Madonna and Child with Saint Francis

Madonna and Child with Saint Francis

Francesco Francia, 1503

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Artist: Francesco Francia (Italian, 1447–1517)
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 27 3/4 × 23 1/4 in. (70.5 × 59.1 cm) (sight); 37 7/8 × 33 3/8 × 3 1/4 in. (96.2 × 84.8 × 8.3 cm)
Museum: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Rights: Public Domain Mark

Bologna's leading Renaissance artist Francesco Francia began his career as a goldsmith before turning to painting in his 30s. Francia's devotional pictures are beloved for their gentle beauty and graceful harmony, with sacred figures deeply absorbed in quiet contemplation and prayer. He painted this panel for the eminent patron Paolo Zambeccari, whose name he inscribed next to his own on the parapet. The small bird nibbling the Christ Child's thumb is a goldfinch, a symbol of Christ's passion. (The bird's red plummage, according to legend, was permanently stained by blood that fell from Christ's crown of thorns). Saint Francis, bearing the stigmata, gazes solemnly at the lively infant, foreseeing his sacrifice.

Text: Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), CC BY 4.0.

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