Hermit (St Francis of Assisi)

unknown (Austrian School)

  • Hermit (St Francis of Assisi) 2
  • Hermit (St Francis of Assisi) 3
Basic information
ID
Ж-591
Author
unknown (Austrian School)
Name
Hermit (St Francis of Assisi)
Date of creation
17th c.
Technique
oil painting
Material
duplicated canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm)
40.5 x 37.5
Information about author
Object description
An iconographic depiction of Francis of Assisi with his attributes: a book and a skull. The saint is shown as an elderly, grey-bearded man deep in prayer, traditionally attired in a brown monastic habit with a wide hood.
Francis's hands, clasped in prayer, rest upon the pages of the book. In keeping with the "vanitas" artistic tradition, the skull beneath the book serves as a reminder of life's transience and the inevitability of death.
To the left, behind the hermit, the faint, dark silhouettes of tree branches suggest that the scene is set in a secluded location – within a forest or near a cave.
 
Portrayed person
The name of the person portrayed
Francis of Assisi (born Giovanni Francesco di Pietro Bernardone) – a Catholic saint, itinerant friar, and founder of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans). As a poet and preacher, St Francis celebrated brotherhood, poverty, obedience, virtue, compassion for one’s neighbour, and love for all of God’s creation.
Lifetime of the person portrayed
1181/1182–1226
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery