Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation
Domenico Theotokópoulos, called El Greco · c. 1595–c. 1600 · Art Institute of Chicago
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From the museum
Saint Francis appears here surrounded by symbols associated with his sainthood. The book, for example, speaks to his devotional studies, and the skull is a reminder of the inevitability of death. The painting prompts the viewer to meditate upon the saint in the same way that he prays before the sculpture of Christ. At least a dozen other versions of this composition by El Greco exist, evidence of Francis’s tremendous popularity in Toledo, Spain, where he made his career.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Details
- Maker
- El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos; Greek, active in Spain, 1541–1614)
- Date
- c. 1595–c. 1600
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 92 × 74 cm (36 3/16 × 24 1/8 in.); Framed: 112.4 × 94.6 × 8.9 cm (44 1/4 × 37 1/4 × 3 1/2 in.)
- Place of origin
- Greece
- Held by
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · On view · Gallery 206
- Credit line
- Robert A. Waller Memorial Fund
Image: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0
