Back

Stigmata of Saint Francis

Ortensio Crespi

  • Stigmata of Saint Francis 2
  • Stigmata of Saint Francis 3
Basic information
ID
Ж-2271
Author
Ortensio Crespi
Name
Stigmata of Saint Francis
Date of creation
17th c.
Country
Italy
Technique
oil painting
Material
canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm)
130 x 97.5
Information about author
Author
Ortensio Crespi
Artist's lifetime
1578–1631
Biography
Ortensio Crespi (1578–1631) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance and belonged to the Lombard School of Painting (late 16th to early 17th century). His son was the painter Raffaele Crespi. His older brother, the painter Giovanni Battista, also known as Il Cerano, assisted him with preparatory drawings for his works. The most famous signed work by Ortensio Crespi is "The Stigmata of St. Francis", from a private collection in Navarre. The artist repeated this work compositionally in a fresco from Milan. In 1611, he received payment for twenty sketches of "The Miracles of St. Charles" on the occasion of the canonization of St. Charles in 1610. He worked in the genre of religious painting.
Object description
The painting, probably by Ortensio Crespi, depicts Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. The saint's face is elongated. There is abundant drapery on the clothing. The first stigmatist is considered to be St. Francis of Assisi. His secular name was Giovanni di Bernardone. He was born in Assisi in 1182 into the family of a wealthy merchant. He lived a carefree life in his youth but later renounced worldly life and chose complete poverty. Through his example and the monastic orders he founded, St. Francis influenced the spiritual and artistic life of the Middle Ages. At the end of his life, he received the stigmata of the Lord's wounds. He died in Assisi on 3 October 1226 and was canonised two years later.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery