Paul the Apostle

Delighting us this week is this superbly painted biblical scene by Richard Westall RA (1769–1836). At small scale in watercolour, Westall assembles nine finely modelled figures, centred around the dramatic encounter of Paul the Apostle with a venomous snake. The composition achieves a fullness of effect—and narrative power—despite its small size, with the dramatic juxtaposition of light and dark, foreground detail and background atmosphere.

Image 3: Portrait of Richard Westall RA by Sir Thomas Lawrence PRA