Saint Teresa of Ávila
Date: late- 17th century
Place made:Guatemala, North and Central America
Dimensions:
h. 50 1/2 in. (128.3 cm); w. 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm); d. 17 1/2 in. (44.5 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by SAMA's Membership Tour to Guatemala
Object number: 74.60.17
Provenance: Purchased from Mrs. Eva H. de Smith
Label Text
This statue represents Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), a Spanish nun who co-founded the Order of the Discalced Carmelites. Her writings on spiritual mysticism were widely discussed during her lifetime and became popular throughout Latin America during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Here she appears standing with books in hand, symbolizing her scholarship. Her upward gaze suggests deep spiritual meditation. This work features the “estofado" decorative technique, in which top layers of paint are scratched away from a sculpture to reveal delicate patterns accented with gold or silver leaf.
(LA, 2021)
(LA, 2021)
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
