Drawing, Burning of the Books at Ephesus, three preparatory studies for an illusionistic lunette in the dome of St Paul's Cathedral by Sir James Thornhill, pencil, pen and ink, ca. 1715

Drawing in pencil gone over in pen and ink. Three designs for an illustrionistic lunette in the dome of St Paul's Cathedral depicting the burning of the books at Ephesus.

Provenance: Purchased from J.J. Hickie in 1906

Sir James Thornhill received the sought-after commission to decorate the dome of the cathedral in 1715 and completed the project in 1717, for which he was paid a total of £6575. The terms of the commission stipulated that the dome be painted with scenes from the New Testament’s Acts of the Apostles and that they should be executed in monochrome to give the appearance of sculptural relief.

The Burning of the Books at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-19) is the sixth scene from the life of St Paul.

These drawings are preliminary studies for one of the illusionistic lunettes decorating the interior of the dome in St Paul's Cathedral. Sir James Thornhill received the coveted commission to decorate the dome of the cathedral in 1715 and completed the project in 1717.

Each drawing depicts the burning of the books at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-19), one of the ten scenes from the life of the saint depicted on the dome. Thornhill loosely sketched each composition in pencil before going over the designs in pen and ink.

D.695-1906