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Conversion of St. Paul
Ragot, François, born 1638 - died 1670 - Enlarge image
Conversion of St. Paul
- Object:
Engraving
- Place of origin:
Paris, France (published)
- Date:
1650-70 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Ragot, François, born 1638 - died 1670 (printmaker)
Rubens, born 1577 - died 1640 (after, painter (artist))
Mariette, Pierre (I), born 1596 - died 1657 (publisher)
Bolswert, Schelte, born 1581 - died 1659 (copy of a print by, printmaker) - Materials and Techniques:
engraving print on paper
- Credit Line:
Bequeathed by Rev. Alexander Dyce
- Museum number:
DYCE.2457
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 56d, case 17
Object Type
This is a print of a type known as an engraving. The image is made by cutting lines into the surface of a flat piece of metal, inking the plate and then transferring the ink held in the lines onto a sheet of paper.
Source
The print is entitled The Conversion of Saint Paul. It is a copy of another engraving based on a painting by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. The original oil painting dates from around 1621, and the V&A print was made sometime between then and 1657, when the publisher, Pierre Mariette, died.
The painting was in Berlin but was destroyed during the Second World War. An oil sketch of the same subject but with some differences in the composition, is in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Subject Depicted
This print depicts a dramatic event in the life of the apostle Paul described the Bible (Acts 9:1-9). Paul was Jewish by race but inherited Roman citizenship from his father. He was riding to Damascus to obtain authorisation from the synagogue to arrest Christians when he was blinded by a light from heaven, which also caused him to fall to the ground. He and his companions heard the voice of God asking him why he was persecuting Christians. Paul was later baptised as a Christian, and together with Peter, was seen as one of the joint founders of the Christian Church.
