Spanish school; 17th century.

Spanish school; XVII century.
"Santa Teresa".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 144 x 96 cm.
In this devotional image the artist presents the figure of Santa Teresa, receiving the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which starts from a break of glory located in the upper left area of the scene. The protagonist holds a pen in her right hand, while with the other she holds the pages of a book, thus indicating to the viewer her relevance as a theologian and theorist of the church. The piece is slightly inspired by the work done by José de Ribera during 1640-1645, in which Santa Teresa is shown with the same attributes as in this image; The pen, the open book and the skull, in addition to being represented bust-length. The image created by Ribera currently belongs to the collection of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos de Valencia, and in it you can see a younger Santa Teresa, while here the author has opted for a representation where the protagonist shows a more mature and sober face.
Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, better known by the name of St. Teresa of Jesus or simply St. Teresa of Avila (Avila, 1515 - Alba de Tormes, 1582) was a Spanish nun, doctor of the Catholic Church, mystic and writer. Together with St. John of the Cross she introduced the great Carmelite reform, and her writings are a model in the ways of prayer and perfection. St. Teresa is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most admirable women in history. At the age of seven she already felt a great predilection for reading the lives of saints. His brother Rodrigo was almost the same age, so they used to play together. The two children, impressed by the thought of eternity, admired the victories of the saints in conquering eternal glory, so they resolved to leave for the country of the Moors in the hope of dying for the faith and thus becoming martyrs. They thus set out from their home, but on the way they were picked up by one of their uncles, who returned them to their mother. In view of the failure of their projects, Teresa and Rodrigo decided to live as hermits in their own house and began to build a cell in the garden, although they never finished it. Teresa loved solitude from then on. In her room she had a picture representing the Savior talking to the Samaritan woman and she used to repeat in front of that image: "Lord, give me to drink so I will never be thirsty again". During her adolescence, Teresa fell ill, and during her convalescence she decided to dedicate herself completely to religious life. She entered the convent of the Incarnation in Avila at the age of eighteen and, after her health worsened, she was cured, according to her, by St. Joseph. Three years later, according to her writings, Jesus Christ appeared to her in the parlor with an angry countenance, reprimanding her for her familiar dealings with the laity, which had caused her to neglect prayer. In 1558 he had his first rapture and the vision of hell, and from then on he enjoyed great heavenly favors such as the vision of the risen Jesus. All these mystical experiences were reflected in his lyrical-religious poetry.