MARCANTONIO RAIMONDI (1480-1534) AFTER RAPHAEL (1483-1520)

This engraving depicts Saint Paul while preaching his sermon in the Aeropagus, the ancient court in Athens, although the setting recalls Roman ruins, with a statue of Mars discernible on the right, presumably a reference to the Saint preaching against the sin of idol worship. It has been assumed that Marcantonio's engraving derives from one of Raphael's cartoons commissioned by Pope Leo X for the Sistine Chapel. However, the print is in fact based on two drawings by Raphael (one in the Uffizi, inv. no. 540 E; and one in the Louvre, inv. no. 3884r), which include details not present in Raphael's cartoon.