Saint Hyacinth Receiving the Dominican Habit 1556 - 1622

Aurelio Lomi created this pen and brown ink drawing, Saint Hyacinth Receiving the Dominican Habit, sometime in the late 16th or early 17th century. Lomi was working in a world undergoing the Counter-Reformation, where the Catholic Church sought to reaffirm its authority through art that inspired piety. The drawing depicts Saint Hyacinth, a Polish Dominican friar, kneeling to receive his habit, the distinctive garment signifying his entry into the order. Above, the Virgin Mary and Christ Child, surrounded by angels, oversee the ceremony. The very act of depicting this moment speaks to the importance of religious orders in shaping individual identity and spiritual devotion during this period. Lomi's drawing also subtly reflects the era's gendered spiritual expectations. Saint Hyacinth’s act of kneeling embodies humility, which was then seen as a virtue, especially for men in religious roles. At the same time, the Virgin Mary, elevated above, is a maternal figure watching over him. The drawing invites us to consider the ways in which religious art served not only to tell stories but also to reinforce the social and gender norms of its time.