Saint Thomas Aquinas Aided by Saints Peter and Paul

Bartolomeo degli Erri's Saint Thomas Aquinas Aided by Saints Peter and Paul, painted around 1469 and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicts the great Dominican theologian receiving divine assistance from the two chief apostles. Erri was part of a family workshop active in Modena, and this panel reflects the strong Dominican patronage in Emilian cities, where Thomas Aquinas was venerated as the preeminent intellectual saint.

Erri's Emilian style combines elements drawn from Paduan and Ferrarese painting with a solid, somewhat provincial approach to figure construction and clear, warm coloring.