Saint Francis of Assisi with Angels by Sandro Botticelli
Saint Francis of Assisi with Angels by Sandro Botticelli
Saint Francis stands on a marble ledge against a golden background. He embraces a Crucifix and gazes compassionately at the tiny figure of the crucified Christ. If you look closely you can see bright red blood on Christ’s feet and his white loin cloth, where it has dripped from the wound in his side.
The saint is flanked by angels playing musical instruments, their feet supported by small clouds. His meditation on Christ’s suffering was so intense that, during a vision of Christ on the Cross, Saint Francis miraculously developed the wounds of the Crucifixion. We can see them here on his hands and feet.
The picture was once thought to be by the Florentine artist Filippino Lippi, but cleaning and restoration in 2002 revealed that it is probably an early work by his teacher, Botticelli.
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.
Comments
Post a Comment