Spanish school; following XVII century models; XX century."The Stigmata of St. Francis".Oil on pine board.It has a frame made of carved and gilded wood, following ancient models.Measurements: 29 x 48 cm; 45 x 64 cm (frame).In this work of devotional character is represented the episode in which San Francisco, being retired in the mountain, had a vision in which Christ appeared to him, of whose wounds rays arose that caused to the saint stigmata in the hands and feet. The scene is situated in the foreground, with the saint standing, dressed in the Franciscan sackcloth, receiving the rays. It is remarkable the presence of the figure located in the lower left corner. 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 Gospel 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. His iconography is abundant, only surpassed by that of St. Anthony of Padua. He always wears the Franciscan sackcloth, with a three-knotted cord tied around his waist. The three knots represent the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. He also usually shows the stigmata on his hands and feet, and sometimes these are highlighted by rays of light coming out of the wounds, although this is not the case here. At first the saint was depicted in art with a beard, until the painter Giotto, who devoted much of his work to this saint, painted him without it. At the time of the Counter-Reformation he was painted again with a beard, less smiling and more suffering.