Old painting, Saint Francis of Assisi, 17th century, (Hands of Antwerp)

  

Old Painting, Saint Francis of Assisi, 17th century, (Hand of Antwerp). This painting depicts a Franciscan saint, most likely Saint Francis of Assisi, shown from the waist up, with his arms crossed over his chest in an attitude of deep devotion.

His melancholic gaze is directed toward a crucifix appearing in the shadows on the left side of the composition. The scene is rendered in a dark and introspective atmosphere, typical of post-Tridentine spiritual painting. The chiaroscuro highlights the expressiveness of the face, the delicate skin tones, and the hands marked by a slight wound evoking the stigmata.

Oil on oak panel, with the Hand of Antwerp and the Antwerp tower on the reverse. (See the Guild of Saint Luke, active in the 16th and 17th centuries).

Note: old restorations, some overpainting, and areas of wear.