After Raphael - St Paul rending his garments c.1853-76

The Apostle Paul is depicted in a moment of intense emotional reaction, his head bowed and hands grasping his robes at the chest. The fine line work captures the weight and folds of his classical mantle, characteristic of the High Renaissance style. This figure is a study of the human form used to express an internal rejection of idolatry.

This figure originates from a scene in Acts 14 where Paul and Barnabas are mistaken for Mercury and Jupiter. It represents the Renaissance intellectual effort to navigate the relationship between Christian revelation and the 'prisca theologia' (ancient pagan wisdom), a central theme for humanists who sought to synthesize classical philosophy with theology.