Image:Detail from Carlo Crivelli, 'Saints Peter and Paul', probably 1470s
A book and sword are the common attributes of Saint Paul
The book carried by Saint Paul represents his epistles in the New Testament of the Bible.
The sword is a reminder of the means of his martyrdom –he was beheaded in Rome in 67 AD.
Carlo Crivelli, Saints Peter and Paul, probably 1470s
Explore more images of Saint Paul in the collection
The Virgin, holding the infant Christ, sits on a marble throne with a luxurious material stretched across it – a cloth of honour, something often hung behind medieval royalty. Two saints stand with them, and particular symbols tell us who they are. On the Virgin’s right is Saint Peter, a key peep...
On display elsewhere
The Virgin and Christ Child stand between two saints, one from the first century, one from the thirteenth. They don't have haloes, but we can tell who they are from their appearances and traditional attributes.On the left is the first-century Saint Paul, holding a book and the sword with which he...
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A bearded saint stands in a scalloped niche in this small painting. This is Saint Paul, the so-called Apostle to the Gentiles (non-Jews), holding his usual emblems of a book and a sword. Paul was a Jewish convert to Christianity. He was originally hostile to the new faith but experienced a dramat...
Not on display
A bearded saint stands reading a book, his left hand resting on a sword, in this quietly contemplative picture. We know, from his dark hair and beard and from the objects he holds, that this is Saint Paul: the sword is the weapon with which he was martyred and the book represents his many writing...
Not on display
