Under the shadow of Saint Teresa of Ávila

Iconography of Saint John of the Cross in the Portuguese Panels in the Church of the Third Order of Carmel of Recife (XVIII Century)

Abstract

The paper aims to analyze the iconography of two Portuguese tile panels found in the access hall to the sacristy of the church of the Carmelite Third Order of Recife which contain representations of Saint John of the Cross. As imported goods from the kingdom, tiles were high valued in the market. Therefore, its acquisition in Portuguese America was made by wealthy orders and fraternities, becoming symbolic elements of power inside the salvation economy. The fabrication process was made from afar, leaving the ordered to decide on the theme and place after receiving the commission. Without the interference of the Carmelites Third in the process of construction of the imagetic composition, the iconography of those panels took separate paths from the engravements that served as base, building new iconography types. Through a comparative method based on the Erwin Panofsky iconology, the article analyses the imagetic theme of those panels, the presence of Saint John of the cross, and the placing of the tiles in a space of less artistic fruition.