SAINT THOMAS HEALS A CRIPPLE: the only painting of St. Thomas showing his ability from the Lord to heal the sick.
Presently in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich (West Germany)
Technical Data:
- Oil on canvas.
- 220 x 148 cms.
Owners:
- Convent of Saint Augustine in Seville.
- 1806?: Sold to Don Manuel de Godoy.
- 1812?: Given? Sold? to General Sebastiani, Paris.
- 1815: Bought by Louis of Bavaria for Maximilian I. Hofgarten-galerie.
- 1836: Alte Pinakothek.
Hagiographical reference:
- M. Salon Vida II, 21. pp. 283-84.
Descriptive commentary
The saint is making the sign of the cross over a cripple who, by the power of Christ, is about to reign the use of hid limbs, as is shown in the lower left-hand corner of the picture. Also present are two palace domestics whose attention is focused more on the suspense felt by the cripple than on the faith-filled gesture ofthe archbishop who trusts in Christ and not in his own powers, which are small and because of which he stoops forward over the man. Behind the archbishop is a column that extends upward and divides the painting vertically into two sections, one light and the other dark, one of doubt and the other or certainty. This division emphasizes Thomas face and draws the viewer's attention to it.
Taken from:
AUGUSTINIAN HERETAGE: A Review of Spirituality and Tradition, Volume 35 (1989) Saint Thomas of Villanova in the Paintings of Murillo by Javier Campos y Fernandez de Sevilla, p. 144
No comments:
Post a Comment