This composition drawing was preparatory for the Conversion of Saint Paul (Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna), one of the great, documented altarpieces by the artist, which was originally commissioned for the Cappella Zambeccari at the Church of San Francesco in Bologna. The drawing, which can be dated to 1587–89 by extant payment records for the altarpiece, is a work from the artist's early maturity.

The composition captures the drama of Paul's conversion with magical effects of light, set within a diagonal construction of space. Indicated on the upper part of the sheet is the arched shape of the altarpiece. In the lower center of the foreground, the incredulous Paul has just been struck off his rearing horse and rendered blind. He appears to be struggling with the divine light that alludes to Christ. The artist placed Paul, as the protagonist of the story, headfirst and close to the spectator's eye for great visual impact. He is surrounded by agitated soldiers attending to other panicked horses, and the scene unfolds before the walls of a medieval city meant to represent Damascus. The heavenly light emanates from the upper right in rays that are exquisitely calibrated with brush and wash.