Saints Anthony and Francis by Friedrich Pacher
St. Anthony of Padua and St. Francis of Assisi (1477)
Tempera on pine panel, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
Attributed to Friedrich Pacher, a relative and collaborator of the renowned Michael Pacher, this panel forms one half of a predella dedicated to the most venerated saints of the Franciscan Order. The companion panel, now separate, also depicted Franciscan figures.
Painted in 1477, this work once adorned the lower section of a grand altarpiece. Its subdued color palette and restrained composition reflect the predella’s supporting role within the larger ensemble. The sharply modeled faces—with their high cheekbones, narrow lips, and introspective expressions—reveal the sculptural precision characteristic of the Pacher workshop. The angular folds of the habits, especially around the elbows, echo the workshop’s deep engagement with contemporary woodcarving, translating sculptural rhythm into painted form.
At the bottom, a fine Gothic inscription records the donors and date, situating the work firmly within late Gothic devotional art.
On the left, Saint Anthony of Padua gestures toward Saint Francis of Assisi, who appears on the right. Anthony holds three fish in his right hand, a reference to the legendary sermon to the fish, symbolizing his gift for reaching even the most humble of God’s creatures. Francis stands in a prayerful attitude, displaying the stigmata on both hands, while the tear in his habit reveals the wound on his side—a quiet testimony to his mystical union with Christ’s suffering.
Together, the two saints embody the contemplative and the apostolic dimensions of Franciscan spirituality: preaching and prayer, action and interior devotion, joined within a single panel of luminous simplicity.
Tempera panel on pine, Museum Szépmûvészeti, Budapest
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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