Madonna offering the Christ Child to Saint Francis by Pietro da Cortona 1640

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Pietro da Cortona, Vision of St Francis

The Vision of St Francis is a copy, of slightly smaller dimensions, of the altarpiece that Pietro da Cortona painted in 1640-1641 for the Montauto Chapel in the church of the Annunziata in Arezzo. The painting, that comes from the Pontifical Villa of Castelgandolfo, was exhibited in the Pinacoteca in 1932. The apparition of the Virgin in the act of offering the Child Jesus to St Francis is a particularly common subject in the 17th century. The religious theme is expressed here with remarkable vitality and freedom, with a fluidity of stroke and richness of chromatic effects, confirming the great personality of the artist, who was one of the leading Baroque painters.

Pietro da Cortona is best known for his masterpiece of baroque illusionism. It's a perfect example of his 'Baroque' style, with its dramatic movement, rich colors, and intense play of light and shadow.

The painting depicts the blessed Virgin Mary handing a joyful baby Jesus who who leans to Saint Francis arms. The saint is also overboard with joy, as his frown illuminates in the presence of the divine Child.

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This image is a public domain image, which means either that copyright has expired in the image or the copyright holder has waived their copyright. Franciscan Gallery charges for the access to high resolution copy of the image. Manually restoration was necessary in order to improve quality, without covering the original image.