Andalusian school; late seventeenth century.

Andalusian School; late seventeenth century.
"St. Francis of Assisi.
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Presents damage caused by xylophagous in the stretcher frame.
Measurements: 44 x 32 cm; 58 x 46 cm (frame).
In this sober and devotional scene, the painter represents Saint Francis in a forest. The saint has fallen asleep while praying, and some cherubs approach him and observe him. The saint in a prayerful attitude, kneeling and with his hands crossed on his chest, reads the Holy Scriptures, which are resting on a skull, elements typical of the iconography of St. Francis. The thick brushstroke defines a rotund figure, of profound humanity, with great economy of color, limited to the range of browns, which only emphasizes the message of humility and mystical simplicity that the saint advocated throughout his life.

St. Francis (Assisi, Italy, 1182 - 1226) was the son of a wealthy Italian merchant. Baptized as John, he soon became known as "Francesco" (the little Frenchman), because his mother came from that country. His youth was joyful and carefree until the age of twenty-five, when he changed completely and began to dedicate himself to the service of God, practicing the evangelical ideal: purity, detachment and joy in peace. Francesco renounces the great inheritance received from his parents and decides to live poorly, giving an example of authentic Christianity. He soon had several young disciples, called by the saint "order of the Friars Minor". In 1210, Pope Innocent III granted them the foundation of the new order and encouraged them in their evangelical tasks. During a retreat on the mountain, Christ appeared to him, and legend has it that from his wounds came rays that caused Francis various stigmata. He was a legendary character during his lifetime, considered a living relic.