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Storage Room insight: «Saint Francis kneeling in ecstasy»
17 / 03 / 2023

ANONYMOUS XVII
«Saint Francis kneeling in ecstasy»
Oil on canvas, 164.5 x 115 cm
N.R. 200,283
Donation Marquis de Lozoya, 1943


In the XVII century, Saint Francis of Assisi iconography undergoes a major change. Before then, the saint was usually depicted as a friend of nature and animals.


The counter-reformation will see the rise of penitent and visionary representations: the saint receiving the Christological stigmata or, as in this case, in mystical ecstasy after having reflected on death (as deducted by the presence of the cross, a skull, and a book).


It is a moment of direct contact with God, in his being, feeling the divine presence. The viewer understands that this presence is one of the best gifts a mortal can get and a sample of the truth that has been revealed.


Work restored with the support of the Catalan Government's (Generalitat de Catalunya) Ministry of Culture