The Conversion of St Paul

In this scene text conveys dialogue: God’s voice speaking to the Roman skeptic Saul, whom he struck to the ground and blinded. This shattering encounter transformed Saul from a persecutor of Christians into the Apostle Paul, one of the founders of the Christian Church.

The painting was originally part of a predella, the lower register of an altarpiece, whose smaller scale and less prominent location allowed artists to experiment with drama and illusion in a way that was impossible in the static images of the main part of the altarpiece.