Spanish school; first half of the 19th century.

Spanish school; first half of the XIX century.
"St. Anthony of Padua with Child.
Carved and polychrome wood.
Measurements: 108 x 37 x 26 cm.
This sculpture represents Saint Anthony of Padua as a young beardless man with a wide monastic tonsure, dressed in a long Franciscan habit, holding the Child Jesus in his arms. The presence of the infant alludes to the vision he had in his cell. It became the most popular attribute of this Franciscan saint from the 16th century onwards, being especially popular in the Baroque art of the Counter-Reformation.
Saint Anthony is usually presented with the Child Jesus, in allusion to an apparition he had in his cell. It became the most popular attribute of this saint from the 16th century onwards, being especially popular in the baroque art of the Counter-Reformation. He was born in Lisbon in 1195 and only spent the last two years of his life in Padua. After studying at the convent of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, in 1220 he entered the Order of Friars Minor, where he changed his first name, Fernando, to Antonio. After teaching theology in Bologna, he traveled through southern and central France, preaching in Arles, Montpellier, Puy, Limoges and Bourges. In 1227 he participated in the general chapter of Assisi. In 1230 he was in charge of the transfer of the remains of St. Francis. He preached in Padua and died there at the age of 36 in 1231. He was canonized only a year after his death, in 1232. Until the end of the 15th century, the cult of St. Anthony remained located in Padua. From the following century on, he became, at first, the national saint of the Portuguese, who placed the churches they built abroad under his patronage, and then a universal saint.