O narudžbama djela kod bolonjskoga slikara Giovannija Francesca Barbierija zvanoga il Guercino svjedoči umjetnikova Knjiga računa, gdje je 9. kolovoza 1632. zabilježen predujam za narudžbu slike „sv. Tome apostola u polufiguri, za gospodina pukovnika iz Bologne”. Dugo godina slika se smatrala izgubljenom, a onda su u posljednjih desetak godina objavljene dvije, kojima pridružujemo i treću, iz zbirke biskupa Kokše. Za atributivno određenje zagrebačke slike važno je poznavanje rada u Guercinovoj obiteljskoj radionici, čiji su članovi uz uobičajenu pomoć umjetniku izrađivali i radioničke replike prema tržišno traženim djelima. The artist’s book of accounts testifies to the commissions of works from the Bolognese painter Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as il Guercino, where on August 9, 1632, an advance payment for the commission of the painting ”St. Thomas the Apostle in half-figure, for Mr. Colonel from Bologna”. For many years, the painting was considered lost, and then in the last ten years, two were published, to which we also add the third, from the collection of Bishop Kokša in Zagreb. For the attributive determination of the Zagreb painting, it is important to take into account the work in Guercino’s family workshop, whose members, in addition to the usual assistance to the artist, also made workshop replicas of works in demand on the market.