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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileSeguace di bernini, estasi di santa teresa d'avila, terracotta, 1650-1710 ca
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.
Saint Teresa of Avila
The sculpture directly visualizes the mystical visions recorded in her autobiography, 'The Book of Her Life'.
Object
terracotta
terracotta
Baroque
Italian
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
1870 × 1758 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 20, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.