The V&A Museum had a plethora of selections from various famous artists, but upon entering the room containing Raphael's Cartoons my eyes were fixed on the two vast representations of The Miraculous Draught of Fishes. The charcoal underdrawings and faded body-colors of the cartoon template contrasted with the bright tapestry rendition, which initiated numerous questions. These differences have a crucial influence on how the pieces/text are interpreted, and play an important role in both depictions.
Beginning with the text, Luke 5:1-11 states, St Peter (the fisherman) was having trouble supplying fish, and was given advice from Jesus (a carpenter's son and teacher) to deploy his boat and cast out his nets. Against St Peter's better judgment (given the ideal conditions of the night before yielded no fish) he does so. They catch a massive amount of fish, but the catch is excessive which results in the boat beginning to sink. Realizing his own depravity St Peter falls to his knees, confesses his unworthiness to the catch, and asks Jesus to leave. Jesus replies "Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men." The story brought forth tones of gratefulness and mercy which can be connected to the different interpretations of The Miraculous Draught of Fishes.
Raphael's utilization of charcoal in the original cartoon creates a gloomy mood, and has a chilling impact on the spectator. The weather seems to be overcast due to the dark shadowing of the piece, which makes it difficult to decipher many important symbols. This adds to the ambiguity of the cartoon making it that much more unsettling. The shellfish situated near the bottom of the piece are meant to symbolize the greed, cunning, and covetousness of humans which St Peter is repenting for. A unsettling of ravens is also depicted in the sky of the cartoon, and are meant to symbolize sin and apostasy. The sinister connotation of the raven originates from two sources. First the biology of the bird which feast on the eyes of dead corpses first, and also do not feed their young until they have grow their first feathers. The second connotation originates from Genesis 8:6-7 when Noah sent out a raven and a dove from the ark, but only the dove returns. As the observer, the black images of the cartoon add a grim mood to the piece, although there is one exception.
The black cranes pictured at the bottom of the piece may look sinister at first glance, but actually symbolize vigilance. The birds have a system of guarding each other whilst they sleep, holding stones and releasing them to alert others in their group of danger. The birds symbolize other saved souls which look after the fishermen begging for forgiveness from Jesus. This is the start of the good in the piece, which can be better depicted in the newer tapestry version.
In the tapestry version the colors of the scene are much more vibrant, and give the scene an overall sense of tranquility and hope. The spectator can more visibly see the white swans in the sky in this depiction too, which adds to the more merciful side of the piece. The swans symbolize good luck to sailors, and sometimes pride and deceit. This contrasts the black ravens in the sky, and depicts the struggle of the conversion of sinners. The fish and eels in the boat are meant to symbolize compassion and piety, and those who have already been saved by Jesus. All of these figures add a harmonic sense to the piece which are better depicted in the more vibrant tapestry.
The point of view of The Miraculous Draught of Fishes drastically changes between the cartoon and tapestry depictions, because of the difference in materials utilized. This can lead to a variety of assumptions and different emotions when analyzing each piece individually.
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