Saint Paul

Vignon was trained in Paris, but traveled to Rome as a young artist. Like many other artists living in Rome, he was influenced by the naturalism and dramatic lighting of Caravaggio. That influence is apparent here in this half-length depiction of Saint Paul, who is pushed close to the picture plane and seems to address the viewer directly, creating a life-like presence.Saint Paul holds a sword, an attribute referring to his later martyrdom. The books, papers, and quill relate to his role as one of the authors of the New Testament and the many letters he penned. The small, intimate format of the painting suggests that it was commissioned for private devotional use, perhaps by an educated patron who identified with the scholarly activities of the saint. It is possible that this is the painting of Saint Paul men-tioned in the 1627 inventory of Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte, an early patron of Caravaggio who had an important collection of Caravaggesque paintings.