Hermit (St Francis of Assisi)
unknown (Austrian School)
- 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
- Type
- painting
- Genre
- religious
- Plot
- Life of Saint Francis of Assisi
- Provenance
- the Lubomirski collection
- Exposition
- Potocki Palace
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.
- 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