Melchor Pérez Holyguín,
St. Peter Alcántara and St. Teresa of Ávila

Circa 1700
Oil on canvas
Hispanic Society of America, New York City

St. Teresa's reforms were often resisted by powerful interests, and St. Peter Alcántara was a stalwart advocate as well as a spiritual counselor.

In images of Peter the most common attribute is a crucifix, which in this case is seen on his rosary, which is an attribute in very few of his images. The dove, representing the Holy Spirit, is a common element in portraits of Teresa, but here it appears to be shared by both saints, which would be appropriate considering the influence of their writings. There is at least one other painting in which the dove whispers in Peter's ear.

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Photographed at the site by Claire Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.