The Blinding of Elymas

This huge painting (nearly 4.5 metres wide) depicts a scene from the Bible. Staggering with his arms outstretched on the right is Elymas, advisor to an ancient Roman official (who sits on a pedestal in the middle). At the front-left is Paul, a Christian, who has been sentenced to punishment by Elymas because of his faith. In response, Paul has given a speech which has struck Elymas blind. It is considered Paul’s first miracle.

This painting is one in a series of seven by Thornhill, each a full-size copy of Raphael’s original cartoons (preparatory drawings). Raphael’s original cartoons were commissioned by Pope Leo X at the end of 1514, and Raphael created a series of ten cartoons between 1515 and 1516 as designs for tapestries which were hung in the Sistine Chapel (now in the Vatican Museums). There are seven remaining Raphael cartoons depicting the stories of Saints Peter and Paul.

Thornhill made not one but three sets of copies of Rapheal’s cartoons, which took him over two years to complete. This may partly be explained by his interest in educating a new generation of artists – the cartoons at this time were stored at Hampton Court and weren’t publicly accessible. Copying was widespread in the latter decades of the 17th century as the pictorial concept of a painting was regarded more highly than its actual execution.