The subject of the painting was taken from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts, 14:8-18). Heathens, citizens of Lystra, who witnessed the miraculous healing by Paul the Apostle of a man born lame came to believe that Paul and Barnabas are Mercury and Jupiter who came to the earth in human form. When the priest of the Temple of Jupiter brought the oxen and wreaths to make a sacrifice, the apostles prevented the sacrificing by passionate exhortations. In the centre of the painting is the sacrificial altar. On the right of it is a group of walking heathens, people accompanied by the priest near whom are the bulls.
On the left of the sacrificial alter is Paul the Apostle stopping the procession. The painting is traditionally attributed to the Dutch master of the 17th century Rombout van Troyen. He often painted Italian landscapes, though he had never been in Italy. Typical subjects of his were fantastic buildings, biblical and mythological scenes the events of which often unfold in subterranean vaults, in caves and in the ruins of palaces. Since 1615 Rombout van Troyen was a pupil of Jan Pynas for seven years. In the art studio of brothers Jan and Jacob Pynas, very well-known painters of that time, Rembrandt worked for several months. The painting was damaged considerably during restoration: in the areas where architecture was depicted layers of coloured varnish used on details were washed off.
However, because of this a viewer can sort of penetrate deep into the layers of paint, see the artist’s working process. In spite of the washes and restoration inscriptions one can feel that the painting was done by a real master.
A high workmanship of the Dutch painter of the 17th century is proven by a comprehensive examination of this piece of art. X-ray radiographic examination of the painting indicated that in the early stage of work on the composition a drawing of human figures was detailed thoroughly in the undercoat, the main proportions of architecture were designed, the landscape layout was defined. The painting was made on an oak panel, draftsmanship is complex, multi-layered, in its coloristic configuration even the lowest layers are involved, including the white priming.
The picture widely employs coloured transparent varnishes emphasizing the colour effect of the low paints. Brown transparent and semi-transparent paints were applied on top of the dense bright yellow-coloured layer. Raspberry-red varnish was applied on top of the rose covering paint. Golden varnish applied on top of the blue one serves to form green colour. Yellow-brown varnish on the surface of white paint facilitates the appearance of gold-coloured undertones. While developing sophisticated gradation of light and shade the artist achieves a rare unity of the depicted scene and the landscape.
