Ignatius Loyola was born in the Basque province of Guipuzcoa in Northern Spain. He worked as a page in courtly circles where he quickly became confident, ambitious and flirtatious. After being injured in a battle he started to read spiritual texts and the lives of the Saints whilst recuperating. A conversion and visions followed and he proceeded to re-educate himself, including learning Latin, in order to enter the priesthood. In 1539 he co-founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) of which he was elected the leader.
This painting was formerly hung in the Church of San Juan de Dios, Lima, Peru. The Jesuits established a number of missions in South America but were expelled from Peru by the Spanish Crown in 1767. In this portrait Loyola holds a Jesuit seal and an open book, the latter displaying the Jesuits’ Latin motto on the left page and the title of the rules of the Society on the right page.