Italian school; 18th century."Saint Anthony", Oil on panel.With inscription on the back.Measurements: 38 x 24.5 cm; 22.5 x 29 cm (frame).The format of this work indicates its ornamental function as part of an architectural ensemble. In it we can appreciate a devotional image that stands out for its candour and innocence. Saint Anthony kneels in front of the figure of the Infant Jesus, who, despite his short life, is dressed in a red cloak, symbol of the Passion. The scene takes place in an exterior richly worked in depth. Dominated by the sky, the landscape shows the specific moment when the sun sets and night falls. Two little angels observe the scene, and one holds a crown of flowers, which seems to bring the figure of the saint closer.Saint Anthony of Padua is, after Saint Francis of Assisi, the most popular of the Franciscan saints. He was born in Lisbon in 1195 and only spent the last two years of his life in Padua. After studying at the convent of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, he entered the Order of Friars Minor in 1220, where he changed his Christian name from Fernando to Antonio. After teaching theology in Bologna, he travelled through southern and central France, preaching in Arles, Montpellier, Puy, Limoges and Bourges. In 1227 he took part in the general chapter at Assisi. In 1230 he was involved in the transfer of the remains of St Francis. He preached in Padua and died there at the age of 36 in 1231. He was canonised only a year after his death, in 1232. Until the end of the 15th century, the cult of St. Anthony remained localised in Padua. From the following century onwards, he became, at first, the national saint of the Portuguese, who placed the churches they built abroad under his patronage, and then a universal saint. He was invoked for the rescue of shipwrecked sailors and the liberation of prisoners. Portuguese sailors invoked him for good wind in the sails, fixing his image on the mast of the ship. Nowadays he is invoked above all to recover lost objects. However, there is no trace of this last patronage before the 17th century. It seems to be due to a play on words with his name: he was called Antonio de Pade or de Pave, an abbreviation of Padua (Padova). From there, he was attributed with the gift of recovering epaves, i.e. lost property. He is depicted as a beardless young man with a broad monastic tonsure, dressed in a habit, and often appears with the Infant Jesus, holding him in his arms, alluding to an apparition he had in his cell. It became the most popular attribute of this saint from the 16th century onwards, being especially popular in the Baroque art of the Counter-Reformation.