arrow_forward_ios
arrow_forward_ios

Saint Louis of Toulouse, Saint Francis, and the Blessed John Capistrano Thumbnail

Saint Louis of Toulouse, Saint Francis, and the Blessed John Capistrano

Cristoforo Caselli (Italian, ca. 1460-1521) (Painter)

ca. 1499-1500 (Renaissance)

This triptych (an altarpiece with three panels) of three Franciscan holy men was probably placed on the high altar of a Franciscan church. Depicted as if bathed in natural light, the architectural setting with the three saints opens up to a serene landscape. Inside the church, this illusionistic opening would have given the painting the character of a divine vision. Saint Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan order, is depicted with the stigmata (wounds similar to those of Christ in the hands, feet, and side), which he received during a vision towards the end of his life. Rose petals are scattered across the floor.

For more information on these panels, please see Federico Zeri's 1976 catalogue no. 186, pp. 275-277.

Provenance

**Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.**

Henry Walters, Baltimore, prior to 1922 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Exhibitions

1982	God's Minstrel: St. Francis of Assisi. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
7/26/1938	Treatment	filled; loss compensation; stabilized; varnish removed or reduced

Share

Geographies

Italy, Parma (Place of Origin)

Measurements

St. Francis painted surface H including insert at top: 52 3/8 x W: 21 1/4 x D: 15/16 in. (133 x 54 x 2.4 cm); St. Louis of Toulouse painted surface H: 51 15/16 x W: 16 9/16 x D: 13/16 in. (132 x 42 x 2 cm); Blessed John Capistrano painted surface H including inserts at top and bottom: 52 3/8 x W: 16 9/16 x D: 13/16 in. (133 x 42 x 2 cm)