The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

St. Francis Kneeling before Christ on the Cross

St. Francis Kneeling before Christ on the Cross

1437–1444
(Italian, 1392–1450)
Italy, 15th century
tempera and gold on wood
Framed: 91 x 46.5 x 4.5 cm (35 13/16 x 18 5/16 x 1 3/4 in.); Unframed: 81 x 40.2 cm (31 7/8 x 15 13/16 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1962.36
Location: 100 1916 Lobby

Description

Because of his simplicity, piety, and devotion to all living creatures, Saint Francis (1181–1226) has remained among the most revered and popular saints. Born to wealthy parents in Assisi, he first lived a life of spendthrift luxury. However, Francis later gave up all worldly goods and embraced an existence of utter poverty. Throughout his adult life, the saint experienced mystical trances and visions of Christ. Atop the cross here is a leafy tree and a nest of pelicans. Fifteenth-century viewers would have recognized the tree as a reference to the cross, which is often described as a tree, symbolizing Christ's role as the source of eternal life. The pelican, shown nourishing its young with its own blood, symbolizes Christ, who sacrifices himself for the salvation of mankind. This painting was the center pinnacle on the back of a double-sided altarpiece made for the church of San Francesco in Borgo Sansepolcro (near Arezzo).
  • S. Francesco, Borgo Sansepolcro (broken up c. 1578); Prince Johann Georg of Saxony (by 1936); Gerhard Freiherr von Preuschen, Stuttgart (1950); (P. Drey, New York)
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 58 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 58 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 1. European Paintings before 1500. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Reproduced: fig. 43, p. 121 - 124
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 66 archive.org
  • The Caporali Missal: A Masterpiece of Renaissance Illumination. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-June 2, 2013).
    Fliegel, Stephen N. The Caporali Missal: A Masterpiece of Renaissance Illumination. Published on the occasion of the exhibition "The Caporali Missal: A Masterpiece of Renaissance Illumination" held 17 Feb to 2 June 2013 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art; New York: DelMonico Books, imprint of Prestel Publishing, 2013. Cat 15, pg 110-1.
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (02/17/2013 - 06/02/2013): "Caporali"
    Gothic Art 1360-1440. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 6-September 15, 1963).
    Year in Review - 1962. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24-November 25, 1962).
  • {{cite web|title=St. Francis Kneeling before Christ on the Cross|url=false|author=Sassetta|year=1437–1444|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.36