Novohispanic School. Mexico. 18th century.

Novohispanic School. Mexico. 18th century. 'Saint Ignatius of Loyola' Oil on canvas. Relined. In an imposing carved, gilded, and sgraffitoperiod wooden frame. 190 x 131 cm. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in a mystical triumph of good over evil, stands triumphantly, crushing evil and dark forces in the form ofthe devil and his world of temptations, beneath his feet. He lookstowards the heavens, from where light and power emanate (IHS). To his right, at his feet, are his knight's livery, his earthly weapons, his pride, his nobility — those things he cast aside to 'embark and deepen' in God and in his service to the Church. He now wears the livery of Christ, the black Jesuit habit. The figure of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, is framed in a landscape with sea, on which a boat is sailing. It clearly symbolises the world 'beyond the seas,' which the Jesuits reached with their evangelisation,the world beyond the grasp of our human eyes and imagination. In his left hand, he carries the book of rules or Constitutions, where the motto of the Society, 'Ad maiorem Dei Gloriam,' is written. This ishis purpose: whatever we do, he said, we will always do it 'for the greater glory of God.'