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Source Description
Jacob Jordaens was a prominent artist working in Antwerp in the 17th century. Though influenced in his use of powerful forms and vibrant color by his contemporary, Peter Paul Rubens, Jordaens was notably more realist in his tendencies. This drawing and its companion drawing in the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection (1954.367) are studies for a painting depicting the Conversion of St. Paul that Jordaens made for the the abbey church at Tongerlo, near Antwerp, in around 1647 (now lost). According to the Bible, in the year following the death of Jesus Christ, Saul of Tarsus (who became Saint Paul) was on the road to Damascus. He was suddenly surrounded by a brilliant light from above, heard the voice of Christ, and became a believer. In this work, Jordaens illustrated the climactic moment when Saul is thrown to the ground by the force of Christ's voice and blinding light. Jordaens used a combination of chalks and wet media such as ink and watercolor to create a swirling mass of bodies bathed in light.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
131790
label
The Conversion of Saul with Horseman and Banner
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
131790
contentType
drawing
title
The Conversion of Saul with Horseman and Banner
description
Jacob Jordaens was a prominent artist working in Antwerp in the 17th century. Though influenced in his use of powerful forms and vibrant color by his contemporary, Peter Paul Rubens, Jordaens was notably more realist in his tendencies. This drawing and its companion drawing in the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection (1954.367) are studies for a painting depicting the Conversion of St. Paul that Jordaens made for the the abbey church at Tongerlo, near Antwerp, in around 1647 (now lost). According to the Bible, in the year following the death of Jesus Christ, Saul of Tarsus (who became Saint Paul) was on the road to Damascus. He was suddenly surrounded by a brilliant light from above, heard the voice of Christ, and became a believer. In this work, Jordaens illustrated the climactic moment when Saul is thrown to the ground by the force of Christ's voice and blinding light. Jordaens used a combination of chalks and wet media such as ink and watercolor to create a swirling mass of bodies bathed in light.
date
c. 1645–47
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80023381
creators
2824
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 32.9 x 19.9 cm (12 15/16 x 7 13/16 in.)
cul
Flanders
accession
1954.366
Source extras
tec
Black and red chalk, pen and black and gray ink, brush and brown wash, watercolor, and gouache, heightened with white gouache; framing lines in red chalk and graphite (right edge)
tombstone
The Conversion of Saul with Horseman and Banner, c. 1645–47. Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678). Black and red chalk, pen and black and gray ink, brush and brown wash, watercolor, and gouache, heightened with white gouache; framing lines in red chalk and graphite (right edge); sheet: 32.9 x 19.9 cm (12 15/16 x 7 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Delia E. Holden and L. E. Holden Funds, 1954.366
supportMaterials
description
two sheets (joined) of beige(1) laid paper, laid down on cream(3) laid paper
collection
DR - Flemish
inscriptions
inscription
lower right, in brown ink: Jordaens
didYouKnow
In order to create the arch at the top of this sheet, which is almost a foot high, the artist added an additional sheet of paper.
citations
citation
Hulst, Roger Adolf d'. De tekeningen van Jakob Jordaens: bijdrage tot de geschiedenis van de XVIIe-eeuwse kunst in de zuidelijke Nederlanden. Brussel: AWlsk, Paleis der academiën, 1956.
page_number
p. 249, p. 251, fig. 166, pp. 373-74, no. 128,
citation
Francis, Henry S. "The Conversion of St. Paul by Jacob Jordaens Two Drawings in Washes and Chalks." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 44, no. 2 (1957): 19-22.
url
www.jstor.org/stable/25142183.
citation
Roberts-Jones, Philippe, and Leo Van Puyvelde. Le siècle de Rubens: [exposition], Musées royaux des beaux-arts de Belgique, Bruxelles, 15 octobre-12 décembre 1965. 1965.
page_number
under no. 332
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 120
citation
Jaffé, Michael. "Jordaens Drawings at Antwerp and Rotterdam." <em>The Burlington Magazine</em> 108, no. 765 (1966): 625-30.
page_number
p. 626
url
www.jstor.org/stable/875111.
citation
Hulst, Roger Adolf d'. Tekeningen van Jacob Jordaens. 1593-1678. [Tentoonstelling]. Rubenshuis, Antwerpen, 8 oct.-4 dec. 1966; Museum Boymansvan Beuningen, Rotterdam, 17 dec. 1966-5 feb. 1967. [Antwerpen]: [Rubenshuis], 1966.
page_number
No. 92, pp. 104-105
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 120
citation
Hulst, Roger Adolf d'. Jordaens Drawings. Brussels: Arcade, 1974.
page_number
no. A238, p. 315-16
citation
Feinblatt, Ebria. Old Master Drawings from American Collections: Exhibition, April 29-June 13, 1976, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1976.
page_number
no. 217, p. 200
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 155
citation
Logan, Anne-Marie S. <em>Flemish Drawings in the Age of Rubens: Selected Works from American Collections</em>. Wellesley, Mass: Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College, 1993.
page_number
No. 31, pp. 170-71
citation
Devisscher, Hans, Nora de Poorter, Roger Adolf d' Hulst, and M. Vandenven.<em> Jacob Jordaens, 1593-1678. </em>Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum Voor Schone Kunsten, 1993.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: pp. 104-5
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, Diane DeGrazia, and Carter E. Foster. <em>Master Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in association with Rizzoli International Publications, New York, 2000.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 176-178; p. 294; Reproduced: p. 178
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. Selected Works: Cleveland Museum of Art. 1967.
page_number
p. 164
creditline
Delia E. Holden and L. E. Holden Funds
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:47:30.622000
sourceId
131790
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - Flemish
med
Black and red chalk, pen and black and gray ink, brush and brown wash, watercolor, and gouache, heightened with white gouache; framing lines in red chalk and graphite (right edge)
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e7ce3514e10ae6da