The Beheading of St. Paul

Art Historical Context

Michael Lucas Leopold Willmann, a prominent Baroque artist active in Silesia the late 17th century, captures the dramatic martyrdom of St. Paul in etching and engraving. Known for his richly expressive religious scenes influenced by Rembrandt and Rubens, Willmann depicts the saint's beheading with intense emotion—evident in the tags noting weapons, severed heads, human figures, horses. The composition likely conveys the biblical moment from Acts 12, where Roman soldiers execute Paul, emphasizing faith amid violence, a common Baroque theme to inspire devotion. This print, in its second state o...