The Preaching of St Paul after RAPHAEL; Royal Academy

The Preaching of St Paul in Athens circle of or after Sir James Thornhill after Raphael, 18th century circa after 1731, oil on canvas, framed.

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This was originally part of a complete set of full scale painted copies after the Raphael Cartoons of the same subjects associated with the Royal Academy. The full set, as Horace Walpole remarked after the sale of a set in 1735, was not as desirable to own because very few houses would have sufficient space to accommodate the works together. That set sold for £200 (lot 101) and was purchased by John Russell, the fourth Duke of Bedford, a sum that George Vertue remarked was less than the cost of the canvas and colours, indicative that the cost of production of our copy was also very high.

This giant scale oil painting, visualised by the standard sized bottle of wine in the second photograph, is an 18th century copy produced in the circle of or after Sir James Thornhill’s painted versions of Raphael’s celebrated St. Paul Preaching before the Areopagus, one of the seven surviving Raphael Cartoons commissioned by Pope Leo X in 1515-1516 as designs for tapestries for the Sistine Chapel. Thornhill’s copies were executed between 1729 and 1731 at Hampton Court Palace, where he was granted special permission by royal sign-manual to study and reproduce the original cartoons. His copies were intended to serve as artistic exemplars for students and were widely admired for their accuracy and fidelity to Raphael’s compositions.

The scene depicts St Paul delivering his sermon before the Areopagus, the judicial council of Athens, exhorting the gathered crowd to reject idolatry in favour of the Christian faith. The philosopher Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, both mentioned in the biblical account of this scene (Acts 17:34), appear among the audience in the bottom right. A statue of the war god Ares (or Mars) stands in the background, mirroring Paul’s stance but in reverse, symbolising the opposition between ancient pagan beliefs and Christianity. St. Paul's sermon depicted here was specifically addressed to the Gentiles, and this subject emphasises his special role of preaching to them.

Thornhill’s dedication to this series of copies was unparalleled; he spent over two years recreating Raphael’s monumental designs, both as part of his own artistic study and to provide instructional material for future generations of British painters. His work was highly esteemed by contemporaries such as the aforementioned antiquary and engraver George Vertue, who praised his ability to capture the spirit and precision of Raphael’s originals.

This particular copy was originally part of a full set, possibly one of the three sets created under Thornhill’s direction, and later associated with the Royal Academy, but is far more likely a subsequent copy by a student likely executed within either Hampton Court or Windsor Castle, neither of which were publicly accessible during the 18th century, and so would have been executed by a student within the 18th century Royal Academy.

The original Raphael cartoons were hung at Hampton Court from 1697 to 1763. They were later moved to Windsor Castle, and then returned to Hampton Court in 1804 (and are now at the V&A). Since this painting is of the 18th century, we can say that it was most likely executed at one of the two locations, or, far less likely, at Bedford House where copies of Thornhill's paintings were hung for some years prior to its demolition in 1800 where subsequently sold at Christie's 7th May 1800 for 450 guineas, subsequently presented to the Royal Academy, and then displayed in the Great Room at Somerset House, forming the backdrop for lectures by prominent artists such as J.M.W. Turner and Benjamin West. That set of copies played an important role in the training of students at the Academy. Turner, in particular, frequently referred to the copies, particularly their underlying geometry. However, our version bears some distinctions in the architecture from the Thornhill copies, and so was possibly executed from the original cartoons rather than Thornhill's copy, or possibly with reference to both.

The large 18th century copies of the Raphael cartoons, like this one, are remarkable not only for their excellent imitation of Raphael's manner, but also for their role in shaping the education of British artists in the 18th and 19th centuries. As one of very few surviving examples from this period, this painting is a significant, particularly attractive, and very large example of an 18th century British School Raphael.

 

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Size incl. frame: 1450 x 1220 mm (approx.)

Size excl. frame: 1250 x 1000 mm (approx.)

*note, very large

 

Condition: 

Original stretcher bars and original canvas, not relined. White writing on the verso indicating prior sale at auction, possibly Christie's (?). Small hole to foot of canvas, visible on the recto at the top of the steps to the bottom right of St. Paul. Craquelure across the picture surface, not intrusive. The occasional bump etc, but generally exceptionally bright and attractive to the canvas surface. 

 

POSTAGE NOTE: This will be posted using a specialist courier and so delivery will take longer than typical (within the UK, expect ~2-3 weeks, but possibly much faster depending on courier availability. We take no issue with a buyer arranging their own courier if desired). For international buyers, this could take much longer to arrive as it will then require professional packaging etc. Collection is available and is of course free, though a van or very large car will be required for transport.