81 - Novohispanic or viceregal school. 18th century.

Novohispanic or viceregal school. 18th century. “The Vision of St. Francis of Assisi, or The Vision of the Torch.” Oil on copper. 42 x 29 cm. This devotional painting on copper depicts Saint Francis, founder of the Franciscan Order, on Mount Alverna alongside Brother Leo. Both are dazzled by a great light descending from above, or “torch”, which heralds the stigmatisation, in a highly characteristic mystical atmosphere. The painting shows Saint Francis dressed in the habit of his order, kneeling in prayer with his gaze directed towards heaven. The light emanates from the upper centre of the composition, where supernatural rays emerge from between the clouds and illuminate the saint’s body. To his right, in the background, another Franciscan friar kneels behind him in a dramatic foreshortened pose. This is Brother León, who witnesses the scene, gazing at the beam of light and bearing witness to the miracle. The subject depicted is the so-called “Vision of the Torch”, which Saint Francis experienced on Mount Alverna as a prelude to his stigmatisation. The saint therefore opens the palms of his hands, awaiting the wounds of Christ’s Crucifixion as a symbol of his union with the divine will. From another perspective, it is God Himself who has chosen this humble man through His light. Saint Francis is portrayed as a lowly servant, dressed in his religious habit and wearing a coarse cord as a belt. Behind the religious figures, the landscape unfolds against a background of intense blues (azurite pigments) blended with whites and greys to create an atmospheric effect. The artist demonstrates great precision in his brushwork on copper, together with remarkable meticulousness and attention to detail. Individual blades of grass are rendered with care, as are the small basilica on the left, with its flight of steps and winding paths, the dense woodland, and the “Sister Death” skull and Gospel book at the saint’s feet. The architectural structure depicted is the Patriarchal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, which has housed the venerable Chapel of the Porziuncola since the sixteenth century. This was the place where Francis and the first generation of Franciscans lived out their evangelical and fraternal ideals. Here, the Poor Man of Assisi, on 3 October 1226, “with all the mysteries of Christ fulfilled in him, welcomed Sister Death, singing”. The church, dedicated to the Queen of Angels, the “Poor Lady” of the Porziuncola, who guided the brothers of the nascent community with maternal care, is lovingly and vigilantly safeguarded by the Franciscan Friars Minor.