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The Conversion of Paul

Albrecht Dürer · 1494

An engraving by Albrecht Dürer from 1494 depicting Paul's dramatic fall from his horse during his conversion on the road to Damascus.

Depicts Paul's conversion, the dramatic event on the road to Damascus that redirected his life's mission.

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Black and white engraving of a dramatic scene: a rider on a rearing white horse falls backward amid a mountain landscape, with a fallen horse in the foreground, armed attendants on the left and right, a castle on a hill, and clouds with a bright burst of light above.
Albrecht Dürer, The Conversion of Paul, 1494. Engraving.

About this source

What it is

This is an engraving made by the German artist Albrecht Dürer in 1494. It depicts the moment from the Acts of the Apostles when Paul is thrown from his horse during a vision on the road to Damascus.

Why it matters

Dürer was one of the most skilled printmakers of the Renaissance, and this engraving shows how artists used dramatic action and light to convey a spiritual experience. The image reflects how widely the story of Paul's conversion was known and depicted across Europe, and how printmaking allowed such images to spread to many people.

Look closer

  • How does Dürer use light and the position of figures to show this is a moment of sudden shock?
  • Why might an artist choose to show the horse rearing rather than a calmer scene?
  • What does this image leave out that the written account in Acts might include?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Paul on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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