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The Conversion of Saint Paul

Andrea Vanni Italian
probably 1380s
Not on view
The Book of Acts recounts the story of Saul, a persecutor of Christians, on the road to Damascus when suddenly "a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me’." The voice identified itself as Jesus and encouraged Saul to convert. Upon doing so, Saul took the name Paul and became one of Jesus’ disciples. This small panel, cut down on all sides, likely formed part of the predella, or base, of a large altarpiece. The cool blue tones of Paul’s robes and sharp features of the soldiers are typical of the style of Andrea Vanni, a bureaucrat as well as an artist in the Tuscan city of Siena in the late fourteenth century.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Conversion of Saint Paul
  • Artist: Andrea Vanni (Italian, Siena, ca. 1330–1413)
  • Date: probably 1380s
  • Medium: Tempera on wood, gold ground
  • Dimensions: 11 7/8 x 11 5/8 in. (30.2 x 29.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.11
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

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