Saint Paul, miniature [Italy (Rome), c.1580-1600]

214x160mm, vellum, reverse blank, in excellent condition, framed

Faint stamp LB(?) (deliberately obscured, perhaps Lugt 1713b; not identified): found on prints in the collection of Earl of Malmesbury, sold at Christie’s, London, 1950.

From the collection of Henri Ledoux of Paris, 20th-century (Lugt 4052): collector of autograph letters, drawings, and prints; works including his stamp appeared on the market in the 1980s, notably at Sotheby’s, New York, 8 January 1984; in London at Christie’s, 3 March 1984, and Sotheby’s, 2 July 1984; and at Ader, Paris, 2 October 1985.

This powerful composition painted in gouache is an independent High Renaissance miniature. The pointillist technique, strongly foreshortened muscular figure, and harmonious pastel colours compare to the work of GIULIO CLOVIO (1498-1578). His highly classicizing compositions reveal a profound debt to Michelangelo. The many arcane iconographic allusions in this miniature are unusual. Inspired by Michelangelo’s statue of Moses in Rome, the bold figure depicts Saint Paul as an aged man, presented as a philosopher and a writer. Holding a pen in his right hand, he leans on a colossal book, while other volumes, a pen quiver, and an inkwell rest at his feet. The toad prominently placed in the foreground is a symbol of the devil. The serpent refers to the event when St Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake but remained unharmed (Paul is thus invoked against snakebites). The snail, leaving a trail as it climbs up the books, originally a symbol for sluggishness, receives a positive meaning in the 16th and 17th century and becomes a symbol of satisfaction and cautious thoughtfulness. At St Paul’s side, his customary symbol, a huge sword rests against his leg. In the sky to the right appears a mirage of his conversion, an overturned horse whose rider is struck down and blinded by lightning.