Raphael Cartoons dates from 1516, the year in which Raphael received final payment for the commission. It inaugurates an extraordinary case study in the history of printmaking, stretching over more than four hundred and fifty years and across a wide range of printmaking techniques. This print is in reverse of the cartoon and therefore the same direction as the tapestry.
Object details
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| Materials and techniques | etching on paper |
| Brief description | Etching by L. Sommerau after a cartoon by Raphael. Paul Preaching at Athens. Italian, printed in Rome, 1778. |
| Physical description | Saint Paul stands on steps in front of a building, right, preaching to a crowd. Behind is a townscape and two buildings, one rotund with marble columns and statues in niches, the other square with arches. There is a statue of Mars just behind the listening crowd. The image is surrouned by a simple border. This scene is in reverse of the cartoon from which it is derived and is faithful in compositional detail. |
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| Literary reference | Bible, Acts, 18 |
| Summary | The so-called Raphael Cartoons, which this print reproduces, are seven full size designs for tapestries by the great Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (1483-1520). They illustrate passages from the Bible concerning the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. None of them is smaller than ten feet high by thirteen feet wide. They belong to Her Majesty the Queen and have been on loan to this museum since 1865. The earliest print relating to the Raphael Cartoons dates from 1516, the year in which Raphael received final payment for the commission. It inaugurates an extraordinary case study in the history of printmaking, stretching over more than four hundred and fifty years and across a wide range of printmaking techniques. This print is in reverse of the cartoon and therefore the same direction as the tapestry. |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.707F-1888 |
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| Record created | June 30, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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