Spanish school; 17th century.

Spanish school; XVII century.
"Saint Thomas Aquinas".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 133 x 101 cm.
Devotional image of St. Thomas Aquinas, clearly baroque composition, endowed with a clear theatricality that is reinforced by the expressive use of light. The expression of the face and the gestures of the saint's right hand, of classical heritage, are also particularly eloquent.
Recognized theologian and Doctor of the Catholic Church, Saint Thomas Aquinas lived during the 13th century in Italy. Maximum representative of the scholastic tradition, and father of the Thomistic school of philosophy, his best known work is the "Summa Theologica". He was canonized in 1323, and declared Doctor of the Church in 1567. In fact, this saint took on a new importance in the Catholic sphere after the Council of Trent, since his work served the ecclesiastics to defend Catholic dogma against Protestantism. Thus, from the late sixteenth century and especially during the seventeenth century, he will be one of the most represented saints in Catholic countries, especially in Spain. He is usually represented as we see here, seated writing or holding a pen that symbolizes his character of sacred writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and identified by a medallion in the form of a sun, metaphor of the divine light, which alludes to the supernatural character of his doctrine. He is also usually presented with the Holy Scriptures in his hand, alluding to his role as defender of Catholicism. In this case he rests his left hand on a small church, an iconographic element that also represents him as defender of the Church.