This portrait shows Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556), one of the founders to the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits. Ignatius points to the Latin words "AD MAIOR EM DEI GLORIAM" (to the greater glory of god). The painting was based on a print by Dutch engraver Schelte Bolswert (ca 1581–1659), which was probably brought to China by Christian missionaries.The portrait is on a pane of glass, with the paint applied to the back. The artist had to apply colours in reverse order from the usual way of painting. This rare technique was probably introduced to China by Jesuit priests in the early 1700s.
