Description:

Spanish Colonial Retablo Featuring St. Anthony of Padua holding Baby Jesus and Mary of Nazareth
Oil on tin, 19th c. Mexican.
Here we have three solemn portraits: of St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231), a 13th c. Portuguese saint from Lisbon, who stands on a golden pedestal; Baby Jesus in his arms holding a globe; and the Virgin Mary of Nazareth with a crucifix and a skull, also standing atop a pedestal. Born Fernando Martins de Bulhões, Saint Anthony lived his life as a Franciscan friar working as priest, preacher and professor. He holds his classic attribute symbolising purity: a white lily branch in his right hand; and he holds another of his long-term attributes: Baby Jesus. For centuries Anthony's portrait has included Baby Jesus—and the two together show us that Anthony went through life clinging to the mystery of Christ. Christ's presence also serves as a reminder that Christ is here to help us heal the world—and it is no coincidence that Baby Jesus holds an orb (a globe) in his hand, symbolising his protection over the earth. Anthony's feast day is 13 June, and he is popularly invoked around the world as a patron saint who can help us recover lost items—and even lost people. A famous story that took place within the Franciscan monastery in Bologna involves a fellow monk who left the order and took off with Anthony's beloved psalter book that was filled with his notes and ideas as a preacher and professor. But after Anthony prayed hard for its return, the book—as well as the novice escapee—returned to the order. Finally, on the right side of the panel we have the Virgin Mary of Nazareth, glancing towards her Son and St. Anthony and also standing atop a golden pedestal. She wears her classic blue mantle and a white veil. In her right hand she holds a crucifix with an older version of her Son on it, and in her left hand she holds a skull (a memento mori that reminds us to reflect on our mortality) and a long string of rosary beads.

  • Dimensions: ca. 18cm x 25.5cm
  • Condition: Good with some scratches and missing paint. The bottom right and left hand corners have been worn away.

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April 22, 2023 10:00 AM CDT
St. Louis, MO, US

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