San Tommaso
1527
Hans Holbein the Younger sketched this contemplative Saint Thomas around 1527, likely as a design for a stained glass window. Notice the carpenter's square and tools resting at his feet? Those are the classic symbols of Thomas, the patron saint of architects, referencing the legend that he built a palace in India. Even in a simple drawing, Holbein’s mastery shines through the heavy, realistic folds of the robe and the saint's intense, upward gaze, hinting at the brilliant portrait career that would soon take him to the English court.
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