St Paul on the Road to Damascus
Embroidered Picture
1650-1700 (made)
1650-1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Embroidery was widely used in the 17th century for the decoration of religious and domestic objects. High-quality pieces like this were commissioned from professional workshops, sometimes for display in private chapels. Other pieces with religious subjects were embroidered by amateur needlewomen for display within the home.
Materials & Making
This embroidery was probably made in a professional workshop in London, though it might have come from Flanders (Belgium). Fine work such as this was carried out in England by members of the Broderers' Company. The Company had been granted its charter for the organisation of professional work in 1561 and had the power of controlling the quality of embroideries sold to the public.
Subject Depicted
This scene shows Saint Paul on the road to Damascus. The story, in which Saint Paul converted to Christianity, is told in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. Scenes from the Bible were extremely popular as subjects for embroidered pictures in the 17th century, but the great majority were taken from the Old rather than the New Testament.
Embroidery was widely used in the 17th century for the decoration of religious and domestic objects. High-quality pieces like this were commissioned from professional workshops, sometimes for display in private chapels. Other pieces with religious subjects were embroidered by amateur needlewomen for display within the home.
Materials & Making
This embroidery was probably made in a professional workshop in London, though it might have come from Flanders (Belgium). Fine work such as this was carried out in England by members of the Broderers' Company. The Company had been granted its charter for the organisation of professional work in 1561 and had the power of controlling the quality of embroideries sold to the public.
Subject Depicted
This scene shows Saint Paul on the road to Damascus. The story, in which Saint Paul converted to Christianity, is told in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. Scenes from the Bible were extremely popular as subjects for embroidered pictures in the 17th century, but the great majority were taken from the Old rather than the New Testament.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | St Paul on the Road to Damascus (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Satin ground embroidered in silk, with painted details |
| Brief description | Embroidered picture in silks showing 'St Paul on the road to Damascus', probably embroidered in London, 1650-1700 |
| Physical description | Embroidered picture showing St Paul on the road to Damascus. Satin ground embroidered in silks, and with some painted details. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL: an embroidery and its printed source Before the embroiderer of this panel (top) began work, the design was drawn onto the silk by a specialist, professional pattern drawer. He took his design directly from the print but modified it. He raised the horizon, adding buildings and plants, and changed the positions of the figures in relation to one another. The embroiderer further adapted the print by choosing the colours to be used.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Dorothy Hilton |
| Object history | Registered File number 1988/338. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Object Type Embroidery was widely used in the 17th century for the decoration of religious and domestic objects. High-quality pieces like this were commissioned from professional workshops, sometimes for display in private chapels. Other pieces with religious subjects were embroidered by amateur needlewomen for display within the home. Materials & Making This embroidery was probably made in a professional workshop in London, though it might have come from Flanders (Belgium). Fine work such as this was carried out in England by members of the Broderers' Company. The Company had been granted its charter for the organisation of professional work in 1561 and had the power of controlling the quality of embroideries sold to the public. Subject Depicted This scene shows Saint Paul on the road to Damascus. The story, in which Saint Paul converted to Christianity, is told in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. Scenes from the Bible were extremely popular as subjects for embroidered pictures in the 17th century, but the great majority were taken from the Old rather than the New Testament. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.60-1988 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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