Antique 17th Century Oil on Copper Devotional Painting | Saint Teresa of Jesus

Overview: This exceptional small-format devotional painting depicts Saint Teresa of Jesus (Teresa of Ávila) rendered in oil on copper — one of the most prized and deliberate mediums of 17th century sacred art. Housed in its original ornate gilt frame with egg-and-dart molding, this is a piece of remarkable age, rarity, and spiritual significance.

ABOUT THE MEDIUM — OIL ON COPPER: Copper was not chosen casually. In the 16th and 17th centuries, European artists and their patrons selected copper for small-format devotional works because of its unique surface properties. Unlike canvas or wood, copper is non-absorbent — meaning oil pigments sit on the surface with extraordinary luminosity and intensity. The result is a depth of color and preservation that canvas simply cannot match across centuries.

Paintings on copper were not produced for churches or public spaces. They were commissioned specifically for private chapels, personal oratories, and bedchambers — intimate spaces of prayer reserved for the nobility and high clergy. To own a copper devotional painting in the 17th century was a profound statement of both faith and social standing.

ABOUT THE SUBJECT — SAINT TERESA OF JESUS: Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), known formally as Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, theologian, and one of the most consequential figures of the Counter-Reformation. She reformed the Carmelite order, founded seventeen convents, and produced spiritual writings that remain foundational to Catholic mysticism to this day.

She was canonized in 1622 — the same year as Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, and Philip Neri — and her image became immediately and widely sought after in sacred art across Europe. Kings, cardinals, and noble families commissioned portraits and devotional images of her for their private collections. Gian Lorenzo Bernini's famous Ecstasy of Saint Teresa, commissioned by Cardinal Federico Cornaro, stands as the most celebrated artistic tribute to her legacy.

This painting captures the saint in a posture of prayer and spiritual rapture — arms extended, head tilted heavenward — consistent with the iconographic tradition established in the decades immediately following her canonization.

Condition: Some paint loss is present. Please review photos. This was considered in the pricing of the item. 

This is a devotional object that has survived 400 years. It is offered as found, in untouched antique condition.