Spanish school; late 17th century.
"Saint Anthony of Padua with Child".
Oil on canvas.
It has a Spanish frame, c. 1830.
Measurements: 30 x 35,5 cm; 36 x 44 cm (frame).
Scene of interior in which we can appreciate the figure of Saint Anthony, kneeling with the Child in his arms, keeping both of them a tender and friendly look. The work has been conceived with a certain theatricality, as can be seen by the presence of the curtain, which billows widely in the right-hand area of the scene, while in the other area the two protagonists are located, in an austere manner, accompanied only by the presence of a book and a glass vase in which the saint's flowers can be seen. Saint Anthony of Padua is, after Saint Francis of Assisi, the most popular of the Franciscan saints. 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, he entered the Order of Friars Minor in 1220, where he changed his Christian name from Fernando to Antonio. After teaching theology in Bologna, he travelled through southern and central France, preaching in Arles, Montpellier, Puy, Limoges and Bourges. In 1227 he took part in the general chapter at Assisi. In 1230 he was involved in the transfer of the remains of St Francis. He preached in Padua and died there at the age of 36 in 1231. He is depicted as a beardless young man with a broad monastic tonsure, dressed in a habit, and is often shown with the Infant Jesus, holding him in his arms, alluding 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.