St. Paul Preaching to the Athenians

These scenes from earliest Christian history are set amid fantasy architecture, mysteriously lit under dark skies. The small scale of the figures makes the buildings seem enormous. De Nomé has imagined ancient streetscapes of Athens and Jerusalem as lined with sculpture and rich architectural ornament. In the scene of St. Paul preaching, a circular pagan temple stands next to a lavish entrance to a synagogue, with a statue of Moses at the left that appears to be adapted from the famous Well of Moses of 1395-1404 by Claus Sluter in Dijon. De Nomé's mixture of classical and late medieval Gothic elements from his homeland adds to the uniqueness and eccentricity of the compositions. The small size of the copper plates and the complexity of the compositions call attention to the artist's virtuosity and skill. For more information on this painting, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 342, p. 466.