Saul on the Road to Damascus 1691 - 1727

Johann Sigismund Ebert made this oil-on-metal artwork, Saul on the Road to Damascus, during the late 17th or early 18th century in what is now Germany. The circular format, and the floral decoration, suggests that this may have originally been part of a larger decorative object, perhaps even part of the interior decor of a noble residence. The scene in the center depicts the conversion of Saul, a key moment in the establishment of Christianity as an institution. Saul, a persecutor of early Christians, is thrown from his horse and blinded by a divine light, after which he converts and becomes the Apostle Paul. The placement of such a scene within a decorative object intended for private use speaks to the complex ways in which religious and secular power were intertwined. Looking at the archival records of artistic production and patronage in Ebert’s time might help us understand the social function of such an image, and how it participated in the religious and political life of its time.