17th-century Spanish school.

17th-century Spanish school.
“The Conversion of Saint Paul.”
Oil on canvas. Relined
19th-century frame.
Measurements: 89x63 cm; 98x72 cm (frame).
This work depicts the traditional scene of the Conversion of Saint Paul, showing the saint falling from his horse in an interesting, dramatic composition. In the upper left corner, Christ appears emerging from the clouds, surrounded by a golden light. The skillful use of foreshortening is particularly noteworthy. Saint Paul was a Hellenized Jew of the Diaspora, born in Tarsus. He was therefore Jewish by ethnicity, Greek by culture, and Roman by nationality. He was given the name Saul, which he changed to Paul after his conversion. Born in the early first century, he studied in Jerusalem under Rabbi Gamaliel, who was reportedly known for his hatred of Christians. One day, around the year 35, while traveling from Jerusalem to Damascus, he was blinded by a flash of light and fell from his horse. He then heard the voice of Jesus saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” As a result of this experience, the saint abruptly went from being a persecutor to a defender of Christianity. After healing a Christian in Damascus of his blindness, he began his life as a missionary, eventually arriving in Jerusalem where he met Peter and the other apostles. In the Middle Ages, numerous guilds were placed under his patronage, due to various aspects of his iconography, life, and miracles. However, Saint Paul was never a popular saint, as evidenced by the relative scarcity of his iconography. In fact, the role he plays in art bears no relation to his importance in the spread of Christianity. In early Christian art, his only attributes are a book or a scroll, and in the 13th century, his emblem—the sword that was the instrument of his martyrdom—appeared.