The Conversion of Saul
c. 1549
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 21.1 × 29.3 cm (8 5/16 × 11 9/16 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268351
Art Historical Context
**The Conversion of Saul** by Maerten van Heemskerck captures a pivotal biblical moment from the Book of Acts, where the persecutor Saul—later Saint Paul—is struck blind by a divine light on the road to Damascus, to his dramatic conversion to Christianity. Created around 1549, this etching Heemskerck's mastery as a leading Dutch printmaker of the Northern Renaissance. After traveling to Italy in the 1530s, he infused his work with Mannerist elegance—dynamic compositions, elongated figures, and intricate details—that bridged Northern and Southern European traditions during the Reformation era. ...
About the Artist
Maerten van Heemskerck · 1498–1574
Dutch artist. Comment on works: Painter; history