St Paul seated, and a standing man with hat and billowing mantle 1544 - 1615

Filippo Paladini made this drawing of St Paul and another man in Italy around 1600. It shows Saint Paul seated holding a book, while another man stands beside him wearing a hat and mantle. Drawings such as this one are often preliminary studies for larger paintings and therefore offer a glimpse into the artist’s working process. In the context of sixteenth-century Italy, it reflects the Catholic Church’s renewed emphasis on religious imagery. The Catholic church promoted artworks depicting biblical scenes and saints to inspire faith and devotion during the Counter-Reformation, which was a response to the rise of Protestantism. Paladini’s focus on St Paul suggests the importance of key religious figures. To understand this drawing better, one could investigate the role of religious art in early modern Italy, exploring the visual culture that shaped Paladini’s artistic vision. The meaning of art changes depending on its social and institutional background.