“The Stigmatization of St. Francis,” created by Lucas Cranach the Elder around 1502 in Germany, is an oil painting on wood, measuring 86.8 by 47.5 centimeters. This work belongs to the Northern Renaissance art movement and falls within the genre of religious painting. It is currently housed at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria.
The artwork depicts St. Francis of Assisi experiencing the religious phenomenon known as the stigmatization, wherein he receives the wounds of Christ. In this scene, St. Francis, with a look of awe and devotion, stands against a backdrop of rugged foliage and towering trees. His right arm is raised, and a beam of light from a seraphic figure above illuminates him, symbolizing divine intervention. St. Francis’s companion, possibly Brother Leo, lies prostrate on the ground to the right, immersed in prayer or perhaps shielding his eyes from the divine brightness. Behind them, one can discern distant buildings and a slightly overcast sky, imbuing the painting with a sense of depth and solemn tranquility. The intricate details and emotional intensity characteristic of Cranach’s Northern Renaissance style are vividly manifest in this moving religious tableau.
