St. Francis Alterpiece

This early panel depicting Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) prior to his canonization was painted by Bonaventura Berlinghieri. It was painted in Italy in the Byzantine style at the very end of the medieval period around 1235, just prior to the development of Renaissance Humanism. This was a transitional period from the Mid-evil period to the Renaissance period which left a marked change in the arts of that time period.

Bonaventura a painter active between 1215 and 1242 in Luca was one of the three painter sons of Berlinghiero Berlinghieri,. The painting of St Francis is one of the earliest altarpieces dedicated to Saint Francis who was canonized in 1228. This altarpiece was painted on a wooden panel and is the earliest known signed and dated representation of this legendary saint. It is depicting six representations of him following Jesus Christ’s life, in four of the six pictures it shows St. Francis performing miraculous healings. The picture of St. Francis having holes in his hands and feet like Jesus did (Stigmata) had others believe that he was the second Christ. He was believed that his works and decisions are what scholars and theorists cited as contemporary. He provided a powerful model of devotion to others with his life and the choices he made. The artist Bonaventura exerted considerable influence on Florentine painting, this “was an invaluable resource for artists, providing detailed descriptions that enriched the terse gospels” (Mulvaney, 2005, p 171). At the time, “Byzantine art could reign only where it is understood, and where the customs and especially the ecclesiastical institutions are in harmony with its aspirations” (Frotningham, 1895, p 155). Bonaventua Berlinghieri used a method of painting in what was customary within the Byzantine church. “In order to attain an elevated level of meditation and contemplation, imagination muse be used to summon images so vibrant that they are experienced by the bodily senses” (Mulvaney, 2005, p169). He used...