The decoration of the newly built St. Pauls Cathedral was Thornhill's principal ecclesiastical commission of the period, but it was only after much delay and intrigue on the part of the Commissioners that he was finally chosen to paint the Dome in June 1715. Archbishop Tenison, one of the Trustees of St. Paul's, is reputed to have said: 'I am no judge of painting, but on two articles I think I may insist: first that the painter employed be a Protestant; and secondly that he be an Englishman. The cupola, or dome proper, was painted with eight scenes from the life of St. Paul in 1716-17 at a cost of #4,000. At some time before 1720 , the year in which they appear to have been published, engravings were made (mostly, as in the case of the present drawing, in reverse) after the completed paintings; Thornhill provided a series of drawings for the engravers to work from. Thornhill clearly preferred foreign engravers (two of those chosen for this project never visited England), and several of the sketches are annotated indicating which engraver he wanted for that plate, as in the case of the present drawing. Three other drawings from this series, of similar size and medium, are in the British Museum; one is similarly inscribed in the margin indicating the artist's preference for Simoneau, and was indeed engraved by him. The artist must have been unhapy with the result, since the present drawing was engraved by Nicholas, Dauphin de Beauvais. The drawing of St. Paul shipwrecked on Malta was exhibited at the British Musuem, Drawing in England from Holland to Hogarth, 1987, no. 190. For the scheme in general, see L. Stainton & C. White, Exhibition Catalogue, 1987, pp. 236-8 and E. Croft Murray, Decorative painting in England, 1962, I, p. 271, no. 33. The present drawing depicts Sergius Paulus with attendants, above, and Elymas struck blind, led by a dog to the left, with St. Paul to the right