SASSETTA
(b. 1394, Siena, d. 1450, Siena)

The Ecstasy of St Francis

1437-44
Tempera on wood, 190 x 122 cm
Villa i Tatti, Settignano

The panel formed part of an altarpiece, placed originally on the high altar of the St Francis church in Borgo San Sepolcro. According to the reconstruction of the now dismembered altarpiece, this panel was in the centre of the back side of the polyptych.

This large painting is in rather good condition. Sassetta maintains a balance between a demanding realism in certain parts, like the brilliant treatment of the hands and feet of St Francis, the more esoteric treatment of the aureole that surrounds the saint, and the gilt background.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.