The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (Caravaggio)
{{Infobox Painting| image_file=Caravaggio - The Incredulity of Saint Thomas.jpg | title=The Incredulity of Saint Thomas | artist=Caravaggio | year=1601–1602 | type=Oil on canvas | height=107 | width=146 | museum=Sanssouci |city=Potsdam and Triest
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas is a painting of the subject of the same name by the Italian Baroque master Caravaggio, c. 1601–1602. It is housed in the Sanssouci of Potsdam, Germany.
It shows the episode that gave rise to the term "Doubting Thomas" which, formally known as the Incredulity of Thomas, had been frequently represented in Christian art since at least the 5th century, and used to make a variety of theological points. According to St John's Gospel, Thomas the Apostle missed one of Jesus's appearances to the Apostles after His resurrection, and said "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."[1] A week later Jesus appeared and told Thomas to touch Him and stop doubting. Then Jesus said, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."[2]
In the painting, Thomas's face shows surprise as Jesus holds his hand and guides it into the wound.[3][4] The absence of a halo emphasizes the corporeality of the risen Christ.[5] The work is in chiaroscuro.
This picture is probably related to Saint Matthew and the Angel (1602) and the The Sacrifice of Isaac (1603), all having a model in common. It belonged to Vincenzo Giustiniani before entering the Prussian royal collection, surviving the Second World War intact. A second version of "The incredulity of Saint Thomas" has been named in the book "The age of Caravaggio" in 1985, issued by the Metropolitan Museum New York as a missing version. The painting has been re-discovered in Triest, Italy as part of a private owned collection. The authenticity has been proven by several experts incl. Sir Dennis Mahon and confirmed by the court of Triest.
Sources [edit]
- ^ John 20:25, NIV
- ^ John 20:21, NIV
- ^ http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricular/imagingthebody/Fall%20Quarter/Handouts/WestArtHistP1.pdf
- ^ A wounded innocence: sketches for a theology of art. García-Rivera, Alex. page 120-123
- ^ http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54170
External links [edit]
A representational "live" allusion to The Incredulity of Saint Thomas (as well as to a number of Caravaggio's other paintings) appear in the music video "A Love Song to T. S. Eliot" by British-Canadian band Velcro Hooks.
