Spanish school; second third of the XVII century.... Lot 3

Spanish school; second third of the XVII century. "The Ecstasy of St. Francis". Oil on canvas. Re-colored. Presents missing repainting and frame of the nineteenth century. Measures: 121 x 91 cm; 147 x 116 cm (frame). In this canvas, of devotional character by its composition, clear and simple, the author offers us an image of San Francisco de Asís, dressed with the Franciscan sackcloth, with a cord of three knots tied to the waist that is hardly appreciated. The three knots represent the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The saint appears full-length, standing before a landscape of low horizon and clear sky, with his gaze directed towards the sky and his arms open, in whose hands the stigmata can be seen. So it is the representation of St. Francis, in ecstasy receiving the stigmata. The story tells how St. Francis, being retired in the mountain, had a vision in which Christ appeared to him, from whose wounds came rays that caused the saint stigmata in the hands and feet. In this particular case, it is worth mentioning the presence of two figures, one running over the bridge and the other reading located in the right area of the composition. Due to the presence of the character who is reading, it can be a scene of narrative character that represents the Saint in several moments of his life. Saint Francis (Assisi, Italy, 1182 - 1226) was the son of a wealthy Italian merchant. Baptized as John, he was soon known as "Francesco" (the little Frenchman), because his mother came from that country. His youth was joyful and carefree until the age of twenty-five, when he changed completely and began to dedicate himself to the service of God, practicing the evangelical ideal: purity, detachment and joy in peace. Francesco renounces the great inheritance received from his parents and decides to live poorly, giving an example of authentic Christianity. He soon had several young disciples, called by the saint "order of the Friars Minor". In 1210, Pope Innocent III granted them the foundation of the new order and encouraged them in their evangelical tasks. During a retreat on the mountain, Christ appeared to him, and legend has it that from his wounds came rays that caused Francis various stigmata. He was a legendary character during his lifetime, considered a living relic. Likewise, his exquisite poetry and his familiarity with nature add the most human accent known in a saint, as can be appreciated in his "Canticle to the Sun".