School Of Majorca (xvii) - The Vision Of Sister Catherine Thomas "la Beateta"

- Oil on canvas. - In a rare example of early Majorcan painting, this painting depicts one of the mystical episodes experienced by the first saint of the Balearic Islands, Sister Catalina Thomas (1531-1574). Her intense inner life, the many mystical episodes experienced in the convent of Santa María Magdalena de Palma, where her intact mummy is preserved, and the fame she enjoyed among the elite of the time culminated in her beatification in 1792. - The scene, with a particular perspective typical of court painting from the time of Philip III, whose models probably arrived in Majorca at least half a century late, shows us, in the shadows, the humble monastic cell, with no other decoration than the tiled floor, with the blessed woman receiving a vision populated by angels. As a narrative device, another nun enters the room, alarmed by the noise of the heavenly choirs, with a visible air of surprise. - Due to its incorporation of the stylistic resources of the early Spanish Baroque, the painting can be attributed to the environment of the Majorcan painter Miquel Bestard. - Dimensions of the unframed image: 117 x 131 cm / 131 x 145 cm with magnificent frame.