Lot 310 Dα

This finely painted panel depicts Saint Francis embracing the crucified Christ. Jesus has loosened His right arm from the cross to return the saint's embrace. Francis is depicted in the dark brown habit of the Franciscan order, bears the stigmata on his hands and feet and rests his right foot on a globe. To his right, two putti accompany the scene holding an book opened to show the New Testament verse "QVINON RENVNTIAT OMNIBVS QVÆ POSSIDET NONPOTES MEVS ESSEDISCI PVLVS" (Luke 14:33 - In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples). In the background we see the silhouette of a city beneath a dark, cloudy sky. The scene is characterised by the dramatic use of light, which falls from the left and illuminates the pale body of Christ in the centre of the composition. The reduced but subtle and nuanced colour palette consists of brown, blue, grey and black enlivened with small dabs of red and purple.

The panel reproduces a painting by the Spanish artist Bartolomeo Esteban Murillo dated to around 1668 - 70 and currently housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Seville. The subject relates to the Franciscan credo of following Christ in faith and deed, of which the renunciation of worldly goods formed a central aspect. Murillo's work is an exceptional example of Spanish Baroque painting around the time of the Counter Reformation. His oeuvre mainly consists of religious depictions, followed by portraits and genre scenes.

The label on the back of the frame with a monogram beneath a royal or princely crown is that of the work's former owner Maria Theresia Magdalena von Bourbon-Sicily, Princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1867-1902). Maria Theresia was a devout Catholic and was ill for many years, so it is conceivable that this unusual work served as a devotional image.