Silver Statuette of St. Thomas, from the Wittenberg Reliquaries 1472 - 1553

Lucas Cranach the Elder created this silver statuette of St. Thomas as part of the Wittenberg Reliquaries. Here, Saint Thomas is depicted with a halo, holding a spear and a reliquary box, symbols deeply rooted in his narrative. The spear signifies Thomas's martyrdom, while the reliquary alludes to his infamous doubt and subsequent witnessing of Christ's wounds. The reliquary box is representative of this transformative experience, symbolizing faith, as it has been passed down through generations. Consider the spear, a symbol of power and authority since antiquity, repurposed here as a mark of sacrifice. Interestingly, the motif of the "doubting" figure appears in various guises throughout art history. Think of the skeptical philosophers in ancient Greek sculptures, their furrowed brows and contemplative stances echoing Thomas's initial disbelief. These recurring themes speak to our collective struggle with faith and certainty. We see these motifs and gestures conveying intense doubt and emotional states in the collective consciousness and memory. The progression of these symbols isn't linear; instead, it's a cyclical journey of cultural memory and emotional expression.