Stigmatta by Tiepolo 1767

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Stigmata of Saint Francis by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1767

This miracle in the life of Saint Francis of Assisi took place in 1224 during the Celebration in Praise of the Holy Cross. When the saint withdrew to pray, he received the stigmata from a seraph: the same wounds suffered by Christ on the Cross. An angel holds him so that his body does not collapse in ecstasy.

In the painting, Saint Francis appears lifted in a moment of rapture, his face turned upward toward the radiant seraph that hovers above him. The angelic figure supports his body with a gentle but firm embrace, emphasizing both the intense physical experience and the tenderness of divine assistance. Tiepolo’s palette is striking: deep ultramarine blues surround Francis’s humble habit, while the sky bursts into luminous golds, soft rose tones, and glowing whites, giving the scene an otherworldly brilliance. The landscape behind them is rendered in shadowy earth tones, heightening the dramatic contrast between the natural world and the supernatural light that envelops the saint. The vibrant brushstrokes create a sense of movement, as if the air itself is alive with grace.

The variation of blue tones and their contrast with the dark palette used for both the landscape and the habit help to create an unreal atmosphere that heightens the supernatural character of this miracle. This canvas was one of a set made for the Convent Church of San Pascual in Aranjuez. The sketch for this work is preserved today in the galleries of the Courtauld Institute in London.

This depiction of the Stigmata of Saint Francis that was part of the commission for the Convent Church of San Pascual in Aranjuez is correctly dated to 1767 (sometimes listed broadly as 1767–1769, during the decoration program ordered by King Charles III).