Provenance

Cambi Auction House, Genoa, 12 June 2019, lot 194.

The Gary Eisenberg Collection.

Notes

Art frequently depicts Doubting Thomas in the pivotal moment when he, skeptical of Christ's resurrection, is invited to touch Christ’s wounds. This scene embodies the struggle between faith and doubt, with Thomas’s eventual belief serving as a strong affirmation of faith. In Christian art this encounter is often dramatised, showcasing the contrast between Thomas's hesitance and Christ's patient invitation. Artists like Caravaggio capture this moment with emotional intensity, focusing on realism and human vulnerability, highlighting the universal challenge of belief and the grace found in revelation.

“One of the twelve disciples, Thomas, was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, 'We have seen the Lord!'

But he replied, 'I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.'

Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. 'Peace be with you,' he said. Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!'

'My Lord and my God!' Thomas exclaimed.

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

- John 20:24-29