The Temptation of St. Thomas is a painting by the Spanish Baroque painter Diego Velázquez, executed in 1632 and housed in the Museum of Sacred Art of Orihuela Cathedral, southern Spain.
The work, for a period, was attributed to Murcian painter Nicolás de Villacis, until it was recognized as Velázquez's in the 1920s. It portrays the episode of the life of Saint Thomas Aquinas when, as a novice, he resisted the temptation represented by a prostitute, who is visible in the background door. The saint is held by an angel, while another is preparing to dress him with a white ribbon, representing chastity.
Temptation of St. Thomas is among Velázquez's better-known paintings.
See also List of works by Diego Velázquez
References
Sources
External links Velázquez , exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on this painting (see index)