"St. Francis in the Wilderness"

Giovanni Bellini - Oil
St. Francis in the Wilderness is a painting by Giovanni Bellini, who started this painting in 1475 and finished it around 1480. This painting is oil on panel, which recalls Mantegna. The work is signed IOANNES BELLINUS on a small chart visible in the lower left corner. It portrays St. Francis of Assisi in ecstasy while receiving the stigmata. In the left middle-ground is an immobile donkey which can be interpreted as a symbol of humility and patience, but also of laziness, stupidity or obstinacy. In the lower right corner, on a rustic reading table, is a skull, representing death. The stream in the left middle-ground symbolizes Moses and the great spring, while the barren tree in the center of the painting represents the burning bush. The overall composition is also thought to be a meditation of St. Francis on the creation of the world as stated in the book of Genesis. It is now housed in the Frick Collection in New York City.