Saint Francis

c. 1615

The Franciscans were among the reformed religious orders whose preaching and teaching activities helped revive the Roman Catholic Church in the Southern Netherlands following years of turmoil in the 1500s. Rubens here depicted the order’s founder, Saint Francis of Assisi, recognizable by the wound that imitates the pierced hands of the crucified Jesus. Rubens conveyed the saint’s spirituality through his meditative gaze and posture.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640)

Date

c. 1615

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

99 × 78.8 cm (43 1/4 × 31 in.); Framed: 148 × 118.8 × 7.6 cm (58 1/4 × 46 3/4 × 3 in.)

Origin

Flanders

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

George F. Harding Collection