Italian school; 17th century."Saint Francis".Oil on copper.It presents faults and repainting.Measurements: 19,5 x 16,5 cm.Kneeling, with open hands and afflicted face, Saint Francis shows to the spectator the palm of his left hand where the bleeding wound can already be appreciated. This detail, together with the rupture of glory in the upper right-hand corner of the composition, indicates that the artist has chosen the precise moment when St. Francis receives the stigmata. The so-called "Stigmatisation" took place in September 1224 on Mount Alvernia. St. Francis decided to have a hut built to isolate himself on that mountain, praying, with Friar Leo bringing him bread and water, a brother who witnessed several miracles, including the one recounted in this work. According to St Bonaventure's account, the crucified Nazarene appeared to him, surrounded by six angelic wings, giving the saint the marks of the Crucifixion on his hands, feet and side, wounds that he would keep for the rest of his life, trying to hide them from the public eye.Saint Francis (Assisi, Italy, 1182 - 1226) was the son of a wealthy Italian merchant. Baptised John, he soon became known as "Francesco" (the little Frenchman), because his mother came from that country. His youth was joyful and carefree until the age of twenty-five, when he changed completely and began to dedicate himself to the service of God, practising the Gospel ideal: purity, detachment and joy in peace. Francesco renounced the great inheritance he had received from his parents and decided to live poorly, giving the example of an authentic Christian. He soon had several young disciples, called by the saint "order of the Friars Minor". In 1210, Pope Innocent III granted them the foundation of the new order and encouraged them in their evangelical work. During a retreat on the mountain, Christ appeared to him, and legend has it that rays came out of his wounds, causing Francis various stigmata. He was a legendary figure during his lifetime, considered a living relic. In addition, his exquisite poetry and his familiarity with nature add the most human accent known in a saint, as can be seen in his "Canticle to the Sun".