Brescia School, 16th century, Saint Thomas the Apostle

Brescia school, 16th century

Saint Thomas the Apostle

Oil on copper, 23 x 18 cm

With frame, 44 x 36 cm

In this 16th century copper, most likely produced by the Brescia school, Saint Thomas is depicted with his canonical attributes, the spear and the book: the spear is the instrument of his martyrdom, which took place, according to what the Acts of the Apostles report, in India; this could also be a reference to the spear that pierced Christ's side during the Passion. The book is instead a reference to the sacred scriptures but also to the wisdom and knowledge that are traditionally attributed to the figure of this saint. This representational modality is certainly not the best known as regards the presentation of the character of Saint Thomas, for whom the iconographic scheme of the Incredulity is usually preferred. The iconography of Saint Thomas reflects the complexity of his figure: on the one hand, the doubtful apostle who needs concrete proof, on the other, the martyr who testified to his faith with the sacrifice of his life.

The technique of painting on copper, which is already mentioned in the manuals of artistic techniques of the late Middle Ages, found great diffusion, in Italy as well as abroad, starting from the sixteenth century. The increase in the production of the metal support is due to various factors: from the improvement of the extraction techniques in the quarry to the invention of the rolling mill (the first examples of roller presses, powered by water mills, appear in Leonardo's Atlantic Codex) which, with mechanical beating, allowed to obtain, quickly and without melting, regular sheets.

Copper foil proved ideal for oil painting because it provided a non-absorbent, rigid, smooth support characterised by the same reddish colour that was used to prepare the backgrounds.