Madonna and Child with Franciscan Saints Bernardino Licinio 1535

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 Madonna and Child Enthroned with Franciscan Saints

Bernardino Licinio, 1535. Oil on panel. Chapel of the Franciscan Saints, Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice, Italy.*

At the heart of the Franciscan chapel in Venice's Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Bernardino Licinio gathers the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child among an assembly of saints connected to the Franciscan tradition. Enthroned beneath a canopy of deep green and crowned by an open sky, Mary holds the Child while saints, friars, and religious figures surround her. Among them are Saint Clare, Saint Bonaventure, Saint Francis of Assisi, and Saint Anthony of Padua, alongside Saint John the Baptist, Saint Mark, Saint Andrew, and Saint Louis of Toulouse. Their varied gestures and expressions create a sense of devotion that is both communal and deeply personal, while the kneeling or standing figures draw our attention toward the sacred encounter at the center. Continue reading after advertisement

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One of the most moving details is the relationship between the Virgin, the Child, and the two great Franciscan saints in the foreground. Mary appears to lower her gaze toward Saint Anthony, while the Christ Child turns toward Saint Francis, raising His hand in blessing. Francis, in turn, touches the wound in his side, recalling the stigmata through which he was understood to have received a special share in Christ's Passion. This exchange invites us to see more than a gathering of holy figures: it suggests a spiritual recognition between Christ and the saint whose life became so profoundly conformed to His own. In Franciscan tradition, Francis is often described as *Alter Christus*—“another Christ”—a title expressing his extraordinary imitation of Christ, especially in his poverty, humility, and participation in the Passion.

Licinio's altarpiece thus brings together different forms of holiness within a single devotional vision. Mary directs our attention toward her Son; Anthony embodies the Franciscan tradition of preaching and devotion; and Francis, marked by the stigmata, becomes a living witness to the mystery of Christ's suffering. The painting's beauty lies not only in the richness of its colors and the dignity of its figures, but also in these subtle exchanges of gaze and gesture. Through them, the altarpiece presents Franciscan sanctity not as an isolated achievement, but as a life shaped by the example of Christ and sustained by the intercession of the Virgin.

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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.