Design for a Pediment, St Paul 

Curator: This is Sir James Thornhill's design for a pediment at St. Paul's Cathedral, currently held in the Tate Collections. Editor: Wow, there's a real sense of frantic energy! It’s like a Baroque hailstorm of horses and angels. Curator: Indeed, Thornhill was crucial in introducing Baroque decorative painting to England. This sketch illustrates the kind of grand, allegorical narratives he was known for. Editor: Allegorical is right. It feels like a dream unfolding in a single, chaotic moment. I wonder what it would have been like to see this realized on a massive scale. Curator: Well, St. Paul’s represents a significant moment in English architectural history, and Thornhill’s contributions underscored its symbolic importance. Editor: I can see that. Makes you think about how art translates across mediums, from these frantic lines to a full-blown architectural element. Pretty wild.