In the collection of Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia — check current display status with the museum.
FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG
Saint Francis (1181–1226) kneels at the entrance to a cave, meditating on a human skull, while his friend Brother Leo clasps his hands in prayer. The skull is both the locus of contemplation and a symbol of death and hope for the afterlife. Francis was the patron saint of Toledo, El Greco's adopted home. The artist most likely created this image as a devotional aide. The otherworldly light, vibrating brushwork, and dramatically attenuated figures inspired modern artists like Cézanne and Picasso.
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El Greco — Saint Francis Kneeling in Meditation
Federico Barocci — Saint Francis
Alessandro Magnasco — Three Camaldolese Monks in Ecstatic Pr
Peter Paul Rubens — Saint Francis
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta (Italian, 1682–1754) — The Suppe
Caravaggio — Saint Francis in Meditation
Bernardo Strozzi — Saint Francis in Prayer
Francisco de Zurbarán — Saint Benedict
Juan de Flandes — The Temptation of Christ
Hans Sebald Beham (German, 1500–1550) — Christ and the Apost
Pietro Faccini (Italian, 1562–1602) — The Vision of St. Fran
Édouard Manet — Monk in Prayer
