Worship of Saint Clare and Saint Teresa to the Child Jesus Bishop
Did you know that representations of Child Jesus gained strength in the 16th century? Join us to learn the details of this iconography
By Santa Clara Museum
Anonymous piece
Adoration of Saint Claire and Saint Teresa to Jesus Child as Bishop. (Siglo XVII) by Unknown artistSanta Clara Museum
The cult of Child Jesus has its roots in the Council of Trent and the Counter-Reformation, a time when it emerged as one of the new advocations promoted by the Church. Before this, the childhood of Christ was scarcely treated in Christian iconography.
The appearance of the Child Jesus in paintings and sculptures was limited to scenes of the Holy Family, the adoration of the shepherds, or the Wise Men. However, its prominence was strengthened by the need to convey the closeness of divinity to the faithful through the tenderness elicited by childhood.
In addition to the so-called passionist compositions, consisting of premonitions of the Passion from childhood, compositions of Glory emerged, where the messianic and saving role of Jesus in his early years is evident. This painting fits into this category
Saint Teresa, a great devotee of the Child, especially in his invocation as the Child Jesus of Prague, always carried his image with her.
The invocation is said to have initially been a Spanish sculpture brought to Prague in the 16th century by María Manrique de Lara, wife of the Chancellor of Bohemia.
It was precisely a replica of the Child Jesus of Prague that the saint delivered to the convent of Villanueva de la Jara with the premise that he would favor them in any need.
The Poor Clare nuns were also very devoted to the Child Jesus because of his representation of tenderness, innocence, and brotherly love. In fact, in several churches of female orders, brotherhoods were founded around the figure of the Child.
In this image, Saint Clare also appears dressed in the dark brown habit of the Poor Clare order.
Represented in the brown habit of the Discalced Carmelite Order, Saint Teresa receives from the Child Jesus a ring symbolizing their mystical union.
The Child is dressed as a bishop, wearing a chasuble and a mitre in red and yellow colors. Two angels holding red clothes, the color of Passion, complement the image.
In the corners of the painting, there are four pomegranates, symbolizing the Passion of Christ and representing the union of the faithful and the Church.
The image can be interpreted as an allegory of the submission of the Poor Clares and the Discalced Carmelites to the earthly power of the bishop, in the same way they submitted to Jesus.
Worship of Saint Clare and Saint Teresa to the Child Jesus Bishop
Anonymous piece
Oil on canvas
18th Century
Créditos
MUSEOS COLONIAL Y SANTA CLARA
Dirección / Museum Director
María Constanza Toquica Clavijo
Curaduría / Curation
Anamaría Torres Rodríguez
María Isabel Téllez Colmenares
Administración de colecciones / Collection Management
Paula Ximena Guzmán López
Editorial / Editorial
Tanit Barragán Montilla
Divulgación y prensa / Communications
Jhonatan Chinchilla Pérez
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.