Italian school. 16th - 17th century. 'Portrait of Cardinal Pedro da Fonseca' Oil on canvas. Relined. Signed. 153 x 97 cm. 137 x 100 cm. Pedro da Fonseca (Cortiçada, now Proença-a-Nova, 1528 - Lisbon, 1599) was a highly influential Portuguese Jesuit in the late 16th-century Aristotelian scholastic tradition, playing a significant role in the development of philosophy in the early Modern Age. He was instrumental in creating a curriculum for Jesuit education across Europe through his contribution to the 'Ratio Studiorum' (1599), the document that formally established the Jesuit education system worldwide. He began the compilation of commentaries on Aristotle, known as the 'Conimbricenses,' a collection of texts used in many universities and educational institutions in the 17th century. He wrote an introduction to logic, recommended by the Ratio Studiorum, and a commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics, used by numerous Jesuit colleges. He is considered the founder of the 'middle divine science' or third science, which sits between the science of simple intelligence (or divine science) and the science of sight. He was a philosophy professor at the University of Coimbra, where he taught Greek and Arabic. He received important commissions from figures such as Pope Gregory XIII and King Philip II, who had confidence in him. He also held positions of responsibility within the Society of Jesus. At the bottom margin of the work, you can read the inscription: 'PETRVS DE FONSECA EBOR. LVSIT. CARTA DE MARTINO V DIACONVS. S. ANGEL(...) [L]EGATA LATERE IN HISPANIAS NEAPOLI(...) ET CONSTANTINOP. IN VATICANO SEPT(...) / MCDXII'; as well as the Fonseca family coat of arms (derived from 'fonte seca,' dry well).