The Conversion of Saint Paul (tapestry)

After Raphael’s cartoon and woven in Brussels by Pieter van Aelst, this tapestry turns Acts 9 into high drama. A diagonal cascade—rearing horse, falling Saul, startled retinue—funnels toward the source of blinding light, where the risen Christ appears in glory. Architecture stabilizes the shock while a rich grotesque border frames the scene like a portable triumphal arch. The design shows Raphael’s knack for clarity in motion, translated into glowing wool and silk.