The Seduction of
Saint Thomas (after Caravaggio)
In Caravaggio’s “The Incredulity of Saint Thomas,” we have a grouping of four men, with one man
(Thomas) penetrating another man (Jesus) in an opening or wound that appears
vaginal. Jesus looks to be encouraging Thomas to perform a gesture (one man
penetrating another or simply sticking one's finger into the wound of another)
that could have been considered perverse and a violation of social and cultural
mores.
Upper image: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, 1602
Lower image: The Lavender Hinge, Study for The Seduction of Saint Thomas (after Caravaggio), 2013