Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata (1535–45): Art, History and Details

Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata (1535–45) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Niccolo Boldrini (Italian, c. 1500–after 1566); Titian (Italian, c. 1488–1576).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

In this woodland setting, the trees yield to the divine presence, which travels from the upper right sunburst through the forest, like a heavenly explosion, toward the figure of Saint Francis at left. Landscape was central to the story of the saint, who, Christian tradition says, spent years in the wilderness living as a beggar before he miraculously received the stigmata (wounds of Christ) during an ecstatic vision. Titian’s dramatic lines create a series of dynamic diagonals, heightening the moment of religious rapture and expressing God’s power through the wonderous riches of nature.

Object facts

• Title: Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata
• Date: 1535–45
• Creator attribution: Niccolo Boldrini (Italian, c. 1500–after 1566); Titian (Italian, c. 1488–1576)
• Culture: Italy, Venice
• Type: Print
• Technique: woodcut
• Dimensions: Image: 29.2 x 43.5 cm (11 1/2 x 17 1/8 in.); Sheet: 29.2 x 43.5 cm (11 1/2 x 17 1/8 in.)
• Collection: PR - Woodcut
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1960.160

A detail from the museum

The woodcutter cut the block to purposely imitate the drawing style of the composition's designer, Titian.

Collection credit

Delia E. Holden Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.