Artwork
Het visioen van de heilige Franciscus van Assisi
Het visioen van de heilige Franciscus van Assisi is an unspecified painting by the Baroque artist Ludovico Carracci. It dates from 1584 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Ludovico Carracci’s canvas entitled *Het visioen van de heilige Franciscus van Assisi* portrays a nocturnal scene in which Saint Francis receives the infant Jesus from a luminous Virgin Mary. A kneeling disciple watches the supernatural encounter, while the left side of the picture is bathed in muted moonlight, contrasting with the radiant halo surrounding the Virgin.
Subject & Meaning
The work visualises a legendary vision recounted in Franciscan tradition: the saint is presented with the Christ Child by the Virgin, symbolising divine approval of his spiritual path. The presence of the observing follower underscores the communal witness to the mystic experience, emphasizing the transformative power of revelation.
Technique & Style
Carracci separates the celestial from the earthly by rendering the Virgin in a golden, almost incandescent glow that outshines the surrounding nightscape. This deliberate contrast of heavenly illumination against a subdued, moonlit background anticipates later chiaroscuro experiments, while the figures retain a naturalistic modelling that conveys emotional immediacy.
History & Provenance
Created in the early phase of Carracci’s career, the painting marks one of the first artistic attempts to depict a holy vision as a concrete, lived event rather than an allegorical tableau. Its provenance traces back to a Franciscan commission, though subsequent ownership records are sparse, reflecting its modest circulation among devotional collections.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Ludovico (or Lodovico) Carracci ( kə-RAH-chee, UK also kə-RATCH-ee, Italian: ; 21 April 1555 – 13 November 1619) was an Italian early-Baroque painter, etcher, and printmaker from Bologna.
