Mario di Laurito, Disputation of Saint Thomas

First half of the 16th century
Galleria Regionale, Palermo, Sicily.

The saint sits enthroned on a platform inscribed DOCTOR VERITATIS, "Teacher of Truth." His hand gesture signifies that he is preaching to the assembled pope and cardinals (on the left) and scholars (on the right). Beneath the throne an Arab philosopher lies vanquished. His placement there is an adaptation of the visual trope of the persecutor underfoot, which developed in the late Middle Ages.

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Read more about St. Thomas Aquinas and about the visual trope of the persecutor underfoot.

Photographed at the Galleria Regionale by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.