St. Anthony of Padua & the Christ Child (JM 05)

St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) is one of the Church’s most popular saints. First introduced as an artistic motif in the 17th century, St. Anthony holding the Christ Child has been translated into all manners of artistic media across the globe, especially wherever Franciscan missionaries have spread the Word. In this splendid depiction, the Christ Child kneeling on a book (another of St. Anthony’s attributes but not visible here) reaches up to embrace him while St. Anthony, clad in the traditional brown Franciscan habit, gazes at the toddler Jesus with wonder and love. + Feast: June 13 + Image Credit (JM 05): Detail of an antique image of St. Anthony of Padua, originally published in chromolithography by Josef Müller Art Publisher, Munich and New York, first quarter of the 20th century, from the designer’s private collection of religious ephemera. This is just one of over sixty images in a very popular style of devotional prints issued in several sizes and formats by Müller at the turn of the last century.