St. Thomas Aquinas
František Vavřinec Korompay (1723–1779) | oil on canvas, 95 × 70 cm
František Vavřinec Korompay’s distinctive artistic expression, manifested in oscillations between lyrically oriented painting and more expressive tendencies, ranks him among the most important personalities of late Baroque painting in Moravia. He trained under František Antonín Palek and later settled in Brno. He became known as an excellent portraitist and author of altarpieces. The circle of his commissioners was connected with Brno, but he also created his works for more distant destinations, for example for the church of St. Martin in Třebíč, for the church of St. Bartholomew in Rozsochách. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) one of the Church Fathers, a member of the Dominican Order, theologian and philosopher, whose writings composed and serve as the basis of theological texts and the foundation of the Church. The saint reflects on one of his works, in the midst of an idea suggested to him by the Holy Spirit (dove), who brings him divine inspiration. He turns his gaze towards the chalice with the host, which represents the Eucharist and at the same time recalls the saint’s hymns dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament. The shining star is one of the attributes of this saint, who is also called “Doctor Angelicus”.