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Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation

A work made of oil on canvas.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil on canvas.

Date:

about 1595–about 1600

Artist:

El Greco (Doménikos Theotokópoulos)
Greek, active in Spain, 1541–1614

About this artwork

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 the crucified Jesus. At least a dozen other versions of this composition by El Greco exist, evidence of Francis’s tremendous popularity in Toledo, Spain, where the artist worked.

Status

On View, Gallery 206

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Domenico Theotokópoulos, called El Greco

Title

Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation

Place

Spain (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1595–1600

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

Inscribed lower right: Domenikos Theotocopulos (second line of text illegible)

Dimensions

92 × 74 cm (36 3/16 × 24 1/8 in.); Painted surface: 89.5 × 72 cm (35 1/4 × 28 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Robert A. Waller Memorial Fund

Reference Number

1935.372

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/21907/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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