Ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Avila (After Bernini)

This terracotta sculpture depicts Saint Teresa of Avila in a state of religious rapture, her head thrown back and eyes closed, draped in heavy, voluminous Carmelite habit robes. Behind her, an angel with partially visible wings gestures with an upraised hand, leaning forward as if to guide a golden-tipped spear toward the saint's breast. The composition emphasizes the dramatic, theatrical tension between the saint's passive, reclining form and the kinetic energy of the angel. The surfaces show varied textures, from the smooth, heavy folds of the monastic garments to the jagged, rock-like base upon which they rest.

This piece is a small-scale interpretation of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's 'Ecstasy of Saint Theresa' (1647–1652) in the Cornaro Chapel, which visualizes the saint's mystical autobiographical account of transverberation, where she described an angel repeatedly piercing her heart with a golden arrow, leaving her filled with the love of God.