Capriccio d'Archi

Painted in 1730 by Giovanni Paolo Pannini, renowned for his views of Rome, this architectural capriccio depicts an episode of Saint Paul's preaching in Campania.

According to tradition, Paul of Tarsus, the Apostle to the Gentiles, landed in 61 AD at Pozzuoli before heading to Rome. The event is remembered in the Acts of the Apostles 28:13-14:

"The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome."

In the background of Pannini's painting, there is a glimpse of the ancient harbor of Pozzuoli where the city walls and a landing spot marked by a small boat with passengers can be seen. In the foreground is the arrival of the Apostle, welcomed among the ruins of a majestic Roman portico. Paul blesses the small group of faithful who have come to greet him, two of whom kneel before him.

The medallion inserted between the arches of the portico also represents the symbolism of welcome and concord: the two central figures are depicted shaking hands. This particular iconographic motif of Christian art is known as "concordia apostolorum" and is common in depictions showing the meeting between Saints Peter and Paul, inseparable brothers in faith. Inspired by older traditional models—such as representations of solidarity between the Dioscuri or the Tetrarchs—the concordia apostolorum sealed the indissoluble unity of the two realities of the Church, that of Paul "ex gentibus" from the pagan world, and that of Peter "ex circumcisione" of Jewish ancestry.

The work is now housed in the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava.