The exhibition “El Greco allo specchio: Due dipinti a confronto" and the display of the renowned tapestry The Conversion of Saint Paul come to a close

The exhibition “El Greco allo specchio: Due dipinti a confronto" El Greco in Reflection: Two Paintings Compared and the display of the renowned tapestry The Conversion of Saint Paul  at the Apostolic Palace museum of Castel Gandolfo have come to a close. The initiative was a collaboration between the Directorate of the Pontifical Villas and the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage.

The exhibition brought together two masterpieces by El Greco, the artist from Candia. One was a previously unpublished painting, The Redeemer (45 × 29 cm), preserved in the Hall of Ambassadors of the Pontifical Audience Apartment in the Apostolic Palace. The other was a small tempera on panel (28 × 20 cm) depicting Saint Francis, generously loaned by the A. and M.A. Pagliara Foundation of the Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples

The Hall of the Popes also hosted the magnificent Flemish tapestry  The Conversion of Saint Paul, woven in wool with silver threads and belonging to the Tapestries and Textiles Department of the Vatican Museums. Part of the series dedicated to the Acts of the Apostles, the tapestry is based on the cartoons designed by Raphael at the request of Pope Leo X to decorate the Sistine Chapel for solemn celebrations. It depicts the dramatic moment when Saul, lying on the ground, hears the voice of Christ appearing among the clouds, bathed in radiant golden light.