The Stigmatization of St. Francis

Origin: Vincente Carducho, Spanish, born in Italy (1576/78-1638)
Date: About 1610-1630
Medium: Oil on canvas
The William A. Whitaker Foundation Art Fund
95.3

St. Francis of Assisi lived in Italy from about 1182 to 1226. He is well-known for his love of animals and birds, and legends abound of wild beasts who became tame when Francis preached to them. In his later years Francis had a mystical vision and received the stigmata, marks of the wounds of Jesus on the cross.

Carducho's powerful composition emphasizes the intensity of Francis' piety and attempts to evoke a strong emotional response in the viewer.