Marriage of Saint Francis to Lady Poverty
"The Marriage of Saint Francis with Lady Poverty," also known as "The Mystic Marriage of St. Francis," by Stefano di Giovanni di Console, known as Sassetta (between 1437 and 1444). The scene represents a symbolic union between Saint Francis and Lady Poverty.
St. Francis is shown placing a ring on the finger of a woman who represents Poverty, while Chastity and Obedience stand close, signifying the virtues embraced by the Franciscan order. This commitment scene also symbolizes Saint Francis's vow of poverty, giving up comfort, and his dedication to a life of simplicity and spiritual wealth.
Therefore, the central figures are Saint Francis, and three female figures representing the Evangelical Councils. Wearing his traditional brown habit, Saint Francis engages in the act of marriage with Lady Poverty. She is often depicted as a young woman, barefoot, symbolizing her humility and detachment from material possessions, and rejection of worldly comfort.
The Evangelical Councils are Chastity (often in white), Obedience (often in red) and Poverty, the three of them are virtues embraced by the Franciscans. They often are shown holding symbols associated with their virtues: Chastity with lilies, and Obedience with a cross.
The idyllic landscape includes rolling hills, castles, and cultivated fields, although the perspective and realism may be less emphasized than in later Renaissance works, reflecting Sassetta's Sienese Gothic style.
At the end of the scene, the three figures return to heaven, only Poverty looks back, glancing at Francis, highlighting the emotional depth of the scene.
The painting is often part of a larger altarpiece, such as the one from San Francesco at Borgo San Sepolcro, where it was one of several smaller scenes accompanying a central image of Saint Francis in Ecstasy.
Sassetta's work is characteristic of the Sienese Gothic style, known for its slim, elongated and elegant figures ressed in flowing garments, on delicate colors, and an overall sense of courtly elegance. The painting also displays elements of the International Gothic style, particularly in the flowing draperies and the refined depiction of the figures.
While still rooted in the Gothic tradition, Sassetta's landscapes show an awareness of Florentine innovations, particularly in the way the landscape is presented as an accessible space.
This panel once adorned the reverse of a monumental polyptych, one of the most important of the first Quattrocento, commissioned in 1437 by the Franciscans for the high altar of the church in the Borgo San Sepolcro monastery (Tuscany).
Made up of 60 panels, this polyptych was dismantled down through the centuries. Its surviving fragments are today dispersed across the world.
Sassetta was one of the Masters from the Sienese School in the Quattrocento, and this panel demonstrates his approach to landscape as an accessible space, indicating his knowledge of Florentine innovations.
"The Marriage of Saint Francis with Lady Poverty" is a powerful visual allegory of Saint Francis's spiritual journey, his embrace of poverty as a path to God, and the virtues that guided his life.
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.
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