« Back to “Early Drawing and the Written Word”
« Back to Curatorial Comment: “Medieval Inks”
Saint Paul Preaching to the Jews and Gentiles of Rome
From the Pauline Epistles
Saint Gall, Switzerland; second half of ninth century
Stiftsbibliothek, Saint Gall, Cod. 64
All the passions of a heated exchange find visual expression in this drawing notable for its restless line. The work accompanies a commentary on Paul’s letter to the Romans that emphasizes Paul’s role as a peacemaker between the two groups. Its artist, whose figures share a distinctive paunch, stern visage, and single way eyebrow, provided drawn illustrations for a number of manuscripts attributed to the region around Saint Gall. The scriptorium of Saint Gall specialized in books illustrated with line drawings, many of which survive in the largely intact library of the current-day monastery.