The Conversion of St. Paul

Saul, the persecutor of Christians, has been hurled from his horse on the road to Damascus, struck by a divine light bursting at the upper left; he sprawls on the ground, arm flung up, gazing into the radiance that will turn him into the apostle Paul (Acts 9:1-9). Parmigianino gives the great white horse a rearing, almost balletic elegance and the whole scene a polished, theatrical sophistication. A leading Mannerist, he prized grace and artifice over plain naturalism - the same refined sensibility as his Madonna with the Long Neck, also in this collection.