Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Saint Francis of Assisi
(Renaissance Europe )
Saint Francis (1182-1226) was the patron saint and founder of the Franciscan Order. Late in life he had a vision, which left him with wounds in hands and feet like those of the crucified Christ. Here, he is depicted holding a book and a cross-staff and wearing the brown habit of the Franciscan order. The saint promoted an austere and pious way of life, and his bare feet testify to his ideal of poverty. The letters "C G" and the coat of arms refer to the unidentified patron of the painting, likely intended for private devotion as indicated by its small size.
A follower of the famous Pietro Perugino (ca. 1450-1523), Berto di Giovanni worked in the sweet and simple style of that artist in his native hilltown of Perugia in Central Italy.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Pinacoteca, Perugia; Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1881 catalogue: no. 181; 1897 catalogue: no. 332, as Eusebio di San Giorgio]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2020 | The Saint Francis Missal. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1982 | God's Minstrel: St. Francis of Assisi. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Examination | examined for condition | |
| 6/1/1946 | Treatment | inpainted; varnish removed or reduced; x-ray |
| 2/8/1982 | Examination | examined for exhibition |
| 2/8/1982 | Treatment | cleaned; examined for condition; varnish removed or reduced |
Geographies
Italy, Perugino (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Painted surface H: 26 15/16 x W: 16 7/8 in. (68.5 x 42.8 cm); Panel H: 30 5/16 x W: 20 1/4 x D: 1 in. (77 x 51.5 x 2.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters with the Massarenti Collection, 1902
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.640