Modus: Prace z historii sztuki (19.2019)

The scene shown in the painting on the south side, closer to the main altar,
was recognized as Death of Ananias33 (see: Figurę 7). It corresponds to the de-
scription in the Book of Acts (Acts 5,1-6). A man lying at the foot of the stairs,
who props himself up with his hand, can be identified as Ananias. The coins we
see on the steps between Saint Peter - who is standing on the top of the stairs -
and Ananias, is the money obtained from the sale of property. The composition
of the figures shown in the painting is modelled on tapestries designed by Rafael,
depicting the same episode of the Book of Acts. The group standing on the left,
next to the balustradę, as well as the arrangement of character at the bottom
of the stairs, remained unchanged.34 The first engravings based on Rafaefs work
began to circulate almost immediately after its completion. There exists a print
by Ugo da Carpi35 dating to 1518, depicting the Miraculous catch of fish.
The third scene was identified on different occasions as either the Baptism
of Cornelius36 or the Baptism of Christ37 (see: Figurę 8). The picture presents
two scenes from the story of Cornelius described in the Acts of the Apostles
(Acts, 10,1-48). The scene shown in the background corresponds to the meet-
ing of Saint Peter and Cornelius, who worshiped the apostle (Acts, 10, 24-27),
while the scene in the foreground, at the right edge of the canvas, presents
the baptism of Cornelius after the speech delivered to those who gathered in
his house (Acts, 10,44-48).
The fourth scene illustrating a passage from the Book of Acts shows Saint
Paul speaking at the Areopagus to the Athenians gathered below (Acts, 17,19-34)
(see: Figurę 6). The passage describes the speech given by Saint Paul, which re-
sulted in the conversion of Dionysius the Areopagite, among others. In the com-
position of the painting, attention is drawn to the building in the background.
Undoubtedly, its forms are modelled on the Roman Pantheon. The building in
the picture depicts a tempie with two towers added thereto at the behest of Pope
Urban vm in the 1620S,38 and demolished in 1883.39 The way the Pantheon is
depicted in the painting in Skalbmierz is almost identical to the representation
found in the engraving by Piranesi, Veduta di Pantheon d’Agrippa oggi Chiesa
di S. Maria ad Martyres, depicting this ancient building.

33 Ibidem.
34 On the commission of Pope Leo x, Rafael Santi and his assistants, from the winter at the turn of
1514/1515 to the end of 1516, madę cartoons for the tapestry depicting ten scenes from the Acts
of the Apostles. They depict four scenes from the life of Saint Peter, whereas six scenes refer to
the life of Saint Paul. Scenes related to Saint Peter are represented by: Miraculous catch of fish,
Handing over keys to Peter, Healing the paralytic, and Death of Ananias. The life of Saint Paul
is depicted in the following scenes: Stoning of St. Stephen, Conversion of Saint Paul, Striking
blind Elymas the sorcerer, Sacrifice at Lystra, Saint Paul imprisoned, and Saint Paul preaching
at Athens. The tapestries are now in the Vatican Pinacoteca, while the cartoons, after their
sojourn in Brussels and Genoa, reached Charles 1, the Prince of Wales, in 1623. From 1699 they
remained in the gallery at Hampton Court, whence they were moved in 1865 to the Victoria
and Albert Museum in London, and this is where they are kept to this day. Above Informa-
tion after: C. Hopper, Rafael and die Folgen. Das Kunstwerk in Zeitaltern seiner graphischen
Reproduzierbarkeit, Stuttgart 2001, p. 481.
35 C. Hopper, Rafael und die Folgen, p. 481.
36 J. Wiśniewski, Historyczny opis kościołów, p. 387.
37 kzsp, p. 85.
38 T. Marder, Bernini and the Art of Architecture, New York-London-Paris 1998, p. 225.
39 E. Jastrzębowska, Rzym antyczny w oczach Piranesiego i dziś, Warszawa 2005, p. 103.

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ARTICLES

Katarzyna Chrzanowska