Saint Paul the Apostle

What it is

This is an etching made in 1791 by F. Bartolozzi after a painting by the artist Benjamin West. It shows a robed, radiant figure on a rocky shore shaking a serpent from his hand into a fire, surrounded by onlookers in ancient dress. It is held by the Wellcome Collection.

Why it matters

This print shows a dramatic episode from accounts of Paul's life, used by 18th-century artists like West to present him as a figure touched by the miraculous. It reveals how artists of that period used dramatic storytelling and classical settings to depict religious history for audiences of their time.

Look closer

• What makes this scene feel dramatic — look at the gestures, light, and crowd reactions.
• Why might an 18th-century painter choose this particular episode to depict?
• How does the setting and clothing in the image reflect the artist's own era rather than Paul's?