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The story of Saint Paul’s shipwreck on the island of Malta is described in Acts (28: 1–6), and Adam Elsheimer has taken advantage of the biblical description to portray a night scene: ‘And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold’ (Acts 28: 2). This allowed him to use strong contrasts of light and darkness for dramatic effect. At the largest fire at the left corner – the brightest part of the picture – Saint Paul calmly drops a snake, which had bitten him, into the flames. The islanders who saw that he had not been injured by the snake’s venom were convinced that he was a god.

Elsheimer preferred to paint on a copper support, its smooth surface enabling him to include minute details like the scales of the writhing snake here.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Saint Paul on Malta

Date

about 1600

Medium

Oil on copper

Measurements

H 16.8 x W 21.3 cm

Accession number

NG3535

Acquisition method

Presented by Walter Burns through The Art Fund, 1920

Work type

Painting

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.

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Artist or maker

Adam Elsheimer

1578–1610

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